The Funniest Stand-Up Comedy


   

The laughDB database is dedicated to the funniest comedy movies, stand-up comedy and TV series.

In this area (stand-up comedy), you can:
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Stand-Up Comedy Sets sorted by Recently reviewed (descending) / page 5 of 14


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Steve Martin: On Location posterSteve Martin: On Location
      1976 | USA | Laughs: 3.5 (Chuckle) | imdb: 7.7
      

I'm not a fan of Steve Martin's (both his acting and stand-up comedy usually tend to leave me cold) but I enjoyed the first part of this show very much. It didn't make me laugh out loud, but at least I got to chuckle while discovering a range of skills I never knew Steve had, from juggling to playing the banjo.

The delivery reminded me very much of George Carlin. If it is the case that Steve was inspired by George, then perhaps it is a shame that he later developed his own style, which never did much for me.

For me, the end of the show was as boring as Steve's usual act. (Last viewed: August 2018)

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A Steven Wright Special posterA Steven Wright Special
      1985 | USA | Laughs: 0.2 | imdb: 8.6
      

Eight years after first trying out Steven Wright, I decided to give him a second chance, this time with a show from twenty years earlier than the first. The set a series of unconnected one- or two-liners delivered in a deadpan tone. The audience was in stitches, but I had barely cracked a smile after fifteen minutes, so I had to kill the tape. Why the audience laughed is beyond me. Perhaps it was the alcohol. More likely, some kind of mass hypnosis. (Last viewed: August 2018)

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Stewart Lee: Carpet Remnant World posterStewart Lee: Carpet Remnant World
      2012 | U.K. | Laughs: 3.0 | imdb: 8.6
      

While this show doesn't rank very high for pure laughs, it gave me a lot of pleasure. I had read that Stewart Lee is "a comedian's comedian", and as a large consumer of stand-up comedy I enjoyed how he weaves comments about that art into the show. In parallel to the apparent thread of the routine, Stewart deconstructs his own performance, which often serves as a greater comedic device than the "plain jokes".

The show was at least half an hour too long for my taste, a taste that I don't mind apologizing for. This was my first encounter with Stewart Lee. I'll be excited to discover more of his material. (Last viewed: August 2018)

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An Audience with Victoria Wood posterAn Audience with Victoria Wood
      1988 | U.K. | Laughs: 0.2 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 8.2
      wikipedia

I have no doubt that Victoria Wood was very clever—her rapid-fire delivery suggests an agile mind. As a performer, I found her very likeable Yet in this set (the only one of hers that I've watched) her comedy did nothing for me, although the audience were in stitches. They in fact were the most interesting part of the show: it was fascinating seeing that collection of British faces from the 1980s. Through a combination of hair-styling, dental care, plastic surgery and diet, faces seem to have come a long way since that time. I apologize for not having anything more substantial to offer about this show. (Last viewed: August 2018)

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Tom Segura: Disgraceful posterTom Segura: Disgraceful
      2018 | USA | Laughs: 4.0 (Chuckle) | imdb: 7.5
      

I don't know if this show would be funny to someone who sees Tom for the first time, but I like his demeanor, so I enjoyed the show even though it never got past the chuckle point. Looking back, I'm not sure that any particular theme stood out, though the high of the set for me may have been the point when he talks about people with "foreign accent syndrome".

This makes no sense? Just go watch it, I don't think you'll be sad. (Last viewed: August 2018)

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Ryan Hamilton: Happy Face posterRyan Hamilton: Happy Face
      2017 | USA | Laughs: 2.5 (Chuckle) | imdb: 7.2
      

This was the first set of Ryan's that I watched. I didn't laugh, perhaps because I was tired, but I enjoyed it and had nothing to complain about. Ryan belongs to this endangered breed of stand-up comedian who do "clean" humor. I appreciated that, not because I'm a prude (hell, I'm a big fan of Jim Jefferies) but because bathroom and bedroom jokes are usually the refuge of people who aren't clever enough to talk about other things.

I don't mean to imply that this was "intellectual comedy". Nothing was learned. The topics ranged from New Yorkers to hot air balloons. But it was light-hearted, Ryan was likeable and I was entertained. On that particular night, I couldn't have asked for more. (Last viewed: August 2018)

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Gad Elmaleh: American Dream posterGad Elmaleh: American Dream
      2018 | USA | Laughs: 4.2 | imdb: 7.2
      

With a few tweaks, this is essentially the same material as that from Gad Part En Live from a year earlier, but in English. I watched the two shows back-to-back, and in my view the English version goes down a little smoother, not just because Gad ironed out a few kinks, but also because that New York stage felt like it was the right context for that show.

As a "student" of the various brands of humor around the world and in different eras, I find it very special that Gad is able to perform stand-up comedy successfully in various languages (apart from French and English, he has also performed in Arabic and Hebrew). Comedy-wise, this is not an outstanding show, but anyone with an appetite for cross-cultural differences should find something they like.

One missed opportunity, in my view, is that apart from a few isolated words, Gad doesn't show off his Arabic. Given the fears and stereotypes of our times, he could do that to great effect. (Last viewed: August 2018)

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Michelle Wolf: Nice Lady posterMichelle Wolf: Nice Lady
      2017 | USA | Laughs: 2.0 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 6.6
      

I'm always interested in trying out a female comedian, if only to experience a degree of diversity in styles and themes. I'd never have thought I could listen to such a shrill voice as Michelle's, but she uses it to great comedic effect. On the production side, I found it strange that there were so many shots of her looking straight into the camera—unusual for stand-up, where most of the time you get the impression that the comedian is looking at someone else in the audience. But Michelle smirks at her own jokes, and that made up for it because it's contagious.

Sadly, most of the show of the bathroom, bedroom and underpants genre, and I already get way too much of that from the male crew. I didn't laugh, but there were some good moments and I did chuckle at the bit where she exchanges text messages with her trainer.

I found Michelle likeable and promising, and I really hope she finds the support and inspiration to deliver something funnier next time. (Last viewed: August 2018)

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Ricky Gervais: Humanity posterRicky Gervais: Humanity
      2018 | U.K. | Laughs: 7.5 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.9
      

After being disappointed with a number of stand-up comedians whose material seemed to have gone downhill over the recent years, my expectations for this set by Ricky Gervais were low. What a pleasant surprise!

To me it seemed that he was as funny as ever—perhaps funnier, but it's hard to tell without watching old shows within the same week. Perhaps the secret to Ricky's fresh material and delivery, apart from his agile mind, is the fact that he hadn't gone on tour in seven years. I respect a man who holds off on speaking until he has something good to say.

I also happen to coincide with Ricky's views on religion and animal cruelty, although that is no benchmark by which to rate his comedy. In fact Ricky spends much of the show conveying a similar point, being the little sense there is in judging a comedian's jokes based one's special interests. Perhaps too much of the show is spent on this theme; on the other hand Ricky handles it ten times better than Dave Chappelle in a contemporaneous set. (Last viewed: August 2018)

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Dave Chappelle: Equanimity posterDave Chappelle: Equanimity
      2017 | USA | Laughs: 0.5 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 8.1
      

The worst thing about this show isn't that it's not funny. (Spoiler: it's not funny.) It's that the intonations are all wrong. To my ears, it sounded like the delivery was scripted to the millimeter. Of course we don't expect stand-up comedy to be all improvised, but it shouldn't sound all fake. And that is what it sounded like: fake—with pauses and chuckles in pre-determined places, with emphasis given to certain syllables. I'm not sure whether it was in a Ted talk or a political speech, but I had recently heard a presentation with the emphasis falling in the exact same awkward places. Dave and that guy must have the same trainer. You would think that at this point in his career Dave could handle public speaking more competently. The show was one big disappointment. (Last viewed: August 2018)

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Dave Chappelle: The Bird Revelation posterDave Chappelle: The Bird Revelation
      2017 | USA | Laughs: 0.5 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 7.7
      

Even though I wasn't in too demanding a mood when I sat down (I generally like Dave), I found this to be the dullest piece of stand-up I'd watched in a long while. The delivery was painfully slow, and the jokes (on the theme of Hollywood's harassment scandals) just weren't funny.

For me, the feeling of the first part of the show was "Dave Chappelle trying for the first time to improvise material for an upcoming show". Toward the end, Dave acts like he wants to share a personal story—the reason for him disappearing from show business for twelve years. Maybe this was meant to be therapeutic for Dave, but for my part I prefer to know in advance when my role as spectator is to provide a sympathetic ear: I had come here for comedy, not to give you empathy. (Last viewed: August 2018)

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Jim Jefferies: This Is Me Now posterJim Jefferies: This Is Me Now
      2018 | Australia | Laughs: 4.0 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.4
      

Although this is not the peak of Jim's career (the material is stretched thin over the time of the show), if you're a fan of his earlier work you're still likely to enjoy this one, so I'd recommend that you don't miss it. (Last viewed: July 2018)

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Jerry Before Seinfeld posterJerry Before Seinfeld
      2017 | USA | Laughs: 3.0 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.0
      wikipedia

In this special, Jerry Seinfeld revisits his early career as a comedian. Although the show as a hole is not terribly funny, it has good moments, and it's wonderful to see Jerry on stage again. If you're a fan, I'm sure you won't miss it. (Last viewed: May 2018)

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Bill Bailey: Qualmpeddler posterBill Bailey: Qualmpeddler
      2013 | U.K. | Laughs: 5.1 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.5
      

In the first part of the set, Bill makes many references to public figures—a comedic device I rarely like, as it makes the material instantly dated as well as culture-dependent. How many U.S. viewers keep up with U.K. politics and social affairs?

But it's a long set, and it has some very good bits. Overall it felt like watching "real Bill Bailey" (as opposed to a weaker, diluted version of his former self), and I enjoyed the experience. (Last viewed: June 2017)

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Bill Burr: Comedy Central Season 7, Episode 2Bill Burr: Comedy Central Season 7, Episode 2
      2003 | USA | Laughs: 7.2 | imdb: 8.0
      

Discovering this set fourteen years later was a good surprise. A stand-up comedian's powers often decline as they get more settled in life and exhaust their themes, so I was curious to study some ancient material, when Bill was presumably near his peak. This Comedy Central special didn't disappoint. Sometimes old shows age poorly, but most of the material here is of the imperishable kind—universal subjects such as differences between men and women, always a good theme for Bill. Sure there was a short piece about George W. Bush, but I could handle it, I still remember who W is. The only bummer was that the show only lasted twenty minutes. If you can get your hands on this tape, it's a fun short watch. (Last viewed: June 2017)

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(This section: Stand-Up Comedy Sets)


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