Relatable (2018)
December 26, 2018 6:37 PM - Subscribe
Comedian Ellen Degeneres performs a live stand-up comedy set in Seattle.
Ellen DeGeneres: Relatable is a 2018 American stand-up comedy special by comedian and television host Ellen DeGeneres. It premiered on December 18, 2018 on Netflix. The special was performed at the Benaroya Hall in Downtown Seattle, Seattle, Washington on August 22 and 23, 2018.
Ellen DeGeneres: Relatable is a 2018 American stand-up comedy special by comedian and television host Ellen DeGeneres. It premiered on December 18, 2018 on Netflix. The special was performed at the Benaroya Hall in Downtown Seattle, Seattle, Washington on August 22 and 23, 2018.
One of my favorite specials ever was Ellen's HBO special Here and Now. I watched it in college and I still think about it 10+ years later. The popcorn bit!!! What I liked about this special was that she had that same rhythm and style. She has this way of continuing a bit past when it seems like it should be funny but the fact that she is still working it with a straight face makes me laugh. Like her being an old person walking to the dance floor.
Her material definitely wasn't as strong as her past work. I agree that the video clip wasn't impressive and seemed sort of out of place. I think it would be really hard for her to develop any material because people start screaming wildly whenever they see her, even when she hasn't done anything. I hate that. I bet she hates that.
In sum: not the funniest stand-up ever, not the funniest Ellen stand-up ever, but it was a nice hello from someone I like a lot.
posted by Emmy Rae at 9:03 AM on December 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
Her material definitely wasn't as strong as her past work. I agree that the video clip wasn't impressive and seemed sort of out of place. I think it would be really hard for her to develop any material because people start screaming wildly whenever they see her, even when she hasn't done anything. I hate that. I bet she hates that.
In sum: not the funniest stand-up ever, not the funniest Ellen stand-up ever, but it was a nice hello from someone I like a lot.
posted by Emmy Rae at 9:03 AM on December 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
If a comedy special hasn't hooked me after 10 minutes, I'm out. This one didn't hook me. Honestly, I was not surprised. I think it's very difficult for a comedian who has been rich/famous for years to be very good at stand-up. Most stand-up depends on point-of-view, the POV of someone who has been rich and famous for a while is...well, even if it's packaged up as relatable, it's gonna feel outdated.
posted by grandiloquiet at 2:22 PM on December 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by grandiloquiet at 2:22 PM on December 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
I loved the opening chunk riffing on her fabulous lifestyle, but the rest seemed really limp and unfocused.
posted by He Is Only The Imposter at 7:28 AM on December 28, 2018
posted by He Is Only The Imposter at 7:28 AM on December 28, 2018
I don't get what she was going for here. DeGeneris is one of the smartest, most charming, most accomplished entertainers right now. Her talk show is a delight. She played a huge role in LGBT acceptance in America. What she's been able to accomplish is staggering.
But the many jokes about her fabulous wealth were way too much. The ableist jokes and calling people "crazy" seemed wildly and weirdly mean -- totally off brand for her. Was the whole relatable concept a joke on us?
I would have loved an hour of her stories -- there's a bit where she talked about losing her girlfriend and her home and having to live in an awful, flea-infested basement, and coming up with that brilliant phone-call-with-god idea. And then six years later, she's on Johnny Carson getting called over to chat. What happened in those six years? I wanted something more personal.
I think Nanette has spoiled me for standup.
posted by mochapickle at 11:13 AM on December 28, 2018
But the many jokes about her fabulous wealth were way too much. The ableist jokes and calling people "crazy" seemed wildly and weirdly mean -- totally off brand for her. Was the whole relatable concept a joke on us?
I would have loved an hour of her stories -- there's a bit where she talked about losing her girlfriend and her home and having to live in an awful, flea-infested basement, and coming up with that brilliant phone-call-with-god idea. And then six years later, she's on Johnny Carson getting called over to chat. What happened in those six years? I wanted something more personal.
I think Nanette has spoiled me for standup.
posted by mochapickle at 11:13 AM on December 28, 2018
Yeah, this was ... OK to not great. I was amused by parts of it but I don't really know if I laughed and I don't remember much about it. She was a great comedian in her day but I feel like the landscape of standup has changed (for the better!) and she hasn't really caught up. Her jokes just felt a little under-developed and like she was trying too hard to be "relatable" and she just isn't anymore.
And that's fine. I didn't want 90 minutes of jokes about being rich, either, but I guess I wanted more of her, too. The parts that were more personal were the best, but there just wasn't enough of those.
posted by darksong at 11:49 AM on December 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
And that's fine. I didn't want 90 minutes of jokes about being rich, either, but I guess I wanted more of her, too. The parts that were more personal were the best, but there just wasn't enough of those.
posted by darksong at 11:49 AM on December 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
I thought her step ladder punch line was the best of the bunch, and yet I hate how she shoehorned it in, with how only adults own ladders.
The whole show seemed underdeveloped like that. I just assumed Netflix hit her with a bag of cash and she spent a weekend cobbling together stuff she's not used yet.
posted by Pig Tail Orchestra at 9:18 AM on January 4, 2019 [1 favorite]
The whole show seemed underdeveloped like that. I just assumed Netflix hit her with a bag of cash and she spent a weekend cobbling together stuff she's not used yet.
posted by Pig Tail Orchestra at 9:18 AM on January 4, 2019 [1 favorite]
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Honestly, I just want to go and watch her old stand up now. Interested in what others thought of it, though!
posted by too bad you're not me at 6:53 PM on December 26, 2018 [4 favorites]