I'm not sure how to describe this stand-up special, because I really want people to understand my perception of it. Listen, I started watching 'The Daily Show' with Jon Stewart back in (maybe) 1996, I don't recall. The skits, the jokes, the way they poked fun at society, religion & politics was hilarious... for 1996. Sarah's 'Someone You Love' HBO special felt like that. It was comical (dot dot dot) 27 years ago. But see we've heard all the puns and watched all the skits for decades, and (well) naturally the show grew/matured over this time. Jon Stewart moved on. They got a new host, new writers, and it changed with the times. It had to to be more relevant for the kids today. It needed new material and fresh mirth. Sarah didn't bring that in her special. She's making the same observations that everyone has already done, but it's 27 years later. I've listened to Sarah talk about abortion, Hitler, Catholics, the vagina, and of course diarrhea for so long, that it's monotonous. It's as if Sarah is going backwards as a comic. It's like she's stealing material from an old dive-bar comedian, and hoping we won't notice. Her wit is old, tired, and irrelevant. She's stuck in a bubble. It's exhausting listening to her preach about the exact same things. She's a broken record that I simply can't listen to any longer.
Some entertaining parts of the special came towards the end. Sarah seemed more relaxed. She stopped projecting at the audience and became more social. She engaged with the audience members, and it got some laughs. It was nice hearing her chat with Mrs Martin-Epstein, although it felt constructed to me. I assumed the woman was planted in the front row convivially. It was the pretense of a natural occurrence (IMHO). The end of the show had Sarah singing a silly song (probably written by her sister Laura again). Laura's contributions were Sarah's greatest strengths. The familiarity of it was delightful. It was a song about bad breath, and she sang it to a lovely piano melody. It gave me a smile. I always loved the songs they did on the 'Sarah Silverman Program'. The ending itself left me with a deep sadness. I questioned what happened to that edgy comedy Silverman was always known for... Where's the shock value? Where's the stuff she so boldly exclaimed in her youth? The controversy is gone. The wow factor is empty. She's playing it safe, and I can't help but imagine Sarah Silverman is too scared to stir up a ruckus. I think she's terrified of getting cancelled. And so she isn't as amusing as she once was. 4 stars for this show. I would suggest waiting for the return of 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'.
Some entertaining parts of the special came towards the end. Sarah seemed more relaxed. She stopped projecting at the audience and became more social. She engaged with the audience members, and it got some laughs. It was nice hearing her chat with Mrs Martin-Epstein, although it felt constructed to me. I assumed the woman was planted in the front row convivially. It was the pretense of a natural occurrence (IMHO). The end of the show had Sarah singing a silly song (probably written by her sister Laura again). Laura's contributions were Sarah's greatest strengths. The familiarity of it was delightful. It was a song about bad breath, and she sang it to a lovely piano melody. It gave me a smile. I always loved the songs they did on the 'Sarah Silverman Program'. The ending itself left me with a deep sadness. I questioned what happened to that edgy comedy Silverman was always known for... Where's the shock value? Where's the stuff she so boldly exclaimed in her youth? The controversy is gone. The wow factor is empty. She's playing it safe, and I can't help but imagine Sarah Silverman is too scared to stir up a ruckus. I think she's terrified of getting cancelled. And so she isn't as amusing as she once was. 4 stars for this show. I would suggest waiting for the return of 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'.