Jim Gaffigan: Comedy Monster (2021 TV Special) User Reviews

Not his best

[Johnny_West · 7/10 · 27 December 2021]

I have watched every Jim Gaffigan special on Netflix. This special had its funny moments, but there were various spots where Gaffigan was not connecting, and the jokes were just observations. Not funny or unfunny, just nothing.

The pandemic jokes were stale. Gaffigan also hit being overweight and his food obsessions. He does that in every comedy special. He usually has some new spin on those topics, to make it fresh and funny. This time, it sounded really tired.

I can only say that there are some Gaffigan specials that I have seen many times (like Quality Time which is fast paced & awesome), because they are really funny. I tried watching Comedy Monster a second time, and I had to give up. Not very funny.

"Who's your favorite billionaire-pretend astronaut?"

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 25 December 2021]

Jim Gaffigan is back with another Netflix special coming from Minneapolis. His opening takes shots at the Covid pandemic and he does it in humorous fashion, something you think would be difficult but he makes it look easy. From there he riffs on parades with marching bands, organized religion, bikers, and billionaire astronauts who are 'doing it so we can too'. Parenting gets the treatment too, a topic he usually ventures into, but I was surprised he didn't skewer some of his favorite topics like eating and exercising. One he loves, the other he hates, you can figure it out. I have to say, the guy went well out of his way to get a laugh when he sat down at the piano. That was inspired. I'll admit, Gaffigan's been funnier in prior specials, but I'll still take him over the crude performances that most other stand-ups try to pass off as comedy. Every other sentence punctuated with a four letter word isn't what I tune in to watch and hear.

Gaffigan's Take on The Post Covid World

[tkdlifemagazine · 8/10 · 21 December 2021]

3 hours ago Jim is a thoughtful, funny, and likable comedian. This Netflix special reflects on life during the Pandemic lockdown of 2020-2021. As always he reflects on his life as a father of 5, a husband, an entertainer, and a devote lover of food. This is an intelligent and mature comedy special. Jim does not go for the shock, or the cheap laughs. He is very self-effacing and he does it well. One of things I truly admire about him is his ability to continuously churn out good and relevant content. HIs humor is adult, and by that I don't mean sexual or blue- it is adult because his perspective lands best with people that are in relationships and can relate to the experience of kids. This one is great because it provide social commentary without political divisiveness. He is very well researched in his approach to the material; for example-he jokes about marching bands but understands them really well.

Still Funny, Always Makes Me Smile

[powerfoot · 7/10 · 22 December 2021]

He's such a funny, intelligent and observant comedian. Always makes me laugh and smile. I love his smart clean humor. He easily transitions from different topics easily.

Good. Not great

[bgar-80932 · 7/10 · 18 January 2022]

I'm not a huge fan of the guy but I gave it a shot randomly. I liked it. It was very relatable and focused a lot on current events such as COVID. I laughed plenty. It didn't blow me away but I didn't expect it to. I think having low expectations probably helped. Still, I can't fault the guy for that. I enjoyed myself and it was short so even if you didn't, you don't lose much. Good overall effort for the hot pocket guy.

April 16, 2022 at Foxwoods

[bcarignan-37439 · 18 April 2022]

Warm up act was funnier. Very dull and boring routines. Told stories, not jokes. He couldn't get off the stage fast enough. Will not pay again to see him live. Extremely disappointed. If I could get my money back I would.

The only boo came from a butthurt golfer

[mooveephantom · 7/10 · 5 April 2022]

Not his best special but still funny. Funny jab at the pandemic and some clever jokes about marching bands, bikers and getting old/fat. But some sections were completely unfunny and cringe. Even the audience was silent, reminding him that the jokes were overcooked and not working. His golfing bit was kinda funny. His finale joke fell flat also. Oh well, still a fan.

Funny

[billsoccer · 9/10 · 24 December 2021]

Couldn't believe the low ratings, so I watched it. You shouldn't believe them either. His brand of relatively clean, self-aware comedy appeals to me. He gently pokes fun at our pandemic behavior, marching bands, bikers, his wife and kids, but mostly himself.

Not his best but still enjoyable.

[deloudelouvain · 7/10 · 16 May 2023]

I agree that this show wasn't Jim Gaffigan's best stand-up comedy so far but I still enjoyed it though. Not all of his jokes worked perfectly, at least not compared to some of his previous stand-up comedies. Jim Gaffigan likes to talk to himself, saying standard lines like "You're bad Jim" and stuff like that but let just say he's been badder in the past. Luckily he still has the same sense of humour, and if you appreciated his previous shows I'm sure you will enjoy Comedy Monster as well. I will for sure continue watching his future shows and will expect nothing else than having a good time watching him.

Not 'Cringe'

[genious-35413 · 8/10 · 22 December 2021]

If you like well written and performed comedy, then you will like this. Gaffigan is a master and there is a reason that the guy has so many specials. While one might think you don't want to even HEAR about covid, he has a funny take on it, as well as some great material on his kids' aspirations, etc.

Now... if you're another chronic compalainer who looks for things to gripe about without actually WATCHING the special... then don't. Some people look for ways to use their favorite words like 'cringe' and 'beta male' and 'cucky' - all in an effort to make themselves appear 'alpha'. And in so doing, they dismiss an entire hour+ or material as 'men bad/women great'. That's not even REMOTELY what this special is. Ignore the inane psuedo political rantings of people who continue to use the words 'cringe' as though it's an adjective. Because it isn't. No matter how often hipster posers try to use it that way.

Starts strong but fizzles

[cglamb-1 · 6/10 · 19 December 2023]

Check out the first half hour or so, but bail when you realize you haven't laughed out loud in a while. It won't get any better. This is an interesting time for this very skilled comic because he has spent most of his career avoiding any but the mildest "my wife" type of social commentary. He tries it here and starts strong but then his obvious discomfort takes over, so he resorts to lots of generic and painfully old-fashioned wife jokes and groups-of-men-are-gay stuff. "Friendship is gay" is just a weird way to go in the 2020s.

This is such a hard time for many due to really awful disagreements about what society should be like and who gets to be a fully recognized part of it. This special is like a time capsule of one guy trying-mostly unsuccessfully-to get along more or less as usual in the middle of all that change.

Has been better but still good

[rmmil · 8/10 · 25 December 2021]

I can tell the pandemic was hard on Jim, like all of us.

His delivery was the usual casual stroll that makes his comedy seem effortless, and he talked about relevant topics that I thought were occasionally very funny.

Sometimes the bits fell a bit flat, the "things that look like Jim" bit went on too long and was overly repetitive. Other than that, I enjoyed this. There aren't many comedians who can still make it look easy.

P. S.: Just because it turns out Jim doesn't necessarily mesh with your political views, doesn't mean he's not funny.

A fairly standard standup special

[Jeremy_Urquhart · 5/10 · 28 December 2021]

Provides a couple of chuckles and technically speaking he's a solidly skilled comedian, but all the joke topics are so derivative, and he doesn't really bring a new or interesting spin to the topics he tackles. Plus, his voice was sometimes a little annoying at time, but that's subjective, and also I'm a bit of a jerk.

I've only seen one other Gaffigan special, and while I didn't love it, it still had more laughs than this. May check out other old specials of his when I'm next in a standup-watching mood.

Really good delivery

[sewalker-12265 · 9/10 · 24 December 2021]

I think it was his best special, several times he had me doubled over laughing, really good show. Target audience is early 40s with kids, it will really hit home.

Comedy gold, Jim Gaffigan's best flow lately

[johnny6packk · 9/10 · 22 December 2021]

Hard-hitting "dad" jokes with swipes at race, women and government- this is a thoroughly enjoyable special. Watch it all the way through, you won't be disappointed! Very mature material but kid friendly.

Jim Gaffigan knocks em dead!

[etober · 10/10 · 22 December 2021]

Another great show by this funny comic. He accurately and intelligently pokes fun at the pandemic and how amusing it is that the introverts are thriving and the crazy people are still in denial. He's able to acknowledge that 2021 was even worse than 2020, but he's also able to make everyone laugh about it.

His set covers a wide variety of funny topics including a few classic food and sunburn Gaffigan jokes. (No spoilers!) As long as we still have Jim in this world maybe, just maybe, everything will be okay.

Boring

[cdc123 · 3/10 · 8 January 2022]

I usually enjoy Jim Gaffigan. This was probably his worst standup. I chuckled once. The jokes weren't funny and he was simply banking on his comic delivery style. This is akin to a professional chef serving you a bowl of cereal. Had to turn it off.

I enjoyed it very much

[jmeegan-97099 · 9/10 · 4 January 2022]

A few of the jokes didn't quite land in the beginning of the set but he really pulled it together afterwards and it was super funny. One of his best performances in my opinion. I'm a big fan of Jim Gaffigan so I may be a bit biased.

The most underrated comedian in America

[Creative-Geek · 8/10 · 12 January 2022]

Jim Gaffigan doing what Jim Gaffigan does best ... creating clever, unpredictable, and hilarious content for all to enjoy. Pretty sure the low ratings are from Bikers and Cyclists whom may have felt personally attacked a bit. Lol.

Needed a good laugh

[clairelouise5 · 9/10 · 23 January 2022]

I loved Jim Gaffigan's latest comedy offering. Comedy Monster. I find him quite light hearted and relatable. His COVID summary was brilliant and just what was needed, and I enjoyed pretty much all the anecdotes, he just hit the nail on the head and kept us laughing all the way through. Recommended.

Just not good

[Andy769 · 2/10 · 1 January 2022]

A very straight driven woke style special. If that's your thing, poof you found a "comedy" special that fits your bill. I love Jim, but this special didn't even get a small chuckle out of us.

More Good "Clean" Fun

[AudioFileZ · 8/10 · 19 March 2022]

Try being funny without any dipping into the words you can't say on radio (I.e. I'm old). Bet you can't. Furthermore, like me, I'll bet you can even be funny when you try at all. Well, don't take the comedy of Jim Gaffigan for granted. There's a lot coming together when he hits the stage and begins an act that is almost singular today as most all comics on his level are down and dirty.

If you've watched Gaffigan you know what to expect. He'll poke fun mostly at himself and current trends and happenings. There's a lot folks can relate to on an assortment of levels and he often connects with several in the same couple of sentences. And it's the clasic whiney and exasperated Gaffigan delivery that nails it bringing home the bacon. Funny insights are one thing but it's the "sincerely poignant" delivery that kills.

You may think this deserves a five at best. You're welcome to that belief. But you'd be wrong because this is a comic's comic. He's a singular type who doesn't have to get excessively angry or even questionably dirty. He's just damn funny and that's that.

Hate to say it .

[Morpheus640 · 4/10 · 21 January 2022]

It's his worst special . I've watched his other ones multiple times and consistently laughed . Barely smirked for this one 🙁 yes hot pockets is hilarious and he can't keep doing that but the premises were weak and rambling . Sorry Jim . I hate to say it.

Better options out there

[elimelliott · 4/10 · 4 January 2022]

I like Jim Gaffigan. He's not my favorite comedian by any means, but I was entertained by his previous albums. However, this special feels lazy. A lot of tired stuff here, including jokes about his weight and eating habits (which, admittedly, are Gaffigan staples) and the pandemic (maybe hard to have a fresh take when it's been, globally, a dominant discussion topic for the last two years). I got a few chuckles from the first half, but ultimately my wife and I didn't feel the need to finish it. Can't imagine the second half has more to offer.

Not worth the watch

[apollohits · 2/10 · 30 December 2021]

I've always held Jim Gaffigan in high regard but this special didn't even bring a chuckle out of me. Comedy is subjective so if this is your cup of tea go for it. What I extrapolated from this special was just pandering. Most of us agree with his perspective but constantly saying anti vaxxers are the worst and resorting to constant fat jokes seemed overly bland. I'm all for edgy comedy considering my favorite comedians are bill burr and Louis CK this special was just not funny in the slightest. Overall if you want a family friendly comedy special that won't make you laugh at all this is perfect for you. I just don't think he will ever live up to his old specials anymore....