Bert Kreischer: Razzle Dazzle ~ The Jester’s Privilege
You know what they say, in an almost offensively thick southern accent: if it ain’t broke, why fix it?
Bert Kreischer has made an entire career of comedy off two main factors. One is him being a drunken dumbass with a heart of gold and exactly zero impulse control, and the other having two of the most hilarious children in the world. Stories upon stories of him getting into all sorts of antics in college, his career, and his home life, have propelled him into a fair amount of notoriety in his profession. While he doesn’t branch out much farther than a couple TV shows and podcasting, “The Machine” is a nickname you have more than likely heard, even if you are a general fan of the medium of stand-up. Or part of the Russian Mafia, I suppose.
Kreischer has been able to achieve this unique level of fame through a lot of ways, but if you were to ask me, I’d say it boils down to one primary reason: he knows himself well enough to never try anything outside of his comfort zone. If you have seen his other specials, most of which are on Netflix, all I’ve said above is generally true. So “Razzle Dazzle” comes on, and the moment the shirt comes off, I know what I’m in for the following hour: opening jokes that mainly revolve around ribaldry of some kind (sex, drinking, body health, etc.), a few stories about how he’s both a fun dad and a terrible dad, at least four anecdotes that are about his daughters or wife being either kickass or dumb as rocks, and then one gutbuster to finish the night.
Do not mistake predictability with apathy, though, because like all of his other specials, it’s very good. The beauty of being true to yourself is perfectly exemplified in Kreischer’s comic abilities and limitations. He’s not going to make you think, he’s not coming at you with hard-hitting observations on the world’s woes, he’s just here to give you a fun hour. And that’s okay.
The wild part about it all is, despite having a limit to how good a Bert Kreischer special can be, he hits that limit constantly. Chalk it up to his storytelling, his authentically friendly persona, his constant willingness to being the butt of his own jokes, his little man giggle, whatever, it’s very impressive how consistent the quality of his work is. He may never go above and beyond, but he has yet to stoop below his level, and that alone is worth giving credit where it is due.
Kudos to you, Bert, and may you never step foot into an escape room with your father ever again.
7/10
