John Mulaney: Baby J ~ The Jester’s Privilege
Let’s get two painfully obvious things out of the way: drugs are bad, and John Mulaney is really good at stand-up.
After spending a good part of the 2010’s as one of the most recognizable comedians and a 2020 quarantine period that could only be described as “YEESH,” Mulaney returns to the limelight for a brand new special, his third with Netflix. Once he was back on tour, everyone in the comedy world figured he would come out with a brand-new angle, but would he be the same John that we had grown to love? You know, the John that openly talked about getting blackout drunk and chugging a bottle of perfume, as well as going through with a prostate exam to get his hands on Xanax? That sweet, innocent man with no detectable drug problem in sight?
In all seriousness, it is hard to have consistency at the level that Mulaney has had over the past decade, dropping classic bit after classic bit, and with notoriety comes complacency in my experience of watching comedy over the years. To save the suspense, of course Mulaney delivered. It’s almost infuriating how entertaining and hilarious he continues to be. Maybe it’s the novelty of his inflections, or maybe his observations are just that funny, but the re-watchability of his specials is basically unrivaled, and I suspect “Baby J” to be no different.
This special was different than his other ones, which added an element of personability to this set. The whole thing was about his drug addiction, from his intervention, to rehab, to being friends with Al Pacino. You know, everything that goes into being a junkie. The journey he lays out for the audience isn’t one with big revelations or intimate moments, which has always been his M.O., and has helped him garner a large fanbase. My nitpicking ass, however, thinks it takes away slightly from the set. You don’t have to make me cry for it to be good, but Mulaney refuses to give away much of himself in order to hold onto his whole court jester vibe he’s maintained his career, and it leaves a lot unanswered.
Again, to be fair, that cannot be the standard about a set about drug abuse. Is it funny, and is it true to the comedian? Unequivocally. Not only did you get the John Mulaney you paid for, you can see he’s given power over his story by allowing those to peer into the background of his success, and see that even during his highest moments in the public eye, he was at his lowest (and highest, if you want to get technical about it). He’s never had an issue presenting himself as likable onstage, so any level of vulnerability skyrockets that aspect.
We shall see what the internet pulls from this special and turns into sounds on TikTok, but in the meantime, we can appreciate the showcase of talent that yet another John Mulaney set exemplified. It is hysterical from start to finish (and for an hour twenty runtime, that’s pretty impressive), he’s as engaging and affable as ever, and he has demonstrated yet again why he is one of the best in the game right now.
9.5/10
