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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy
Promotional art for 100% Fresh
Cover image credit: via TMDB

100% Fresh

Adam Sandler

Netflix · 2018 · 73 min

Adam Sandler returns to stand-up with guitars, dog jokes, and arena-sized energy.

Adam Sandler’s return to stand-up after more than twenty years is less a traditional hour of comedy and more of a manic, fast-paced road show that relies on goofy songs and earnestness to win over the crowd. Instead of sticking to a single stage, director Steven Brill stitches together recordings from a dozen different performances, jumping from intimate comedy clubs like New York’s Comedy Cellar to packed arenas and even a subway station. Armed with an acoustic guitar and self-deprecating musical numbers, Sandler manages to captivate rooms of all sizes by leaning into his classic, boyish persona.\n\nBy 2018, Sandler had spent two decades transitioning from a movie star to a prolific, often critically-maligned producer of broad streaming films under his Netflix deal. The title of this special was a playful jab at his adversarial relationship with critics, but the hour unexpectedly became his most widely acclaimed project in years. Memorable bits include his daily mental checklist \”Phone, Wallet, Keys,\” a song about taking a disastrous dick pic for his wife, and a sweet, emotional tribute to his late friend and former Saturday Night Live castmate Chris Farley. The show earned a 90% positive score on Rotten Tomatoes and a Primetime Emmy nomination for writing.

The set list

5 bits

  1. Our Friend Chris Farley

    An emotional, heartfelt musical tribute performed on guitar with archival footage celebrating the life and wild spirit of his late Saturday Night Live castmate.

  2. The Spooky Dick Pic

    Sandler recounts sending his first explicit photo to fit in with his married peers, only to find a tall ghost holding a ruler haunting the frame.

  3. Baby Talk

    Sandler gets into a progressively stressful babbling exchange with an infant that concludes with the baby pleading for help because its mother won't vaccinate it.

  4. Home Etiquette (Making the Wine)

    A stream-of-consciousness observation about visiting a friend's house where taking off one's shoes spirals into stomping grapes to make wine.

  5. The closer (spoiler). Show it

    Song Dedicated to His Wife / Grow Old With You closer

    A touching yet sheepish closing love ballad balancing vulgar marital humor with genuine romantic devotion.

How it plays

Tone
Earnest, crude, sweet, and nostalgic.
On stage
Laidback, self-effacing, and vulnerable 'man-child' who freely shifts between childish silliness and genuine warmth.
Pace
Energetic yet relaxed and conversational, deftly shifting from quick-hit absurd musical jokes to longer, emotionally resonant ballads.
About
Fatherhood and marriage, Aging, Friendship and mortality, Everyday absurdities, Bodily functions and sex

What the critics said

Widely acclaimed by critics, earning a 90% Rotten Tomatoes approval rating and praise as an energetic, surprisingly touching return to form.

In the room: Rapturous and affectionate across comedy clubs, theaters, and arenas, juxtaposed with casual indifference during an unannounced busking set in a Times Square subway station.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org, decider.com, filmmakermagazine.com, nytimes.com, vulture.com, vox.com.

Backstory

Titled as an impudent poke at his frequent negative Rotten Tomatoes reviews, marking a return to his roots in musical stand-up comedy and featuring personal reflections on family, aging, and the memory of late friend Chris Farley.

Details

Released
Taped
Various venues (including Dynasty Typewriter, The Comic Strip, Largo, and El Rey Theater), Los Angeles and New York City
Runtime
73 min
Where
Netflix
Director
Steven Brill
Honors
Nominated for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special
Topics
Before
Stan and Judy's Kid (1999)
After
I Missed You (2023)

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