American Dream

An immigrant’s view of American culture is always a reliable well for stand-up, but the novelty here is that the newcomer is already a stadium-filling superstar in Europe. Gad Elmaleh attempts to conquer the English-speaking world by treating his transition to New York like a humbling comedy experiment. The best parts of the set highlight his bewilderment over American dating etiquette, particularly a bit where a simple invitation to grab a drink is met with a chaotic barrage of emojis (including a Spanish dancer, a monkey covering its face, and an eggplant) forcing him to send back an ambulance in sheer confusion.

Filmed at The Town Hall in New York City, this 2018 Netflix release marked Elmaleh’s first full English-language special. Much of the hour relies on physical comedy and exaggerated expressions to bridge any remaining linguistic gaps. He pokes fun at the romanticized Paris that Americans dream of but does not actually exist, and details the nerve-wracking experience of trying to explain to U.S. customs officers why he is traveling on a Moroccan passport with gold Arabic lettering.

While some critics noted that the special occasionally recycled observational premises from his earlier French-language work, his focus on the friction of learning a new language keeps the show grounded. Elmaleh is a highly expressive performer, using physical comedy to show the sheer exhaustion of trying to understand American idioms, particularly when native speakers offer no actual help beyond telling him “either way” for every grammar question.