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Crushing It

Fortune Feimster

Netflix · 2024 · 58 min

An easygoing hour of family comedy and fast-food biscuits.

Fortune Feimster returns with her signature sunny, self-deprecating demeanor, finding comedy in her transition from her mother’s default companion to a newly married woman. She jokes about finally stepping down as her mom’s surrogate husband now that she has her own wife, though her honeymoon was far from a traditional romantic getaway. Taped at the Moore Theatre in Seattle and released on Netflix in late 2024, the special caps a busy period for Feimster, who was also co-hosting the podcast Handsome and starring in the action-comedy series Fubar. Under the direction of Kristian Mercado, the set maintains her usual easygoing energy while touching on slightly more political elements than her previous hours, Sweet & Salty and Good Fortune. Still, the bulk of the hour thrives on low-stakes absurdity, like her desperate hunt for fast-food breakfast biscuits and her refusal to wear anything but her trusty ‘lesbian swimsuit,’ which she defines as an oversized T-shirt and cutoff sweatpants.

The set list

7 bits
  1. Honeymooning with wife Jax in the Maldives with a stopover in Qatar, realizing mid-flight that homosexuality is illegal there.

    Keeps the frightening reality light, exploring her anxieties, fake cover stories, and standing inches apart.

  2. Having a silent mime fight with her spouse in the quiet car of an Italian train.

    Executed through physical comedy and exaggerated pantomime.

  3. Becoming her mother's stand-in or surrogate husband following her parents' divorce at age 12.

    Reflects on overly romantic-seeming trips and her mother's jealousy toward her actual marriage.

  4. Her mother meeting a suitor through newspaper classified ads.

    Humorous reflection on liking each other's grammar and believing he was wealthy because of a tanning bed and an industrial ice-crushing machine.

  5. Racing her biological clock against fast-food breakfast cutoffs at Hardee's at 10:15 a.m.

    Treats the quest to acquire morning biscuits before 10:30 a.m. with high-stakes urgency.

  6. Looking up a childhood rival on Facebook.

    Suddenly and unexpectedly breaks into song upon seeing how the nemesis is doing.

  7. The closer (spoiler). Show it

    Late callbacks to earlier jokes across the hour. closer

    Tying the interconnected narrative threads back together.

How it plays

Tone
Feel-good, positive, bright, optimistic, and self-aware without anger or outrage.
On stage
Silly, charming, lovable, laidback, nonplussed, and relatable with an infectious energy and a Southern drawl.
Pace
Larger than life, confident, impeccable sense of timing, using minimal movement punctuated by ostentatious physical gestures.
About
Honeymoon misadventures and navigating anti-LGBTQ+ countries, Marriage and arguing with her spouse, Relationship with her mother post-divorce, Aging parents, Fast food cravings, Childhood memories

What the critics said

Praised as another dependable, positive, and finely honed hour from Feimster that expertly blends personal storytelling with lighthearted physical comedy.

In the room: Warm and receptive, spurring waves of applause and cheers for quippy buttons and slice-of-life storytelling.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: allmovie.com, themoviedb.org, rottentomatoes.com, decider.com, readysteadycut.com, metacritic.com, them.us, variety.com, m.imdb.com, out.com.

Backstory

Settling into married life with her wife Jax, reflecting on her honeymoon in the Maldives and Qatar, and navigating her relationship with her aging mother post-divorce.

Details

Released
Taped
Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Runtime
58 min
Where
Netflix
Director
Kristian Mercado Figueroa
Topics
Before
Good Fortune (2022)

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