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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy

Straight White Male, 60

Dana Carvey

Netflix · 2016 · 64 min

An SNL veteran leans on impressions and generational gripes.

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Dana Carvey relies on the weapon that has kept him in business for three decades: a gallery of cartoonish vocal impressions that value physical silliness over political insight. He introduces a soft, slightly effeminate Donald Trump whose physical quirks involve waving his hands like a clapping seal and doing the “index shuffle”. It is not political comedy with a sharp point; it is a seasoned impressionist treating public figures like Batman villains, which makes for a performance that is watchable even if the writing is lightweight.

Filmed at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston, the 2016 special marked Carvey’s return to stand-up after years spent raising his family. At 61 years old, he devotes significant chunks of the set to complaining about his millennial sons and mimicking their speech patterns. The generational gripes feel highly familiar, but the energy of his delivery keeps the pacing brisk. When he moves away from politicians, he leans into broad accents, recreating the speech patterns of Irish pilots and Italians using simple vocal tricks rather than deep observations.

The set list

6 bits

  1. Donald Trump mannerisms and physical tics

    Plays Trump as slightly effeminate and breaks down his signature physical gestures, including 'the seal' arm wave and 'the index shuffle.'

  2. Offstage Adolf Hitler

    Reimagines Hitler unwinding away from public speeches by adopting a soft, seductive showbiz tone with underlings Goebbels and Eva Braun, ending abruptly without a punchline.

  3. Visiting the pharmacy and prescription medications

    Highlights the absurdity of being heavily medicated at age 60 and commercials advertising drugs for hyper-specific newly invented ailments.

  4. Disaffected teenage sons

    Acts out his teenage boys reacting to parental advice with a brooding shuffle and muttering, 'Bunch a fucking bullshit, man.'

  5. The Church Lady and Bill Gates

    Recalls an awkward corporate gig for Microsoft where he played Church Lady onstage with an unamused Bill Gates.

  6. The closer (spoiler). Show it

    Paul McCartney explains modern culture to John Lennon closer

    Impersonates Paul McCartney in conversation with the ghost of John Lennon in heaven, trying to explain modern concepts like Kanye West, the Kardashians, cell phones, and social media.

How it plays

Tone
Lighthearted, inoffensive, observational, wry, and nostalgic.
On stage
Impish, amiable, open-faced, energetic people-pleaser, self-described as an eccentric older comic leaning into character embodiment.
Pace
Enthusiastic and animated, driven by rapid character switching, vocal tics, physical caricatures, and playful silliness.
About
aging and physical decline, parenting millennial children, prescription medications and pharmaceuticals, 2016 presidential politics, international travel and cultural caricatures, classic rock and pop culture

What the critics said

Critics praised Carvey's enthusiastic embodiment of characters and affable energy, but several reviews noted that the political and observational material felt dated, safe, and lacked sharp satirical bite.

In the room: A wildly supportive, packed theater audience giving steady cheers, laughs, and applause breaks throughout.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: allmovie.com, mauracorey.com, rottentomatoes.com, avclub.com, decider.com, vulture.com, exclaim.ca, imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org.

Backstory

Released during the height of the 2016 US presidential election; Carvey's return to clubs and standup was spurred by supporting his two sons entering the comedy scene.

Details

Released
Taped
The Wilbur Theatre, Boston
Runtime
64 min
Where
Netflix
Director
Marcus Raboy
Topics
Before
Critics' Choice (1995)

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