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Good Fortune

Fortune Feimster

Netflix · 2022 · 64 min

A sweet-natured hour of domestic storytelling and relationship comedy.

Fortune Feimster is built like a linebacker but has the temperament of an overly enthusiastic Golden Retriever. Her second hour-long outing leans into this mismatch, explaining to the audience that despite her broad shoulders and love of plaid, she is not the tough butch lesbian they might expect. Instead, she relies on a storytelling style that mines humor from her own domestic life and minor social anxieties.

Directed by Manny Rodriguez and filmed at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, the show catches Feimster as she transitions from a TV sidekick on The Mindy Project into a reliable headliner. The set piece of the hour is a detailed recount of her marriage proposal to her partner, Jacquelyn, which was supposed to look like an episode of The Bachelor but ended up resembling a crime scene. Other bits involve getting iced with Smirnoff, receiving an invasive butt massage, and a chance encounter with Jason Momoa.

The hour earned a Critics Choice nomination in 2023, around the time she was cast alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in the action-comedy series FUBAR.

The set list

6 bits
  1. Marriage proposal in Big Sur

    Recounts an extravagant engagement plan with her wife Jax that went awry, wondering if she bought the 'It'll Do' package.

  2. Confronting butch stereotypes

    Realizes during the pandemic that despite looking handy, she is not butch, contrasting her and Jax's reactions when the burglar alarm went off.

  3. Getting a mind-blowing butt massage

    Shares an unexpected and uproarious personal pampering experience.

  4. Misadventure in Des Moines and getting iced

    Describes a comedy club audience determined to get her drunk.

  5. Mom planning the wedding and circus tent nuptials

    Recounts her mother offering to help plan the wedding, revisiting her mother's own wedding featuring an act-out of the wedding singer.

  6. Pomeranian Biggie's medical emergency

    Shares a life-or-death health crisis involving her rescue Pomeranian Biggie, culminating in Biggie and wife Jax appearing on stage.

How it plays

Tone
Joyful, positive, witty, and goofy.
On stage
Warm, charming, friendly, and confessional; plays against butch stereotypes by presenting herself as a 'dainty lady' and 'delicate flower.'
Pace
Upbeat, joyful, bouncing deftly through wordplay and character act-outs.
About
marriage and engagement, gender presentation and lesbian stereotypes, positivity and dealing with haters, pet ownership, travel and comedy club misadventures

What the critics said

Decider recommended streaming it, noting that while not quite as cathartic as her first special, Feimster remains a wonderfully warm, joyful, and hilarious presence.

In the room: Enthusiastic and engaged, giving applause breaks for musical reenactments and cheering loudly for her family cameo.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: bbfc.co.uk, instinctmagazine.com, imdb.com, decider.com, consequence.net, en.m.wikipedia.org, abcnews.com, nytimes.com.

Backstory

Reflecting on finding love and marrying her partner Jax (Jacquelyn Smith), navigating domestic life, and embracing positivity.

Details

Released
Taped
The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Runtime
64 min
Where
Netflix
Director
Manny Rodriguez
Topics
Before
Sweet & Salty (2020)
After
Crushing It (2024)

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