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Promotional art for Funny You Should Say That
Cover image credit: via TMDB

Funny You Should Say That

Gerry Dee

Netflix · 2025 · 54 min

A dry take on the exhausting realities of modern parenting.

Gerry Dee’s brand of observational comedy relies on the premise that everyday responsibilities are mostly just a hassle. He has spent years leaning into the persona of the mildly exasperated, middle-aged suburban dad, and this perspective anchors his first Netflix special. Whether he is talking about the agonizing coordination of children’s weekend sports schedules or the absurdity of explaining Santa Claus to modern kids, he maintains a steady, deadpan irritation with the complications of family life.\n\nFilmed at Espace St-Denis in Montreal during the Just for Laughs festival, the special caught Dee at a busy moment in his career. While global audiences might recognize him from the Fox sitcom Animal Control or his long-running Canadian sitcom Mr. D, and Canadian viewers know him as the host of Family Feud Canada, this hour marks a return to the club-style storytelling where he started. His set touches on his past career as a schoolteacher, noting how his low-stakes approach to education mirrored his approach to parenting, before moving into modern social dynamics like the confusion surrounding open marriages.

The set list

6 bits
  1. The closer (spoiler). Show it

    Revealing the truth about Santa Claus to his niece closer

    Recounting getting in trouble for telling his 12-year-old niece the truth about Santa, then doing spontaneous crowd work after noticing an 11-year-old in the taping audience.

  2. The reality of Canadian celebrity status

    Humorously contrasting real fame with answering his own emails, dealing with ticket refund requests from fans, and being recognized on the street in Montreal only as 'TV guy'.

  3. His father's obsession with serial killers

    Recounting how his former-cop father quizzed him on photos of Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy and conflated mortal sins like missing Sunday mass with heinous crimes.

  4. Teaching high school

    Drawing on his years as a schoolteacher to share how far he was willing to go to help an underperforming student pass a 12th-grade history exam.

  5. Coaching and rules for his kids playing sports

    Insisting his children only play sports if they can earn money from it, play it at an old age, or make it enjoyable for him to watch.

  6. 18 years of marriage and Indecent Proposal

    Poking fun at monogamy, domestic routines, and how he and his wife view the movie Indecent Proposal decades later.

How it plays

Tone
Dry, sarcastic, observational, and deadpan.
On stage
Dry, deadpan, disillusioned, surly, unassuming, and self-described 'regular guy'.
Pace
Decidedly not energetic onstage with medium-energy pacing; vocal delivery noted for similarities to Sebastian Maniscalco.
About
18-year marriage and monogamy, teaching career, the truth about Santa Claus, Canadian celebrity status versus Hollywood fame, father's obsession with serial killers and Catholic mortal sins, parenting and kids' sports

What the critics said

Decider recommended skipping the special, calling it unassuming background content with amusing personal anecdotes that were somewhat lacking in big laughs or applause breaks.

In the room: Described by Dee as having incredible festival energy, though audience reactions noted a slow start and an awkward dynamic during the unscripted crowd work with minors regarding Santa Claus.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: netflix.com, theglobeandmail.com, decider.com, nationalpost.com, rottentomatoes.com, imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org, cbc.ca.

Backstory

Filmed during the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal, marking his attempt to break out internationally beyond his well-established domestic Canadian fame.

Details

Released
Runtime
54 min
Where
Netflix
Topics

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