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Humanity

Ricky Gervais

Netflix · 2018 · 79 min

A wealthy comedian’s lecture on the mechanics of Twitter offense.

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Ricky Gervais spends a significant portion of his set explaining why his past jokes were acceptable, specifically relitigating his Golden Globes gag about Caitlyn Jenner. Walking the stage of London’s Eventim Apollo in a black T-shirt and sipping a beer, he treats the audience to a lecture on the mechanics of offense, walking through the difference between a joke’s target and its subject. It is a performance that frequently feels like a wealthy man’s public defense against Twitter users who annoyed him.

This 2018 release marked his return to the stage after a seven-year hiatus from stand-up. Filmed during a massive global tour, the special represented a shift in his comedic persona from the observational cynic of his earlier shows to a self-appointed free-speech advocate.

When he steps away from his online grievances, the show finds its footing in traditional territory. He shares brief, affectionate stories about his working-class family’s morbid sense of humor and runs through a classic bit about the absurdity of giving domestic dogs jobs.

The reception reflected a growing divide in how his work was viewed. While dedicated fans praised his willingness to mock sensitive topics, critics were often cold, pointing out that a multi-millionaire with a massive global platform complaining about the replies to his tweets felt less like stand-up and more like an exercise in self-pity.

The set list

5 bits

  1. Caitlyn Jenner and the 2016 Golden Globes backlash

    Recounts the public reaction to his Golden Globes jokes and deadnaming, transitioning into an act-out of gender confirmation surgery and a satirical routine wishing to re-align himself into a chimpanzee using chimp DNA.

  2. Defending the decision not to have children

    Exaggerates himself into a caricature of miserly, selfish disgruntlement towards children and imagines raising useless, spoiled, wealthy ingrate offspring.

  3. Aging and physical deterioration

    Self-deprecatingly mocks his own slowing metabolism, sagging physique, and distended testicles.

  4. Twitter argument with a fundamentalist Christian

    Deconstructs a tweet claiming Satan will rape him in Hell, imagining a South Park-style tableau where the believer would also have to be in Hell to witness it.

  5. The closer (spoiler). Show it

    Dogs and animal cruelty at the Yulin festival closer

    Discusses specialized dog breeds, asserts that dogs are better than humans, and condemns the cruelty of the Yulin dog-meat festival in China.

How it plays

Tone
Scathing, provocative, witty, and divisive.
On stage
Straight-talking pub philosopher, wind-up merchant, and incorrigible class clown; casual in black t-shirt and jeans while swilling beer from a skull-emblazoned lectern.
Pace
Casual momentum, pacing and padding about the stage, delivering a less fragmented, more cohesive and controlled routine than his previous specials.
About
The decision to not have children, Comedy, offense-taking, and free speech, Social media and Twitter arguments, Caitlyn Jenner and transgender identity, Aging and mortality, Animal rights and dogs

What the critics said

Ricky Gervais returns to the stage with his characteristic wit and distinct edginess, but the performance verges on cruel when his mockery seemingly overtakes his own Humanity.

In the room: Elicited collective gasps followed by involuntary laughter during dark routines; audience and critical reaction was sharply polarized between high praise and discomfort over provocative content.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: en.wikipedia.org, rottentomatoes.com, comedy.co.uk, vulture.com, theguardian.com, telegraph.co.uk, qr.netflix.com, nme.com, imdb.com.

Backstory

Performed in the context of debates over online outrage culture, sensitivity on social media, free speech, and backlash following his hosting jokes at the 2016 Golden Globe Awards.

Details

Released
Taped
Hammersmith Apollo, London
Runtime
79 min
Where
Netflix
Director
John L. Spencer
Topics
Before
Out of England 2 (2010)
After
Supernature (2022)

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