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Human Magic

Ilana Glazer

Hulu · 2024 · 55 min

Ilana Glazer frames motherhood as a strange, weed-fueled magic trick.

Watch it free on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Ilana Glazer spends much of her sophomore stand-up special explaining why childbirth is a bizarre, disgusting trick of nature. Taped in Toronto at the end of a 48-city tour, the hour leans heavily on her transition into motherhood. She recounts attempting to shift her breech baby DIY-style by getting on all fours to watch Aladdin, only to realize midway through just how attractive the cartoon protagonist actually is. Glazer also walks through the awkwardness of a hospital resident announcing he is a fan of Broad City right before examining her.

The Hulu special, which premiered in December 2024, arrived during a busy year for Glazer, who also wrote and starred in the pregnancy-themed indie comedy Babes. Critics and audiences largely found this hour to be a significant step forward from her 2020 debut, The Planet is Burning, which some felt leaned too heavily on vocal affectations. Here, her parenting stories, such as her toddler’s hatred of her hair being tied back and how being a high-functioning stoner prepared her to talk to a child all day, provide a cohesive narrative. Other standouts include her taxonomy of “men” versus “guys,” her high school jazz band days, and a late-show story about a horrifying discovery at a rented Florida Airbnb.

The set list

9 bits

  1. Sleep deprivation and cognitive decline

    Opening joke attributing their current mental state to parenthood-induced sleep deprivation.

  2. High school awkwardness and early development

    Reflecting on developing breasts at age 9, having badly straightened hair, playing in jazz band, and getting no attention or sex from emo boys.

  3. Conception, condoms, and pulling out

    Detailing never doing it 'to completion with secretion' until trying to get pregnant, noting 'condoms are gross, fresh' and 'pulling out is sex that becomes yoga.'

  4. Filming The Afterparty while pregnant

    Addressing continuity issues on the single-night-set series as her evolving body made her look like she was having an allergic reaction.

  5. Complications at 37 weeks and the OB-GYN fan

    DIYing shifting a breech fetus during an ass-up viewing of Aladdin and reacting to a medical resident saying he was her 'biggest fan' right before examining her.

  6. Parenthood, cannabis, and toddlers

    Comparing their toddler to a Mafia boyfriend who dislikes pulled-back hair, narrating life as a verbose stoner mom, and getting high on an edible while watching a toddler potentially choke.

  7. Florida Airbnb discovery

    Renting a Florida Airbnb during a visit to her parents and discovering disturbing secrets, punctuated by a Brazzers bumper sticker.

  8. Daddy issues vs. mother issues and men vs. guys

    Dissecting why 'daddy issues' are seen as hot or an excuse for bad choices while mother issues are treated as a diagnosis, plus defining the line between 'guys' and 'men.'

  9. Incest in mainstream Hollywood and the 2023 strikes

    Bridging pride for the SAG-AFTRA and WGA labor strikes into observations on Hollywood's obsession with incest.

How it plays

Tone
Honest, frank, raunchy, and humorous.
On stage
Unfiltered, honest, raunchy, and stoner mom comedic delivery.
About
pregnancy and childbirth, parenthood as a stoner mom, awkward high school years and early sexuality, marriage and relationships

What the critics said

Generally positive; critics praised Glazer's cohesive narrative throughline, unvarnished frankness about motherhood and sex, and noted a significant improvement over their 2020 debut special.

In the room: Buzzing, warm, and receptive Toronto theater audience.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: variety.com, hulu.com, disneyplus.com, hollywoodreporter.com, decider.com, laughingplace.com, cracked.com, rottentomatoes.com, imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org, washingtonpost.com, televisionacademy.com.

Backstory

Filmed in early May 2024 at the conclusion of a 52-show, 48-city North American tour; released as part of Hulu's newly launched 'Hularious' stand-up comedy franchise following Jim Gaffigan: The Skinny.

Details

Released
Taped
Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre, Toronto
Runtime
55 min
Where
Hulu
Director
Jeff Tomsic
Topics
Before
The Planet Is Burning (2020)

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