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Brick Wall Comedy

Incorrigible

Chris D'Elia

Netflix · 2015 · 83 min

An energetic hour built around extended act-outs and bizarre observations.

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Chris D’Elia performs like a guy who just thought of a premise in his car and wants to act it out before he forgets. He leans heavily into the physical presentation of a bit, often cracking himself up while delivering theatrical act-outs. A prime example is his pitch to improve the NFL by replacing the players with actual bears, lions, and Vikings. He also spends a sizable chunk of the set mimicking the sheer enthusiasm of a Cuban man giving directions, stretching the impression to see exactly how far a voice can carry a joke.

Filmed at The Wiltern in Los Angeles and directed by his father, TV veteran Bill D’Elia, Incorrigible was the comedian’s first hour for Netflix. The 2015 release arrived during a highly visible stretch in his career. It debuted a month after his appearance on the Roast of Justin Bieber and while he was starring on the NBC sitcom Undateable.

The material highlights his exasperated, hyper-animated persona. He argues that babies are the worst possible prize for having sex, complains about the difficulty of arguing with women, and admits to weeping during the Shaquille O’Neal genie movie Kazaam. The loose structure polarized audiences. Fans embraced the energetic delivery, while critics noted that several premises wandered for several minutes without a clear destination.

The set list

6 bits

  1. Babies should grow up before they are born

    Ruminates on the absurdity of grown-up babies.

  2. Improving the NFL with real animals

    Argues sports would be more entertaining if teams actually fielded real vikings, lions, bears, and dolphins.

  3. Women's evil genius dating strategies

    Examines why dating is evil and how women manipulate dynamics on dates.

  4. Cuban driving directions in Florida

    Details the extravagant and theatrical way Cubans give directions in Florida.

  5. Crying at the movie Kazaam

    Admits to weeping at the emotional conclusion of the 1996 Shaquille O'Neal film.

  6. Bar encounter with a woman named Blanka

    Performs act-outs of being charged by a fat-strong woman at a bar and being electrocuted like a Street Fighter character.

How it plays

Tone
Silly, raunchy, irreverent, and no-filter.
On stage
Silly, uninhibited, confident yet intentionally awkward, expressive with facial physical comedy and breaking into his own laughter.
Pace
Energetic, chaotic, and tangent-filled, moving through preposterous segues before circling back.
About
grown-up babies, dating and evil genius tactics, sports and the NFL, masculinity, sex

What the critics said

Critical response noted high silliness and physical comedy with preposterous segues and organic delivery, viewing it as an improvement over his first special, though casual viewer reception was polarized regarding his hyperactive energy and speech habits.

In the room: Exceptionally loud and vocal fan base that roared before he even spoke.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: imdb.com, cinetvlocations.com, rottentomatoes.com, exclaim.ca, tvinsider.com, torontosun.com, en.wikipedia.org.

Backstory

Filmed around the time Justin Bieber publicly named D'Elia his favorite stand-up comic and following D'Elia's controversial set roasting Bieber, prompting international media attention and death threats from Selena Gomez fans.

Details

Released
Taped
The Wiltern, Los Angeles
Runtime
83 min
Where
Netflix
Director
Bill D'Elia
Topics
Before
Comedy Central Presents (2011)
After
Man on Fire (2017)

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