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Promotional art for Relative Disaster
Cover image credit: via TMDB

Relative Disaster

Jeff Dunham

Netflix · 2017 · 70 min

The arena ventriloquist brings his puppet crew to Dublin.

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Jeff Dunham takes his brand of ventriloquism across the Atlantic to Dublin, attempting to trace his family tree through a lineup of wooden puppets. Filmed at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, the hour marks Dunham’s debut on Netflix, joining the late-2010s migration of network-TV staples moving to streaming platforms. The change of venue and platform allows him to work with slightly fewer filters than his previous Comedy Central and NBC runs. It also provides the excuse to introduce Seamus, a diaper-wearing baby puppet who drinks whiskey and loudly voices his political opinions.

Between the puppet routines, Dunham performs solo stand-up focusing on his late-in-life experience raising young twin sons. The core of the show remains his usual roster. Walter grumbles about his wife and the contemporary political climate, while Peanut and Achmed the Dead Terrorist trade insult comedy with their creator. The Dublin performance coincided with a massive global tour and Dunham receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, cementing his status as a giant of live comedy even as critics debated the staying power of his caricatures.

The set list

5 bits

  1. Walter insults Jeff about marrying a woman 18 years his junior and hints he might be Jeff's biological father.

    Delivered through Walter's grumpy persona, featuring abandonment jokes and a comedic video sketch depicting the 1960s 'summer of love'.

  2. Introduction of Seamus, a diaper-wearing Irish baby puppet.

    Dunham voices Seamus in an Irish brogue as a salty, beer-and-whiskey-drinking toddler joking about drinking and the size of his 'winky'.

  3. Commentary on the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump, and Bill and Hillary Clinton.

    Walter frames Bill Clinton as the true loser of the election because Hillary is home every night, alongside jokes about Trump's wall affecting José Jalapeno.

  4. Achmed the Dead Terrorist discussing modern terrorism and virgins.

    Achmed claims he would not join ISIS but was instead part of 'Tali-BOOM', while venting about virgins and having no skin on his bones.

  5. The closer (spoiler). Show it

    Peanut ruthlessly roasting Jeff about his insecurities and his children. closer

    Peanut leans into the microphone to deliver cruel, low-groaning whispers mocking Jeff's personal life and age.

How it plays

Tone
Irreverent, self-deprecating, politically incorrect, and filled with cheerful groaners and crude innuendo.
On stage
Straight man playing opposite a cast of outrageous, ill-tempered, and politically incorrect puppet caricatures.
Pace
Rapid pace with precise delivery and lifelike puppet manipulation.
About
Marriage and marital age gap, Fatherhood and raising twin toddlers, Adoption and abandonment, Irish heritage and stereotypes, 2016 US presidential election and politics

What the critics said

Reviews noted that while the stereotypical characters (Bubba J, Achmed, and Seamus) felt tired and the political commentary was dated, Walter and Peanut provided strong bookends to the special with sharp, self-deprecating comedy.

In the room: Energetic and enthusiastic Dublin theater crowd embracing the performance, the Irish references, and the puppet characters.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: whatthemovie.com, monstersandcritics.com, vulture.com, entertainment.ie, wherever-i-look.com, thecomicscomic.com, decider.com, yahoo.com, en.wikipedia.org.

Backstory

Dunham chose to film in Ireland after a DNA genealogy test revealed he was predominantly of Irish ancestry; personally, he had recently welcomed twin boys with his wife Audrey, who is 18 years his junior, and incorporated his own adoption background into the material.

Details

Released
Taped
Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin
Runtime
70 min
Where
Netflix
Director
Michael Simon
Topics
Before
Unhinged in Hollywood (2015)
After
Beside Himself (2019)

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