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Obsessed

Jim Gaffigan

Comedy Central · 2014 · 70 min

An hour of food complaints and parenting fatigue filmed in Boston.

Watch on Comedy Central(opens in a new tab)

Jim Gaffigan treats eating terribly like an extreme sport, and Obsessed is him reviewing the game tape. By his fourth hour, his signature stage persona is an exact science. He plays the doughy, self-deprecating father of five whose high-pitched inner monologue constantly judges his own material. He knows people expect him to talk about his diet, and he delivers a methodical takedown of kale, Whole Foods, Chinese desserts, and hot dogs.

Filmed at the Wilbur Theater in Boston, the 2014 Comedy Central release leans into the local crowd with a long chunk dissecting seafood. He questions the appeal of oysters—“rocks with snot in them”—and notes the clear red flag of needing a hammer just to eat a crab. Beyond the buffet, he taps into the physical reality of raising a large family, outlining a strategic plan to avoid paying for his daughter’s future wedding by simply passing away beforehand. The album debuted at number one on the iTunes comedy charts and picked up a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album.

The set list

6 bits

  1. Eating fried bread and hiding food habits.

    Explaining that eating food alone in your car so you do not have to share with your kids means you are ready for fried bread.

  2. Hatred and suspicion of seafood.

    Comparing crab to eating snot from a rock and pointing out that people only eat lobster as an excuse to consume melted butter.

  3. Disgust with kale.

    Remarking that kale tastes like bug spray and stating he would choose chemotherapy over eating kale to cure cancer.

  4. The absurdity and expense of modern weddings.

    Mocking impractical party favors like sand-filled wine stoppers and hoping to die early from ice cream to avoid wedding expenses.

  5. Talking about cancer and zodiac signs.

    Observing that people whisper the word 'cancer' out of fear, joked that the disease would not find him challenging, and discovering it was his astrological sign.

  6. Critique of Mount Rushmore.

    Noting the irony that the U.S. government honored land sacred to the Lakota by carving four white men into the mountain.

How it plays

Tone
Amiable, wry, family-friendly, and observational with gentle sarcasm.
On stage
Doughy, self-deprecating everyman with an affable, goofy delivery, known for working clean.
Pace
Fast-paced and tightly wound with jokes landing every few seconds, seamless transitions, and precise timing.
About
gluttony and dietary habits, disliked foods like kale and seafood, weddings and gift registries, parenting five children, cancer and superstitions, American landmarks and culture

What the critics said

Praised as a master class in stand-up delivery, joke compression, and broad, spotless observational comedy, even if it stays comfortably within his established food-centric formula.

In the room: Enthusiastic and laughing continuously, reacting especially strongly to material regarding regional staples like donuts and seafood.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: allmusic.com, imdb.com, thefutoncritic.com, blu-ray.com, vulture.com, postgradmusicreviews.com, avclub.com, upcomingdiscs.com, en.wikipedia.org, wikidata.org.

Backstory

Taped while touring his national 'White Bread Tour' and following the success of his 2013 bestselling book 'Dad Is Fat', reflecting on raising five children and his dietary habits.

Details

Released
Taped
The Wilbur Theatre, Boston
Runtime
70 min
Where
Comedy Central
Director
Jay Chapman
Honors
Debuted at #1 on the Billboard Comedy Album chartDebuted at #11 on the Billboard 200Most watched stand-up comedy special of the year on Comedy Central (2014)
Topics
Before
Mr. Universe (2012)
After
Cinco (2017)

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