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Promotional art for High n' Dry
Cover image credit: via TMDB

High n' Dry

Jim Jefferies

Netflix · 2023 · 68 min

Middle-aged domestic life meets a deeply cynical Australian worldview.

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Jim Jefferies returns with the perspective of a settled, married family man who is still fundamentally annoyed by the world. Performing at Meridian Hall in Toronto, he builds the set around the indignities of middle age, specifically the trade-off between taking hair-loss medication and maintaining a sex drive. He also zeroes in on ecological hypocrisy, explaining why koalas, which are stoned on eucalyptus and riddled with chlamydia, are actually the worst animals on Earth.\n\nFilmed in late 2022 and released on Netflix in February 2023, the special represents Jefferies at a transition point. Long past the wild, hard-drinking touring years that made his early career, he now focuses on domestic realities like his father’s confusion over vasectomies, his wife’s bedtime habits, and the absurdities of The Bachelor. While some longtime fans felt this material leaned a bit too close to conventional husband-and-wife tropes, Jefferies retains his characteristic coarse pacing and penchant for turning simple daily frustrations into long-form rants.

The set list

7 bits

  1. Stoned koalas

    Ruminating on koalas being dumb enough to eat eucalyptus until their teeth grind down to starvation

  2. Greta Thunberg

    Taking comedic aim at the climate activist now that she is 19 and pushing back against blaming Gen X for elder generations' failures

  3. Male pattern baldness and hair loss vs sex drive

    Admitting to a hair transplant and 15 years of medication while challenging double standards regarding bald men and wigs versus women

  4. Fandom of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette

    Revealing his membership in Bachelor Nation and breaking down why same-sex versions would conflict with the show's format

  5. DJ Qualls coming out story

    Recounting how his Legit co-star accidentally came out during Elton John's Farewell Tour

  6. His dad's vasectomy confusion

    Discussing confusion surrounding his father's vasectomy

  7. Quitting drinking for edibles

    Explaining why he gave up alcohol and shifted to consuming weed edibles

How it plays

Tone
Irreverent, provocative, self-deprecating, and candid
On stage
Conversational, laid-back delivery with an unfiltered, cheeky willingness to tackle sensitive topics
Pace
Relaxed and steady momentum driven by personal storytelling
About
quitting alcohol and taking edibles, hair loss vs. sex drive, Greta Thunberg and generational blame, reality TV (The Bachelor/The Bachelorette), marriage and fatherhood, koalas

What the critics said

Split to positive; praised for sharp writing, conversational charm, and engaging storytelling, while some critics noted it felt less biting and more mellowed compared to his earlier work

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: rottentomatoes.com, media.netflix.com, letterboxd.com, standupd.com, decider.com, readysteadycut.com, chortle.co.uk.

Backstory

Married during the pandemic to a British Indian woman, raising children, and giving up alcohol in favor of weed edibles

Details

Released
Runtime
68 min
Where
Netflix
Director
Scott Zabielski
Topics
Before
Intolerant (2020)
After
Two Limb Policy (2025)

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