Chill
Hulu · 2024 · 71 min
A quiet, cynical hour of stand-up fueled by mood stabilizers.
Joe Mande begins his second stand-up hour with a confession that explains the low-key energy of the set: he is finally on mood stabilizers. He claims he is totally chill now, though that state of mind is immediately tested by his own thoughts on gun control, mayonnaise, and an elaborate hypothetical scenario about which animal humans would be forced to sleep with if given no other choice. It is a slow-burn performance that relies on a quiet, almost dismissive delivery to make deeply stupid or uncomfortable premises feel perfectly logical.\n\nThe special was recorded at the Parkway Theater in South Minneapolis in January 2024, serving as a homecoming for the St. Paul-raised comedian. Released on Hulu in December of that year, the special arrived right as Mande was enjoying a high-water mark in his television career, having recently won a Primetime Emmy as a co-executive producer on Hacks. His writing background (which includes stints on Parks and Recreation and The Good Place) shows in the structural patience of his bits, even when the material veers into absurd territory, like his protective obsession with Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards.\n\nCritical reception was mildly divided but generally favorable, with reviewers noting Mande’s ability to walk the line of bad taste without entirely losing the room. Some online viewers noted that his bit about choosing an animal partner bore a strong resemblance to an old Dave Attell routine. Still, the hour succeeds on Mande’s ability to make the crowd uncomfortable while remaining completely unbothered himself.
The set list
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Getting attacked by a werewolf at the Minnesota State Fair
Recounts his high school tradition of walking through the fair's haunted house critiquing the acting until a performer playing a werewolf physically assaulted him, while passing patrons thought it was just realistic acting and ignored his pleas for help.
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Timberwolves fandom and Anthony Edwards
Discusses his obsession with basketball and cheering for the historically bad Timberwolves, highlighting star player Anthony Edwards as a 'muscular boy.'
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Severe physical trauma from nausea
Acts out the extreme bodily consequences of the rare occasions when he gets nauseous, detailing black eyes, a toilet-bowl-shaped bruise across his chest, explosive fluids, and crying.
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Gun control solution
Proposes that Americans will only surrender guns if offered something men love even more than firearms, concluding that the answer is sex dolls.
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Superficial height preferences in dating
Mocks straight women who fixate on dating tall men by comparing their love of height to men's obsession with breasts, while wishing he could trade his 5-foot-9 frame for enough height to dunk.
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Questioning modern law enforcement
Questions the ongoing modern societal necessity of having a town sheriff and mocks sheriff's deputies.
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Jokes about animal genitalia and bestiality
Defends writing numerous routines about sex with animals by arguing that it is at least an idea everyone is capable of imagining.
How it plays
- Tone
- Darkly funny, dry, laid-back, self-deprecating, and provocative.
- On stage
- Laid-back, cool, calm, and collected; self-aware comic who talks trash onstage and remains at ease through awkward, silent, or tense moments.
- Pace
- Calm, controlled pacing with deadpan, relaxed delivery even when presenting obscene or unsettling material.
- About
- Minnesota and local culture, Basketball and the Minnesota Timberwolves, Gun control, Love and dating, Animal anatomy and genitalia, Mayonnaise
What the critics said
Sean L. McCarthy of Decider gave it a 'Stream It' rating, observing that while some graphic thought experiments and premises push boundaries of good taste, Mande's self-awareness and unshakeable calm make audiences laugh through the discomfort.
In the room: Pushed through uncomfortable and awkward moments, with user reviews noting a somewhat tight Midwestern crowd.
Backstory
Filmed in Minneapolis during freezing negative temperatures in January 2024, returning to the Twin Cities where Mande spent his formative years attending St. Paul Central High School.
Details
- Released
- Taped
- Parkway Theater, Minneapolis
- Runtime
- 71 min
- Where
- Hulu
- Director
- Joe Mande
- Topics
- Before
- Award-Winning Comedy Special (2017)
More from Joe Mande
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Award-Winning Comedy Special
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The Half Hour
Comedy Central
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