Skip to content
Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy
Promotional art for Bothering Jesus
Cover image credit:

Source

Bothering Jesus

Kathleen Madigan

Netflix · 2016 · 72 min

Kathleen Madigan shares family stories and Midwestern eccentricities in Milwaukee.

Watch on Netflix(opens in a new tab)

or watch it free on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Kathleen Madigan plays the role of the blunt, wine-drinking aunt who has been everywhere, observed everything, and decided it is all slightly ridiculous. She treats her stand-up like a conversation over a kitchen table, spinning yarn after yarn about her large family, her aging parents, and her bizarre home state of Missouri. There are no high-concept theater tricks here, just a veteran road comic holding court on whatever caught her eye while touring.

Filmed at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this 2016 release captures Madigan at a point in her career where she was already established as one of the most dependable road comics in the business. Rather than chasing Hollywood trends, she stayed on tour, building an hour out of regional eccentricities and personal observations. The special’s title refers to her Catholic-school upbringing, where the nuns taught her that Jesus was basically a corporate CEO and that praying to him for minor daily problems was a waste of his time.

Notable bits in the hour find her ridiculing the Missouri state senate’s two-week debate over the legality of noodling, which is catching catfish with your bare hands, and questioning the belief that the Garden of Eden is located just north of Kansas City. She turns her eye to modern technology, explaining how she cheats her Fitbit by swinging her arm while drinking wine. Madigan also tackles the mystery of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, using her mother’s somewhat insensitive but logical reaction to highlight the chaotic nature of her family.

The set list

5 bits

  1. Bothering Jesus and Catholic bureaucracy

    Compares Catholic layers of bureaucracy—praying through saints—to corporate structure where Jesus is the CEO and God is the titular owner, contrasting it with Protestants who speak directly to Jesus about mundane things like a broken dryer.

  2. Obsession with missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370

    Unpacks her ongoing personal obsession with the mystery despite people moving on, including her mother's comment on Chinese single-child families and her brother threatening to hang up if she mentions it again.

  3. Missouri's ambiguous identity

    Riffs on Missouri being half-Confederate and half-Union during the Civil War, unable to decide whether it belongs to the North or the South.

  4. Family expression of affection

    Explains that growing up in a nine-person household meant never saying 'I love you' because it would show weakness, keeping everyone guessing.

  5. Louisiana science teachers and the Loch Ness Monster

    Skewers teachers in Louisiana who argued the existence of the Loch Ness Monster was evidence against evolution.

How it plays

Tone
Witty, casual, dry, self-deprecating, and familial.
On stage
Grounded, folksy, dry, seemingly indifferent Midwestern persona reminiscent of a less-angry Lewis Black or a witty aunt having a drink.
Pace
Casual and steady, frequently laughing at her own observations, marked by smooth segues and well-timed transitions.
About
Midwestern life and Missouri identity, Irish-Catholic upbringing and religion, Family dynamics and aging parents, Obsession with Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, Travel and flight

What the critics said

Critics praised Madigan's consistent, witty Midwestern charm, smooth transitions, and relatable familial humor, though some noted occasional regressive or uncomfortable moments in certain accents and political references.

In the room: An older Midwestern theater crowd engaged by her casual, club-like delivery.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: allmovie.com, milwaukeerecord.com, watch.plex.tv, ayearofreviewcom.wordpress.com, fnewsmagazine.com, tvinsider.com, en.wikipedia.org, npr.org.

Backstory

Filmed in Milwaukee at the historic Pabst Theater following decades of touring and appearances on Last Comic Standing.

Details

Released
Taped
Pabst Theater, Milwaukee
Runtime
72 min
Where
Netflix
Director
Lorene Machado
Topics
Before
Comedy Central Presents (2000)
After
Hunting Bigfoot (2023)

More from Kathleen Madigan

If you liked this