Skip to content
Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy
Promotional art for Never Grow Up
Cover image credit: Promotional image via Prime Video

Never Grow Up

Bryan Callen

Comedy Dynamics · 2017 · 57 min

Highly physical stand-up about the limits of modern masculinity.

Bryan Callen spends a significant portion of his 2017 special demonstrating how he is physically built for dance rather than war. On stage, his comedy relies heavily on theatricality, using his body to contrast his self-image with that of his ultra-masculine father—a former Marine who supposedly ate bananas with the skins on. Callen uses this generational divide to examine the evolving expectations of modern manhood, mixing high-energy self-deprecation with broad physical bits. Filmed at the Irvine Improv in California, the hour catches him at a high point in his career while co-hosting the massive podcast The Fighter and the Kid and playing Coach Mellor on ABC’s The Goldbergs. That television energy carries over to his stand-up, where his athletic movements and theatrical poses anchor his storytelling. Other segments focus on his parenting trials and his deeply irrational fear of hornets. While some of the gender-essentialist jokes about soft modern men feel rooted in a specific era of mid-2010s club comedy, his performance relies on a genuine willingness to look ridiculous, often physically leaping across the stage to emphasize his own inadequacy.

The set list

4 bits

  1. Contrasting definitions of masculinity between himself and his father

    Callen describes his marine father as a giant built for war who is hairy enough to eat honey naked out of a beehive, whereas Callen views himself as a man built for dance.

  2. Aging gracefully and the 'dad bod'

    Jokes about entering his mid-40s, the physical challenges of maintaining health, and mocking the 'dad bod' trend.

  3. Irrational fear of hornets

    Discusses his intense personal terror regarding hornets across routines 'The Hornet' and 'The Hornet Returns'.

  4. Persevering through Hollywood rejection

    Reflects on the highs and lows of his show business career and his dedication to comedy despite frequent setbacks.

How it plays

Tone
Insightful, comedic, self-deprecating, and playful.
On stage
Physical and observational comic who relies on larger-than-life characterizations, energy, and impersonations.
About
Masculinity, Aging gracefully and fitness, Family and parenting, Irrational fears, Aspirations of heroism, Hollywood career struggles

What the critics said

Received mostly positive reception from viewers and critics, earning a 6.9 rating on IMDb.

In the room: Filmed in front of an enthusiastic live theater audience.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: comedydynamics.com, tv.apple.com, yidio.com, rottentomatoes.com, allmusic.com, en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.

Backstory

Callen was in his mid-40s, addressing aging, family life with his wife and children, and navigating masculinity compared to his father, a marine built for war.

Details

Released
Taped
2015, El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles
Runtime
57 min
Where
Comedy Dynamics
Director
John Brenkus
Topics
After
Complicated Apes (2019)

More from Bryan Callen

If you liked this