Nothing Personal

David Spade has always succeeded by playing the slightly exhausted cynic who knows he’s not the biggest star in the room. That same self-deprecating attitude anchors a set that functions like a comfortable catch-up with an old friend. He does not try to reinvent himself or make any grand cultural statements. Instead, he leans into his familiar rhythm, relying on a hyperbole-heavy delivery to milk mundane annoyances, like a stray hair in his breakfast eggs or his inability to take a decent selfie, for easy laughs.

Filmed at the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis, the 2022 special marked Spade’s return to stand-up after an eight-year hiatus. At this point in his career, he had transitioned into hosting gigs like Bachelor in Paradise and starring in streaming-friendly comedies like The Wrong Missy. This transition informs much of the hour, particularly when he riffs on his experience surviving “lemur season” in paradise or dealing with the indignities of middle-aged doctor visits.

While critics noted that the performance occasionally felt like he was running through a checklist of mandatory topics, touching on lockdown rules, vaccine rollouts, and the dread of getting older, his veteran stage presence holds the hour together. He remains a physical storyteller who is highly confident in his use of vocal sound effects, whether imitating a high-stakes horse race announcer to describe the vaccine rollout or mimicking a deflating medical device.