Jackie
Prime Video · 2020 · 62 min
An American dad's cheerfully grim stand-up hour in London.
Released , on Prime Video.
Rob Delaney’s onstage trick is delivering grim cynicism with a wide, toothy grin. He treats everyday misery like an inside joke with the crowd, whether imagining oral sex performed on the National Health Service or explaining to his children the brutal ways their escaped pet lizard, Jackie, probably perished behind the drywall.
Recorded at the Hackney Empire in London, the 2020 release arrived shortly after Delaney wrapped the fourth season of Catastrophe. By then, he had settled into life in the UK, and much of the set leans into his expat status. He criticizes the British monarchy, complains about steep Victorian staircases built like booby traps, and notes London winters where the sun vanishes by lunchtime.
He also recounts his 2002 drunk driving crash and years of sobriety, alongside family moments like walking his young sons through the concept of same-sex marriage.
British reviews largely treated the set as dependable crowd-pleasing work that benefited from his physical energy.
Notable bits & set list
-
The temporary loss and miraculous retrieval of the family bearded dragon, Jackie.
Delaney details his irrational devotion to the difficult pet, verbally haranguing his negligent children, and nursing the rescued reptile with mashed fruit.
-
Comparing the UK National Health Service to the United States medical system.
Extols the practical, free-at-the-point-of-use care of the NHS while contrasting it against the crippling financial dread of American insurance.
-
A surreal wish regarding Donald Trump's physical health.
Critiques the former president's medical disclosures while comparing their physical measurements and daydreaming about an on-air medical catastrophe.
-
An unsettling backstage meeting with Bill Cosby earlier in his career.
Reflects on Cosby making bizarre remarks about his wife breastfeeding, noting how he and his wife ignored initial discomfort before public revelations surfaced.
-
Enforcing discipline in the back garden with a garden hose.
Recounts hosing down his misbehaving eldest child against a wall after an altercation between his sons.
-
Surviving a severe drunk-driving wreck in his twenties and navigating recovery.
Shares candid details of severe injuries, jail, sobriety, and finding ways to self-soothe while immobilized in a body cast.
How it plays
- Tone
- Caustic, darkly candid, and profane yet underpinned by warmth, vulnerability, and domestic affection.
- On stage
- Genial, toothy-smiled, strapping American expat balancing superior snark, cozy misanthropy, and unvarnished self-deprecation.
- Pace
- Enthusiastic and quickfire storytelling with brisk tempo, abrupt topical pivots, and expressive body language.
- About
- Fatherhood and marriage, The NHS versus American private healthcare, Donald Trump and American politics, British culture and the monarchy, Sobriety and recovery from an auto accident, Encounters with Bill Cosby
What the critics said
Praised for Delaney's engaging storytelling presence, warmth, and sharp humor, though reviewers noted an occasionally uneven structure and choppy editing.
In the room: Enthusiastic and receptive London theater crowd engaged by Delaney's perspective as an American living in Britain.
Backstory
Filmed during Delaney's life in London as an American expat, following the tragic loss of his two-year-old son Henry to a brain tumor, his vocal political advocacy for the UK's National Health Service (NHS), and recent UK election defeats.
Details
- Released
- Taped
- Hackney Empire, London
- Runtime
- 62 min
- Where
- Prime Video
- Director
- Barbara Wiltshire
- Topics
Similar specials
-
Michelle Wolf For Linda
YouTube
-
Bill Squire We're Getting Famous
Comedy Dynamics
-
Joe Sib Nowhere Near The Top
800 Pound Gorilla · Album
-
Ali Siddiq The Half Hour
Comedy Central
-
Charlie Mac F**k Them Kids
Laugh After Dark TV