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Promotional art for Seth Rogen's Hilarity for Charity
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Seth Rogen's Hilarity for Charity

Seth Rogen

Netflix · 2018 · 70 min

A chaotic, R-rated variety show fundraising for Alzheimer's awareness.

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A charity variety show is always a difficult tightrope, and staging one that gets broadcast to millions on Netflix doesn’t make it any easier. This 2018 special, filmed at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, raises money for Alzheimer’s disease awareness but behaves like a chaotic, R-rated late-night program. Hosted by Seth Rogen, the event leans heavily into stoner sensibilities and gross-out humor, juxtaposing a somber medical cause with an array of off-color bits.\n\nThe special consists of quick stand-up sets and pre-taped sketches. John Mulaney delivers a characteristically polished story about a cancer scare, while Michelle Wolf tackles the early days of the #MeToo movement. Sacha Baron Cohen also shows up in character as “David Attenborat,” a mock-documentarian examining Rogen’s behavior like a wild animal. Tiffany Haddish and Sarah Silverman also turn in brief sets, interspersed with appearances by the Muppets and a performance by Post Malone.\n\nThe broadcast received mixed reviews. While critics praised the stand-up sets from Mulaney and Haddish, they noted that the scripted sketches and Rogen’s awkward crowd interactions struggled to win over a noticeably stiff Palladium crowd.

The set list

8 bits

  1. Seth Rogen vaping weed through a fake penis

    Rogen opens the special with a visual gag involving an uncircumcised fake penis used to smoke weed with modern vape technology.

  2. Michael Che on sexual encounters

    Che delivers a stand-up routine recounting a gay man attempting to get him drunk enough to have sex.

  3. David Attenborough nature documentary parody

    Sacha Baron Cohen impersonates British documentarian David Attenborough studying various Hollywood 'wanker subspecies', including 'The Seth Rogen'.

  4. John Mulaney stand-up set

    Mulaney performs a sharp seven-minute stand-up set centered on actor Timothée Chalamet.

  5. Partying with Beyoncé

    Tiffany Haddish delivers a candid, conversational set detailing her experience partying with Beyoncé following the Oscars.

  6. Michelle Wolf on topical politics

    Wolf delivers sharp commentary addressing sexual harassment and the national immigration debate.

  7. 'The Rainbow Connection' sing-along with Kermit the Frog

    Kermit joins Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller Rogen onstage for an emotional sing-along following a serious segment highlighting Adele Miller's struggle with Alzheimer's.

  8. The closer (spoiler). Show it

    Post Malone musical performance closer

    A musical set by Post Malone positioned at the very conclusion of the variety show.

How it plays

Tone
Raunchy, irreverent, and goofy mixed with earnest, somber moments of charitable fundraising and personal reflection.
On stage
Affable stoner persona leaning heavily into raunchy, childish humor alongside sincere advocacy.
Pace
Fast-moving variety show structure alternating between live stand-up sets, live and pretaped sketches, animation, and musical performances.
About
Alzheimer's disease awareness, marijuana and drug culture, penis jokes, celebrity and pop culture

What the critics said

Received mixed-to-negative reactions from Netflix users and viewers who heavily criticized Rogen's reliance on crude dick jokes, weed humor, and Alzheimer's jabs, while critics and audiences singled out stand-up sets from John Mulaney, Tiffany Haddish, and Michelle Wolf as highlights, universally praising the underlying charitable cause.

In the room: A generous, tastefully dressed gala audience that embraced the charity's mission but experienced awkward energy shifts transitioning between raunchy fake-dick comedy and nostalgic Muppet musical numbers.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: en.wikipedia.org, latimes.com, wearehfc.org, decider.com, thecomicscomic.com, pastemagazine.com, torontosun.com, imdb.com, variety.com.

Backstory

The sixth annual variety show organized by Seth Rogen and his wife Lauren Miller Rogen to raise money and awareness to battle Alzheimer's disease, which affected Lauren's mother, Adele Miller. It was the first year the live event was filmed and distributed publicly as a Netflix special.

Details

Released
Taped
Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles
Runtime
70 min
Where
Netflix
Director
Ryan Polito
Topics

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