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Brick Wall Comedy

This Is Me Now

Jim Jefferies

Netflix · 2018 · 70 min

A late-night host brings his cynical storytelling to London.

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Jim Jefferies spends a good portion of his 2018 hour explaining what happens when a comic known for confrontational club sets becomes successful enough to get hired for private celebrity gigs. The centerpiece of the set is a lengthy, self-deprecating story about a bizarre birthday party he played for a billionaire friend of Mariah Carey, culminating in an Al Pacino impression that anchors the show’s best stretch of storytelling. He’s no longer the underdog, and he’s fully aware of how ridiculous his new tax bracket looks. Filmed at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, the special caught Jefferies at a career high, concurrently hosting his own late-night program on Comedy Central. The television gig’s influence is obvious in his structured political material, which covers the post-2016 American landscape and Brexit from his perspective as a permanent outsider. Between the political rants, he balances the hour with personal confessions, reflecting on the realities of co-parenting as a single father, an unsuccessful blackmail attempt involving a sex tape, and the double-edged sword of his famous viral gun control routine. While some long-time fans found the celebrity name-dropping slightly self-indulgent compared to his earlier work, his skill at turning his own professional missteps into punchlines remains intact.

The set list

6 bits

  1. Performing a hell gig at a birthday party for Mariah Carey's boyfriend James Packer.

    Jefferies recounts being paid $60,000 for 12 minutes to perform unannounced and shoeless before 20 celebrities, incorporating an impression of Al Pacino describing Jefferies's comedy back to him.

  2. Parenthood, single fatherhood, and the title origin.

    Tells a gross story involving his four-year-old son, vomiting, and defecating that gave the hour its title 'This Is Me Now'.

  3. The #MeToo movement, Donald Trump, and 'grabby' celebrities.

    Insists his own past encounters were consensual while fretting about drinking blackouts, discussing Kevin Spacey, and skewering Donald Trump's past predatory comments.

  4. Sign-language interpreters at live comedy shows.

    Complains that the interpreter's comedic timing is poor and demonstrates the sign language for several of his most frequently used profanities and slurs.

  5. His signature gun control routine becoming his calling card.

    Observes the dark irony of becoming widely popular right after a massacre occurs.

  6. An unsuccessful attempt to extort him with a sex tape.

    Recounts someone trying to blackmail him for money and how it played out.

How it plays

Tone
Brash, raunchy, irreverent, and provocative.
On stage
A boozy pub regular with cheeky, winky gestures; gleefully irreverent and gobby while playing the unapologetic jerk and truth-teller.
Pace
Conversational cadence, taking sips of beer on stage, transitioning into relaxed extended narrative storytelling.
About
Single parenthood and family, The #MeToo movement and grabby celebrities, American and British politics, Gun control notoriety, Depression and self-image, Consensual sex and extortion

What the critics said

Met with mixed-to-positive reviews (68% on Rotten Tomatoes). Reviewers praised his extended, self-deprecating personal storytelling and pacing, but some felt his front-loaded provocative routines on #MeToo and sexual misconduct were ill-timed and dated.

In the room: Supportive London audience responsive to political commentary, giving applause breaks during political and gun control statements.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: tvtonight.com.au, allmovie.com, en.wikipedia.org, decider.com, pastemagazine.com, rottentomatoes.com, vulture.com, store.800poundgorillamedia.com.

Backstory

Filmed amidst the #MeToo movement and the Donald Trump presidency; released on Netflix shortly after fellow Australian Hannah Gadsby's special 'Nanette'. Jefferies was also adjusting to single fatherhood with his young son.

Details

Released
Taped
Eventim Apollo (Hammersmith Apollo), London
Runtime
70 min
Where
Netflix
Director
Scott Zabielski
Topics
Before
Freedumb (2016)
After
Intolerant (2020)

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