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What A Day!

Tom Papa

Netflix · 2022 · 60 min

Tom Papa jokes about aging marriages, weird tech, and rescue pugs.

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Tom Papa has built a career out of being the mild-mannered, sourdough-baking optimist of mainstream comedy, but his best moments happen when the cozy facade slips. That slip comes when he details the sensory nightmare of sleeping next to his wife, who climbs into bed wearing a glowing blue mouthguard, headgear, and eucalyptus ointment. His description of her walking to the bathroom with popping ankles (sounding like Darth Vader trapped in bubble wrap) is the kind of specific, unvarnished domestic observation that keeps his cozy observational style from rotting your teeth.

Filmed at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston, the 2022 Netflix release found Papa comfortable in his role as a middle-aged suburban dad who has surrendered to the modern world while occasionally poking at its absurdities. His set tackles the sheer panic of leaving the house without a smartphone, a scenario he compares to Benjamin Franklin wandering around thinking about kites and syphilis. He also discusses the bizarre anatomy of his rescued pug and the silent hostility of his teenage daughters, who judge him for how he chews granola.

It is a comfortable, well-crafted hour that plays directly to Papa’s strengths. While some critics felt his routine about tech and passwords trod overly familiar ground, his physical comedy and domestic complaints have a charm that works for anyone who has ever been exhausted by their own family.

The set list

4 bits

  1. Billionaires and wealth sharing

    Proposes that billionaires should only have 24 hours to enjoy their hoarded wealth before giving it away, leading into everyday frustrations like retrieving passwords.

  2. Leaving the house without a mobile phone

    Compares modern tech reliance to the inability to function or successfully navigate an airport if one leaves home without their smartphone.

  3. Adopting a rescue pug named Frank

    Describes a problematic pandemic rescue pug brought home by his daughter that wears pants and wreaks havoc in the house without repercussions.

  4. The horrible messiness of men and long-term marriage

    Blames his own gender for society's problems while explaining how he has maintained a happy marriage for 22 years without blaming his wife.

How it plays

Tone
Wholesome, positive, relatable, and safe, addressing domestic life without extreme or reactionary rhetoric.
On stage
Personable, endearing, self-effacing, and relatable domestic observer.
Pace
Easygoing delivery; described by one critic as somewhat lackluster or mailed-in, while others noted an endearing delivery with frequent applause breaks.
About
Parenting and aging family members, Marriage and long-term intimacy, Reliance on modern technology, Rescuing a pet pug named Frank, Blaming men for life's inconveniences and messes

What the critics said

Mixed reviews: Decider gave it a 'Stream It,' highlighting Papa's broad, non-reactionary appeal and gentle domestic humor, while Ready Steady Cut strongly panned it as dated, unoriginal, and low-energy.

In the room: Supportive theater crowd with loud opening cheers and frequent mid-set applause breaks.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: vanyaland.com, imdb.com, decider.com, readysteadycut.com, letterboxd.com, rottentomatoes.com, digital-dev.ktla.com, en.wikipedia.org.

Backstory

Material framed around emerging from two-plus years of the pandemic, navigating family life with aging parents, growing children, and a pandemic-adopted pet pug.

Details

Released
Taped
The Wilbur Theatre, Boston
Runtime
60 min
Where
Netflix
Director
Greg Jacobs
Topics
Before
You're Doing Great (2020)
After
Home Free (2024)

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