Undeniable

Eddie Griffin takes the stage at the Berklee Performing Arts Center in Boston, Massachusetts, marking three decades in stand-up comedy with a set that alternates between social critique, personal anecdotes, and high-energy impressions. He begins by questioning the hypocrisy of modern televangelists, zeroing in on mega-church pastor Joel Osteen’s controversial decision to lock his church doors during Hurricane Harvey. Griffin argues that organized religion has become more of a franchise than a spiritual sanctuary, pointing out the arrival of literal ATMs inside church lobbies to illustrate his point.

Filmed for Showtime in late 2017 and released in February 2018, Undeniable caught Griffin at an active point in his career. Beyond his Las Vegas residency, he was touring theaters with The Comedy Get Down alongside George Lopez and D.L. Hughley, and had recently filmed a supporting role as a pastor in the remake of A Star Is Born.

The second half of the performance turns personal as Griffin pays tribute to a generation of late performers, including his close friends Charlie Murphy and Bernie Mac, alongside Richard Pryor and Dick Gregory. He wraps up the set with a speculative, physical routine imagining how Michael Jackson, Prince, and Sammy Davis Jr. are adjusting to the afterlife, using his physical comedy skills to contrast the solemnity of heaven with the antics of his fallen peers.