Skip to content
Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy
Promotional art for Unveiled
Cover image credit:

Source

Unveiled

Iliza Shlesinger

Netflix · 2019 · 78 min

Iliza Shlesinger targets the absurd traditions of getting married.

Watch on Netflix(opens in a new tab)

Iliza Shlesinger spent four specials working through the exhausting logistics of dating, singlehood, and the behavior of twenty-somethings. Now, she is married, and she has some notes on the ceremony. Recorded at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, her fifth Netflix hour is a direct reaction to the bizarre, ancient, and often stressful traditions of the modern wedding industry. Shlesinger approaches the topic not with misty-eyed nostalgia, but with the fast-paced, highly physical skepticism that has defined her career since winning Last Comic Standing in 2008.

Rather than looking back at her big day with pure fondness, she picks apart the weirdest elements of the bridal industrial complex. She takes aim at the horror of bachelorette parties, the absurdity of the garter toss, and the weird tension of having a veil draped over your face like a horror movie villain. Other bits focus on her honeymoon in Italy, where she struggled to order steak using the metric system, and the exhausting social requirement for women to constantly squeal with false enthusiasm.

Filmed about a year after her marriage to chef Noah Galuten, the performance captures Shlesinger firmly established as a theater headliner. She peppers the set with her signature vocal work and high-energy pacing, occasionally pausing to act out her own critics tweeting complaints about her. While some viewers found the heavy emphasis on wedding planning repetitive compared to the millennial relationship commentary of her previous hour, others appreciated her physical commitment to showing just how unhinged the bridal industry can be.

The set list

5 bits

  1. Deconstructing archaic wedding traditions including veils and garters

    Mocks traditions like wearing a garter, which she describes as a lap band for a chinchilla, explaining why she opted out of wearing either at her wedding.

  2. The performative use of the word 'amAAAzing'

    Analyzes how women insincerely use the word 'amazing' toward each other out of social pressure and false feminist obligation.

  3. The dowdy blogger in the back of the room

    A recurring bit where she mimes typing and speaking into an imaginary phone to mock hypersensitive critics and bloggers critiquing her material.

  4. Bachelor parties and wedding reception groomsmen

    Frames bachelor parties as terrifying combinations of horror stories and war movies while roasting the archetypal funny groomsman who never pursued standup.

  5. Feminism versus conformity

    Argues that women pressuring other women to conform to identical behaviors is communism rather than true feminism.

How it plays

Tone
Irreverent, cynical, provocative, and candid.
On stage
High-energy, physically expressive, feminist, sharp, and observational, known for utilizing distinct voices ranging from valley girl to demon growls as well as animal noises.
Pace
Rapid and athletic, featuring squats, floor crunches, and animated physical act-outs punctuated by fast delivery.
About
wedding traditions and planning pressures, nuptials and modern marriage, feminism and female solidarity, dynamics between men and women, bachelor parties and groomsmen

What the critics said

Praised by critics for her sharp, relatable deconstruction of wedding culture and high-tempo physical execution, while user audience reactions were divided on its focus on wedding themes.

In the room: Enthusiastic and engaged crowd dynamic during the Nashville taping.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, popsugar.com, decider.com, thecomicscomic.com, rottentomatoes.com, statehornet.com, people.com, today.com.

Backstory

Follows her June 2018 marriage to chef Noah Galuten, serving as a dedication and farewell to her long-time tour companion and dog Blanche, who passed away weeks after filming.

Details

Released
Taped
Tennessee Performing Arts Center (James K. Polk Theater), Nashville
Runtime
78 min
Where
Netflix
Director
Steve Paley
Topics
Before
Over & Over (2019)
After
Hot Forever (2022)

More from Iliza Shlesinger

If you liked this