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What's Wrong with People?

Sebastian Maniscalco

Showtime · 2012 · 75 min

An agitated man catalogs the decline of modern social etiquette.

A man in a sharp suit is deeply bothered by the general public. Before he was selling out arenas, Sebastian Maniscalco planted his flag with a rigid set of social rules he learned from his Italian-American upbringing, contrasting them with a modern world that simply refuses to behave. He performs with the frantic exasperation of a guy who just watched a stranger finger a muffin out of a brown bag at a coffee shop and cannot let it go. His physical act is already fully formed here, pacing the stage and relying on exaggerated facial expressions to sell his disgust.

Filmed at the Margaret A. Webb Theater in Santa Ana, California, the 2012 hour captures a working comic hitting his stride before his transition to major movie roles. The premises rely on the minutiae of daily friction. He channels genuine anger over the lost etiquette of answering a doorbell, the irritation of dodging retail kiosks in the middle of the mall, and the struggle of teaching his immigrant father how to use the internet.

The set list

9 bits
  1. Eating food out of a bag at Starbucks

    Exasperated breakdown of a woman fingering a muffin out of a bag instead of asking for a plate.

  2. Mall kiosks and aggressive sales techniques

    Complaining about carts and huts on wheels selling hand cream from Israel and eyebrow threading in the walkway.

  3. Ordering sandwiches at Subway

    Frustration with indecisive customers who hold up the line treating sandwich toppings like adopting a puppy.

  4. Supermarket self-checkout lanes and baggers

    Lamenting customer self-checkout machines, price checks requiring baggers with ear gauges, and feeling judged for using plastic bags.

  5. Having unexpected company and the doorbell

    Contrasting how families welcomed drop-in visitors in the 1980s with the modern dread, ducking, and hiding when the doorbell rings.

  6. Teaching an immigrant father how to use the internet

    Comedic exasperation over trying to explain modern technology and social media like Facebook to an older Italian father.

  7. Nightclubs then versus now

    Comparing classic club decorum and respectful conduct to modern nightclub grinding and aggressive behavior.

  8. Participation trophies and special children

    Mocking the modern culture of rewarding fifth place compared to old-school strict parental expectations.

  9. The frozen yogurt sampling craze

    Bafflement at customers asking for excessive samples at Pinkberry and treating yogurt like a life-changing event.

How it plays

Tone
Exasperated, sarcastic, nostalgic, observational, and self-assured.
On stage
Exasperated, bewildered, and witheringly sarcastic observer of modern social habits, animated by expressive facial gestures and dynamic physical movement.
Pace
High-octane and relentless energy from the outset, moving actively around the stage with animated physical act-outs.
About
Modern etiquette and societal decay, Italian-American family traditions versus modern culture, Everyday customer service frustrations, Parenting and participation trophies, Modern dating and nightclub behavior

What the critics said

Widely praised by fans and reviewers for his relatable pet peeves, impeccable timing, and animated physical delivery, though some critics characterized the material as traditional, complaints-based generational humor.

In the room: Enthusiastic and highly responsive room laughing and relating to common universal pet peeves.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: blu-ray.com, moshpitsandmovies.wordpress.com, letterboxd.com, play.google.com, stockq.org, imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org, netflix.com, stardomecomedyclub.blogspot.com.

Backstory

Drawing heavily on his upbringing in an old-school Italian-American household with immigrant parents to highlight the absurdities and lack of decorum in contemporary modern society.

Details

Released
Taped
Margaret A. Webb Theater, Santa Ana
Runtime
75 min
Where
Showtime
Director
Manny Rodriguez
Topics
Before
Comedy Central Presents (2008)
After
Why Would You Do That? (2016)

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