“STANDUP SATURDAY”
“Phones keep getting smarter. Why aren’t we?” – Merely a taste of what’s in store to be enjoyed of Jerry Seinfeld’s wit on his new Netflix special 23 Hours to Kill. The hour long special is currently streaming and has Jerry Seinfeld headlining in New York City almost as if the 90’s were only yesterday. In that hour, there is a more than sufficient amount to unpack as Seinfeld guides the audience in his comedic style of life perspective and observation of human behaviour in this current day and age.
First and foremost it’s worth mentioning: Seinfeld is the world’s first and currently only billionaire comedian. His hit TV sitcom Seinfeld, which is still in syndication on network TV and soon on Netflix, has made him more than enough money to ever need to even consider doing another stand-up special. This, along with his current running show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, has gathered more than enough of a successful following to keep him rolling in it. This leaves many people questioning not only the need, but even the desire of why he’d put on another special and what he has to gain in even doing so apart from more money. So why is he doing this, and, is it even worth seeing? The first answer likely only he will know, but the second answer is an easily confirmable ‘yes’. At 65 years of age, Jerry Seinfeld is showing the world that he may just keep on going, as it this point, there doesn’t seem much reason to stop.
As being aged 65 goes, almost no new viewers would even realize it. His high level energy is that of a child, as he keeps the show moving the entire hour through will little to no shift in momentum. People will have their opinions on what is funny and what isn’t, but his presence on stage can’t be debated as the audience hangs on his every word and moves relatively easy to each new transition that he sets up them up for. Seinfeld is famous for his commentary on life and questioning everything, as was his “straight man” character in Seinfeld. Viewers can expect no new deviation in that regard, though the subject matter is new because the world we live in since he arrived is new. Seinfeld shares his thoughts on cell-phones and texting, effortlessly breaking down the comedic value in why we as humans opt to text when we could just speak on the phone out of a shear perception of convenience. He takes the audience through a bit about how people in society want space for comfort, but yet need to be close in proximity so as to able to criticize one another. Other honourable mentions include his time devoted to briefly sharing aspects of his personal life, namely that of his marriage and how it compares to everyone else’s relationships.
23 Hours to Kill With this new special, have we seen the last of Jerry Seinfeld?
He is certainly the Seinfeld the world has come to know and adore, and his style of keeping it somewhat family friendly whilst still being able to tackle adult issues with tact is still there and evident. More than anything he also gives everyone a chance to see that even old dogs can learn new tricks. He has come and he’s gone, retaining his current base and continuously adding new ones with each new project. 23 Hours to Kill With this new special, have we seen the last of Jerry Seinfeld? Probably not. At age 65, a billion dollars in the bank, a massive following, and with probably no other plans, he can and probably will, pretty much do whatever he wants. According to him “that’s great, and it also sucks”.
