Life & Beth, Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel, and Bruce Willis
Truth in comedy and comedy in truth, plus a celebration of the big guy's career
Hello!
On this week’s episode of Criticism Is Dead, we discuss Life & Beth and Jerrod Carmichael’s Rothaniel, a series and a comedy special that explore the effects of things kept hidden and left unsaid within families.
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02:31 Life & Beth, streaming on Hulu, is uneven and frustrating at times, but there are real flashes of emotion and thoughtfulness at its core.
It’s unfortunate that Amy Schumer keeps stepping in it, otherwise more people might be talking about this series instead of pointing out shitty things she has said recently or historically. Instead, we wretched few are left to appreciate this Life & Beth for what it is: a surprisingly decent show that, while a bit of a mess in some regards, authentically captures the feelings of childhood melancholy and suburban malaise. It is strongest when it is reflecting on the past, using specificity to form a coherent picture of what it was like to grow up under a certain set of circumstances. The rom-com aspect, the millennial humor — those are fine, but they feel like they could be on a whole other show instead of distracting from the huge sad girl potential rooted in growing up with a complicated family.
19:28 Jerrod Carmichael’s comedy special Rothaniel, streaming on HBO Max, is an intimate, vulnerable, personal piece of storytelling.
The headline takeaway you’re going to see everywhere about this special is: Jerrod Carmichael comes out as gay. And he does, and seeing him work through that emotional process on stage and with the audience is fascinating and moving, but it’s only a part of the larger story he tells: one about family secrets, burdens, and relationships. This is a good example of the kind of “post-comedy” genre that Vulture has described, similar to other works like Nanette and Bo Burnham’s Inside (which we discussed on a previous example here). It’s not necessarily funny all the time — in fact, there are long stretches without a single joke or laugh — but it is introspective and interesting and painfully truthful.
34:24 Plus, culture notes about some of the roles Bruce Willis has played in our lives.
We remember him as an international movie star, an action hero who appealed to our immigrant parents, a steady cultural presence that we appreciated and took for granted and eventually kind of forget about. He’s not DEAD, for god’s sake, but he is retiring, and so a toast to him and some of our favorite films he’s been in.
Bonus links
Jerrod Carmichael on SNL:
Grammys!!!
ANTM is wanted for crimes against humanity.
Malcolm Harris on all these Silicon Valley founder scam TV shows.
Really incredible, heartbreaking, infuriating story: “How an Ivy League School Turned Against a Student.”
One nice thing to leave you with:
That’s it for now. See you next week!
— Jenny
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Some credits:
Music: REEKAH
Artwork and design: Sara Macias and Andrew Liu