For his third Netflix comedy special, and his first in almost six years since 2018. The overthinker, Demetri Martin is still questioning his jokes for us to see and hear. It’s a stylistic choice that benefits us at home much more than it does the people watching Martin perform live. All of which definitely sets it apart from the hours of traditional comedy you’ll see on Netflix.
DEMETRI MARTIN: DEMETRI DECONSTRUCTED: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
The essence: In The overthinker, Demetri Martin added directorial commentary to some of his jokes. This time, he is thinking even more materially about him, to the point that everything we see exists only in his head. Call it dream, call it simulation. No matter what you call it, conceit allows the comedian to deconstruct his own act.
What comedy specials will it remind you of?:His use of easels to illustrate some of his jokes provides echoes of early Zach Galifianakis, while his examination of wordplay in strange ways suggests not only Galifianakis but also Steven Wright.
Memorable jokes: Martin has put a lot of thought into commonly uttered phrases like “hold your horses” and “not with a 10-foot pole” and now you might too, if you haven’t already.
But you may not have reconsidered what it means to be a forger until Martin defends him, then represents him, and then describes his act to the imaginary person in his act.
Of course, the most memorable sections are those in which Martin actually deconstructs his own act and not just a particular premise. Sometimes we hear his internal dialogue criticizing his decisions, even urging him to go back and try a joke again, which he sometimes does. Sometimes the comment simply appears on the screen to add tags or offer counterpoints. Other sections receive a jazzy score and/or fun camera movements.
However, the most intriguing routine doesn’t involve any fancy camera work. Just Martin and his easel, telling a series of jokes through charts, graphs and images, and then wowing us by turning the pages upside down, with completely different jokes on the return trip.
For an extended while, he brings to life a hand-drawn demon on his easel, courtesy of a modulated microphone, briefly turning Martin into a ventriloquist act until the microphone fails.
Our opinion: But otherwise, Martin is completely in control and directs this special himself.
So why does he live in color, while his imagined simulation of a comedy special exists only in black and white? Is this something backwards? The Wizard of Oz in the game, where Martin, if he could click his heels, would feel more at home on the stage than in life? How much of his dream comes down to being 50 years old but still maintaining the stage image of an American schoolboy caught up in the beginnings of Beatlemania? And what does it mean we don’t even see the public? Is the audience almost out of place?
By not showing us the audience visually, Martin certainly makes it easier for himself in the post-production process, as well as in the production of segments in which he layers multiple variations, false starts, awkward pauses or any other trickery.
Stand-up specials have long struggled with the ability to translate the infectious energy of live comedy to tape or film. Martin’s techniques help demonstrate what is possible without those common limitations. So even if not every joke or experimental version of jokes works, there’s a lot to reward from taking risks and experimenting. If nothing else, it makes this comedy special.
Our call: To paraphrase one of Martin’s jokes, this special is designed for people who might consider themselves big fans of either him or the art form of stand-up. If that’s you, then STREAM IT.
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