Anthony Jeselnik: Thoughts and Prayers (2015)

The Worst Film Ever

Memorable, crazy movie

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

I did not like this stand up comedy. I had to cut it off after the child molestation and child harming jokes. I mustered up the nerve to continue watching after he joked about the baby in the hot car in Cali. Then there was the child molestation/child sex offender jokes I disagreed with. I am sure he is not a terrible guy and may have looked at his jokes from a different point of view but from my point of view, and being a Victim's Advocate for Sexual Assaults, I find this very inappropriate even for adults. I would edit this stand up comedy, as I find it offensive and harmful in nature. With all the sexual assault cases being Brought up in Hollywood (and they are just as important now than ever) this is not the show that should be representing anyone right now. This is the type of things that are allowed because it comes from a man, yet had this been a female comedian with these same jokes, this show would have not even made it to the TV or any major network, but because he is a male, he can get. pass. This is unacceptable and VERY disgraceful comedy. There is a difference between dark comedy and just plain ol ignorant.

I am a huge fan of standup, it is my favourite genre, but this entire set was not in the least bit funny. I understand black comedy and it's certainly fun, when done properly. Seems this guy was just "hmm, what are tragedies that I can reference for shock value comedy?" Everyone likes puppies, right? Here's some jokes about neglected puppies dying. Babies... yeah, babies... here's something about a baby's violent death." Nothing even remotely sophisticated about this. Just, obvious, Dane Cook type comedy. To make matters worse some hyena managed to find her way into the audience, so the entire thing all you can hear is her shrieking laughter, over literally anything. Now I get she bought a ticket but seriously, by minute 3 someone should have ejected her from the theatre and offered her a mandatory refund. You can't have that during a live taping. Couldn't even finish it was so bad.

If you like black comedy, you must be familiar with Daniel Tosh and Anthony Jeselnik, and if you are, then you're well aware that they don't hold back. After seeing Thoughts and Prayers, I think I can safely say Anthony is the darkest comic out there as far as subject matter, and I love it. If you don't like dark comedy, then obviously this isn't for you, so if you're uncomfortable with dead baby jokes, sexist jokes, abortion jokes, pedophilia jokes, or world tragedy jokes, then stay the f*ck away from Anthony Jeselnik. But if those jokes don't phase you no matter the content because, you know, they're jokes, then Thoughts and Prayers is a must-see comedy special.What makes Jeselnik's punchlines work is the fact that you don't see them coming. Even though you know he's going to say the most terrible thing possible, he somehow manages to surprise you. His demeanor also translates well with his jokes because he's one of those people that you can't really tell when they're being sarcastic or not because he says everything with a straight face. And he's fully aware that he makes politically incorrect jokes. He comments about how society is always super sensitive about one thing at a time, and he exploits the hell out of that. Seriously, it's crazy how much he gets away with here and it's kind of refreshing to see that Netflix (and pretty much everyone that allows him to continue doing shows) can actually appreciate and promote dark humor. Yay, society. The audience even gets tested A LOT, but they always find the way back to the funny side. So basically, you should know whether or not you're the target audience for this, and if you are then I'm here to reaffirm that you should see this. If you are easily offended and give this a shot anyway, then you have no one to blame but yourself.

This was one of the funniest yet crudest comedy shows I have ever seen. Anthony Jeselnik even warns you about how vulgar he is so don't you complain about all the dead baby jokes and mocking tragedies such as the Boston Bombing, the 911 terrorist attacks and Eric Clapton's son. You will cringe, awkward laugh and be angry all at the same time. I think the best part of the show was seeing the audience reactions which is why they show the audience so much. Watching the men laugh at a sexist joke and the women just sit there with annoyed looks on their faces is one of the most hilarious things ever. The one thing I love a lot in the show other than the audience reactions is Anthony's plot twist humor. He always starts telling a joke, then you THINK you know what he is going to say next but then he switches the form on you which completely get you off guard which makes me laugh a ton.All in all, great performance by Anthony. Look forward to his future endeavors, hopefully he will do more stand-up one day...