Kathleen Madigan: Madigan Again (2013)

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

For having a relatively low budget, the film's style and overall art direction are immensely impressive.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

The setting for this Netflix special was the city of Detroit, with Kathleen Madigan making some appropriate and funny observations about the city. It appeared at the time she was touring with fellow comic Lewis Black because he was in attendance, and she did a clever riff as Black's curmudgeonly character. Madigan also had some things to say about a recent USO tour of Afghanistan entertaining our troops there, giving them all the credit they deserved for working in an environment that was like being frozen and having sand thrown in your face. Tackling a variety of subjects, Madigan explores her experiences at the gym, on cruise ships, and how the country might have reacted if Twitter were around during the Revolutionary War - 'The British are coming, the British are coming'. I tried to imagine that and it would have been quite surreal. One topic she brought up actually made me do an internet search a minute ago when she mentioned being fascinated by a 'Batman cat'. If you do the same when you finish reading this, my review would have served it's purpose.

Madigan's newest Netflix special, "Bothering Jesus" had me on the floor, because she stayed in her lane. Madigan Again left me flat and annoyed. I found her at her best when making fun at herself and own experience (specifically, being Irish-Catholic in America) Her 20-minute tirade about Afghanistan was full of cringe-worthy jokes. In general, her racial jokes about things and people she admitted to not understanding were lazy "old- world" comedy and completely irrelevant. Anyone who doesn't view Muslim people as terrorists would not find these jokes funny ("Lol, Afghanis are weird and uncivilized, unlike Americans, I don't trust them!" etc). Otherwise, some very funny moments. But overall, her comedy just didn't quite land for me the way it has in her other performances (particularly her newest performance, "Bothering Jesus")(*hint: join the modern age of comedy, Madigan, cause you can be funny as hell)