Even though it was filmed in October of last year, Jerry Seinfeld’s long-awaited return to stand-up comedy is amazingly relevant for the current global situation. During ’23 Hours To Kill’, he spends so much time tossing around gags involving “getting out” and the hiccups of socializing with others, you gotta wonder……is he SUCH a genius that he saw this whole thing coming?
The comic legend even admits at one point in the Netflix special, he simply doesn’t have to do this anymore. He’s got all that TV money. But if his bouncing around the stage for a solid hour is any indication, stand-up comedy is his jam. His comfort. And darn it, it’s good to have him home.
From a taped intro which has Jerry diving from a chopper into the Hudson River (and yes, it appears to really be him pulling off the stunt as we not only get a close-up look at him before the big splash, but the closing credits gift us with some footage of him rehearsing the jump from a high-dive board at an indoor pool), to a large – and very polished, I might add – live orchestra playing him on stage, everything about ’23 Hours To Kill’ is big. And really, why not? This is his first stand-up special since 1998….it’s a huge deal, so any kind of extra fireworks aren’t unnecessary, rather expected.
Of course, when it comes to observational humor, which Seinfeld pretty much defined, it’s the same old Jerry. He riffs on what annoys him, with special emphasis on technology. He praises the innovation of Pop-Tarts. Complains about overly complicated restaurant offerings, (“Don’t tell me about today’s specials. If they’re so special, put ’em on the menu!”, he demands), and, in a most inspired bit, explores things that suck versus things that are great, somehow finding there’s not much of a reach between the two.
Well, I’ll say this much; ’23 Hours To Kill’ IS great. For Seinfeld fans, even those who are casual, ain’t much here that sucks.
