• Spent the last week in Phoenix (my hometown) for a family emergency. My grandfather Glenn Friedman passed away at the age of 90. He was a wonderful grandpa and a pioneer in late 20th century medicine. My grandfather was one of the originators in attachment parenting (the practice of keeping your children as close as possible for the early stages of their life), an early adopter of vegetarianism and helped prevent high cholesterol in children before that was normalized. Glenn was a special human being and the weekend was a wonderful celebration of his long, storied life. There was not much comedy this past week to write of but there were laughs remembering his commitment to health. He was known to wake the kids (my Mom) up at 5 AM for runs around the block. Grandpa also had the kids bring body parts from his medical practice to show and tell. Glenn did things his way and his influence will live on. We all love and miss him. If you’re interested in learning more about him, the link to his wonderfully written obituary (by his kids) is in the comments.
• Well, this is a bit of a tonal shift but I am committed to writing this weekly newsletter. I write it to praise my peers, discuss what I’ve seen and faintly pepper in my accomplishments. This week, I’d like to shine a light on two stellar late night Colbert sets from NY-based comics Kate Willett and Pedro Gonzalez. Their sets were not at all alike but each loudly announced a unique voice ready to headline across the country. Kate’s set takes on commitment-phobic dudes and how in the past committing might have been a mistake. It’s such a smart take and feels sneaky that it’s even on CBS. This is not the safe material the network is known for. Also, watch until the end of the set for the hilarious chatroom bit. On the other end of the spectrum is Pedro’s masterful, joke-heavy, misdirect rich five-minutes. I’ve known Pedro my entire time in NYC and have watched him hit more mics than nearly anyone in the five boroughs. He just works jokes out until they’re perfect. This is another amazing set that feels like a nice throwback to a set from Carson back in the 70s that would make a comedian’s career. It’s just a star-making performance with a voice you don’t usually hear on TV. Also, I can’t recommend the joke about “The song that was playing when…” bit about 2:20 in. I remember hearing it at Karma Lounge years ago and loving it then. Even more special to hear it on a major network. You can find the links for both of these in the comments as well.
• Saw a heck of a lot of movies this week (took multiple flights on Delta which really has the best selection). Tried to catch as many comedy features that I missed as I could. Here’s some quick hit reviews of what I saw:
What A Man Wants (2019): Well, this has 43% on Rotten Tomatoes which is my favorite kind of film. SOME people liked it but most hated it. I had to know why. After finishing, I got it. 43% is right. If you don’t know, the movie is a gender-flipped retelling of the 2000 Mel Gibson “What Women Want” (just like “Little” was a retelling of “Big” came out last year, this appears to be a trend). This one is certainly less sexist than the surprisingly charming original and features a strong lead performance from Taraji P. Henson and inspired turns from Erykah Badu as a crazy psychic, Tracy Morgan playing the Dad of the star athlete Henson’s agent character is trying to sign and Jason Jones from “The Daily Show” way back when as the jerk coworker who tries to steal her client. There are some great observations about what men think but the movie is mostly formulaic with everything tying up in way too neat a bow. I BARELY RECOMMEND (streaming on Hulu).
The Farewell (2019): This movie was hardcore snubbed by The Academy. Not a true comedy but I’m compelled to recommend it to anyone that hasn’t seen it that’s still reading. Watched it on a flight and was incredibly moved by the simple and heartfelt tale of a family reconnecting with an elderly family member (I don’t want to spoil the story too much; it was a great surprise). Awkwafina showed a ton of depth as a misfit in the States and China, feeling lost in both countries. The grandmother steals the show though. What a fun movie that captures family in a way that feels true to life but completely fresh. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND (streaming on Delta flights and for pay on Amazon).
Zombieland: Double Tap (2019): Yes, I wrote a heartfelt note to my Grandpa and it also included a review of the “Zombieland” sequel. That’s just who I am. I hope he would understand. I think he would. I don’t think he would like this movie though. I didn’t think I would either. Happy to have been proven wrong. Followed “The Farewell” with this one and I thought it would be too slight and it kind of was but had great jokes and deserved more fanfare. The movie pays homage to Elvis, features doubles of all the leads (Thomas Middleditch for Jesse Eisenberg was especially funny) and there is an amazing set piece in the third act that calls back to a throwaway joke that opens the movie. Stay after the credits too- Bill Murray gets a VERY extended cameo. You don’t need to have seen the first one to get this although I recommend you do; the movie cleverly comments on that movie’s casual sexism in a pretty funny way. So yeah, I RECOMMEND (streaming on Delta flights and for pay on Amazon. Sorry!).
The Upside (2019): My Mom recommended this movie to me. My brother makes fun of me for being a comedian and not loving Kevin Hart (for the record, I think he’s just OK). I was compelled to watch it and see what they were so into having seen the original French version of the movie years ago. Pulled it up on my flight home with Anna E. Paone and I gotta admit, it’s pretty damn good. Bryan Cranston is reliably excellent as the quadriplegic, millionaire author and Hart is nicely understated as his ex-con with a heart of gold caretaker that is pushed into the job because he’d be the worst at it. Once again, the movie hits all the familiar beats but does so with style. The melding of opera and Aretha Franklin (the two dudes’ tastes merge!) was a nice touch and if you’re looking for a movie to watch with the family anytime soon, this would be perfect so I would RECOMMEND FOR THAT (streaming on Delta...sorry).
• Leaked screenplays do not go viral. People don’t like to open PDFs and read them. I know I don’t. However, when Tom Scharpling’s 50+ page “Grown Ups 3” went online I was curious. There was praise left and right. People were calling it the funniest thing they’d ever read. Opened the PDF. Tore right into it. The folks were right. This is an amazing send up of Sandler and his buddies and the type of movies they make. It starts as a parody of the franchise, becomes a mockery of their true personas (kind of like “This the End”) and turns into something entirely different. Read it for free before it’s taken off the internet. Link is in the comments again.
• Not a lot going on for me this week. FREE FRIES returns this Sunday at SugarBurg. Other than that, I’m chillin’. See you at the mics.
RIP, Grandpa. I love you.
