Smart, self-assured, and clearly in command of both his material and the moment, Gary Gulman's slow-build riffs on everything from phones to rude shopping-cart etiquette are funny and insightful.
There have been a few comedians of late who lament how whiny some of us sound when we complain about some piece of advanced technology failing us. Gulman's deconstruction of phones and the iPhone is particularly well-done though. It's basically a short history of the telephone that includes a remarkable section about 411 vs. Google and how absurd it really is that we still refer to these handheld computers, as "phones."
His tangents lead to sharp fare, such as the fact that anti-Obamacare advocates often portray the President with a Hitler moustache even though it wasn't really his stance on socialized medicine that made der Führer so darn vexing. And there are many great tangents, as Gulman tells a couple of longer stories that are aided by his off-track scenic routes.
It's genuinely fun watching Gulman whip through vivid descriptions or drop subtle, blink-and-you-miss-them pop culture references so eloquently. He's just so ready for this show; you can tell he's just barely able to curb his enthusiasm to perform.
He doesn't stumble with his sophisticated flourishes, which really enhance his observational bits and dissections of human behaviour, as he does so manically in his tale of suffering a meltdown at Trader Joe's. Gulman exhibits obvious glee with his clever hour here and it's infectious.
Exclaim! is reviewing every standup comedy special currently available on Netflix Canada, including this one. You can find a complete list of reviews so far here.
There have been a few comedians of late who lament how whiny some of us sound when we complain about some piece of advanced technology failing us. Gulman's deconstruction of phones and the iPhone is particularly well-done though. It's basically a short history of the telephone that includes a remarkable section about 411 vs. Google and how absurd it really is that we still refer to these handheld computers, as "phones."
His tangents lead to sharp fare, such as the fact that anti-Obamacare advocates often portray the President with a Hitler moustache even though it wasn't really his stance on socialized medicine that made der Führer so darn vexing. And there are many great tangents, as Gulman tells a couple of longer stories that are aided by his off-track scenic routes.
It's genuinely fun watching Gulman whip through vivid descriptions or drop subtle, blink-and-you-miss-them pop culture references so eloquently. He's just so ready for this show; you can tell he's just barely able to curb his enthusiasm to perform.
He doesn't stumble with his sophisticated flourishes, which really enhance his observational bits and dissections of human behaviour, as he does so manically in his tale of suffering a meltdown at Trader Joe's. Gulman exhibits obvious glee with his clever hour here and it's infectious.
Exclaim! is reviewing every standup comedy special currently available on Netflix Canada, including this one. You can find a complete list of reviews so far here.