Jim Jefferies: Intolerant (2020)

Between scenes from an excruciating date, Jim Jefferies digs into generational differences, his own bad habits and the shifting boundaries in comedy.

Jess’ Review

Having enjoyed several of Jim Jefferies’ earlier stand-up shows (and swerved the more recent, abysmal, This Is Me Now (2018)), I had high hopes for Intolerant. And despite a slow start, I wasn’t disappointed. Sam and I finished the hour-long show crying with laughter - in fact, I can’t remember a time I saw Sam laugh so hard! Jefferies was back on form, and I couldn’t be happier.

Known for his blunt, often-times vulgar approach and questionable political views, Jim Jefferies is exactly my sort of comedy. Having spent my teenage years watching Frankie Boyle and Jimmy Carr, I can handle- and in all honesty, actively enjoy controversial comedy. Before I get myself mixed up in some huge censorship debate, I think comedy is comedy and no topic should be off-limits. And with Jefferies, it definitely isn’t. Whilst Intolerant actually saw only a handful of non-PC topics come up (in comparison to more plentiful amounts in his earlier work), the best laughs instead came from vulgarity.

Jefferies spends a good portion of the show recounting a dinner date and its eventful aftermath. He builds the situation fantastically, and quite graphically, I might add. I was impressed by his storytelling and the way in which he weaved in and out of the scenario, offering a spattering of side-jokes to broaden the material. He covers a lot, but artfully brings it back to this one disastrous event. It’s hilarious, with a finale that had Sam and I crying. The combination of excellent timing and blunt delivery works wonders here.

Now, as I said, the beginning was slow. The jokes didn’t seem to land as comfortably and I worried that Jefferies was simply trying to live up to the characterised version of himself. Crass and opinionated, but overtly so. Fake. And perhaps the comedian has to play into the character to an extent to draw in the appropriate fanbase. Yet being outlandish for the sake of fitting an image is kinda sad. And not all that funny. However, his energy picks up about a quarter of the way through and suddenly he’s on fire. It’s a different show, completely transformed and most certainly worth the wait.

Jim Jefferies is definitely one of my top ranking comedians, and despite some messy work, Intolerant reminds me why I liked him so much, a la Freedumb (2016). Scathingly opinionated and hilariously blunt, I thought Intolerant was pretty great. (Though perhaps whizz past the first 20 minutes...)

7.5/10

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Sam’s Review

While he certainly comes across as intolerant, a slightly more appropriate name for this may have been Jim Jefferies: Inconsistent. I discovered Jim Jefferies a few years back, and thoroughly enjoyed his earlier specials. Yet I couldn't finish his previous special This Is Me Now (2018). It just didn't click with me. So, when Intolerant spontaneously popped up on my Netflix homepage, I was intrigued. Now, in an evolving, and sometimes overly sensitive time, would this brash comic rise from the proverbial ashes?

Much like his previous special, the first 20 minutes had me bored. At one point, discussing his expensive 5 star dining experience, it felt like he was losing touch with his audience. Mocking the pretentious waiter just seemed cruel. Perhaps because, thanks to the lockdown, I haven't been to a restaurant in months. Or, perhaps because when I do, the restaurants I patron are not as posh, and the service is somewhere between indifference and lukewarm.

However, his storytelling ability is fantastic. He takes us off on tangents, then brings us back, sometimes brilliantly abruptly, to his original story. It's incredibly skilful writing. And, at one point, I laughed harder than I did at any special I've ever seen. Tears were streaming down my face. (Disclaimer. That may speak more for my immaturity over the joke's quality.) And that is why inconsistent would be a better title. Periods of boredom pass, the odd chuckle thrown in, until it clicks and we're laughing. Then the boredom creeps back in, and suddenly I'm wondering if the laughter will return. It does, but not without the vast moments of silence.

It may be a sign of the times, but his delivery can come across as jarring. It's almost the slurred, yelled ramblings of a drunk. Appearing to be crass and crude at times only to provoke a response. The pseudo-aggressive punchlines, shouted at the audience, don't land as well as the dryer deliveries. There is a bravery to some of his jokes. While some are just to shock, there are the few that seem to voice what people may think but are too worried to say.

If the tangents were funny, this would be masterful storytelling, and comedy at it's finest. The prime story, when in motion, is riveting. Unfortunately, the majority of the special isn't. Jim Jefferies: Inconsistent. 

7/10