A Review of Jenny Slate's Comedy Special "Stage Fright"

I didn’t know much about Jenny Slate before this special. I knew she had successful roles in movies and television shows, but that was it. As a huge fan of Saturday Night Live, I have seen clips of her performances while binge-watching Youtube. Her special was unlike anything I have seen before and was unique in that it told Slate’s life story both through comedy and home video clips. These clips included interviews with her grandmothers, two sisters, and parents. The first few minutes of the special were rough to get through. It was more awkward than the typical comedy warm-up since Slate was laughing more than the audience at the fact that she is sexually frustrated and tries to make this skeleton joke isn’t it scary and gross that we are skeletons.

However, the special did get better over time. The transition between her stand up and real-life was incredibly smooth—it was as if she was narrating her life. These clips showed the viewer candid and intimate family moments, such as Slate trying on her Nana’s old dresses. Slate is very charming and has a likable aura about her; you can see that she is authentic and caring. Her story struck a chord with me because she shed light on the hardships that come with high school and being a teenager: “I think something happens when you’re bullied in school or ignored, or you’re just like it was not great for me. That it’s either you put your head down and you’re like “Uh!” I will just wait until I can go to college or you’re like, Actually, I am taking this one back.” The special explores loneliness, and how every time she gets on stage she is presented with this essential question,  “Will they like me?”  I feel that these struggles reflect many high-schoolers who just want to fit in and find their place. 

The jokes weren’t particularly funny and I don’t think that Slate could succeed with a special that was just comedy, because it was repetitive and dry at times. However, the special as a whole was still impressive. It was innovative and Slate still has the passion for comedy and her work that older famous comedians now lack—this made up for the bad and outweighed it.

by LEEYA CHOHAN