Mike Birbiglia: The New One (2019 TV Special) User Reviews

MB is the best storyteller in comedy today

[braincandle1979 · 9/10 · 28 November 2019]

Mike has always had his own style of long-form storytelling standup. It builds and builds and always has big payoffs and crescendos. This is Mike at his very best. "I saved my best friend's life" \_(o£o)_/

I could vividly imagine every part of his stories along the way, he really bares it all in embarrassing detail but it's so great and creative. It also doesn't sugarcoat any of his experiences with bringing a child into this world, which are often offputting for me when any stand-up comedian does it. Great job Mike Birbiglia I hope this brings you much accolades and new exposure and thanks Netflix for being a great home to comedy.

Still got it!

[Beaupedia · 9/10 · 19 May 2020]

I don't have children (and never plan to - I'm being very clear!), and this was hilarious. So glad to see Mike still doing his thing and as funny as ever.

HILARIOUS

[doruksesli · 8/10 · 26 November 2019]

I only have one word for this special and that is hilarious! I laughed so much in just the first five minutes that I nearly fell off my sofa! I would truly recommend this to literary anyone who enjoys comedy!

BJs can cure morning sickness...

[Brad_G35 · 10/10 · 26 November 2019]

When I first saw that Birbiglia was doing this show on Broadway, I wondered what it was all about as Broadway usually has some type of unique aspect that comes with it.

I was ready to give this special a high 8 or 9. I saw Thank God for Jokes when he was touring it years ago and it made me laugh throughout. When it was finally taped and put on Netflix... I'm not sure how the jokes were changed over time(because I couldn't remember when I saw the show live) but they were definitely changed because the jokes didn't land the way they originally did.

With this special, I think Birbiglia is bouncing back. With an almost 90 minute runtime, I wasn't sure where this special would go. One thing is for sure, Mike is your friend. Mike is an excellent storyteller. There is one thing that happens halfway through that utilizes the stage. I think that propels the special into its last act.

This special centers around a lot of things before finally reaching fatherhood. As his daughter is still young, this is a good start. It'll be interesting for his daughter to age a couple of years and new material to appear from those experiences. Comedians can usually gather some of their golden material once they've married, had kids, divorced, and had huge life events. I'm sure Birbiglia will be no different.

This is a must watch. There aren't funny moments throughout but there are those clever quirks that we've all come to know and love from Birbiglia. Some specials will always be funnier than others but Birbiglia solidified himself into a top storyteller long ago.

Mike Birbiglia murders it again

[dkreipe · 10/10 · 27 November 2019]

This routine is both a hilarious take on the fear related to transition to a new chapter and an absolute must see for a new parent. I laughed, cried, and reflected. That is so much more than I've ever been able to say about amy comedy routine.

Watch Cognitive Dissonance Unfold in Realtime

[gassydabber · 7/10 · 5 December 2019]

The first half is a wonderful journey through the perilous anxieties one has before deciding whether or not to have kids, and is very deep and introspective. Mike lays out all the reasons you shouldn't have kids, and they're all right.

But then he's countered with "but you'd be a good dad," and that's that, he has a kid.

This is where the disconnect happened for me, and is where I just felt disappointment. It's as if Mike spends the rest of the bit ignoring what he just talked about, and goes into how miserable of a parent he is without any self-reflection as to maybe he shouldn't have had kids.

It's not just Mike, we all need to consider that maybe we shouldn't have kids until we sort ourselves out: climate change, concentration of wealth, and all the existential threats coming down the pipe are all reasons why you should not have your own kids. You should adopt or foster. Sorry you miss out on what could've been, but such is life.

I'll be curious to revisit Mike years later to see if he's still miserable. Good luck. You have my empathy, but not my endorsement.

Thoroughly enjoyable

[isean-97-80374 · 10/10 · 23 January 2020]

I found this special hilarious but heartwarming - I felt every part of his emotional roller coaster and by the end, in his words, felt very full.

Daddy is out on a limb again

[wavecat13 · 6/10 · 15 June 2020]

MB is not afraid to go out on a limb. In fact he does it a lot in this comic monolog about new fatherhood and related issues.

Leviticus 19:27

[mailkill-imdb · 7/10 · 27 November 2019]

Ye shall not round the corners of your heads. Leviticus 19:27

So sad for him...

[lvvvlylisa · 4/10 · 2 December 2019]

I have missed him on Netflix! I loved his first three standup routines..especially the one that centered on Catholicism. I was very sad that he disappeared...but was thrilled that he finally had a new show.

He's obviously had some pretty serious health problems, which is why this delightful and charmingly funny man disappeared. He's come back with some bitterness and fear, and I get it. But this new standup is a little dark...

I liked the "Christ is born, Christ has risen, Christ will come at 10." silliness much better.

Not as good as the previous specials

[UCCF · 4/10 · 28 November 2019]

I became a huge Mike Birbiglia fan after watching his previous specials. He's got a gift for storytelling, and in particular the special-long story surrounding his auto accident and subsequent proposal to his wife was brilliantly done.

So I'm not sure what happened here. It's less storytelling and much more yelling at the top of his lungs for some reason. I hate to think he's going to become one of those comedians who believe that loud = funny. I enjoyed some of the material - his list of 7 reasons he didn't want to have kids, for example - but after awhile I found myself just wishing it was over because of the wild swinging between telling a story and then just yelling at me.

He's still one of the funniest comedians going today, and I think if you're not bothered by all the yelling then you would probably enjoy this. But I kind of wish he would go back to a more modulated way of getting his stories across. They're funny and poignant enough on their own without him ramming the punchlines down my throat.

Had a kid = no longer funny

[AuntieGame · 2/10 · 3 December 2019]

As with most comedians, he had a kid, and now he's not funny anymore. Just tired and angry and regretting his life choices like all breeders. Gave it 2 instead of 1 because the first half was funny until he brings up the kid and you see how miserable he really is now.

Sad and pathetic

[backup-50362 · 1/10 · 17 December 2019]

It started okay but then he switched to the most generic, overdone beta male bits like "women are better than men" and "there shouldn't be kids" and all that decades old Louie CK crap that every beta male comedian with secrets in his closet does to virtue of signal and appeal to women because he either knows nothing about women or has the self esteem of a one legged puppy and feels the need to take down all men to his level. The rest of it was just sad stories and nothing more.