Comedian Amy Schumer reunites with streaming giant Netflix for another special in Emergency Contact. Using her usual shtick, Schumer invites audiences into her life as she discusses topics such as getting older, motherhood, and marriage.
Schumer has had quite an interesting career since mainstream audiences met her during the fifth season of the NBC reality competition show Last Comic Standing. Schumer would ultimately place fourth on the show, and from there, she would stay on the grind building a fan base by working the comedy club circuit and taking roles in indie flicks.
Eventually, Schumer would start doing arena, get a self-titled hit show and earn a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination for 2015’s Trainwreck. Despite all her success, Schumer was a comic that I never sought out her stand-up. While I was a fan of her work hosting the 2021 Oscars and in the films, Trainwreck and I Feel Pretty, my viewing of her stand special regretfully misses the mark.
While Schumer and I have different backgrounds, there are universal topics in comedy, so I expected more. The late great Robin Williams, Chelsea Handler, and Ali Wong are all non-melaninted comics whose jokes I can remember from their previous stand-up specials. I commend Schumer for not taking the easy route by using COVID or Trump for punch lines, but from what I’ve heard, she’s much better than what was delivered.
Some moments started strong enough, such as sexting your spouse when you’re out with friends, Schumer trying to explain getting old to a 20-something in the crowd, or going into detail about seeing Tom Cruise in Maverick: Top Gun got her in the mood for a night of intimacy with her husband, only to be ruined by a spousal spat. The setup in all three stories is engaging; however, neither gets a good payoff.
Throughout the duration of the special, I don’t recall laughing once or even having a half-hearted chuckle. It’s a given that comedy is a subjective art form. Furthermore, some comedians do better in movies as opposed to the stage. Although Schumer’s special didn’t make me laugh, hopefully, others can find some laughs.
Final Grade: D+
Emergency Contact is available to stream on Netflix now
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