“I am so old that my mother is dead.”
At one point in his lengthy career, comedian Louis C.K. almost seemed untouchable. The man behind the very popular comedy series, “Louie,” has amassed a treasure trove of awards over the years, including multiple Emmys and Grammys that attest to how talented a writer and performer he’s become since his early days as a New York-based standup.
But during the heyday of the Me Too Movement, the once unstoppable jester’s career took a sharp left turn when revelations of past sexual misconduct derailed many projects he was working on at the time.
Unlike other actors and comedians like Ellen DeGeneres, who fell into the web of cancel culture of the time, Louis C.K. seemed to press on and return to his roots without directly addressing what almost brought his career down. Self-funding many ventures and comedy shows along the way, he returns to the limelight with a new Netflix special entitled “Louis C.K.: Ridiculous.” His first comedy special for a major streaming platform in nearly a decade, “Ridiculous” is a peek into the life of a man nearing the tail end of his life and career, while providing enough laughs for a willing audience to absorb.
Filmed at the Beacon Theater in Louis C.K.’s home turf of New York City, “Ridiculous” gives the 58-year-old comic space to air grievances while taking a multitude of pot shots at himself. A Miles Davis jazz opening as C.K. walks onto the stage recalls the glory days of “Louie” and the comedian’s strengths as a writer, producer, and director. His opening joke juxtaposes this music of C.K.’s sensibilities, “So I took an AIDS test today. I haven’t had sex in years…I just wanted some good news.”
And the jokes easily flow from there.
“Louis C.K.: Ridiculous” is chock-full of compositions that make sense for the elder jester as he enters new phases of life he wasn’t prepared to tackle in his younger days. Topics of this new special include the joy of sleeping and the existential dread of waking up, horrible things C.K. has done in his dreams, aging and the absurdity of putting his dad into a retirement home, courtroom truthfulness, and appreciating life while living in New York. None of these subjects ever feel controversial, yet everything Louis C.K. has to say is most definitely personal and comes from a relatable experience through simply living out one’s life.
There is no mention of Louis C.K.’s once-perceived downfall in this one-hour comedy special, which finds the man a little older, not exactly wiser, but with a bit of a glint in his eyes. Clearly enjoying his time on the stage, C.K.’s audience eats out of the palm of his hand while he regales them with personal stories and his desire never to get plastic surgery to his face. Aging is a hot topic in “Ridiculous,” and C.K.’s insistence that the bags under his eyes cast shadows on his face gives rise to a new level of self-deprecation that’s both genuine and not as sexually charged as the material he was once known for.
There’s no ego to be found here.
“Louis C.K.: Ridiculous” is directed, created, written and produced by the man himself, suggesting that everything presented in this special is as intimate as the comedian gets with his audience. It is a triumphant return to form for a man who may have lost a step at one point in his career, and even though he spouts jokes from an older face covered in small-rimmed glasses, Louis C.K. owns the Beacon Theater audience with humor and frankness. Treading in the water of humility has always been his specialty, and the embrace of this theme will certainly delight a Netflix audience that’s become used to comedy roasts of a different nature.
“Louis C.K.: Ridiculous” is now streaming on Netflix.