Stand-Up Comedy by Jim Gaffigan

Jim Gaffigan was credited as writer and actor in the following stand-up comedy set.
At the time, he would have been about 46 years old.
Jim Gaffigan: Mr Universe
      2012 | USA | Laughs: 7.8 | imdb: 7.8
      wikipedia

Stand-up comedians often lose inspiration as their career advances, so it was a great surprise to discover that six years after Beyond the Pale, Jim Gaffigan defied the usual trend by creating a far stronger show. The language was clean, the topics fairly mundane, but I found myself chuckling and laughing more than during some sets by comedians whose work I prefer on artistic (!), intellectual (!!) or ideological (!!!) grounds. Jim's shows might seem like fast-food (a topic he covers in this set)—they are enjoyable yet not very nourishing… but there is no guilt afterwards. So treat yourself to Mr Universe without giving it a second thought. (Last viewed: December 2013)

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Jim Gaffigan was credited as writer and actor in the following stand-up comedy set.
At the time, he would have been about 40 years old.
Jim Gaffigan: Beyond the Pale
      2006 | USA | Laughs: 6.0 | imdb: 8.0
      wikipedia

Gaffigan addresses a square-looking, middle class, mostly white audience, on topics suitable for the prude (food, the holidays, celebrations, gifts and church), and in a language devoid of profanity. I enjoyed the absence of curse words for a break from comedians who run on expletives and bodily functions. I didn't feel mentally stimulated after watching Jim's show (unlike shows by Carlin, Izzard and Stanhope), but I felt good because I had laughed. Jim alternates between his strong Irish-American voice and a fledging voice meant to be the inner dialogue of an audience member. It's not very funny at first, but the technique gets some mileage by the end as the show builds up. I'd watch this again in ten years. (Last viewed: September 2010)

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Jim Gaffigan was credited as writer and actor in the following stand-up comedy set.
At the time, he would have been about 48 years old.
Jim Gaffigan: Obsessed
      2014 | USA | Laughs: 4.6 | imdb: 7.6
      

After watching a disappointing show of Jim's from 2009, it was a surprise that this one (from five years later) would be so pleasant and entertaining. He looks quite relaxed as he delivers his seventy-minute set; I didn't see the time pass. The themes include overeating, weddings, food, seafood, alcohol, bars, and having five kids. (Last viewed: September 2018)

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Jim Gaffigan was credited as writer and actor in the following stand-up comedy set.
At the time, he would have been about 52 years old.
Jim Gaffigan: Noble Ape
      2018 | USA | Laughs: 3.0 | imdb: 7.2
      

That show didn't entertain me nearly as much as the previous two that I'd watched. It's still Jim, and it was certainly a treat to be able to consume his demeanor and facial expressions for over an hour. But I found the material a little dull, and it surprised me to hear this reputedly clean comedian get into bathroom jokes. Nevertheless, the set can be enjoyed when sipped in small doses, and I'm sure it will please many, especially perhaps those of the Catholic persuasion as Jim (a self-professed Catholic) closes the show with a story of how he opened for the pope. (Last viewed: August 2018)

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Jim Gaffigan was credited as writer and actor in the following stand-up comedy set.
At the time, he would have been about 43 years old.
Jim Gaffigan: King Baby
      2009 | USA | Laughs: 2.3 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.9
      wikipedia

Perhaps his kids have grown up and it's now fine to have more 'mature' themes (what a strange use of that word), but this show wasn't as clean as I recalled Jim's earlier ones to be. The themes included bowling, laziness, camping, bacon, religion and overeating. To me the set was fairly boring: it felt like Middle America humor—plain and unchallenging. Maybe I'm asking for too much out of stand-up comedy these days. (Last viewed: September 2018)

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Jim Gaffigan was credited as writer and actor in the following stand-up comedy set.
At the time, he would have been about 51 years old.
Jim Gaffigan: Cinco
      2017 | USA | Laughs: 2.0 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 7.0
      

At the start of the show, Jim quietens the applause by telling the audience their expectations are too high. The rest of the set proves him right. Usually Jim does well with mundane themes, but this time I found his treatment fairly unexciting. The themes included being fat, the seasons, cars, TV series, airports. He does warm up after about 45 minutes and hits a fairly funny three-minute streak. At some point Jim jokes that this might be his last show (one for each of his kids), and in truth I wouldn't be sad if he retired with this respectable body of work to make place for more motivated comedians. (Last viewed: September 2018)

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