Jerry Seinfeld: 'I'm Telling You for the Last Time' (1998 TV Special) User Reviews

Very funny

[grantss · 8/10 · 15 April 2022]

A Jerry Seinfeld stand-up comedy special recorded live on Broadway in 1998.

Jerry Seinfeld doing what he does best: observational humour with an off-beat, absurdist take on things. Very funny as he comments on things like the Winter Olympics, horse racing, airlines, the medical profession and pharmaceutical industry, amongst others.

Not perfect though. Some of his swings are misses as one or two observations fall flat. In addition, the intro was quite lame and unnecessary. It was as if Seinfeld was trying to show off the celebrities he has as friends: Garry Shandling, George Carlin, Paul Reiser, Jay Leno etc.

"And why is McDonald's still counting?"

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 11 March 2018]

The 'Seinfeld' TV show is over and Jerry is retiring his comic routines. Celebrities of the era join Jerry at a funeral service where they've gathered to bury his bits. Jerry must have had quite a pull with his fellow comedians because we see top flight names like George Carlin, Jay Leno, Alan King, Garry Shandling and a few others either grieving or attempting to grab a few recorded jokes out of the coffin. It was a clever way to open the show, right after a kid on the street in New York City begged Jerry to do his routine one more time.

Jerry's stand up is just like his TV show, it's a lot of funny stuff about nothing in particular, just observations of everyday life that border on the hilarious. He even reveals the big secret of what men think about - 'Nothing'. Among other things, Jerry riffs on airports, old folks retiring in Florida, Halloween and CANDY!, supermarket shopping, doctor visits, Silver Medal winners and horse races. The segments flow quite naturally from one to the next, and he augments his observations with body language and activity across the stage which only makes his bits funnier. The guy really is a comic genius and even if you're not a fan per se, I think you'd get a kick out of at least parts of his routine. His humor is timeless, and even though this show is twenty years old as I write this, I have no doubt that you could watch it at any time and be amused by Jerry Seinfeld's brand of humor.

Seinfeld is a genius

[White Dolphin · 10/10 · 15 October 2000]

Jerry Seinfeld is one of the funniest stand up comedians out there today. Sure he may not be a saint (buying a whole building just for his cars)- but we do need to cut him some slack as he provided millions of people with millions of laughs for a long time. I saw "I'm Telling You For The Last Time" before I actually got into the series itself (I was young when it first aired and so now I am feasting off reruns). The fact that I had not seen nearly every Seinfeld episode (which now I have see most of) made this bit of stand up even funnier as I had never heard most jokes before. But still, It aired again a little while later and even though it was my second time seeing it, it was still very funny. Definitely recommended to all Seinfeld fans and I believe that many others will also be entertained. If you liked this and the Seinfeld series I would also recommend Jerry Seinfeld's book "SeinLanguage". Of course it's much funnier when you can can see and hear him tell the jokes and so if this ever comes on TV again you can bet I'll be taping it.

Funniest man in history!!!

[martymaster · 9 August 2001]

This stand-up show got all of Jerry's greatest material and are told with such great body language. Jerry are here showing that he can stand on an empty stage with just a glass of water and make you laugh for 78 minutes. The different jokes are so well mixed together that it forms a whole story at the end.

I think this show can make anybody laugh even though they don't like the "Seinfeld show". But if you are a Seinfeld fan,this is a MUST.

This is truly the best stand-up show ever.

Fantastic

[viridianstar · 10/10 · 23 July 2002]

The man really is a comic genius. I first heard his monologue on CD, and that was side-splitting enough. When I saw the videotape, though- his actions and facial expressions make it twice as funny. Case in point: the airline sequence, where he can add another scene because he can use physical comedy. Also in his scuba-diving sequence, or any part where he "dances". He can make a long, hilarious comedy sketch out of, well, nothing. He is the King of Nothing- and that's the best thing he could be. 10 out of 10!

The funniest DVD yet

[Morlos · 10/10 · 16 December 1999]

If you liked the show, you will love this. In fact, the only thing that p***ed me off about this is that it ended.

I hope to see the show on DVD soon. Until then, I'll watch this live show.

Buy it, rent it, watch it. I'm telling you for the last time.

Best stand up performance ever!

[ryan_music · 10/10 · 15 November 2011]

Jerry Seinfeld is a comedic genius! He is the only comedian I know that is so insanely funny without using any profanity. It's so refreshing to hear a comedian not swear every few seconds. His jokes and stories are so relate-able, I think that's what makes all of them so funny. Hearing jokes about common everyday things is funnier than hearing some comics' made up story about a very unlikely experience. Moments in this movie you will be rolling on the floor laughing no matter how old you are. The audience in the movie are really lively, that's always good. You tend to laugh less if there's a tough crowd. Jerry is such a likable guy and so is this performance. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to laugh

the funniest stand-up around!

[btlqt · 10/10 · 6 April 2003]

For those of you who have not been able to see Jerry live this is a must-see! His comedic timing and his knack to notice little quirks most normal people don't pick up on, make this a performance of a lifetime!

The Best

[mdancingcutie01 · 10/10 · 30 July 2007]

Seinfeld is perhaps the best comedian alive today. Here is why, his jokes are funny, he works the audience, uses body motion and lastly, his jokes are CLEAN. Too many comedians think that they are funny because they curse every other word and repeat the same joke 10 different ways.

Seinfeld tells his joke, it is funny, clean and he gets the punch out the first time around.

All comedians need to watch this DVD and learn from him.

I recommend this to everyone. You will start laughing from the very beginning and you will not stop until the end! Enjoy

The Audience Was Bored By This

[nafps · 1/10 · 1 November 2022]

This is downright self parody. You remember his SNL routine where he mocked bad comedians as just naming topics at random and saying "You ever notice..." for the punchline...

That's all he did for this, for the entire hour. Seriously...It was pure self parody.

Funny is purely subjective, but just listen to the audience on this. They gave him a roaring ovation at the start, and then just barely chuckle for the next hour, getting more and more disappointed. Even they found him just slightly amusing.

I kept watching and flipping forward to see just how bad it would get. As a sitcom creator, he changed history, even if it was pretty irritating at the end. As a stand up he's simply an overrated hack.

Highly Recommended! Highly re-watchable!

[tkd_master · 18 December 2004]

Jerry Seinfeld is one of my favorite comedians. His materials and observational humor are always fresh and hilarious because of his superb delivery style.

A few years ago, we were so happy to find a copy of his HBO special at a local video store. We bought it without hesitation. Haven't watched it for a few years, but recently, we decided to pop it in the VCR and watch it again. We were pleased that all of his jokes were still very funny and relevant.

The HBO special "I'm Telling You for the Last Time" was for Seinfeld to perform his routines one last time before retiring them for good. Here is a recap of his materials in the HBO special: Cab Drivers, Air Travel, Florida, Halloween, Supermarkets, Drugstores, Doctors, Men & Women, McDonald's, Chinese People, Olympics, Scuba Diving, No. 1 Fear, Sky Diving/The Helmet, Clothing, Late TV, Crooks, Horses, and Bathroom.

I'm sure in a few years when we pop it in the VCR again, it would still be very funny and watchable. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Funny & Hilarious

[falq · 10/10 · 1 January 2021]

Jerry Seinfeld has been great in this show. The storytelling is just so interesting you want to keep listening.

Watched it for 28 min and got bored. It wasn't funny at all

[alahmed-55673 · 2/10 · 17 February 2021]

In my opinion and comedy standup is supposed to make you laugh in the first 20 minutes if the stand up didn't make you laugh in the first 20 min then it's not for you.

Incredibly funny

[Op_Prime · 17 November 1999]

Jerry Seinfeld is a very funny stand up comic. The material he used in this performance was creative and very original. I liked this very much and watch it very often. Find it at a video store and rent it or see it on HBO. You will not be disappointed!

Boring

[ersbel · 20 April 2018]

The guy is a professional. the timings are good. the speech is good. and that's all. everything soft. everything obvious. nothing that might offend anyone. mildly amusing at best.

Really enjoyable hour of stand-up

[bob the moo · 16 February 2009]

Shortly after the funeral laying all his "bits" to rest, Jerry is confronted by a young boy who is shocked that Seinfeld would retire and convinces him to do a show one last time.

Unlike many HBO comedy specials, the opening segment of this one is actually pretty amusing and it is only the "OK kid" moment that is wooden and clunky. After this we get right into the stand-up show which is consistently funny. Much like his sitcom, Seinfeld's material is based in reality and in the tiny aspects of life that everyone in the audience will recognise. The thing that makes it funny is what he does with them because he is blessed with a great comedic imagination and way of seeing things that allows his to draw the humour from them. Whether it is air travel, men, the chemist, sports or horses, he keeps the observations coming and even his little throw-away lines are funny. His delivery is great as well and his physical delivery helps his gags and does make it worth seeing the DVD rather than just the CD audio.

OK so it will not be everyone's cup of tea and I totally get that some people do not like this sort of comedian but for me this is imaginative, fresh, free of crudity and consistently funny. A really enjoyable hour of stand-up.