Jack Whitehall: At Large (2017 TV Special) User Reviews

Quite decent and filled with moments of brilliance

[karangera100 · 7/10 · 24 October 2017]

I've not been a huge fan of Jack Whitehall in his TV performances but as a stand-up comedian he isn't bad at all!

A perfect mix of haberdashery, prop-based humour, crass stories and honest experiences which have a comical take.

Worth a watch!

Good but could be better

[muamba_eats_toast · 8/10 · 21 October 2019]

I mostly chuckled throughout with the odd moment falling flat very few full belly laughs that I couldn't control which is what we're always aiming for. Fun but could be funnier especially with the talent jack has.

Casual, relaxing and extremely silly

[Bored_Dragon · 8/10 · 30 August 2018]

I spent the last evening watching the stand-up comedies. So far I saw just a few, so I do not have much material to compare, but I liked Jack Whitehall pretty much. He's very strange and initially even irritating, but you quickly get used to his gay-like appearance and the party begins. His humor is easy and relaxed, though slightly offensive, based on everyday life issues. He doesn't bore you with politics and fake depth but, with one of the most contagious smiles I have ever seen, shares positive energy. I didn't fall off the chair laughing, but he improved my mood quite a bit.

8/10

Hilarious

[paigerhodes-28238 · 10/10 · 19 February 2018]

Had me in stiches the entire time. If your not easily offended by jokes definitely watch. Had me crying in laughter the entire time.

Awesome

[kcc-09425 · 19 October 2021]

I thought it was hilarious and I have watched it multiple times, as well as his special I'm Only Joking. I find his comedy to be just as funny as virtually anyone else going right now. I don't care if the last reviewer was less than impressed, because it kept me laughing throughout. Well worth checking out for anyone looking to laugh.

Hilarious

[apollon-17262 · 10/10 · 4 July 2018]

This was actually a very funny show. Excellent materia, well performed. Maybe the best one hour of stand up comedy on tv. Amazing

Meh.

[personman-49097 · 5/10 · 6 July 2020]

It was alright, it had the occasional laugh and some funny jokes, but i like Jack when he's in stuff like Bad Education more than his stand-up. The scene where he "accidentally" reveals his friends name is one of the fakest things i have ever seen.

Amazing

[benyilukhin · 10/10 · 10 August 2022]

Jack did an amazing job on the special and even if some of the jokes were fake or staged they were preformed well and thought out, If you have a free hour of your time then i most definitely recommend it!

Forced Humour

[Aesafern · 3/10 · 27 July 2018]

It seemed the stage was an unnatural situation for Jack to be in. The show opens with cabaret dances and Jack announcing that it's "show business". Indeed, it is show business and it's a tough gig. As Jack shouts out his punch lines, cutting through the awkwardness of his stage presence as he quickly transitions onto the next joke. His irony, wit, epiphanies, etc. were juvenile and lacking. I like Jack, 'Travel with my Father' was entertaining though at times Jack's behaviour was cringe worthy. Bottom line, Jack is not a good story teller.

Not. Funny.

[sigga-olafs · 1/10 · 20 March 2018]

As a big fan of comedy (my favorites Ricky Gervais and Louis Ck.) I didn't find this funny at all and stopped watching 30 minutes in. There's something about Jack that I find really annoying and I don't find him genuine in his stories.

I did not want to hate it!

[stueetaylor · 1/10 · 28 September 2018]

What a huge shame that this was awful - I had just hoped for so much better. Unfortunately, JW was so shockingly fake that I found it nothing short of disturbing. I had to turn off when he 'accidentally' blurted the name of his friend - does he think we are fools? I really hope he can find his mojo again because, as far as I can tell, he's lost it.

Ok...

[jochemunlimited · 3/10 · 14 January 2022]

So I never heard of this man, I watched a little bit from another show and I thought: let's go for this one on Netflix. But the more I looked at it, the more I was thinking: why is a performing for such a big crowd?

His jokes are very simple and you can see the punchline way before, he is very rude and thinks that is funny. I like that is trying to also make a bit of a show, like dressing up etc. (or was that another show?) So that ads a bit to the score. But the stories are boring and the way he talks is so annoying, like is telling something very big and very funny but it falls flat. As long as you shout a lot it will be funny... But many people like it if I must believe my ears.

Maybe it is just because I do not like his style, I don't know, but I will not watch him anymore.

The Fakest of Them All

[darkdaxtervc · 1/10 · 25 October 2017]

I've always appreciated it when comics have chosen to open up their soul and put pieces of themselves into their acts; it makes the entire experience feel more genuine and relatable. This performance felt like the most fabricated, overly manicured drek I've ever seen. 90% of his act is watching him wiggle his hips and bat his eyes like the most effeminite little schoolgirl imaginable. I don't buy for a second that, 'This embarrassing thing totally just randomly happened during my heavily improvised Netflix special.' Your audience isn't stupid. We understand that comics memorize/rehearse, that many utilize plants/fluffers during recordings. It's like you looked at all the comedians doing well by getting personal in their bits and decided to manufacture a "hilarious autobiography" for the illiterate masses. Instead of connecting with you as a person, I felt like my intelligence was insulted. It's so carefully inoffensive that it offends, so over- processed that it feels wooden and empty. This belongs on a mediocre sitcom, not an arena. You had so many opportunities to craft good jokes and ever so daintly even touched upon them, but in trying to turn it in to a preschooler's storytime, you eroded any substance therein. 'Oh no, something almost kind of mildly offensive in 2017, SHOCKING! Oh my, this man acting as stereotypically homosexual as possible is in fact straight, HILARIOUS!"

Only it's not at all. Plenty of people weave similar material into witty and entertaining routines because they are legitimately poking fun at themselves. There's no real introspection or honesty here, just cold-hearted statistical analysis. Maybe it's just not my sense of humor, after all there has never been anything funny about a man in woman's clothing in my opinion, and that kind of joke has been a consistent staple in British comedies. To me it's just like a girl in a tuxedo; it just is. But I feel more like someone dictated their boring one-man-show to me in monotone and told me it was a supremely honest comedy act rather than the other way around. A zero out of ten through and through.

Dear oh dear

[steveevans-35154 · 3/10 · 3 February 2019]

It's like it's been written by a child. Occasional funny line but mostly over acted and not as funny as the host thinks.

Some of the worst stand-up I've seen

[maccas-56367 · 1/10 · 4 September 2019]

"Jack Whitehall: Travels With My Father" is possibly my favourite Netflix show. My whole family loves it and have rewatched it numerous times. Hilariously great. I also really enjoy Jack in "Fresh Meat". I hated this though, which was my first taste of Jack's stand-up material.

The oddest part about this was how "American" it felt for a British comedian. Loud, flamboyantly over-the-top and the energy of 10 Red Bulls. I laughed maybe once or twice. It was no coincidence some of the funniest material here involved stories about his Dad. I'm now convinced that Father Whitehall is the funniest part of "Travels With My Father" and a large part of its success.

So many jokes fell flat. You know that things aren't hitting the mark when the funniest moments come from the audience or "bloopers" in the show. I found myself tuning out too many times. When someone starts yelling at me, I typically start just hearing noise (instead of actual words) and that was evident throughout this.

Way too posh, status-driven and polished to actually feel authentic. In saying that, I did experience laughter and will always admire those who have the guts to try make a large audience laugh.

Not worthy of a stand alone Netflix special

[sweetartcat · 1/10 · 19 June 2023]

How did this special get such high ratings??

After about 10 or 15 minutes, my husband grabbed the clicker and turned it off, which was surprising since he's so tolerant.

Whitehall needs to master the basics of successful stand up comedy, emotional intelligence, human psychology, and some stage craft.

Whitehall's act began by making fun of various groups including Americans, and especially older people. Snide and not very funny. Weirdly immature for someone who's pushing 30. He was certainly nowhere near good enough for his own special. He was also so hyper, that I sincerely wonder whether he had taken cocaine or some other substance.

We watched his show "Travels with my Father," and knew that the show was scripted, while they acted like it was spontaneous. On the show, that only worked sometimes, and better with his father who wasn't prone to hamming it up or hysterical fits of immature laughter (drugs again?). This technique failed in this special.

Coincidentally, several days earlier we watched a Netflix comedy special by John Mulaney done when he was even younger that Whitehall, about 28, and it was terrific comparably. Mulaney had so much more poise, style, smoothness, and professional story-telling ability, it was the difference between watching a pro vs. A 2nd grade talent show participant.

My conclusion is that, in general, Whitehall seems to be a narcissistic, immature, sarcastic, overly indulged human from a wealth family who thinks he's far funnier than he really is. We won't be watching any thing more from Whitehall.