Fortune Feimster: Good Fortune

It seems like comedy specials have succumbed to the dichotomy of eing either really good or really bad now. Bill Burr's last special, Sam Morrill's latest are stellar. Whitney Cummings, Iliza Schlessinger almost unwatchable. And I'm happy to say that Fortune Feimster's is one of the really good ones. A little bit of covid material out of the way early and then a great story of her proposing and best of all, a funny and profound anecdote about a fella named Gary. I wouldn't dare say any more because the material is so well written and performed that I don't want to ruin it. She is the reason I kept Netflix for yet another month. Not kidding - I want to cancel it but saw her special coming up and knew that it wasn't time.

Watch this if you enjoy laughing.

On the netflix...from a chicago theater, a one hour special. Released october 2022, just after the pandemic. Some funny stories... from being insulted by a conservative guy, to being supported from the fellow ladies. And what it took to save her tiny tiny little dog. Some funny stories. About her home life and her married life. Directed by manny rodriguez. He had directed tons of the ellen degeneres shows. Funny stuff. Exactly one hour, on netflix streaming channel. Much like seinfeld, or jay leno, i get the idea that this lady is still on her way up the stardom ladder. Keep an eye on her! Good stuff.

Fortune's always funny, but this was particularly fantastic! My spouse and I were laughing almost the entire time. Though she touched on the pandemic, she didn't rely on it heavily, so it didn't come across as repetitive. The pacing was great. The call-backs were well-timed and hilarious. Fortune has this awesome ability to talk about real life problems, yet she doesn't drag her audience down. She ended things on a high note and we felt good afterwards. It's definitely a mood booster and I find her to be a positive person (though not in a fake, toxic positivity kind of way!). I've really liked her since I first saw her material and she's now landed among my top 5 fave comedians with this special.

Do you love humor that is real, heartwarming, and refreshing? This will make your stomach hurt from laughing. I went in with no expectations and cried a little at the end. This special is so wholesome that it gives me hope for humanity.

A lot of comedy can be really repetitive, and truly there's nothing wrong with that. This routine somehow had similar themes, but the delivery is perfection. You really get a feel for who she is as a person in such a subtle clever way. Nothing feels forced. I'd love to talk more in depth but as someone who almost never writes reviews for anything, but enjoys reading them, I want you to watch and appreciate for yourself.

Hour-long standup routine for Netflix by actress-comedienne Fortune Feimster (following 2020's apparently successful "Fortune Feimster: Sweet & Salty") had me asking that tired old question: Can lesbians be funny? Feimster, who was very charming recently on an ABC News appearance with Linsey Davis, is a big girl with a curly mop of hair and a pleasant smile; she has a pleasant voice for standup, too, although her lazy drawl sometimes feels put-on (but for what...laughs?). It's her material which is dire and pretty much does her in (and much of it is repeated, as if the audience can't get enough). The live crowd at The Chicago Shakespeare Theater greets Feimster warmly, but enthusiasm seems to peak after about 10mns. Rosie O'Donnell and Ellen DeGeneres were both very funny early on (I religiously watched an '80s sitcom on Fox just to see Ellen in a secondary role as a receptionist). Feimster doesn't have Rosie's edge (which belied an inner-demon that we all recognized later on), nor Ellen's warmth or honesty (she was a 'dependable' comic). What Feimster does have is bravado, but that doesn't go very far when she spends too much time on a butt massage joke (repeated) or a playground game routine (also repeated). I laughed early on at a joke that I quickly had trouble remembering, and I also had trouble swallowing Fortune's assertation that she's really a romantic, delicate flower in that bruiser's body. She gave me bad vibrations in the 2019 reboot of "Tales in the City" on cable and this wan showcase for her slim talents has done nothing to change things. Enough!