Trevor Noah: Where Was I (2023) User Reviews

Felt like Trevor on a normal day, not his best day.

[AfricanBro · 6/10 · 20 December 2023]

I haven't seen a special of his in a while so I was excited when I saw this. It wasn't as densely packed with jokes, felt more like a Dave Chappelle thing where he's slowly telling the story, peeling away. And doing so in an insightful way, resulting in applause and not exactly laughs. It's intelligent, and eventually does get some laughs; But sometimes I just wanna hear dumb jokes, you know. I wish he said "that flag, deez nuts" for instance. There's his usual accent bits which he's good at. The special is okay it didn't really have any jokes that hit it out the park, felt like people applauded louder than when they did laugh.

Still get a couple laughs, but not his best work per se. One thing though is Trevor is the only stand up comedian I'm okay with watching with my parents He doesn't say anything outrageous or edgy, plus he's a comedian well known throughout Africa who made it big so I think we're all sentimental and proud about it because he's actually good at it too. Something to be proud of. But this didn't feel as memorable as his other works, just decent.

Good, Clean Fun

[elixirr · 7/10 · 23 December 2023]

Yes, its not over the top hilarious and Trevor Noah took his time to tell the first joke but it was enjoyable.

Its not your typical cuss words, swearing, Eff this, Eff that stand up routine... Its an intellectual and well-written show which you can enjoy with the whole family.

Also, if you are familiar with Trevor Noah's work - he always has the political, national theme to his work even before The Daily Show.

It is clean, well-written with some hard hitting facts which honestly comedian deliver way better than any of the politicians or people claiming to be on the "right" side of the things and an hour well spent.

post the daily show

[ksf-2 · 7/10 · 22 December 2023]

From detroit michigan, after hosting the daily show for so long. That must have been difficult to give up. A sixty eight minute standup special on netflix. He touches briefly on the dark history of germany. The history of columbus day in the united states. The use of public bathrooms.. by anyone! Gay marriage. Star wars. Germany and its new national anthem. Funny stuff. Cheerleaders and their past dating life. Lost luggage, and being left behind by his mother. Shopping in paris. And why there are so many tornados in the midwest. Trevor's history, and how he came to be where he is now. It's pretty funny! Directed by david meyer, also a long timer at the daily show.

Not earth-shattering, but comfortable and very funny.

[kelsy-97379 · 8/10 · 21 December 2023]

Firstly, I miss Trevor so very much. Quick-witted and brilliant and more worldly than people three times his age. "Where Was I", was less stand-up and more of story telling experience; perhaps, a little TED-talky. I laughed a lot and loved his affable silliness; his impressions are world-class. He did kept it pretty light and could have elaborated a bit more on a few issues where I felt he skirted them a bit. I won't give anything away; you'll have to be the judge. Nothing earth shattering was introduced which is a bit unusually for Trevor. He is the rare comedian with the chops and the intelligence to pull off "Earth-Shattering". But... if I'm honest... I don't always want my earth shattered by a comedian. (BTW... if you haven't read Born a Crime... you should. ;-)

Right here, right now

[kosmasp · 9/10 · 30 December 2023]

No pun intended - I mean the title of his show already is a pun, so what could I add? Well I reckon I found something to add. That aside let's get into Trevor himself. I had a bit of an issue with him when I "discovered" him. That's quite a stretch actually - he took over the Daily Show, he already was doing shows and stuff. But he was replacing Jon Stewart ... how could he? How could anyone? But whoever was responsible for that decision ... I salute you! I reckon it was more than one person who made this possible.

After a bit of time to warm up to him, I could see the differences ... and relish in them and enjoy them. I may still have some issues or disagree here and there, but that is more than normal ... no one human is the same as the other. And yet he is probably one of the most decent comedics out there. So you will not find too many things that will offend the same way that Ricky Gervais offends with ... Trevor is not that kind of comedian! Take it or leave it one might say.

And I reckon he may talk way too much about Germany and France for Americans ... but he tries to bring some outside perspective to the US ... you have to applaud that. And while I don't think all the points he is making are 100% right, it is interesting to see him expanding and really maturing and becoming more knowledgeable! He knows: you always can learn more! And he does just do that.

And he tries to "teach" us too. Not in a bad way - or in the sense of "I know more than you". No it never comes of as demeaning. One thing is for sure: no matter where he goes - he will never be lost! (yes I just did that - with his help)

It's still Trevor Noah, but without the insightfulness

[monsterfurby · 5/10 · 21 December 2023]

I'm a huge fan of Trevor Noah and any of his Standup programs are a must-watch for me. But as this one went on, I kept asking myself more and more if he had always been this obsessed with low-bar "us and them" jokes. Yeah, he always had the occasional funny stereotype, but in this one, he seems to be playing to the lowest common denominator.

Case in point - I don't recall Trevor using this many "guy, that's how women are, right?" and "ladies, that's how men are, right?" bits in his shows. It's lowest-common-denominator humor creeping into a show that has all the world-aware potential to be much more.

As someone who has read his autobiography "Born a Crime", I also can't help but raise an eyebrow at his anecdotes of his youth. Now, don't get me wrong - a stand-up comedian has to embellish, that's his job. But it seems that Trevor has stripped every little bit of his South African childhood from his routine, not even acknowledging it and instead trying his hardest to make everything relatable to the American reality. There's nothing to learn here, only a somewhat tired filed-down, safe bit.

Speaking of embellishment, there are also outright incorrect statements here. Trevor is a Comedian who usually helps you learn stuff. He tends to talk about other countries in a way that's funny, but also educational. In this show, he outright mistranslates the German national anthem (because the actual translation wouldn't be a good punchline) along with several other factual misses. This puzzled me - I've never been aware of seeing him do that.

Ultimately, I feel confident still giving five stars based on Trevor's personality and the wit that sometimes shines through. It's entertaining enough, but I found this special extremely disappointing. From beginning to end, it feels like Trevor is running down a safe routine for an American audience that's not aware of his work so far. As a fan, I hope that this doesn't herald a new approach to his material.

You'll definitely laugh

[klaragatsi-62352 · 10/10 · 29 December 2023]

This guy is awesome. He is one of the comedians i always enjoy because his stand ups are always so clean and so pure and smart. No swear words or vurglar language. Also the humor is not based on sexist jokes about women but really smart points on how he views the world. This one is based on jokes about countries and people all over the world and once again i give it 10/10 because he does not try to force the jokes, but he's genuine and really careful with words, which modern stand up comedy is missing. It's been a long time since i laughed with a stand up more than 5 times throughout the show, but this one did the trick. It's hard to be genuine nowadays and i hope Trevor Noah does not change his style of being respectfully funny.

What a waste of my time!

[happybuddha-96742 · 1/10 · 22 December 2023]

I used to like his comedy, but I think he's lost his mojo now.

First 11 minutes of the show, he couldn't even get a chuckle out of me. Next 6 minutes I watched this show skipping 20 seconds, still no comedy. Its just his opinions about a thing. No idea how this show gets these ratings. If you have liked his comedy before, I guarantee you wont like this one. Not at least the first 16 minutes, I couldn't afford to waste more time of my life on this crap.

People in the theatre are probably laughing because they've paid for the tickets and have no other bloody option but to laugh at nothing at all. Looking at an ant losing its way and bumping into a wall would have gotten more laughter from me than what Trevor presented here.

Hilarious!

[larkb · 10/10 · 20 December 2023]

Trevor's Netflix specials are always a treat, but this one really stands out. It's packed with moments that will make you laugh out loud, and his storytelling skills shine, particularly the anecdotes about his trip to Paris. The rendition of the national anthem was a stroke of comedic brilliance. Trevor's take on cultural observations, especially his insights on 'white man confidence' and his 'Sweet Caroline' bit, is both relatable and hilarious, without ever crossing into discomfort. It's a heartwarming special, filled with amusing stories, perfect for lifting spirits just in time for the holiday season.

Gave him two stars because of his previous comedy I have enjoyed.

[ministerjoshyeshua · 2/10 · 27 January 2024]

Seriously this wasn't funny. Trevor Noah has fallen off for me. If you've watched his previous stand-ups, you'll understand how he was able to crossover from South Africa to a global audience. He always had me laughing like crazy in his previous specials. Its been a while since i watched his comedy so i came into this one with a high expectation only to be disappointed, i couldn't even manage a giggle in the first twenty minutes, i kept going for 35 minutes hoping it'll get better but meh. I had to stop. It was he was like he was trying to give a funny Ted talk, and failed at it. Maybe some people found it funny but it didn't do it for me.

You could do this

[gordonjackson-58694 · 2/10 · 24 January 2024]

Nazis. Hitler. America. Accents. Jews. Different. Immigration. Struggle. Any one of us could write this with no effort. We could go on stage. Would could take a deep breath and watch a TED talk about how to do public speaking. And we could. Have. A. Netflix. SPECIAL. You do not know the facts of this joke and I will tell you a little of what you don't know. West Indians. Welcome. That is the joke.

If you can get 20 minutes into this and learn anything then you are the target audience.

And if you can read this review then you are paying the Netflix bill.

Every punchline you have heard before. Poor effort.

Meh.

[osmanakhairi · 1/10 · 21 December 2023]

This is perhaps an unpopular opinion.. and maybe it's just me but unlike Russel Peters and many others, Trevor Noah always comes across as someone who's trying TOO hard. From his forced laughs and scripted jokes, the guy just doesn't seem like a natural at stand up. 'Where was I' reinforces this belief of mine like nothing before. The overall show lacks spontaneity or any special moment that would make one really sit up and notice. The overall feel is that it tries to be too smart for itself. All in all, you're not really missing out much if you decide to not watch it.

Don't take me wrong. This isn't bad or a complete waste of time but it certainly isn't anything special that you'd remember for any reasonable amount of time.

Fun and Smart as usual, But not Perfect

[skeware · 5/10 · 2 January 2024]

Trevor Noah makes use of his already well known abilities to deliver great performances, his accents are fantastic, he is likeable, relatable, and a pleasure to listen to.

As usual, his comedy is clean, his speech is perfect. Noah's trademark comedy which doesn't relly on over the top outrageousness and foul language is trully refreshing.

Lastly, IMDB declined my first review, I suppose freedom of speech isn't a thing when it comes to some sensitive topics, even though comedians joke about them constantly, and it's fine. All I'm saying is that one section of this special disappointed me and that's why it my rating is low this time.

Tough to Watch, Even for Trevor Noah

[tmitchell-52264 · 2/10 · 1 January 2024]

I've tried to give him a chance multiple times over the years and I really wanted to like him, but ultimately, Trevor Noah just isn't great at stand-up. The guy just isn't funny.

From his timing, to his topics, to the material itself, he just falls flat. I chuckled absentmindedly once or twice during this special, but otherwise, it more or less just amounted to me rolling my eyes for an hour.

Again, he's never been funny, but this is really his worst showing that I've seen. It's really too bad. I was hoping for something better from him post-Daily Show, but this will likely be the last of my time I invest in him.

NOT funny

[starwarsjansen · 1/10 · 1 January 2024]

Starts bad mouthing America 7 minutes in. Nothing was even remotely humerus. He used to be so funny when he told jokes and things that comedians do. Before he started bashing America he went on for 7 minutes praising Berlin, Germany. 🤦 He was so unfunny I had to turn it off. What the heck happened to Trevor Noah, Stephen Colbert and his dancing syringes, Jimmy Kimmel and that Ofallon guy.? They used to be hilarious but now they just lecture and give their unpopular political opinions instead of telling jokes. I wonder who has what on who to make them say such unfunny garbage. What I could stomach of this special was not even close to funny.

Come back home maybe ..

[nkxsshk · 4/10 · 28 December 2023]

The first few minutes was funny but then the rest of it didn't feel as natural as when I first used to watch Trevor Noah. Maybe these a need to come back to the mother land and rediscover your mojo, maybe....i don't know. It just wasn't as funny as his previous stand ups. But I did get a chuckle or two out of it so his true comedic genius is in there somewhere and I will admit his education on the history of Germany was quite enlightening for me who does love to know a bit of history, whether that would be something to at appeals to everyone is up for debate.

I do think Trevor is his strongest when he compares African cultures with other cultures, because his roots are natural to him so you can tell his not trying too hard.