Hannibal Buress: Comedy Camisado (2016)

Starring: Hannibal Buress
Grade: B

I feel like Hannibal Buress doesn’t get nearly enough credit for how funny he is.

Summary

Hannibal opens the show talking about how he got LASIK eye surgery. It’s funny because if you’re a fan, you know how he was always known for his trademark glasses early on. So, to start the show, he throws them off after admitting he doesn’t need them anymore. It’s funnier in context because he throws a second pair into the crowd too. After talking about this and the potential possibility of becoming blind from LASIK surgery (because they make you sign a waiver in case anything goes wrong) and the irony of it, he smoothly transitions into Stevie Wonder potentially lying about being blind, bringing up the rather interesting observation of the famous musician going to courtside NBA games when he can’t see. Next, he talks about being in your 30s and having to show your ID still, some guy he saw on his plane that downloaded episodes of Wipeout (which admittedly, is sort of odd), zipper politics, The Wire and finding out about things later in life, having kids and specifically triplets, being an uncle, working with a baby on an acting job, and the backlash of his jokes about Bill Cosby. He got into a lot of hot water about it back then, but in hindsight he ended up being right.

Following this, he talks about loving to gamble and his idea of “kamikaze blackjack”, which would have been a much better name for this stand-up special.

Then, he talks about trying to find a creative way to be able to play Russian Roulette without anyone actually dying, and it’s honestly a great idea. I’m not going to spoil it, but it deserves a mention. Later, he speaks on performing at a Gilda Radner benefit, potential ventures outside of comedy, toilet paper companies, cops, his cleaning lady bringing her kid to his house, fleshlights, making fun of NBA franchise names (so simple and yet so funny), a racist taxi driver, bold predictions, and an absolute take-down of baseball. In yet another excellent observation, he mentions that the greatest achievement one can have in baseball is a no-hitter, meaning technically nothing happens. This is a pretty good reason to not like the sport because though I’m a fan, he’s hilariously spot-on.

To end the special, he defends steroids and Lance Armstrong. Though the ending isn’t as strong as the majority of the special, it’s still comical.

My Thoughts:

Hannibal Buress has grown to become one of my favorite comedians of the last decade. His chill, laidback way of speaking to an audience and questioning every part of a simple situation never gets old to me. Comedy Camisado isn’t the go-to Hannibal stand-up special, but it’s still a steadily funny endeavor.

Hannibal has always had a different style to him, which is on full display here. To see him perform in front of such a small crowd, for a special no less, really suits his personable style. Even though he’s sweating like crazy telling these stories, he still pulls off that chill vibe he’s known for, allowing for you to loosen up and chuckle even more. There’s no pressure involved. With big venues and arenas some of these comedians perform in for specials, sometimes you are pressured to laugh because of the massive crowd response. The echoes of the audience and their response brings out the energy in the comedian and they more often than not, respond in kind. However, with the way Comedy Camisado is set up, it’s as if we’re hanging out with Buress as he talks for a get-together at someone’s house. This atmosphere compliments his easygoingness in demeanor and style, really adding a lot to his offbeat delivery and joke-telling ability. Now, I wouldn’t say it’s laugh-out-loud hilarity, but the special is CONSISTENTLY funny throughout. This is just as hard to do for a stand-up special than having one with two or three awesome jokes you re-tell to everyone you know. Consistency can make a decent special good, or even great at times. In this situation, there may not be a specific joke you tell back to everyone (the observations are), but you still laughed the whole time. This is the case with Comedy Camisado.

What this special does succeed at are the observations, a Hannibal Buress staple. A big part of his comedy is his strangely spot-on observations that are so funny, you stop and think, “Wait…he’s got a point”. Numerous times throughout this special, you’ll be repeating this exact sentiment. There’s a lot of this throughout the special that will have you chuckling, but as I said in the summary, the Stevie Wonder and baseball bits are my two personal favorites.

Hannibal Buress: Comedy Camisado is very funny and a worthwhile special to watch in your off time. It’s not next-level funny, but you will be snickering and laughing on a consistent basis. It’s one of those stand-up’s consisting of some observational jokes/scenarios that you’ll find yourself repeating to your friends (while butchering the delivery) as you ask, “Right?”….

…and really, isn’t this what it’s all about?