Ricky Gervais: Humanity

[Blue Jam]

Coming to Netflix on the 13th of March:

https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/80189653

This is the one where he had a couple walk out over one specific joke before he set his Twitter followers on them, isn't it? EDIT: Looks like it's not- I think that was part of his tour, this looks like a one-off Netflix Original.

Anyone else fancy a hate-watch?

[big egg]

Sign me up.

This film is: Witty, Cynical

[Shit Good Nose]

Amazing - four of the "jokes" in that trailer he did when I saw the Politics show (at a cost of £65 for 70 minutes of dogshit).

[Blue Jam]

Human behaviour is a funny thing. But for Ricky Gervais, it's far more entertaining to make fun of it than to understand it.

Sounds like something no comedian has ever done before. I guess that's why they call them Netflix ORIGINALS, amirite?

[Gwen Taylor on ITV]

This is the only man with enough reserves of humanity to write Derek.

[Blue Jam]

Oh The Humanity, amirite?

[Blue Jam]

I just found myself laughing at this, but probably not in the way Buzzfeed intended me to:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/stumbler/15-gifs-that-ricky-gervais-finds-extremely-delightful-488

Perhaps they could do another one with gifs of people falling out of wheelchairs.

[Noodle Lizard]

I know we're unusually harsh on Gervais (though it seems the rest of the world is getting there), but I have no idea how anyone could watch that trailer and go "Oh yes, this'll be great."  It's literally just the same slightly-rewritten joke over and over again, and somewhat telling that they haven't gone for showcasing any of his actual material (typically Netflix will throw the most lolworthy big gags your way when it's a comedy special).

[checkoutgirl]

Anyone else fancy a hate-watch?

Yes. PS I am wanking as I write this.

[checkoutgirl]

Amazing - four of the "jokes" in that trailer he did when I saw the Politics show (at a cost of £65 for 70 minutes of dogshit).

£65?? You could see Frank Skinner for half that. And in a reasonably intimate venue where you can actually see him on stage.

[lankyguy95]

This seems like it might actually be good for a hate-watch.

The problem with the Brent film was that it was just... pretty rubbish. Not even terrible enough to be worth a repeat.

[Twed]

I know we're unusually harsh on Gervais (though it seems the rest of the world is getting there), but I have no idea how anyone could watch that trailer and go "Oh yes, this'll be great."  It's literally just the same slightly-rewritten joke over and over again, and somewhat telling that they haven't gone for showcasing any of his actual material (typically Netflix will throw the most lolworthy big gags your way when it's a comedy special).

There's something very depressing about those laughter roars after every gag, all of which were just weak banter.

I don't think most people who like this judge it on its actual qualities. They're just loyal to Gervais, or Americans who think that this is clever and exotic based entirely on the superficial aspects of it. People are basically idiots.

[checkoutgirl]

I know we're unusually harsh on Gervais (though it seems the rest of the world is getting there), but I have no idea how anyone could watch that trailer and go "Oh yes, this'll be great."  It's literally just the same slightly-rewritten joke over and over again, and somewhat telling that they haven't gone for showcasing any of his actual material (typically Netflix will throw the most lolworthy big gags your way when it's a comedy special).

Gervais seems to be mainly funded by Netflix now. Oh and he has that gig where he talks to children for Fred Savage. If we pointed out that his career was not where it used to be, i.e collecting awards and plaudits left, right and centre, I'm sure he would respond with the amount of money he is getting. Which I assume is substantial.

[Blue Jam]

Gervais seems to be mainly funded by Netflix now.

I got very annoyed when he popped up in BoJack Horseman.

[checkoutgirl]

I don't think most people who like this judge it on its actual qualities. They're just loyal to Gervais, or Americans who think that this is clever and exotic based entirely on the superficial aspects of it. People are basically idiots.

80% of people either don't like comedy or are very casual and could only even name one or two comedians they like. If they had to name five comedians they would probably get stuck on the fourth one. Which is fine, we can't all be aficionados. We're busy making a living and frying sausages and that. In steps Gervais, McIntyre and Kay to fill the stadium from tickets bought for Christmas presents by grandmothers for their grandson who likes comedy and Gervais is a comedian, isn't he?

This is why I once found myself at a Jimmy Carr gig. For the first half of it anyway.

[checkoutgirl]

I got very annoyed when he popped up in BoJack Horseman.

Did he? Must have erased that from my memory. It's good other than that though.

[Utter Shit]

Jesus that trailer is bad. I remember thinking Animals and Politics were alright, if a little lazy, but everything from the third show (Fame) onwards has been irredeemably awful.

[Cuellar]

Mmm that trailer is pretty bleak. Like watching an aging guitarist trying to play his old licks but getting the timing slightly wrong and not hitting the notes cleanly.

[Shit Good Nose]

£65?? You could see Frank Skinner for half that. And in a reasonably intimate venue where you can actually see him on stage.

I agreed to go with a mate (all I had seen of Gervais at that point was The Office), who is a massive fan, but I didn't know how much the ticket was until it was too late.  Never again.

[Blue Jam]

Did he? Must have erased that from my memory. It's good other than that though.

He was doing the voice of a hedgehog who was the manager of an orphange and whom BoJack manages to offend (irony- amirite?). I was just thinking "Oh FFS, this show is better than this, it doesn't need Gervais, why the fuck does he have to be in everything?".

I felt the same way about his appearances in Louis and Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee. He stinks up everything he's in.

[poo]

Yeah seen some trailer clips popping up on Facebook and it looks absolutely fucking terrible.

[Cuellar]

Like watching Charlie Drake in Sinderella.

[bgmnts]

Saw his rhodesian ridgeback material.

Basically Animals.

'Kin 'ell.

[BritishHobo]

I can't even bring myself to watch this. Once upon a time I'd go to sleep every single night listening to him chat away on Xfm - even up to a couple of years ago I enjoyed hate- watching Derek or the Brent movie. But having gone a couple of years not paying attention to his Twitter, not being annoyed by his bafflingly repetitive arsedribble, the thought of watching this is unbearable to me, even deliberately watching to be annoyed. I'm just exhausted of him.

[Cuellar]

Yeah, unless he does something as utterly incredible as Derek again, I'm not interested. Just haven't got the energy.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

I feel the same way. He was droning his usual tired comedy guru waffle on The One Show earlier, and I actually felt a bit sorry for him. He's got nothing left in the tank, he just looks lost and irrelevant.

I've no intention of watching this either, what would be the point?

[Noodle Lizard]

Pretty sure I read that Netflix paid him $20m for this special.

I sometimes wonder how their business model works.  There is surely absolutely no chance they'll see a return on that particular investment.

[bgmnts]

Pretty sure I read that Netflix paid him $20m for this special.

I sometimes wonder how their business model works.  There is surely absolutely no chance they'll see a return on that particular investment.

I dont get it either, I wondered why Netflix was raking it in hand over fist and Spotify was limping behind considering they are the same service basically but I realised Netflix doesn't have a free option. Derp on my part.

[phes]

Pretty sure I read that Netflix paid him $20m for this special.

I sometimes wonder how their business model works.  There is surely absolutely no chance they'll see a return on that particular investment.

I guess what they're looking for is new subscriptions. Maybe a couple of hundred thousand would do the job. And as someone with 10-15ml Twitter followers alone he must be good for that

[checkoutgirl]

Pretty sure I read that Netflix paid him $20m for this special.

I sometimes wonder how their business model works.  There is surely absolutely no chance they'll see a return on that particular investment.

I don't understand what you mean about return on investment. The subscribers are paying every month anyway. They don't sell tickets or have to get bums on seats. Gervais is popular. Netflix is popular. It's bread and circuses and Gervais is still a big name and a big draw hence the 20 million  (if that's accurate). Also a distinct lack of originality should be a hindrance at the top echelons of showbusiness but as we all know more often it's an advantage. Look at Michael McIntyre.

Netflix getting artistically exhausted comedians past their best to trot out their same old schtick for huge fees is their model. Just a couple of months ago they had Seinfeld recording a special that consisted entirely of material from early in his career. No doubt he got tens of millions for that.

And the subscribers probably lapped it up and called it icecream.