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Jimmy Carr: The Best of Ultimate Gold Greatest Hits will likely have the most offensive jokes you ever heard – and make you question how bad of a person you are for laughing.
| Director(s) | Brian Klein | |
| Written By | Jimmy Carr | |
| Date Released | 3/12/2019 | |
| Genre(s) | Stand Up Comedy | |
| Good If You Like | Jokes Which Aren’t Politically Correct At All | |
| Isn’t For You If You | Don’t Appreciate Jokes About Rape, Pedophilia, Fat Jokes, and Jokes About Religion | |
| Noted Cast | ||
| Himself | Jimmy Carr | |
Plot Summary
Unlike most comedians, Carr isn’t really trying to tell a story – he just wants a reaction. Laughter, preferably, but appalled faces work as well. Hence why he starts things off with jokes about burn victims and sex with minors. You know, just to get a feel for the audience before he goes into the kind of jokes most comedians wouldn’t do, for they fear backlash, but because Carr isn’t trying to be on the level that many American comedians have gotten to, he couldn’t give a s***. Which shows as he leads you to wonder if you have a juvenile sense of humor or might be somewhere near as f***ed up as he is.
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Highlights
Word Play
One of the main things you have to appreciate when it comes to Jimmy Carr is his clever wordplay which makes it so you sometimes have to double back on a joke. Take for instance him talking about a friend who was being bullied so they began to hurt himself. The line of asking who side are they on is comical, messed up, but also pushes you to really listen to when he talks vs. waiting on a punch line.
Though I should also note he is a very visual comic as well. Another example, he makes a joke about pubic hair, specifically the pubic hair of an audience’s mother. How does he describe it? Like a knife wound in a gorilla’s back. I don’t know about you, but there is some shame in laughing to that.
Appreciating Quick Jokes vs. Drawn Out Stories and Then The Punch Line
Most comedians I know of don’t do rapid fire jokes. Their style is building up to a joke with a personal story, leaving little crumbs to keep the hunger down for the punch line, then they hit you. Carr does a joke nearly every 2 to 3 minutes, if that long. All of which don’t seem like he is just throwing stuff out there either. His jokes seem like they are truly made for a special and fit the elongated title of the special: Jimmy Carr: The Best of Ultimate Gold Greatest Hits. For truly, these jokes seem like the best stuff he has, and it leaves you to question if he can top them.
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On The Fence
What Is Too Far?
But then comes a bit of an issue: Should you laugh at this? For it isn’t like Carr is a high brow comedian. Most of his jokes have him speaking like a creeper who is hiding in a closet, raping someone, messing around with kids, being misogynistic, and more. To put a different spin on it, the way Carr jokes is like how comedians joked before social media held them accountable for everything they said and people, not even fans, would bombard a network to ruin someone’s career. Which is a rare thing nowadays, especially if you live in the United States. So there is an odd mix of Carr sounding original, since he may be one of the few notable comedians who still talk like this, but also guilt for you know what you’re laughing at is wrong. Especially since Carr isn’t trying, what so ever, to make a profound statement. Instead, he appeals to the worst side of you.
Overall: Positive (Worth Seeing) – Recommended | Available on Netflix
I never liked the term “Guilty Pleasure” for it isn’t like you are forced, Clockwork Orange style and have learned to love something. However, I must admit, being aware of prejudice, privilege and more makes watching Jimmy Carr: The Best of Ultimate Gold Greatest Hits like an alcoholic having a shot after 10 years of sobriety. You know you shouldn’t, that you are ruining all the progress you made, but you think you can handle it. Here is just hoping, despite how some jokes are worth repeating, and rewatching, those who watch this won’t turn back to their teenaged or middle school selves.
Leading to the positive label, and recommendation: Plain and simple, while this special may appeal to the worst side of you, it’s hilarious. Not only that, Carr presents himself in a way which stands out to his dozens upon perhaps hundreds of English speaking peers. How? Well, by not seeming like he is holding back so he can get that big movie or show and eventually abandon doing standup. Leaving you with someone whose work is polished, but wording is raw and thus gives you an old school vibe that brings a bit of guilt, but so much pleasure.
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