Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Marina Franklin: Single Black Female is a solid hour of material from a conversational comedian who will definitely push you to check what else she has out there.
| Director(s) | Brian Volk-Weiss | |
| Screenplay By | Marina Franklin | |
| Date Released | 7/23/2019 | |
| Genre(s) | Stand Up Comedy | |
| Good If You Like |
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| Isn’t For You If You |
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| Noted Cast | ||
| Herself | Marina Franklin | |
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Plot Summary & Review
Marina Franklin is a native from Chicago, currently living in Harlem, NY, and is just trying to get laid and not have to live to too high expectations. Is she a Black woman? Yes. But why she gotta be a strong Black woman? What does that extra adjective mean? Also, do people know how stressful it is to attempt to be woke? All the research and extra effort? It’s hard enough to be Black, never mind a comic, you want to add another job onto that?
Which, don’t get us wrong, doesn’t mean Franklin spends all of Single Black Female complaining about having to be better. Really, she is just questioning why is it so hard to just be happy and average?
Highlights
Her Conversational Style
Franklin has the appeal of that one comical friend you’ve known since high school who is a bit weird, but lovable. Does some odd, often funny s*** that makes you raise an eyebrow, but you get it. Making it so, even if you don’t know her, there is a sense you do it is just ya’ll haven’t hanged out in so long you got to snap your fingers and look up to the sky to remember why you know her.
Initial vibe aside, Franklin leans more towards being a storyteller comic than one just cracking one joke after another. So whether she is talking about not being woke enough, dating, or code-switching, thankfully she isn’t all over the place. There are transitions from story to topic, she doesn’t overdue Chicago being her hometown and the place the special was being done, and there is just this comfort level which makes the experience of watching her easy.
On The Fence
She Isn’t Laugh Out Loud Funny, Or Says A Lot Of Things Which Make You Think, She’s Just Talking To You
As for the jokes, I can’t say she is the funniest comic out there. To me, if she cleaned up the language a little, she could easily be a good clean comic. Maybe one that had a little innuendo here and there, but could definitely fill that lane not a lot of female comics pursue. With that said, you may get a few chuckles but don’t expect for your stomach to hurt or for her name to be thrown in there with who is the best of all time. For, as she says, she isn’t trying to be Black excellence. Ain’t nothing wrong with being a’ight.
Overall: Mixed (Stick Around)
There is something about Marina Franklin which leads you to believe she could become a scene-stealer turned star. All she needs is the right role, the right writer, and time. Which is why it is kind of awkward to label this as mixed. On the one hand, you see the potential for something bigger but, I gotta admit, I didn’t laugh much. I found her amusing, entertaining, would love to see more of her, but I’m not sure if I’d buy a $35+ ticket to see her perform live.
With that said, check out her special below and let us know what you think in the comment section.
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