Kountry Wayne: A Woman's Prayer (2023)

Kountry Wayne: A Woman's Prayer (2023)

Energetic delivery doesn't make up for repetitive jokes about low-hanging fruit in this special

5.4

Movie

United States of America
English
Comedy
2023
JEFF TOMSIC
Kountry Wayne
61 min

TLDR

If this makes any sense: Wayne is quite funny, but Kountry... not so much.

What it's about

The comedian talks about the stresses of dealing with family, sexual relationships, and religion.

The take

Known for his comedy skits on Facebook, the comedian Kountry Wayne finally gets his own Netflix special to middling results. The character that he plays on the stand-up stage is meant to be highly irreverent, showing a callous disregard to everybody except himself. But while a more seasoned comic (which Wayne could become in good time) might find a way to build these predictable jokes into something truly novel or subversive, Wayne settles for shock value—often relying on exaggerated physical comedy to sell a flatly written punchline. But even this trick he relies on too often, which makes his already impressive stage presence seem cheaper than it should.

What stands out

Wayne's best material comes about when he starts talking about religion, because for once he becomes the "weaker" party in his jokes. Being irreverent towards Jesus is one line he won't cross, and making himself out to be the bumbling, imperfect one—as opposed to constantly commenting on his kids, his former partners, or his uncle who has AIDs—actually helps him look much more respectable. And while some may excuse the crass nature of majority of his jokes as just being part of the character he plays, it definitely doesn't help convince when several audience cutaway shots show some people watching him with a completely straight face.

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