Crazy, Cliched Asians
Returning to the stand-up scene years after he originally performed back in the days of practicing medicine, comedic Asian actor Ken Jeong returns for a Netflix comedy special recorded in the Ice House in California. With a myriad of recycled jokes and stereotypical observational comedy at the helm, Ken’s stand-up is simple in its delivery but ultimately lacklustre next to some many other comedians out there. If you’ve watched the trailer to this one, you’ve pretty much seen the whole special. After beginning the show with a memorable segment from the Hangover movies, Ken reflects on his acting career and early days as a doctor before settling in on the bulk of content here; the Asian community. From referring to Crazy, Rich Asians as the “Yellow Panther” through to the fabled size of Asian genitalia, all the usual jokes you’d expect crop up throughout the special. To be fair, Ken does put on a variety of different accents here too which does help break things up. From Vietnamese and angry Asian over to exaggerated celebrity impressions, there’s at least an attempt to mix things up with different tones and inflections through the hour of stand-up comedy. While there are some funny jokes dotted throughout the special, a lot of these jokes play on these obvious tropes toward Asians with little deviation from this topic. While the content itself feels rehashed and not particularly original, the various interactions with the audience are certainly a welcome addition and add an extra element of unpredictability to the show. With the camera panning back and forth between the audience and Ken himself, you do get an opportunity to join in with the shenanigans during these segments but beyond that there isn’t much else here that really stands out. Fans of Ken Jeong will inevitably check this one out and may even take to his style of humour. With a whole range of different comics on the streaming platform though, Ken Jeong’s You Complete Me, Ho feels lacklustre and lacking real quality. While there are some good jokes peppered through the special, they do take some digging to find, making this a difficult one to recommend.
