Louis C.K.: Shameless

Louis C.K. is probably the funniest comedian working today in my eyes. He harps on the idiocies of life in a refreshingly pessimistic, cynical way, and his self-deprecating comedy hits close-to-home for me. C.K.'s standup special Chewed Up is one of the funniest stand up specials of recent years, and his followup specials have consistently performed above average in quality. However, Louis C.K.: Shameless may be his weakest installment, although still able to provide capable entertainment for fifty-five minutes. C.K. seems to get too wrapped up in mean-spirited humor in this one, talking about how he'd like to sometimes punch his daughter in the face because of the obscure, often disgusting things she does since she's very young. This kind of humor can become grating and rather tasteless after a while. There is still plenty of fun to be had when C.K. zealously goes off on such topics as marriage, sex, and growing old, which would be depressingly typical topics for comedians if C.K. wasn't so committed and talented in terms of making them relatable. He has a way of making his cold, cynicism click with the audience, which is difficult to do. He's the kind of comedian that can turn a room full of optimists into a room where two-thirds of the population are realists.

Starring: Louis C.K.. Directed by: Steven J. Santos.