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‘Amy Schumer: Growing’ Isn’t Her Best Effort, But Is Far From Her Worst

I like Amy Schumer. I have ever since she was on Last Comic Standing, and I will go to my grave not knowing how John Reep beat both her and Doug Benson. And I know you’re sitting there thinking “Oh, Amy Schumer isn’t funny, she’s really overrated,” and if you’re basing that assessment on Trainwreck and The Leather Special then you’re right. But Schumer’s album Cutting is really a thing of brilliance. It’s full of memorable bits.

Growing, Schumer’s new Netflix special, isn’t as good as Cutting, but it feels like a return to form after the disastrous Leather Special. A very pregnant Schumer does what she does best and delivers a special full of embarrassing jokes at the expense of herself and her husband. She starts her bit on her husband by saying “Marrying a chef is a little on the nose for me, it’s kind of like Snoop marrying weed,” and has some material about being married.

The special has gotten some attention because she talks about her husband being on the autism spectrum which is a whole interesting and funny section about how he doesn’t react appropriately to things. And her bit about being arrested next to Emily Ratajkowski at a protests against Brett Kavanaugh while stuffing her face because she’s afraid of being hungry while she’s pregnant is really well-crafted, too.

Most of Schumer’s material about being pregnant really kills. Her best stuff has always been personal and embarrassing, so it’s not unexpected; few things are as personal and embarrassing as pregnancy.

The special isn’t all great. A bit comparing her pregnancy to to Meghan Markle falls pretty flat, as does a section about women’s fears versus men’s fears. But those sections are the exceptions.

This is one of Schumer’s better efforts, especially recently. I was worried going in because of how bad her last special was, but I was pleasantly surprised with this one. It’s worth checking out and shows that Schumer is still a solid comic.

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