Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Maria Bamford: Weakness Is The Brand’ On Comedy Dynamics, Maintaining Strength Through Self-Awareness

After two seasons on Netflix starring in her own surreal semi-autobiographical series, Lady Dynamite, and releasing one highly-regarded stand-up special for the streaming giant, Maria Bamford is back on the open market with her new special, Weakness Is The Brand, viathe Comedy Dynamics Network for rent or purchase on platforms that include Comcast, Amazon Prime Video, Spectrum, Apple TV, Dish, Google Play, DirecTV, Vimeo and YouTube.

MARIA BAMFORD: WEAKNESS IS THE BRAND: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Fans of Bamford, perhaps first seen by many in the tour and 2005 special, The Comedians of Comedy (where she shared billing with Patton Oswalt, Zach Galifianakis and Brian Posehn), have known her for three traits in recent years. First, her nimbleness with voices. Second, her openness about her mental health, whether on Netflix via Lady Dynamite or via talk shows on the Topic platform. And third, her ability to deliver her jokes anywhere, anytime, to anyone. She often solicits impromptu audiences via Twitter, willing to test out her jokes one-on-one.

And if you don’t believe her, then check out her Netflix collection, which includes 2012’s the special special special!, filmed in her home for a live audience of two: her parents (it made my list of the best stand-up comedy of the decade), and 2017’s Old Baby, filmed in a variety of locations. For her first special in almost three years, she’s off Netflix, but back to a traditional stand-up setting, performing in an intimate theater in Burbank, Calif., that seats 268.

The opening title cards and theme music makes cute, playing opposites off of Bamford’s self-described weakness by portraying her as a comedic superwoman. The font and instrumental score heavily influenced by the 1978 Superman sequence, even. Bamford is hyper-aware and super-attentive, especially to the camera, often directing her gaze and punchlines to us, the viewers. She even knows we might not be looking back at her, either. “Get your laundry done. Whatever you need to do.”

What Comedy Specials Will It Remind You Of?: It’s easier to think of comedians who remind me of Bamford than the other way around (mostly younger women in stand-up who also grew up or spent time in Minnesota and have distinctive voices).

Memorable Jokes: Early on, Bamford describes herself as a small-business owner, complete with her own Yelp page chock full of negative comments, with whom she ends up agreeing more often than not. This, in addition to an untreated hand tremor, may be good for the brand. “I may be mental, but I’m also a millionaire,” she says, winking to the camera. At the same time, however, she dismissively suggests she can only develop 11 new minutes of material every half-decade, and if her life really has gotten better since Lady Dynamite, then what will she have to even joke about?

Thankfully, she’s endured plenty in these past few years to draw upon. Another comedian’s suicide, and the harsh reactions of mutual acquaintances. Bamford mines several minutes out of her role-playing sessions with her husband, in which she normally plays both parts; same goes for the couple’s therapy sessions.

In 2017, she received an invitation to speak at her alma mater, the University of Minnesota, and Bamford used this as an opportunity to learn her self-worth, as well as to impart meaningful advice on same to the graduating students. Such as: “Don’t move to Los Angeles with the promise of a touring Star Trek show.” You can watch her commencement speech in full, separately from the special.

And then there was a “Letter From the Future” Bamford wrote a year ago for Medium that backfired on her when readers complained she used transphobic language. Bamford apologized quickly at the time, and here uses the experience to joke about how white women can harm while trying to help, and how anyone can quickly pivot off of a mistake to jokingly chastise others about their lack of wokeness.

There’s a great bit in which Bamford goes through a trilogy of modern-day Biblical arguments with her mother, as well as a brief recounting of Bamford’s time on the Food Network. What? You didn’t know she appeared on Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition alongside LaToya Jackson and others?

In the end, Bamford arrives at an uncomfortable, yet quite universal truth: What if, instead of taking a half-assed approach to life and joking about the results as an outsider, she actually tried her best and yet still failed?

Fortunately for her, she’s truly madly deeply in love with her husband, and proves it with an onstage gambit that could have easily backfired. That it doesn’t demonstrates the extent of her comedic talent and her likability.

Our Take: Over the end credits, Bamford interviews her parents about their “caring and sharing” routine — apparently she had more interviews with other subjects of her jokes, but scrapped that as a running motif.

A more curious question: Why isn’t this special on Netflix?

The cynic in me might guess Bamford’s jokes about Trump might have scared off the streaming giant. Even if they’re not any more dangerous than being led “into a bramble.” The optimist in me thinks it’s about the money. After all, her 2012 special, though now on Netflix, first surfaced as a pay-per-view option on a now-defunct service/platform called Chill. Perhaps Bamford has learned to negotiate even better deals for herself, after all.

Our Call: STREAM IT. As Bamford herself tells you early in this special: “If at any point during my program, you feel disgusted. You think to yourself, (voice 1) ‘Why isn’t comedy better than I remembered? (voice 2) ‘Why isn’t that particular premise less ill-conceived?’ (voice 3) ‘Why? Why isn’t this experience exactly what I wanted?’ (back to Bamford’s normal speaking voice) Please! Let that rage trampoline you into working on your own stuff.” Applause break. “Harness the power of an enormous let-down.” Only you likely won’t be let down. Bamford is too much of a comedy superhero to do that.

Sean L. McCarthy works the comedy beat for his own digital newspaper, The Comic’s Comic; before that, for actual newspapers. Based in NYC but will travel anywhere for the scoop: Ice cream or news. He also tweets @thecomicscomic and podcasts half-hour episodes with comedians revealing origin stories: The Comic’s Comic Presents Last Things First.

Where to stream Maria Bamford: Weakness Is The Brand