Mike Birbiglia: Thank God for Jokes (2017)

Mike Birbiglia is a pretty funny guy. I was prompted to watch his latest stand up special because Michelle invited me to see him live at the Warner Theater. He's quite good in person. He has very good timing. And his special makes me laugh. He does a bit about being late; the punch line is that there is an infinite amount of time you can be on time, so there is really no excuse to be late (we were almost late, of course). The bit extends the whole set, and he muses that humanity is divided between on-time people and late people. He's a good story teller. And he's quite likable. He's not my favorite, that title belongs to John Mulaney and Tig Notaro, but I'm excited to see what he does next.

Trainwreck (2015)

Judd Apatow takes his tried and true R-rated comedy formula, and refreshingly puts a female protagonist at the helm.  Amy Schumer pens this hilarious not-your-typical romantic comedy.  No, Schumer pokes fun at romantic comedy cliches in a satire of sorts.  Her self deprecating, biting, edgy, raunchy humor is exactly what we've come to expect from Schumer.  But at the same time, there is a good balance between humor and seriousness.

Amy Schumer and Bill Hader play great leads. They have good chemistry together, and they make each other funnier feeding off of each other's energy.  Tilda Swinton is unrecognizable in her tanned skin tone.  And the MVP award goes to LeBron James playing himself. Is there anything he can't do?  As the concerned friend and patient of Bill Hader, he is actually really funny.