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Apr 22, 2016 By kyle Mullin Patton Oswalt

The shouty, stocky, pulverizing funny Patton Oswalt is in prime form during his new standup special for Netflix, Talking For Clapping. Taped sixth months ago at The Fillmore in San Francisco, where he first began to hone his comedic chops, Oswalt deftly mixes high and low brow humor throughout the set, and sometimes within the same bit. Case in point: a lofty socially conscious joke about transgender rights peaks with him declaring that the supreme court answer to bigoted arguments about anyone’s transitioned organs will likely end with the word “pants.” Because, of course, the body parts that get trans-phobes so riled up will be covered by trousers, rendering their protests moot.

Oswalt also uses non-verbal humor to hilariously punctuate his more elaborate one liners. He compares riffling through his pill popping mother’s sofa cushions to the drug addled throng who attend Coachella, then, with a few groans, imitates a dump truck loaded with pharmaceuticals backing up to unload at his family’s abode. Later, Oswalt leans on his microphone stand and pantomimes a few ejaculatory pelvic thrusts—and how important that act makes men feel—before describing how a woman is then left with the true work of build an entire human being in her body for the next nine months.

This expert balance between crude juvenile humor and sweetly empathetic satire proves Patton Oswalt’s prowess. Indeed, this aptly titled special showcases how brilliantly Oswalt can talk until the crowd enthusiastically claps. (www.netflix.com)

Author rating: 7/10