Jenny Slate May Have Stage Fright, But the Audience Loves Her
Photo by JoJo Whilden, courtesy of Netflix
Who is Jenny Slate? Her first-ever (and long overdue) comedy special Stage Fright seeks to answer this question—not for Slate herself, who is steeped in self-awareness, but for the audience. She’s not Marcel the Shell, though her viral video character draws on the same self-deprecation and whimsy that make her so appealing. She’s not Mona-Lisa Saperstein from Parks and Recreation either, but the same frenzied energy powers her stand-up. Slate is reintroducing herself on her own terms, separating her identity from that of the Saturday Night Live one seasoner or one of her numerous kooky voiceover parts, and instead emerging as a vulnerable, goofy, self-sabotaging, effervescent comedian.
To facilitate this getting-to-know-you process, the hour-long special is intercut with clips of Slate showing us around her Laura Ashley-wallpapered childhood bedroom and chatting with her two sisters about Hanukkahs past, as well as grainy home videos. She explains that her parents’ haunted home (which contributed to her jumpy, kid-overdosed-on-sugar demeanor) and family’s shared romanticism are indelible parts of her person. For the most part, the approach fosters a comforting intimacy, but at times Slate’s family members are relegated to glorified set dressing. The 37-year-old isn’t just the subject, but the main narrator, which can make her relatives’ presence feel superfluous.