Hasan Minhaj: The King's Jester (2022 TV Special) User Reviews

Comedy Worthy of a King!

[UMirxa12 · 9/10 · 4 October 2022]

'The King's Jester' is not quite the 'Homecoming King' but it is brilliant nonetheless.

Hasan Minhaj is a master storyteller, an excellent comedian, and the way he holds onto your attention--never to let it go--is a rare ability indeed.

He has weaved the personal with the politic here again, the satire with the sincere, and the ecstatic with the horrific. You learn when you listen to him, and you laugh, you cry, and you feel. You feel all the joy, the anger and the grief, the irony and the stupidity, and everything and anything else he wants you to feel.

I loved this piece nearly as much as I loved his 'Homecoming King', and I cannot wait to watch and listen and learn when he does another special. Here's hoping he does it soon.

Brilliantly written!!

[TreeFiddy53 · 8/10 · 4 October 2022]

Usually, in mainstream standup, you'd get sex jokes, jokes based on racial/gender stereotypes with very little to no storytelling. Comedians getting up stage and talking about the above, IMO, is taking the easy way out. Sure it's get you some laughter but...that's cheap laughter and not sustainable in the long run.

Very rarely do you get comedy that's right on the edge of going too far but tends to stay on the "LMAO!! Nuh-uh, he did NOT just say that! Haha." Even better, if it's well written from a storytelling standpoint.

And this special is just that; the writers/Hasan have brilliantly written TH outta this show and wow, what flow to the story!!

Now, this isn't your straight-up ROFL kinda comedy, it's certainly not for everyone (especially if you get BHurt) and I'll be honest, I only laughed out loud a couple times, but there were a lot "Haha, he did NOT just say that!" I chuckled a lot but every time I do, the content made me think about the undertones and made me appreciate the writing.

Dude talks about his life, the ups and downs and turns the content around in his favor. That's not easy to do. He doesn't take the easy way out, and by simply telling you a (possibly relatable) story, he not only takes you on a journey and saying everything he wants to say indirectly.

Finally, I think people who want to get into standup could watch and learn a thing or two from this special on how to write a complex set while addressing something deep. This was a Masterclass.

Would totally recommend. Again, you may not like it for the comedy but you have GOT to appreciate the writing and the storytelling.

I wish I were half eloquent and hilarious as he is.

[yaredyilma · 9/10 · 11 March 2023]

This is by far the best comedy I have seen in recent years. I love Hassan's energy and eloquence. He is one of the few comedians you would watch without getting bored. I am in awe of how could talk like that. I have always had difficulty explaining my thought and ideas clearly and concisely, and I pay a great deal of attention when I watch stands ups or movies. Hassan is one of the few comics who checks those boxes. I have never seen him stumbling on words or stammering. I use to think Homecoming king was a pinnacle of comedy but this surpasses it by a mile. Highly recommended. Check out his other work if you haven't already.

Hasan Minhaj pursues high drama in an epic comedy set

[sb584012 · 10/10 · 4 October 2022]

First of all, few comedy sets legitimately give you goosebumps and makes you teary. Hannah Gadsby created the mood in Nanette but it had all soul and little laughs. Hasan succeeds on both, it's a set with a lot of heart, and a lot of laughs.

But more importantly, Hasan changes the game of stand up in a significant way with this set. When this set will be closely examined by art historians in the future, they should be able to delineate the new era Hasan heralds with the show. This is my version of it. Without going into any spoiler, the show broadly consists of two stories, Hasan growing up in a Indian Muslim community and Hasan antagonizing world's most powerfuls through his Netflix show "The Patriot Act" and earning fame in the process. The show starts with a narrative on his marriage, having his first child and it is a recurring thread that gives the two main stories some context.

In the first half, Hasan fully embraces his racial-religious identity and talks about his personal experience. In the second half, Hasan dons the hat of the presenter as in his Netflix show and go behind the scenes.

Hasan, never a very keen observational comic, goes high on drama through the set. His body language is exaggerated, expressions loud, movements are theatrical. His props appear at the right times behind him in a large screen. Hasan even name calls Aziz and Kumail in his set.

However, the real reason the set reaches the unbelievable crescendo, the epic high, is how the set incorporates all the tropes and tricks of a summer blockbuster. It has named and identified villains, it has the villains menacing with others and attacking his family, it has a story where the underdog Minhaj smokes them in his own way. It has the revenge drama, the satisfaction of a earned victory, the adulations of the crowd, the jubilations and the actual cheer of the audience. This is a new style of stand up. Stand-up traditionally stayed true to everyday experience of a common man, but Hasan with his theatrics, gives his story a dramatic high and makes it a terrific production.

I do not know whether some of the future comedians will venture into this dramatics, but this set is thoroughly enjoyable. Jokes are few and far between but the atmosphere is electric and you enjoy delivery of every single line which are precise and punchy. It is like you bought a ticket for a pop concert and you get the production value of a super bowl halftime show. Nice work, Hasan! Great job.

Minhaj at his finest

[bboyibsta · 10/10 · 4 October 2022]

As an avid watched of Patriot Act , I missed Hasan's presence from TV after the show ended. I loved his Netflix special, Homecoming, and wished for something like that.

Well, this is not like that. While Homecoming told a coming of age tale of Minhaj growing up post 9/11, this special tells a hilarious tale of his adventures after he gained fame, and all the white-hat comedic journalistic efforts that he embarked on.

It's an excellent, thought-provoking, funny, heartfelt, deep, and surprisingly somber-at-times special that brings us Minhaj at his finest.

An absolute treat to watch!

In the span of a single show, he enthralled me, made me laugh, made me cry, and go through the entire spectrum of emotions.

It's good

[mrmom-16586 · 10/10 · 5 October 2022]

5 years after Homecoming King, Hasan Minhaj is back at it again, this time with The King's Jester. He talks about being a father and the difficulties of it aka sucking the snot out of your own daughter's nose with a Starbucks straw. Not to mention how just a couple hours after he visits a Saudi embassy, a reporter is murdered in a Saudi consulate. He mixes the perfect blend of sincerity and satire while still being "I'm laughing so hard I can't breath" funny. He also talks about becoming an internet sensation and how it can take over people, even with this heavy topic he still manages to stay light hearted and funny. All in all I think this is an amazing comedy show that is essential for anyone who like his other special "Homecoming King".

Gets better as you watch it!

[mayhair_ · 8/10 · 29 October 2022]

My first exposure to this comedian -- at the first 5 minutes I thought this special was a bit crude with the infertility jokes. But then, I saw it was talking about his real-life experiences, with him mentioning his daughter.

Each mention of Hasan's increasingly wacky stories made me laugh more. First, a wheeze; then, a chuckle; then, full-on belly laughing! You should also know as he is telling his biography, you get some insights on how the American governmental/economic system works from the perspective of an immigrant.

The sex jokes at the middle and end of the special were a bit uncomfortable, but I saw that was the point. The occasional call-backs to Hindi-Urdu were also fun, even as someone who barely can use the language.

Funny

[ashfordofficial · 7/10 · 21 October 2022]

1. Hasan Minhaj is one of my favorite comedians and I'm glad he's coming back for more after Netflix cancelled Patriot Act. A non-stop laughfest with a near flawless delivery and Hasan's signature captivating personality.

2. Hasan Minhaj is one of my favorite comedians and I'm glad he's coming back for more after Netflix cancelled Patriot Act. A non-stop laughfest with a near flawless delivery and Hasan's signature captivating personality.

3. Hasan Minhaj is one of my favorite comedians and I'm glad he's coming back for more after Netflix cancelled Patriot Act. A non-stop laughfest with a near flawless delivery and Hasan's signature captivating personality.

Really not that funny at all for a stand-up special.

[moviepiglet · 5/10 · 6 October 2022]

If this were a Ted Talk or a Commencement Speech this would deserve a 8 on 10. It's basically Hasan talking about his personal experiences which cast a light on issues pertaining to family, religion, politics, social discrimination etc etc, interspersed with with some funny, and quite often cliched jokes too far and few in between.

For a stand-up special, this just wasn't witty or funny or original enough at all. I mean he's literally talking about things that happened to him, and in many ways it's just self-gratifying.

Really expected something much more than this. His episodes of Patriot Act provide more laughs than this.

Too much personal life jokes

[bigjaxal · 3/10 · 15 December 2022]

I dont know how much of what he was saying is true... if it is, then damn bro im sorry ... if not.. then it was just making me sad for you... i kept on watching not because i know you can be funny ... but because i felt pity for you... and it was just making me sad.. if i watch a stand up.. then i want to be laughing.. but with this ... the bits that made me laugh where overshadowed by all the sad stuff.. even at some points i felt there were the 'laugh at anything person' sprinkled all over...

make me feel like you are only good at comedy when someone else is writing stuff for you to say on screen. U were awesome in patriot act... but this was just like... well let me say it like this.. it was like i was the plane going into the tower and this is what it felt like.

More annoying than on Jeopardy

[TerribleMovie · 2/10 · 28 November 2022]

I didn't think Hasan could be more annoying than his Jeopardy appearance, but this special is worse. Hasan yells, and yells, and yells. He thinks if he yells loud enough then he'll reach the funny decibel. He doesn't. The crowd doesn't laugh much, they just cheer when he gets loud. The material is basic. Family stuff, Indian stuff, and a list of famous people he pissed off while clout chasing. Hasan is cocky, yet insecure. He talks a lot, but says little. He has energy, but not funny energy. It's the same energy he brought to Jeopardy, where they called him the most annoying contestant ever. That perfectly describes him on this special.

Dangerous Clout Chasing

[Praetorius1980 · 5/10 · 5 October 2022]

The special was alright. Somewhat entertaining but breaks down to him being a dangerous clout chaser who had to stop because he has a wife and kids now and she wants him to be less dangerous or something. Really trying to post W's and ending up mostly L's. Trying to take credit for speaking truth to power and getting push back but it was mostly toothless and he received regular hate mail. Some of it was funny but not much. I'm giving it a 5 because he did it all in his regular style of comedy and storytelling so he was true to form. It felt a lot like cover for his show getting canceled too. 5 stars.

No. Get back to the basics.

[Mili_Cja · 1/10 · 14 October 2022]

Personal issues of a guy, not working here.

Stupid jokes about Indians, women, children, et al? No, thank you.

There is being brilliant about something, and there is being stupid and shlocky about something. Guess which one is your league, Hasan.

No fret, however, being a 1st row stand up comedian is like going to Mars and back, so no hard feelings. You're not there yet, not for a long time.

But you will work towards this less demanding crowd that laughs for no particular reason. Because they have no idea what humor is. Because they laugh every time somebody farts in a room. Good for you, because while you are producing this horse manure, I will be watching guys like Ari Eldjárn, Michael McIntyre, Jim Jefferies and Tom Segura.

Not worth watching

[gogolchat · 2/10 · 8 October 2022]

Hasan Minhaj tried really hard to make us laugh but most of his jokes were not landing well. Next time he should prepare better jokes because I can see Netflix spent a lot on his stand up set. He was jumping,seating, laying down, dancing still he was unable to make me laugh out loud. It's really uncomfortable when you want to laugh but laughter doesn't come. I think he should learn from Vir Das shows where in a particular show he was just sitting sipping tea and making the audience laugh like hell. All the PPT presentation and lighting effects doesn't work if your jokes are not good enough. Watching Hasan Minhaj's standup act after watching any of the Vir Das standup act is like if you are served veg biryani just after you had a delicious mutton biryani.