Norman Rockwell Is Bleeding - Film Review Friday
“The Los Angeles Times reported that 63% of American families are considered dysfunctional. My god, that means we’re the majority… WE’RE NORMAL!”
We all have a favourite stand-up special. Maybe a top 3. If not a top 3, maybe a favourite comedian. Maybe a top 3 of comedians. If I had to pick my favourite specials, they’d be Bert Kriecher’s ‘The Machine’, Jim Jeffries’s ‘Bare’ and Christopher Titus’s ‘Norman Rockwell Is Bleeding’. Obviously, Kriecher and Jeffries appeals to the dark and dumb sense of my humour - a lot of my favourite bits from both I’d probably not be able to disclose here - but Titus is different. He doesn’t have the “comedian” persona. He doesn’t pause for laughs, he doesn’t slow down, and he isn’t waiting for your approval; he’s telling you a story, and you better damn well shut up and listen.
‘Norman Rockwell Is Bleeding’ was Christopher Titus’s first comedy special. It was originally performed at the Montreal Just For Laughs festival in 2000, filmed for Showtime in 2004 and uploaded to YouTube in 2020 when Titus tried to keep his audience entertained through that ghastly pandemic. ‘Norman Rockwell’ was the routine that earned him his Fox sitcom (which is also on YouTube for free), which ran for 3 seasons and revolved around his dysfunctional family and the awkward, regrettable situations his impulsive emotions landed him in. The special was performed after the show was cancelled over creative differences, which Titus happily uses to update the routine.
For 86 minutes, Titus takes you through his childhood, teenage years and adulthood with self-deprecating humour, erratic physical theatrics and surprising emotional moments. Along the way, we’re introduced to his alcoholic, womanising father, his mentally ill mother and the various abusive and/or manipulative girlfriends he’s dated. And through it all, he treats it as if the joke is on them. The charming part of this special is that Titus transforms the dysfunction into the greatest function of all: making people laugh.
Titus’s persona can best be described as that little devil on your shoulder – impulsive, mischievous and highly charismatic, but with hints of empathy to even it all out. He's like an older brother or that friend you'd always go out and get drunk with. His greatest strength in comedy is his connection with the audience, always inviting them into his life and always encouraging you to reflect on yours.
Instead of a plainly lit stage with a microphone and maybe a lounge, like most comics use, Titus goes for a cartoonish living room set with a wooden chair that could only be described as a prototype for death row. A similar set was used in Titus’s TV show, but we only got to see it for a couple of minutes during fourth-wall breaking intros and outros. Being treated to it for the whole special delivers not only fan-service, but also a lovely example of his persona. In one of the most pivotal, emotional moments of the special, Titus rests in the chair as he talks about his mother’s death, yet just as he stands back up, he embraces the dark humour of it all. “I called him back, I said ‘Dad, she take anybody else with her?’, he said ‘You know that was my first question’, and he hung up the phone”. It certainly makes me question why set design isn’t utilised more, especially when it’s being produced by big studios like Showtime, HBO and Netflix.
If you are considering watching ‘Norman Rockwell Is Bleeding’, I recommend also watching what I consider to be the “Titus Family Trilogy”. After finishing ‘Norman Rockwell’, start ‘Love Is Evol’ (which focuses on his divorce and new relationship) and finally finish with ‘Born With A Defect’ (focusing on the difficulty of raising children of divorce). Make a night out of it and I guarantee you’ll have a fun time.
Mason’s Top 3 Reasons to Watch ‘Norman Rockwell Is Bleeding’
- It’s completely free to watch on YouTube
- It’ll be hard not to find something to relate to, whether it’s high school stupidity, an alcoholic family member or that ex that was WAY too jealous.
- A charming reflective piece that will no doubt make you consider your own history
