Some Netflix viewers may be offended by Bert Kreischer: Hey Big Boy, but not because the comedy is mean-spirited. Starring a shirtless, 47-year-old white man who  laughs at his own jokes, the 62-minute special is full of adult humor that could bother those who are unfamiliar with the comedian’s Animal House-style routine.

In 1997, a Rolling Stone article entitled “Bert Kreischer: The Undergraduate” introduced Bert Kreischer to the mainstream. The sixth-year senior became infamous for his partying at Florida State University and ultimately inspired the 2002 film National Lampoon’s Van Wilder starring Ryan Reynolds. Kreischer starred in the 2009 Comedy Central special Bert Kreischer: Comfortably Dumb and also in the 2016 Showtime special Bert Kreischer: The Machine. Both are currently available on Netflix and complement recent releases from comedians Taylor Tomlinson and Marc Maron.

Whereas a comic like Anthony Jeselnik preps the audience for edgy humor and adopts a bad guy persona, Kreischer comes out swinging immediately in Hey Big Boy with jokes about gender-neutral bathrooms and poo, before moving onto a bit about placing his penis on his wife’s shoulder. He then states that “People take getting offended in L.A. to an art form,” and that locals even get offended “on BEHALF of people.” Kreischer proceeds to incorporate racial humor into his act and devotes a full bit to gun control, playing both sides of the political spectrum. Overall, the bro-style comedy addresses a variety of trendy talking points. But unlike comedian Dave Chappelle, who maintains an unapologetic tone, Kreischer touches upon sensitives issues in Hey Big Boy without necessarily taking a controversial stance.

Approximately halfway through the Netflix comedy special, Kreischer drops the cultural humor for commentaries about the women in his life. He often uses the word “bitch” while playfully projecting a tough guy persona and labels his young daughter a “simple moron.” He’s joking, of course, but the tone could be viewed as distasteful, certainly when the comedian discusses watching his kids alone for nine days and states that he began to see “both sides of the abortion debate.” Kreischer also comments about his daughter’s first period and a Friday the 13th-themed party she hosted in honor of “Jason.”

With Hey Big Boy, Kreischer stays true to his frat house brand of comedy. Only now, he’s a middle-aged father and mixes in familial humor to complement numerous movies references, including Black Panther, Chasing Amy, and Titanic, and stories about drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana. It’s all in good fun, but Hey Big Boy probably won’t appeal to Netflix subscribers who don’t appreciate collegiate humor. Kreischer even chugs a plastic cup of beer on stage, perhaps to remind long-time fans of the good ol’ days.

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Q.V. Hough
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Q.V. Hough is a senior writer at Screen Rant. He’s also the founding editor at Vague Visages, and has contributed to RogerEbert.com and Fandor.

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