Pete Davidson Turbo Fonzarelli review: A stalker and a dying kid among comic’s not-very-funny special

1.5/5

Story: In his second Netfflix special, Pete Davidson, talks about turning 30, his days of substance abuse, his mother’s lack of a sex life and how he’s looking at remedying that, a Make-A-Wish appearance, a stalker who literally drove him into the woods and more

Turbo Fonzarelli review: It takes a special kind of talent to like Pete Davidson’s brand of comedy – there’s a lot of “eff that” and “eff this”, some sex and a whole lot of literal shit talk. I don’t have that talent – toilet humour’s not really my scene – and yet I sat through Pete’s latest Netflix special, convinced that there’d be enough for me to diss. And boy, he does not disappoint. Now, I am not a stuck-up snob with no sense of humour; on the contrary, I do enjoy well thought out punchlines on issues that get a few chuckles out of me. Ricky Gervais is a personal favourite, although his Golden Globe winning special wasn’t all that stellar. I digress!

The point is that humour about genitalia, flatulence and/or poop are not the most fun; they are, at most times, just plain disgusting. As, say, when Pete talks about trying to dissuade his stalker from turning up outside his lawn because that’s where he takes his full-blown Crohn’s dumps, and she sees that as encouragement to return with a box of soiled knickers. Pete’s stalker story, though, is not the only problem with this special. Comics crack jokes about their near-and-dear ones all the time – no harm there, but a good section of a special being earmarked for Pete’s mother Amy’s lack of a sex life is quite a low point. Pete, you see, can’t handle the weird energy coming from his mother on account of 2 decades of not having had a man in her life. He may as well just “f**k her just to get her off his back”. Okay, I draw the line there!

Quiz: This one’s for all Pete Davidson fans 

Turns out, his mother’s as good as new genitalia is not the only ‘subject’ Pete wants his audiences to have a laugh about. There’s some stuff about a dying kid and a Make-A-Wish appearance. Pete could have concocted the whole bit, but either which way, it didn’t feel worthy of a laugh when the joke’s about having his wish of hearing that the kid’s no more come true. There was just so much balderdash masquerading as comedy punchlines that even the one bit that could have turned the tide – Pete’s brief stint of being queer, all thanks to one Leonardo DiCaprio – sadly fails to register.

Verdict: Turbo Fonzarelli is a tad under an hour long but felt awfully long because of how tedious a watch it is. I struggled through it, but should you find it in you to laugh out loud about dirty underwear and how they came to be, well, do check out Pete Davidson’s new special.