Directed by Spike Jonze, the comic leads with the accusations made against him last year, introducing a more contrite Ansari 2.0Yeah, he leads with it. Important to note that in the canon of blockbuster standup comedians accused of sexual impropriety, Aziz Ansari (Aziz Ansari: Right Now on Netflix, right ... right now) does better than Louis CK - whose comeback shows were, as best I can tell, just half an hour of going: `Whatīs the deal with chicks who donīt like being masturbated at down the telephone?` There is a sombre, show-opening statement about the accusations made against him on babe.net last year, how they affected him and the conversations they started. Itīs not perfect - and itīs not a whole apology - but it does at least acknowledge the elephant in the room, without shooting it to death with a high-calibre rifle. The conversation around Ansari is complex, but a public statement of remorse is a pretty good start on rehabilitating his image and career.Right, now thatīs out of the way: I simply hate every production decision made around this standup special. Spike Jonze directs, for some reason, which means the camera lurches and half-zooms around like a 90s skate vid (you keep expecting someone to grind along a pavement before a supercut of a lad with a leather thong necklace exploding his testicles on a concrete staircase railing). The whole thing is faux-graded like an old VHS (Annoying. Annoying!) and the majority of the show is tight on Ansari, Jonze often standing next to him, visible in frame, before shots of one of the most `Brooklyn` crowds ever committed to tape smiling along in the background. Continue reading...
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