Industry NewsOpinion

‘American Misfits’ Show What’s Missing From Stand-Up Today

Loftus, Landau and DeVito bring bipartisan howls to Colorado club

The three comedians descending on Denver this weekend don’t look like misfits.

Michael Loftus, Dave Landau and Joe DeVito seem like everyday Americans, the folks you’d see at Starbucks or on line at the bank.

They dub themselves the “American Misfits” with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Each leans to the Right in one fashion or another, and it shows in their routines.

The result? Three very funny stand-up routines that hit subjects any comedian should tackle … but often don’t.

  • Pandemic overreach
  • Trans swimmers
  • President Joe Biden

They’re misfits, all right, but they could teach their peers something about the sorry state of comedy.

DeVito hit the Denver Improv stage first, focusing on middle-age woes like getting debilitating cramps during sex. The veteran comic knows his strengths, from precise verbal timing to self-deprecation on steroids.

He’s a frequent presence on Fox News’ “Gutfeld!” (as is Loftus) and it’s clear his years of stage experience have paid off.

Joe DeVito gives stand-up performance

The funny routine delved briefly into identity politics, with DeVito sharing stories that poked fun at our diversity obsessions. Nothing seemed cold or mean-spirited, although Snowflake Nation might beg to differ.

They apparently weren’t in attendance.

Loftus came next, bringing a swagger that made even the gentle jokes score. He’s not an impressionist by trade, but he easily slipped into a gaggle of famous voices from President Bill Clinton to Ian McKellan of “The Lord of the Rings” fame.

The set featured the most blatantly conservative material. Loftus praised both Presidents Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump, particularly the latter’s aggressive posture during his White House days.

The “That Show Tonight” star also mocked Californians for refusing to accept Trump’s stunning 2016 electoral victory, something he experienced firsthand before fleeing the Golden State.

Conspiracy Lou nails it every time!

Landau, co-host of Blaze TV’s “Normal World,” set the night on edge more than once.

He opened by suggesting some trans people might be straight males eager to access female changing areas. He did so in the most vulgar way possible, but the point landed all the same.

The comedian’s bleak style hits audiences in different ways, and at times the crowd wasn’t sure how to react. Landau recoiled in return, sensing they weren’t prepared to go to the dark places his material routinely explores.

He switched gears, spending much of his set on killer crowd work.

Audience members didn’t serve up any comedic softballs, but Landau took whatever they shared and made them into four-course meals. An audience member’s gig as a special ed teacher drew huge, inappropriate laughs.

HATE WOKE? YOU’LL LOVE THE HOLLYWOOD IN TOTO PODCAST

His gags about President Biden landed, and hard, from his wish that the 80-year-old had been using the cocaine found in the White House to his aged state.

“His eyes don’t blink, they water,” he cracked.

Three comedians. Three distinct comic sensibilities. What do they have in common? Each will follow the funny wherever it leads, even if it defies the progressive groupthink.

The “American Misfits” return to the Denver Improv tonight at 7 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.

5 Comments

  1. “Snowflake Nation”? Judging from the articles and comments on this site it seems to me the Right has the lock on being the Snowflake Nation. The Right are always the ones flipping out over absolutely nothing.

  2. Sam Smith, the only comedy you mentioned that holds up and is any good is Seinfeld. The others don’t hold up and were never all that funny in the first place.

  3. Top comedy ratings chart from 1996:
    ER, Friends, Seinfeld, Home Improvement, Mad About You, Coach
    People laughed back then. Now it is all Woke hate, blacks, lesbians, trans garbage.

    1. Sam Smith, there are plenty of funny shows in 2023 that actually even funnier than some of the shows you mentioned.

      The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Pokerface, Ted Lasso, Only Murders in the Building, I Think You Should Leave, I’m a Virgo, Shrinking, and on and on. Plenty of people are still laughing.

  4. That clip of DeVito is not funny, though. It has nothing to do with subject matter. Why are conservative comics never funny?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Back to top button