Trust the lesser talented Wayans to bring out a comedy special that is not only inappropriately named but not funny either. And no, I’m not talking about Shawn.
Marlon Wayans is the baby of the family and perhaps that is why he has been left to his own devices when it comes to trying out different avenues in the entertainment industry.
Of course, the Wayans Bros was a hilarious sitcom. But it was a two-hander and they had the likes of show co-creators Leslie Ray and David Steven Simon also writing episodes. And White Chicks was a hit movie. I will admit to knowing more lines of that script that Marlon probably remembers but I’m not on trial here. It is Marlon who has committed the crime of being cringe-worthy.
For his first Netflix special, Marlon decided to go with the buzzworthy title: “Woke-ish.” It has no relation to Tracee Ellis Ross’ TV series or its spinoffs. But for just over an hour, Marlon is the opposite of woke. What he meant by the title is that he desperately wants to but is struggling to be woke. Instead of presenting the ways in which he is trying, he just basks in simply being ignorant.
There’s talk of him removing around 30 minutes of material that focused on Donald Trump because it didn’t go down well when he tested it with audiences. But somehow, his homophobia, transphobia and general wackness passed the test? Who is he fooling.
There is a “gag” (if we can even call it that) that sees Marlon pretend to be a gay Martin Luther King because he is convinced that what gay people really need is a political activist. He also tries to tell stories about his parenting skills - which leave much to be desired. Oh, and he also thinks Caitlyn is so ugly the Kardashians are embarrassed of her.
Huh? Woke-ish is wack and after about half an hour, Marlon stops becoming shocking. He is so boring his voice could lull you to sleep. That’s if you’re lucky enough to not have to review this special.