David Spade is "going through the motions" in Nothing Personal, his first Netflix special

Paste Magazine

"A celebrity comedian’s first Netflix special has become a late-in-life rite of passage now, a victory lap for those rare few who make millions in a field where few keep afloat, but to what end?" asks Clare Martin. "More money? Fame? An ego boost? To appease a clamoring fan base? That unanswered question is part of what makes David Spade’s first Netflix special, Nothing Personal, feel so aimless. Filmed at Minneapolis’ Pantages Theatre, Spade almost immediately jumps into COVID material. It’s to be expected at this point, but it honestly feels like he’s ticking off boxes required for any older white man’s comedy set in 2022. Coronavirus bit? Check. Unnecessary joke about a trans woman (including dead naming her)? Check. D*ck pic chat? Check. #MeToo mention? Check. Beyond that, Spade shoehorns in topical references in order to appear relevant, but the end result feels more like a search and replace operation gone awry."

ALSO:

• David Spade's vibe in Nothing Personal is hanging in a VIP lounge, hearing the VIP hold court with stories — or story fragments — of whatever’s on his mind
• Spade is at his most interesting when he addresses, almost always indirectly, the realities of getting older
• David Spade on mocking Caitlyn Jenner on his special: "If you say you have a trans joke, obviously that's a very tough Chappelle situation," he says. "But when you look at the act as a whole, all my stuff is about the most innocuous part of any situation. I'm trying to find a new angle. The angle of 'Caitlin being a young name …' It’s just skimming the surface of that without diving into any sort of hate. I see Caitlin Jenner golfing. I have no problem with anybody. Even when I used to do SNL, I'd make fun of all these people, but I liked them all."