Ellen DeGeneres' first special in 15 years is at its best when she grapples with her celebrity status

Vulture

"Ellen is flexing" in her Netflix special Relatable, says Kathryn VanArendonk "Who can blame her? Why get tripped up on whether or not she’s still relatable when she is very, very good at her job, as demonstrated quite succinctly by her overwhelming résumé? It’s a masterful opening gambit for her first stand-up special since 2003: It begins with a simplistic image of her absurd affluence, and it ends with a finger in the eye to anyone who would suggest she’s no longer real enough to be funny. Why would I care whether you think I’m still relatable, she asks, when there is overwhelming, impressive proof that I’m amazing? Not all of Ellen DeGeneres: Relatable is that sharp, carefully crafted, or, frankly, as interesting. As she moves into the middle of the hour, DeGeneres uses a few bits that feel directly imported from a monologue on Ellen, especially in a section that shows short clips of animals being goofy, or a riff on unnecessary pharmaceuticals." VanArendonk adds: "The sharpest, most deeply felt material comes when DeGeneres instead grapples with her feelings about her celebrity status, and the simultaneous gift and burden of her role as a daytime talk show host."

ALSO:

• Ellen DeGeneres leans into her comically privileged existence and embraces her "unkind" side
• Relatable is the first time DeGeneres allows herself to express the fear, hurt, and even anger that surrounded her decision to come out of the closet and its aftermath
• Relatable is the comeback special of the year