Netflix released a new stand-up special Rodrigo Marques: King of Uncouth, on September 6, 2022. The Brazillian comedian goes on about the various episodes of a single story for 1 hour and 15 minutes, in a setting that’s made to look like an island as per the subject matter of his comedy special. It was written and performed by the comedian himself.
The official Netflix synopsis reads:
Brazilian comic Rodrigo Marques discusses a particularly crazy trip to a famous archipelago, his life traumas and more in this stand-up special.”
–Rodrigo Marques: King of Uncouth Review Contains Mild Spoilers-
As mentioned in the synopsis, Marques starts talking about the Fernando de Noronha, a Brazillian archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, and then goes on talking about it till the end. Right off the bat, he declares that it’s always been his dream to discuss one single story throughout his entire stand-up.
And his dream gets fulfilled once he’s invited to perform his stand-up on the famous island. He is so enamoured by the whole idea that he goes on telling the audience how he cut his toe there and how “fancy” it was to have his toe cut in Noronha. He is so taken over by the idea that the first name for the show was actually “I’ve Been to Noronha and Cut My Toe”. However, since it wasn’t marketable enough, he changed it to King of Uncouth. This right here is the whole premise and the whole show.
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His entry to the venue is marked by him carrying a bottle of beer while the audience roots for him. The first thing that Rodrigo Marques utters is how he was in disbelief that Netflix bought the idea of a show that has been titled King of Uncouth. And then, of course, he explains the meaning of the same with a joke about jerking off.
In the beginning, he engages in some conversation with the audience and asks them about their professions. Later, Marques proceeds to poke fun at them in a light-hearted manner through the means of his one-liners.
However, what ticks off the audience who don’t speak his language is that the jokes probably get lost in translation. You’re left wondering as to why the live audience is enjoying this so much and laughing it off like anything. The one positive takeaway is his storytelling tactic, which gets you hooked at some points, even if the story itself is of no interest to you. At times, it also seems like he’s almost rapping his lines, which again helps maintain the humour quotient.
Unlike other stand-up comedians, Rodrigo Marques sticks to just one story and covers it from every side possible, revealing every detail possible. Due to this, after a point you want him to talk about something else than Noronha, and even the appeal held by the island gets lost along the way.
Rodrigo Marques: King of Uncouth: Worth Watching?
To answer this question, you would have to ask yourself another question. If you prefer to watch raunchy stand-up comedy specials, then Rodrigo Marques: King of Uncouth is right up your alley.
Endless stand-ups discuss such topics vividly, providing the whole visual along with it. However, Marques’ comedy along this line didn’t hit home for me. I can’t say if it’s actually the language barrier that acts up or if it’s the jokes in general. Yes, the episode is titled King of Uncouth, but there is no sound rhythm as to what his next joke is going to be. The live audience seemed to enjoy it, but I can’t say that I did.
While asking his audience about their professions and lines of work at the beginning, Rodrigo Marques discovers that an underage child has also come to watch him perform. Obviously, it doesn’t stop him from unleashing his unfiltered line of jokes, and he even admits that the child might have a hard time studying dolphins from now on for obvious reasons. Admitting that he “might have overdid it”, only for him to carry on was done to prove a point, and somehow that, too, generates laughter among the audience.
Rodrigo Marques: King of Uncouth is now streaming on Netflix. English subtitles are also available.
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