When it comes to comedy, Nick Kroll is one of those guys that pops up all over the place. As a successful actor, voice actor and writer, his IMDb page runs pretty deep. But his first claim to fame was in the world of stand-up comedy, and he has finally returned to his roots in his new Netflix special, Nick Kroll: Little Big Boy.
Kroll's made a splash behind the scenes working with Dave Chappelle on his now legendary Comedy Central series, Chappelle's Show, as a writer. This must have been a great learning experience as he would eventually get his own acclaimed series on Comedy Central, Kroll Show. This series heavily featured the character work that he honed on stages with groups like the Upright Citizens Brigade. Nick Kroll also gained fans as Rodney Ruxin on The League, which was about a group of terrible people who played fantasy football.
Nick Kroll's Big Mouth Kept His Comedy Chops Honed
One of his biggest successes has been the animated Netflix series Big Mouth. Kroll co-created it, wrote it and lends his voice to one of the show's main characters. The seventh season of Big Mouth is on the way in addition to a spinoff series called Human Resources that debuted in March 2022. With all of this going on, it's been a while since Kroll had a stand-up comedy special. Nick Kroll: Thank You Very Cool aired on Comedy Central in 2011 and was the last special he had before his recent return on Netflix.
Stepping back into the stand-up spotlight for a solo special after 11 years has to be daunting, but Kroll executed it to perfection. Little Big Boy is a thorough examination of many of Nick's personal failings, including the incident that allegedly caused him to become a comedian. Reputedly, he was at a party when he was young and was pantsed while talking to a girl he liked, underwear and all. This is the kind of ingrained trauma that a lot of people believe to be at the core of great stand-ups.
Character Work Is a Highlight of Nick Kroll: Little Big Boy
While that may or may not be true, perfect timing and a brilliant sense of humor are necessary for great comedy. Kroll has all of that in spades. He opens up about losing the woman he thought was going to be the love of his life, then discusses the woman who ended up being the love of his life. Expertly pulling comedy out of that is no small feat, and Kroll does it well. He has obviously kept his stand-up game on point over the years, despite the gap between specials.
What is interesting about his stand-up style is how integral that aforementioned character work is. It's not that Kroll plays different characters on stage, but he does incorporate other voices and body language into the set. One of the funniest running bits in the special is his impersonation of Jason Statham as Kroll's judgmental internal voice.
To his credit, the pandemic was not a focal point of this special though it was inevitably mentioned. Given the world-changing realities of that period, it's kind of hard to completely avoid. That being said, it's hard to not look forward to an era when comedy specials don't mention it at all. Fortunately, Kroll discussing the multiple times he has soiled his own pants, often as an adult, definitely took the spotlight off any discussions of COVID.
Nick Kroll: Little Big Boy is available to stream on Netflix.