When it comes to modern icons of comedy, there are a few names to come to mind, but Patton Oswalt is definitely near the top of that list. He carved out a career as a comedian, actor and voice actor that people dream about, and his nerdish leanings combined with his biting wit make him a fan favorite, which he shows off in his new Netflix special We All Scream.
Who Is Patton Oswalt?
Patton Oswalt is one of those guys that everyone recognizes, even if they don't think they know who he is. The man has been in the business since the 1990s, appearing in series like Seinfeld and NewsRadio. A lot of fans also know him as a regular on The King of Queens as Spence Olchin and more recently as Principal Ralph Durbin on A.P. Bio. Plus, Oswalt has appeared in numerous movie,s not to mention lending his voice to even more animated outings like M.O.D.O.K. Now, he's an official member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the voice of Pip the Troll.
On top of all that, Patton's bread and butter is stand-up comedy. He has a unique way of looking at the world, with an acerbic and sometimes self-deprecating manner that cuts to the core of a situation. It's also hard to deny his status as an elite geek, something he has expertly rolled into his comedy over the years.
What's Oswalt's Latest Netflix Special?
Patton Oswalt: We All Scream is his first special since the pandemic hit. For obvious reasons, there weren't a lot of stand-up shows filmed during that time, but comedians have made up for lost time by cranking out some pure gold. We All Scream is Oswalt's tenth special overall since 1997 and his fourth for Netflix since 2016. Filmed in Denver, Patton leaned into the Mile High City and did some absurdly good crowd work that dovetailed nicely into the rest of his set.
Not surprisingly, Oswalt had a lot to say about the pandemic. He wasn't complaining about the government or how the pandemic was handled, which was refreshing, as more than a few comics have gone that route. However, he talked about how the pandemic impacted his life. Specifically, Patton got into how he had all of these plans for the shutdown but none of it came to fruition. That was incredibly relatable, as most people were in the same boat.
Even more relatable was the portion of Oswalt's set on getting older. Now in his 50s, Oswalt talked about breaking his foot after stepping off a curb wrong. He then posited that his friend and former co-star, Glenn Howerton, may have been lying about getting injured snowboarding and was also a victim of age.
As usual, Oswalt also made viewers think about the world in a different way. He brought up Joe Rogan, the divisive comedian and podcaster, as Patton knew Rogan since the '90s. He described his old friend as a sweet guy driven crazy by the pressure of too much money, something Oswalt said would also happen to him in the same position. Those comments were interesting considering it's easy to see these two comedians as opposites, but Oswalt excels at being hilarious, funny and insightful at the same time in We All Scream.