Enlarge image
Carolin Kebekus invited people to a church to make jokes about Christmas booze - not a bad gag
Photo:
Ben Knabe / Netflix
Making someone laugh is hard work.
But seldom has it been as hard as it is now.
The mood is gloomy, the weather is gloomy, the Christmas party is canceled.
Anyone who publishes a comedy program now has to work hard.
And Carolin Kebekus does that in her Christmas special, which can be seen on Netflix.
Junk gnomes, erotic advent calendars, booze
She sings newly composed versions of popular Christmas hits, laboriously digs out punchline after punch, and puts together minute-long gags from personal Christmas stories.
And at first you like to watch her joking about Christmas booze in a minimalist church.
But although you want to, you rarely laugh at "The Last Christmas Special".
Because Kebekus' Christmas program is largely cramped and not very original: jokes about pensioners who only wear the color beige and eat hard-boiled eggs on the ICE, "your mother" slogans, gags about scrap gnomes or rather stuffy erotic advent calendars - that is as stale as old mulled wine.
Jokes about Christmas are not straightforward
Sure, jokes about Christmas are not straightforward: a large part of the comedic potential has long been exhausted. And the goofy routines of the holiday season are often their own comedy. So you have to look carefully if you want to make a joke at Christmas. It is particularly unfortunate that Kebekus does not succeed. Because she is one of the best comedians in this country.
In autumn she published a well-researched and punchy book on modern feminism. With her ARD show she produces numerous viral hits, for example about the Catholic Church or #MeToo. When she goes on tour, she fills arenas. Kebekus' humor is as brave as it is coarse. Anyone who laughs with her doesn't laugh at "those up there," nor at "the men", but at role models, stereotypes and clichés. Because Kebekus always links humor with attitude, mostly a feminist one. How much this suits her is also shown in the Netflix special, but unfortunately only briefly.
Kebekus reports on the »gender gift gap«, i.e. the gap between men and children, who always receive the most loving gifts at Christmas, and women who often go empty-handed - or who have to be happy about the vacuum cleaner attachment. "Most of the women I know deserve truckloads of presents," says Kebekus. "After all, they are the producers of all that Christmas bum".
She is absolutely right about that.
Christmas wouldn't even take place without women.
Or it would be pretty dreary.
After all, they not only provide gifts, but often also cookies, decorations, celebratory meals and a reasonably peaceful atmosphere.
So there would have been enough reason to give something back to women, perhaps equal care and Christmas work.
Or at least laugh for an hour.
It's a shame that you have to wait for both.