While
Jeff Garlin garnered a celebrity presence in the 2000s as the calm and genial (yet thoroughly, delightfully corrupt) improvisational foil to
Larry David's neuroses on the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, the forty-something everyman had been working the comedy circuit (in addition to being a writer and other odd jobs) since the '80s. However, it was not until his television fame kicked in that he released his first comedy LP, 2009's
Young & Handsome, a companion piece to an hourlong special. He describes his acting style as "comfort and calmness," an apt appraisal of his standup manner as well.
Garlin has a wandering narrative method that pauses only to languidly poke fun at his own quirks or lack of center. Simply put, his CYE character is not far from comic persona: relaxed, ready for any curve balls, and inexplicably hilarious. The pacing on
Young & Handsome is somewhat uneven, but ultimately impeccable;
Garlin eases into the performance with a few stories that don't go anywhere, about his wife, home repair, his own inadequacy, as he all the while interrupts himself, veering into glorious tangents. It's a perfect setup for a centerpiece where he changes the tempo, clumsily, endearingly, acknowledging his place as a storyteller, but almost asking if the audience will indulge him in a rash of observational detritus. Even if these comic jabs weren't funny, it would be hard not to be drawn to his charming personality; better, they are subtly uproarious and one cannot help but admire the sly genius in the rope-a-dope.
Young & Handsome is a marvelous introduction to an already familiar humorist.