Mulaney – It’s a Wonderful Home Alone Review

I think I have finally figured out Mulaney. This show is one where not all of the jokes are winners, but there are so many that it doesn’t really matter. John Mulaney, Martin Short, and the other actors throw out so many jokes per episode that not all will be successful. However, these jokes do have the benefit of a delivery speed that requires your constant attention. Mulaney is not a show that can be watched passively, especially if you are playing on Facebook or some other social media site. Basically, if you do anything besides simply watch Mulaney, then you will miss out on some pretty great jokes while only catching the less successful ones.

Mulaney’s latest episode, “It’s a Wonderful Home Alone”, is one that relies on these quick jokes that you can easily miss, especially with all of the storylines that are happening. This episode deals with John’s failed audition to be in Home Alone when he was a child, but that is only the tip of the iceberg. Apparently, John Mulaney actually had an opportunity to audition for Home Alone, but his parents turned him down. However, this episode explores a universe where John fails his audition and bears an ill will toward Macaulay Culkin, which is made more awkward when Lou Cannon invites Culkin to be a guest star on his live Christmas special.

While this special is happening, John is dealing with Jane and Motif who have completely forgotten about buying him a present. To fix this error, Jane and Motif decide that it will be a good idea to recreate It’s a Wonderful Life in the middle of their shared apartment instead of listening to John’s subtle present requests. This idea doesn’t go over too well with John, but it’s a very entertaining moment in the episode. Of course, Elliott Gould puts a nice bow on the bit with the best joke.

Finally, the other main storyline of Mulaney revolves around Jesse Tyler Munoz, a rival TV host played by Nick Kroll, who is trying to sneak around and steal Lou Cannon’s Christmas show plans. Kroll is actually the butt of most jokes because he is constantly being referred to as a “fake Hispanic” because of his outrageous accent that occasionally disappears and a spray tan. Nick Kroll described his character as a weird version of Mario Lopez, which is pretty great. Actually, many of the fast-paced jokes I referred to earlier are used when Kroll’s character is either shown or mentioned. Additionally, Kroll does a good job in his guest role because he has a penchant for playing super weird characters. However, the best guest role of the episode belongs to another comic named Ron Funches.

Ron Funches is a stand-up comic from Oregon who has been steadily rising in fame through his appearances on @Midnight and his show Undateable. In this episode of Mulaney, Funches plays a member of a mascot dance troupe that accidentally incorporates Andre in the group because of his weird appearance. Apparently, Andre looks like a big mascot. Ron Funches doesn’t have more than two or three lines in the episode, but he is still pretty great as a Toucan. Honestly, if you look at Ron Funches and don’t smile, then you are probably dead inside.

Seriously, just look at him!

“It’s a Wonderful Home Alone” is an extremely busy episode with all of the storylines, but the pacing is handled well. Plus, the great guest appearances keep the entertainment going while the other jokes are flying. Honestly, Mulaney is starting to grow on me, as I understand more of the jokes and pacing. I appreciate that so much effort goes into crafting these jokes, along with the quick pacing. Sure, a lot of the jokes aren’t spectacular, but most of them are of the forced variety. The best humor in Mulaney comes when the characters are making quick, subtle jabs at each other.

I’ve stated many times that Mulaney has some issues, but they are becoming less frequent as the season progresses. I enjoy watching the show more and more, and I definitely prefer the weirder episodes like the Halloween special and this Christmas special. I definitely don’t believe that Mulaney is deserving of the 3.8 star rating on IMDB.