Stand-Up Comedy Review: “Jim Jefferies: I Swear to God”

Jim Jefferies is a comedian that I’ve only recently been made aware of thanks to his appearances on The Opie and Anthony Show. For anyone familiar with O&A, Jefferies is best described as the Australian equivalent of Jim Norton. His style is honest, raw, raunchy at times, unapologetic, filthy, no holds barred, take no prisoners, and absolutely hilarious.

In his opening salvo, Jefferies takes on religion. An unabashed atheist, he makes no bones about telling the Christians in the audience that they are free to believe how they wish, but that they are wrong. He takes a look at some of the tenets of Christianity and pokes holes in them. Adam and Eve, Noah’s arc, Heaven and Hell. He touches on Jews and Muslims as well, just to make sure no one feels left out.

He moves on to more personal topics, talking about his family. This is where I think his set is the strongest, where he’s the most real and honest. The stories he tells are funny and relatable. He makes no attempt to dress his act up in artifice or pepper it with clever wordplay, which I think gives the stories a much more intimate feel, like your not watching a comedian at all but sharing stories with a friend.

The final bit is a story that is so dirty, I won’t even attempt to repeat it here. Not because I’m afraid to offend, it simply has to be heard to be believed. Reading it in stark black and white wouldn’t do it justice to the way he tells it, and I wouldn’t want to put anyone off before they get to make their own judgment. Suffice it to say, it’s funny, but it’s not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach.

My Netflix Rating: Four out of Five Stars