Patton Oswalt is someone that has been in a myriad of things. If you are into anything geeky, chances are you’ve seen him before in something. He notably appeared in Parks and Recreation, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Veronica Mars and many others. Oswalt recently released a comedy special for Netflix called I Love Everything.
I hadn’t even realized Oswalt did stand up prior to this. I watched because I’ve seen him in so many things, and he’s just so likable in everything he does even when he’s playing a character you can’t stand. In watching I Love Everything, I found Oswalt’s other comedy special Annihilation: Patton Oswalt.
The new special was charming, and didn’t have anything that made me want to cringe the way some comedy specials will have at least one joke that makes you go, “eh…………” because that is what comedians are good at. I then turned around and watched Annihilation by Patton Oswalt.
Oswalt discusses everything. Politics. Fandom. Family. Work. There’s nothing that’s off limits to him. There’s something different about this special though, in that in it Oswalt discusses the death of his wife and being a widower. Oswalt’s wife Michelle McNamara passed away in 2005, and Oswalt talks about being a single dad and going through the motions after death. He doesn’t shy away from the hard stuff, although you can tell there are parts where he’s trying to keep it together.
One of the stories he tells about his wife is that she was a true crime writer, and while Oswalt is always like, “Maybe there is some meaning to life,” her favorite refrain was, “It’s chaos, be kind.” The quote hit me like a load of bricks, particularly in our 2020 world.
So, if you need a laugh, and a break, be sure to check out Annihilation: Patton Oswalt. And remember the words of his wife, it’s chaos, be kind.
