A Whole Lifetime with Jamie Demetriou (2023) User Reviews

Laugh out loud funny

[jamieslaysuk · 7/10 · 4 March 2023]

Absolutely crying whilst watching this. Yea I appreciate that if you don't get his off the wall humour it'll probably disappoint. It's so Steve coogan and British cringe comedy. I love it. I need more of this lol.

Don't be dismayed by the 1/10 ratings. Watch it and make your own opinion. It sums up perfectly how it feels to grow up and the awkwardness of teenage life to adulthood. The joke specifically in the office and the gag was absolutely hilarious. I love stath and I love the comedy in both of these shows

I hope Netflix make more of this because it's bloody brilliant Well done Jamie and everyone involved!

...it puts a "B" among the egg

[owen-watts · 7/10 · 2 March 2023]

Demetriou's solo debut for Netflix is a mixed bag but so gloriously entertaining and rammed with star quality that I'll happy hold it. The mixed bag, I mean. I'll hold it until someone wants to pick it up. Did the central premise work? Not really. Did some of the sketches go on about 10% too long? Yes they did. Did I regularly release an audible hoot of such intense magnitude that my ceiling partially collapsed? Yes I did. Look at these names: you've got Silcox in there, the lesser-seen Jonny Sweet, the legendary Katy Wix. I could keep going. This is yes, admittedly, a mixed bag that I am still holding for some reason but I like doing it and I don't intend to stop.

What happened?

[musickrev · 3/10 · 1 March 2023]

Jamie Demetriou had me in stitches in the wonderful "Stath Lets Flats" but here he barely raised a few smiles amid periods of sheer unfunniness. Some of the ideas were potentially funny and just misfired, others didn't seem to have much purpose at all, and, irritatingly, just once in a while something looked like it might really gel but usually didn't. In other words, this was a big disappointment and I'm wondering why. Maybe it was the format, maybe it was the lack of a truly sympathetic supporting cast (in marked contrast to the spot-on ensemble in "Stath"), maybe it was a result of trying to squeeze too many ideas into too short a time frame. Regardless, this is not the place to see the best of Demetriou.

If it makes me laugh out loud, it's funny.

[tomregan-99971 · 8/10 · 1 March 2023]

Other reviews seem like people upset it isn't an hour long episode of Stath lets flats. It's not that but it's still really funny. Hilarious sketch concepts and musical parody moments. So clever and laugh out loud funny we didn't want it to end! Loved seeing the Stath Let's Flats actor pop up in lots of scenes too. Particularly loved the first millennial sketch - Jamie's writing is seriously clever and makes the every day funny. We missed watching Stath Let's Flats as binged it so quickly so was happy to see this special pop up on Netflix and hope he gets to do more. His characters are always brilliant.

Disappointing

[hhtt83 · 1/10 · 1 March 2023]

So disappointed in this, I am a massive Stath let's Flats fan and had high hopes for more character comedy genius but was left completely disappointed. The whole thing is a messy mish mash of quite frankly nonsense. The comedy doesn't root itself in anything relatable or funny. It's not even weird in a kooky out there comedy genius way it's just boring predictable nonsense! Jamie is however a brilliant comedy actor and he can pull off such varied characters so well and this showcased his brilliant diversity in acting but really none of his comedic writing skills. I guess it will always be hard to follow up a hit show but sometimes as in this case it's best not to try. I really hope he can find his comedy again and come back with a well put together quirky and most importantly FUNNY show. Sorry Jamie this wasn't it.

Epic - comedy is in good hands

[ExpandYourself · 9/10 · 19 March 2023]

Loved Stath, but didn't get series 3 as much as the others, so was unsure if I'd given Jamie and his regulars too much credit. However...

His Comic Relief sketches were inspired, doing his own thing to the max, then a great song by the ensemble.

Wasn't sure about this Netflix special, but stuck the trailer on and was intrigued (the old hospital man needs his own series!). So glad I watched it - I honestly think it's the funniest thing I've watched in the last few years. Some of the sketches were incredibly fresh and unexpected. I've only docked a star for the Best Man sketch, but probably being a bit mean. The only thing similar (to me) is I Think I Should Leave, but both are unique. Want more more more now, but will gladly watch this again, whenever I just want a laugh. Thanks.

Painfully unfunny

[spinningkitties · 1/10 · 1 March 2023]

Jamie Demetriou is a fantastic comedy creator and Stath Lets Flats is genuinely great - unique, heart-warming and full of loveably quirky characters. This show was utterly painful to watch; predictable punchlines, oddly lacking flow between actors, almost as though they were a little embarrassed by the script, and full of bizarre musical interjections. Could have been something really good but immensely hard to enjoy. Hoping this was a one-off lack of form from such a talent but also hoping he isn't asked to make any future Netflix specials - baffling to think if anyone could honestly enjoy A Whole Lifetime.

Really Disappointing

[deepfrieddodo · 3/10 · 13 March 2023]

Sadly, A Whole Lifetime is a really disappointing sketch show. There is only a single funny sketch, Kiss Villa, with the rest being utterly forgettable. Perhaps with a bit more exposure these sketches could develop into something better, but they all feel one-and-done.

The success of Demetriou's previous work comes from the brilliantly developed and instantly endearing characters. Given 5 minutes each, that is not created here. It's silly, no doubting that, but just not enjoyable. Musical elements are thrown in to no great avail, and despite a roster of recognisable actors from the creator's previous shows, no one particularly shines here.

I Think You Should Leave - UK style

[iamjakstephens · 9/10 · 13 March 2023]

Really interesting and refreshing look at comedy, not for boomers I guess. Not perfect but got lots of potential for a follow up. If you like ITYSL I think you'd like this.

Nice observations of social anxiety, crap TV, vulnerable people and parenting. The slapstick in it is great, and Demetriou is a natural at it. He uses his low vocal range in great comedic ways too.

Definitely not perfect, some of it falls flat (some of the music is beyond so-bad-it's good) and it's not quite as deep as the sketches could have been. It's definitely too weird for some people, but really, that's a good thing.

Mind bogglingly bad!!!

[DirkDiamond · 1/10 · 4 March 2023]

I consider this to be something of a public service announcement.

I liked about 2 sketches in this thing, within the first 20 mins, but then it completely went off the rails, and fell to pieces. Saw a glowing review in the Guardian for it, "laughing out loud!" all the way through apparently, but at what exactly I'm none the wiser. Quite shocked I allowed myself to fall foul of that recommendation. I don't follow them, but for some reason I fell upon the review and recommendation, but there we go!

If you try it don't go past the Kissing reality TV show scene, before which there are a couple of okay bits, but that's really it. Badly written, embarrassingly acted, no... just badly written, actors having to do their best to work with garbage, having little choice but to fall flat on their faces!

The new steve coogan?

[bjnzfwv · 8/10 · 4 March 2023]

This is great. It's subtle and it's hilarious. If you can't see that then you're no fan of Ricky Gervaise, Alan Partridge or Month Python.

This boy is going places (and no I'm not his gorgeous sister).

Now I'm gonna just repeat this to get over the absurd minimum character thing IMBD have done for some reason...

This is great. It's subtle and it's hilarious. If you can't see that then you're no fan of Ricky Gervaise, Alan Partridge or Month Python.

This boy is going places (and no I'm not his gorgeous sister).

Now I'm gonna just repeat this to get over the absurd minimum character thing IMBD have done for some reason...

This is great. It's subtle and it's hilarious. If you can't see that then you're no fan of Ricky Gervaise, Alan Partridge or Month Python.

This boy is going places (and no I'm not his gorgeous sister).

Now I'm gonna just repeat this to get over the absurd minimum character thing IMBD have done for some reason...

Netflix's Latest Comedy Fails to Deliver, Not Worth Your Time

[xxbbooyy-22227 · 1/10 · 1 March 2023]

When it comes to comedy, I am always eager to give new shows a chance, especially when they come from a platform as renowned as Netflix. Unfortunately, my optimism quickly faded when I started watching their latest offering. From the very beginning, it was evident that the show was going to be an uphill battle. The jokes were predictable, formulaic, and lacked any sense of originality. The entire show felt like a rehash of overdone tropes and themes that have been done to death in the genre.

As I continued watching, I realized that the show's problems went beyond just its lack of originality. The pacing was off, with jokes and gags that fell flat and lingered for far too long. It was as if the writers were trying to stretch out a thin premise, resulting in a show that was not just unfunny but tedious to watch.

Given the quality of content that Netflix has produced in the past, I expected much more from this latest comedy. It's not just that the show was bad, it was that it felt like it was deliberately designed to be mediocre. There was no sense of risk-taking or experimentation, no attempt to push the boundaries of what we expect from comedy.

Oh dear

[toby-919-8183 · 4/10 · 12 March 2023]

Was wanting so much better from this as I know he's a funny comedian, but this seems like a cheap version of Bo Burnham songs lacking the good writing. There isn't the storyline and writing to match similar things like Toast either that also includes occasional songs. A neat idea and collection of stories through life which might have been better as five minute sketches put out on YouTube like baby cow does. This seems like a bunch of sixth formers have written it and put it together , or maybe I'm not the right audience and some will fall about themselves. For those who've seen Woody Allen you'll expect more . Shame.

Cringe comedy

[roadkillsnacks · 1/10 · 15 April 2023]

At the time of this review of 1st episode the RT rating of 80% and imdb 6/10, but I seriously question the validity of these scores.

It's structure seems similar to Monty Python's "Meaning of Life", but it's unwatchable. I found it painful, awkward and boring. I stopped watching this after 13 min.

Most of the characters that I saw were unlikable gross caricatures with shallow insights. The music did not add anything to the content.

The only thing of mild interest was slap stick comedy, but it felt empty and repetitive.

I normally don't bother criticising comedy, but this was awful enough that it deserved a PSA.