Taylor Tomlinson: Have It All Comedy Story:-
Taylor Tomlinson is experiencing a surge in her career. But you don’t have to take our word for it; she’ll tell you herself. In her latest Netflix special, her third one for the platform, she talks extensively about her rising success (prior to the release of Have It All, Tomlinson also debuted as the host of CBS’ late-night talk show After Midnight). In an industry as challenging for female comedians as comedy, Tomlinson’s acknowledgment of her achievements is commendable, especially as her set delves into how personal chaos can overshadow the joys of a fantastic job. The title of the special stems from her friends’ comments that she couldn’t “have it all” when she shared her heartbreak after her Netflix launch; Tomlinson’s reinterpretation feels like a defiant statement.
Movie Ratings
| Release Date | 13 February 2024 |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Episodes | 1 |
| Cast | Taylor Tomlinson |
| Director | Kristian Mercado |
| Writer | Taylor Tomlinson |
| Cinematography | Jay Lafayette |
| Certificate | A |
However deserving Tomlinson may be of celebrating herself, her career success has not eradicated the challenges in her personal life. As she steps onto the brightly lit purple stage of Washington, DC’s Capital One Hall, with 1,600 cheering spectators, captured by Netflix’s polished cinematography, her impressive career trajectory is evident.
Tomlinson’s rise in the industry is fueled by her sardonic and unapologetic take on dating and friendships, as well as her skillful crowd work showcased extensively on social media. While it’s natural for Tomlinson to highlight the positives in her life and balance her internal struggles with reminders of her hard-earned success, anchoring this narrative within her own special feels contrived, even though it remains authentic. It’s this unpolished personal narrative that makes Have It All consistently amusing but somewhat lacking in depth.
The material on romance, family, and introversion still garners laughs, but the scope of Tomlinson’s hour feels narrower than before. By adopting a performative energy that matches the scale of her new special and tour, Tomlinson occasionally relies on delivery quirks that detract from the intimacy that propelled her to stardom.
At 30 years old, Tomlinson finds herself surrounded by happily married friends who, she suspects, harbor a secret resentment towards the single lifestyle she leads. The strongest moments in Have It All arise when Tomlinson delivers aggressive and creative observations on the evolving dynamics of female friendships in their 30s—changes that aren’t drastic enough to warrant confrontation but are noticeable enough to be mocked.
Beyond the unrealistic notion of “having it all,” Tomlinson highlights the expectation that all phone calls will include her friend’s long-term partner, and the subtle yet pointed shift in the dynamic between married and single friends, which has turned amusingly contentious. It’s as if Tomlinson and her friends are engaged in a dating Cold War within their social circles. Tomlinson’s comedic style has the ability to transform overused topics into piercing and unexpected commentary, appearing exaggerated yet not simplistic.
In the best moments of Have It All, mundane topics like introducing your new boyfriend to your parents are weaponized by Tomlinson, mined for maximum emotional and expressive impact, with well-placed one-liners adding to the effect (even a lackluster riff on bidding for Hugh Jackman’s Music Man glove is buoyed by an off-hand comment on Tony the Tiger’s wealth bracket).
However, despite Tomlinson’s comedic confidence being central to her style, she occasionally fills the large theater with a heightened voice reminiscent of John Mulaney—a delivery style that, when overdone, comes off as obnoxious and undermines her otherwise sharp timing and expressions, sounding like a forced drunk voice. While it’s reductive to say that Have It All needs more crowd work, there was a certain off-the-cuff and intimate quality to Tomlinson’s material in smaller venues that is only occasionally allowed to shine through here.
Tomlinson’s experiences with depression, panic attacks, and bipolar disorder have never defined her, but they have consistently influenced her perspective on and experiences with romance. Her biting and unapologetic critiques of heteronormative courtship, often delivered just meters away from the offending parties, still resonate today. When Have It All allows Tomlinson to be spiteful and self-deprecating, it excels; however, when it focuses on updating the audience on the “Taylor Tomlinson Narrative” to please the large crowd, it falls short. Ultimately, Have It All attempts to straddle the worlds of smaller and larger venues that Tomlinson has inhabited, but falls short of its title in doing so, leaving us with an engaging yet compromised hour.
