'Steve Martin and Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life' Is an Absolute Riot

I like Steve Martin.  His brand of funny is distinctive.  I remember, as a kid, encountering and enjoying in cable his old movies, like The Jerk; Plane, Trains and Automobiles; Sgt. Bilko (this one, I got to see in a theater); and Bowfinger.  And though critically panned, the Pink Panther remake had my belly aching from laughter the first time I saw it (for that reason, I became fond of Martin’s Inspector Clouseau).  Furthermore, his ability to play the banjo incredibly well is an additional reason why I like him.

Meanwhile, I’m not much of a fan of Martin Short.  He had some decent supporting roles and had been a decent voice actor, but he never really made much of an impression on me as a kid.  The only unforgettable childhood memories I had of him was his guesting in Muppets Tonight and Three Amigos, a movie he headlined with Chevy Chase and Steve Martin.

It was on Three Amigos that Martin and Short started their friendship, and a couple of decades later, it would be what their Netflix comedy special would revolve around.  Titled An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life, the two comedians delivered extremely entertaining banters, routines, anecdotes, and musical numbers.  And what makes the whole show overwhelmingly endearing is the strong sense of genuineness radiating from it, that it’s indeed being done by life-long buddies having fun with each other.

This special lacks the kind of “bite” common in today’s brand of comedy.  The jokes and bits can even be considered pretty basic.  Nevertheless, they are quite effective.  I was constantly in stitches.  Maybe it’s because the aforementioned genuineness really makes their humor more potent.  But I think also playing a part is the fact that they aren’t behaving like typical, edgy stand-up comics, but are more like old-fashioned clowns.  They don’t overreach with a “message” (which, when it comes to Hollywood, is typically Left-leaning); their main and only concern is to amuse.  Moreover, though a few obscenities are thrown here and there, this show is relatively mild and wholesome.

But Martin and Short not only shine as comedians in this special, but as overall entertainers.  They display great command of the stage, and there are several moments when they thrive in spontaneity, showcasing their quick-thinking and ad lib skills, especially whenever one or the other is recovering from a delivery that has seemingly been botched (if it was intended, I couldn’t tell).  Moreover, the music is as winning as the comedy.  “The Buddy Song”, which earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics, is particularly moving.

An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life has a runtime of about 73 minutes.  However, they mention at some point that the entire live show ran for one hour and 51 minutes.  If so, then a good amount of footage ended up on the cutting room floor.  Does that mean 30 minutes’ worth of material was so bad that it had to be edited out?  We’ll never know.  But as far as what made it on screen, this comedy special is a thoroughly engaging, genial riot.