Laugh Reviews: Taylor Tomlinson “Look At You”

Take a look at my life and see what I see.

For the past couple of years, Taylor Tomlinson has seen her career grow from headlining Tuesday bar shows in North Hollywood, California, to a sell-out theater tour all over the U.S. Now she’s currently on pace to become Netflix’s biggest comedic superstar.

After a brief stint on NBC’s Last Comic Standing, Netflix would introduce Tomlinson in 2018 as part of The Comedy Lineup, a series of rapid-fire 15-minute stand-up performances. Followed by various late-night performances for the Temecula, California native with appearances on Conan, The Tonight Show w/ Jimmy Fallon, and Late Night w/ Seth Meyers. Variety would notice Taylor’s performance, naming her one of “Top 10 Comics to Watch” at the 2019 Just For Laughs Comedy Festival.

Tomlinson would begin touring alongside her comedy idol Whitney Cummings as part of The Codependent Tour, but it would be short-lived due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Stuck at home along with the rest of the world, Taylor managed to stay relevant in the world of comedy with the release of her first Netflix comedy special Quarter-Life Crisis, and her weekly podcast Self-Helpless with fellow comedians Kelsey Cook and Delanie Fischer. Once travel restrictions and safety protocols were eased in early 2021, Tomlinson went back on the road, this time as the headlining solo act on her first nationwide tour. Also featuring Irene Tu and Dustin Nickerson, Tomlinson’s Deal With It Tour would arguably become the biggest comedy tour of the year. Capitalizing on her new popularity, in late 2021, Netflix would announce her new comedy special eventually titled Look At You, set to be released in March 2022.

In the second stand-up comedy special released by Tomlinson and the streaming service, Taylor hilariously shares an intimate look at her struggles with mental health, grief, and dating. Kristian Mercado directs, and Taylor Tomlinson serves as Executive Producer alongside Judi Marmel and John Bravakis. The special was filmed at the historic Wilbur Theater in Boston in December 2021.

Before her latest Netflix special release, Tomlinson has been young, corky, and harmless, all marketable attributes that would lead to her network TV sitcom and huge endorsement deals with corporate juggernauts such as Target, Pepsi, and Sketchers. Now a woman coming into her own, Taylor finally expresses her personal views of the world, but it may be coming at the expense of her previous “wholesome” image.

The Laughs:
Will the real Taylor Tomlinson please stand up? Look At You is the coming-out party comedy didn’t know it needed. Taylor goes in-depth about her mental health diagnosis, charming the audience with her quirks as she breaks down what life is like. Tomlinson discusses her medication and delves into the intricacies of grief; it’s certainly a deep dive that’s unexpected but refreshing. She shatters down the walls and laughs at the concept of mental health being taboo. Look At You has a more traditional feel than many recent comedy specials. It feels like something that might have aired on Comedy Central or HBO in the early 2000s. Hopefully, it will encourage others to talk about their mental health experiences more than feel it’s a topic to be ashamed of. 

The Bombs:
If you want to become one of the greats, you will have to be willing to take risks. Many comedians have been on record saying that they would never touch certain subjects about death and religion. Tomlinson would go into deep detail on both and can be considered highly questionable. The material wasn’t too dark for her to come back from, but the length of time focused on each subject is cringeworthy.

We Own The Laughs’ Final Review Score:
Best Joke: Straight Dudes
Worst Joke: Dead Mom Jokes Intermission
WOTL Rating (Opener/Feature/Headliner): Headliner
Following in the footsteps of her legendary idols, Taylor Tomlinson is telling all of the right jokes and getting great laughs at the best time of her young career. Often acknowledged as the “Sink or Swim” moment of any comedian whose star is rapidly on the rise, Look At You has proven Taylor has taken off the protective floaties and is making a running splash into the deep end swimming alongside the big kids of comedy.

A Taylor Tomlinson Fun Fact:
In 2017, Tomlinson was set to co-write and star in her own comedy sitcom for ABC. The show would’ve centered around a modern young woman (Tomlinson) as she attempts to stay close to her very religious parents while trying to figure out how she wants to live her own life – which might involve touching someone else’s body, no matter what they told her at Bible Camp – all while acting as a surrogate mother to her new roommates – her two younger sisters. The show would not be picked up for a pilot episode.

Taylor Tomlinson’s “Look At You” is available now on Netflix

Do you consider Taylor Tomlinson’s latest special one of the best of 2022? Please leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.