Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval

Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval
Promotional poster for the comedy special
Written byEllen DeGeneres
Directed byJoel Gallen
StarringEllen DeGeneres
Music by
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Producers
CinematographyDylan Sanford
EditorBill DeRonde
Running time70 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNetflix
ReleaseSeptember 24, 2024 (2024-09-24)

Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval is a 2024 American stand-up comedy special by comedian and television host Ellen DeGeneres. It was recorded at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota in August 2024[1][2] and premiered on September 24, 2024 on Netflix.[3] For Your Approval was her first stand-up special since 2018's Ellen DeGeneres: Relatable, also produced by Netflix.[4] DeGeneres has stated that the special will be the end of her public career as a comedian.[5]

Synopsis

In a cold open, DeGeneres walks through the back rooms of the Orpheum Theatre interspersed with video and audio clips of her career in chronological order, with significant coverage of her 2020 bullying accusations.[5] Much of the stand-up is dedicated to her professional life since the 2020 allegations and 2022 end of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, joking that she no longer receives botox treatment and that she had been "kicked out of show business."[6] The song "Golden" by Jill Scott plays over the closing credits.

Reception

For Your Approval received mixed-to-negative from critics. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 33%.[7]

Judy Berman in Time and Adam White in The Independent both described the special as "unfunny."[8][9] Most critical reviews criticized the special as being a venue for DeGeneres to respond to criticism. June Thomas for Slate wrote that the special was meant to "fan the flames of her own ego"[2] and Fran Hoepfner in The Atlantic described it as "a request for grace that she doesn't quite earn."[6]

Writing for The Boston Globe, Mark Feeney gave the special a positive review, calling it "enjoyable viewing."[5]

References

  1. ^ McCormack, Olivia (September 24, 2024). "What we learned from Ellen DeGeneres's Netflix special". Style. The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 7, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Thomas, June (September 30, 2024). "Ellen DeGeneres would like to explain herself". Television. Slate. Archived from the original on September 30, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  3. ^ Solomon, Matt (September 24, 2024). "Ellen DeGeneres is unapologetic, unrelatable and totally insufferable in her new Netflix special". Cracked. Archived from the original on September 25, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  4. ^ Yandoli, Krystie Lee (September 28, 2024). "'The Ellen Show' staffers say Ellen DeGeneres' new Netflix special 'missed the mark'". Performance Review. Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 28, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Feeney, Mark (September 26, 2024). "Ellen DeGeneres is back — twice, in fact". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on September 26, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Hoepfner, Fran (September 26, 2024). "What Ellen DeGeneres isn't hearing over all the applause". Culture. The Atlantic. Archived from the original on September 26, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  7. ^ "Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on October 7, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  8. ^ Berman, Judy (September 24, 2024). "Ellen DeGeneres' unfunny Netflix special leaves so much unsaid". Entertainment. Time. Archived from the original on September 24, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  9. ^ White, Adam (September 24, 2024). "Ellen DeGeneres's final stand-up special is bizarre, unfunny and self-pitying". Culture. The Independent. Archived from the original on September 24, 2024. Retrieved October 7, 2024.