Colin Quinn: Red State Blue State
As I kick off this Netflix & iLL (Streaming Recommendation) section, I realized I had to start with one of my favorite stand-up specials: Red State Blue State by Colin Quinn on Netflix.
This CNN Original based on Quinn’s Off-Broadway show checks off pretty much everything on my list when it comes to what I’m looking for in comedy. In this case being: wittiness, truth, politics, history, cultural accuracy, cleverness, relatability and my favorite; cynicism.
Quinn is hilariously accurate when presenting his analysis of who we are as a country by calling out the hypocrisy of our political system and our embedded ideologies as “American” people. Exploring topics like the invention of the middleman, the impractical concept of freedom of speech and the tribalism that connects us, Colin leads us into a cerebral and honest look of each of the 50 states and what they have become in these last transformative years finalizing with a conclusion that could be the key to restoring the balance of the land and happiness to its citizens. A solution that Natives of the so-called Americas can particularly appreciate.
I’m still coming up with a scoring system for my streaming recommendations but if I had to rate this title it would get the higgest and iLLest honors.
Red State Blue State
TV-14
Stand-Up Comedy
Written by: Colin Quinn
Directed by: Robert Moresco