User reviews

I will admit I only lasted about 15 minutes. The first bit with the mother-daughter seemed totally staged. It had to have been staged and that just seems like cheating and a gimmick. I really like him in his short videos and he does sell out. Tried to get tickets to see him while he was in Maine. They even had to add a couple of shows because they sold out so quickly. But maybe he sticks to his own material and doesn't do crowd work. There's no way you can convince me that that mother and daughter were not planted there. This just absolutely no way it's believable so for that reason I turned it off and came here to leave a review.

Matt his crowd work is usually good but you can't build a full show around it. You just don't get enough entertaining scenario's. So, how to fix it? Stage a couple people. The first mom-daughter part felt fully staged. I don't buy it for one second.

Other interactions were quite basic. Not very entertaining. Some of the "regular" comedy he does in between is more of the same of his last specials his stand up just isn't very good, his crowd work usually is. The clips online are short clips out of full shows and only the actually funny ones get uploaded but this shows that you can't force that in a show.

Was listening to it on a walk but if I wasn't I would have turned it off after 15 minutes.

Matt Rife has has quite the wild ride when it comes to fame. Thanks to tik tok and other forms of social media he shot into the stratosphere because of his crowd work. His shows became the hottest tickets in town as he filled out arenas across the country. But he let it go to his head, let his foot off the gas, made some character canceling mistakes, and quickly became one of the most hated comedians out there after a Netflix special that didn't land. I will admit that I was one of those people that was done with him after all of that, but I have to say that I admire his effort in trying to make a comeback. He does it by going back to his crowd work roots and launching something that is somewhat revolutionary to try to move his craft forward and salvage is career. While I had to admit I would watch another one if it came out, I also thought it fell a little flat. The crowd was too excited to get their wild stories out there which detracted from it, but there were some funny parts. My rating is really a 5 with an extra point for originality.

Crowd work is improv. Improv is scary and hard. Matt is brilliant at it...seriously, and looks so comfortable in front of a crowd, who is always judging you, and he is able to completely hold court. You have to be whip smart and have a varied diet of history, current events, politics, general gossip, etc, and Matt has all that at a young age.

I just don't get that some people hate him...he's so personable and funny. I know he's be accused of punching down at women in his routines but there is none of that here. It's super fun to watch him play off the crowd and seems to even be overly respectable to everyone involved.

Off-the-heels of his Natural Selection flop, Netflix delivers Lucid to try and recapture the weird enigma of Matt Rife. Rife's sudden rise to fame from social media shorts basically had exchanges like this:

Matt: Where do you work?

Guest: Victoria's Secret

Matt: (ADHD screaming) Oh my God! You work at Victoria's Secret?!?!

Audience: *Seal noises of middle-aged woman cackling*

That's pretty much the gist of it. It follows much of the same generic crowd work form factor as Akaash Singh joking about Indian IT workers or Phil Hanley joking about special needs teachers. There is little new or particularly interesting to see with Lucid. If you're not into the same, you probably won't like this special. If you are one of Matt's fan, chances are you will still be disappointed Lucid wasn't a continuous highlight reel.

Matt slayed. No hype, over exaggeration, nothing; just pure facts. Ignore the bad reviews. I almost avoided the special too. I am so happy that I did. I will be watching it with my wife tomorrow and recommending it to others as well. That's how good it is. I find it so difficult to find good movies or shows these days, this one definitely made my Friday! Thanks Netflix! Thanks Matt!

To be confronted with so much challenging material from the crowd, and still be so masterful in gauging that info in-sync with the crowd whilst making the material funny was not only comedic gold but truly masterful.

Give it a watch! Done chat :)

Lazy and he really isn't that funny. The crowd work is so staged and scripted. I also don't find him very talented and what I saw, was quite boring. I had a hard time getting through the first 20 minutes and felt like I should have been reimbursed for my time. When he's not crowd baiting, he is just talking too much. If I could give this a lower rating, I would. I recommend passing on this and finding a stand up comedian with talent. Don't waste your time. Again, it's so scripted and mediocre I'm surprised they even decided to air this on Netflix. Turn the channel, read a book, take up a hobby and pass on this.

Anyone who gives Matt Rife bad reviews must be hella jealous of him. Which makes sense, because there is A LOT to be jealous of. Who cares about the mainstream haters. I hope Matt doesn't waste even a second of his thoughts on them. Matt has an ENORMOUS fanbase for a reason, and as always, the fans have spoken!!! Matt surpassed all comedic expectations, as usual. What stood out to me the most about this special is that it showcased how incredibly personable he is with the audience. There's a kind of therapeutic quality in how he talks to people. It's amazing to watch how it comes so naturally to him. It's a true gift. He's a master at making people feel at ease, and gives everyone in the room a good feeling. I don't understand how it's possible to make comedy that is obscene yet at the same time feel-good, but Matt has managed to achieve this perfect balance. It's such a unique combination and I've never seen anyone do it like that. It's pure genius. At one point, someone in the audience brought up some very cringy subject matter that made a lot of people visibly uncomfortable, and Matt managed to diffuse the situation and turn it into comedic gold. I've never seen a comedian do that so smoothly without any awkwardness on his part. He handles the crowd like a pro. At this point in his career, there's no denying it... he is a pro of pros. His crowd work is legendary, and he's already accumulated enough footage to create a legacy to last for decades. He has made an indelible mark in comedy. Anyone who can't recognize that is a simp who is blind to what the general population likes. And that's what it's all about... THE PEOPLE! Matt gets that.

I loved the "dream" theme that was chosen. Such an excellent premise for amazing crowd work. I also loved the opening with the music and the 3D photography, and I loved the ending with the little blurbs about all the people who had the privilege of interacting with Matt during the show. I will be watching this special again many times. It will forever be one of the many examples of Matt at his comedic best. He should be incredibly proud.

Compared to what I've seen on Tik-Tok, this crowd work special wasn't good. Many of the "jokes" weren't laughable and members of the audience seemed like they were falling asleep.

I mean, I like him as a comedian, but this special wasn't for me. Plus, wearing his own merch seemed weird to me. It seems like he's trying to hard to be liked. I'm not sure what his full show is like, but just going off of this, it seems pretty lackluster. Dry humor sometimes doesn't work for people.

My rating this a 2/5 stars is because I couldn't even make it 15 minutes into it. Plus, all of the cursing! Too much of the F-Bomb.

Anyone who finds this special anything less than hilarious needs to get their sense of humor checked. Seriously.

Matt proves he was gifted with a special talent and can create humor on the fly. His first Netflix special didn't do as well because he didn't work with the crowd. Netflix clearly listened to the fans by gifting us with this unique performance. I attended one of his shows in Sioux Falls and can attest to his natural talent - I haven't laughed that genuinely hard in AGES. I love how he can broach certain suspects that most people wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole and everyone in the crowd still laughs.

Matt is truly one-of-a-kind and deserves all the hype. My only hope is that he doesn't let the dark side of Hollywood change him in any way, and he continues to break boundaries with his talent.

Well, if you thought his "Natural Selection" Netflix special was bad, "Lucid" is even worse. All I can say is I really think everything that you see of him on TikTok and YouTube is basically just clips taken from hours and hours of his stand up in clubs. Your only seeing about 5% of what he does that's actually funny. When he tries to do an hour long special, you're seeing his true abilities at trying to be funny for an hour straight, which he clearly can't do. It's kind of crazy that in today's day and age you can get to be as successful as he is by using social media the right way.

I'm sorry, but he's just not that good of a comedian.

I would've thought that a crowd work special would've shined the light on what he is actually good at, but even this showed that he only has small bouts of funny stuff during shows that are really actually worth laughing at, but the majority of his standup is not funny at all. When you see something on YouTube, it's literally two minutes of his best material that taken from hours of crowd work at a club.

BAD, JUST BAD.

The reviews here are too negative in my opinion. It wasn't the greatest comedy special I've ever seen on netflix, but it definitely had me laughing more than most of the specials that pop up on my feed. Yes, the audience felt a little like it was hand-picked for a crowd work special, and some of the more wacky stories distract from the fact that Matt can find the humor in more mundane details, but it was still funny and Matt still managed to find humor and make quick jokes that I definitely wouldn't be able to think of. Some of the reviews here almost scared me off, so after watching it I figured I'd come add my own.

Lucid: A crowd work special by Matt Riffe was a really good fun time and really shows you when comedians have to do crowd work and improve on the spot and its not part of the show its adlib its not always as funny as it seems the comedian has to molde that small 10 second conversation into something relatable for all and fun.

A reall effort wa made by Matt to make the crowd work really work and for the most part it did for the first i would say 20 to 30mins i had a good chukle and then after that I just listended to intresting life stories by all present and talking about dreams and striving towards your dreams is a great message for everyone.

This short less than 1 hour comedy special is funny but due to the context covered and the way the subjects where coveed this was definetly not for younger audiences.

I would love to go to one of his shows and experience the funny live.

A good fun short time for adults.

Seriously I can't even try to describe how much I wish I had not watched it. It's supposed to be a comedy not a drama, dude was awful. I love this guy, he is usually really good. Why did this tank so badly? Solely crowd work with way too much talking and feeling and not enough laughing. It felt more like a talk show with Sally Jesse Raffael or Montel Williams than a stand up comedy routine. I feel like I wasted my whole night, waiting for the kids to go to bed, the husband and I with snacks sitting excitedly anticipating this awesome Netflix special and like huge, monsterous bummer! I want my night back Matt!

This was not really a stand up special. It was also not really a crowd work show - it was more like a podcast. Super fun and full of surprises - I enjoyed it a ton and in the end I just needed a cigarette because I got what I needed from this.

The people who spoke up to tell their stories were the stars of the show as each story was better than the story before. I felt that the outro gave them the credits that they deserved and put this over the top for me. I was at 8/10 and that nostalgia of the fake credits and making me recap the whole thing reminded me that actually all of it was great...

Matt Rife is witty, but not funny. Most of the comedic heavy lifting is done by the audience members: a woman who gives blowjob lessons, a gay man who dreams of being a female stripper. Matt points out the absurdity of what the audience member is saying, but adds little humor to it. He'll throw in a quick one liner, but keeps it light so he doesn't offend anyone. That's the problem. He's too timid to say anything that would make anyone uncomfortable. He's trying so hard to be likable, and he's paying for it in the funny department. Matt's special is like vanilla ice cream; it's fine but forgettable.

Matt Rife's latest comedy special is a testament to his exceptional skill in crowd work and his remarkable ability to connect with his audience on a deeply personal level. It's one thing to be funny on stage, but it's an entirely different art to engage and entertain a room full of strangers with such effortless charm and wit.

Rife's crowd work is nothing short of outstanding. From the moment he starts interacting with the audience, it's clear that he has a unique gift for reading the room and adapting his humor to fit each individual. His interactions are not just spontaneous but are crafted with a keen sense of timing and an intuitive understanding of human nature. Rife's ability to turn casual conversations into hilarious, memorable moments showcases his improvisational prowess and deep connection with his audience.

What makes Rife's crowd work truly exceptional is his genuine and personable approach. He has a remarkable knack for making each audience member feel seen and appreciated, turning every interaction into a shared experience. His warm, approachable demeanor creates an atmosphere where people feel comfortable and willing to engage, making the show feel more like a lively, inclusive gathering rather than a traditional stand-up performance.

Rife's skillful blending of humor and personal connection results in a show that is both entertaining and heartwarming. His ability to balance playful teasing with genuine warmth ensures that everyone leaves the venue with a smile. It's this personal touch that makes Rife's comedy special stand out - he doesn't just perform for his audience; he performs with them, creating an unforgettable experience for everyone involved.

In short, Matt Rife's crowd work is a masterclass in comedic interaction. His personable approach and exceptional ability to connect with his audience make his comedy special a must-see for anyone who appreciates both top-notch humor and genuine human connection. Don't miss the chance to witness this comedic genius at work - it's a performance that will leave you laughing and feeling truly engaged.

We've been fans of Matt for like 5 or 6 years now. He has done amazing Crowd work over the years. But the special fell flat. It was horrible crowd work I thought. I think the problem was he trying to have a theme, dreams, and it just did not work. It was not spontaneous ...it just didn't work. Crowd work has to be spontaneous. (jennifer kirson) Over the years he's done amazing crowd work. But to do a show about crowd work. With little edits, then you're put on the spot. Maybe editing would of it made a better? I don't know. But I do know we love Matt rife, we always will, he's very talented, this special just fell short I felt.

I went into this today ready to laugh as I usually do when watching his crowd work on the internet short videos. Of course, sometimes he makes me uncomfortable and sometimes really uncomfortable. Still, I wanted to watch and laugh. And I did a few times. And I was really uncomfortable a few times. But mainly, I was ready for it to be over because I found it very limiting. The idea of dreams as the focal point of his entire show just stifled anything that went beyond that box he put his show in. It went beyond a few times, yes. But I really think I would have enjoyed a pure stand up routine instead of all crowd work. He's funny and personable, but this time it just didn't completely work for me.