Paper Tiger (2019 film)

Paper Tiger is a 2019 stand-up comedy special by American comedian Bill Burr. Released via Netflix on September 10, 2019, it was filmed at the Royal Albert Hall in London and directed by filmmaker Mike Binder.[1] Burr performed at the Royal Albert Hall for the first time on June 6, 2018, returning in 2019 to perform extra dates on March 4 and 5 for his show, which was then named 50.[2] Paper Tiger was nominated at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Album.

Paper Tiger
Promotional poster
Directed byMike Binder
Written byBill Burr
Produced byBill Burr
Mike Binder
Dave Becky
Mike Bertolina
Nicky Kentish Barnes
StarringBill Burr
CinematographyNathanial Hill
Edited byBijan Shams
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • September 10, 2019 (2019-09-10) (Netflix)
Running time
67 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Royal Albert Hall in London, the venue of Paper Tiger

Synopsis

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The central subjects of Paper Tiger are cancel culture, the Me Too movement,[1][3][4] people who spread misandry under the guise of feminism, Burr's anger issues and childhood, Elvis Presley's legacy of cultural appropriation, and Burr and his wife having to give up their beloved but "deranged" rescue pit bull when his wife became pregnant.

Reception

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On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an 86% rating from critics.[5] Forbes compared Paper Tiger to Dave Chappelle's 2019 special Sticks & Stones, saying that both specials are framed as a backlash against outrage culture.[6] The Washington Post cited Vulture describing the special as "thoughtful, surprising, introspective", noted the show's "risk of offensiveness" as being in a similar vein with Chappelle's release while pointing out the necessity to "defend the right to be offensive".[7]

Paper Tiger was nominated at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Album.

References

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  1. ^ a b Bill Burr Knows Better Archived 2020-10-23 at the Wayback Machine. The Atlantic, September 24, 2019.
  2. ^ Bill Burr at Royal Albert Hall Royal Albert Hall Web site. Viewed May 17, 2020
  3. ^ Placido, Dani Di. "Bill Burr's 'Paper Tiger' Exposes The Myth Of Outrage Culture". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2021-01-07. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  4. ^ Wilstein, Matt (17 September 2019). "Comedian Bill Burr Rails Against 'Outrage Culture'". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 11 October 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  5. ^ "Bill Burr: Paper Tiger (2019)", Rotten Tomatoes, Fandango, archived from the original on 2019-11-18, retrieved 2021-10-30
  6. ^ Dani Di Placido. Bill Burr’s ‘Paper Tiger’ Exposes The Myth Of Outrage Culture Archived 2021-01-07 at the Wayback Machine. Sep 14, 2019.
  7. ^ Sonny Bunch. Opinion: Want comedy to change minds? The risk of offensiveness has to be there Archived 2020-12-07 at the Wayback Machine. The Washington Post. September. 19, 2019.
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