I first heard about Big Mouth, Netflix’ latest animated comedy series, while
patrolling an ideologically diseased sector of the Internet where I was gathering
material for a project that I’ve been working on for a while now. It was at one
of the Chan boards, where some concerned patriots were trying to figure out how
best to deal with the immanent release of a sinister new cartoon show that they
described as being an obvious example of how Far Left Jews and their Illuminati
Satanist partners were using their strangle-hold on the entertainment industry
to “normalize” pedophilia, because Cultural Marxism.
It turns out that series was Big Mouth, and after watching all ten episodes in a single binge, I am pleased to report that it is nothing less than a triumph, and that only the most religiously indoctrinated, sexually
dysfunctional, and/or psychologically damaged among us will be able to find
anything objectionable about it. There’s nothing more explicit here than what
can be found in old classroom sex-education videos. The target audience is
clearly older teens and young adults, and the vast majority of viewers will be
too distracted roaring in laughter as they re-live their own junior
high experiences to fret over the fact that they’re being shown a (cartoon) 13-year-old
(cartoon) girl’s (cartoon) talking vagina.
Okay, so let’s get a few nit-picks out of the way. Big Mouth starts out
slow, with the first episode being one of the series’ weakest entries. Fortunately,
everything lines up nicely by the second episode, after which there’s a good
stretch without a single stinker in the bunch.
Visually, Big Mouth fits snugly in the Family Guy, American Family
tradition. In other words, it’s on the decent side of adequate, but it’s no
masterpiece. I do find it somewhat ironic, however, that many of the same folks
who accuse the show of trying to make kids seem sexy also accuse the character
design as being “really fucking ugly”.
There are two areas where Big Mouth truly shines.
First, the writing. The jokes come at you thick and fast, and they have
an enviable hit/miss ratio. With few exceptions, the fourth wall breaks and
fantasy sequences feel earned and organic, especially when compared to those
found in the aforementioned Family Guy.
Second, the performances. Having already explored the comedic potential
of late middle-age with their phenomenally popular Broadway smash (and
subsequent Netflix special) Oh, Hello!, the dynamic duo of series co-creator/co-writer Nick Kroll and John Mulaney portray best buddies Nick and
Andrew, two junior high kids in the clutches of pubertal chaos, each in their
own special way. For Andrew, the struggle is all too primal, as evinced by his
near constant state of sexual arousal. Nick, on the other hand, is navigating
the tricky waters of being a late bloomer surrounded by peers who are for all
intents and purposes exploding into adulthood, with occasionally bloody
consequences.
While Nick and Andrew provide the series with a focal point, Big Mouth is
very much an ensemble showcase. The voice actors portraying the circle of friends are
uniformly excellent, with Jenny Slate’s precocious nerd Missy being a
particularly endearing stand-out. Series co-creator/co-writer Jessi Klein’s
Jessi is meant to be the character that female viewers identify with, so she’s
a bit of a cypher, but it works in context, and she makes the most of her many chances
to shine. Jason Mantzoukas’ wannabe magician Jay rounds out the main gang, and is
a fine example of the self-aware fifth wheel.
The rest of the Big Mouth universe is populated by three specific types of
character.
First, there are the other kids, like the catty gay stereotype Matthew, the
young interracial couple who go by the joint name “the Devins”, and Jay’s
terrifying older brothers.
Next, we have the adults, who range from the incompetent (and
incontinent) Coach Steve, to Andrew’s fraught father and anxiety-ridden mother,
to Nick’s exaggeratedly enlightened, loving and supportive parents.
Finally, we come to the supernatural characters. For instance, Andrew is
being stalked by the Hormone Monster, here rendered as a shaggy, degenerate Pan figure on a quest to get Andrew to spend every waking moment masturbating.
Jessi, meanwhile, is visited by the Hormone Monstress, beautifully voiced by
Maya Rudolph. In fact, Rudolph and the writers make the Monstress so distinct
from her male counterpart, you’d think they could have come up with a better
name. And finally, seeing as he has yet to reach puberty, Nick’s otherworldly
connection comes in the form of the ghost of Duke Ellington, who haunts the
attic of his house. It’s a silly contrivance, but it’s an excuse to have Jordan
Peele on the cast, so I’m not complaining.
Ultimately, Big Mouth pulls off a pretty impressive high-wire act, embodying multiple paradoxes at once. It is simultaneously edgy yet empathetic, graphic yet gentle, surreal yet truthful, hilarious yet educational, vulgar yet sweet... all in all, it is perfectly imperfect, and thus so very human... despite being a cartoon. If you have teenagers, you might want to consider torturing them by forcing them to watch it with you. Be sure to pepper them with questions for the duration!
Oh, I almost forgot... if you're considering watching the show but you're on the brink, and still need just one more reason to push you into checking it out... the theme song is the recently deceased Charles Bradley’s heavy soul version of Black Sabbath’s mournful ballad “Changes”, and it is a revelation.
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