Comedian Taylor Tomlinson is a fan-favorite veteran of the Netflix comedy circuit, and her latest special, “Have It All,” dropped on the streaming service in time for Valentine’s Day. Drawing on similar themes as her previous specials “Quarter-Life Crisis” and “Look at You,” Tomlinson riffs on mental health, dating and not-so-young adulthood in this tightly-written, hour-long set.
From the moment she struts onstage in a metallic jacket with pink flames, Tomlinson holds the audience in the palm of her hand. Flashing lights and a smoke machine greet Tomlinson as “Boys Wanna Be Her” by Peaches heralds her entrance.
“I can’t believe I’m filming my third Netflix special tonight,” Tomlinson says, beaming at cheers from the crowd. “I have been so insanely lucky in my career.”
Tomlinson brings up her career success and newfound money throughout the special, but as its title implies, the comedian cannot “have it all” in her personal life.
“If someone has their dream job, they don’t get to be in love on top of that,” Tomlinson said.
Tomlinson returns to the theme of singlehood throughout her set, offering stories and hard-won wisdom from her romantic misadventures.
“I’ve been single for the last year now, and it has been the most relaxing year of my entire life,” Tomlinson said.
This celebration of self-love feels apt for the special’s release the day before Valentine’s Day, but Tomlinson seems to have mixed feelings about living on her own. She frequently drops snide comments about her partnered friends and their secure — if boring — married lives.
With her clear comedic chops, Tomlinson deserves her financial and professional success, but she unnecessarily overemphasizes both in this special. On the heels of the most successful tour of her career, Tomlinson delivers her material with pitch-perfect comedic timing — but the central conceit of the special cheapens Tomlinson’s attempts to relate to her audience.
“I know that all of my friends both pity and envy me,” Tomlinson said, joking about her early thirties. “I know my friends look at me and go, ‘I’d probably focus on work if I was all alone.’ And then I go, ‘I’d probably have a bunch of kids if I had no talent.’”
Tomlinson may be jealous of her friends with long-term partners and families, but she continues to enjoy a level of fame and success out of reach for most of her viewers, making it hard for her to keep up her millennial everywoman persona.
Her anecdotes about tour profits and Netflix clout are funny to a point, but they soon become self-indulgent. Tomlinson may go on the same rotten dating apps as the rest of us, but at least she gets to be a millionaire while she waits to meet her soulmate.
Tomlinson may not “Have It All,” but she does have all the ingredients she needs for an hour of satisfying comedy. Her special may lack relatability in places, but it is certainly worth the watch.
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