I hold a special place in my cynical heart for Patton Oswalt. He was the first stand up comedian that I actually started listening to and appreciating. His style of humor is self-deprecating, story driven, and infused with pop culture tangents. His fourth special, “Finest Hour,” is another reliably hilarious set from the king of alt-comedy. Although it doesn’t hit peaks of comedic genius as often as his first couple specials, it’s still a must-own for comedy fans.

The special ranges across subjects, from Oswalt’s experiences as a father, to his hatred of hipsters, to his experience at the O’Hare airport food court. All of these showcase the impeccable ability that only a great stand-up has to take a story that would normally just be a simple observation and expand it and infuse his own personal voice so that it’s unique to his own perspective. The best though, is when he presents a scenario, like talking to yourself in your car, which is outlined in his style and his comic voice, but that makes you slap your head in astonishment, knowing that you always felt the same way but didn’t know how to articulate it. While not necessarily his actual finest hour, yes I really am following through with the pun, Patton Oswalt’s new album is still a great listen to a brilliant and evolving comedian.

– Henry Thaler

Tags: comedy, Finest Hour, Henry Thaler, Patton Oswalt