Deeply poignant and utterly breathtaking, it made me cry and laugh - sometimes simultaneously - delving into emotions rarely laid bare on such a public stage.

| Jul 10, 2019

Patton Oswalt goes back to work in this brutally funny instant-classic stand-up special, 18 months after the sudden death of his wife, true-crime writer Michelle McNamara.

| Jul 9, 2019

That subject matter doesn't exactly scream "stand-up special", but out of his devastating loss, Oswalt managed to craft something funny and profound.

| Jul 9, 2019

Annihilation is one of the most extraordinary examples of finding humor in the face of tragedy in recent memory.

| Jul 9, 2019

Through Annihilation, Oswalt finds catharsis. As he remembers his late wife's philosophy and shares it with us: "It's chaos. Be kind."

| Dec 20, 2017

Annihilation is courageous most as evidence of a master comedian choosing to continue to think, even when thought is the enemy.

| Original Score: A | Oct 26, 2017

To watch [Patton Oswalt] wrestle boldly with the emotions of that experience and the aftermath of it, while still finding those pockets of joy and strange humor, is affirming and beautiful.

| Oct 26, 2017

Annihilation is a heart-wrenching examination of loss, of stability, and of attempting to simply keep everything together when your whole world is falling apart.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Oct 26, 2017

There aren't many stand-up comics with the courage to take audiences into the depths of some dark emotions and and still bring them back laughing.

| Oct 26, 2017

"It's chaos, be kind" is how Oswalt closes the special, a perfect motto for both this highly specific story and whoever might be listening. It's not exactly revolutionary, but that's what makes it so profound.

| Oct 23, 2017

Oswalt's strength is storytelling and here he weaves in and out of bits about DNA testing, witnessing a fight, and robocalls to give the special some levity.

| Oct 19, 2017

It's a beautiful tonal balancing act for an artist to even attempt an anecdote that both makes you laugh and cry, but Oswalt does it simply by being a talented, natural speaker.

| Oct 17, 2017

Annihilation isn't a call for sympathy, it's a plea for empathy.

| Original Score: B+ | Oct 17, 2017