2 out of 5

Created by: Jeff Roasts

…But does he?

I can’t really remember the last time I watched a roast, and when I did, it certainly wasn’t hosted by Jeff Ross.  So I have no baseline here; what I saw might very well be better than the norm.  However, based on single exposure standards, while this special was amusing, and worth some chuckles, it didn’t feel like a particularly effective roast, and tip-toed into (pleading) territory with its flimsy purpose, which seems quite the opposite of what one would hope to achieve with a roast.

So one morning in New York, Jeff Ross stepped outside into a protest against racially-charged cop violence (and the cops in general), and it incites him to want to bridge this communication gap… With comedy.  Because its universal, he keeps reminding us.  Which is fair enough, but going out on patrol and cracking some jokes for the cameras is far from change, and the snippets in which we witness this just treads water – either above territory where it doesn’t dispel stereotypes, or above fairly safe jabs with over-zealous responses.  The intention is sound, but the execution feels forced.  This occurs on the streets of Boston, the only city that accepted Ross’ offer to roast the local law enforcement, and these scenes are thus intercut with moments from the actual roast, which again feel fairly safe; sure, Ross makes some jokes about arresting black people, but once the ice on that is broken, the material doesn’t go much further.

However, Ross does come across as a genuine guy, and is certainly a quick comedic wit.  While the relationships he makes with people are endearing – and match his comedy as communication m.o. – it all feels a little Cute For The Camera to land, underlined but how un-roasty the actual roast ends up feeling.