Local comedian Fakkah Fuzz may be subjectively considered a hoot by Singaporeans and Malaysians who don’t know better, but when compared internationally, the professional funnyman is just not funny at all.
According to a 2018 best-to-worst list of Netflix comedy specials recently published by Hollywood industry trade mag The Wrap, Fakkah Fuzz: Almost Banned placed in the second-last spot in the table, doing only slightly better than Malaysian comic Harith Iskander.
Credit’s due where credit’s deserved though — the fact that Fakkah Fuzz (government name Muhammad Fadzri Abd Rashid) even got his own stand-up comedy special on Netflix is an achievement in itself. The comedian got his start in small shows and open mics around town, spitting jokes based on his observations on race and growing up as a Malay in Singapore. The man became a household name soon enough when he started acting on TV, while also headlining bigger comedy shows and festivals around the region.
But! When compared to other comedy greats who topped the list such as Chris Rock, Tom Segura and Greg Davies, Fakkah’s material doesn’t stand a chance. Here’s what The Wrap had to say about his special.
“…Fakkah Fuzz’s stand-up is strictly limited to differences between Malaysians and people from Singapore, which would be even more reductive if international audiences had any idea what he was talking about.”
Oof, we feel embarrassed for the dude. And yet we have to agree with the judgment — Fakkah may be all swagger on stage in Almost Banned but seriously, there’s just so many times that people can laugh about racial and inter-neighbor disparities. His one-dimensional jokes and anecdotes fall flat (and are pure cringe) sometimes, but you wouldn’t know it from the frequent cuts to a select few guffawing folks, including a highly overreacting Munah and Hirzi.
If one were to argue that Fakkah’s Asian-centric jokes are just not meant for an international audience, then (a) it’s just sad to limit comedic material to a specific region, and (b) Malaysia’s own Kavin Jay has a Netflix special that does way better in the rankings. It’s a monumental waste for Fakkah not to use an international platform such as Netflix to push his name into the world stage, but perhaps he’s just happy where he is with his right now.
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