Have you ever wondered what you’d get if you combined the wacky minds of the guys behind The Lonely Island and Comedy Bang! Bang! with the magic of Michael Bolton? The answer lies in Michael Bolton’s Big Sexy Valentine’s Day Special, a new comedy hour-long variety special co-written & directed by Scott Aukerman and Akiva Schaffer. The Netflix Original Comedy Special — chock-full of relaxing tunes and accompanying laughs from a host of familiar faces — hit the streaming service Feb. 7, giving couch-oriented couples the option for some romantic Valentine’s Day viewing material.
Michael Bolton’s Big Sexy Valentine’s Day Special opens with Bolton launching into a ballad only to be interrupted by a phone call from his old buddy Adam Scott, who unsuccessfully tries to rally him for a road trip to Las Vegas. During the subsequent opening musical number — the first of over a dozen credited tunes — the special establishes Bolton’s love of Valentine’s Day, which among other things serves as a chance for the crooner to get an early jump on his Christmas shopping. “People say it’s early, but I must disagree / just 10 months until Christmas, that’s what Valentine’s Day means to me.” The plot wheels are also set into motion upon Santa’s requesting Bolton’s services to help promote copulation so there are enough children to balance the back stock of toys. Hence Michael Bolton’s Big Sexy Valentine’s Day Special.
The bulk of the remainder of the special is made up of a series of sketches and performances, some of which are hilarious, others which fall a bit flat. An ongoing telethon brings a few laughs through a host of appearances by Janeane Garofalo, Sinbad, Andy Richter, Brooke Shields, Bob Saget and more. There are also mock promotional skits like Custom Chocolatiers with Peter Salanz (starring Fred Armisen & Key and Peele and Eric Andre Show writer Colton Dunn), musical performances like Misty and Blair’s dirty duet (featuring Sarah Silverman and Randall Park) and product demonstrations like the virtual reality simulation (courtesy of Bolton and SNL’s Chris Parnell).
One of the special’s top moments features Andy Samberg hysterically embodying Bolton’s arch-nemesis, adult contemporary jazz musician Kenny G. In the skit, Samberg’s G proceeds to grill Bolton for cutting his hair and eventually challenges him to a “duel of kings,” which leads to the most ridiculous of jam sessions and the most oddly appropriate of cameos.
Michael Bolton’s Big Sexy Valentine’s Day Special is jam-packed with dozens of other comedic cameos and guest appearances. And while some may leave you scratching your head, a couple will leave lasting impressions scorched upon your mind. Fans of Will Forte will likely enjoy his appearance as Bolton’s less-talented identical brother Michael Fulton.
Eric Andre’s auto-tune infused absurdist dance lesson is also top-tier, as is Maya Rudolph’s vocally-impressive song about key change. Above all, though, is Michael Sheen’s impressive performance of the overly aggressive cigarette-chonging choreographer Carl Flossy. His commitment is crystal clear in the brief skit and, likewise, he steals the scene.
Bolton’s Netflix special, which shares a similar structure with the streaming service’s previous holiday variety special, A Very Murray Christmas, is blatantly silly and entirely bizarre. While Bolton mostly just serves the comedic performances around him, he does still offer an undeniable watchability factor. His vocal chops — on full display throughout the special during covers of Ray Charles’ “I Got a Woman” and Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock And Roll” as well as originals like “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” — are impeccable and his acting approach, which for the most part is fairly stiff and apathetic, proves to be quite funny at times.
Michael Bolton’s Big Sexy Valentine’s Day Special is 54 minutes of rapid-fire niche comedic material executed by a lengthy cast of welcome funny faces. Get a taste of the variety special in the trailer below and check it out in its entirety over at Netflix.