Watch Patton Oswalt: My Weakness Is Strong

Patton Oswalt: My Weakness Is Strong is a stand-up comedy concert film featuring the hilarious and talented Patton Oswalt. Filmed in Austin, Texas in 2009, this one-hour special showcases Oswalt's unique style of comedy that blends observational humor, self-deprecation and pop culture references. The film opens with Oswalt appearing on stage in typical stand-up fashion, wearing a dark t-shirt and jeans as he greets the roaring crowd. He immediately launches into his material, taking aim at a range of topics including the war on terrorism, religion, and vampires. Oswalt's sharp wit and deadpan delivery are on full display as he skewers everything from the absurdity of reality TV to the bizarre phenomenon of adult fans of the Harry Potter franchise.

Throughout the show, Oswalt's topics are threaded together by a series of personal anecdotes and observations that make his humor feel even more relatable. The comic shares insights about his own experiences as a child of the 70s and 80s, jokes about his life as a newly married man, and pokes fun at his periodic struggles with weight, all of which resonate with audiences in a way that only the best stand-up comedians can achieve.

One of the most memorable bits in the film comes when Oswalt delves into an extended riff about the etiquette of waiting in line, which he humorously likens to a "civics lesson gone awry." His musings on the bizarre forms of aggression that sometimes bubble up during everyday interactions with strangers are both funny and insightful. Oswalt is a master of finding the humor in the mundane, and his deconstruction of seemingly unremarkable aspects of modern life consistently gets big laughs.

My Weakness Is Strong also features a few more subversive bits that touch on political and societal issues of the day. Oswalt takes shots at America's military adventurism as well as the anxieties that were ubiquitous at this time period. He doesn't shy away from more challenging topics, but in Oswalt's hands, even the bleakest scenarios can elicit a chuckle or two. His ability to find humor in such topics is reflective of his skill as both a comedy writer and performer.

In the final stretch of the performance, Oswalt shifts gears and focuses on offering a kind of meta-commentary on stand-up comedy itself. He talks about the (often exhausting) highs and lows that come with the job of being a professional comic, and openly reflects on the "weird, brutal experience" of putting oneself out there as a performer over and over again. It's a refreshing shift in tone that shows the full range of Oswalt's comedic abilities.

The film culminates in a standing ovation from the adoring crowd, which is richly deserved. My Weakness Is Strong features Patton Oswalt at the peak of his powers as a comedian, and is a must-watch for fans of stand-up comedy or anyone who is looking for a good laugh. The film is a testament to Oswalt's unique talent, which enables him to find humor in all sorts of things, and to make us laugh both at and with ourselves.

Patton Oswalt: My Weakness Is Strong is a 2009 comedy with a runtime of 1 hour and 4 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.6.