What Tom Walker: Very Very is actually about
Tom Walker: Very Very is a defiantly strange comedy special that takes the centuries-old tradition of mime and turns it inside out—then talks over it for 60 minutes straight. Director Simon Francis captures Walker, an award-winning Australian comedian and idiot (his words, not ours), as he attempts to stage what he insists is a legitimate mime performance. Except Walker won't stop talking. He narrates his own mime. He interrupts himself mid-gesture. He philosophizes about a coat with the intensity of someone defending a Bergman film. What emerges isn't quite a mime show, and it's not quite a stand-up special either. It's something weirder: a love letter to a performance art form that's been largely abandoned, delivered by someone who's fundamentally incompatible with its core rules.
Behind the making of Tom Walker: Very Very
Tom Walker: Very Very arrived in 2020 as a distinctly Australian comedy export, directed by Simon Francis with a singular vision: let this guy break mime in real time. Walker isn't a household name internationally, but within Australian comedy circles, he's built a reputation for the kind of absurdist, character-driven work that doesn't always translate to mainstream platforms—which is precisely why it's so compelling. The special was filmed with the intimacy of a theater piece, which makes sense given its origins; Walker's background in live performance bleeds through every frame. What's striking is that Walker doesn't position himself as a mime expert or a purist defending the form. Instead, he's the guy who loves mime enough to make fun of it, to undermine it, to turn it into a vehicle for his own rambling thoughts about fashion, gesture, and the fundamental absurdity of trying to communicate without words while, you know, constantly using words.
The production itself is lean—no big-budget spectacle, no celebrity guest stars. It's Walker, a coat (which becomes a character in its own right), and his inability to shut up. That restraint is part of its charm. In an era when comedy specials often feel bloated with production design and celebrity cameos, Walker's special feels almost refreshingly low-stakes. The IMDb rating of 4.2/10 tells you something important: this isn't a special designed to please everyone. It's designed to confuse, delight, and occasionally frustrate people who show up expecting traditional stand-up. That's not a flaw. That's the point.
Why Tom Walker: Very Very works despite breaking every rule
Here's the thing about comedy that deliberately violates its own premises: it's either genius or unlistenable, and there's rarely a middle ground. Tom Walker: Very Very lands somewhere in that uncomfortable space—and that's where the real interest lives. The special works because Walker isn't pretending to be a mime; he's performing the failure of mime, the impossibility of silence in a world where comedians are trained to fill every gap with words and jokes. What makes this special stand out is that it's genuinely committed to its own absurdity. Walker doesn't wink at the camera. He doesn't break character to explain the bit. He just keeps going, layering commentary on top of physical comedy, wrapping it all in this pseudo-serious framing about a coat that's somehow both mundane and profound.
There's a particular kind of comedy that only works if you're willing to sit with discomfort, to let the premise breathe even when it doesn't immediately land a punchline. Walker's performance has that quality. I keep coming back to the fact that he's genuinely committed to the bit—he's not doing mime badly as a joke; he's doing mime while talking, which is a completely different and weirder thing. The coat bit especially reveals something about Walker's comedic sensibility: he can find genuine absurdist humor in the smallest, most mundane object, treating it with the gravity usually reserved for philosophical discourse. It's dumb and smart at the same time, which is exactly where the best comedy lives.
Where to stream Tom Walker: Very Very online
If you're curious about Tom Walker: Very Very, you can currently catch it on Prime Video. The special's availability varies by region, so your best bet is to check the Where to Watch widget at the top of this page for real-time confirmation of which platforms have it in your area. For tracking down other Australian comedy specials and international gems like this one, Movie OTT aggregates streaming availability across major platforms, so you can find exactly where your next comedy rabbit hole is waiting. Prime Video's catalog includes a solid selection of international comedy specials, and Walker's sits comfortably alongside other experimental comedy from around the globe.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Is Tom Walker: Very Very actually a mime show?
Not really. It's billed as one, and Walker performs mime-like gestures throughout, but he's talking the entire time. That's kind of the whole joke—it's a mime show where the mime won't stop narrating what he's doing.
Q: Who is Tom Walker?
Tom Walker is an Australian comedian and performer known for absurdist, character-driven comedy. He's award-winning within Australian comedy circles, though he's less known internationally, which makes his special even more of a cult discovery.
Q: What's the deal with the coat?
The coat becomes a central character in the special—Walker treats it with surprising reverence and philosophical weight, turning what should be a simple prop into something oddly touching and ridiculous.
Q: Why is the IMDb rating so low?
Tom Walker: Very Very is deliberately unconventional and won't appeal to everyone. It breaks the rules of both mime and stand-up comedy, which means it'll either delight you or baffle you. Low ratings often indicate polarizing art rather than bad art.
Q: Where can I watch Tom Walker: Very Very?
It's currently available on Prime Video. Check the Where to Watch widget on this page for the most up-to-date streaming information for your region.
Final thoughts on Tom Walker: Very Very
Tom Walker: Very Very isn't for everyone, and that's exactly why it's worth watching. In a streaming landscape crowded with comedy specials designed to maximize laughs and minimize friction, Walker's special stands out precisely because it's willing to be awkward, digressive, and fundamentally weird. If you're the kind of viewer who appreciates comedy that takes risks—who doesn't need every joke explained, who can sit with discomfort—then this is worth 60 minutes of your time. It's available on Prime Video right now, and honestly, the fact that it exists at all is kind of remarkable.
