CALL ME LUCKY
Directed by Bobcat Goldthwait
Opens in theaters Friday, August 7th 2015
CALL ME LUCKY tells the story of Barry Crimmins, a beer-swilling, politically outspoken and whip-smart comic.
The film begins with a bit of an introduction to Barry Crimmins for those who have no idea who he is. And who exactly is he? He’s a brash, loud, political activist who wants nothing more than to overthrow the government and burn the Catholic Church to the ground. He had a knack for making people laugh, even when his politics got in the way and confused certain patrons. He eventually moved to Boston and began putting on comedy nights at a Chinese restaurant, and something happened. It took off like nothing anyone could have imagined. He became the king of the comedy scene, and ended up booking lots of acts who have since made a name for themselves, either as stand up comics, or renowned TV writers.
The film features interviews with: Barry Crimmins, Marc Maron, David Cross, Margaret Cho, Patton Oswalt, Tom Kenny, Kevin Meaney, Lenny Clarke, Steven Wright, Billy Bragg, and Cindy Sheehan. Also featured are family members of Barry Crimmins, including Barry’s mother Margaret Hooe and sister Mary Johanna Smith. And they all weigh in on all aspects of Barry’s life.
I had no idea Bobcat Goldthwait and Tom Kenny grew up together, let alone were inspired by and nurtured by Barry Crimmins. Nor did I know that Bobcat is a sort of nod to a nickname Crimmins got in the early days of comedy: Bear Cat Crimmins…mainly because he was so angry, aggressive and hairy.
My favorite part of the film is seeing Crimmins hop around on stage with Billy Bragg in the 90s, only to deliver one-liner jokes during lulls in the songs.
But it’s not the comedy that makes this a fantastic film, it’s the last half of the film that deals with Crimmins’ childhood abuse story and the anti-child-porn efforts he lead in the early days of the internet that really stand out. Talk about tear jerker. I can see why this film has been praised already and won so many prestigious awards. On top of that, the director of photography did an amazing job making the interviews dynamic and beautiful.
Bravo to the entire film making team. This is a documentary everyone should watch.
Grand Jury Prize Nominee, Best Documentary – 2015 Sundance Film Festival
Grand Jury Prize Winner, Best Documentary – 2015 Boston Independent Film Festival
Best Documentary Feature – 2015 Boulder International Film Festival
Grand Jury Prize, Best Documentary- 2015 Gasparilla International Film Festival
Audience Award – 2015 Chicago Critics Film Festival
Audience Award, Best Documentary – 2015 Boston Independent Film Festival
Audience Award – 2015 Chattanooga Film Festival
