''George Carlin's American Dream'' is a 2022 two-part documentary film about comedian

George Carlin George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of countercultur ...

directed by

Judd Apatow Judd Apatow (; born December 6, 1967) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and comedian known for his work in comedy films. Apatow is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he wrote, produced, and directed his films ''The 4 ...

and Michael Bonfiglio.

Summary

Part 1

At the dawn of the 1960s comedy scene, a clean-cut Carlin works the mainstream variety-show circuit but soon realizes that he was meant for something edgier. He trades his suit and tie for bluejeans, and finds that his eloquence and sometimes brutal candor resonate with

counterculture A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Ho ...

audiences. Propelled by sales of his four gold comedy records released on

Flip Wilson Clerow "Flip" Wilson Jr. (December 8, 1933 – November 25, 1998) was an American comedian and actor best known for his television appearances during the late 1960s and 1970s. From 1970 to 1974, Wilson hosted his own weekly variety series '' The ...

's Little David label (

Little David Records Little David Records was a record label started in 1969 by up-and-coming comedian Flip Wilson and his manager, veteran jazz producer Monte Kay. The label focused mainly on comedy albums, with some jazz and soft rock releases. Little David was inde ...

), appearances on talk shows, and frequent touring, Carlin becomes a major comedic force of the 1970s.

Part 2

In the 1980s, Carlin faces major challenges: His audiences are shrinking, some critics deem him passé, and his family is suffering because of his cocaine use and his wife's alcoholism. He approaches his material with a new vigor, and fills comedy clubs and large venues with his insightful and increasingly critical observations about politics, life, and human behavior.

Production

On August 10, 2020, HBO announced that a documentary about George Carlin was in development with Judd Apatow and his longtime collaborator Michael Bongfiglio. They were also working with editor Joe Beshenkovsky, who worked with Apatow on the documentary ''

The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling ''The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling'' is an American documentary miniseries that premiered on HBO in two parts on March 26 and 27, 2018. Directed and produced by Judd Apatow, the film explores the life and legacy of comedian Garry Shandling. P ...

''. The film is dedicated in the memory of Patrick Carlin Jr., George's elder brother, who died a month before the film was released.

Episodes

Notable interviewees

*George Carlin (archival footage) *Brenda Carlin, Carlin's first wife (archival footage) *Sally Wade, Carlin's second wife *

Kelly Carlin Kelly Marie Carlin (born June 15, 1963) is an American radio host, actress, screenwriter, and producer. Early life Kelly Marie Carlin was born at Good Samaritan Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, on June 15, 1963, the only child of comedian George Carli ...

, Carlin's daughter *Patrick Carlin Jr., Carlin's elder brother *

Kliph Nesteroff Kliph Nesteroff is a Canadian author, best known for his 2015 history of American comedy, ''The Comedians''. After eight years as a stand-up comedian, Nesteroff became a frequent contributor to WFMU and a national, on-air contributor for CBC Ra ...

, author and comedy historian *Jerry Hamza, Carlin's manager from 1980 until his death *Bette Midler *Rocco Urbisci, executive producer of Carlin's HBO specials from '' Playin' with Your Head'' onward *

Alex Winter Alexander Winter (born 1965) is a British-born American actor and filmmaker. As an actor, he is best known for playing Bill S. Preston, Esq., in the 1989 film '' Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'' and its sequels '' Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey' ...

, co-star of the ''

Bill & Ted ''Bill & Ted'' is an American science fiction comedy franchise created by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon. It features William "Bill" S. Preston Esq. and Ted "Theodore" Logan, portrayed by Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves, respectively, two met ...

'' films *

Tony Orlando Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis (born April 3, 1944), known professionally as Tony Orlando, is an American Pop music, pop/Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and music executive whose career spans nearly seven decades. He is best known for h ...

, host of the variety show ''

Tony Orlando and Dawn Tony Orlando and Dawn (also known simply as Dawn) is an American pop music group that was popular in the 1970s, composed of singer Tony Orlando and the backing vocal group Dawn (Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson). Their signature hits inclu ...

'' *

Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget buddy comedy film ''Clerks (film), Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted i ...

, director of ''

Dogma Dogma, in its broadest sense, is any belief held definitively and without the possibility of reform. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, or Islam ...

'', ''

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' is a 2001 American satirical stoner buddy comedy film written, co-edited, and directed by Kevin Smith and produced and co-edited by Scott Mosier. The film is the fifth set in the View Askewniverse, a growing ...

'', and '' Jersey Girl'', all of which featured Carlin *Comedians who have cited Carlin as an inspiration, including: **

Bill Burr {{Infobox comedian , image = Bill Burr by Gage Skidmore.jpg , alt = , caption = Burr in 2018 , birth_name = William Frederic Burr , birth_date = {{birth date and age, 1968, 6, 10 , bi ...

Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program ''The Colbert Report'' from 2005 to ...

Sam Jay Samaria Johnson (born January 13, 1982), better known as Sam Jay, is an American comedian and writer. She is best known as a writer for ''Saturday Night Live'' (2017–2020), her Netflix comedy special ''3 in the Morning'' (2020), and as the co-cr ...

Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American comedian, actor, and filmmaker. He first gained prominence for his stand-up routines in the 1980s in which he tackled subjects including race relations, human sexuality, and obse ...

Patton Oswalt Patton Peter Oswalt (born January 27, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. His acting roles include Spence Olchin in the sitcom ''The King of Queens'' (1998–2007) and narrating the sitcom '' The Goldbergs'' (2013–2023) as adult ...

W. Kamau Bell Walter Kamau Bell (born January 26, 1973) is an American stand-up comic and television host. He has hosted the CNN series '' United Shades of America'' since 2016, and hosted FXX television series '' Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell'' from 20 ...

Jerry Seinfeld Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( ; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. As a stand-up comedian, Seinfeld specializes in observational comedy. Seinfeld gained stardom playing a semi-fictionalized version ...

Hasan Minhaj Hasan Minhaj ( ; born September 23, 1985) is an American comedian, writer, producer, actor, and television host. Much of his comedy involves Culture of India, Indian culture and the modern American political landscape through the use of satire, ...

Paul Reiser Paul Reiser (; born March 30, 1956) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He played the roles of Michael Taylor in the 1980s sitcom ''My Two Dads'', Paul Buchman in the NBC sitcom ''Mad About You'', Modell in the 1982 film ''Diner (1982 f ...

Jon Stewart Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz, November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, writer, producer, director, political commentator, actor, and television host. The long-running host of ''The Daily Show'' on Comedy Central from 1999 to 20 ...

Steven Wright Steven Alexander Wright (born December 6, 1955) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and film producer. He is known for his distinctive lethargic voice and slow, deadpan delivery of ironic, philosophical and sometimes nonsensical j ...

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{HBO documentaries 2022 documentary films 2022 films 2022 American television series debuts 2022 American television series endings HBO documentary films HBO Max films Films directed by Judd Apatow Films produced by Judd Apatow Documentary films about comedy and comedians Primetime Emmy Award–winning broadcasts

American Dream The "American Dream" is a phrase referring to a purported national ethos of the United States: that every person has the freedom and opportunity to succeed and attain a better life. The phrase was popularized by James Truslow Adams during the ...