George Carlin was one of the first comedians who truly had no filter when he did his bits. One of those bits included arguably the most well-known stand-up of all time: The Seven Words You Can't Say on TV. Carlin's propensity to never pull any punches when it came to his comedy had a massive impact on the genre today, so it only makes sense that his influence on comedy and entertainment would be captured in the upcoming HBO documentary titled George Carlin's American Dream.
Director Judd Apatow, who produced the film, released the trailer for the HBO Max documentary that details not only Carlin's impact on comedy today but his rise to prominence as a comedian and all the twists and turns that came along the way as a result of his fame. That included how many tried to censor him because of how raunchy his comedy was, how his superstardom as a comedian eventually destroyed him and his family, and how he made a massive comeback into the public eye after he had seemingly become somewhat of a joke himself.
The trailer includes his children nad several of the most prominent comedians in show business today, including Chris Rock Jerry Seinfeld, Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Bill Burr, and Patton Oswalt. The trailer includes the most prominent events in Carlin's life in snippets while of course including his most well-known bit that several of the comedians quote in the trailer (NSFW Language). It is apparent that the trailer to the documentary not only captures how revolutionary Carlin was as a comic but also how appealing he was as a rebel. Carlin was clearly an opinionated man when he did hit standup, and while his opinions were framed in a comedic light above all else, these were revolutionary insights that got people to think a lot about societal norms. That line of thinking influenced so many of today's most popular comics.
Also, because Carlin's popularity was rooted both in his lack of filter and his strong opinions on certain subjects, he never once conformed to anyone's belief system. He only had his own. That's why whether you agreed or disagreed with Carlin's stances on certain subjects, one thing remained for sure - you remembered what he said. The fact that he was one of the few comedians early on who was actually censored by the government for his "controversial" comedy goes to show how impactful he was in this line of work. He was such a trendsetter because he dared to go into uncharted territory without a care about the consequences.
It's why he's still remembered so fondly by comedians in this current day and age. That's not to say he was a perfect man. Clearly, the mega-fame that came from his revolutionary comedy led to domestic issues and drug addiction, as the trailer points out. The truth is, Carlin was human just like anyone else, which is why his life wound up being the roller coaster that it was. That's why his story is so appealing to the mainstream, and why viewers should definitely tune into his upcoming documentary.
George Carlin's American Dream will premiere on HBO Max on May 20th, 2022.
Source: Judd Apatow/Twitter