George Carlin has always been my favorite comedian and, beyond that, one of my favorite people. When I was growing up in a deep red area, Carlin's standup was instrumental in helping me bust out of that fucked up echo chamber, and he is probably the individual most responsible for shaping my worldview and ideals. This is a worthy examination of his life and career and remains engaging even for those of us who have read all of his books and watched all his standup specials several times apiece.

Like a good Carlin monologue, this has a rambling, scattershot quality with a poignance/punchline that shocks you out of a stupor – the tighter and more focused 2 hour version of this film hiding in here would not do the same justice to its almost ethereal and incandescent subject. A fine tribute to the man, and an intriguing, probing look at his changing styles and influences (though the inevitable over-lauding from its series of talking heads seems to run counter to Carlin’s acerbic persona).

I would have liked to have seen this trimmed to a movie length, tighter 2+ hours. That aside, this was a great look into the inner workings of one of the best stand ups of all time, and gave me an even greater appreciation for the man. There was a lot of footage I had never seen before.

Excellent. It does justice to the life of the great George Carlin, who matured into one of the premier social commentators of our time.

Apatow does well with these long form biographies (see the Gary Shandling one). Its informative, doesn't pull punches on the subjects flaws and tells a complete story of impact. Good stuff.