Call Me Lucky

3/15/18. Wow, what a biopic! Never heard of him but now that I have watched this I will never forget him. A caustic, sarcastic comedian who had a good reason for being that way - he was sexually abused when he was a small child. Eventually he took all that energy and channeled it into activism against Internet child porn. More than anything he raised awareness of how prevalent child molestation is, and it's scary. Parents, protect your children!

The story follows the life and career of comedian Barry Crimmins through the comedy scene of the 1980's. It showcases his signature style and approach to comedy, while also diving into his personal life and demons he had to overcome since his early childhood. It is an incredible story of growth, survival and the strength of the human spirit.

I felt as if I held my breath the entire length of the movie. Great historical footage, interviews and first person stories of the day. The life of a man who had to overcome trauma and pain. A man whose talents seemed wrong place, wrong time but who never compromised his principles. Touching, poignant and all of it true. The story follows Barry's career through the comedy scene of the 80's, up and down the east coast. His comedy reaches a deep lace inside, things that everyone can relate to from that era. His childhood was stolen from him. He struggled for decades. Came to terms and was able to move on. I loved this movie. It is astounding that his core group of friends were able to share stories from 40 years ago. Barry was there for up and coming young comics and many got their start in the business from him. Many familiar names in this story. I will see it again with friends.

Barry Crimmins is not a well-known comedian outside of Boston and New York. But he is a legend among comics, including many legendary comics. His highly intelligent and hard-charging style, lashing out at greedy and inhumane politics, puts him in the ranks of Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, and Bill Hicks. He also helped mentor a roster of comics like Denis Leary, Stephen Wright, Tom Kenny, Paula Poundstone, and Lenny Clarke. He also mentored Bobcat Goldthwait, who directs this simple yet emotionally packed biography that explains not only who Crimmins is, but how he came to be. This is not a "how did he get to be so funny?" or "the greatest (blank) you've never heard of" fluff piece. This is a very gritty, sometimes very dark look at the horrors Crimmins endured as a child, and how he turned his suffering into a lifelong mission to help those victimized by man's inhumanity to man. His compassion permeates his actions, even as he takes the microphone at a Senate hearing on child pornography and uses it to (figuratively) beat a suit from AOL into submission. The result is an emotional wringer that will take you from belly laughs to gut-punched. See this film.

As a angrily aware sarcastic survivor of violence myself, the daughter of an alcoholic incest victim, the sister of an addicted abused child, a lifelong fan of achingly honest comedy, and as the parent of a boy named Lenny Bruce; my most sincere THANK YOU to everyone involved in the creation of this fantastic film! I laughed, snorted, cried, & cursed. A special debt of gratitude to Barry himself for being our laughing lighthouse; may we all steer towards his in the know glow. I firmly believe that the vast majority of us fiercely funny f**ks are genetically descended from the watchers, born here to witness and testify to the atrocities of soulless slaves. There isn't one person alive who shouldn't see this flick...TWICE!