George Carlin - George's Best Stuff

I used to watch George Carlin a lot when I was a kid. We regarded him as being quite risqué (lol) but today, I must admit, his brand of humor seems rather dated. What we have to remember with Carlin is that he was a forerunner, and this DVD really makes you realize the type of influence he had on the great comedians of our day--particularly Jerry Seinfeld. He was a giant of the observational method, and laid the ground upon which many a great career has traversed. Carlin's delivery is also magnificent. His acting and presence made him transcend what seems to be so-so material. He's no Chris Rock, but he made an enormous contribution to comedy.

A Readers Digest collection of mostly ancient bits of his youthful beginnings--much of the routines is dated, maybe funny then but our new youth may not relate. Still George, but he has certainly improved with age.

Some of this stuff is from the 70's when George Carlin was young and in 1990, he looked a little bit older like in Scary Movie 3 where he looks like Santa Claus as "the architect". George Carlin is my personal favorite comedian and it's as good as Robin Williams-Live on Broadway.Recently, I heard that nowadays he wants to be taken more seriously.I think he would be very good in something serious. That's just me.

This is my 2nd bunch of comments on this DVD, my first has not been posted, maybe it never will be. I hope not. I've thought the matter over. I've read a lot of reviews of Carlin since I discovered him the other day, and I've noticed that the people who worship him seem as a general rule to like violence in their "music" and their movies. (I've been reading other reviews by Carlin devotees.) I've also noticed that many if not most of the rave reviews (particularly one that praised his intelligence) are illiterate. A few reviews I agree with. Early, young Carlin was warmer, calmer, more human, more humane and just plain funnier. The comparison can be made on this DVD, because the last bit "Driving" was by an older Carlin. What were previously comical expressions on his face became grotesque manic grimaces, what was sly and warm became ferocious rage, what was controversial (and I get this also from the Jammin'/Doin' It DVD which I watched part of) became meaningless rantings. His early stuff was amusing (I prefer Bob Newhart) and I laughed some, it was not particularly insightful, some of his observations of life and things (eg the differences between dogs and cats, stuff, losing things) were clever and often dead-on. I obviously preferred the younger Carlin (and he was pretty then with all his hair, the older version simply didn't even look like him, whichever was the real him), and I thought the older Carlin was just an explosion of incoherent hatred. Vulgar (yay!), but to me not funny.

It is almost IMPOSSIBLE to successfully put together a "Best of Carlin" on CD or DVD. Why? Because it'd take up too much time. Carlin has done NUMEROUS bits that are now deemed classic, and personally I think almost everything the man does, is great. And yet, here is this DVD, "George's Best Stuff." Well, it is a start, but only covers SOME of the great things this very funny and unique man has said and done.

It's not a complete disappointment though. The bits and segments included are indeed funny. And, I love how a lot of the stuff included are from older shows and acts. I really do think Carlin shines the best in his older material, but the Carlin today is still very funny and on top of his game. It was nice to see some of these older bits from older shows, and I hope they come out on DVD sometime soon.

The DVD includes famous bits such as "Seven Dirty Words," "Stuff," "Al Sleet," "Dog Incident," "Fussy Eater," "Losing Things," "Driving," and much more. The DVD has a total of 17 chapters and adds up to the DVD being 87 minutes.

AH HA! There lies the problem. 87 minutes. ONLY 87 minutes?? 87 minutes for something with the title of "George's Best Stuff?" These 87 minutes should represent the entire comedy life of George Carlin? I hope not! Like I said, it's a nice start, but I think something of this magnitude should really be longer. There's so much that is left out on this DVD. So many classic bits that fail to appear on this package with the name "George's Best Stuff." The stuff that is included does indeed qualify as some of George's best bits, but I think there was a missed opportunity here. I really think more could've been done.

Is "George's Best Stuff" a complete disappointment? Of course not. Is it enjoyable to watch? Most definitely. Should Carlin fans check it out? By all means, yes. However, I really do believe more could've been done and that more could've been included. While "George's Best Stuff" isn't a total disappointment, it does leave you feeling that more could've and should've been done to honor the very title on the DVD cover, "George's Best Stuff." It's a start, but I'm afraid it is only that.