George Carlin: It’s Bad For Ya
By Cyril Pearl -- Video Business, 10/20/2008
MPI
Street: Nov. 25
Prebook: Nov. 4
> Legendary late comic’s final HBO stand-up show joins his formidable canon.
Comedy legend George Carlin’s 14th and final HBO special from March 2008 makes its DVD debut five months after the comic’s passing. As a performance piece, the set is fine if unexceptional—Carlin covers his usual amalgam of favored topics (religion, business, death and the good ole USA) with his customary anger, flair and brilliant wordplay. One notable supplement is included: “Too Hip for the Room,” one of Carlin’s last interviews from December 2007, conducted on a program produced by The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation. The candid chat finds Carlin discussing his style, philosophy and influences, which include, strangely enough, Danny Kaye!
Shelf Talk: One of the most important comic voices of the past half-century, Carlin has released some 22 solo albums of work, in addition to his live performances and slew of HBO specials. This latest addition to the oeuvre will undoubtedly go over well with Carlin’s legions of fans, particularly those who have aged along with him since his beginnings in the ’50s. And it will undoubtedly be a must-have for completists who’ve already purchased MPI’s All My Stuff box, which houses all of Carlin’s previous HBO specials. For those who like Carlin’s work to be heard and not seen, the long out-of-print 1984 audio recording Carlin on Campus is enjoying a re-issue a couple of weeks before It’s Bad For Ya hits the street.
Comedy performance, color, NR (mature themes, language), 69 min., DVD $19.98, BD $24.98
Extras: 30-minute interview
Director: Rocco Urbisci
First Run: HBO, March 2008
