Synopsis
An inspiring, triumphant and wickedly funny portrait of one of comedy’s most enigmatic and important figures, CALL ME LUCKY tells the story of Barry Crimmins, a beer-swilling, politically outspoken and whip-smart comic whose efforts in the 70s and 80s fostered the talents of the next generation of standup comedians. But beneath Crimmins’ gruff, hard-drinking, curmudgeonly persona lay an undercurrent of rage stemming from his long-suppressed and horrific abuse as a child – a rage that eventually found its way out of the comedy clubs and television shows and into the political arena.
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Cast
- Barry CrimminsSelf
- David CrossSelf
- Patton OswaltSelf
- Tom KennySelf
- Margaret ChoSelf
- Steven WrightSelf
- Lenny ClarkeSelf
- Kevin MeaneySelf
- Bobcat GoldthwaitSelf
- Marc MaronSelf
Recommendations
- 88
RogerEbert.com
Call Me Lucky will be an especially grueling ride for those who can identify with Crimmins’ trauma. Yet its toughness does not at all diminish its worth. It remains an essential viewing experience. - 80
Village Voice
Call Me Lucky is a loving but fair portrait of the artist as a heroic hothead. - 80
New York Daily News
Angry, quixotic, tragic, heroic — Crimmins’ life is stunning. Catch this portrait and you can definitely call yourself lucky. - 75
Movie Nation
Call Me Lucky is another of those “the funniest comic you never saw” documentaries. - 75
TheWrap
There should be more Crimmins performance footage and fewer interviews that only reiterate points already made several times. Crimmins is preaching to the choir, and the film, while fascinating and inspiring, is at least a half-hour longer than it has story to tell. - 67
The A.V. Club
Goldthwait stays behind the camera, but his long personal history with Crimmins provides him with access that no other filmmaker would likely have been able to get, given how ferociously the man guards his privacy. - 63
Slant Magazine
Bobcat Goldthwait's hand too nervously tempers Crimmins's outré tactics as kooky showmanship bred from unimaginable trauma. - 50
Austin Chronicle
You’ll be the richer for spending time in Crimmins’ company, but the material seems better suited to the small screen.
