The Age of Commercialism

Fresh and Exciting

Don't Believe the Hype

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

When I first heard about this hour long film I wasn't sure if it would be an hour wasted or not. It would be my first time watching George Carlin as the comedian he became famous for. I didn't think I was ready only because I remembered Carlin only for doing the voice characterizations in Thomas and Friends (which I really liked). I was given a heads-up and was told Carlin is very crude with his humor and decided to watch for the sake of personal interest. Turns out, the whole hour I was laughing my butt off to kingdom come!George Carlin is a genius. Never have I experienced such humor before that made me laugh so hard. Although this was filmed in 1984 the jokes were still relevant in today's standards for the most part. Sure there were some that I may have not understood but besides that, I was cracking up at everything he was talking about. What made me laugh most were the different voices that Carlin made and the facial expressions he made. Sometimes he had a really high voice, while other times he had a deep scratchy voice. Along with that, his facial expressions ranged from scrunched up to googly eyed. There is only one thing I felt about this short film could have left out. Sometimes between intermissions on the set, short crude cartoons were played. Even though they were narrated by Carlin, I thought they could be done without. They just weren't as funny as Carlin talking before. Besides that though, I had a blast with this and I'm glad was able to see it.For anyone who's not familiar with George Carlin's work, this is the film to start off with. Not only will the viewer have consistent laughs but also it will make them want to find other Carlin videos because of how funny he is.

"Carlin on Campus" is dated in some ways - more so than other Carlin shows. The opening, with Carlin speaking to the audience in a classroom, strikes of being totally unfunny and out of place.But once he starts the stand-up and begins delving into the typical absurdities of life, he's on a role. Bits like "A Place to Put Your Stuff" has become classic Carlin, although granted this show has less classic routines than most of his shows and albums.If you're a fan of Carlin suffice to say you will get a kick out of this. If you're new to Carlin I recommend starting with either "Complaints and Grievances" or "Back in Town," which are both very funny.

Carlin brings some great comedy here. In the form of not only stand-up, but also in animation and a skit at the beginning. He performs some classics, like a place for your stuff, have a nice day, and the sports chant. Great entertainment all around, considering this is the earliest Carlin special that's on video (the others I saw on tv). A+