Call Me Lucky

Before Jon Stewart and Bill Maher, comedian Barry Crimmins was the political truth-teller of his day. A man of many contradictions – described by his friends as a combination of “anger and sentimentality,” a mix of “Noam Chomsky and Bluto” – Crimmins aimed his acerbic stand-up acts in the 1980s and 1990s at two primary targets: the United States government and the Roman Catholic Church. Still, Crimmins’ public outrage toward these political and social institutions came from deep-rooted personal turmoil and pain. Comedian-turned-director Bobcat Goldthwait recounts the influential career, troubled upbringing, and contemporary pursuits of Crimmins, his longtime friend. CALL ME LUCKY features archival footage of Crimmins’ performances, as well as interviews with Lenny Clarke, Margaret Cho, Patton Oswalt, numerous other comedians, and Crimmins’s family and friends. This emotional documentary shows how Crimmins, a onetime resident of Lakewood, Ohio, overcame his horrific past and continues to use his comedic voice as a means to effect change. – E.B.