George Carlin: Complaints & Grievances (2001 TV Special) User Reviews

As Funny As Always!

[malakaiii · 9/10 · 13 February 2005]

George Carlin is awesome! After watching and re-watching all of his older bits, it was wonderful to see one of his newer shows. The old tapes tend to go over and over the same jokes... It really is refreshing to see this stuff.

As he gets older, he becomes even more bitter, which just makes him funnier! The guy is a bloody genius. His jokes are very clever. One of my favourite comedians by far.

Admittedly, the part about scabs seems to go on a little long, but it's made up for with the gems about People who Need to Die and the 10 Commandments.

If you like to laugh, and you're not easily offended, I would suggest this show!

Of course they're hurt: look at all the BLOOD!

[garydiamond · 7/10 · 3 December 2009]

I've only recently been made aware of the unusual, blunt but brilliant comic stylings of George Carlin, a man whose expletive-laden no-holds-barred observations on a sad sack society still feel ahead of their time in a world full of wannabe "edgy" comics, mostly because he packs in so much wit and veracity in a short space of time.

I saw his 2005 work "Life is Worth Losing" before this, and while that was a superior (and longer) show "Complaints and Grievances" has plenty to recommend it as long as you realise that a lot of the humour is very tongue-in-cheek, perhaps more so than any other comedian you've ever seen. You can't believe that George really does go around running down people in his car - he's saying it for the shock value and to set up a line of related jokes that are sending up the habits and true intentions of a lot of drivers, things we want to do but social etiquette prevents.

George moves swiftly from joke to joke, story to story, so for the couple of lines that might not amuse there are another half a dozen right around the corner. He covers a wide range of topics and regularly changes his pacing and delivery, which for quick-witted viewers is just fine but it might confound a lot of people who prefer simpler humour and more obvious punchlines. But for me, this is part of his appeal - a unique approach that makes him a cult legend.

Certainly this show will not appeal to everyone - the Ten Commandments ending skit alone is sure to boil the blood of a few staunch Christians, although it makes some valid (and hilarious) points about religion as a system of mind-control. For the people it does appeal to though, they will love it and would be well advised to pick up his other, somewhat better, works.

"So, here is my revised list of the two commandments...

[Son_of_Mansfield · 8/10 · 4 June 2005]

Thou shalt always be honest and faithful to the provider of thy nookie; and thou shalt try really hard not to kill anyone unless they pray to a different invisible man than you do." This is the stuff that dreams are made of. George Carlin takes on a heavy issue a little less than two months after September 11, 2001 and the crowd loved it. The biggest problem with this show, besides a bodily function segment that is only partially funny, is that George seems nervous. He must have been preparing the new material in a rush and it shows in the opening "Fart Squad" joke and in the brilliant, but rushed two commandments. There were at least a couple times when he paused during applause to not offend anyone, which seemed out of character. The bodily functions stuff has a great lead in, where George talks about disgusting things that even the most depraved mind has a hard time with. Then, he opens up with Lip Crud? Pushing aside these two problems, you can still see a fearless and mostly fresh comedian who still has a lot of edge. How many comedians could list people who should die without sounding like a jerk?

"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors goods. This one is just plain f**king stupid. Coveting is what keeps the economy going. Your neighbor has a vibrator that plays "O' Come All Ye Faithful," you want one too!"

Confront Evil

[tedg · 11 August 2004]

Spoilers herein.

I consider George a national resource, a hero. I've been watching a lot of standup DVDs with increasing despair. These guys just aren't funny, at least they aren't if you spend a half a second thinking about what they're joking about.

George is different. His humor is all about confronting the evils in society. And he is fearless in coming so very close to the edge, so close we worry about his sanity while laughing at the risks. The thing is, nearly all this risky stuff is stuff we recognize.

His stuff may not last long because it is so attuned to the times. So he may not be remembered as well as he should be. Laughter is all about confrontation, and this guy is in the vanguard. A gem.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

Another fine display of genius from good old GC

[Quinoa1984 · 10/10 · 18 November 2001]

Once again, George Carlin, one of the most unintimidated and intelligent comics of this or any generation, comes with even more dead on points on many subjects with hilarious results. Here, he tackles mainly minor things, but it is still mostly golden including: The 10 Commandments, Honor students and the parents of them, singers with one name, and of course masturbation. In other words, it's a really fun (and funny) show. A little bit of seriousness comes here and there, but it is still awesome to watch. A+

George continues excellence

[dtype · 8/10 · 14 July 2003]

I'm happy to see George Carlin continues to evolve and deliver good material. As always, delivery is phenominal, and the material is somewhere between what you think should be funny what what you question is good taste. The man is consistent, and consistently a great comedian.

Funny sh*t

[bsinc · 8/10 · 14 March 2006]

George's been around almost long enough to personally know who wrote the 10 commandments, yet this man is relentless in the energetic way he delivers his lines. Perhaps a parallel line with Bill Hicks could be drawn, as both individuals have a great fondness of smart educated intellectuals who are open-minded enough to understand both their jokes, but more importantly-their true message. Comedians truly are the most powerful and effective philosophers of our time, and laughing at something and thinking about it seriously at the same time is something not to be taken too lightly. I am a fan of George Carlin, he thinks out of the box and at times delivers profound revelations to further educate his "crowd".

Right on, my granddad, right on 8/10

Fast-paced humor from George Carlin

[Michael_Pilkington · 9/10 · 30 November 2001]

George Carlin's latest (and shortest) concert special is fast-paced and funny. After all these years, he still knows how to make his audience laugh. His topics include the September 11 attack (and his solution for the war), stuff from body parts, people he don't like who deserve to be tortured (including singers with one name and people who purchase small items with credit cards), and the Ten Commandments. Every now and then he threw in some of his old jokes ("I'm going upstairs to f--- your grandma."). If you're a big George Carlin fan and have HBO, then sit back and get ready to laugh. My evaluation: A

Genius!

[lottatitles · 9/10 · 10 December 2002]

Very few true geniuses in the comedy world. Bruce, Williams and a few more. Carlin is professor emeritus of any that have been or may ever be. Long after you've laughed till you're crying you'll begin to think about what he said. Then, watch out! You're in for a long night.

dont listen to what they say!

[xCorbinx · 10/10 · 1 August 2002]

Yes, he does talk about toenails and lip crud....but the thing about this material is that its TRUE. All the people that said it wasn't funny said that because they know they do all that all the time and are embarassed! We are just human! Our bodies and minds have evolved enough to the point where we find it amusing to flatulate and play with our toenails. Live with it! Classic Carlin does include him noticing things we do but don't talk about! You are not any better of a person to say you do not do this things, so get over it. Anyways, this was a good show, not one of his best i agree, but good none-the-less. Get both of his books (Brain Droppings, and Napalm and Silly Putty) to get all his A material throughout the years, trust me.

His later shows are better.

[deloudelouvain · 6/10 · 29 August 2018]

After watching his more recent shows It's Bad For Ya! and Life Is Worth Losing, that I both really liked, I watched Complaints And Grievances from 2001, and one thing pops into my mind and that's his older shows are lesser funny than the shows he did at the end. Maybe he got more cynical at the end, and I liked that more. Not that Complaints And Grievances is bad or soft, but it's definitely not of the same level as the other two. The beginning was kinda slow, if you can say that about George Carlin, but it got better at the end. George Carlin is a waterfall of words, a master in English language, and for that alone it's worth watching.

Funnier than his role on Bill and Ted thats for damn sure.

[MikeOxbig616 · 10/10 · 10 March 2002]

Singers with one name,hands-free phones,honor-students,9/11,the 10 commandments,traffic and lip crud seem dangerous to this goofy bald f***.

a must-see indeed. 11 out of 10

Disappointing, watch his older stuff.

[kyrat · 5/10 · 13 February 2008]

I like Carlin, but this was just sad. When did he cross the line from exasperated/frustrated to meanspirited? Now he sounds like nothing more than a grumpy old man who doesn't like answering machines or the lack of tits on Xmas cards.

The fart jokes were just sad - that's the cheapest, lamest, sophomoric laugh and no famous comedian should have to fall back on that!

This was followed by a warhawk call to arms praising plans to attack & praising Guiliani. (the sort of unthinking kneejerk call for a violent revenge) that seems to have caused the US to jump in & attack/destabilize the entire middle east over the action of a few Saudis).

I almost stopped there. For some reason I decided to persist. Surely there had to be a great segment in there from such a great comedian....

Instead I'm treated to a discussion of "lip crud", toenail clippings, asspicking and other things you find on the body? Who cares? Why is this funny? This - from the man who did the classic "Religion is bullshit" sketch?

Several minutes discussion of how much he loves scabs and masturbates over scabs?? From the comedian who brilliantly called out the anti-choicers for their illogic and unchristian attitudes?

I counted ONE laugh in the first half hour.

Out of a respect for his past humor, I persevered on and at a little over half way through (about 30.24 min.) he slipped back into his usual rant style attacking conformism, consumerism and conservatives christians, etc. and it was more amusing but still pretty uneven and not up to his usual standards.

His condensing of the 10 commandments almost made the DVD watching. And you certainly don't hear a lot of comedians bring up and condemming FGM (female genital mutilation).

However, there were a few uncomfortably sexist and homophobic sections. For example - his instance on "traditional" boring American names just made him seem ignorant. Why does he assume wish death on those with what he calls "fruity" names? Many of us prefer original, interesting names and don't want everyone called Bill & Bob. I don't happen to think having the name Tyler or Blaine(or whichever he was ranting about) emasculates anyone.

I watched this the same night as a Lewis Black DVD and I definitely preferred Lewis Black's rants. Somehow Black's swearing and sex jokes fit better. Maybe it's cuz Black has better material (how Bush et al has screwed our country) vs. Carlin ranting about Xmas cards that don't have tits in them.

As he states towards the end Respect must be earned. Carlin gained my respect in the past from his books & shows, but he's kind of slipping now.

Worship this comic!

[Robo-Junkie · 10/10 · 19 August 2002]

I so rarely nowadays laugh so hard that I feel my body is going to burst apart, but George Carlin has once again done so with this HBO special. He curses like crazy, makes fun of children and their parents and constantly notes the lovely ways he would like to see people die, but also manages to get some points across, that people should make sure to remember.

I can barely wait until the next of his HBO specials, and neither will you after you watch this show.

George Carlin was George Carlin -- Nothing More To Be Said

[nuke_houston · 10/10 · 15 May 2019]

George Carlin was George Carlin -- There's Nothing More To Be Said

I apologize, but i have nothing else to say.

Did i say enough?

Very good

[Lunar_Pilgrim · 14 February 2005]

This is sort of a re-hash, but it still has a lot of stuff that hasn't been heard before. Fast-paced ranting that makes you laugh like crazy & think as well. The opening few lines cracked me up alone. He does repeat a few old jokes, & one set, but emphasizes much more greatly (traffic accidents). His list of people who need to be killed is absolutely riotous. It's kind of sad too because you know it's going to be one of his last shows. The song his band plays at the end is quite sad in its own right as well, but it's perfect for a late Carlin show.

I admire George Carlin & I consider him my favorite comedian & my favorite celebrity to hear discussing the evils of society & presenting knowledgeable corners in the world of humor. This isn't his best, but is quite enjoyable just the same.

9 / 10

controversy.

[cloebowiebeatleface · 9 August 2006]

Everyone loves a little controversy, and when George Carlin is thrown at you, (especially in 'Complaints and Grievences', which showcases only the best of his work) you will be doubled up in laughter. Often, you'll be laughing so hard you'll be in tears, which I have recently experienced while watching this. I can always relate to his comedic lectures and I always enjoy hearing what he has to say. If I were a more depressed and repressed type of person, then he would be my way of thinking. Just listening to him makes me want to take on that same liberal, 'out-there' attitude. I absolutely adore George Carlin's wit and semi-cynical manner of comedy; a true genius.