George Carlin, ‘Obi-Wan’ and ‘Star Wars’ prequel redemption
With so many opinions on social media now shared via memes, even those unfamiliar with the comedy career of the late George Carlin know his face (as well as some of his words taken wildly out-of-context).
Judd Apatow’s two-part HBO documentary, “George Carlin’s American Dream” aims to rescue the legendary comic from being just another weapon for political virtue-signaling. Apatow depicts a man who was constantly adapting his comedic style, leading to one of the longest and most diverse careers in the medium.
Utilizing an impressive mix of on-stage material, recorded interviews and personal reflections from Carlin himself, “American Dream” takes an almost exhaustive approach to a career that shifted from clean TV comic to the hippy-dippy weatherman to the “seven dirty words” to more explosive counter-culture musings to dark reflections on religion, humanity and beyond. Whenever Carlin began to feel outdated, he evolved.
Apatow and his many celebrity interview subjects obviously idolize Carlin’s career, but the documentary takes the time to examine the man’s turbulent home life as well, especially through the eyes of his daughter, who faced the brunt of her parent’s personal struggles.
By the time you reach the end of the “Part 2,” after four-hours, Apatow makes a compelling case for the ultimate legacy of Carlin’s career and his message to audiences. It’s not exactly a rosy assessment of humanity, but after these last few years, it’s hard to disagree.
“Obi-Wan Kenobi” and the reassessment of prequel-era “Star Wars”
Before the first episode of the new Disney+ limited series “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” a five-minute “Previously on” montage walks through all the relevant moments of the “Star Wars” prequels, or “Episodes I-III.” The dialogue from these truncated scenes remains as clunky as ever, and some of those “revolutionary” special effects from the early 2000s don’t look especially sharp on a standard high-definition television.
And yet, at the first sighting of Ewan McGregor’s grizzled Obi-Wan in the new series, one can’t help but feel a rush of excitement. How was this new show going to expand the story of a Jedi favorite without breaking the continuity and logic of the character’s reappearance in “A New Hope?”
To his credit, McGregor probably exited the prequel trilogy the most unscathed thanks to his thoughtful emulation of Alec Guinness. McGregor is genuinely engaging as the Jedi master, especially in his anguish concerning the evil transformation of his former protege, Anakin Skywalker, a.k.a. Darth Vader.
After an uneven opening hour, the new “Obi-Wan” series takes a surprising turn in episode two that allows Obi-Wan to face genuine conflict without ruining his overarching mission of watching over young Luke Skywalker on Tatooine. It’s also nice to get away from that tepid desert landscape for a while.
Judging by the popularity of certain “Star Wars” spinoffs, including the acclaimed, prequel-era animated series, “The Clone Wars,” Disney seems to understand that an appetite exists for this non-OG “Star Wars” material. Consider the upcoming series focused on “Ashoka,” or the just announced “Tales of the Jedi” animated series, or even the many significant reappearances of prequel-characters in Disney’s signature title, “The Mandalorian.” Clearly, more people love that stretch of “Stars Wars” more than us older fans can understand.
Even back in those early 2000s, the joy of seeing grandiose “Star Wars” stories could offset some of the prequels’ less-than-admirable qualities. At the very least, it was the golden era of lightsaber duels, and the powers-that-be committed to expanding (and improving) the prequel universe with these various series, books and video games.
As for “Obi-Wan,” it’s a promising start that will hopefully deliver even more surprises than what we get in the first two episodes.
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Tyler Wilson is a member of the International Press Academy and has been writing about movies and pop culture for Inland Northwest publications since 2000, including a regular column in The Press since 2006. He can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com.
