Closing out 2019 by writing about Kathy Griffin’s ‘concert film,’ titled ‘A Hell Of A Story.’ I thought it would be fitting considering the times we are in. I remember a couple of New Year’s Eves with her, watching her on CNN with Anderson Cooper. I thought they were effective ‘counter programming’ with the slick but bland shows of the major networks – her show felt like she was just ‘winging out,’ though I am pretty sure she wasn’t.

‘A Hell Of A Story’ starts out with a short ‘documentary’ of what happened after her infamous viral photo that changed her life and career. I thought that part was very interesting, and I wish it had been longer. The film is really a concert film of her (now) stand up act wherein she basically discusses the fall out after her incident. She talks about being on FBI’s watch list, then the Interpol list. She talks about being detained at airports all over the world, she names who supported her, and friends she felt betrayed by her. It’s a lot, but never too much. And Griffin being Griffin, she never holds back. It’s very funny to me, and a tad sad as well, because it shows woman exercising her First Amendment rights, and being penalized for it. She is unapologetic about it all now and whether you agree with her or not, you have to admire her for having balls to say so. In a lot of ways, this is a very important film, because as she says in the film, “what happens to her can happen to anyone.”