American: The Bill Hicks Story: OK. First off, I'm really not a documentary guy. I just don't dig them that much. When I go to the movies I generally want to see fiction. Like a wiser man than I, who at one time practiced some pretty weird science, said, "we know about the reality. Don't mess with the fantasy, OK?" I'm not trying to say I'm above seeing them... I mean, I saw Bowling For Columbine and Fahrenheit 911, and thought they were great, but let's face it- they were more flashy op-ed pieces than documentaries. And I think maybe they were the only two "documentaries" I've actually seen in a theater, so I guess I'm woefully undereducated in the ways of the documentary and therefore don't really know how to go about reviewing one. But I'm going to, anyway.
Secondly, Bill Hicks is someone who I've always been just outside of "the know" about. I've seen some clips of him on stage, heard good chunks of his standup, been told stories of his early years from a friend who went to school with him, know the very basics of his life and career... but I admit- I've never actually seen or heard any of his available acts in their entirety. I completely dig his anti-establishment aesthetic, his contempt for those who shun individuality, his views on the bullshit "war on drugs"... Basically, if you know me, you'd probably be pretty amazed that I'm not more of a Bill Hicks enthusiast. But let me be clear- it's not for lack of interest, it's simply because I haven't had the time.
So I saw American: The Bill Hicks Story at Cinema Village in Manhattan, which, as I understand it, is the only place in the country where it's playing right now. And I liked it... a bit. It was somewhat informative and well put together... for the amount of information it had. Which seemed a little light. That is to say, it had plenty of anecdotal information from friends, family, and colleagues from Hicks's teen years, but when the "story" branched out into his time in Los Angeles, England, and around the US during his touring periods it relied on those same 6 or 7 people. I mean, shouldn't a documentary that spans 15 years of someone's life include 15 years worth of people? And what about the hundreds of comedians that he inspired? Even if they never met the guy, I'm sure they'd have plenty of useful insight about him.
The people who were interviewed were all pretty good- there's no doubt his friends, family, and colleagues absolutely adored the man. This really set quite a somber tone over the movie, for sure, which I assume was what they were going for, but again, it raises the same complaint: only the same handful of people discussing Bill Hicks for 90 minutes completely diminishes the impact of this legendary performer. We should have heard from more comics that opened for him, comics he opened for, people he pissed off, modern-day funny people who owe their sense of humor to him, fans... etc., etc., etc. Bill Hicks was certainly a much more incendiary force of nature and product of counter-culture than a handful of people who loved him could ever get across on their own.
Most of the movie used photos of Hicks, his friends and family, that were computer re-generated with movement and added to images both realistic and psychedelic to enhance the storytelling (the bit where they talk about eating mushrooms was fun, visually). It was pretty cool... at first... but after an hour in it just came across as repetitive and uninventive. Like someone who took an Adobe Flash course and decided to show off a little. It sort of gave the whole thing a Made-For-TV feel, like something you'd see on the History or Biography channel. I like watching stuff there at times, but that's because those features only last 30-60 minutes. In fact, I wonder if American was supposed to be a TV doc that got expanded for some reason. Whatever. As it exists it comes across as stretched, a little afterthought-ish, and somewhat unfinished.
I don't want you to think it's a total loss. Like I said, I knew a bit less than a fair amount about Hicks before I saw it, and it's not like it didn't add to my knowledge. I just wish it added SO MUCH MORE to what I knew. I suppose it works best as an introduction to the man- if you know nothing about him, and you're interested, check it out when and if it hits a theater near you. If anything it has inspired me to check out his material for real and stop being "on the fringe" about him. The best parts of the movie were certainly the live clips of him performing. And from what I've been told, some of the earlier clips were never-before-seen, which I imagine is pretty cool to Hicks fans. I know it was cool for me.
So, basically, American is... OK. I'm calling it "average"- there are definitely worse ways to spend an hour and a half, but (and I don't usually endorse this) if you wait for DVD no one would think any less of you. Or if you wait longer you might actually catch this one on Biography where it belongs.
5 out of 10 Magic Mushrooms By The Lake
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