the fresh films reviews

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American: The Bill Hicks Story (2009)

Director:
Matt Harlock
Paul Thomas
COUNTRY
USA
GENRE
Biographical documentary
NORWEGIAN TITLE
-
RUNNING TIME
102 minutes
Producer:
Matt Harlock
Paul Thomas


Cast includes:

CHARACTER ACTOR/ACTRESS RATING
Himself Bill Hicks (archive footage)

 

Review

More than leading an interesting life, Bill Hicks - one of the most significant American comedians in recent times - was an interesting soul with an important voice. This is what, after a somewhat slow start, Matt Harlock and Paul Thomas' biomentary American: The Bill Hicks Story is able to convey. The filmmakers use a combination of creative and agreeable photo-animations and traditionally voiced interviews with Hicks' friends and family to tell his story, and the film captures some of the comedian's struggles, a little bit of his agenda, and a fair amount of his sense of humour. Hicks is portrayed, as dead artists often are, as something of a martyr, which is fitting enough, but the filmmakers make the deadly sin for documentarians of not treating their subject material with any form of criticism. This is a fan piece, and will work just as that.

If the film inspired you to check out more of Hicks' material, I think the filmmakers will feel that they've done their jobs. In that case, I suggest Totally Bill Hicks, which includes his last performance in England.

Copyright © 09.02.2012 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang

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