Hunter S. Thompson in "Gonzo"
(Credit: Magnolia)
- Running time:
- 118 minutes
- Rated:
- R
- Cast:
- Johnny Depp -
- Narrator
- Director:
- Alex Gibney
- Genre:
- Documentary
- Official Movie Web Site:
- http://www.huntersthompsonmovie.com/
- Overall User Rating:
-
(2 ratings)
Big question: How well does this doc capture the infamous and influential author of “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”?
Catch it: Director Alex Gibney—coming off an Oscar win for the powerful Abu Ghraib doc “Taxi to the Dark Side”—has an all access pass to Thompson’s friends, family, home videos and writings. The result will interest longtime fans without leaving newcomers in the dark. “Gonzo” is more coherent than last year’s similar “Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten”—which also attempted to capture the essence of a provocative, free-spirited artist and also featured Depp—but that standard talking heads approach might leave some “Fear and Loathing” fans disappointed.
Skip it: If you can’t understand why Thompson’s friend and landlord George Stranahan describes Thompson as “my friend and neighbor who never paid his rent, broke up my marriage and taught my children to smoke dope” and means it as a compliment.
Bottom line: Gibney opens the film with Thompson’s post-9/11 musings and digs deep into the writer’s politics to suggest that we could use his anti-establishment views now more than ever. That lends just enough relevancy to lift the cable-ready doc above the “Biography” norm, even though the filmmaking could’ve used a little more of Thompson’s renegade spirit.
Bonus: Among the famous politicians interviewed: Jimmy Carter, George McGovern and…Pat Buchanan.
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Believeit from J-town - August 18, 2008 at 10:47 AM
Read the new biography by William McKeen. It will be a better use of your time.
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