I'm going to try out a new review format with this reviews. It's also worth noting that this (and my next review) are the first two documentaries I've seen this year, and (at least in comparison to 2010's great docs) it's looking like a meh year.
Directors: Matt Harlock & Paul Thomas (debut film)
Documentary
On Blu-Ray + DVD: June 7, 2011
The Story: American: The Bill Hicks Story is quite obviously about a man named Bill Hicks. Hicks was a somewhat famous comedian during the 80s and early 90s who died of pancreatic cancer in 1994 at the age of 32. Since his death, Hicks has become something of a stand-up legend, consistently being ranked at or near the top of lists of the best stand-up comedians of all time. His material, especially in his later years, is well-known for being very political and philosophical. The film is titled American humorously, because, although Hicks grew up in Texas and toured the US constantly, his biggest fame was in the UK, where his critiques of the United States were viewed favorably.
I found The Bill Hicks Story to be very informative and interesting. I knew next to nothing about Hicks before watching this documentary, and the film does a good job of giving a broad overview of his life. I especially enjoyed the sections narrated by Dwight Slade. These sections added some personality to what was otherwise a fact-centered story. However, I am afraid that those people who already know the basics about Bill Hicks will be disappointed with the lack of depth that the film goes into. Although American does a great job of conveying the broad strokes of Hicks's life, there are very few fine details to be found here that aren't well-known to his fans.
Technical: The biggest flaw in American is the style of animation that they used to tell their story. The filmmakers made heavy use of photographs of Hicks, which were cut out and pasted onto animated backgrounds. I assume that this technique was used because there weren't that many videos available of Hicks (outside of his stand up) and because the filmmakers didn't want to use the actual footage from the interviews very much. This style of animation ends up looking really cheap, though. And although documentary directors seem to believe that focusing on the interviews is boring, it can actually make the film better. For example, a lot of the content of the interviews was getting at the interviewee's connection with Hicks, and had the film simply shown the interview during some of these, the film would have felt much more emotionally investing.
I will say, though, that Hicks's stand up is very interesting to watch, if not always comedic. The best part of American is contrasting Hicks's style during different periods of his life.
Overall: American: The Bill Hicks Story is a flawed but entertaining documentary. If you've never heard of Bill Hicks, or if you've only heard a little, this film will give you a good overview of his life story. If you're well-versed on Hicks, though, there's probably very little here that you don't already know. American is worth checking out, at the least.
The Story: American: The Bill Hicks Story is quite obviously about a man named Bill Hicks. Hicks was a somewhat famous comedian during the 80s and early 90s who died of pancreatic cancer in 1994 at the age of 32. Since his death, Hicks has become something of a stand-up legend, consistently being ranked at or near the top of lists of the best stand-up comedians of all time. His material, especially in his later years, is well-known for being very political and philosophical. The film is titled American humorously, because, although Hicks grew up in Texas and toured the US constantly, his biggest fame was in the UK, where his critiques of the United States were viewed favorably.
I found The Bill Hicks Story to be very informative and interesting. I knew next to nothing about Hicks before watching this documentary, and the film does a good job of giving a broad overview of his life. I especially enjoyed the sections narrated by Dwight Slade. These sections added some personality to what was otherwise a fact-centered story. However, I am afraid that those people who already know the basics about Bill Hicks will be disappointed with the lack of depth that the film goes into. Although American does a great job of conveying the broad strokes of Hicks's life, there are very few fine details to be found here that aren't well-known to his fans.
Technical: The biggest flaw in American is the style of animation that they used to tell their story. The filmmakers made heavy use of photographs of Hicks, which were cut out and pasted onto animated backgrounds. I assume that this technique was used because there weren't that many videos available of Hicks (outside of his stand up) and because the filmmakers didn't want to use the actual footage from the interviews very much. This style of animation ends up looking really cheap, though. And although documentary directors seem to believe that focusing on the interviews is boring, it can actually make the film better. For example, a lot of the content of the interviews was getting at the interviewee's connection with Hicks, and had the film simply shown the interview during some of these, the film would have felt much more emotionally investing.
I will say, though, that Hicks's stand up is very interesting to watch, if not always comedic. The best part of American is contrasting Hicks's style during different periods of his life.
Overall: American: The Bill Hicks Story is a flawed but entertaining documentary. If you've never heard of Bill Hicks, or if you've only heard a little, this film will give you a good overview of his life story. If you're well-versed on Hicks, though, there's probably very little here that you don't already know. American is worth checking out, at the least.
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