News: GotchaMovies SXSW Movie Review: American: The Bill Hicks Story
posted on Monday, March 15, 2010 - 12:00:00 AM
I was first introduced to the brilliance of Bill Hicks when I was 17 years old. My friend Andy gave me his copy of Rant in E Minor after repeatedly telling me to listen to it. After enduring his gushing endorsement of the stand-up I finally gave in and it transformed my existence. Bill opened up a new way of thinking and evolved me overnight from a clueless adolescent to a young man with a view of the world that I never knew existed. After soaking in Bill's beautiful and comic prose I remember this intense yearning overtaking me. I had to see him perform live. Sadly, that yearning of mine never came to fruition as I learned shortly after experiencing Rant in E Minor that Bill Hicks passed away of pancreatic cancer in 1994. This was 2001. I grew angry with myself that I was only just learning of this master of the spoken word so many years after his tragic death and how his unique brand of irony wasn't a celebrated occurance in the United States. How had I never heard of Bill Hicks?! I've wondered this question for nearly ten years now and after viewing American: The Bill Hicks Story, I feel a catharsis in knowing that I'm not alone and finally someone has done something to rectify this injustice.
The British directing duo of Matt Harlock and Paul Thomas have transformed their love of Bill Hicks into a very uniquely styled documentary that moved me to tears of joy while watching. This may have been fueled by the fact that I was witnessing the heartfelt life story of one of my personal icons a mere three seats away from Bill Hicks' mother Mary and brother Steve, but a great deal of those kudos belong to the filmmakers. I knew that I'd have to draw back my personal feelings for the subject matter as I write this review you're now reading, but I believe that even if I were an unitiated member of the press who stumbled into this film, I'd come away with the same sense of admiration for the comedian who wanted to change the world.
It's a rare feat for a film to encapsulate so soundly the entirety of one man's complete existence, but that's exactly what Matt Harlock and Paul Thomas have managed to do with American: The Bill Hicks Story. The film begins with Bill discovering his love of comedy and the tumultous road that lead him to become the cult icon he is today. The filmmakers left no stone unturned and thankfully included a heroic dose of the "dark stuff" associated with his life that eventually paved the way for the rebel comic fans know and love. Bill's story is told through the loving eyes of his friends and family in a very intimate style. Regardless of whether or not Bill's family members were in the room, I still got the sensation that I was celebrating the life of the most underrated stand-up comic history has never seen. Through imaginative 3D manipulation of still photographs from the late comic's life, Harlock and Thomas completely removed the talking-head-with-chyron style that's typically associated with a documentary feature and created something befitting of Bill's unique brand of philosophical stand-up. By employing real footage of some of Bill's most classic routines, the film created the sensation that the comic was still alive. In fact, it was almost as if Bill was starring in his own life story -- which is how Mr. Hicks would have wanted it, I imagine.
Again, shelving my personal connection to the artist, I can't say enough to recommend this film to anyone who's a lover of a good story. By the time the credits roll, you'll find yourself in the same predicament I was in as a 17 year old listening to Bill Hicks for the first time. You'll get excited at the momentum the film creates for the young and talented Hicks, uncomfortable and optimistic about his early adult life full of trials and addictions, and by the end, you'll want to cheer when you see the comic finally crack the anonymity he harbored for so many years only to learn that he died way before his time. I'm posting a link to the official site in the hopes that you'll spread the word about this phenomenal film. If you've got two hours of free time and the ability to see it, I can't recommend American: The Bill Hicks Story enough.
http://www.americanthemovie.com
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