190) American: The Bill Hicks Story
Director: Matt Harlock and Paul Thomas
Year: 2010
Plot Summary: A photo-animated documentary about comedian Bill Hicks as narrated by the ten people who knew him best.
Bill Hicks is not only the greatest comedian in stand up history, but he’s also one of the most inspirational men of the last 30 years. In a generation of people who began to question the ‘American Dream’ following Vietnam, JFK, Martin Luther King, Watergate, etc. Hicks was the voice of the disillusioned who channelled his confusion, anger and the embarrassment of his country through his comedy.
American – a documentary that looks at both the personal life and the career of Bill Hicks told by close friends and family - does justice to the man and is one of the best non-fiction works of cinema you’ll find this year.
One of the things that is most impressive about the documentary is the wonderful way that it takes the audience through the trajectory of Hicks’ career. Though Hicks doesn’t contribute to the documentary outside of videos of his stand-up, photographs and animated sequences, you can’t help but feel a strong emotional connection to him and this allows you to take his journey from the small comedy clubs in Houston to the London Hammersmith Apollo alongside him.
Moreover, it gives a fascinating look into the world of stand-up comedy. Behind all the jokes and the sketches, American portrays a lifestyle that is excruciatingly lonely, extremely hard work and could all go wrong at any minute.
But, above everything else, it’s the exploration of the personal life of Hicks that makes American so brilliant. Though the interviewees clearly know and love him, they aren’t afraid to lay bare all of his alcoholism and self-doubt for the world to see and his helps create a truly personal insight into his psyche.
Powerful, hilarious and gripping from the first minute, you could go into American with no idea who Bill Hicks and come away in total awe of what this man achieved and those who already do know him will be equally as enthralled to learn about his personal life and his struggles off stage. Terrific.
4/5
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