Review of American: The Bill Hicks Story (2010) by Elgan D — 12 Sep 2011

I almost feel ashamed that I was a student when Bill Hicks was touring the UK in the last years of his life, and I never even tried to go and see him. This film is a tour de force introduction and celebration of Bill Hicks' fearless, warts-and-all talent.

The animation throughout (especially) the early stages of the film is endearing and always interesting. In fact, the amount of archive footage and photography is amazing, given that the 1980s and 90s were pre-digital. The richness and immediacy that this source material lends to the story is invaluable, especially as we get so close to Hicks' live performances.

His performances were astonishing. His early shows were full of personal and family humour. His physical comedy and sense of timing were brilliant from the start, and when this combined with a growing sense of crusading anger, he became a force to be reckoned with on a stage.

Apparently he was too powerful a force for the America of George HW Bush, as he was raw, unforgiving and willing to attack any and all sacred cows. So he made his way to the UK where we apparently welcomed him with open arms. We loved his routines about his right to burn the American flag. I just wish I could have seen him live. This film is a terrific next-best.