Review of American: The Bill Hicks Story (2010) by David B — 05 Oct 2010

When Bill Hicks comes to mind, for those who've heard of him, you think of standing up for what you believe in, for uncovering truths that you're made blind to and for being unwaveringly patriotic. After all, as this documentary mentions, to be patriotic is to question your government. American: The Bill Hicks Story is not only a documentary about an erratic life that ended far too soon, but it's quite simply a fascinating look into the life of one of the greatest, most controversial and unflinching comedians that ever lived.

Although the documentary is at times biased, it also offers a good amount of fairness on all sides. It doesn't just kiss Bill's proverbial ass, it shows the darker-side of him when it wasn't a good thing and showed that he was a flawed human-being despite his eyes being firmly wide-open. It's also beautifully created pasting old photographs onto the screen in different scenes to go with the stories that were being told, and it is done brilliantly.

If you want a feel-good story about a life well lived, look elsewhere. It's a fair and even-sided commentary from those who knew him best, as a friend, as a brother, as a son and despite his brilliance in recognising the world for what it really was (and still is might I add) for us all to see, American also shows that Hicks, as the best of times, was just like every one of us in his own way.

A truly fascinating story about one of the finest comedians that the world has ever seen.