American: The Bill Hicks Story
American: The Bill Hicks Story
NR | 10 April 2010 (USA)
American: The Bill Hicks Story Trailers

American: The Bill Hicks Story is a biographical documentary film on the life of comedian Bill Hicks.

Reviews
Dorathen Better Late Then Never
CommentsXp Best movie ever!
Tyreece Hulme One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.
Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.
artpf Photo-animated feature documentary, uniquely narrated by the 10 people who knew Bill best.I never liked Bill Hicks. There's a reason he was much bigger in the UK. His humor doesn't work here. And the people overseas somehow thinks he's a snapshot of American joke telling. He wasn't. He reminded me a bit of Sam Kinison who was way funnier and much more on the edge.This docu-movie is way boring. The subject matter is not a genius but we are forced to sit through so much talkie dialog about how special he was. Who cares? He didn't make a difference in life. Few people even know who he is.The definition of greatness is someone who stands the test of time. Pryor, Carlin. These people will be remembered. Bill Hicks will not. What's his name again?
scott-vandemotter It seems like the other reviewers are giving this documentary high marks because it is about a comedian they love. That is a mistake. This is a poor documentary. This documentary consists of friends of Bill's talking about him while we look at old pictures scrolling across the screen. This is occasionally interrupted by 5-10 seconds of actual video of Bill or one of his cohorts.To me, this fails as a documentary, it is purely a fan piece. If you love Bill Hicks now, then this will make you love him more. If you are not a fan, then this will make you avoid his work as much as possible. From what I know, Bill was a very thoughtful and talented person, it's too bad someone as thoughtful as him didn't make the film about him.
tdclark0026 Watching recordings of Hicks, I am impressed at how his stand up shifts from vulgar bathroom humor to such profound social commentary. He truly was unique and ahead of his time. I guess it figures then his life was taken at such an early age. That seems to be the pattern we see in history with great thinkers (Ghandi, Jesus, etc). When I hear him speak, I caught myself saying, "He should've been president!" Instead he was regulated to doing comedy in two-bit clubs in the redneck south. Also of not is the wonderful picture-animation technique, which I have not personally seen before. It helped to fill in the gaps left by not having the titular character being present for an interview. See it and learn something.Your father didn't die for a flag. He died for the symbol that the flag represented, which is the freedom to burn the flag. -Hicks
web-accs *...Who knows?.. I'm sure he would appreciate the fact that it is, at least, the truth.If anyone has not yet experienced any of Mr. Hick's incredibly funny, artistic and sometimes groundbreaking performances, expressing his ideas, opinions and beliefs through the medium of Stand Up comedy then (unless you are from another planet...) I would have to ask; "where have you been and what exactly have you been doing with your life??.."Although this was pretty well made and mostly interesting it is more a homage by his family and closest friends about his upbringing and his life from their point of view, not a detailed dissection of all his work and media appearances. It is also, perhaps, just a final gesture to the many fans to maybe set the record straight on a couple of minor details and to publicize his life again for a new generation of fans... Which, in an age of misinformation, illegal wars and rapid global change is, I think personally, very very important.It fails miserably however to really express just how great this man is and why he is revered by many as a genius and by most, not least his peers, as one of 'the' (sadly)rare and truly important artists in the relatively short history of the form. To be this is really a companion piece to the live recordings and the various other media floating around in the virtual ether.I gave it 8 out of ten just for the possibility that it will encourage some new fans to watch his stand up, learn about him and hopefully, more about the world around them in a humorous way.To me he still is a truly genuine human being in a world full of fake, fallacy and fear.An inspiration to anyone who believes in logic, reason, individuality, equality, the freedom to choose and that love is about the human race as one.Enjoy... :)