• American: The Bill Hicks Story (2011)

    This biographical documentary about stand-up comic Bill Hicks uses a photo-animation technique to tell the story of his rise to fame. Through archival material, footage of his routines and interviews with the people who knew him -- including filmmaker Kevin Booth, childhood friend and comedian Dwight Slade and members of his family -- we discover how Hicks emerged from his Southern Baptist upbringing to become one of the most famous performers in America.

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American: The Bill Hicks Story
55
metacriticBased on 12 Critics
67
Based on 9 Users

Release Date: April 8th, 2011

Not Yet Rated |1 hr 46 min

Plot Summary

This biographical documentary about stand-up comic Bill Hicks uses a photo-animation technique to tell the story of his rise to fame. Through archival material, footage of his routines and interviews with the people who knew him -- including filmmaker Kevin Booth, childhood friend and comedian Dwight Slade and members of his family -- we discover how Hicks emerged from his Southern Baptist upbringing to become one of the most famous performers in America.

Cast: Bill Hicks, Kevin Booth, John Farneti, Lynn Hicks, Mary Hicks, Steve Hicks, Andy Huggins, David Johndrow

Director: Matt Harlock , Paul Thomas

Genres: Documentary

Keywords: Friend, New York City, 1990s, Growing up, Rise, 1980s, 1970s, Amusing, Emotional, Los Angeles, Transformation

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Ratings & Reviews

  • 80
    Empire

    From his early days doing stand-up at the age of 15 in Houston, Texas, to his membership of the Texas Outlaws comedy collective, to his supremacy as a brilliant controversist, American tells the story of comedian Bill Hicks' tragically short life through the eyes of those who lived it with him. show more

  • 70
    John DeForeThe Hollywood Reporter

    A portrait of the short-lived artist that will move fans while letting the uninitiated witness enough onstage highlights to leave them wanting more. show more

  • 58
    Ian BuckwalterNPR

    There's a great deal of promise and potential in the idea of a documentary study of Hicks. Unfortunately, American falls short of anything beyond the ordinary. Part of the problem is the difficulty in resisting the temptation to squeeze the comic's story into the familiar confines of a VH1 Behind the Music-style template. show more

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