American: The Bill Hicks Story
A lively photo-animated portrait of Bill Hicks, assembled from intimate testimony and archival traces to honor a fearless comic voice.
Overview
A unique journey through the life of a comedic genius, exploring laughter and rebellion.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- irreverent
- exuberant
- comedy documentary night
- tribute viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as an exuberant, entertaining celebration of Bill Hicks, especially for its archival material, interviews, and distinctive animation.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film uses photo animation as its defining visual method for recounting Bill Hicks’s life and career.
Ten people who knew Hicks best provide the narration and shape the documentary’s perspective.
The film celebrates Hicks as a unique, sorely missed voice while tracing his influence and memory.
Hicks’s stand-up identity, joke telling, and association with conspiracy-minded cultural critique drive the portrait.
Films like American: The Bill Hicks Story, and why
Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said?
archival biographical documentary centered on a provocative stand-up comedian and his cultural legacy
The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling
entertaining portrait of a boundary-pushing comedian built from interviews and performance material
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
music-and-comedy documentary hybrid using personal testimony to celebrate an idiosyncratic American cultural voice
Movie Details
- Directors
- Matt Harlock, Paul Thomas
- Release Date
- 2010-04-10
- Runtime
- 102 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (82)
Cast
- Bill Hicks
- Kevin Booth
- John Farneti
- Lynn Hicks
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Daring Docs Amazon Channel, Indie Club Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is American: The Bill Hicks Story about?
- A lively photo-animated portrait of Bill Hicks, assembled from intimate testimony and archival traces to honor a fearless comic voice.
- What is American: The Bill Hicks Story like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of American: The Bill Hicks Story as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is American: The Bill Hicks Story violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in American: The Bill Hicks Story.
- What did critics think of American: The Bill Hicks Story?
- Critics broadly praised the film as an exuberant, entertaining celebration of Bill Hicks, especially for its archival material, interviews, and distinctive animation.
- Which films are like American: The Bill Hicks Story?
- Films with a similar feel include Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said?, The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling, and Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson.
- How long is American: The Bill Hicks Story?
- American: The Bill Hicks Story runs 102 minutes.
- Where can I watch American: The Bill Hicks Story?
- In United States, American: The Bill Hicks Story streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Daring Docs Amazon Channel, Indie Club Amazon Channel.
