Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (2008)

A portrait of the late gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson.

Director:

Alex Gibney

Writers:

Alex Gibney (screenplay), Hunter S. Thompson (writings)

Stars:

Hunter S. Thompson, Johnny Depp, Joe Cairo

2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Hunter S. Thompson	...	Himself (archive footage)
Johnny Depp	...	Himself - Narrator
Joe Cairo	...	New York Studio Shoot
David Carlo	...	New York Studio Shoot
Victor Ortiz	...	New York Studio Shoot
Gilleon Smith	...	New York Studio Shoot
Alex Ziwak	...	New York Studio Shoot
Melissa Otero	...	New York Studio Shoot - Typist
Pierre Adeli	...	Taco Stand Shoot
Angela Berliner	...	Taco Stand Shoot
Eugenia Care	...	Taco Stand Shoot
Brian Kimmet	...	Taco Stand Shoot
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Oscar Acosta	...	Himself (archive footage)
Muhammad Ali	...	Himself (archive footage)
Sonny Barger	...	Himself

Storyline

Fueled by a raging libido, Wild Turkey, and superhuman doses of drugs, Thompson was a true "free lance, " goring sacred cows with impunity, hilarity, and a steel-eyed conviction for writing wrongs. Focusing on the good doctor's heyday, 1965 to 1975, the film includes clips of never-before-seen (nor heard) home movies, audiotapes, and passages from unpublished manuscripts.

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Plot Keywords:

journalist | drugs | gonzo | gun | sheriff | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for drug and sexual content, language and some nudity

Details

Official Sites:

HDNet Films Mongrel Media - Press Kit [ca]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 December 2008 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

Hunter

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£42,384 (UK) (19 December 2008)

Gross:

£42,384 (UK) (19 December 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

BBC Storyville, Diverse Productions, HDNet Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When the film mentions that Hunter Thompson had a crush on Jefferson Airplane singer Grace Slick, archival footage instead shows the Airplane's first female singer, Signe Anderson.

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Connections

Features Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

User Reviews

Paging Dr. Gonzo

Let's face it, either you loved or hated the life & words of the late Dr.Hunter S.Thompson,you have to admit...he was a piece of work. This documentary attempts to delve into the life (and head)of Thompson (not always with success,but don't let that throw you). The film (narrated by Johnny Depp,who played Thompson in 'Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas',some years back,making him a natural for the job)delves back to his association with the Hells Angels in the mid 1960's (which ended badly),to his being embraced by the whole Hippie counter culture of the later half of that era (along with massive intakes of various drugs),to writing several novels in the early to mid 1970's,to his subsequent downward spiral (in the creative sense),to his eventual death in 2005,by suicide (and his unorthodox memorial service). Hunter Thompson managed to make a name for himself. What I admired was the fact that it goes out of it's way to prove that the sixties was not always the hippie utopia that the baby boomer's make it out to be. What I could have done without was some of the more forgettable music from the 1960's & 1970's (does anybody really want to hear Jimmy Buffet's 'Margaritaville'for the twenty thousandth time?---I sure as hell don't). Apart from that, 'Gonzo:The Life & Work Of Dr.Hunter S. Thompson' will be a "must see" for those who tend to embrace the counter culture, rather than pop culture/trash culture.