Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Calum Hutton It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

paul2001sw-1 Hunter S. Thompson was an often astute commentator of American life, and an always astute commentator of his own mental disintegration, a process driven by his own enthusiastic use of mind-altering drugs; a gun freak who opposed American involvement in Vietnam; and a critic of capitalism who became, pretty much, the living embodiment of his own brand. He also, years after his best work was done, died by shooting himself. This documentary provides insight into his strange journey, which does have a tragic dimension: the values of the life he lived, the adulation he received for living it and the damage it did to him appear in the end inseparable. By the end, he was still celebrated (by new generations of kids who love to get high) but no longer relevant, his final act a desperate (and arguably failed) plea for attention. This documentary tells us much of the story, mostly interestingly, though there are times when it fails to disentangle the process it describes, the overwhelming of man by self-created myth. Still, while it's the prerogative of every generation to feel jaded, I find it hard to imagine another figure like Hunter emerging today, if only because a large part of his quality was that no-one expected him. But the film reminds you of another part as well: he could certainly write.

davideno I really liked this movie. It's basically like watching one of those history channel shows about the 60's, and as the thing proceeds you see all the major events and the material nicely accented by the personal story of Hunter S. Thompson. It's more like the craze years : a personal story than a documentary on Hunter S. Thompson.As for the documentary aspect about the late father of Gonzo which many fan's that part of the plot is also carried out quite well. I think honestly they go a little overboard about how much influence the guy had, but the story is at its heart honest. The producers make Hunter into more of a tragic hero, a man consumed by his and others need for him to be a generational icon and then the story of both the world and more importantly the man coming to terms with stark reality. Honestly, the movie is great. I would recommend it to anyone.

Darklogic Before watching this film I knew a decent amount about the father of Gonzo journalism, and everything I had learned seemed to suggest a man whose many contradictions made his overall nature hard to grasp. For this reason I praise this film for doing a remarkable job of really digging into the essence of all that is Hunter S. Thompson, including his writing, his lifestyle, his acquaintances, and primarily his impact upon America.Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S.Thompson methodically covers the bulk of Hunter's life from his boyhood to his untimely suicide. With interviews from many of his close friends and relatives, as well as some substantial political figures, the movie does a great job of putting his life in perspective. Consequently, it brings with it the energy and intensity that was pervasive in those times and places, like San Francisco in the early 60s. But Hunter's life is far more than sheer counterculture excitement, and the film covers the many events of civil disarray that Thompson fell witness to, and that shaped his cynical view of modern-day America.The film manages to draw many parallels to the afflictions of our nation today, such as the war in Iraq and Bush administration. It follows Hunter's life all the way to the end, and in spite of the last quarter of the movie being a bit too lengthy, closes decently. For its effectiveness and emotional force, this is a must-see for Gonzo fans.

sam_adler Except for some criticism of Thompson by his first wife and a jovial Pat Buchanan, I think the film went too easy on Hunter, e.g, pretty much laughed off the dirty trick he played on Muskie. I also disagree with the observation by some people in the movie (and at least one commenter here)about how tragic he took his own life because we need him now more than ever. The blogosphere had already made Thompson pretty irrelevant. There are thousands of pundits (drug-using and otherwise)covering the political scene in a gonzo way to counter the pack journalism Tim Crouse inveighed against in The Boys on the Bus, which may explain Thompson's waning popularity in the years leading up to his death. Another interesting thing about the film was the contrast between the real Thompson, as shown in copious footage and Johnny Depp's portrayal of him, as shown in clips from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The juxtaposition revealed Depp to be wide of the mark in capturing Thompson's essence, which was far more "sober" than what would gather from Depp's cartoonish characterization of him. Such over-the-top performances appear to be Depp's stock in trade, a convenient cover, IMHO, for his limited acting ability. I'd like to see him pull off a performance closer to reality, but I'm not holding my breath. (Even the gratuitous use of Depp to read passages from Hunters' books revealed him to be the most affected person in this movie.) Anyway, I came away from this film with both more and less respect for Thompson, so maybe there was more balance there than I'm giving credit for. And as a time-travel piece back to the days of the culture wars, it's very effective.