AMERICAN – THE BILL HICKS STORY

Life of the outlaw comic by those who knew him best...

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DIRECTED BY Matt Harlock and Paul Thomas

STARRING Bill Hicks

It’s difficult, as opening credits roll, to imagine that much remains to be said about Bill Hicks.

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Since his death from cancer in 1994, aged 32, he’s become one of the most mythologised comedians of all time.

The kudos is merited – Hicks was also one of the funniest, smartest comedians of all time – but it’s not like his story hasn’t been told before.

It has never, however, been told like this. Matt Harlock and Paul Thomas’ doc is a triumph of style and content. It looks extraordinary.

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Archives of photos, many unseen – who’d have imagined Hicks as a keen high-school footballer? – are lent life by animation that creates a 3-D effect.

The narrative is similarly substantial, wrung from extensive interviews with friends, family and colleagues.

A fitting reminder of what Hicks accomplished in his short life.

Andrew Mueller

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