American: The Bill Hicks Story
2009 · Movie · NR · 102 min · ★ 7.4 · 70% critics
This biographical documentary traces the life and career of a provocative stand-up comedian, from early beginnings to a hard-won cult following. Through interviews with people close to him, plus archival material and stylized photo-based animation, it explores the highs, lows, and personal struggles that shaped his work and worldview.
Also known as The Bill Hicks Story
Where to watch
Watch free on Amazon Prime Video — also streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Indie Club and Daring Docs.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 2009
- Release date
- 2010-04-10
- Language
- English
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 102 min
- Critic score
- 70/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.4/10 (80 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want an in-depth, sometimes unconventional biography of a polarizing comic, mixing interviews and archival moments; Not for you if you need constant live performance clips or a faster pace, like in Pavarotti or Hawking.
Pros: deep biographical coverage; rare archival footage; heartfelt family perspective | Cons: heavy on still photos; slow, repetitive stretches; may feel fan-focused
Themes
- biography
- conspiracy theory
- dead man
- joke telling
- stand-up comedian
Cast & crew
Bill Hicks
as Self
Kevin Booth
- JF
John Farneti
- LH
Lynn Hicks
as Self
Directed by Matt Harlock, Paul Thomas