Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride ~ (USA, 2006) ~ Cable

Buy The Ticket…is a documentary  on the life of Hunter S. Thompson which has an eclectic mix of talking heads that are every bit as fascinating as the subject himself. Apparently,  Hunter inspired that in people. Among them are two actors who played Hunter in other (fictional) films – and seemed to have loved every minute of it: Bill Murray and Johnny Depp.

Also interviewed are other actors: the continuing strange Gary Busey, John Cusack, Benecio Del Toro, and Nick Nolte. Then there are two other actors who read poetry in tribute: Sean Penn (moving) and Harry Dean Stanton (bordering on the maudlin. There are writers (Nick Tosches, Tom Wolfe) and journalists (Ed Bradley, William F. Buckley) critics (Leonard Maltin), and politicians (George McGovern, Gary Hart). Quite an assemblage and it’s surprising how much each contribute. That makes a good documentary.

You can tell a lot about the man by the unconventional group of  friends, colleagues and idolators who were inspired to take part in this documentary. If you’re a Thompson fan, this is a must see. And if you’re not, you may want to take a gander just for the ‘cast’.

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