There are things you do hate, Lord. Perfume-smellin’ things, lacy things, things with curly hair.
Nothing could ever explain to me how someone with the access, reverence, and funding to make Gonzo could bury the thing in such a deep sludge of forrest-gumpized 60s nostalgia. It’s a drugged, feature length version of the obligatory, unnecessary pan past Nixon’s resigning head on the tube that smudges so many otherwise acceptable period movies. Can we have a tribute to Thompson that doesn’t need Time Life’s Greatest Flower Power Hits set over split screens of Iraq & Vietnam, Bush & Nixon, to get its juice? I wasn’t even an idea in my parents’ heads when RFK was gunned down, but even I feel the knee-jerk tug of heartstring when they set the footage to come on people now, smile on your brother — or whatever. Does anybody remember this happening, or are we all reacting to some collectively shared impression of a classic music video?
Though it ultimately drowns in its own expensive soundtrack, Gonzo isn’t a total waste. It does give us a good 20 minutes on Hunter Thompson’s coverage of the ‘72 Presidential campaign (fantastic!) and more than a few interviews with remarkable figures. Jann Wenner, Pat Buchanan, George McGovern, Ralph Steadman, Tom Wolfe, and Jimmies Carter & Buffett are given the respectful chance to tell their side of Hunter’s story at offices or studios, behind desks, or in front of windows. Only Sondi Wright, Thompson’s first wife, was filmed in front of a green screen, which was later replaced with explicit photos and footage of H.S.T.’s presumed infidelity, naked ladies and snide grimaces. Inexplicable, and a cruel joke.
by Teddy Blanks | Source: 35mm Print
13 Jul 2008 1:11 AM | Submit Comment