Where The Buffalo Roam
(dir. Art Linson)
"I hate to advocate weird chemicals, alcohol, violence or insanity to anyone... but they've always worked for me."
Rambling attempt to convert the "legend" of Hunter S Thomson into a lightweight Bill Murray comedy. Nothing approaching the hallucinogenic quality of Terry Gilliam's later Fear And Loathing ...but Murray fans should find something to enjoy here. It's loose in a way that mid 1970s and early 1980s films were, and modern films aren't - floating from one episodic wacky incident to another: watching his attorney try to start a banana republic, interviewing Nixon on the 1972 campaign trail (in the loos), shooting his telex machine etc.
Murray handles the mumbling dialogue well - lots of laconic one-liners for him to reel off - but even though he's chomping down on booze and drugs for the entire film you never really see him go either up or down, which makes the tone a little flat. Bruno Kirby plays his stressed out editor waiting for copy to mysteriously appear when Hunter's decided he's done (and not before), and Neil Young did the soundtrack - nice version of Home On The Range in the opening credits ("where the deer and the antelope play" etc), and he gets a little cameo too.
Overall, not essential, but a pretty affectionate attempt - worth catching if you're a fan of the late Gonzo genius, or Murray, and you're in the mood for an imperfect culty outing that moseys along, taking its time.
30th Apr 2006 - Tumblr
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