Bill Hicks Live: Satirist, Social Critic, Stand up Comedian

Bill Hicks Live

Year: 1991
Film Studio:
Genre: Comedy, Television
Length: 175 Min.

Stars
Bill Hicks
Brett Butler (1958)
Eddie Izzard
Richard Jeni
Jay Leno (1950)
David Letterman
Thea Vidale

Review
   To Bill Hicks, the bleating of the P.C. sheep in this country was as annoying and painful as someone running their fingernails across a chalkboard. To this end, he would rail and rant against the corrupt machinations of a free enterprise system which has, in the last two and a half decades, run amok over the landscape of our nation. Hicks was not the typical comedian which had sprung up during the comedy club craze of the eighties. Foregoing gags, one-liners and shtick, he blazed a path which had not been trodden down since Lenny Bruce shocked audiences in the sixties. A good example of the difference between Hicks and his contemporaries is in the following exchange between Hicks and his audience;

   Bill Hicks: “Is anyone in the audience in Marketing or Advertising?”
   Audience: A few drunken patrons scream out in acknowledgement
   Bill Hicks: “Kill yourself, do us all a favor and blow your brains out.”

   The audience bursts into a spontaneous round of applause and laughter. Now most comedians would have segued-wayed into their next bit with that question, but not Hicks, he could see the hypocrisy and lack of ethical honesty in these professions and in a comical way would deal with them on his terms.

   Bill Hicks Live: Satirist, Social Critic, Stand Up Comedian is a compilation of Hicks’ three best performances, One Night Stand, Relentless and Revelations, all of which were released on VHS in the early nineties. In each of these shows Hicks pulls no punches with the institutions that he lampoons, setting the bar high on a lofty cerebral plain for his audience. The only downside being the overlapping of some of the material used. Also included on the DVD is a documentary on Hicks’ life and eventual death from pancreatic cancer at the age of 32 in 1993. The ironic twist associated with this documentary is the appearance of Jay Leno and David Letterman in this featurette. Leno was a constant target of Hicks’ verbal broadsides as he viewed the Tonight Show’s host as a Doritos shilling sellout. Letterman’s appearance is even more hypocritical, as it was on his show that Hicks would be censored time and time again, and eventually would be asked never to return.

   This DVD will probably never be a big seller, but thanks must be given to Ryko for releasing it, giving the small legion of Bill Hicks fans the opportunity to remember his genius and to illuminate new generations of fans to this populist prophet from Texas.

Review Criterion
5 Stars - The pinnacle of film perfection and excellence.
4 ½ Stars - Not quite an immortal film, yet a masterpiece in its own right.
4 Stars - Historically important film, considered a classic.
3 ½ Stars - An entertaining film that’s fun or engaging to watch.
3 Stars – A good film that’s worth a Netflix venture.
2 ½ Stars - Borderline viewable.
2 Stars – A bad film that may have a moment of interest.
1 ½ Stars – Insipid, trite and sophomoric, and that's its good points.
1 Star – A film so vacuous, it will suck 2 hours from the remainder of your life.
½ Star - A gangrenous and festering pustule in the chronicles of celluloid.