Where the Buffalo Roam (1980)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Art Linson

Writers:

Hunter S. Thompson (stories)
John Kaye (screenplay)

Release Date:

25 April 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Comedy

Tagline:

I hate to advocate weird chemicals, alcohol, violence or insanity to anyone... but they've always worked for me.

Plot:

Semi-biographical film based on the experiences of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson.

Plot Keywords:

Gonzo Journalist | Presidential Election | Super Bowl | Journalism | Cannabis

Cast

Peter Boyle	...	Lazlo
Bill Murray	...	Hunter S. Thompson
Bruno Kirby	...	Marty Lewis
Rene Auberjonois	...	Harris
R.G. Armstrong	...	Judge Simpson
Danny Goldman	...	Porter
Rafael Campos	...	Rojas
Leonard Frey	...	Desk Clerk
Leonard Gaines	...	Super Fan
Otis Day	...	Man #1 (as De Wayne Jessie)
Mark Metcalf	...	Dooley
Jon Matthews	...	Billy Kramer
Joe Ragno	...	Willins (as Joseph Ragno)
Quinn K. Redeker	...	Pilot (as Quinn Redeker)
Lisa Taylor	...	Ruthie

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-18 (2004) | UK:18 (1984) | USA:R | West Germany:16

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The latter two parts are based on Thompson's books/articles Fear and Loathing at the Superbowl, and Fear and Loathing On The Campaign Trail '72.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the courtroom scene, 21 minutes and 5 seconds into the film, Thompson sets down his glass which is almost full. A second later, a close-up on the glass shows it sitting on the floor, empty. All further scenes in the courtroom show the glass once again almost full.

Quotes:

Dr. Hunter S. Thompson: [into tape recorder] Forecast is for "bad craziness".

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Curse of Blanchard Hill (2006) (V)

Not true Thompson, but a fun film.

Whether you like this film or not will depend heavily on how big of a Hunter S. Thompson fan you are.

On the plus side, this film is wickedly funny. Bill Murray (an actor who has been both great and terrible in his career) does a phenomenal job as the acid-drenched reporter, bringing chaos into the lives of the rigid and pretentious. The plot is peppered with "respectable" places being dragged into mayhem, and "respectable" folks trying (unsuccessfully) to cope behind plastic smiles.

It even ventures into some higher themes, such as innocent kids being jailed by a heartless criminal system, and Thompson's own struggles between being a practical reporter and a fun-loving idealist (notice how Lazlo repeatedly re-surfaces just when Thompson starts to take on "real" jobs).

It's biggest fault, however, was that it failed to achieve any of the higher accomplishments of HST's writings. What makes Thompson such a powerful writer (to me, anyway) is the way he'll often turn on a dime and deliver stunningly sober dialogs on the human animal and where he's gone wrong. Nestled in the midst of the wine, women, and song are soliloquies that drive home a more positive message, and none of those made it into this film (in fact, no significant chunks of actual text from HST's books appeared at all). It's like they shaved off the surface 50% of Thompson's work and discarded the rest.

Compare this to Fear and Loathing, which was darker and more counter-cultural, and contained whole narrations excerpted from the novel. The latter perhaps has less appeal to the average viewer, but I'd think more to a Thompson fan.

All-in-all, this film is a light-hearted romp into anarchy, and worth watching. But if you've never actually READ Thompson, do so, as this movie doesn't accurately represent him.