Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride (2006)

Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride feels less like a dutiful biography and more like getting pulled into Hunter S. Thompson’s gravitational field—rowdy, sharp, and strangely intimate. Instead of sanding down his edges, the documentary leans into the gonzo spirit, using his Hollywood connections as a lively prism to show how his voice ricocheted through film, politics, sports, and journalism. It’s entertaining in the way great storytelling is entertaining: full of personality, insight, and a palpable affection for the messy brilliance of its subject. If you’re allergic to larger-than-life figures or prefer your documentaries tidy and detached, it may not be your speed—but for anyone curious about Thompson’s legacy, it’s an essential, invigorating ride.

Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride wants to be an intimate, Hollywood-adjacent portrait of Hunter S. Thompson, celebrating the gonzo myth while tracing his connections to big names in film and politics. The problem is it often feels like a highlight reel you’ve already seen, padded with repetitive beats and sluggish pacing that drains the energy you’d expect from its subject. If you’re hoping for fresh reporting, sharper insight, or a deeper look at Thompson the man rather than the performances and celebrity orbit around him, this can come off as shoddy and oddly uninspired. Still, die-hard Thompson fans may enjoy the occasional anecdote and the sheer proximity to the legend—even if it rarely earns its runtime.