Put down the GreenBeer, #LaughFest scores a comic coup - American Premier of BillHicks Movie w/creators LIVE

Thursday, 8 PM - We get it before LA and New York!

 

American: Bill Hicks Movie - The Big LaughFest Coup

 

While all local eyes have been on Betty White as she takes to the stage for her very special (and rare) live appearance to celebrate Gilda's Club of Grand Rapids' 10th anniversary, a tiny little film was programmed in the LaughFest's schedule that is catching the eyes of comedians and film lovers alike..

 

American: Bill Hicks Movie will open here in Grand Rapids almost a month before it does in New York and Los Angeles, and that is more than just cool -- it is awesome.

 

Often ranked as one of the top ten comedians in history, Bill Hicks is the subject of this award-winning documentary that has dazzled the festival circuit for its honest and imaginative portrayal of an American comedian that could be called the foul-mouthed, truth-seeking love child of Lenny Bruce and George Carlin.

 

Hicks was not one to hide his opinions on stage with silly gags, but rather used his unique ability to twist language to an absurd conclusion always landing squarely on our funny bone, even though sometimes that laughter was painful in the revelation.

 

"I loved when Bush came out and said, 'We are losing the war against drugs.' You know what that implies?" asks Hicks. "There's a war being fought, and the people on drugs are winning it."

 

Hicks was always a huge hit in the UK, but in America, he was just on the verge of mass discovery when on Feb. 24, 1994, at the age of 32, he passed away from cancer.

 

On the eve of his death, he wrote a sentence that is the key to his unique brand of humor: "I left in love, in laughter, and in truth and wherever truth, love and laughter abide, I am there in spirit."

 

Wealthy Theatre and LaughFest are proud to feature a Q&A session after the movie that includes live Skype with the producers in London, England, Bill's brother Steve Hicks (in person) and Bill's longtime fellow comedian Dwight Slade, both of whom knew Bill well. There will perhaps never be a screening of "American" like this again.

 

Please check LaughFestGR.org for the complete list of films they have programmed on a variety of screens around our area.

 

 

Film : $7 Non-Members, $5 Members

Wealthy Theatre, 1130 Wealthy Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI

from RapidGrowth's Tommy Allen review in G-Sync, 3/10/2011