American: The Bill Hicks Story

American: The Bill Hicks Story, directed by Matt Harlock and Paul Thomas, is a biographical documentary about comedian Bill Hicks, told through more than 1,300 photographs and previously unseen footage from his family and inner circle, transformed into moving collages that blend photography and animation. Hicks caused controversy when his entire six minute set on Late Show with David Letterman was cut by CBS on October 1, 1993, over jokes about religion, the first time a comedian's full set had ever been removed from the Letterman show. Hicks died of pancreatic cancer on February 26, 1994, at age 32. Fifteen years later, on January 30, 2009, Letterman invited Hicks's mother onto the show, aired the censored set in full, and issued an open apology. The film holds an 82 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. Who it's for: anyone curious about a documentary that tells the story of a comedian's censored final television set, later forgiven fifteen years on, using a distinctive animation technique that brings archival photos to life. Who it's not for: die hard fans who have already absorbed every detail of Bill Hicks's life, since some stories here repeat what other biographies have already covered.