1980: "Where the Buffalo Roam"

                                       Where the Buffalo Roam is an 1980 comedy about the exploits of journalist Hunter S. Thompson (played by Bill Murray) and his drug-addled attorney Oscar Acosta (played by Peter Boyle; named Carl Laszlo in the film), who was the basis for the character of Dr. Gonzo in Thompson's classic novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The movie was adapted from Thompson's "obituary" article about Acosta and his 1974 disappearance.

                                      The movie was not well-recieved by critics (and hated by Thompson himself), and I can understand why. It's a rather pointless film. It's cobbled together from a few of Thompson's articles but they don't cohere into anything resembling a narrative. The movie is a series of episodes of Thompson running into Acosta and crazy shenanigans occurring. Unless you're a serious Hunter S. Thompson acolyte (I have actually read a few of Thompson's works, including Fear and Loathing, which is a classic), the movie doesn't seem to be made for anyone. Why should a general audience care about Thompson and his reminisces of some Chicano lawyer that's no one's ever heard of (it's also confusing that the character is played by a white actor)? What's the overall point?
                                      Also, I can't help but unfairly compare this film to Terry Gilliam's 1998 adaptation of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, one of the best movie adaptations of all time (and one of my favorite movies). Terry Gilliam perfectly captures the tone and energy of Thompson's novel and turns it into a beautifully surreal nightmare. Where the Buffalo Roam feels rather stunted in comparison. Maybe because the film doesn't go the distance with its subject manner; it feels too vanilla and the filmmaking is pedestrian. Whereas Gilliam's comedic set pieces are whacked-out and disturbing, the comedic set pieces here feel too National Lampoon-ish. And despite how loony and loosely-structured Fear and Loathing was, it had a clear thematic point. It's about the disappointment and disillusionment of the sixties generation and its effect on its main characters, albeit in exaggerated, drug-fueled ways. That disillusionment has always informed Thompson's writing. Where the Buffalo Roam hints at it, with the ironic title and its criticisms of Nixon, but never reaches that epiphanic feeling of sorrow that Thompson expressed in the wave monologue from Fear and Loathing. 
                                     And yet, I liked it. I actually think it's an underrated movie. Despite its flaws, it works as a loose, amiable buddy film. Bill Murray is excellent as Thompson (he portrays the muttering, spaced-out persona with finesse) and Boyle (despite the white-washing) is entertaining as Acosta. They have great chemistry and their escapades, as pointless as they might be, are pretty fun. It's also nice to see Ralph Steadman's deranged calligraphy displayed throughout the film.
                                 
                                  I also think that your liking of the film is based on how much you tolerate the main character. I'm not sure how appealing Thompson was to mass culture, but I know he had a considerable cult following (I personally enjoyed the Thompson character). The appeal of the movie is fundamentally based on Thompson. It's kind of like the Bond franchise where, as progressively stale as the movies might become, you always go back for James Bond himself. Maybe the movie has no real destination, but you just have to be there for the ride, and Thompson is the perfect man to guide you through.