Ask any movie fan about originality in movies, and most will tell you that we don't see many new ideas these days, although something unique does occasionally sneak through. This is especially true in documentaries. Sure, some may try to shake things up by telling the story out of sequence and choosing to explore the topic from one person's perspective, but in the end, they usually present us with the facts and opinions and head on their way. Undaunted by this trend, American: The Bill Hicks Story offers an unfamiliar way of telling its story. But, does this automatically equal success?

American: The Bill Hicks Story focuses on the life of stand-up comedian Bill Hicks. Beginning with his childhood in Houston, Texas, the documentary examines how Hicks and his friend Dwight Slade created a stand-up act when they were just teenagers and began to perform at a local comedy club. From there, Hicks began to expand his solo act and started to tour the country. His act was very edgy, as Hicks was never afraid to address religious and political topics and he had no qualms about angering his audience. After dealing with drug and alcohol addiction, Hicks' popularity in Great Britain began to soar and he recorded a successful HBO special there. However, Hicks never really caught on in the United States, save for some appearances on the late-night talk shows (The fact that his act was cut from Letterman actually brought him some notoriety.) Hicks was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died in 1994 at age 33.

For American: The Bill Hicks Story, Directors Matt Harlock and Paul Thomas have done the requisite things -- they interviewed Hicks' family and friends, they got footage of the places where Hicks lived and performed, and they gathered footage of Hicks performances. They also procured hundreds of still photos. It's the way that they decided to present this information which both makes American: The Bill Hicks Story unique and also destroys it.

You see, instead of simply showing us what they've filmed, Harlock and Thomas have decided that the bulk of the documentary will be made up of the still photographs placed against backgrounds which match the discussion. Sometimes these photos are slightly animated. And, seriously, that's what the bulk of the movie is. These photos are accompanied by comments from the likes of Steve Hicks (brother), Lynn Hicks (sister), Mary Hicks (mother), Kevin Booth (friend), and James Ladmirault (colleague). However, we don't see them when they are speaking -- we merely hear them as we watch photos move or see footage of Hicks performing. Therefore, it's often difficult to know who is speaking, and this is very disconcerting. We see in the extras that these interviews when videotaped, so why not let us see that? It wouldn't have been original, but it would have made this thing easier to watch.

The scope of what Harlock and Thomas have opted to explore is strange as well. As Hicks is deceased, they had to turn to family and friends to learn what made him tick. We do get some insight there, but it feels very limited at times. They do not do a good job of tracing Hicks' career trajectory in his 20s. They mention that Hicks toured the U.S., but don't detail how successful these tours were and where he went. (There is a deleted scene which shows that he performed at Dangerfield's.) We are constantly told that Hicks found popularity in England while it remained elusive in America. However, they don't explore why this was, beyond some vague comments from his family and friends. How about asking some comics who were big at the time why Hicks wasn't more readily accepted. The final blow comes when the documentary pretty much ends with Hicks' death and we only get some on-screen notes about his legacy. Given the fact that snippets from his act were present on Tool's album Aenima, not to mention that a drawing of Hicks was in the liner notes, it stands to reason that many people were influenced by his work and exploring this would have made a fitting conclusion to the movie.

A documentary can be considered a success when it piques your interest in a subject. However, when you feel that you must now do your own research in order to get some basic questions answered, the documentary has failed. Truth be told, I don't think that Hicks was a very funny comedian, but he was certainly an interesting person. Unfortunately, American: The Bill Hicks Story only scratches the surface.

American: The Bill Hicks Story reminded me of the Marvel comics "animated" shows from the 60s on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Warner Home Video. The documentary has been letterboxed at 1.78:1 and the Disc contains an AVC 1080p HD transfer which runs at an average of 23 Mbps. The image here is difficult to judge, as we're dealing with different kinds of footage. The few modern interviews which we see are very sharp and clear, showing no grain or defects from the source material. The same goes for the photo collages. The archive footage varies in quality and the HD transfer can often accentuate grain and defects here. The Disc carries a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which runs at 48 kHz and an average of 23 Mbps. The track provides clear dialogue and sound effects. We don't get many exciting audio effects here, save for some stereo effects as sounds move from left to right. The speakers are always clear during the interviews and we can hear Hicks in the archive footage.

The American: The Bill Hicks Story Blu-ray Disc is loaded with extras. Disc 1 kicks off with "Extended Interviews Part 1" (59 minutes) contains additional interview footage with Hicks' family, friends, and colleagues. This is interesting, if for nothing else, because the speakers are actually visible on-screen. Through this, we do learn more about Hicks' life and career. Some of this stuff is more personal and in-depth than what was seen in the doc. "Austin Panel as SXSW" (10 minutes) is a Q&A with Jimmy Pineapple, Hicks' brother, and others, presumably after a screening of the film. "Dominion Tour" (8 minutes) takes us inside of the Dominion Theater in London, where one of Hicks' most popular TV specials was shot. The remainder of the extras are found on Disc 2. "Extended Interviews Part 2" (121 minutes) contains yet more comments from family and friends. "Festivals in UK & USA with the Hicks" (15 minutes) offers on-location footage of the filmmakers and Hicks' family at various film festivals where the documentary was screened. We see how the family traveled to London to have some of Hicks' songs remastered in "Hicks at Abbey Road Studios" (4 minutes). "Kevin Shoots His Film in LA" (4 minutes) has Kevin Booth talking about a documentary which he has made. "15th Anniversary Tribute" (8 minutes) takes us to a comedy club in London where a tribute to Hicks took place. "Comedy School" (19 minutes) has Dwight Slade and Jimmy Pineapple talking about the essence of stand-up comedy. "Dwight in London" (6 minutes) follows his around the city as he talks about Europeans' reactions to Americans, as well as showing his act. "Making of Arizona Bay" (7 minutes) examines the thoughts behind an experimental comedy album Hicks' worked on. "The Ranch" (8 minutes) offers more footage of the Booth family ranch where Hicks and his friends would hang out. The Disc contains six DELETED SCENES, as well as seven "Early & Alternate Scenes". "Rare Clips" offers eighteen segments showing Hicks doing stand up, or moments from his video projects. "Bill's Audio Journal Clips" offers three tapes of the comic speaking. The final extra is a TRAILER for the film.