To make a documentary, the filmmaker has to find something compelling or fascinating about his subject. After all, if you're going to spend months or even years immersed in a particular subject, it needs to feel worthwhile. There is no doubt that Alex Gibney admires Hunter S. Thompson a great deal. The film is filled to the brim with gushing celebrities — including Tom Wolfe, singer Jimmy Buffett, and politicians such as former president Jimmy Carter, presidential candidate George McGovern, and even conservative commentator Patrick J. Buchanan. Johnny Depp reads the narration and does a few on-screen readings of Thompson's writings.

Unfortunately, the constant flow of glowing tributes is ultimately the downfall of Gonzo. No time is given to opposing points of view or the drug and alcohol problems that crippled Thompson from the mid-seventies on. If the film purported to exam just Thompson's work, it would be easier to understand Gibney's apparent reluctance to dig deeper into the darker side of Thompson's life. Since Gibney did such a thorough job onTaxi to the Dark Side and Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, I tend to believe that his admiration for Hunter S. Thompson made it impossible for Gibney to leave his skepticism at the door, and instead mythologize his lifestyle of excess.

One interviewee says of Thompson's excesses, "You saw the stuff go in and there was no discernible effect." Oh, come on now, I don't think they even believe that one. He hunted in the woods with sub-machine guns and went for days without sleeping. On February 20, 2005 Hunter S. Thompson died at his self-described "fortified compound" known as Owl Farm in Woody Creek, Colorado, at 5:42 p.m. The cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot to the head.

By telling only one side of the story, Alex Gibney has denied viewers the chance to gain a full understanding of one of America's most interesting and complex authors. While Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson isn't a bad film, it does feel woefully incomplete.