Ever wonder what it’s like to drop acid? Look no further. In 1964, Ken Kesey, celebrated author of One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, took a mythic excursion across America from the West to the East Coast. Fueled by massive doses of LSD, Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters embarked on the ultimate road trip. Their destination: Tomorrowland at the New York World’s Fair. Steered by Jack Kerouac’s infamous companion, Neal Cassady, Kesey and company rigged their psychedelic bus with cameras and a sound system and set out to chronicle a journey that took them through space, time, and the boundless landscape of the imagination.
Forty-plus years later, Academy Award–winning filmmaker Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side) and codirector Alison Ellwood unearthed Kesey’s footage, audio recordings, and photographs and created a fully immersive cinematic experience. This Magic Trip is guaranteed to blow your mind. –Sundance Film Festival
Amazingly restored 16mm footage from the days of the merry pranksters and their great cross country bus trip. Not quite as psychedelic as I remember the book being. Some of the voice over is a little obvious and annoying at times but the insight into their outlook and refreshing approach to the way they tackled the world is inspiring. 3.5 stars
Not especially compelling as a movie, but fascinating as a document of the time and some of the crazy shit we did that would get clamped down instantly these days. Seriously; sleeping on top of and… read review
