George Plimpton is one of my favorite journalists. I have missed his writing ever since he died. He was such a fascinating character because he did something that no other journalist had done before. He experienced everything that he was writing about first hand. Some argue that this was quite gimmicky, but I disagree. I think this was a fascinating way to look at journalism through a whole new light.
The new documentary Plimpton! Starring George Plimpton As Himself does justice to this great figure in the writing world, but not as much as it could have. I liked the film, but as a writer myself..this should have fascinated me more. One of my biggest complaints is that it becomes repetitive after a while. I acknowledge that many of Plimpton's friends are dead. These include Hunter S Thompson, Norman Mailer, and William Styron. However, the interviews are (mostly) locked into a very few certain people, and the archival footage all feels the same. This brings the film down, but I still thoroughly enjoyed watching many things about Plimpton that I never knew about him.
At a Q&A after the film...directors Tom Bean and Luke Poling said that "the title fits the film perfectly." I could not agree with this more as they do get narration from Plimpton himself. This was the coolest aspect of the film. While you can go to Youtube and get many interviews with Plimpton..it was cool hearing his voice in a film for a final time.
Plimpton was such a great human being who defied the odds of journalism that I feel as if the film should have been much better. Who am I kidding, though...the film is enjoyable enough to recommend and it explores him in new light which I highly respect.
(4 out of 5 Stars, The film is not rated but contains nothing that offensive)
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