For No Good Reason

R

Released Apr 25, 2014

1h 29m

Documentary

List

63%

62 Reviews

Tomatometer

62%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Actor Johnny Depp explores the career and activism of his friend, artist Ralph Steadman. Terry Gilliam, Richard E. Grant and others also discuss Steadman's art and influence.

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Critics Consensus

For No Good Reason is a solid but surface-level look at gonzo artist Ralph Steadman's artistry and eccentricities.

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Georgan G

Good to see Steadman's work again & to remember the last 60s with fondness. He is quite an artist. The film itself was boring.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/09/23

Full Review

john r

Unusual doc but very well made and with a great subject

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The third part of the unofficial Johnny Depp and Hunter S. Thompson trilogy and it was pretty good.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The film gives a very thorough look at the man's work and overall process, which I really enjoyed. The archival bits are fun, and the narration by Johnny Depp adds to things nicely, as he has been acquainted with both Steadman and his long time collaborator Hunter S. Thompson over the years. Recommended, and well worth a look.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A surface biobic of a very influential Artist tied together with short interviews of Thompson and 5 minutes of Burroughs.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This movie has been in the making for close to 20 years, and it is so very sad to see an honest exploration of a prolific artist like steadman end like this. I watched the film for research as well as enjoyment, and I have to say that whoever they hired to edit and stylize the film is severely lacking in any sort of good judgement. This movie holds a lot of important footage, that is shirked in favor of 'putting it on a hip moving background!" while a soundtrack plays that in no way matches the work on display. I was very disappointed to see that an artist like Steadman, whose process is very unique was featured rather than interviewed. The whole film seemed to me like a motion, rather than an honest exploration. Notably the scenes in which you watch steadman draw are lacking, because they don't focus on his use of materials, one of the fundamental aspects of his work. If you want to see a shiny, watered down version of what could have been genuinely engaging, featuring Johnny Depp (for honestly no other reason except for appearances, sad. I'm sure Depp has at least a little insight into Steadman through their relationships and work with Hunter S. Thompson). Overall I just think this movie should be re-edited. There is no way a movie with this much talent behind it just fell flat, someone must have made the decision to make the content 'hip' and 'fresh', and that person should have been fired. It is at best an attempt at proper documentary film making, and a little disrespectful to every high-level creative involved in the project.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

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Charlie Paul

Director

Ralph Steadman

Self

Johnny Depp

Self

Hunter S. Thompson

Self

Terry Gilliam

Self

Richard E. Grant

Self

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Jake Wilson

Sydney Morning Herald

It's satisfying that the film exists, as an overdue tribute to an artist who can be appreciated even by those with limited patience for Thompson's posturing prose.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 29, 2014

Full Review

Josh Kupecki

Austin Chronicle

Instead of embracing the chaotic discovery that Steadman personifies, the film ends up being merely a paint-by-numbers.

Rated: 2.5/5

Jun 12, 2014

Full Review

Soren Andersen

Seattle Times

Meet Ralph Steadman and his nightmare visions of a world in pain, revealed in a mesmerizing documentary.

Rated: 4/4

Jun 5, 2014

Full Review

Michael J. Casey

Michael J. Cinema

Doesn't just inform, it entertains as well. It dazzles the eyes with both the beauty and violence of Steadman's paintings but of Paul's imagination.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 12, 2021

Full Review

David Bax

Battleship Pretension

Steadman and this film glibly admit that everything is getting worse and dying. But that's no excuse for us not to rage with all we have to make things better.

Mar 4, 2021

Full Review

Joseph Walsh

CineVue

Steadman's work is as sharp and witty as ever: a fact which shines throughout this heartfelt doc.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 23, 2018

Full Review

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Synopsis

Actor Johnny Depp explores the career and activism of his friend, artist Ralph Steadman. Terry Gilliam, Richard E. Grant and others also discuss Steadman's art and influence.

Director: Charlie Paul
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Sony Pictures Classics
Rating: R (Language|Brief Sexual Images|Some Drug Content)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 25, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 2, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $67.1K
Runtime: 1h 29m

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