Podcast 277: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

There are bats in the desert, ether in the trunk, a lawyer in the bathtub, and absolutely no chance this trip ends well. This week, The 3 Guys buckle into the red convertible and barrel headfirst into Terry Gilliam’s 1998 hallucinogenic fever dream, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Johnny Depp becomes Hunter S. Thompson’s unhinged alter ego Raoul Duke, Benicio Del Toro brings menace and madness as Dr. Gonzo, and Las Vegas transforms into a neon-soaked carnival of drugs, paranoia, broken dreams, and very questionable decisions. The guys navigate the Mint 400, the infamous hotel trashed suites, Gonzo’s terrifying bathtub meltdown, the narcotics convention, bizarre celebrity cameos, killer needle drops, Dutch angles, warped lenses, and enough psychedelic camera work to make you wonder if somebody slipped mescaline into your headphones. But beneath the bats, booze, acid, ether, and general depravity, is Gilliam’s movie actually a eulogy for the failed idealism of the 1960s and the death of the American Dream, or is it just one spectacularly exhausting bad trip? Buy the ticket. Take the ride.