Johnny Depp pays a visit to his friend, artist Ralph Steadman, exploring the career and activism of the renown artist and the last of the original Gonzo visionaries. Terry Gilliam, Richard E. Grant and others also discuss Steadman's art and influence.
[For No Good Reason] paints a strong portrait of the illustrator through archival footage, photography, and long discussions with Steadman about his artistic process.
The process of creating a painting isn't as automatically intertesting as, say, that of making a film, but...the technical and artistic inspirations that fuel an artist can sometimes be as fascinating as the finished work.
The film makes it clear that not only was Steadman perfect for Thompson's work (and a big part of his success), his work stands on its own artistically.
Steadman's illustrations could burst with baroque details, but one thing you would never call them is "busy." They had a focus, a mission, that "For No Good Reason" often lacks.
For No Good Reason sidelines Steadman's own bona fides, functioning primarily as a second-hand documentary of Thompson, stoking the hagiography of the late hipster icon.
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.
This is most worthwhile for its scenes of Steadman at work, flinging ink all over the place and turning the splatter marks into his signature grotesques.
A film for admirers of artist Ralph Steadman, people whose politics align with Steadman's politics and the most devoted followers of Steadman's celebrity fan, Johnny Depp.
