Timothy Leary's Last Trip (1997) User Reviews

Charming fare for fans of psychedelia

[plu4085 · 8/10 · 8 December 2006]

The first half of this 55-minute documentary is a recap of the early/mid-1960s LSD scene, when both Tim Leary & Ken Kesey rose to prominence. There's lots of Prankster 60s archive footage, some of which I didn't immediately recognize, and which may be unique to this feature. There's also some interesting old Leary footage, the bulk of it from a circa 1974 interview also seen in "Timothy Leary's Dead". There are some minor errors to the chronology and presentation, the most amusing (possibly a Prank?) assigning Wavy Gravy's name to a photo of Tiny Tim! The second half of the movie concerns Leary's last trip, which turns out to be 2 trips -- one to a Hog Farm get-together in 1995, with some historically important footage of Kesey & Leary hanging out together. There's also contemporary interviews with George Walker, Wavy Gravy (looking great, like an old Polynesian tribe chief), and Kesey & Leary. Interspersed throughout is an interview with Leary from a studio (or his home), which I think is unique to this movie. There's some on-stage footage with Dead type music and Pranksters in costumes, and Leary giving the event his benediction.

Leary's "second last trip" is a meeting on Internet between himself and Kesey, shortly before he died. It's pretty amusing to see the funky connection and very old-skool Netscape browsers 10 years later. Not much of importance is said, it's mainly an exchange of greetings.

The director O B Babbs (Merry Prankster legend Ken Babbs' son) appears as a narrator here and there, and does a good job; and his handsome male-model looks are no drawback. There's a certain student film feel to this, but those familiar with what's been coming out of the revived Prankster nexus in Oregon will recognize and enjoy the home-made charm. Sentimentality is present, and may have been given a boost by the passing away of Jerry Garcia around this time, but considering who we are dealing with, there's certainly room for, and a need for, documentation.

Like "Timothy Leary's Dead" this movie has some specific, minor flaws, but combining these two fan-oriented DVD features you get a terrific view of Leary, the modern (post-1960) history of LSD, and a substantial dose of the equally important Merry Pranksters.

a more accurate title would be "The last trip of Ken Kesey and Timothy Leary"

[kui-tore · 7/10 · 22 January 2006]

Last Trip gives a brief introduction to LSD, the lives of Timothy Leary and Ken Kesey with the Merry Pranksters. The documentary comes out giving a nostalgic feel of fading icons of the psychedelic revolution. Different from other documentaries on the topic like "Beyond life" and "The man who turned on America" it doesn't focus on the controversies of LSD or alone on the life of Leary. The narrator is the son of a Merry Prakster Ken Babbs, so what would you expect? What i like about it is that after having watched all of the documentaries on the "sixties" topic this one gives just that - the lives of others than Leary. For instance the tale of the Merry Prankster Furthur bus, which toured around the States. While Leary was a meditating "scientist" and Kesey was a recretional "party animal", they both had much in common and were both icons of the time. This documentary gives insight of their last reunion and doings before the death on Leary. The latter half of the documentary serves their lives after having "turned on" and "passing the acid test", as old men of a fading era saying that the "revolution isn't over" and "we'll trip on the other side". Which might be true now, since they're both dead.

An ego-trip into uncoolness.

[aholah · 4 February 2005]

Not to be negative, but this documentary sucks. It's hard to endure this one whole. It is nothing but an ego-trip for a dorkass kid who's hippie dad was not even really friends with Leary, but merely a friend of a two-time acquaintance of Leary's - though he he never quits mentioning "my dad" knowing the great Dr. Timothy Leary (which is of course extremely annoying). He apparently felt so awesome doing this film that he won't even quit bobbing his head as he talks either. This is the worst Leary film bar none. But enough of my negative opinionation. If you are a neo-hippie who just can't get enough nostalgia of the good old days, then you might dig this one because it keeps steering off course into the hippie movement. But after you get enough of these old fogies, you may not ever want to call yourself a hippie again.

conservative video on Timothy Leary

[cmosling · 3/10 · 18 June 1999]

This was a pretty conservative video on Timothy Leary. Kind of feels like it was put together by the folks at 20/20 rather than a video put together for those who are into Timothy Leary. Forget the fact that the narrators' parents were involved with the culture. I felt like he was talking to a group of senior citizens in a quest to become hip. The videography and editing was 100% mediocre.