Netflix’s Have A Good Trip – Worthy of the Title’s Desire

As Ben Stiller himself says in the film, “I wouldn’t have needed to take acid if I could’ve just seen this documentary.”

It’s crazy that we live in a world where a major corporate entity would release a doc advocating for psychedelics, but here we are! Netflix’s SXSW casualty Have a Good Trip certainly does advocate for them, but the film’s existence isn’t sourced from an opinion that psychedelics are all good and no harm. The film features a mix of celebrities telling their acid trip stories alongside healthcare practitioners and psychologists exploring the benefits of psychedelics doesn’t shy away from any detail. Although this becomes a little exhausting due to its redundant nature, this still makes for a ‘good trip’ – as the title wishes you upon your viewing.

There’s a lot to admire about this film, besides it’s ideologies about psychedelics which may be polarizing to viewers. The most special aspect of Have a Good Trip is absolutely the creativity and artistic merit that comes with it’s assembly. Content aside, the way this is edited and constructed is awe inspiring. Director Donick Cary’s long time involvement with The Simpsons definitely justifies how gorgeous the animation is here. Although some of the trip stories are matched up with live action reenactments which happen to be incredibly entertaining as well, a large majority of them are matched up with animated recreations that are stunningly beautiful. The production value is certainly very high, and the vivid colours and unique graphics certainly hold your interest throughout. The way it’s framed using a satirical anti-drug PSA starring Adam Scott as well as Nick Offerman posing as a scientist through his narration is also quite brilliant.

Since a majority of Have a Good Trip is in a compilation/anthology-esque format with big time musicians, comedians, actors and cultural figures telling their stories, there’s no doubt that the stories themselves have to be captivating for this to work, and thankfully, they are! It’s clear that Cary spent years curating and selecting the stories used, as we’ve lost a couple of these figures in the past few years – i.e. Carrie Fisher and Anthony Bourdain – and the years of effort involved were absolutely worthwhile. It’s fun to have all these widely beloved figures thrown into the mix at such a fast pace, especially because of how engaging and hilarious all their stories are. Funny enough, there wasn’t a single story here that felt out of place.

You may expect it going in, but a downfall of a film like Have a Good Trip is that it’s unfortunately repetitive. The stories are definitely engaging, but having one after another for 90 minutes does get draining at times. It consistently begs the viewer to question why the film wasn’t told in more of an episodic fashion – because having the short form stories separated into chapters would definitely give each story the attention span it deserves from the viewer. Additionally, the perspectives offered from philosophers, psychologists and scientists throughout feel quite out of place tonally, like they were part of a different film. It makes sense why Cary felt compelled to include them, but they just don’t work.

Besides some issues in pacing and assembly, it’s hard to take away from the sheer joy that comes with such amusing and hysterical trip stories being told by so many of the world’s favorite celebrities. If the footage used was curated and cut in a more quippy and focused way, it could’ve been great, but for now is a solid way to pass the time while we’re stuck inside.

*still courtesy of Netflix*

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