[Tribeca ’25] ‘Gonzo Girl’: Captures the spirit of Gonzo

Gonzo Girl is the film adaptation about one person’s wild three months with the father of Gonzo journalism. After attending a reading by author Walker Reade (Willem Dafoe, Kinds of Kindness), Alley Russo (Camila Morrone, Daisy Jones & the Six) is offered a job as his assistant. All she has to do is get him to finish the book he has been working on. A hard enough job made even more difficult by lots of drugs, guns, and parties.

A disclaimer in the beginning explains the book and movie were inspired by a true story and that the names have been changed (a storyline reason is provided), but text at the end makes it clear  dispels any doubts as to whether Reade is supposed to be Hunter S. Thompson. And anyone who knows about Thompson knows he requires an over the top performance.

Dafoe is perfect as the drugged out, rambunctious, and uncontrollable Reade. He is a scene stealing force of nature from his first appearance. You never know quite what to expect from him as it could be funny, thought-provoking, or even frightening. He is the type of character that is supposed to take over the movie and Dafoe does just that.

The problem is that Gonzo Girl is supposed to be as much about Alley as it is Reade. If anything, Reade is just background dressing to her story of finding her voice as an aspiring writer. This is most evident in the scenes that do not include Reade. We see that Alley is struggling during her time at Reade’s ranch. There are severe peaks and valleys and she is in danger of losing herself. But through it all, she longs to be an author.

These are the most interesting parts of the film as these are the only ones in which it seems to have a direction. Dafoe is amazing and Patricia Arquette does fantastic in her directorial debut, but much of Gonzo Girl feels aimless. It has laugh out loud moments and remains interesting, but it is also hard to pin down. Is it a love story? A cautionary tale about a writer who has become a caricature of himself? Drug fueled mayhem?

Gonzo Girl is all of these things. Maybe that is the vibe it is going for. Gonzo journalism is characterized by its manic energy and ability to critique society and oneself. Still, it is hard not to feel that focusing on self-discovery would have lived up to the gonzo ethos and been more impactful.