Release: The Hippie Preacher

 

The Hippie Preacher

Genre: Drama/Biography

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Writer: Alex Conn

Cast: Wyatt Russell, Kyle Chandler, Laura Dern, Emile Hirsch, Ben Schnetzer, Jack Kilmer, Moises Arias

Budget: $34,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $54,059,493

Foreign Box Office: $15,194,745

Total Profit: $5,889,224

Reaction: While not a hit by any means, The Hippie Preacher does stop the skid of flops at two by being profitable. It is also the first film written by Alex Conn to turn a profit since Thrill of the Kill in Season 22 (more on that in the Box Office Breakdown at the end of Round 4).

"While it can sometimes get repetitive and the soundtrack is very surface-level, I came out of The Hippie Preacher feeling like it is one of Alex Conn’s best. It features some of his most complex character work thanks to its often-contradictory real-life subject, played with a certain ease by Wyatt Russell and surrounded by solid supporting performances." - Charles Triano, Los Angeles Times

"Despite the occasional slow moments, Alex Conn has crafted one of his most well-rounded films. Wyatt Russell's portrayal of his real-life character is delightful to watch, while Kyle Chandler's intriguing portrayal of the antagonist leaves you questioning where your loyalties lie. With a killer soundtrack, it's apparent that Mr. Alex Conn is learning from his experiences, and for that, he has my gratitude." - Phoebe Peeples, The Playlist

"The performances from the likes of Wyatt Russell, Kyle Chandler and Laura Dern are all predictably good, but I left the theater feeling that writer Alex Conn and director Darren Aronofsky never really scratched beneath the surface level to find what made Lonnie Frisbee tick. The script features far too many repetitive scenes that relay the same information over and over again. The film has a few bright spots, but ultimately wound up being too one-note." - Michael Wilmington, Rolling Stone

Rated R for language, drug use, thematic material and sexual content