Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time

Robert Weide, the maker of this fine documentary, apologizes right off the bat for being on screen and 'present' from time to time while it goes on. I see other reviewers found this a bit annoying, but I can also see that it was hard to avoid. Weide's connection with Vonnegut spanned decades, they became close friends, and the friendship itself is part of the story. I don't think we lose anything as a result: Vonnegut and his work are still front and center, and we get a satisfyingly thorough look into his life from beginning to end.

Vonnegut was an American original. His main works (Slaughterhouse Five and the string of novels before and after it) hit the zeitgeist of the 1960's right on the mark and made him immediately and permanently famous. His trademark angular face, mustache, and mop of curly hair were instantly recognizable and never changed. After his orginal string of hits, his writing as a novelist sort of trailed off into the weeds, but he turned into an affable TV talk-show guest and public speaker. Although he may have outlived his natural home period in history, he never really went away. And his consistent counterculture, antiwar point of view is timeless.

Weide clearly loved the guy. We get to see plenty of archival footage that fills in all the gaps over his whole life. The many interviews and thoughts from his three kids (Edie, Nanny, and Mark) and four nephews, who are all very open and engaging, are among the highlights of the film. Vonnegut was a complex character with a fascinating history. Very much worth seeing.

"I didn't want to be in this film, but I felt I had to explain why it took forty years." I guess all the people who review "it's self indulgent of Weide" are too big *s to get this single line explanation.

I fell in love with Vonnegut's writing in high school, which presaged a lifetime of suicidal depression for me. Anyhoo, this film exactly fits Vonnegut's style and philosophy and it just depresses the hell out of me that other reviewers don't grok it. (lol) BTW one of Weide's films made from Vonnegut's books, "Mother Night" was made for $6,000,000 (estimated) and grossed only $403,701, which explains in part it took Weide so long to return to doing material on Vonnegut, (although he doesn't give these numbers in this film), and why few filmmakers have bothered to touch Vonnegut's material since. So it goes. If you haven't read Vonnegut, you're probably not worthy, sorry I mean interested, of watching this. I don't know why you would bother.

Greetings again from the darkness. Sometimes the work really does speak for itself. Co-director and long-time Vonnegut friend Robert B Weide even admits the renowned author told him, "anything that is any good of mine is on a printed page". The strange thing here is that by the time it's over, we aren't sure if we've watched a documentary on the life of Kurt Vonnegut or one about Weide's friendship with and respect of the man.

Vonnegut, of course, is one of the great American writers of the 20th Century. Born and raised in Indianapolis, he wrote novels, short stories, and plays, and his work was noted for his clever humor and detail. His big breakthrough came in 1969 when "Slaughterhouse Five" became a best-seller, and his other works include "Cat's Cradle" (1963) and "Breakfast of Champions" (1973). As we see during the film, his live talks became 'must-attend' events due to his brilliance and ability to speak directly (and with caustic wit) about a world that he didn't always maintain the greatest hope for.

Weide and co-director Don Argott address Vonnegut's shortcomings as a family man, by allowing his daughters to tell Daddy stories in their own words. What's clear is that Vonnegut being captured by Germans during WWII at the Battle of the Bulge, and subsequently held at Dresden was a driving force not just in his writing, but in his approach to life. He survived the Allied bombing by taking cover in ... you guessed it ... a freezer in a slaughterhouse.

Archival footage of Vonnegut and interviews with his daughters and biographers, give us a pretty complete looks at his life. Oddly, it's Mr. Weide who seems to spend as much time on camera as anyone, leading us to wonder about his focus in what he terms a '40 year' project. Possibly the most interesting segment involves the various drafts of Vonnegut's most popular work ("Slaughterhouse Five" was his 6th novel), and the specific comparisons of the author to lead character Billy Pilgrim. Vonnegut passed away in 2007, and we have little doubt his response to that would be ... "So it goes."

There are two schools of thought on this documentary - that took decades to complete by Weide. My school is that Weide inserted himself far too comfortably in it. What pushed me waaaaaaaaaaaaay over the edge was during the credits when there were two sets of photographs, one in black and white (Vonnegut family) on top and one in color (Weide family). That was so to invasive to me.

Also, (this is an edit, btw) Weide inserting his family problems into the documentary to the degree he did was not at all professional, in my opinion. I am very sorry about his wife's illness, but I chose to watch a documentary about a beloved writer, not about Robert B. Wieder's family. Maybe he needs to do another documentary that's strictly about them. Given what he has achieved in his professional life, I would actually like to watch that.

But this was supposed to be about Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

This is a smart documentary about Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. And a lot of his story that any fan can enjoy. I am glad it finally got made, and wish Vonnegut could have seen it - he would have been pleased, I'd like to think. I learned a lot about the author I've admired all my life. And wish I'd learned a bit more about his later life sans Weide inserting himself as flagrantly as he did. I looked it up and there was a lot of Vonnegut's life missing. How sad we were deprived of that later portion of his life.

To clarify - I think Weide's presence and voice is important in this documentary, but could and should have been cut back by at least 90%. It is NOT the Vonnegut and Weide Unstuck in Time documentary. Or is it?

I do know I know far too much about the Weide family than I ever should at this point in time and from the program I chose to watch.

So it goes.

I gave the documentary 5 stars for the footage of Kurt. It should really be 2.5 stars, considering that Weidie features "Weidie's feelings on KVj," and "Weidie proves he really was friends with Kurt" more than he lets us see the author himself. I swear to god, there were several times when Weidie actually talked OVER film of Vonnegut rather than letting us hear what the supposed subject of the film was saying.

It's not that Weidie couldn't have played a role, put himself in here and there. But he is everywhere. He spends so much time showing himself with Kurt it begins to look like that is his only point - that he was there. I almost stopped after 10/15 minutes because I had heard so little about Kurt and so much about Weidie's subject. He draws parallels to Vonnegut's own years-long struggle to write about WWII. I kid you not.

For lovers of Vonnegut, this film is a struggle. For people who want to hear Weidie on Vonnegut, you've found your movie!