Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics

An incredibly vivid trip (pun intended) into the world of hallucinogens and the effects of psilocybin on the brain via the experiences of some of the most revered figures in the entertainment industry such as Carrie Fisher, Sting, A$AP Rocky, Anthony Bourdain and many more.

Both entertaining and insightful as the creators have incorporated in their thorough investigations of psychedelics a wholesome air of comedy, which makes this a must see for absolutely all of you.

I do wish that they left Deepak Chopra and his pseudo nonsense out of it though, I'll just never get that dude.

Fun, entertaining and mostly humorous, but no new information is presented here. The information also presented is limited and non descriptive. It's mostly a collection of fun acid stories from celebrities. I enjoyed the documentary Neurons to Nirvana much more.

While this doc isn't a sober and scientific look at psychedelics, it fulfills some of that in a good way. It uses comedy and satire to make its points. If you are looking for serious information about them, then look elsewhere. While there are some facts here, this doc uses mostly tripping anecdotes from famous people, but also includes a psychotherapist and Deepak Chopra (not an expert on anything, IMO, and the one low point of this doc). It satirizes ridiculous 60s & 70s anti-drug movies and propaganda by winding an LSD After School Special throughout the film, which is as original as these things can be, and very humorous.

The filmmakers are careful not to proselytize psychedelics, although they come close, but the "it's not for everyone" warnings are here, as well as the usual "set and setting" importance. There is emphasis on psychedelics not being the "usual" drug you use to escape, but an internal "trip" in every sense of the word, with planning and intent necessary.

Even though the release date of this is shown as 2020 and "new" by Netflix, Carrie Fisher and Anthony Bourdain are both in it. She died in 2016 and Bourdain in 2018. Fisher is really funny, as always, and one of the high points of the interviews. Bourdain just looks depressed, which begs the question of why he was left in this doc. Kind of bad taste, due to the manner of his passing, and affected my rating a little.

I think the audience for this is probably people who have experience with psychedelics. Otherwise it will have little meaning. I've had most of the experiences chronicled here, including the cliche "McDonald's trip" (I didn't know it was a 'thing'!). Odd to see Sting in a somewhat reflective, very personal state, although psychedelics no doubt have a huge job making a dent in *his* ego. So kind of ironic interviewing him for this doc. The other people are entertaining and usually funny.

The animation is very well done and the pacing very good. I have done a lot of psychedelics and was mostly a "seeker" with the intent to learn from psychedelics, as are most of the people in this doc. If you are so serious as to be offended by a comedic look at psychedelics...yeow. You have GOT to have a sense of humor while tripping!

Wow! I so enjoyed this "trip" down memory lane with some really great storytellers! Told objectively and from first person accounts, it just flew by. So nice to see Sting, eloquent as always but loosened up as much as I've ever seen him, talk about some fun times on his farm. Rosie Perez was another surprise; she looks great and has some cute recollections to tell. A little science thrown in from a doctor studying using the drugs to treat depression and anxiety as well as from Timothy Leary's son who has continued in his father's pioneering footsteps. I had to give it a rare 10/10 because as documentaries go, this should be a template.

Netflix has had some real dross offered lately, but they hit it out of the park with this one! Highly recommended.

The structure of this documentary reminded me a bit of the zany "Sack Lunch Bunch," but of course it was about a topic more adult. The people and stories involved, and also some of "The More You Know" and other educational (?) segments, made for entertaining content that is unlike something I've seen before about drugs. It felt to me like a drug-positivity talk, akin to something you might see about safe sex - "If you're gonna do it anyway, you might as well learn more about it," type of thing.

However, "Have a Good Trip" seemed focused more on a narrative about drugs being fun, rather than necessarily educating its audience. This is despite multiple personalities interviewed having publicly known histories of drug abuse, and two having not long passed away prematurely. It also felt off to me that a story describing how somebody apparently died during a drug trip, was played by comedians in a goofy flashback montage. And of course, there were some stories about people driving or working while high, and sure, they gained amusing stories from these trips that they got out of safely, but there was no commentary on how they could have affected the people around them.

Overall, I enjoyed "Have a Good Trip." You should expect (mostly comedic) stories from it, though, rather than anything objective. I probably enjoyed A$AP Rocky's commentary the most, just because he seemed so chill, accepting, and totally aware of the ridiculousness of his experience. I also believe I learned from the show what I might have expected before going in (perhaps reflecting the trips all of these celebrities describe?): I think if I had a psychedelic trip, I'd probably have an experience like Ben Stiller. So, really, I don't need to have one.