This new trend in documentaries is very annoying.Here is the formula about the person making the doc. They are not famous, they really liked or geeked out over something and now want to talk to like minded people and gush over the past and how something that was very good like "Calvin and Hobbes" made them feel and you really don't find out anything about the person or people involved in the thing they love. It is about a bunch of nobody fan boys.Also refer to "Done the Impossible" for a another piece of garbage in this genre.Mr. Watterson created a great comic strip years ago and is a very private person from what I have read. I would have liked to know more about him and less about the people who liked his comic strip.

There is a great documentary waiting to be made about 'Calvin & Hobbes', but this isn't it. If this slow moving poorly paced film is supposed to be a love letter to Bill Watterson, I have a new appreciation of why he is such a recluse.On the plus side, this film has interviews with several current cartoonists who discuss the legacy of 'Calvin & Hobbes' and the effects it had on the comic industry. However, they all seem to be saying the exact same thing with no one, except Berkley Breathed, having ever had any actual contact or communication with Watterson.The film does touch on the topic of merchandising and the effect, both positive and negative, that it can have focusing on Bill Watterson not allowing C&H merchandising to occur. This subject could be a documentary all its own.

I love Calvin & Hobbes as much as anyone. Unfortunately, this documentary is just a narcissistic exercise for the narrator, who wants you to watch him reading Calvin & Hobbes comics. And, in true Hipster fashion, his "favorite C&H comic" is one that "nobody else" talks about - only he can "realize" it's genius. The only interesting parts are the interviews with other popular comic strip writers who respect Bill Watterson and give some insight on his work, which is truly only Berke Breathed. (And curiously absent is Gary Larsen and Garry Trudeau, his only real peers, besides Breathed.) There was no discussion about any attempt to interview Watterson for the documentary or why he declined, and very little exploration into his life. He grew up outside of Cleveland - that's it; that's all you'll get from the film. Much worse, there is no exploration, much less mention of, Watterson's misguided take on the internet given in interviews during its early days that is laughable in today's context, especially when you consider what people do with their old newspapers. It's as if the filmmaker knew very little about Watterson when he complains that newspapers weren't giving due respect to Watterson's work, when newspapers were Watterson's preferred method of publishing.What you will see is half of the film showing the narrator/director with his douchey, fresh-out-of-the-make-up-chair haircut in close-up head- shots pouring over comics like he just discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls. This documentary could have been so much better. I only hope the interviewees will sacrifice their time again when somebody with talent makes a serious effort in documenting what could be a fascinating subject.

While watching this movie I felt like I had walked into a bar or café filled with comic book artists and fans and for 90 minutes soaked up memories, insights, and little known tidbits of my favorite comic strip of all time.I'm glad it didn't feel like just a chronological, step-by-step walk through Watterson's career or the C&H strip. I'm glad it wasn't a filmmaker seeking out Watterson and knocking on his door for the rare interview (which was the biggest problem I had with the John Hughes doc "Don't You Forget About Me"). After the movie was over I wanted to go back and re-read my "Complete Calvin and Hobbes" anthology. It made me want to put Chagrin Falls, Ohio on my list of places to visit (during Autumn, of course). It made me want to go take a walk with my dog in the woods (at almost 40 years old, I'm too old for stuffed tigers). Let's go exploring...