Although Fear And Loathing may be my favorite movie of all time, I was totally willing to go into this movie with no expectations and give Bill Murray his chance. That being said, this movie was objectively bad. The plot has no central idea or themes and feels more like a completely random series of events. At times Fear And Loathing felt random but there was always meaning to it, there was always a lesson meant to be taught. Here, there was none of that, only a bad time. I felt no compassion for Hunter or any other character. Also, every single actor in this movie is very weak. I did find some enjoyment out of Bill Murray's performance and a few events, but other than that, I really did not like this movie.

I have been a fan of Thompson as a writer and person for at least ten years now and read most of his books and articles as well as a couple of books about him. Thompson's life- and writing style is, if anything, unique and a movie about him that features a structured and clear plot would go completely against what defined Thompson. Having said that I will admit that "Buffalo" seems fractured and does not have a definite beginning and ending, but Murray captures a lot of Thompson's mannerisms and the episodes the movie is composed around are all interesting and fun to watch. All in all I would say that the movie is a success as it keeps the audience entertained and adapts Thompson's writing style adequately. If you are interested in Thompson and like Bill Murray as an actor, "Buffalo" will be right up your alley and a comparison with Gilliam's "Fear and Loathing" is interesting, especially when you've already watched the real Thompson in one of the documentaries.

This movie was great; it wasn't really as much a movie about Thompson, but more of a movie about his and Oscar Zeta Acosta's relationship as friends and partners. It gives a nice idea of what Thompson and Oscar Zeta Acosta's friendship was like, turbulences and all. Although "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" captures Thompson's writing, "Where the Buffalo Roam" gives more of a realistic insight on Thompson and Acosta. It also captures different stories from some of Thompson's other work, my favorite being the piece from "Fear and Loathing: On The Campaign Trail '72", Thompson's first hand account of Nixon's campaign for office. This movie is perfect for hardcore Thompson fans or just anyone wanting to learn about the legendary journalist. I give it an 8 out of 10.

Both of the HST films have problems. This film's problem is that it is too "screenwritten" (Lazlo replacing The Brown Buffalo, "Blast" Magazine replacing Rolling Stone, etc.) and lacks the weird surrealism that a drug-fueled observation of American culture at the end of the 1960s deserves, if not requires.It does play a bit like Caddyshack, as someone else pointed out, and it's hard to get really invested in the characters. And if you love HST as much as I do, you really do want to get into the characters and in to the story, because it's as important as it is funny. Where the Buffalo Roam is, for the most part, silly. It comes off as more a bunch of sketches than anything else. I did like Bill Murray in the part. The problem is the script, more than anything else.Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, by contrast, does well with the surrealism and depravity but fails to make the full point I think Thompson was trying to get across - the decadence and over-the-top performances (especially of del Toro) are distracting, and really all of this is supposed to be about the death of the American dream, and the end of what was (to some) the best decade on record, or at least the one where people thought, for a time, they could make something of American life. Both movies hint at this but don't go into it enough, in my opinion.Where the Buffalo Roam captures a little of the sadness and the creeping hopelessness of the early 70s (along with an indication of the hangover awaiting that generation in the 70s), but both movies fall far short of Thompson's books and writing in my opinion.I was particularly saddened that both movies left out the "We're looking for the American dream" bit at the taco stand, because I think that was important, and the F&L Vegas story seems decontextualized without it (in terms of having a fairly serious (and sad) point under all of the humor and excess).In any case, both movies are worth a watch but ultimately unsatisfying. Thompson is still best read. I think a good film about HST can be made, but the right person needs to be at the helm.Richard Linklater or John Sayles, perhaps...someone who isn't going to miss the deeper substance underlying and buttressing the humor. That being said, there are far worse movies you could be watching than either.And like Thompson, it still hasn't gotten weird enough for me.