Magic Trip: Ken Kesey's Search for a Kool Place

Magic Trip: Ken Kesey's Search for a Kool Place

A drug-fuelled road trip in the 60s

R 2011 · 107 min · ★ 6.8 · Documentary, Music

A freewheeling portrait of Ken Kesey and the Merry Prankster’s fabled road trip across America in the legendary Magic Bus. In 1964, Ken Kesey, the famed author of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” set off on a legendary, LSD-fuelled cross-country road trip to the New York World’s Fair. He was joined by “The Merry Band of Pranksters,” a renegade group of counterculture truth-seekers, including Neal Cassady, the American icon immortalized in Kerouac’s “On the Road,” and the driver and painter of the psychedelic Magic Bus.

Directed by Alison Ellwood · Written by Alex Gibney

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

Rent or Buy

Cast

Ken Kesey Self
Jerry Garcia Self (archive footage)
Neal Cassady Self
Phil Lesh Self (archive footage)
Bob Weir Self (archive footage)

Make it a double feature

3h 3m together

Magic Trip: Ken Kesey's Search for a Kool Place

Medicating Normal

Both from Alison Ellwood.

More from Alison EllwoodSee all →

Medicating Normal

Medicating Normal · 2020

Medicating Normal

MovieDocumentary

One in five Americans is taking a psychiatric drug, including millions of children. Pharmaceutical companies have over-hyped the benefits of these drugs, while hiding the risks and severe side effects including physiological dependence. "Medicating Normal" explores what happens when for- profit medicine intersects with human beings in distress.

Laurel Canyon

Laurel Canyon · 2020

SeriesDocumentary

Featuring all-new, original interviews with Jackson Browne, Don Henley, Michelle Phillips, Graham Nash, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Roger McGuinn and more, this uniquely immersive and experiential two-part docuseries takes us back in time to a place where a rustic canyon in the heart of Los Angeles became a musical petri dish.

American Jihad

American Jihad · 2017

MovieDocumentary

Documentary probe into the phenomenon of home-grown Jihadism, analyzing the strategic outreach and tactics employed by terrorists in order to reach susceptible members of society and what can be done to prevent it. Featuring intimate stories from former Jihadists radicalized to commit violent acts of terrorism and their families and communities caught in the crosshairs.

In Search of the Happy Ending

In Search of the Happy Ending · 1999

In Search of the Happy Ending

MovieDocumentaryHistory

Showtime's "In the 20th Century" is a millennium-related strand of feature-length documentaries in which famous directors take on major subjects of their choosing. In the first of the six films, "In Search of the Happy Ending," filmmaker Garry Marshall delves into the institution of marriage as it has evolved in America throughout the past 100 years.

No Limits

No Limits · 2013

MovieDocumentary

Suffering from scoliosis as a teenager, Audrey Mestre found freedom in the ocean. Years later, she discovered another reason to love the water: the elusive, often raucous free diver Pipin Ferreras. As Mestre follows Ferreras's almost spiritual quest to push his limits underwater, she moves from supporter to ardent free diver to world-class competitor. Then a challenge from a rival pushes the couple to the brink of what is possible, both above and below the surface.

How to Change Your Mind

How to Change Your Mind · 2022

How to Change Your Mind

SeriesDocumentaryMystery

Author Michael Pollan leads the way in this docuseries exploring the history and uses of psychedelics, including LSD, psilocybin, MDMA and mescaline.

Influenza 1918

Influenza 1918 · 1998

MovieDocumentaryHistory

Influenza 1918 is the story of the worst epidemic the United States has ever known. Before it was over, the flu would kill more than 600,000 Americans - more than all the combat deaths of this century combined.

History of the Eagles

History of the Eagles · 2013

History of the Eagles

SeriesDocumentary

Alison Ellwood’s intimate, meticulously crafted patchwork of rare archival material, concert footage, and unseen home movies explores the evolution and enduring popularity of one of America’s truly defining bands. This exceptional two-disc set includes History of the Eagles Part One and History of the Eagles Part Two, as well as Eagles Live At The Capital Centre - March 1977, featuring never-before-released performances from the Eagles’ two-night stand at Washington, D.C.’s Capital Center Arena during the legendary Hotel California tour.

Prisoners of the War on Drugs

Prisoners of the War on Drugs · 1996

Prisoners of the War on Drugs

MovieDocumentary

From its beginning during the Reagan years through current times, the War on Drugs has left many victims stranded in the prison system. PRISONERS OF THE WAR ON DRUGS reveals life behind bars in the nation’s prisons. Each prisoner has his or her own story, but for most, the story is predictably similar; they have been criminalized for drugs or drug related offenses, locked up with easy access to substances, and given little opportunity for rehabilitation. This film provides an inside look at the prison system, its prisoners and a war on drugs we do not seem to be winning.

True Life

True Life · 1998

SeriesDocumentaryReality

True Life is a documentary series running on MTV since March 24, 1998. Each episode follows a particular topic, such as heroin addiction as in the first episode, "Fatal Dose." The show is created by following a series of subjects by a camera crew through a certain part of their lives.

The Wonderland Massacre & the Secret History of Hollywood

The Wonderland Massacre & the Secret History of Hollywood · 2024

The Wonderland Massacre & the Secret History of Hollywood

SeriesDocumentaryCrime

Michael Connelly takes viewers on a wild journey into the twisted story of the massacre at Wonderland Avenue on July 1, 1981 – one of Hollywood's most famous murder cases that has fascinated people for more than 40 years.

The Go-Go's

The Go-Go's · 2021

MovieDocumentaryMusic

As the first all-female band to play their instruments, write their songs and have a No. 1 album, The Go-Go’s made history. Underpinned by candid testimonies, this film chronicles the meteoric rise to fame of a band born in the LA punk scene who became a pop phenomenon.

Casino Jack and the United States of Money

Casino Jack and the United States of Money · 2010

Casino Jack and the United States of Money

MovieDocumentary

A probing investigation into the lies, greed and corruption surrounding D.C. super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his cronies.

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson · 2008

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

MovieDocumentary

Fueled by a raging libido, Wild Turkey, and superhuman doses of drugs, Thompson was a true "free lance, " goring sacred cows with impunity, hilarity, and a steel-eyed conviction for writing wrongs. Focusing on the good doctor's heyday, 1965 to 1975, the film includes clips of never-before-seen (nor heard) home movies, audiotapes, and passages from unpublished manuscripts.

Totally Under Control

Totally Under Control · 2021

Totally Under Control

MovieDocumentary

This documentary puts a spotlight on the White House’s failed response to the global pandemic and how it could have been prevented. Featuring damning testimony from public health officials and hard investigative reporting, director Alex Gibney reveals a system-wide collapse caused by a profound dereliction of presidential leadership.

Tanner '88

Tanner '88 · 1988

SeriesComedyWar & Politics

In 1988, renegade filmmaker Robert Altman and Pulitzer Prize–winning Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau created a presidential candidate, ran him alongside the other hopefuls during the primary season, and presented their media campaign as a cross between a soap opera and TV news. The result was the groundbreaking Tanner ’88, a piercing satire of media-age American politics.

More Like This

Cinemania

Cinemania · 2002

MovieDocumentary

This documentary about the culture of intense cinephilia in New York City reveals the impassioned world of five obsessed movie buffs. These human encyclopedias of cinema see two to five films a day, and from 600 to 2,000 films per year. This is the story of their lives, their memories, their unbending habits and the films they love.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter