From drawing “assholes” in his signature to adopting his orphaned nephews after his sister’s unimaginable loss.
Here’s a cocktail party-like conversation with the American literary legend who created “Slaughterhouse-Five”, “Cat’s Cradle” and”Breakfast of Champions”.
This will likely rank in the top 10 of my ranking of best documentaries on writers.
Thanks to Eric Sternbach for first tipping me off to this one.
Trailer for “Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time”
Watch “Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time”
You can watch “Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time” on Hulu (with subscription) at https://www.hulu.com/movie/kurt-vonnegut-unstuck-in-time-46b7fa51-c254-4a03-b911-120b40522640.
If you don’t have Hulu, you can find the latest streaming options at https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/kurt-vonnegut-unstuck-in-time.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 94/100
- IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 94/100 (Users); 93/100 (Critics)
Release date: November 19, 2021
My Review of
Kurt Vonnegut’s life is like his novels—darkly funny, tragic, and endlessly surprising.
You Can’t Make This Sh*t Up
When Vonnegut’s sister Ally was dying of cancer, her husband died in a train accident that plunged into a river, just a month before her death.
Vonnegut and his wife adopted their three nephews, a decision that added an entirely new dimension to his already complex life story.
The Story Behind the Doc
“Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time” is a solid biography of the writer behind “Slaughterhouse-Five” and “Breakfast of Champions.”
But it’s also a personal project. It started in the 1980s when director Robert B. Weide (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”) began filming Vonnegut.
Over 40 years, Weide’s role shifted from documentarian to close friend.
This unique bond gives the film its heart.
Weide weaves Vonnegut’s life story with their friendship and showing sides of the author rarely seen.
You get to see Vonnegut casually doodling the “asshole” asterisk symbol while signing books.
Or Vonnegut sharing how his sister Ally’s perspective shaped everything he wrote.
A Writer’s Early Days
Vonnegut didn’t start as a literary icon.
In the 1950s, magazines like Collier’s and The Saturday Evening Post were a big deal—think of them as that era’s version of TV series.
His wife Jane believed in him before the world did.
She pushed him and his work and helped him get published.
When he hit writer’s block, he’d paint doors in his house.
It wasn’t procrastination; it was how he reset his mind.
And for Vonnegut, the key to writing was personal:
“To reach artistic wholeness is to create with one person in mind”
–Kurt Vonnegut (that person for Vonnegut was always his sister Ally)
Family, Grief, and Loneliness
Vonnegut’s life was shaped by family and loss. After his sister’s death, he stepped up to raise her children.
His life philosophy often reflected this sense of responsibility and the importance of connection.
In a commencement speech at SUNY Albany, he said,
“We are all so lonesome so much of the time because we were meant to live in extended families.”
–Kurt Vonnegut
He encouraged creating your own “extended family” however you could—even if that family was full of “imbeciles.”
And Vonnegut never stopped finding meaning in the small things.
His advice?
“When things are going sweetly and peacefully, please pause a moment and say, ‘If this isn’t nice, what is?’”
–Kurt Vonnegut
The Friendship at the Core
The friendship between Weide and Vonnegut is the soul of this doc.
At first, Weide set out to simply capture Vonnegut’s life.
Over time, though, the lines blurred. Their conversations moved beyond interviews into genuine camaraderie.
Weide also includes Vonnegut’s iconic humor, like his habit of adding an asterisk (meant to resemble an “asshole”) to his signature.
There are so many banger one-liners from Vonnegut like this one:
“I prefer laughter to crying because there’s less cleaning up after, and you can shut it down faster.”
–Kurt Vonnegut
Wrap Up
I think “Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time” is one of the best documentaries about a writer because it doesn’t just show his work—it shows his life.
It’s full of the kind of strange, funny, and painful details that could have come from one of his books.
You get to see Vonnegut as a writer, a father, and a friend, all wrapped into one unforgettable story.
Thanks for reading!
Rob Kelly, Chief Maniac, Daily Doc