L. KENT WOLGAMOTT / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Thursday, October 14, 2004 7:00 pm
In 2001, actor Woody Harrelson loaded up a yoga instructor, raw-food chef, activist lawyer, hemp activist and a Web site manager on a brightly painted, biofueled bus and headed down the West Coast.
Director Ron Mann followed the SOL (Simple Organic Living) Tour with his camera, capturing Harrelson and company biking from Seattle to Los Angeles, talking with college students and getting off the road to visit the likes of Ken Kesey.
Mann's record of that trip is "Go Further," a loose-limbed documentary that subtly makes the argument that individuals can make a difference in the world.
That's the philosophy that powers Harrelson's environmental activism. Some might find him a bit out there, but give credit where it's deserved: He's willing to act on his beliefs, not just use his celebrity to stand up and spout about some issue and then retreat to the comfortable life.
While Harrelson is the "name" among the participants, the star of "Go Further" is really Steve Clark, a production assistant Harrelson met on the sitcom "Will & Grace."
A smoker and self-proclaimed junk food addict, Clark's a funny charmer who sees the error of his ways as the bus rolls down the coast. He quits smoking and embraces the organic lifestyle a change he claims boosts his sexual energy.
Clark's goofy good humor helps set the tone for Mann's picture. His amazement that a cake made of avocado tastes good likely mirrors the audience's reaction, and his bullhorn admonitions to passers-by to "Say no to corndogs" and to cows to "Stop letting them inject you with hormones" is flat out funny.
Along the way, Harrelson and company meet with a woman who makes nonwood paper, an organic farmer, a guy who uses worms to create fertilizer, a solar energy expert and an activist camp where protesters learn how to demonstrate.
"Go Further" also includes performances by, among others, Natalie Merchant, Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bob Weir of the Dead, Dave Matthews and the String Cheese Incident.
That musical connection, an Earth Day festival in Eugene, Ore., and a trip to Kesey's farm to see the remains of Further, the bus that carried the Merry Pranksters back in the day, all contribute to a '60s feel that pervades "Go Further."
That is in keeping with Mann's previous work, which includes documentaries that featured Allen Ginsberg, R. Crumb, a look at "The Twist" and a pro-hemp production called "Grass" that also featured Harrelson.
"Go Further" alone isn't going to change the world. It's a little film that's playing in a theater here and a theater there. But it's the kind of movie that can be both inspirational and informative as well as being good fun.
Reach L. Kent Wolgamott at 473-7244 or kwolgamott@journalstar.com.
Go Further
***
Director: Ron Mann
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Steve Clark, Natalie Merchant, Dave Matthews
Rating: Unrated
Now Showing: Ross
The Reel Story: This documentary follows Harrelson and a busload of environmental activists on a 2001 trip down the West Coast and makes a point about the power of individual social action.