Gonzo Girl

Gonzo Girl is a 2023 American drama film written by Rebecca Thomas and Jessica Caldwell, directed by Patricia Arquette and starring Camila Morrone, Willem Dafoe and Arquette. It is based on the 2015 novel of the same title by Cheryl Della Pietra.^[2] It is also Arquette's feature directorial debut.^[3]

Gonzo Girl
Directed by	Patricia Arquette
Written by	Rebecca Thomas Jessica Caldwell
Based on	Gonzo Girl by Cheryl Della Pietra
Produced by	Tom Heller Frank Hall Green Cameron O'Reilly Patricia Arquette
Starring	Camila Morrone Willem Dafoe Patricia Arquette
Cinematography	Bobby Bukowski
Edited by	Todd Downing
Music by	Pierre Charles
Production companies	Rh Negative Entertainment Catch & Release Films Bayard Productions
Release date	September 7, 2023 (2023-09-07) (TIFF)
Running time	107 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2023.

Premise

1992. An aspiring writer, Alley Russo, is hired as an assistant to legendary "gonzo journalist" Walker Reade. Her role is to help the famous Walker calm down on his addictions in order to finally publish his long-promised new work. Alley soon discovers that a lifetime of drug addiction has eroded Walker's writing abilities, and his work is little more than incoherent ramblings. Alley then begins to transform his notes into presentable prose, effectively writing his work for him.^[4]

Cast

• Camila Morrone as Alley Russo^[5]
• Willem Dafoe as Walker Reade^[5]
• Patricia Arquette as Claudia^[5]
• Elizabeth Lail as Devaney Peltier^[6]
• Ray Nicholson as Larry Lukes^[7]
• Leila George as September McAvoy^[7]
• Rick Springfield^[7]
• Sean Penn
• James Urbaniak

Production

Production on the film occurred in Utah in August 2022.^[7]

Release

The film premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.^[4]

Reception

The film has a 57% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 14 reviews.^[8]