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This biopic chronicles the adult life of 1960s left-wing activist Abbie Hoffman (Vincent D'Onofrio). Hoffman joins civil rights workers in the South, then loses his short hair, suit, and tie to connect with college students protesting the war. He meets his future partner Anita (Janeane Garofolo), and helps to embarrass the Nixon administration in order to show others that they can change what they see as the nation's undesirable status quo. Hoffman and seven others are arrested for protesting at the Democratic convention. At their trial, they publicize what they see as a fundamental injustice in American life with antics that land them on the front page of every newspaper. The government now sees them as such a serious threat that they engage in a campaign of disinformation and persecution. Hoffman is eventually charged with selling cocaine and escapes underground, but can't resist becoming involved and helps organize an environmental protest. But the pressures of living underground and the increasing chemical imbalance of the bipolar disorder turn him fearful and angry.