Hands on a Hardbody: The Documentary
Theatrical poster
Directed byS.R. Bindler
Production
company
Providence Entertainment
Distributed byIdeal Enterprises
Release date
  • June 1997 (1997-06)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Hands on a Hardbody: The Documentary is a 1997 film directed by S. R. Bindler[1] documenting an endurance competition that took place in Longview, Texas. The yearly competition pits twenty-four contestants against each other to see who can keep their hand on a pickup truck for the longest amount of time.[2] Whoever endures the longest without leaning on the truck or squatting wins the truck. Five-minute breaks are issued every hour, and fifteen-minute breaks every six hours.[3]

Plot

The documentary follows the 1995 competition which lasted for seventy-seven continuous hours. The film garnered the audience award for best documentary at the 1997 Los Angeles Film Festival.[4] Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino referred to Hands on a Hardbody as one of his go-to movie recommendations.[5]

Large portions of the film's audio were included on the "Something for Nothing" episode of the public radio show This American Life in 1997.[6]

At the time of his death in 2006, film director Robert Altman was developing a feature film based on the documentary.[7]

In 2013, the film was digitally re-mastered and released for sale online.[8]

Stage musical

Main article: Hands on a Hardbody (musical)

The documentary was adapted into a musical, Hands on a Hardbody, commissioned by La Jolla Playhouse, La Jolla, California.[9] The book is by Doug Wright, music by Amanda Green and Trey Anastasio, lyrics by Amanda Green, musical staging by Sergio Trujillo and direction by Neil Pepe. After a run at La Jolla in 2012,[10] the musical had a brief engagement on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theater with previews beginning February 23, 2013, opening on March 21, 2013, and closing on April 13, 2013,[11][12] playing 28 previews and 28 performances.[13] The musical received three Tony Award nominations.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ "IFC Center - Hands on a Hard Body". IFC Center. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  2. ^ Churner, Leah (2013-04-13). "You Gotta Have the Mettle". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  3. ^ Mermin, Liz (1999-02-09). ""Hands on a Hardbody": S. R. Bindler on Texas, Trucks, and Determination". IndieWire. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  4. ^ Champion, Lindsay (2013-03-04). "Drive-In Movie! Remastered Hands on a Hardbody Documentary Released on DVD & Digital Download". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  5. ^ Ovenden, Olivia (2020-10-13). "Recommended Re-Viewing: 'Hands on a Hardbody' Is the Fix of Nineties Weirdness You Need". Esquire. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  6. ^ "Something for Nothing | This American Life". Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  7. ^ "Robert Altman Has A Hard Body | Movie News | Empire". Empireonline.com. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
  8. ^ "Hands on a Hardbody: The Documentary | Twenty-four contestants compete in an endurance/sleep deprivation contest in order to win a brand new Nissan Hardbody truck". Handsonahardbodythemovie.com. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
  9. ^ Hetrick, Adam and Jones, Kenneth. "New Musical 'Hands On A Hardbody' Will Roll Into La Jolla Playhouse in 2012" playbill.com, October 14, 2011
  10. ^ "Hands On A Hardbody Listing at LaJolla" lajollaplayhouse.org, accessed July 8, 2012
  11. ^ Jones, Kenneth. "Hands On a Hardbody Will Truck Into Broadways Brooks Atkinson Cast and Design Team Confirmed" Archived 2013-12-12 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, October 2, 2012
  12. ^ "Hands on a Hardbody Will Close April 13" Archived 2013-04-12 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com
  13. ^ Hands on a Hardbody - Broadway (2013-04-08). "Hands Off the Truck! Hands on a Hardbody Sets Broadway Closing Date | Broadway Buzz". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
  14. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Nominations Announced for 67th Annual Tony Awards; Kinky Boots Earns 13 Nominations" Archived 2013-05-03 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, April 30, 2013

External links

Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Documentary Film
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