The Parking Lot Movie

Most of us have had unappreciated jobs... and so, can easily relate to the feelings of the attendants.

"The Parking Lot Movie" is not only a film about a parking lot, but also a metaphor to easily express the extremes of human nature towards one-another. Everyone has a dark and a good side. Funny how both faces come out in the most seemingly simplest of situations. Not only do we get to watch actual footage of these interactions, but the attendants (all well educated) explain their feelings to a fine point.

It was also interesting to watch how the attendants spent their "down time," when the parking lot was slow. Games, painting slogans on the gate arm. "Idle Hands" are the parking attendant's workshop.

Nicely done.

I admire gatherings of misfits, especially those who know they are nothing more than nerds, geeks, slackers, slobs, and loving brothers of such a strange and lonely tree house. The Parking Lot Movie appeals to the D+D player, the skater, the self titled hermit who holds some small sway over the flood of money, cars, and assholes which roll incessantly over us all small people. These parking lot attendants hold sway over those otherwise removed and privileged SUV driving douche bags in a delicious and terrible manner. Fine, who needs further fuel to fan the flames of their disdain for the sorority chick, the frat boy, or the soccer mom? No one, but you can't help but love these fantastically over educated, smarmy snidely lords of the lot. It makes you want to lose any drive, and sidle in with a group of smack talking punks of your own. You know you know them, or knew them, and you want to be a part of their lordship. It is as endearing as anything I've seen in the past year, and they don't pretend anything at all. It's just a fracking parking lot, yet they rule, and they all love it. Fun doc to watch.

The Parking Lot Movie covers a group of intellectual social misfits that love the comfort of working in an environment that they can shape to their will, but hate dealing with the society that comes and goes through their business. Watching their interactions with the college surroundings is classic. On one side, you have parking lot employee with a PhD in anthropology, passionately working for minimum wage, and on the other is a drunk sorority girl driving a luxury SUV (assumed to be paid for by her parents), and she's trying to skip out on her four dollar parking fee. Although the entire film essentially takes place in a parking lot, it manages to create quite a bit of social commentary, and really works as a fun and thought provoking film.

I picture The Parking Lot Movie working as a brilliant double bill with The Social Network. If one shows how intelligent outcasts can outclass society by working hard and becoming a powerful billionaire in just six years, the other shows how other intelligent outcasts can be just as happy removing themselves from the equation entirely, shielding themselves in apathy, and outclassing society in an entirely different way. The difference is really just between a Type A and B personalities. As the parking lot owner says: "I really like to hire Type B personalities."

Overall, the content the film ends up being much more engaging than you'd expect. The parking lot itself almost seems like a last bastion of creativity and normalcy in an invading world of mindless consumption. The employees really make it out to be an amusing struggle, and you can't help but root for them. Personally, I can't remember ever feeling closer to a group of people on film, and I'm already recommending this to like-minded thinkers.

I've never worked at a parking lot before but I've had a very similar job at a private owned video store arguing with customers over late fees etc. I'd sit there all day doing nothing - sometimes even sleep.

It's amazing what people would do not to pay a dollar. Some one would argue in the film that she was only there for five minutes and would not pay the 1.00 fee. Someone at the video store would bring a movie back late and would refuse to pay a 1.00 late fee. It's frustrating but a lot of us have been there.

My favorite part of the film was the parking lot crew's understanding on frat kids. How they throw up all over there cars drunk off their ass but yet somehow become our next senator or lawyer.

The guys at the parking lot don't want your trouble or your sorrow. They just want to get through the day.

Check this little film out. Grade: B or 8/10

I enjoyed this documentary. The movie is bang on. My friend works at a Toronto parking lot. It's a battle with humanity every day. You really see the 'ugly' come out in people (and by people I'm referring to customers) that you wouldn't see in any other line of work. We're talking stupid people who don't know how to drive, how to park, who refuse or are reluctant to pay, who can't park between the lines, who forget to return by a certain hour to pick up their keys and the list goes on and on. Not to mention, the demeaning and often time hostile behavior parking attendants put up with because some people are just self absorbed, self entitled jerks who have been raised by wolves. If you want to know the 'who' of who someone really is...sit back and watch how they behave in a parking lot and how they interact with the attendant. People should be ashamed of their dumb ass selves. Best social experiment ever. Well done, fellas! Sadly, you captured the real life sh*t show perfectly.

LOL @ 'Don't forget to take your medication tomorrow'!