Grand Theft Parsons

I had the pleasure to see this film at the Dublin International Film Festival and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This film is NOT a story about Gram Parsons life. It begins as Gram Parsons is found dead and follows his friend Phil Kaufman's attempts to steal the body with the intention of burning it in the desert as per Gram's wishes. Sure this film takes liberties with certain facts and characters but the film makers are trying to tell a story and it certainly is a witty, whimsical and entertaining film that deserves to be seen by a wide audience.

The performances are almost all excellent with Johnny Knoxville giving an understated, almost subdued performance (not at all like his Jackass persona) as a man carrying out his friends final wishes.

At a Q & A after the film the director and producer revealed that Gram Parsons family were shown the film and loved it and so allowed his music to be used on the soundtrack. I can think of no greater compliment of the film to be said than that.

Parsons was mythical in his own right. Sure, he was the father of country-rock and hung around the stones....etc...etc...

The movie is mythical in it's own right. Being as Phil Kaufman was the only one to really know who/what/why/when/how...I think it does alright by his accounts of the events. Heck, he was one of the producers of the movie! Knoxville and Shannon play off each other well. Applegate is always a pleasure to watch!Macht really does look like Parsons! The soundtrack and score are awesome. The filming locations seem accurate...the point is this....if you are looking for a reverent account of the death and last wishes of an icon, forget it! If you want good Saturday afternoon escapism that has a rock-n-roll lineage, this movie more than fits the role Sit back and enjoy...I have more than once!

I loved this movie, and thought it was both very sweet and very funny, which is an unusual combination.

I do want to point out that this is not a movie about Gram Parsons, which seems to have caused a little confusion with some reviewers here.

The positive reviews are from people who like the film for what it is - a cool buddy road movie with a great soundtrack. The negative reviews are from people who complain about the film's makers changing some of the facts, or not telling enough of Gram Parsons' story, or not treating him with 'respect'.

For the record, this is not about Gram Parsons, but Phil Kaufman. It's not a biopic, but a black comedy. And it's not reverential, but dark, cool, and just a little twisted.

It is, however, great fun. And highly recommended...

Let's get three common misconceptions out of the way...

(1) This is NOT a Gram Parsons biopic.

(2) This does NOT feature a lot of Gram Parsons music (only 2 songs, I think).

(3) Quentin Tarantino had nothing to do with this movie, even though you may have gotten it in your "Touch of Tarantino" DVD box set.

So, you ask, what the heck IS this movie? Answer: It's a black comedy about the 2 days following Gram's death, based on the recollections of Gram's road manager Phil Kaufman. In that respect, it stays very close to Mr. Kaufman's account (he gives an interview on the DVD where he tells the story, basically reiterating everything that happens in the movie verbatim). So if it deviates from the truth, don't blame the filmmakers. Blame Phil Kaufman for not telling it like it was.

Really, though, the accuracy shouldn't make any difference. If we want facts, we'd be watching a documentary, not a movie. So in the same way AMADEUS took wild liberties with the truth and still made for great cinema, GRAND THEFT PARSONS should also be enjoyed purely for its entertainment value.

I don't know the first thing about Gram Parsons, his music or the bizarre circumstances following his death. But I can tell you I loved this movie. It's basically about a bunch of people fighting over a corpse. But don't expect a madcap comedy like "Weekend at Bernies". This has a very subtle style of humour, more like the deadpan comedies "Midnight Run" or "Groundhog Day". It's also a bit of a road movie, carrying a vibe much like "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas".

Some of the gags had me laughing out loud. It wasn't so much what they said as how they said it. With great acting all around, not a moment went by that I wasn't enjoying the show.

Gram Parsons fans, don't expect a movie about Gram. But at the same time, if I were a hardcore GP fan, I think I would get a real kick out of this movie, seeing that Gram raised hell not only in life, but even in death.

Movie trivia fanatics will remember the play Dustin Hoffman's character wanted to stage in "Tootsie." Written by his roommate (played by Bill Murray), it was called "Return to Love Canal," about the (apparently) true story of a couple who returned to live near the toxic waste site, knowing what was there. "It really happened," Hoffman's character says earnestly to anyone who will listen.

"Grand Theft Parsons" is also based on a true story, one equally bizarre and yet compelling -- after country-rock pioneer Gram Parsons died in 1973, his road manager and buddy Phil Kaufman stole the corpse to cremate it in the desert, as part of a pact the two made in life. But just like "Return To Love Canal," "Grand Theft Parsons" does not have a leg up on being great drama simply because it is based in fact.

The film works hard at building momentum and dramatic tension by bringing in former girlfriends, Parsons' father and the inevitable cop or two, but none of these elements really have much to do with the heart of the story. In the end, "Grand Theft Parsons" succeeds modestly in making us feel the emotions that accompany friendship between men who have been on a long, strange trip together. And actually, we get two versions of that kind of friendship: the bond between Parsons and Kaufman, and the Butch-and-Sundance partnership that emerges between Kaufman and the drug-addled hippie who supplies the hearse used in the body heist.

There's a sweetness to "Grand Theft Parsons," but it's not as satisfying as it might have been if more of the back-story had been told.