I also saw this week the documentary "Hands on a Hard Body,"
Despsite sounding like a porno flick, the film is about a
Longview, Texas contest at the local Nissan dealership where
contestants put their hands on a pick-up truck, and except for
hourly 5 minute breaks, must continue to do so without sitting,
squatting or leaning forward.
Most of the characters, and believe me, that's what most of them
are, are quite sweet, and the director (I can't remember name)
focuses on their humaness without any visible effort. Think of
the mocumentary "Waiting for Guffman" toned down a bit.
The main characters include a previous winner -- a guy in a black
hat who revels in making observations about life and the silly
sport of holding one's hand on a pick-up truck for up to 80 hours
or so. There's a couple of young achievers, the usual dreamers
who long for a ticket out of dreariness, and a pentecostal woman
who listens to praise tapes and is subject to extended bouts of
laughing in the Spirit. As a native Texan, reminds me again of
friends and relatives growing up in a place that was pretty much
cut off from outsiders until about 20 years ago or so.
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