Hands on a Hardbody: The Documentary

Hands on a Hardbody: The Documentary
Theatrical release poster
Directed byS.R. Bindler
Produced by
  • Kevin Morris
  • S.R. Bindler
  • Chapin Wilson
Cinematography
  • S.R. Bindler
  • Chapin Wilson
  • Michael Nickles
Edited byS.R. Bindler
Music by
  • Neal Kassanoff
Production
company
Providence Entertainment
Distributed byLegacy Releasing[1]
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[2] 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.[3] 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.[4]

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.[5] Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino referred to Hands on a Hardbody as one of his go-to movie recommendations.[6]

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.[7]

At the time of his death in 2006, film director Robert Altman was developing a feature film based on the documentary.[8]

In 2013, the film was digitally re-mastered and released for sale online.[9]

Stage musical

The documentary was adapted into a musical, Hands on a Hardbody, commissioned by La Jolla Playhouse, La Jolla, California.[10] 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,[11] 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,[12][13] playing 28 previews and 28 performances.[14] The musical received three Tony Award nominations.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ Karon, Paul (March 19, 1998). "Docu 'Hands' it to Legacy". Variety. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  2. ^ "IFC Center - Hands on a Hard Body". IFC Center. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  3. ^ Churner, Leah (April 13, 2013). "You Gotta Have the Mettle". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  4. ^ Mermin, Liz (February 9, 1999). ""Hands on a Hardbody": S. R. Bindler on Texas, Trucks, and Determination". IndieWire. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  5. ^ Champion, Lindsay (March 4, 2013). "Drive-In Movie! Remastered Hands on a Hardbody Documentary Released on DVD & Digital Download". Broadway.com. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  6. ^ Ovenden, Olivia (October 13, 2020). "Recommended Re-Viewing: 'Hands on a Hardbody' Is the Fix of Nineties Weirdness You Need". Esquire. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  7. ^ "Something for Nothing | This American Life". Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  8. ^ "Robert Altman Has A Hard Body | Movie News | Empire". Empireonline.com. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
  9. ^ "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 August 7, 2014.
  10. ^ Hetrick, Adam and Jones, Kenneth. "New Musical 'Hands On A Hardbody' Will Roll Into La Jolla Playhouse in 2012" playbill.com, October 14, 2011
  11. ^ "Hands On A Hardbody Listing at LaJolla" lajollaplayhouse.org, accessed July 8, 2012
  12. ^ 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
  13. ^ "Hands on a Hardbody Will Close April 13" Archived 2013-04-12 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com
  14. ^ Hands on a Hardbody - Broadway (April 8, 2013). "Hands Off the Truck! Hands on a Hardbody Sets Broadway Closing Date | Broadway Buzz". Broadway.com. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
  15. ^ 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