The Real "Hands on a Hardbody" Chronicling the 1995 annual competition in Longview, Texas, the film watches 24 contestants attempting to win a hardbody Nissan truck by keeping their hand on the vehicle longer than anyone else. The film itself had a classical three-act structure and strong, emotional characterizations. The Hands on a Hardbody contest lasted for 13 years but ended in tragedy in 2005 when Richard Vega, a 24 year old contestant, threw a trashcan through the window a K-Mart and killed himself with an unsecured gun just before a 15 minute break.
A 1997 documentary by S.R. Bindler, Hands on a Hardbody became an official selection at many independent film festivals and received many accolades from the AFI in Los Angeles, the Austin Film Festival, and the Los Angeles Film Festival, among others. The film has garnered a cult fan base and a few famous fans, as evidenced by Quentin Tarantino’s screening of a new 35 mm print of the film at his New Beverly Cinema in April 2015. The film grossed half a million in theatrical releases and was in development by Robert Altman just before his death; according to the screenwriter, Stephen Harrigan, the cast would have included Meryl Streep, Hilary Swank, Billy Bob Thornton, Jack Black, Chris Rock, John C. Reilly, and Steve Buscemi. Unfortunately, the distributor of the original film disappeared and Bindler lost his original masters; he has since released a restored version. |
According to the bio on his website, “Robb Bindler is a director who finds the absurd and poignant in the seemingly mundane”. Born in Longview itself on Valentine’s Day, 1970, Seth Robbins Bindler graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with an emphasis on Film. He has produced content for many broadcasters and has worked with advertising agencies.
Here’s an interesting interview with Bindler regarding the documentary and his collaboration with Green and Wright. |