What I responded to most about Grand Theft Parsons is that it tells the story without excess sentimentality...a funny, engaging movie that’s worth seeking out.
Grand Theft Parsons (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:27
Fresh:12
Rotten:15
Average Rating:5.4/10
Synopsis: The world of rock & roll is littered with casualties who have only found fame posthumously. One of the most famous cases is that of Gram Parsons. Erstwhile member of The Byrds and The Flying... The world of rock & roll is littered with casualties who have only found fame posthumously. One of the most famous cases is that of Gram Parsons. Erstwhile member of The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers, Parsons also eked out an impressive--in terms of music, as opposed to sales--solo career for himself. A great friend and drinking buddy of Keith Richards, Gram's heartfelt songs may have fallen on deaf ears during his short lifetime, but his lasting influence helped spawn the country-rock genre. His drug-related death at the Joshua Tree Inn in California on September 19th, 1973, forms the basis for this tale. Only 26 years old at the time, Gram had made a pact with his road manager Phil Kaufman (played here by JACKASS star Johnny Knoxville) to burn his corpse in the desert if he succumbed to the early death that so many of his talented predecessors had succumbed to. The absorbing tale of Kaufman's unusual race to complete his deed form the basis for GRAND THEFT PARSONS, with director David Caffrey using many of the original locations in which the act took place. A touching story of friendship, loyalty and trust, this is one of the most unique rock & roll tales ever committed to film. [More]
Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Christina Applegate, Robert Forster, Michael Shannon
Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Christina Applegate, Robert Forster, Michael Shannon, Marley Shelton
Director: David Caffrey
Director: David Caffrey
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Reviews for Grand Theft Parsons
Fans of the low-budget indie scene and rock 'n' roll historians should enjoy this unpretentious, sweet-natured take on an incident that already seemed like something out of the movies.
It's an aggravating film that seems content to skim the surface before folding up its tent after a scant 88 minutes.
I can't say that Johnny Knoxville won't one day exhibit some acting scope, but I haven't seen it yet, and that makes a movie hinged on his name and talent a dicey proposition.
As a mildly engaging and well-intentioned 'road flick', it's much better than it should have been and certainly less commanding than it probably could have been.
It's given a low-key treatment that only serves to highlight the parts that don't seem logical, but the outgoing performances make it watchable, if not especially memorable.
Don't let Knoxville's Jackass pedigree put you off - he can be subtle as well as gross.
Grand Theft Parsons showcases some of Parsons's songs, but ... in the end it is a tribute to a man who stayed true to his word.
A rock'n'roll road movie like no other. Wherever he is, Gram should get a kick out of it.
What could have served as a colorful episode in a more expansive film about the famed singer has instead become the premise of a mildly entertaining but overextended road movie that doesn't succeed on either dramatic or comedic terms.
Irish director David Caffrey and English screenwriter Jeremy Drysdale have, respectively, zero sense of pace and a tin-eared grasp of period speech, and together fail either to let us care about their characters or to create any sense of a living era.
Caffrey keeps the energy level high, and has populated the supporting roles with the most comical-looking character types ever assembled outside of a David Lynch film.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 24% 24% | G-Force |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 90% 90% | District 9 |
| 86% 86% | 500 Days of Summer |
| 63% 63% | Extract |
| 06% 06% | All About Steve |
| 78% 78% | It Might Get Loud |
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