Inspired by a true story, pic travels down familiar genre highways, but quirky humor and an apt soundtrack make for a pleasant enough journey.
Grand Theft Parsons (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:7
Fresh:1
Rotten:6
Average Rating:4.9/10
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
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.
The Phil-Larry dynamic makes up most of the movie and the strain of turning an anecdote into an demi-epic can be felt throughout the movie.
Gram Parsons' last rites were among the most extraordinary in rock history. Too bad this retelling of the singer's final adventure is so tame.
A ho-hum, meandering road movie, albeit with an extremely cool soundtrack.
The script ... leaves a lot to be desired, strewn with dialogue as flat and stale as old beer and some invented characters who make the events depicted seem more silly than anarchic.
Since his death in 1973, the country singer Gram Parsons's legend has become a figure of worshipful legend, to which this rambling, low-key movie makes a modest contribution.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 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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