No. 52 Grand Theft Parsons (2003) 17 of 100

 

This film opens with the dreaded ‘based on true story’ caption with some scenes and characters invented. I hate that – they may as well just make up the whole thing if you have no idea what elements are real and what are not. That said it is not billed as a documentary and having looked at the infallible Wikipedia page it looks like the story told by the film largely followed the facts.

Set in 1973 the film opens with the drug induced death of country singer Gram Parsons. Johnny Knoxville shows up as his road manager and takes away all the drug related paraphernalia from the rock star’s room. He looks to take ownership of the body but Christiana Applegate shows up with a handwritten will bequeathing her all of the star’s possessions. Also in the frame is the singer’s father, played by Robert Forster, who is looking to take the body back home.

With the body already at the hospital morgue Knoxville makes plans to steal it so that he can arrange to cremate it in the Joshua Tree National Park as they two had promised each other they would do when the first of them died.

Knoxville's first attempt to steal the body from the hospital, using the time honoured white coat and stethoscope disguise, fails when he’s spotted by an alert doctor. He then learns that the corpse is to be flown out of the state. He enlists the help of a stoner named Larry, played by our Mr Shannon, who happens to have a yellow hearse he calls Bernice.

A long scene follows as the body is extracted from the airport and then driven to Joshua Tree, with Applegate and Forster in pursuit. Will the body get burned and what consequences will the body snatchers face?

This was a very slight film where not a lot happens and a lot of padding is needed to even make up the lean 84 minute run time. The plot could be summarised in a sentence and the characters are too thinly drawn for you to care.

Knoxville is a weak lead and I didn’t get his relationship with the dead crooner. The singer did appear in a hallucinogenic vision but I didn’t buy the passion or motivation that would be needed to steal and burn a body. He just seemed awfully laid back and not too interested. Applegate was also given a poor part as the annoying girlfriend on the make. She was also a bit clean cut looking for a grubby singer’s groupie, but it takes all sorts!

Shannon was pretty good despite playing the part of a stoner, a character type I normally find tiresome. He injected the few laughs that the film offered with him crashing his hearse into the side of the massive hanger gate one of the few mirthful moments. He had the stoner face, beard and eyes but I didn't really buy that he was wasted at any point.

The film is a harmless distraction but there’s not a lot of weight to it and it’s essentially a two minute anecdote stretched into a full feature.

When is Shannon-On? - 14.15

Outcome? Going into court to be fined

Film 2.5/5

Shannon Stars 3.5/5