Phil Kaufman Movies
- 2005
- Add The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico to QueueAdd The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico to top of Queue
Country music greats Kris Kristofferson, Merle Haggard, Ronnie Hawkins, and Donnie Fritts all gather to remember the bumbling semi-legend who put a small dent in the charts before suffering an untimely death in this musical mockumentary from director Michael Mabbott. He was the would-be outlaw of the 1970s country music scene, but somewhere along the line it all fell apart for Guy Terrifico (The Flashing Lights and The Superfriends front-man Matt Murphy). Perhaps it was his self-destructive impulses that did him in, or maybe just his inability to remain upright while ascending a simple flight of stairs. Though Terrifico may have never made it into the Grand Ole Opry, he still had a healthy fanbase that remains staunchly loyal three decades after his alleged death. Now, for the first time ever, the remarkable story of Terrifico's rise and fall comes to the screen in a tell-all film that doesn't flinch when it comes to the ugly truth. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matt Murphy, Kris Kristofferson, (more)
One man goes above and beyond the call of duty (and possibly the limits of the law) to give a good friend the final send-off he wanted in this comedy drama, which was inspired by a true story. Phil Kaufman (Johnny Knoxville) is a self-described "road mangler" and "executive nanny" who minds the day-to-day business of a number of rock musicians, including the man he considers his best friend, country rock pioneer Gram Parsons (Gabriel Macht). Kaufman and Parsons share a deep love of the strangely beautiful deserts of California's Joshua Tree Park, and the two made a solemn pledge that whichever man outlived the other would take his dead friend's remains to Joshua Tree and release his spirit by setting fire to the body. When Kaufman gets word that Parsons has died of a drug overdose, he hops on his motorcycle to make good on his promise, but it doesn't take long for matters to get complicated -- Barbara Mansfield (Christina Applegate), one of Gram's many ex-girlfriends, arrives claiming to have a will declaring her the heir to his estate, and she isn't about to let Kaufman get in her way, while Stanley Parsons (Robert Forster), Gram's father, simply wants to pick up his son's body and take him back to New Orleans for burial. Not about to go back on his word, Kaufman has to scramble to claim Gram's body, and is forced to enlist the aid of Larry Oster-Berg (Michael Shannon), a slightly scrambled hippie who owns a hearse. Grand Theft Parsons features a cameo appearance from the real Phil Kaufman, whose autobiography Road Mangler Deluxe provided the basis for the screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Knoxville, Gabriel Macht, (more)
