Hands on a Hard Body (1998)

84% of critics liked it
(19 reviews)
89% of users liked it
(934 ratings)

This humorous documentary captures contestants in a 1995 competition held annually in a Longview, Texas, car dealership parking lot. A brand new Nissan pickup truck is the prize won by the person who can keep a gloved hand held against the truck for the longest period of time (with a 15-minute break… More This humorous documentary captures contestants in a 1995 competition held annually in a Longview, Texas, car dealership parking lot. A brand new Nissan pickup truck is the prize won by the person who can keep a gloved hand held against the truck for the longest period of time (with a 15-minute break every six hours and a five-minute break every hour). Six contestants drop out during the first 24 hours -- with only two contestants still standing by the 70th hour. With an event not far from the eccentric edge found in Errol Morris' documentary portraits of oddball Americana, director S.R. Bindler shot this film in Hi8 video, transferred to 16mm. Shown at the 1997 Santa Barbara and AFI/Los Angeles film festivals. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 35 min.
Directed By: S.R. Bindler
Genres: Documentary, Special Interest

In Theaters: Jul 10, 1998 Wide
On DVD: Oct 18, 1999
Studio: Legacy Releasing Corporation

Critic Reviews

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
On the one hand, the Hands on a Hard Body contest seems a horrible exploitation of needy people as a publicity stunt to promote a car dealership; on the other, the film reveals an endearing piece of Americana.
Dennis Lim, Village Voice
Scrappy, likable, and immensely absorbing.
Anita Gates, New York Times
These may not be people whom moviegoers think they want to spend time with, but this is accomplished documentary making, finding universal lessons in determination, struggle, planning, persistence and the relationship of mind and body.
Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic
Bindler's attitude is absolutely right. He doesn't satirize: he observes, and leaves the satirical view as an option for us.
Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle
It's engaging as a non-drama of people doing nothing, but suffering a lot.
Karina Montgomery, Cinerina
Tales of Texas don't get any weirder than true-tales of Texas, and Hands on a Hard Body joins the ranks of well-done, weird documentaries.
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
Bindler's ode to human dedication and endurance in the strangest of circumstances is a rough, unpolished gem of documentary filmmaking.
Steve Rhodes, Internet Reviews
One of the best documentaries ever made.
Merle Bertrand, Film Threat
Far and away the most hysterical and engaging documentary since Spinal Tap, only this was for real.
David N. Butterworth, rec.arts.movies.reviews
It's absolutely fascinating watching what some people will subject themselves to for a free lunch.

Read all 10 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

El Hombre I

Oh, man. Where do I begin with this one? Just watch the trailer for a peek at S.R. Bindler's real life look at a group of Texans trying to win a truck by standing up for days with their hands on it. One 5-minute break is permitted every hour, and one 15-minute break every 6… More
Oh, man. Where do I begin with this one? Just watch the trailer for a peek at S.R. Bindler's real life look at a group of Texans trying to win a truck by standing up for days with their hands on it. One 5-minute break is permitted every hour, and one 15-minute break every 6 hours for nearly 78 hours. A very entertaining and interesting social study on American materialism. Most people who will admit they watch Fox Reality TV for the instant thrill of watching people suffer may find this is even more addictive, because the people slowly deteriorate while descending into delirium and madness. As you're comfortably sitting in your domicile watching these poor exhausted souls struggling to sleep on their feet without falling over for a truck, you might find yourself asking, "How long would I last?" <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view¤t=handsonahardbody.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/handsonahardbody.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Christopher B

Having watched this and Hard Gun within a couple weeks people may think, "Man, that Chris sure has gotten into hardcore gay pornography". Well, they're wrong. How do you like them apples? This is a great doc about a contest in Texas where the contestants need to… More
Having watched this and Hard Gun within a couple weeks people may think, "Man, that Chris sure has gotten into hardcore gay pornography". Well, they're wrong. How do you like them apples? This is a great doc about a contest in Texas where the contestants need to remain standing with their hands on a Nissan truck until everyone else gives up or goes crazy. The filmmakers introduce you to this group of contestants individually and then follows them through the contest. What struck me most is the goodwill they had towards their competition while trying to outlast them. In today's world of reality TV it is almost expected that when you compete against someone you badmouth them, try and psych them out or just regard them as the enemy. This doc is certainly refreshing after all the crap competitions we see played before us on TV daily, and the people are a lot more relatable. Also, the way the filmmakers use the contest as a metaphor for life in general is great. An excellent documentary. Now I got to get back to my gay porn.

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Hands on a Hard Body (1998)

Critic Reviews

Featured Audience Ratings

El Hombre I

Christopher B

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