Hands on a Hardbody: The Documentary (1997)

Twenty-four contestants compete in an endurance/sleep deprivation contest in order to win a brand new Nissan Hardbody truck. The last person to remain standing with his or her hand on the ... See full summary »

Director:

S.R. Bindler

Stars:

Sid Allen, Brent Baskin, Greg Cox

3 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Sid Allen	...	Himself (Longview Partnership)
Brent Baskin	...	Contest Judge
Greg Cox	...	Himself (contestant)
J.C. Crum	...	Himself (Jack Long Nissan)
Janis Curtis	...	Herself (contestant)
J.D. Drew	...	Himself (contestant)
Tom Felker	...	Himself (contestant)
David Grotheim	...	Contest Judge
Blake Long	...	Himself (Jack Long Nissan)
Kelli Mangrum	...	Herself (contestant)
Mike Marris	...	Himself (judge)
Raul Martinez	...	Himself (contestant)
Jan Maynard	...	Herself (marketing director / contest supervisor)
Ronald McCowan	...	Himself (contestant)
Kerri Parker	...	Herself (contestant)

Storyline

Twenty-four contestants compete in an endurance/sleep deprivation contest in order to win a brand new Nissan Hardbody truck. The last person to remain standing with his or her hand on the truck wins. An absurd marketing gimmick at first glance, the contest proves to be much more...

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Plot Keywords:

contest | truck | texas | gloves | friendship | 

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Taglines:

If you really want something, keep your hands on it.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 July 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hands on a Hard Body

Filming Locations:

Longview, Texas, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$90,965, 28 August 1998

Gross USA:

$492,876, 13 June 1999

Company Credits

Production Co:

Idea Entertainment, J.K. Livin Productions, Wessex Entertainment Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 2005, the competition was halted after one of the contestants broke into a nearby Kmart, took a shotgun from the sporting goods section, and committed suicide, which occurred during one of the breaks in the contest.

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Quotes

Benny Perkins - 1992 Winner: I like to get down there earlier so my odds are higher.

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Connections

Referenced in The Middle: Heck on a Hard Body (2014)

User Reviews

Eye-opening doc about a simple competition.

If you've ever wondered what it's like to be in one of those contests where you have to keep one hand on a car for as long as possible, this movie will definitely fill you in on what will go down.

Like many other people, if I ever had the chance to participate in a contest like this, I'd probably jump at the chance. Well, after seeing this, maybe not. Depends how nice the car/truck is. Because after watching all the personalities fade away either physically or mentally, it's really an eye-opening experience, that no person should take lightly.

You've got people from all walks of life participating. From country bumpkin folk who just desperately want to win, to past winners, to Jesus-freaks who believe the power of the one above will push them to the ultimate goal, to even waitresses and ex-marines. All are entertaining in their own right, but a few select characters, like my favorite, the black dude, who should have taken up stand-up comedy as a means of living, rule the day.

Usually this appears to be some sort of fun, play around type contest, but the thing is, it's anything but. Backs, ankles, feet begin to hurt and eventually if you're up for over 30 hours or so, the mind begins to fade. You always knew that these types of things would occur, but to watch them is a totally different story. And I must admit, it's pretty damn funny. Watching one dude say he'll be here for a while, and then fast forward a couple hours and he appears to be on death's door.

Hands on a Hard Body, isn't a contest for body-builders (though they may do well, if their mind is strong), but for everyday, hard-working people who want to win their hand at a brand new truck and some well-deserved respect along the way.

If you're ever given the chance to enter one, research it a little bit because this movie definitely shows the viewer these contests aren't as easy as they appear.