Hands on a Hardbody: The Documentary is a 1997 film directed by S. R. Bindler[1] documenting an endurance competition that took place in Longview, Texas. The yearly competition pits twenty-four contestants against each other to see who can keep their hand on a pickup truck for the longest amount of time.[2] Whoever endures the longest without leaning on the truck or squatting wins the truck. Five-minute breaks are issued every hour, and fifteen-minute breaks every six hours.[3]
Theatrical poster
The documentary follows the 1995 competition which lasted for seventy-seven continuous hours. The film garnered the audience award for best documentary at the 1997 Los Angeles Film Festival.[4] Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino referred to Hands on a Hardbody as one of his go-to movie recommendations.[5]
Large portions of the film's audio were included on the "Something for Nothing" episode of the public radio show This American Life in 1997.[6]
At the time of his death in 2006, film director Robert Altman was developing a feature film based on the documentary.[7]
In 2013, the film was digitally re-mastered and released for sale online.[8]
The documentary was adapted into a musical, Hands on a Hardbody, commissioned by La Jolla Playhouse, La Jolla, California.[9] The book is by Doug Wright, music by Amanda Green and Trey Anastasio, lyrics by Amanda Green, musical staging by Sergio Trujillo and direction by Neil Pepe. After a run at La Jolla in 2012,[10] the musical had a brief engagement on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theater with previews beginning February 23, 2013, opening on March 21, 2013, and closing on April 13, 2013,[11][12] playing 28 previews and 28 performances.[13] The musical received three Tony Award nominations.[14]
