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Grand Theft Parsons is based on unbelievable true events. Johnny
Knoxville stars in his first leading role as Phil Kaufman, the road manager of legendary
singer Gram Parsons. When Parsons dies of a drug overdose, Kaufman goes to great lengths
to secure the body and to give it a proper send-off. You see, Kaufman and Parsons had
promised each other that if one died, the other would set his soul free in a place called
Joshua Tree.
By the time Kaufman locates the body, it’s already
embalmed and in a coffin. This poses a transportation problem to a guy who rides a
motorcycle. Enter “Hippie,” a peace-loving beatnik who happens to drive a yellow hearse.
Kaufman pays Hippie $200 to escort him to the airport, under the guise of playing a joke
on someone. The joke turns out to be on Hippie, who ends up chauffeuring an empty coffin
(or so he thinks).
The race is on to deliver Parsons to his final resting
place before they get arrested or the body starts to stink. To do that, they have to lose
Parsons’ father, who’s driving around the desert trying to find his son and take him back
to New Orleans for the funeral. But that’s not all. Christina Applegate plays Barbara,
Gram Parsons’ ex-girlfriend, who holds a paper she insists is the last will and testament
of the musician, promising her all his money. She needs the body to prove he’s really
dead. Riding along with Barbara is Kaufman’s reluctant girlfriend, who wants to see how
far her soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend will go with his scheme.
I think Hippie is
the best in the bunch. Despite a case of dry heaves brought on by a forced withdrawal
from recreational drugs, he takes everything in stride and causes some serious laughs
along the way.
Grand Theft Parsons is filled with suspense and
humor. You never know what will happen next. Will Hippie find out what’s in the coffin
and interfere with the mission? Will the police catch up to Kaufman and make him return
the body to the morgue? What’s Kaufman planning to do with Parsons’ body anyway?
It’s an entertaining movie—definitely an hour and 28 minutes well spent.
