Hands on a Hardbody

A couple of friends invited a group over to have an outdoor movie screening this weekend. Coolers were packed, various movie snacks set out, blankets and lawn chairs were scattered around and the projector was all ready to go. While waiting for darkness to fall, an old-school game of 4-square ensued. I laughed realizing that the 3rd graders on pretty much any playground probably could have beaten our group.

Then it was time for the main event and with a choice of nearly 15-20 movie titles, we all settled on "Hands on a Hardbody". Even though it sounds more like some sort of an adult film, it is a documentary from the late 90s about an endurance contest at a Nissan dealership in Texas. The premise is pretty simple, contestants have to keep one hand on a Hardbody truck in order to win it. There is no leaning or sitting but there are scheduled breaks for eating, drinking and resting.

The film certainly showed it's age, but it was hard not to become emotionally invested in the "characters". And though they were all chosen randomly, it would have been tough to come across a more interesting, funny and even caring group of people. For most of them, winning the truck could have really change their lives and in a strange way, just seeing their story changed mine.