Hands on a Hard Body

Hands on a Hard Body, directed by S.R. Bindler

I did not think a documentary about a contest for a pick-up truck would be very interesting. I was wrong. Hands on a Hard Body profiles a hardbody truck contest at a car dealership in Longview, Texas. 23 contestants, men and women of all ages, stand next to a brand new Nissan truck with at least one hand placed on it. Whoever is left standing still touching the truck after days in the hot Texas sun without any sleep wins the truck. The contest becomes a rigorous test of physical stamina and mental focus, as feet and legs grow numb and painful, and contestants get a little nutty from lack of sleep.

At first there is wild speculation as to who has what it takes to take the truck. Is it the young ex-marine who enters the contest as an exercise in discipline? Or the devout christian woman who has been praying with her husband for a new truck and believes “this is what God wants us to do”?

I found myself getting caught up in the suspense of it all, waiting to find out who would finally win. But rather than a survivor-type show where contestants are viciously pitted against each other, mutual respect develops among them for being part of the game. I found myself being moved by the individual players and their life stories. As contestant and previous winner Benny Perkins puts it “its a human drama thing, and its more than just a contest” (VHS).

a staff pick by: Lynn