Review: The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico
I know I shouldn't admit this, but I've never seen the most revered mockumentary film ever, This Is Spinal Tap. Yes, I should be raked over coals, bludgeoned with a blunt instrument and doused in tar and feathers. Before you accost me, I have seen the recent mockumentaries by Spinal Tap's Christopher Guest and I think the Canadian entry,The Delicate Art of Parking, is fun. Hell, Trailer Park Boys is a hilarious subversion of the mockumentary format.
Having said that, I'm here to recommend another Canadian mockumentary, Michael Mabbott's The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico. Mabbott assembles a cast of actors and real people to discuss the titular character's turbulent life and times. Home movies of 70s country rocker Guy Terrifico (Canadian indie rocker Matt Murphy) are interspersed with interviews of his friends and family. Terrifico was an up-and-coming Alberta country rocker who won the lottery, bought a honky tonk in Toronto and created a booze-and-drug fuelled notoriety in Nashville until his suspicious death. Even real-life country legends like Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson offer their opinions of the tragic country-star wannabe.
While it's not a riotous romp, Guy Terrifico is a funny depiction of a completely fucked-up singer. Matt Murphy may not say much, but his drunken ramblings and slapstick buffoonery as Terrifico are admirable, especially for a character who's best known for simulating sex with a drum kit. A particularly memorable scene has Terrifico and his band appear on a fictional family country music variety show, with hilarious drunken results. There are wry nods to classic Canadiana (stubbies, old dollar bills) and the appearances alone of Haggard and Kristofferson legitimize the picture. Haggard's recollections of Guy are some of the best scenes in the film and the footage from the 1970 Country Music Awards with a confused Kristofferson is the best scene in the film. The Band's Levon Helm, Ronnie Hawkins, Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy and even a cameo by George Stroumboulopoulos also help create the aura of a 70s legend.
Like in many mockumentaries, there are pacing problems to be found in Guy Terrifico and there are periods in the film when even the fictional talking heads become tiresome. Real-life Gram Parsons manager Phil Kaufman manages to keep things lively when Haggard and Kristofferson aren't on screen, but the actors playing Terrifico's wife and band mates don't have a lot of material to make a presence. Particularly annoying is the backup singer character who spouts the F-bomb every third word--she pops up quite a bit, but her character is neither interesting nor does she add anything to Guy's back story.
The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico wouldn't likely work without the participation of Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson, so it's a credit to Michael Mabbott's powers of persuasion that they energize the film. Mabbott and Murphy's country rock songs add further credibility to Guy's legacy and bolster an amusing and worthwhile story of a Canadian kid who kind of made it big in Nashville. And isn't that typically Canadian?
Having said that, I'm here to recommend another Canadian mockumentary, Michael Mabbott's The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico. Mabbott assembles a cast of actors and real people to discuss the titular character's turbulent life and times. Home movies of 70s country rocker Guy Terrifico (Canadian indie rocker Matt Murphy) are interspersed with interviews of his friends and family. Terrifico was an up-and-coming Alberta country rocker who won the lottery, bought a honky tonk in Toronto and created a booze-and-drug fuelled notoriety in Nashville until his suspicious death. Even real-life country legends like Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson offer their opinions of the tragic country-star wannabe.
While it's not a riotous romp, Guy Terrifico is a funny depiction of a completely fucked-up singer. Matt Murphy may not say much, but his drunken ramblings and slapstick buffoonery as Terrifico are admirable, especially for a character who's best known for simulating sex with a drum kit. A particularly memorable scene has Terrifico and his band appear on a fictional family country music variety show, with hilarious drunken results. There are wry nods to classic Canadiana (stubbies, old dollar bills) and the appearances alone of Haggard and Kristofferson legitimize the picture. Haggard's recollections of Guy are some of the best scenes in the film and the footage from the 1970 Country Music Awards with a confused Kristofferson is the best scene in the film. The Band's Levon Helm, Ronnie Hawkins, Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy and even a cameo by George Stroumboulopoulos also help create the aura of a 70s legend.
Like in many mockumentaries, there are pacing problems to be found in Guy Terrifico and there are periods in the film when even the fictional talking heads become tiresome. Real-life Gram Parsons manager Phil Kaufman manages to keep things lively when Haggard and Kristofferson aren't on screen, but the actors playing Terrifico's wife and band mates don't have a lot of material to make a presence. Particularly annoying is the backup singer character who spouts the F-bomb every third word--she pops up quite a bit, but her character is neither interesting nor does she add anything to Guy's back story.
The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico wouldn't likely work without the participation of Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson, so it's a credit to Michael Mabbott's powers of persuasion that they energize the film. Mabbott and Murphy's country rock songs add further credibility to Guy's legacy and bolster an amusing and worthwhile story of a Canadian kid who kind of made it big in Nashville. And isn't that typically Canadian?
posted by J at
2:45 p.m.
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