The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico
Genre: Comedy/Mockumentary
Cast: …
Director: Michael Mabbott
Release: (2005)
There are a handful of people in the history of American entertainment who, whether you like anything they’ve ever done or not, simply don’t get enough credit for what they’ve been able to accomplish. One of those people is new-timey renaissance man is Kris Kristofferson. Best known by many as someone they’ve never heard of, Kristofferson has a resume of music, acting and writing credits that reveal one of the most creative and prolific minds of a generation. The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico may not be among the top fifty or sixty credits under the guys belt, but you still have to respect the guy for what he’s done.
I should mention that I am operating on the intuitive assumption that Kristofferson, at least in part, wrote and directed this 2005 mockumentary about the legend of fictional Canadian country music star Guy Terrifico. Despite the writing and directing credits being listed as Michael Mabbott, everything about the movie just reeks of the fact that Michael Mabbott is a pen name for Kristofferson, and perhaps another collaborator. I mean, just say the name. Michael Mabbott. That’s gotta be a fake name, right? Anyway, until I meet Mr. Mabbott, I will remain convinced of this. The only reason I don’t say it for certain is that I couldn’t find any concrete evidence supporting this (though I couldn’t find any other records of Michael Mabbott existing outside the credits of this movie, either). Either way, The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico was written by somebody and then acted and filmed by some other people. That part can never be changed, but whether or not it is viewed by yet even more people can be. Personally, I don’t think it needs to be, but if you like country music it might be kind of amusing to you.
The story follows the rise of Guy as a Canadian-born, country music superstar. As a character, Guy seems to exist as a vehicle to embody an assortment of road stories that Kristofferson has amassed over the years. When channeled into one life, Guy becomes a larger than life legend, full of obvious nods to Bob Dylan, Andy Kaufman, Jim Morrison, Elvis Presley and probably a bunch of other performers that I didn’t pick up on. The side stories start to feel a little bit like Kristofferson’s ode to himself, but I guess he’s entitled to that somewhat. The main problem was the acting throughout most of this. Matt Murphy plays a pretty likable Guy Terrifico, but the rest of the cast comes across as a little too deliberate. For what’s supposed to be a documentary, most everyone sounds like they’re reading directly off cue cards. Since most of them are musicians and not actors to begin with, the whole thing just ends up with that feel of a mid-show SNL skit that never really got a rehearsal.
Bottom line, I didn’t like it, but I don’t like country music either. If you do, you might get a little kick out of this, otherwise don’t bother.
Grading
Story: C
Acting: D
Visuals: C
Originality/Innovation: C
Enjoyability: D
Overall: C-
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