first of all and this movie isn not a complete disaster . if you have never hear of the real story of gram parson then it might seem a reasonably entertaining diversion . johnny knoxville can not really be criticise for his performance a phil kaufman he pretty good at look lay back and down to earth and you can sort of root for his long suffering everyman . michael shannon be due credit for pretty much the same reason and except he a hippy stoner . there be some good individual comedic scenes the hippy hearse crash into the airport hanger door stand out . but that where the good thing end and and we begin to see the aspect that make this movie so truly disappointing . the character of robert forster a gram actual father be an invention so disgraceful a to cast a taint over the entire film . we all know his real father commit suicide when he be young something that could surely be compare to gram life on the edge by a good film maker . have forster a his suppose real father and and not his step father would be bad enough and if not for the well know difficulty gram have with the man who actually fly to collect his body . it have be suggest that his step father have admit to provide gram mother with alcohol a she lay die and that this enraged gram when he later find out about it . also the controversy over where gram body be bury would surely be reason enough not to invent a benevolent make up father who actually catch up to the duo and their hearse and but then allow them to go ahead with the burning . whatever the truth about the man who gram get the name parson from and he certainly bore no resemblance to forster character here and and it be hard to see why this role be write . then there the addition of christina applegate a a greedy chick ( yet very pretty of course ) who want gram body back so that she can begin to cash in on his estate . her character and and her acting be non existent and one wonder why the director do not just go the whole hog and include a lesbo scene between her and the chick who play kaufman girlfriend ( it wouldn not have lower the tone a whole lot more ) . when you think of the ingredient that could have be use in a good movie about parson and the shortcoming of this film be easily apparent . country music be change by a young and polite and southern gentleman who be also long haired and drug loving and popular with the lady and ultimately self destructive . real event like the hanger door crash and the painted hearse and friend like keith richards . instead of these thing we have to concentrate wholly on kaufman input into gram life . kaufman be obviously still lap up the cult status he receive for what he do ( he certainly be a little cult ) . from interview it be obvious that he delight with the attention . remember this be the man who make a remark about the genitalia of the naked corpse of gram parson a he be prepare to set it alight . what he do be not an act of great loyalty and but a dope up alcoholic escapade . look at knoxville and the director in interview and a few thing become clear also . it obvious that they have no real grasp of the story of gram life and nor do they wish to have . they want a hit movie about an event that be infamous and crazy . it be an amazing life with a strange end . that the end be the only thing cover by this movie show how limited an understanding of gram parson the maker have .