The Parking Lot Movie is a documentary about a singular parking lot in Charlottesville, Virginia. The film follows a select group of parking lot attendants and their strange rite of passage. The eccentric brotherhood of attendants consist of grad students, overeducated philosophers, surly artists, middle-age slackers and more. This self-described “ragtag group of fractured poets” prefer skateboards and bicycles to cars and have at best a tolerant contempt for the people they serve. That’s not to say they don’t care about anything. They hang out at the lot even in their spare time, shooting the breeze or playing a spirited game of “flip cone,” just because…they like it there. They conduct their own private “war” against the elites, the pretentious and obnoxious customers who park their BMWs, Hummers, Suburbans and other vehicles. They study the art of doing nothing and the knack of getting even with rude…

The Parking Lot Movie (2010)
  • Rating: (885 votes)
  • Runtime:74 minutes
  • Director: Meghan Eckman
  • Country:USA
  • Actors:
    Himself
    John Beers
    Himself
    Chris Farina
    Himself
    Tyler Magill
    Himself
    James McNew
    Himself
    Scott Meiggs
    Himself
    Nate Millington
    Himself
    Mark Schottinger
  • Genre:Documentary
  • Producer:
    Meghan Eckman
    producer  
  • Plot: The Parking Lot Movie is a documentary about a singular parking lot in Charlottesville, Virginia. The film follows a select group of parking lot attendants and their strange rite of passage. The eccentric brotherhood of attendants consist of grad students, overeducated philosophers, surly artists, middle-age slackers and more. This self-described "ragtag group of fractured poets" prefer skateboards and bicycles to cars and have at best a tolerant contempt for the people they serve. That's not to say they don't care about anything. They hang out at the lot even in their spare time, shooting the breeze or playing a spirited game of "flip cone," just because...they like it there. They conduct their own private "war" against the elites, the pretentious and obnoxious customers who park their BMWs, Hummers, Suburbans and other vehicles. They study the art of doing nothing and the knack of getting even with rude, SUV-driving dolts who treat them like inferior beings. The gradual devolution from enthusiasm to resentment in the psyches of guys self-aware enough to notice it is an interesting process; in an attempt to distract themselves from the rapidly mounting bitterness, the attendants amuse themselves any way they can-stenciling random messages on the parking gate, writing songs, even dancing for tips. Through interviews with former attendants who have moved on - we see that their time at the lot has clearly provided rites of passage and afforded them Zen-like perspective. As one parking attendant laments, "We had it all in a world that had nothing to offer us." If the intersection between the status quo and the quest for freedom is their ultimate challenge, could a slab of asphalt be an emotional way station for The American Dream? Written by Anonymous
The Parking Lot Movie
  • User's comment:They rant for us by TheGOLDENWALRUS

    I've never worked at a parking lot before but I've had a very similar job at a private owned video store arguing with customers over late fees etc. I'd sit there all day doing nothing - sometimes even sleep.

    It's amazing what people would do not to pay a dollar. Some one would argue in the film that she was only there for five minutes and would not pay the 1.00 fee. Someone at the video store would bring a movie back late and would refuse to pay a 1.00 late fee. It's frustrating but a lot of us have been there.

    My favorite part of the film was the parking lot crew's understanding on frat kids. How they throw up all over there cars drunk off their ass but yet somehow become our next senator or lawyer.

    The guys at the parking lot don't want your trouble or your sorrow. They just want to get through the day.

    Check this little film out. Grade: B or 8/10


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