The Delicate Art of Parking (2003) - Review and Analysis by Jason Pitt for Critical-Film.com

Please comment on "The Delicate Art of Parking", and it's review in our Forum.

The Delicate Art of Parking (2003) A film review by Jason Pitt For Critical-film.com   The problem with the “Mockumentary”, as a genre, is that they are generally unfocused, trying to tell an unrelated story, along side the subject which is supposed to be the basis of the documentary. This is the major failing point of “Parking”, as there are a number of scenes which are included which would generally have no place within the documentary itself.   Owing nearly $3000 in parking tickets, a documentary filmmaker (Dov Tiefenbach) sets out to expose the institution of parking enforcers for what he believes it is, a corrupt organization drawing capital for the government in a way which most of the public believes is unfair. While filming the documentary, he finds a subject in Grant Parker, a parking enforcer who honestly believes what he is doing is for the betterment of society.   Despite its lack of focus, “The Delicate Art of Parking” is very funny. I laughed out loud many times, whether it was due to a well delivered line of dialogue, or simply a humorous reaction to something that was said. There's a lot to laugh at throughout the film. In particular, the sequences in which the parking enforces encounters with the general public are filmed. These sequences are generally hilarious, both because they're completely excessive in their depiction of the reactions these people have to getting a ticket, and the fact that, despite their over-exaggeration, you can't deny that they're probably very accurate, as anyone who's ever had a job working with the public can probably attest.   When a good Canadian film comes along, it's certainly refreshing, as most Canadian films are, to be blunt… terrible. Now I'm not talking about the works of David Cronenberg, and such, as most of Cronenberg's films since “Videodrome” are American productions, or Canadian/American co-productions. I'm speaking more of the works of directors such as Gary Burns, and Don McKellar, films which breathe a level of originality into struggling genres - films like “Ginger Snaps”, or “Cube”. It's nice to see Canada producing some level of originality, when most American releases are devoid of any creativity.   Despite a few inconsistencies within “The Delicate Art of Parking”, it provides an original and often hilarious concept. It never confuses its purpose, and while it may stumble, and try to do a little too much with its simple script, it's consistently funny, and purely enjoyable.   (Three-and-a-half Stars)   This review was provided in HTML format, as your browser is not capable of displaying flash content. To experience Critical-Film.com the way it was meant to be seen, please download the flash player from <a href="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash&promoid=BIOW">Macromedia</a>.