Crazy idea or not, writer/director Haylar Garcia and his indie filmmaking partners decided to undertake an unusual mission and make a movie about it. "Do It for Johnny," one of the most riveting and entertaining documentaries I've seen in years, is the result. The mission? To deliver a guitar and a script to Johnny Depp.
Not just any guitar, mind you. This one was sculpted by guitarist/guitar-maker Scott Baxendale, whose instruments usually sell from three to six thousand dollars. And not just any script either. The screenplay in question, “Narcophonic – The Ballad of Bad Bax,” is a biopic about the legendary Baxendale himself -- a perfect role for Depp, of course, who’s an ex-musician turned actor.
Garcia and his intrepid crew, which included Baxendale and Darcy Grabowski, spent over two years and traveled, thanks to their trusty Turtle (an ’83 Toyota RV), approximately 14,000 miles in their efforts to put the guitar, built with a special chamber to house the script, into Johnny Depp’s hands. It’s nothing short of inspirational to watch the dedication and journey of three relatively unknown people from Denver trying to gain the attention of moviedom’s biggest star and get him to read their unsolicited and unfunded script.
Yes, these daring adventurers developed a plan. And it made sense to naïve me. First, find people who know Depp and tell them what you want. So contacts were attempted with Depp’s sister, director Robert Rodriguez (who worked with Depp on “Once Upon a Time in Mexico”), Depp’s agent, etc. Our heroes even tried to make contact with Depp himself at the Academy Awards Ceremony when he was nominated for “Finding Neverland.” Their strategy involved displaying a huge banner saying “Johnny, we have your guitar.” Unfortunately, Johnny didn’t see it. But giving up was not part of their plan. No matter what obstacles blocked their way -- including officious assistants, bad weather, lack of money and even ill health, Garcia and company continued their quest.
Where did Garcia’s drive and dedication come from? “I wasn’t a good student, so I dropped out of school,” he admits. “But I’ve always had the ability to get things done, to pick a goal and block out everything else. Thank heavens I found Darcy (Grabowski) who understands and puts up with me. If it weren’t for Darcy and Bax (Baxenhale), this film would never have come to fruition.”
Garcia also gives props to Boulder artist Patrick Mallek, who created the clever, quirky graphics used in “Do It for Johnny,” and to cameraman Jeff Deel for his fine contributions to the film. According to Garcia, the entire project was a labor of love, but he wants it viewed only in the strictest sense. “Don’t read into it the personalities of people like Robert Rodriguez or Johnny Depp,” he requests. “It was done of our own choosing and in a good-natured spirit. None of these people owed us anything.”
Garcia claims that being the subject of his own documentary made it hard for him to say “This is the end.” He also believes this experience helped him learn a positive lesson about the importance of a reasonable amount of tenacity in achieving a goal. “If someone looks at you and says, ‘That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard,’ you should do it right away.”
How does “Do It for Johnny” end? Maybe not in the way I expected, but definitely with a provocative ending I admire.
(“Do It for Johnny,” from Tao Engine Philms and not rated by MPAA, screened at the 2007 Vail Film Festival and at the 2007 Sonoma Valley Film Festival. For more information about this documentary, go to www.doitforjohnny.com.)
Originally posted at ReelTalk Movie Reviews.
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