Loony Goosen (Dov Tiefenbach) has thousands of dollars in unpaid parking tickets, and he’s more than a bit pissed about it. His solution to this problem? A film. That’s right, this amateur filmmaker, who has never completed a film in his life, sets out to make a documentary about Canada’s parking enforcement officers, and his main study is the aptly named Grant Parker (Fred Ewanuick). His damning documentary quickly turns into an investigative journalism piece, though, as Grant’s mentor and friend is apparently run over by an irate parking violator, and Grant and Loony want to find out why.
Think what you will of the folks who spread misery by giving tickets for parking five inches too far from the curb, but this is a funny movie. The characterizations are right on target, and Goosen is the perfect Every Man. His mild amusement with his subjects is conveyed with sly grins to the camera, and his eventual empathy with the parking enforcement officers facing a lay-off becomes our concern as well. In the end, we start to feel for these folks despite our best wishes.
“The Delicate Art of Parking” is a lot like finding time on the meter you just pulled up to. It’s a small bit of satisfaction that can totally brighten your day. Keep in mind while watching this film, however, that by its end you may actually end up liking these folks, which means you’ll have to find a new public servant to unleash your fury upon. My advice: Try the DMV.
