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Andy Warhol’s comment about everyone achieving 15 minutes of fame gets put to the test in the larger-than-life antics of two grown ass men whose arguments over the ownership of a severed leg received national attention. From the talk show circuit to televised courtroom theatrics, John Wood and Shannon Whisnant entertained the world with their unscripted comments and wild antics involving Hardees, drive-thru lanes, and severed body parts. But the real story – one full of addiction and family failures – went unheard by the majority of America. While unsentimental, Finders Keepers corrects that oversight with the full story.
John Wood. Shannon Whisnant. Google their names. Seriously. Do it now. It is the weird type of man-bites-dog headline whose story is hard to believe. The Wood and Whisnant custody battle might not be one for the ages but, as evident by the documentary, is a dramatic tale even Aristotle would approve of. One man needs the foot to heal with a traumatic past. The other needs it for his leg-themed business to continue. While the bizarre drama might be better served with a Coen Brothers movie, the documentary presents audiences with the full story.
With Finders Keepers, filmmakers Bryan Carberry and Clay Tweel present a documentary that is, at once, hilarious as it recounts Wood’s handling of his severed foot. It gets a bit more empathetic as it recounts – after all the laughs are gone – Wood’s struggle to reclaim his dignity after blaming himself for the loss of his father. The plane crash in question is the one that also robbed him of his leg. Soon to follow this life-altering tragedy would be shame, depression, addiction, and the embalming of his severed leg. Obviously, he is our protagonist.
Enter antagonist and budding huckster Whisnant. He initially pounced on a business opportunity in the media-swarm circulating his “discovery” of Wood’s amputated foot INSIDE a smoker cooker found within a storage bin auction. Call in the news reporters and Whisnant starts daydreaming about how to make money. Ya know, bbq fixins’ sold here and, yes, he made all sorts of out-of-print tees. But the leg rightfully belongs to Wood. It was his storage bin that was auctioned off. Let the battle begin!! Make no mistake about it; Whisnant is not a kind man. He is, though, an entertainer and quickly steals the spotlight.
While certainly – especially in the early moments of the film – both men are easy to poke and chuckle at, it is Wood’s tale of woe that wins us over. Carberry and Tweel are probably laughing at both of these men and their documentary – which had its premiere at Sundance this year – invites a whole hell of a lot of gut busting guffaws. Composed of archival news footage, family interviews, and candid talks with the men in question, the film is an exploration of some darkly comical truths as it traces the length two men will go in their quest for possession.
The American Dream might just be dead after all.
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[tab title="Film Details"]
MPAA Rating: R for language.
Runtime: 82 mins
Director: Bryan Carberry, J. Clay Tweel
Cast: Shannon Whisnant, John Wood
Genre: Documentary
Tagline: One man's leg is another man's treasure
Memorable Movie Quote: "A human foot. And it's plum nasty, got me grossed out."
Distributor: The Orchard
Official Site: https://www.facebook.com/finderskeepersdocumentary
Release Date: No theatrical release
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: No details available.
Synopsis: Recovering addict and amputee John Wood finds himself in a stranger-than-fiction battle to reclaim his mummified leg from Southern entrepreneur Shannon Whisnant, who found it in a grill he bought at an auction and believes it to therefore be his rightful property.
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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]
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