Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has destroyed AMERICA'S PARKING LOT (part of Dallas International Film Festival)

     I’m not going to lie; the director of America’s Parking Lot, Johnny Mars, was a tacky host. After the screening, he walks in front of the audience, chugs down a bottle of beer, and spills the unwanted foam onto the ground. He seemed like the epitome of your average drinking-Dallas Cowboy fan. Furthermore, he refused to answer, in detail, majority of the audiences’ questions, antsy to get to the bar next door. I don’t know about you, but if I had a little documentary out in a film festival, I would put forth all of my energy to promote the film. After-parties are fun, but your appearance is not going to guarantee distribution of your film. However, my job is not to critique the filmmaker, but the film itself.

     When I learned that America’s Parking Lot was about the tailgate party-crew of the hard-core Cowboys fans, I was immediately turned off. Surprisingly, I found the documentary to be mildly funny, engaging and insightful. The documentary follows, without a judgmental attitude, several working-class Texans, whose most cherished pastime is to enrich the fan club of the Cowboy-parking lot scene.

     When Cowboys-owner, Jerry Jones, planned the destruction of the Texas Stadium for a much grander arena in Arlington, TX, the ticket prices divided the social construct of his customers. When the new stadium was built, Cowboys fans had to pay a hefty fee of $15,000-$150,000 for a season PSL (Permanent Seat License) ticket. To make matters worse, the PSL fee didn’t even guarantee you a seat at the games. 

     The Cowboys play in the most expensive, privately owned stadium in the nation. When about 1.2 billion dollars goes into the stadium, naturally, the ticket prices, parking, food and accessories are going to sky-rocket. The documentary explores the lively culture of a specific sector of the tailgate party, and how the cost to see the Cowboys play will only be convenient for the upper-class. Unfortunately, most of the die-hard fans are blue-collar citizens and can’t afford to be the avid fan they were before the new stadium.

     The filmmaker highlights the money issue by interweaving interview footage with reporters from various news publications. If you’re from Dallas, and are a devoted “fan,” I think it’s easier to relate how crucial the old stadium was to our sport culture. Football brings every race, nationality and social class together. The filmmakers have something to say about the small sector of the tailgate party, but if you’re already well-informed about the cost of these ridiculous PSL tickets, than it’s difficult to develop an interest in the film’s subjects.

     America’s Parking Lot has its moments of humor and interest, but I don’t watch much football, and I don’t necessarily go to the movies to learn about the high cost of being a Cowboys fan in the new stadium. In my opinion, I think the film works better as a TV special on a sports show.

** ½ (out of four stars)