CASPER
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Free trips to Disneyland, more polar bears at the zoo and promises not to work with anyone who hasn't watched the TV series "The Wire" aren't the usual hallmarks of a successful political campaign.
But in Iceland's capital Reykjavik, comedian Jon Gnarr's political parody soon snowballed into a serious mayoral bid with his wacky, well-intended jokes catching on with a public fed up with politics and corporate malfeasance.
Such is the journey taken by a rollicking new documentary, "Gnarr," -- one of the few political films playing at the Tribeca Film Festival this week -- as it gives a behind-the-scenes look at the performer's hilarious, inspiring 2010 run for mayor.
The story of an unlikely political hero aims to be a lesson for all those fed up with campaigns full of shady candidates and empty promises. Film spoiler alert -- Gnarr's "The Best Party," formed with others with no background in politics, joked all the way to eventually winning office.
"People want more reality in politics. Our policy has been to not have a policy, to mock the emptiness of contemporary politics because they are so hollow and meaningless," Gnarr told Reuters in an interview. "People want more honesty."
But in Iceland's capital Reykjavik, comedian Jon Gnarr's political parody soon snowballed into a serious mayoral bid with his wacky, well-intended jokes catching on with a public fed up with politics and corporate malfeasance.
Such is the journey taken by a rollicking new documentary, "Gnarr," -- one of the few political films playing at the Tribeca Film Festival this week -- as it gives a behind-the-scenes look at the performer's hilarious, inspiring 2010 run for mayor.
The story of an unlikely political hero aims to be a lesson for all those fed up with campaigns full of shady candidates and empty promises. Film spoiler alert -- Gnarr's "The Best Party," formed with others with no background in politics, joked all the way to eventually winning office.
"People want more reality in politics. Our policy has been to not have a policy, to mock the emptiness of contemporary politics because they are so hollow and meaningless," Gnarr told Reuters in an interview. "People want more honesty."
