True Stories (1986)

Truly quirky, this mock documentary is part musical, part farce, and completely, oddly innocent. This is a one-man-band job for David Byrne (lead singer of the Talking Heads), who writes, stars, and directs, It's ostensibly about the sesquicentennial celebration of a small Texas town, but it's really about strange characters and strange attitudes. Byrne is our guide, driving us around and giving tour information about Texas in an innocuous patter, frequently running into Louis Fyne (John Goodman), a lonely man looking for love. At various times, and with little provocation, the film swoons into a Talking Heads number with preachers and bar patrons belting out tunes. If you make room for it, however, True Stories can surprise and delight with its inventiveness and its unconventional treatment of the residents. A scene in which a construction worker launches into an aria, on a makeshift stage when no one else is around, is but one example of numerous such moments in this bizarre, delightful, and benign film. Any Talking Heads fan who doesn't own it should. --Keith Simanton Amazon.com

People Like Us..

..Really enjoyed this film.

(May contain spoilers.)

This film is not a Talking Heads film. It is a movie about a bunch of people in the fictional town of Virgil, Texas. One of the main things that makes this film really enjoyable is the brilliantly casted assemble of characters. Among the movie's talented cast is "Rosanne" star John Goodman. in one of his earlier roles. Among the cast of quirky characters are the Culvers, a happily married couple who haven't spoken directly to each other in years, a woman who is in love with love, a woman who is so rich she doesn't have to get out of bed and a Latino who can see the future. But the real highlights of this movie are John Goodman's portrayal of a country music loving single man who just wants someone to love. Jo Harvey Allen plays "The Lying Woman" who gets through life telling outrageous lies. Last but not least, David Byrne's unnamed narrator character.

Scenes that make this movie fantastic are the wild fashion show, the narrator's dinner with the Culver's and John Goodman's character's performance of the Talking Heads track "People Like Us". This movie was not a box office hit perhaps it was because of the misconception that this film was ver much like the Talking Heads' 1984 concert film, "Stop Making Sense". But the film became very popular with the great souls that bothered to see it.

Like many others, I believe that this film was cheated of a proper DVD release. This DVD has no special features and barely contains a main menu. I would suggest getting the VHS. I think the picture is sharper and the sound is clearer. Hopefully, the movie will get better DVD treatment. Overall, this film is highly recommended for Talking Heads fans and for fans of very funny 80's films.

Film: A+

Music: A+

DVD: C-



Taylor Hodgkins 6/12/2008 June 12, 2008

Idiosyncratic wonder

While I will admit there are better-made films out there, True Stories remains my favorite movie of all time. I like it because, much like its themes and characters (and life itself), it is imperfect. But its imperfection becomes part of its genius, especially on repeated viewings. It's not really a movie with a plot, except maybe Louis' search for love. It illustrates ideas, themes and moods through a series of arresting images, narration, dialogue, humor and music. The film looks at its subjects with Byrne's mixture of bemusement and satire, both handled with the sort of wide-eyed innocence of an alien visiting Earth from another galaxy. As a result, we see this town and its people through the eyes of Byrne, and therefore start to look at the familiar and mundane in new ways. I will not bother to spend a lot of the time others have spent talking about the plot or what makes this film great--just buy it. It's only 10 bucks. Some favorite quotes (spaces inserted correspond to pauses between phrases):

"Freeways are the cathedrals of our time, someone said. Not me."

"I have something to say about the difference between American cities and European cities but I forgot what it is. I have it written down at home somewhere."

"You like music? I know. Everyone says they do."

"Yep. It's fancy drivin' all right."

"You know, things that never had names before are now easily described. Makes conversation easy."

"They're calling it a celebration of specialness. But this place is completely normal."

"I'm really getting used to these outfits. They sell a lot of 'em, but I don't see anyone else wearing them."

"Most people around here have eaten dinner already. Don't want to be late. Know What I mean? Or do you?"

"I personally believe I can see Fort Worth from here."

"You gotta see this. This might be part of Virgil's Specialness. Or it might not be. You might have seen it on television. Or maybe you missed it. Hope you like "LOUD" music."

"You know the astronauts didn't read poetry. But that's changing."

"Computers are as much a means of expression as language."

"These people have too much metal on them. They are reflecting kind of people."

"I tried a computer dating service once--wound up with a midget. I mean, I'm not a fussy man, but..."

"Marriage is a natural thing, and I am a natural man."

"This is the Vericorp building just outside Virgil. It's cool. It's an all purpose shape--a box."

"Shopping is a Feeling"

"What time is it? No time to look back."

"If I ever went downstairs I might be surprised, huh? It's clean down there, right, Roberto?

"People here are inventing their own system of beliefs. They're creating it, doing it, selling it--making it up as they go along. Driving---not only driving, but parking."

"Hi, twin."

"Um, did you just fart?"

"Linda! Larry! There's no concept of weekends anymore."

"Of course nowadays not eveone's having kids--what with the end of the world coming up and all."

"Metal buildings are the dream that modern architects had at the beginning of this century finally come true, but they themselves don't realize it. That's because it doesn't take an architect to build a metal building."

"This is not a rental car. This is privately owned." December 2, 2007

FUNTASTIC FILM

I've just read that, though this version is 1.33:1 full-screen, it is not Pan-N-Scan. It is actually an "open matte", meaning this is the ratio of the camera negative, and that any widescreen version version would be cropped from this image. I was also bemoaning the lack of a widescreen edition, but if this is really open matte, then we have here more visual information than a 16:9 ratio would have.

However, I got this from a poster on the IMDb messageboard for the film, and he did not provide proof. I'm still searching for documentation, but to no avail. September 25, 2007

just ordered it,hope it's good

I saw this movie in the theater when it first came out. I must admit that I didn't get it at first. I quess I didn't know what to expect. But I rented the movie and I was hooked. Watched it over and over. I have recently been listening to the CD, I love the music, and I have been recalling the scenes in the movie. That made me realize that I had to add this movie to my collection. David Byrne was truly inspired when he created this great mix of music and movie story. It's no wonder that he was on the cover of Time Magazine that year as a true renaissance man.
I am looking forward to recieving my copy and watching it over and over again. August 2, 2007

A quirky but fun film

I first saw this film on cable back in the early 1990's and taped it and it's one of those films that I watch from time to time over the years.

It helps to be a fan of the Talking Heads as it's essentially a T.H. film due to the fact that their music is featured within it and they are featured in a video montage of various "commercials" in the middle of it and David Burns plays the lead.

Based on a virtual town in Texas named Virgil and it's celebration of specialness, that is, showcasing one's unique talents in this small community, the film takes us through the days leading to the parade and show that is held in a field at the end of the week. We see various quirky characters like Lewis Fine, a large panda shaped guy who is basically a nice guy at heart but really wants a wife and spends his time in the film trying to get one. Lewis is superbly played by John Goodman and by the end, ends up marrying the laziest woman in the town, a well to do gal played by Swoozie Kurtz. She spends her days in bed eating, watching TV, reading and what not and she never lifts a fork but has a machine turn her pages, feed her etc - that's how lazy she is.

The match making is done through mystical powers of prayer by an African American man in a modest little house with his family who does a ritual in a special room he created for such a purpose and it's that and a chance viewing of Lewis singing at the show from the lazy woman that sparks the relationship and marriage of the two.

What I love about this film is it's offbeat characters during the mid 80's when that part of Texas is booming as people move down there for the semi conductor industry that sprang up down in those parts. I love how it portrays some of the characters, the mayor, Earl Culver, played by the late Spalding Gray, was almost evangelical in his zest for things such as the semi conductor industry, he's rich, the mayor and the emcee of the talent show and seems somewhat at odds with his family as they are presented in a stiff fashion.

There is the lying girl, who works at the semi conductor plant who is always telling tall tales of she doing this and that and people listen to her sceptically. Then there is a scene at a Fundimentalist church where the preacher is discussing through a song about things he fears in the song, "Puzzling Evidence".

All in all, a cute, quirky film that is well worth a viewing, or more.

May 9, 2007

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