Talking Heads was more or less finished with this movie. They would put out another album after True Stories but it doesn't sound like Talking Heads as much as it sounds like a David Byrne solo album and no, Talking Heads was not just David Byrne with some good musicians.
Really the band is barely seen in the movie too, taking a backseat to David Byrne and his self important messaging (much like his lyrics).
What I do like about True Stories is the offbeat feel of it. It's like watching Edward Scissorhands without Edward Scissorhands. The town and the people have this odd feel about them as this odd man comes around and talks to and about them.
Spalding Gray is great giving a strange monologist type performance at the dinner table describing the state of his town.
This might be the big breakout role for John Goodman since this predates Raising Arizona. I doubt those early 80s soup commercials were his breakout role but they very well might have led directly to his being cast in this given how much American advertising played a role in shaping Byrne's vision.
This isn't the big musical movie event of the 80s (Prince's Purple Rain owns that title), but if you like offbeat comedies or movies with a strange feel about them like Jim Jarmusch, Alex Cox, Wim Wenders, David Lynch (only The Straight Story), this film feels at home in their company.
Really the band is barely seen in the movie too, taking a backseat to David Byrne and his self important messaging (much like his lyrics).
What I do like about True Stories is the offbeat feel of it. It's like watching Edward Scissorhands without Edward Scissorhands. The town and the people have this odd feel about them as this odd man comes around and talks to and about them.
Spalding Gray is great giving a strange monologist type performance at the dinner table describing the state of his town.
This might be the big breakout role for John Goodman since this predates Raising Arizona. I doubt those early 80s soup commercials were his breakout role but they very well might have led directly to his being cast in this given how much American advertising played a role in shaping Byrne's vision.
This isn't the big musical movie event of the 80s (Prince's Purple Rain owns that title), but if you like offbeat comedies or movies with a strange feel about them like Jim Jarmusch, Alex Cox, Wim Wenders, David Lynch (only The Straight Story), this film feels at home in their company.