This summer I got into Talking Heads and the music of David Byrne. So naturally when I saw that Byrne had written and directed a movie, I had to see it. From his description of the movie as "60 Minutes on acid", the fact that Byrne got complete artistic control on the film, and Byrne's infamously wild stage antics, I expected a bizarre, surreal, and crazy movie. This sweet, genuine,funny, and peculiar film about small-town life was not what I expected. After a first viewing, I liked the music, John Goodman's performance, David Byrne's narration, and many other things, but admittedly felt a bit disappointed. Disappointed may not actually be the right word. Rather surprised. I expected one film and got another. I thought the movie had a collection of interesting ideas and was quite likable, but it just felt off like it was missing something.
I decided to revisit True Stories again later in the summer. I am very glad I did. I really really like this movie. To see this movie and appreciate it, you really should see it twice. This movie only proves more that David Byrne is brilliant. David Byrne delivered something that was not expected of him and instead of playing to type. If you are a fan of Byrne and Talking Heads, you'll love the music and it does have a little bit of Byrnian weirdness, but try to view this not as a David BYRNE FILM but rather as a film one it's own. It portrays some stereotypes of small town folk yet in a loving way. It is a nice movie and maybe the only movie I can think of that does not attempt to satirize or look down upon small town life, but rather cast a light upon what small town life is (using a bit of hyperbole) through unbiased eyes. It's a like a more surreal version of Napoleon Dynamite with less obvious humor and Talking Heads in it. David Byrne's character is clever because he represents the audience. He is viewing the town of Virgil, Texas much like the viewers are.It all feels very much like real life and not like a movie. His monotonous voice, deadpan delivery, and the literalness of what he is saying just works for some reason. He says a lot of random things and speaks in a very stream of consciousness way and you are always wondering what is going through his head. This only emphasizes more that this film does not spell anything out for the audience and says it like it is. It dances to it's own beat and it lets the audience decide what everything means. Not many films do that anymore. The movie is pretty disjointed and isn't perfect, but nothing is perfect. It offers unique take on small town life, the music is great, the cinematography is very good, John Goodman is great as the love-seeking giant, Lewis, and all of the characters are quite memorable. It may not change your life, but it is undeniably likable, and you'll find yourself thinking about it after the movie is over. Not very much actually happens in the movie, but when it is over, you do at least feel like you got to know Virgil, Texas a little bit.
This movie can surreal but not in an overly distracting way. Which is odd because while watching the film, certain scenes might make you think, "This is the weirdest movie ever!" Yet when the movies has ended and you look back on it, somehow I doubt the words you will use to describe this movie is weird. It is hard to explain, but i think you will get it. Well I guess this movie could be called surreal if you consider it randomly breaks into song at some points. Yet it really isn't a musical. Once again, once you see it, you will know what I mean.
I can see how this film got lost in the hustle of the 80's and forgotten but it deserves better. Although it is not revolutionary in any way, I think this is an underrated and wonderful little movie by a great artist and it deserves more attention and is worth an hour and a half of your time. You probably won't see another film quite like it.
"I have something to say about the difference between American and European cities. But I've forgotten what it is. I have it written down at home somewhere."
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