Here's an everyday scenario: popular musician tries to make a movie, the movie either sucks or is about one of their various tours. Justin Bieber, Vanilla Ice, and the list goes on. The point is, musicians, as talented as they may be in the fields of music, don't typically make for good filmmakers, actors, or camera material in general. Now enter David Byrne. A good majority of strange 80s' pop can be considered to be by David Byrne or inspired by his works in some ways. Talking Heads may be not for everyone, but there's no denying their music often has a strange and upbeat charm to it. This leads me to Byrne's feature film, True Stories.Words cannot truly describe this film. I don't know if I can really call it a film because it has no real plot structure to it, but whatever it is, it sure is something. If I had one word to truly describe what this movie is in a nutshell, it's surreal. Not a whole lot makes sense, the monologues are beautiful in just how nonsensical they can get, and yet there's no denying that it's well done. The performances, for as absurd as they can get, do great at portraying the types of wacky characters that inhabit this piece. The cinematography, itself, is not awful nor is it amazing. For a film made by someone who has had their main career in music, Byrne's directorial debut is fairly solid.As with the music by Talking Heads, True Stories is a light, but enjoyable, experience. There's nothing too pretentious here (although I typically hate that term and every dudebro that uses it to exhaustion), and it's charming in just how unusual it is. I mean this in the most sincere of ways, True Stories is definitely up there with some of the more absurd films I've ever seen. Although it won't be everyone's slice of pie, it's worth seeing just to see how far they'll go. In other words, it's brilliant.

Imagine someone taking the script & characters of "Leave it to Beaver" and filming it in vivid color with some cool music. That's the feeling I got while watching this movie. Sometimes it's hard to know if you're supposed to laugh with the characters or at them."True Stories" a satire of smalltown America, of course, including some extreme caricatures of humanity (sloth, dishonesty, materialism, imperialism, etc). But it's done with such a low-key presentation that it might pass you by without you noticing. This film is definitely a comedy, but there are no punchlines. Just a bizarre feeling that everything is a joke.David Byrne (referred to only as "Our Visitor") strolls through the bizarre setting of Virgil, Texas, narrating various odd episodes with his signature soft, nerdy voice. Anyone else would've come across as sarcastic, but Byrne is so deadpan--like Leslie Nielsen 2 octaves higher--that we often wonder exactly what he's trying to say. If anything.But the episodes speak for themselves. If you don't immediately catch the absurdness of the situations, the wacky visuals and blending of surrealism should be enough to tell you you're watching a quiet madhouse. Several sequences border on Terry Gilliam-esque genius while others aren't quite as effective. But either way, it's a memorable experience. John Goodman's lines & facial expressions are classic, guiding us through an otherwise perplexing experience.It's hard to compare this to other films, but Byrne's directing style reminded me of early Tim Burton ("Edward Scissorhands", "Ed Wood") with his cheerful fantasy-sarcasm. Other times I was reminded of Vincent Gallo ("Buffalo 66") with the odd compositions and asymmetric shots. And in a weird way I was reminded of Godard's classic "Alphaville", the way the humor is so elusive that you hardly realize it's there.Notable songs (lip synched by different characters in the movie) include "Wild Wild Life" at a showcase, "Dream Operator" at a bizarre fashion show at the mall, "Love for Sale" on TV (the regular video), "People Like Us" at a talent show, and the iconic "Radio Head" (which, yes, lent its name to the band) and a slew of other Talking Heads & David Byrne tunes. I confess I didn't recognize any except "Wild Wild Life" & "Radio Head", but I imagine if you're a Talking Heads fan you'll hear plenty to keep you groovin.I wouldn't recommend this to casual moviegoers or casual Talking Heads fans, but if you like (artsy) movies and/or recognize most of the songs I named above, don't hesitate to check out this weird movie.

The original tag line of "True Stories" was: "It's a completely cool, multi-purpose movie." Yes it really is. Directed and written by David Byrne (singer, writer, composer, a multi-talented person), this movie is an surprising and uplifting story about Virgil, a fictional Texas city that are celebrating the state's sesquicentennial year. Byrne is the nameless narrator of "True Stories", and here he presents us all kinds of characters, including the lovely Lewis Fyne (John Goodman, very good) a bachelor who wants desperately to get married even knowing that his appearance isn't what most women wants; the Culver family led by the most influential business man of the city, the odd, funny and controlling Earl Culver (Spalding Gray) among many other persons.Both in his musical works and in the case of this movie, Byrne puts very forms of speeches, as may seem throughout "True Stories". It's not just an ordinary comedy, it has something more powerful between it. He made statements over the unbridled consumerism (well noticed in the lyrics of "Wild Wild Life" and in the video of "Love for sale", where a sitting woman and a walking employee robot, watches a video clip showing that everything and everybody's out for sale). Those moments might seen an attack to some viewers and probably many will find that these scenes has nothing to do with the movie. Wrong. It is just a way to show many aspects of real life, after all we're talking about possible true people but in a funny way. It is not pointing to the people like a character judgment. Instead of that, Byrne and the writers (the actor Stephen Tobolowsky is one of them) shows us many levels of the society's stereotypes (the funny guy, the simple people and the rich people, and their events). But there's a sense of union, everybody likes each other in the movie, people go to clubs and shopping malls, sing songs, go to the big parade honoring the city and their special figures. Everything is likable. Perhaps in a deep view you'll find that something's wrong.It's like Altman's "Nashville" but with less characters and more funny, and it's like "This is Spinal Tap", (both stories are showed in a documentary style) but Byrne's film is far more complex, very much like an art film filled with cultural references. This is one more of the most positive and underrated films I ever seen and I think it was made way ahead of its time. One of those to be watched again and again. If you're a Talking Heads fan you'll enjoy the songs played in the movie and sing along (Wild Wild Life is my favorite moment). If you're not a fan or don't know Talking Heads, well here's a great invitation to meet them. It's very cool and fun to watch! 10/10

I saw this movie after having spent three years in Mississippi. Byrne and Henley absolutely nailed everyday southern folk. I love Byrne's sense of humor throughout the movie. When the film premiered in my area, I found myself laughing out loud. The seven other people in the theater kept hissing at me: "Shut up! It's NOT funny!"This is a film that I can watch over and over and never get tired of it. From Byrne's hysterical non-sequiturs ("This is not a rental car -- this is privately owned!") to the terrific music to the gorgeous cinematography, it's a joyful experience.What really drives this movie, though, are the great characters. John Goodman, in one of his early film roles, was a perfect match in his role as Louis Fine, working in the "clean room" at Vericorp by day and looking for love by night. Spalding Grey is memorable as the narrow- minded and somewhat pompous big cheese in the town. The rest of the cast is just as good, including the Cute Woman and the Lying Woman. There's no conventional plot. Byrne is basically making a documentary about a small Texas town and how it's celebrating the state's 150th anniversary. But what you really see is small-town life and how it's gradually changing to keep up with modern times.In one wonderful sequence, the camera is quietly tracking past a new housing development. An instrumental version of the song "Dream Operator" plays in the background. And Byrne says, "Look at this. Who can say it isn't beautiful?" That's very true of the whole movie.