It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

True Stories is a movie about fictitious Texas town "Virgil" and their celebration of specialness. It's the towns Sesquicentennial and writer/director/star David Byrne takes us on a ride through Virgil outlining all the colorful people that live there, their talents and ultimately what they want from life. John Goodman plays "Lewis Fyne" who posts a commercial accompanied by phone number in search of a bride. This movie is laced with Talking Heads music, and in a way it's kind of a musical. But not one of those "Nutcracker" types, this is a musical that the FREAKS can get behind. The movie takes a nod from the beat poets, it Explodes into song from time to time and examines complexities through a kaleidoscope instead of a microscope. The film has got truth, lies, and one hell of a talent show at the end. Radiohead gets their name from this movie, which explains much. Although the town of Virgil is fictional, everything is shot in Texas, so there's plenty of of long green landscapes and prefabricated building's. The film explores a variety of topics, the intro is amazing, Puzzlin evidence is awesome, the cute lady, the liar. I personally don't know many people who have seen this either, and it's got a lot less reviews then you'd imagine for a movie of such abundance. It flows like a river and crashes like lightning, it's both intriguing and hysterical, "astronauts didn't use to read poetry, that's changing now". I love the dinner scene with the overhead shot of all the food lighting up, "Linda, Larry, there's no such thing as weekends anymore!". How about Indian wars, computer technology, the Trilateral commission, name one other movie that covers so much ground. It's both scary and beautiful, like being eaten by a shark while dispersing fliers to an upcoming wrestling match, or being beaten to death by clowns while reciting the pledge of allegiance.

The film offers a kind view of what a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design must find martian about life in Middle America in the mid 80's. There are less than subtle anachronisms built into story: The preacher railing about the evils of the military industrial complex in Puzzling Evidence. The philosophic lesson at the dinner table using bits of food to map out the workings of modern technological advancement. (David Byrne interrupts as he's forgotten what the peppers represent) There is also a common thread of ambiguity with the band Talking Heads. In 1977 when the band released its first album the radio DJ's would comment about how they hadn't figured out yet if this new band were morons or geniuses. With True Stories we are once again forced to make a decision.

Dire black comedy helmed by rock star-turned-actor/co-writer/director David Byrne, who found early success in the new wave music scene of the mid 1970s with his band Talking Heads. Byrne is drawn to human eccentrics and freaks, life's colorful throwaways; in Virgil, Texas, he delights in putting the weirdest of the weird on display, doing so with either misplaced affection or perhaps mordant desire. John Goodman (pre-"Roseanne") is appealing and very natural playing a lovelorn cowboy, but the other characters are a too-bizarre collection. The intermittent music by Byrne and Talking Heads is frequently very good, but the film is more smug than amusing. *1/2 from ****

The first time I saw True Stories, I was 16 years old and some what of a Talking Heads fan. I thought the movie was goofy but funny. I only watched True Stories once then. After hearing my teen playing Wild, Wild, Life, I thought about looking for the sound track again, (Had the True Stories sound track on vinyl when it first came out). I just bought the DVD and watched it with my kids (14) & (8). I about died when I saw the gas prices . The old commercials are great too. The walk through the shopping mall reveals the old Gap logo and other stores still around and some that have gone. True Stories is a short step back in time for me, and my kids love it because it is so quirky. It is a movie that isn't violent or vulgar, and yet, weird enough for you to have to pay attention to get all of it. Very clever movie. Love it!