X
- 1984
- PG
- Cinecom Pictures
- 1 h 28 m
- 1984
- PG
- Cinecom Pictures
- 1 h 28 m
Summary A concert film of the rock band Talking Heads.
Directed By: Jonathan Demme
Written By: Talking Heads, Jonathan Demme
- 1984
- PG
- Cinecom Pictures
- 1 h 28 m
- 1984
- PG
- Cinecom Pictures
- 1 h 28 m
Stop Making Sense
8.3
Where to Watch
Summary A concert film of the rock band Talking Heads.
Directed By: Jonathan Demme
Written By: Talking Heads, Jonathan Demme
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal acclaim
Based on 15 Critic Reviews
94
93% Positive
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
7% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal acclaim
Based on 15 Critic Reviews
94
93% Positive
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
7% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The pleasure of the music is overpowering.
Watching it leaves you lighter, happier, younger — dancing your way out of the theater to the Heads’ irresistible beats.
User Score
Universal acclaim
Based on 54 User Ratings
8.3
87% Positive
47 Ratings
47 Ratings
2% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
11% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
User Score
Universal acclaim
Based on 54 User Ratings
8.3
87% Positive
47 Ratings
47 Ratings
2% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
11% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
Like any great band or artist, Talking Heads were about more than just a few dozen great songs and albums. Whether by design or by accident, they become an idea. For Elvis, it was smashing cultural boundaries and having a good time, for Radiohead, a solemn prayer for our collective angst. And for Talking Heads, it was a simple but profound statement acceptance of what it is to be human. Talking Heads have a pretty extensive catalogue, from the immaculately produced sonic wizardry of Fear Of Music and Remain In Light, to the funky fresh Talking Heads: 77 and Speaking In Tongues, but, for all intents and purposes, Stop Making Sense is the ultimate Heads experience.
What's on display here is music reached an international audience because it expressed music as a universal language. You see some funky African performers that clearly think this American white dude just wrote the most kickass stuff on planet Earth, and you have these clever little tricks, like a ray of light serendipitously shining on drummer Chris Frantz as he pounds away at the heavenly "Thank You For Sending Me An Angel", and you have David Byrne crying out "Thanks!" to the crowd between songs in much the same tone as you do in your car when someone waves you in at an intersection. They didn't need fancy words to write songs about being afraid of Heaven, or about being "just an animal looking for a home." They took some advanced, college-education musical stuff and made it look simple. They made it look easy. And when you watch David Byrne in his oversized suit fumble around onstage to a hip-hop rendition of one of his songs, you start to realize: It was never that hard being human. Everyone's afraid. No one knows what they're supposed to do with their hands, nor have they been handed a written code on how to maneuver a crowded set of urinals. You didn't sound all that dumb when you went on that diatribe about how there are no real bad guys in the world at your friend's wedding. In fact, most present would say you had a point. No, you didn't happen to sleep in the one day they explained the meaning of life and what happens when we die, and most everything you were told as a kid was some ape's best guess. And that's okay. Because you aren't alone. And never is that more reassuring than when some nerdy guy in an oversized suit with an acoustic guitar is screaming it at you.
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Incredible - The cameras manage to capture both the grandiosity of the stage production and the intimacy of the flawless performance, setting a near insurmountable standard for capturing the energy of live footage. David Byrne's antics alone are also reason enough for checking it out.
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Stop Making Sense is pure fun and sheer exuberance transferred onto celluloid and perfectly re-created at the other end. Experiencing what Demme and the Talking Heads have crafted with this motion picture makes perfect sense. [Review of re-release]
Has there ever been a live concert film as vibrant or as brilliantly realized? I don't think so. [Review of re-release]
Stop Making Sense is so beautifully choreographed that in some ways it's more like theater than a rock show. [Review of re-release]
Starting with Mick Jagger, rock concerts have become, for the performers, as much sporting events as musical and theatrical performances. Stop Making Sense understands that with great exuberance.
But as good as it is, the film falls short of translating the exaltation and near-gospel music feel of the band in full flight. [2 Nov 1984]
I never considered The Talking Heads as a truly influential band for me. With the exception of their fourth album; Remain in Light, I rarely listen to them.
Still, that's not a problem for me to appreciate an excellent performance, and this show is in my opinion 100% worthy of the status it has achieved as one of the best live concerts ever recorded.
It's rare when you can bring their own fans, music fans and movie fans together in one project, but this work gives something for everyone.
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I loved this as a young Talking Heads fan. I sill think it captures them in their prime and makes for great viewing. It is very much a straight ahead concert flick. Byrne is an energetic, controlled performer. Nicely edited and directed by Jonathan Demme. You can hear the originality (and the connections to some mediocre 1980s music). And who could ever forget the big suit?
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Stop Making Sense shows that this movie doesn't need to make sense in order for it to be great. Likely, there's a lot of films that needs to make sense in order for them to look great. All I can say is.... Stop Making Sense, please!
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Hard to like this "movie" if you dont like the music much, because there is no story, no dialogue, just a concert.
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Production Company
Talking Heads,
Arnold Stiefel Company
Release Date Oct 18, 1984
Duration 1 h 28 m
Rating PG
Genres
Tagline Why stop making sense? Why a movie? Why a big suit? Where do the odd movements come from? What will the band do next?
Awards
National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Ghent International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
National Film Preservation Board, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
