Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns)

Ignore the comments about this being boring. This is a documentary and I suspect that they find all documentaries uninteresting. I know several people who saw this movie, own no TMBG albums, and are now big fans.

This film repeatedly made an audience of a few hundred laugh and inspired me to dig out some of my old tapes. The interviews are far more insightful than the usual rockumentary and leave you feeling like you'd like to hang out with those guys.

Some material is taken from a This American Life piece on the band. If you don't get a chance to see the film, at least listen to the 15 minute interview on ThisAmericanLife.org.

Nicely paced movie about two likable and talented friends whose band is the ultimate partnership. There's a reason the subtitle is "A Tale of Two Johns," as Linnell and Flansburgh are interlocking essential pieces of this quirky, inventive group. Director Schnack does an outstanding job capturing their relationship, their integrity, and their love for what they do.

I would like to have seen a little more Janeane Garafalo and a little less Sarah Vowell, but that's quibbling. The interviews with friends, fans, and fellow musicians were insightful and complimentary. I'm trying to think of good word for Syd Straw, though, and I keep coming back to "a little flaky."

I am a TMBG fan, so take this review with a grain of salt, but I found the previous diatribe about this fine and amusing documentary repugnant and wanted to offer an alternative to the slam posted by littlesiddie.

To say that TMBG's career is 'flagging' is simply ignorant, as the documentary itself points out many instances of their music being used in contemporary circumstances, such as 'Malcolm in the Middle' and the PBS specials.

TMBG are witty and on point most of the time. The movie reflects this. Their music continues to be high quality after twenty years, and they are still quite entertaining. The documentary gives a lot of background info for TMBG fans which fills the void of history for those of us who came across them later, yet still stands on its own as a documentary for those who are unfamiliar with their work.

The movie, as a whole, is entertaining for fans, and enticing for novices. I would suspect that many of those who have not been exposed to this group may wish to purchase their music after being exposed to them on the screen.

Of course, if one is a dolt, or otherwise slow-witted, this movie will be somewhat tedious, as most of the higher humor will go right over the viewers' head. On the other hand, for those with higher linguistic skills who appreciate puns and other plays on words, this will be a wonderful introduction to an amazingly talented band which has delighted fans for the last twenty years with a sly and sharp sense of the absurd.

I would recommend this movie to almost anyone. The worst that might happen is that (like littlesiddie) they just won't get it.

I loved this documentary. Although, I also love They Might Be Giants. If you aren't a fan of the band, this movie might not be too fun to watch, but as a enthusiastic listener of TMBG, I really enjoyed watching Gigantic. It really captured the essence of the the band and was overall fun to watch. If you enjoy this movie, I recommend Direct From Brooklyn, which is a VHS of TMBG's music videos. Although, the DVD of Gigantic also features some music videos. The only complaint I have about Gigantic is that I would like to hear more about TMBG, but I suppose that is really the purpose of making a documentary about them. "And the truth is we don't know anything." -Ana Ng by They Might Be Giants

Okay, maybe I'm gushing like this because I'm a big fan of the Johns and the Band of Dans who back them up. But whether you're a casual or a rabid one, this DVD is great viewing. But the real coolness comes in the great extras...I cracked up at watching TMBG's appearance on the old "Nick Rocks" show! Toss in some of their best videos, TV appearances, and a nice little segment about who that giant head is that appears with them on stage, and you have several hours of highest quality entertainment.