True Stories (1986)
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Cast
as Narrator / Lip-Syncher / Talking Heads singer
as Louis Fyne
as Miss Rollings
as Earl Culver
as The Cute Woman
as Kay Culver
as Mr. Tucker
as Ramon
as The Preacher
as The Computer Guy
as The Lying Woman
as Linda Culver
as Larry Culver
as The Little Girl on the Road
as The Little Girl on the Road
as Ventriloquist
as Duck Hunter
as Lip-Syncher
as Mr. Tucker's Son
as Teenage Girl in Field
as Man in Church
as Member of Air Band
as Member of Air Band
as Lip-Syncher
as Laughing Headline Reader #1
as Grandfather in Mall
Critic Reviews for True Stories
All Critics (17) | Top Critics (1) | Fresh (13) | Rotten (4)
An exuberant and wonderfully oddball stew of deadpan comedy, character drama, music video, and art installation.
Quirky David Byrne-helmed musical is all-ages appropriate.
Byrne has made his version of Our Town for the 1980s, a glorification of commonplace--and kitch--and the resilient, inventive spirit of ordinary Americans wherever they are.
A very quirky but not unkind take on American life that's Byrnian through and through.
Absolutely amazing. If there is such a thing as the perfect American movie, this certainly comes close.
good soundtrack, but smothered by a condescending attitude
Audience Reviews for True Stories
True Stories is a heartwarming, genuine, sometimes abstract look at the change taking place in Texas (and US in general) during the mid-1980's. David Byrne plays himself (sort of) as the narrator who looks upon the fictional town of Virgil and its odd inhabitants with a sort of child-like wonder as they prepare for their "celebration of specialness" anniversary celebration. Incorporating music from their album of the same name the Talking Heads (Byrne mostly) take us on a wondrously bittersweet adventure that weaves through the extraordinarily ordinary lives of Virgil's town folk. More than just a snapshot of the particular time and place this film captures the essence of American optimism, those intangible dreams and vapid pursuits that we are so fortunate to be able to undertake.
Super Reviewer
A quirky, comic and insightful look at "Americana" through the eyes of one of the musical geniuses of our lifetime, Mr. David Byrne. Sountrack by Talking Heads. What more could you ask for?
Super Reviewer
Quirky is right! Some of it rings of truth. I liked the songs about watching too much television, corporate religions and the kids in a suburban wasteland. The family dinner table communication rituals were bizarre. There is some nice imagery about American oblivion. I felt empty after watching a society so bent, but was never bored. Michael Moore and Christopher Guest probably drew some inspiration from some of this.
Super Reviewer
True Stories Quotes
| Narrator: | I really enjoyed forgetting. |
| Mr. Tucker: | It's a celebration of specialness. |
| Louis Fyne: | I like sad songs, they make me wanna lie on the floor. |
| Narrator: | Was that a fart? |
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