Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns) (2002)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

AJ Schnack

Genre:

Documentary | Music

Plot:

Documentary about the music group They Might Be Giants.

Plot Keywords:

Interview | Band | Music Video | Rock Band | Concert Footage

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

John Flansburgh	...	Himself
John Linnell	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gina Arnold	...	Herself
Michael Azerrad	...	Himself
Adam Bernstein	...	Himself
David Bither	...	Himself
Frank Black	...	Himself
Linwood Boomer	...	Himself
Brian Cohen	...	Himself
Patrick Dillett	...	Himself (as Pat Dillett)
Sue Drew	...	Herself
Dave Eggers	...	Himself
Jake Fogelnest	...	Himself
Joe Franklin	...	Himself
Janeane Garofalo	...	Herself
Ira Glass	...	Himself
Jonathan Gregg	...	Himself
Dan Hickey	...	Himself (Drums)
Kurt Hoffman	...	Himself
Mark Hoppus	...	Himself
Al Houghton	...	Himself
John Houlihan	...	Himself
William Ingoglia
Mike Kelly	...	Himself
Jamie Lincoln Kitman	...	Himself (as Jamie Kitman)
Josh Kornbluth	...	Himself
Bill Krauss	...	Himself
Robert Krulwich	...	Himself
Michael McKean	...	Himself
Dan Miller	...	Himself (Guitar)
Glenn Morrow	...	Himself
Alex Noyes	...	Himself
Conan O'Brien	...	Himself
Annette O'Toole	...	Herself (voice)
Gary Ray	...	Himself
Andy Richter	...	Himself
Raoul Rosenberg	...	Himself
Harry Shearer	...	Himself
Paul Simon	...	Himself
Michael Small	...	Himself
Jim Stabile	...	Himself
Jon Stewart	...	Himself
Syd Straw	...	Herself
They Might Be Giants	...	Themselves
Sarah Vowell	...	Herself
Danny Weinkauf	...	Himself (Bass)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Company:

Bonfire Films of America

Trivia:

Annette O'Toole narrates a letter in the film during one of the film's "history" sequences, and did the research herself. She had been out of town filming "Smallville" (2001) when the director came to film her husband, Michael McKean.

Quotes:

Ira Glass: How sad for them that they're actually in the band. And so for them to hear that sound they actually have to make it themselves.

Movie Connections:

Features Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)

Soundtrack:

They'll Need A Crane

If only it could have been longer!

For fans of TMBG, the only problem with this movie was that it was just too short!

The recitations of TMBG lyrics by actors such as Andy Richter and Michael McKean were quite unexpected, but an interesting way to show what the director felt was the poignancy of the TMBG lyrics. I know in my case, I found the music so catchy when I first began to listen to TMBG, it took me a long time to realize just how different the lyrics are.

For those who enjoy indie groups, and are open to anything that isn't mainstream, this is a great movie to get an overview of TMBG. While it is a documentary on the band, it is not just a run of the mill biography. In fact, due to time constraints, some of the band's history is glazed over. The two stories vying for time are the production of the 2001 album "Mink Car" and the (then) 18 year history of the band. Thus, there isn't a whole lot of in-depth history telling here.

However, mainstream entertainment lovers might want to pass on this film. If you think that "Istanbul" was the only legitimate work TMBG has ever performed, don't "waste" your money - go see the latest action movie on the big screen. But, if you ever really liked to listen to a TMBG album, come back into the fold, and watch "Gigantic"