True Stories (1986)

A small but growing Texas town, filled with strange and musical characters, celebrates its sesquicentennial and converge on a local parade and talent show.

Director:

David Byrne

Writers:

David Byrne, Beth Henley,

Stars:

David Byrne, John Goodman, Annie McEnroe

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Byrne	...	Narrator / Lip-Syncher / Talking Heads singer
John Goodman	...	Louis Fyne
Annie McEnroe	...	Kay Culver
Jo Harvey Allen	...	The Lying Woman
Spalding Gray	...	Earl Culver
Alix Elias	...	The Cute Woman
Roebuck 'Pops' Staples	...	Mr. Tucker
Tito Larriva	...	Ramon (as Humberto 'Tito' Larriva)
John Ingle	...	The Preacher
Matthew Posey	...	The Computer Guy
Swoosie Kurtz	...	Miss Rollings
Freeman Beatty	...	Lip-Syncher
Evelyn Box	...	Hey Now Kid
Kevin Box	...	Hey Now Kid
Amy Buffington	...	Linda Culver

Storyline

David Byrne of Talking Heads fame visits a typical (and fictional) Texas town, on the eve of the town's celebration of the state's sesquicentennial. He meets various colorful local characters, most notably Lewis Fyne, a big-hearted bachelor in search of matrimony.

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Plot Keywords:

texas | sesquicentennial | absurd humor | dinner | concert | 

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Taglines:

A Completely Cool, Multi-Purpose Movie.

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Genres:

Musical | Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 October 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alithines istories

Filming Locations:

Allen, Texas, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$2,545,142 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

True Stories Venture, Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In between takes of the talent show sequence in which Louis sings "People Like Us", a crew member was delighting others with his adaptation, "Teamsters Like Us".

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Goofs

As the narrator is walking through the mall, we see Waldenbooks more than once.

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Quotes

Kay Culver: Shopping is a feeling.

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Crazy Credits

2. Displayed at very end of credits, below the disclaimer: "IF YOU CAN THINK OF IT, IT EXISTS SOMEWHERE"

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Connections

References Miami Vice (1984)

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Soundtracks

"Radio Head"
Written by David Byrne
Produced and Performed by Tito Larriva and Talking Heads

User Reviews

Being ahead of one's time

Some movies that you saw as a child and thought were great end up seeming rather trite or contrived when viewed as an adult; likewise, some movies that seem just downright dumb as a child may turn out to be the masterpieces of your adulthood. The same goes for time periods. Sometimes a movie is made that is not appreciated until the sophistication of future generations catches up. David Byrne's "True Stories" is prime example of this phenomenon. In the last couple of years alone, movies like "The Royal Tenenbaums," "Magnolia," and "Amelie" have scored big points with moviegoers for being offbeat, arrythmic, and irreverently blurring lines between Realism and Surrealism--these traits are the essence of postmodern art. Although occurring a decade and a half before any of these movies, "True Stories" utilizes all of the same techniques to express a postmodern vision not appreciated by cinemagoers in its time. David Byrne's unflaggingly straight face, John Goodman's wholehearted attempts at a serenade, and the bizarre amalgamation of music video and cinema, rural Texas and the technology-obsessed eighties, true stories and downright lies. For those of you who may have seen this movie back in 1986 and thought, "What the heck did I just waste three bucks on?"--now is probably the perfect time to watch it with eyes accustomed to the quirky and postmodern.