Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns) (2002)

Documentary about the music group They Might Be Giants.

Director:

AJ Schnack

Stars:

John Flansburgh, John Linnell, Gina Arnold

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited 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

Storyline

Gigantic is the story of They Might Be Giants, a unique musical group centered on John Flansburgh and John Linnell. We're introduced to the duo's lyrical and melodic craft when, for example, well-known actors recite Giants lyrics, underscoring the dark words often coupled with bright tunes. We also catch a glimpse of the band's ideas about performance from the blend of footage from concerts, television, music videos, and other media. Running through the whole film is a portrayal of the Johns' friendship and ultimately, their view of the world, which we see in interviews with the Giants themselves, their colleagues, and their fans.

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Plot Keywords:

band | music video | interview | concert footage | musician | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Music

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Details

Official Sites:

Bonfire Films Of America [United States] They Might Be Giants Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 March 2002 (USA)

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$6,411 (USA) (23 May 2003)

Gross:

$160,621 (USA) (3 October 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bonfire Films of America

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

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 when the director came to film her husband, Michael McKean.

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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.

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Connections

Features Malcolm in the Middle (2000)

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Soundtracks

"Subliminal"
Written by John Linnell and John Flansburgh
Performed by They Might Be Giants

User Reviews

See This.

A great movie made even better on DVD. Not just for fans of the band, it will be entertaining for non-fans as well. This film could be taught in film school as a primer on concise editing and pacing for the most difficult of genres, the documentary. Of course it will be ignored come Oscar time because it commits the two cardinal sins of documentaries: 1) it is in no way about World War II; 2) it is entertaining. The DVD is maxed out with deleted scenes (cut only, one presumes, for length not quality) and insightful commentary by the makers and "the Two Johns". Certainly one of the gems of 2003.