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IMDbPro

Fishing with John

  • TV Mini Series
  • 19911991
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 2h 32m
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
Fishing with John (1991)
DocumentaryComedySport
Musician John Lurie knows nothing about fishing, but that doesn't stop him from embarking on fishing in exotic locations with friends.Musician John Lurie knows nothing about fishing, but that doesn't stop him from embarking on fishing in exotic locations with friends.Musician John Lurie knows nothing about fishing, but that doesn't stop him from embarking on fishing in exotic locations with friends.
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
    • Josh Selig
  • Stars
    • John Lurie
    • Willem Dafoe
    • Robb Webb
    • Josh Selig
  • Stars
    • John Lurie
    • Willem Dafoe
    • Robb Webb
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 26User reviews
    • 11Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Episodes6

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated
    1 Season
    1991

    Videos1

    Fishing with John
    Trailer 0:52
    Watch Fishing with John

    Photos13

    Fishing with John (1991)
    Fishing with John (1991)
    Fishing with John (1991)
    Fishing with John (1991)
    Fishing with John (1991)
    Fishing with John (1991)
    Fishing with John (1991)
    Fishing with John (1991)
    Fishing with John (1991)
    Fishing with John (1991)
    John Lurie in Fishing with John (1991)
    Fishing with John (1991)

    Top cast

    Edit
    John Lurie
    John Lurie
    • Self
    Willem Dafoe
    Willem Dafoe
    • Self
    Robb Webb
    • Narrator
    Dennis Hopper
    Dennis Hopper
    • Self
    Tom Waits
    Tom Waits
    • Self
    Matt Dillon
    Matt Dillon
    • Self
    Jim Jarmusch
    Jim Jarmusch
    • Self
    Leon Mordacal
    • Self - Special Appearance
    Don Moreno
    • Self
      • Josh Selig
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      John Lurie originally wanted to use his friend Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea for the episode filmed in Costa Rica instead of actor Matt Dillon. But the Japanese producers that financed the series pressured Lurie into using Dillon because he was a bigger name celebrity. According to the audio commentary on the Criterion DVD, Lurie had only met Dillon once or twice before filming which explains why they are not as talkative with each other as Lurie is with the other guests.
    • Quotes

      Narrator: The fishermen wake up excited to be alive. They hope for good weather and good luck. Both fisherman are covered with sores and boners.

    • Connections
      Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Best Mockumentary TV Shows (2018)

    User reviews26

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Urban fisherman forever changes format of fishing shows
    I'm not sure how "Fishing with John" on DVD ended up in the house--probably my college senior daughter--or why we eventually put it in the DVD player, but some good things happen by chance. Slow-moving but funny enough to keep you awake, this "TV series" (financed by Japanese money and reportedly a big hit in Japan) hooks you good. The narrator is very funny. On Lon, the Thailand fishing guide, "Lon's legs are made of wood, but his feet are real!" Faced with a choice of hours of entertaining Dennis Hopper stories or slow-moving footage of the two of them fishing, Lurie chose the fishing. Right choice. This is a fishing show after all.

    Lurie's commentaries add much--I missed the cow and pig noises on the sound track of the long shark fight in Episode 1 (they land a 12' tiger shark).

    It is tempting to label Lurie's 1991 and 1992 humor as early Tom Green, but Lurie is on a different level. I am not sure the show would work as well with guests more different from Lurie (though Matt Dillon, chosen by the Japanese backers, does not fit the mold), but the guests often do not seem to be enjoying themselves. In the commentary, Lurie says he is afraid that if the skipper of the shark boat, a real fisherman who never appears on camera visually or by voice, ever sees the show "He will beat me up." His guest on Episode 2, Tom Waits, would not talk to Lurie for 2 years after filming and has never seen the show. Yet later guests Dillon and Hopper saw the completed first two episodes, loved them, agreed to come on the show, and had more or less the same things happen to them (though Hopper clearly had fun). Fishing is fishing. Sometimes the scenery compensates for all else.

    Stumbling across this "TV series" on real broadcast TV would be a life-changing experience. On DVD, it is a memorable keepsake.
    helpful•15
    1
    • peterghsd
    • May 21, 2000

    Details

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    • Release date
      • November 20, 1991 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Montauk, New York, USA
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 2 hours 32 minutes
      • Color
      • Stereo

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