Stop Making Sense

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Stop Making Sense

PG,

1984,

1h 28m,

Documentary/

Music

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100%

71 Reviews

Tomatometer

97%

5,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

71 Reviews

97%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Filmmaker Jonathan Demme captures Talking Heads and an ecstatic ensemble of musicians at their exhilarating best in this iconic live performance.

Critics Consensus

Jonathan Demme's Stop Making Sense captures the energetic, unpredictable live act of peak Talking Heads with color and visual wit.

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Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (LAist)

Oct 4, 2023

Bring the lights down, and it's just like a [live] performance. I promise you.

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Ed Potton

The Times (UK)

Sep 25, 2023

5/5

Everyone plays out of their skin but Byrne is the inspired star, hitting himself in the face, doing laps of the stage and reappearing for Girlfriend Is Better in his famous giant suit.

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Michael Phillips

Chicago Tribune

Sep 22, 2023

4/4

The movie is the finest imaginable version of the Talking Heads’ Speaking in Tongues tour. The concert’s physical staging elements, introduced in pieces and segments, with elegant and wryly suggestive words, create an aura of pristine unease.

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Pat Padua

Washington City Paper

Nov 18, 2025

Despite the wild eyes and non sequiturs, Byrne’s vision is accessible and charismatic. It’s incredibly moving that someone so clearly awkward and uncomfortable can be himself and make money from it

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Calum Baker

Radio Times

Sep 6, 2024

5/5

Above all, the film is downright fun: a showcase for nine talented musicians enjoying themselves on stage, and itself an immersive expression of creative joy.

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Johnny Loftus

Decider

May 3, 2024

Stop Making Sense is all killer, no filler.

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Rod

Oct 16, 2023

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Brooklyn

Oct 16, 2023

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Litzy

Oct 16, 2023

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Asia

Oct 16, 2023

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Margarette

Oct 9, 2023

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Gabriella

Oct 9, 2023

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Stop Making Sense: 40th Anniversary Re-Release Trailer

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Jonathan Demme captures Talking Heads and an ecstatic ensemble of musicians at their exhilarating best in this iconic live performance.

Director: Jonathan Demme
Producer: Gary Goetzman
Screenwriter: Jonathan Demme, Talking Heads
Production Co: Arnold Stiefel Company, Talking Heads
Rating: PG (Brief Suggestive Material)
Genre: Documentary, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 18, 1984, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Sep 29, 2023
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.0M
Runtime: 1h 28m
Sound Mix: Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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