True Stories

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True Stories

PG,

1986,

1h 29m,

Comedy

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Watchlist

Watchlist

79%

28 Reviews

Tomatometer

83%

5,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

79%

Tomatometer

28 Reviews

83%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Talking Heads singer David Byrne plays host to this bizarre patchwork of tabloid-inspired tales, set in the fictional town of Virgil, Texas. Cruising the streets in his cherry-red drop-top, Byrne introduces viewers to the local eccentrics gearing up for the town's 150th anniversary. They include a community leader with a thing for veggies, a woman so lazy she won't leave her bed, a lovelorn country singer and more!

Critics Consensus

Its kitschy leanings may wear thin on some, but True Stories is a disarmingly big-hearted, dreamy vision of Americana.

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Alan Mirabella

New York Daily News

Sep 27, 2026

2.5/4

They're great comedic vignettes, masterfully performed, especially Kurtz and Goodman.

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Derek Malcolm

Guardian

May 11, 2026

The whole thing has a unity about it, and a thought behind it, that pushes us anyway from our more obvious expectations.

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Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

Oct 29, 2016

An exuberant and wonderfully oddball stew of deadpan comedy, character drama, music video, and art installation.

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Bill Brownstein

Montreal Gazette

Oct 20, 2025

Chock-full of wit and wackiness.

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Adrian Martin

Film Critic: Adrian Martin

Jul 30, 2025

2.5/5

David Byrne’s True Stories is an annoying and troubling film in several respects. It is the kind of film which floats purely on hype: financed by hype, promoted by hype.

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Peter Sobczynski

The Spool

Oct 13, 2021

I still find True Stories to be an endearingly weird and charming film that still holds up pretty well today.

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Draco L

Dec 18, 2018

Loving David Byrne, I was sure I was going to love this movie too, and I was right in my prediction. "True Stories" is Byrne on film, literally. Quirky, fun, artistic and obviously musical (without being a musical). Where else can you watch John Goodman singing Talking Heads? Yes, a cult indeed.

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Anakin S

Dec 13, 2018

It's way too reductive to call it a patronizing view of small-town America. I think those who say that missed the point. John Goodman's version of "People Like Us" is too damn charming to be condescending. "Growin' big as a house!"

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Hagrid W

Feb 13, 2018

True Stories operates on a different frequency than I do. I didn't get the humor, I didn't relate to the characters and I didn't understand what was going on most of the time. But I felt like I should. This film is intentionally off-kilter, but I guess it's just a little too eccentric for my tastes.

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Finn S

Jul 2, 2017

This is a quirky comedy that is in many places an eye-opening revelation, and in others somewhat of a conventional comedy, but never boring. It's really well made and considering its documentary-like technique it is way above an amateur work.

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Leia W

Jan 13, 2017

David Byrne of the Talking Heads co-wrote and directs this strange little musical film about a small Texas town around the time of their anniversary celebration. It is weird, sort of awkward (in a good way), and has some good music. John Goodman is probably the best part of the film, though Byrne as the narrator is pretty strange and wonderful.

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David Byrne

Director

David Byrne

Narrator

Swoosie Kurtz

Miss Rollings

John Goodman

Louis Fyne

Annie McEnroe

Kay Culver

Spalding Gray

Earl Culver

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Synopsis

Talking Heads singer David Byrne plays host to this bizarre patchwork of tabloid-inspired tales, set in the fictional town of Virgil, Texas. Cruising the streets in his cherry-red drop-top, Byrne introduces viewers to the local eccentrics gearing up for the town's 150th anniversary. They include a community leader with a thing for veggies, a woman so lazy she won't leave her bed, a lovelorn country singer and more!

Director: David Byrne
Producer: Karen Murphy, Gary Kurfirst
Screenwriter: David Byrne, Beth Henley, Stephen Tobolowsky
Production Co: Pressman Film, True Stories Venture
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.6M
Runtime: 1h 29m
Sound Mix: Surround

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