Customer Reviews
The tale of 2 mad geniuses 
2008-07-20
If you've ever wondered how this band got together...this is your answer. It follows the 2 Johns through the travels and tribulations of creating one of the more innovative bands to come from New York in the 80's (without a drummer and bass player).
It follows them through the original ideas with vintage photos and videos of the bands early days up to the more recent studio time. It delves into their obsession with coffee and answering machines.
Great Peer Inside 2008-05-07
It's always great to see the people in a band you herald as demio-gods are actually implicitly quite human. I was so reluctant to knock TMBG off the pedestal I've built that it took a good long while to force myself to sit down and watch this doc.
Boy I'm glad I did! A great insight to the minds of TMBG as well as their fans and various others who contribute to John and John. A must watch even if you don't like watching documentaries.
We get it -- they are nice guys who are good friends! 
2006-07-20
...you know, I got nothing against They Might Be Giants. I like some of their records, and they seem like nice guys who have found a unique niche and have weathered some tough times in a cruel and thankless industry. Their work is rooted in deep friendship and hard work. Very admirable. However, does that make for a good film? Not at all...their story has no genuine drama, no tension, no excitement. It's not that they're a bad band -- this is just a bad subject for a film.
This doc is pretty mediocre in almost every way: construction, execution, etc. Lots of talking heads, though aside from the wonderous Syd Straw, no one really distinguishes themselves as particularly charismatic. In fact, it just seems like they are lined up to kiss TMBG's co-rump. Sarah Vowell is particularly grating, steering the audience through a sea of incredibly obvious observations with a smug sense of self satisfaction, like she was Sir Francis Drake or something. I'm a nerd, and even I felt like giving her a swirly after hearing her talk for 30 seconds. Good thing I don't listen to the radio, because I hear she's on it from time to time.
Another thing that irks me about this picture is how everyone talks about their innovative early live shows and how they used tapes and props, and then the filmmakers' cut to a very conventional, dull contemporary show. Not that the current touring lineup of TMBG is bad...it's just that it's incongruous and shortsells some of the band's most artistically productive achievements.
Also, the device where comedians (Andy Richter, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, etc) read TMBG lyrics just comes off as smarmy. The small-town quaintness segments (the Polk history lesson, the debate team, etc) are a good idea but inserted jarringly and with the carelessness of a film school freshman.
Another thing that's odd...most of the "we're doing the rock band thing around New York City" footage happens between September 7 and September 10th, 2001. I know, because the filmmakers put dates on it. I'm no prophet of doom, but don't you think it would have been better to leave the dates off? All I could think in my mind was "Our world is about to change irreversabley in 7 hours, but here we are at a TMBG in-store in Manhattan." Scarey. Could have easily been avoided.
That said, there are nice extras on the DVD, particularly the amazing Tonight Show performance (I'd like to see Brandford, Eubanks, and Co. pull that off today!) and Adam Bernstein's great early videos.
Nice guys shouldn't finish last, and they don't always. But that doesn't make the race interesting to watch.
For Giants Fans, this Comes Up Short 
2006-06-02
I have a few big caveats I need to give at the outset of this review. I came into this film with a lot of baggage. First, They Might Be Giants is one of my favorite bands (see CdC #9 & 10) and I've been dying to see this movie since I heard that it was being made. That said, it took an embarrassing amount of begging and pleading to get a screener copy. I contacted the producer, Shirley Moyers, on countless occasions, asking for a copy as it didn't come close to my hometown. Yet, for some odd reason, I was told that screeners would only be provided to journalists in towns where the film was playing. The logic of this escaped me.
Couple this with my knowledge that the filmmakers were offered a bevy of film footage starring the nascent Giants which they didn't accept and that could have finally uncovered the story behind Dave Kendall's claims that They Might Be Giants were roadies for The Replacements. The reluctance to have their film reviewed by a beseeching journalist and the brush-off of potential contributors (despite posting a desire for stories, pictures, et cetera) lead me to believe that A.J. Schnack's GIGANTIC: A TALE OF TWO JOHNS would be a suboptimal work.
Between the interviews and fleeting bits of archival footage is a kickass concert film. I think I'd rather that GIGANTIC was a full concert rather than putting up with the inane celebrity endorsements (Harry Shearer, Janeane Garofalo, Andy Richter, Michael McKean, et cetera) and the horribly awful voice of interviewee Sarah Vowell of NPR's "This American Life." After about a half hour of GIGANTIC I realized that I'd have gleaned more information about TMBG, from re-reading the liner notes of Miscellaneous T than from Schnack's documentary.
I tried to come in to GIGANTIC with an open mind. I also tried to look at the movie as both a fan and someone who might not have ever heard of They Might Be Giants before. As a fan, it was mighty fun watching TMBG going through their creative process. They're one of the most prolific and inventive groups I've ever had the pleasure of hearing. As a newbie, I didn't really have much of a reason to buy in to these two dweebs and their silly little songs. I would have liked to have gotten more of their impact and history much earlier in the film. Tell me the appeal of these guys rather than making me dig it out from amongst the interviews. And I could have done without the five minutes of stories about coffeemakers.
In short, GIGANTIC: A TALE OF TWO JOHNS wasn't worth the frustration or the wait. If you're a fan or coming to the band fresh stick to their music videos and albums.
Opposites Interact 2005-04-10
When my nephew Tim did me the great favor of hooking me up with these two guys, I wondered what planet they came from. This and the other DVD make it obvious: Brooklyn.
What will you learn from this disc:
1. Creative people are obsessive. The output pours from one of our Johns like it did from Mozart. He almost cannot help it. There are simply people who exude creativity, and they cannot stop themselves.
2. The talents diverge and complement. You have a John who schmoozes and a John who stays back and creates. You have a tough John and a gentle John. You have a John with glasses and a John without glasses.
3. I've never heard anybody play around with musical form and poetry like these guys can.
A carp: why so little about Apollo 18?? That was one of their best, but it's shorted in the film.
Not to put too fine a point on it... 2005-01-20
Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns) is the celebrated true story of They Might Be Giants, the Brooklyn-based musical duo of John Flansburgh and John Linnell. Embracing the Do-It-Yourself ethos of true independent artists, they have followed a unique and sometimes unconventional path to cult stardom - from their first meeting in grade school to their 2002 Grammy Award - aided by stunning low-budget music videos, trailblazing use of the internet and a telephone answering machine. Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns) is a chronicle of the band's 20-year history, told through performances, animation, videos and hilarious commentaries from friends and fans.
Hammer down, rabbit ears! 2004-06-19
John Flansburgh and John Linnell burst onto the music scene in the mid-'80s as a two-man band with a name cribbed from an old George C. Scott movie: "They Might Be Giants."
Armed with accordions, clarinets, wicked guitars, tape loops, drum machines and voices like Big Bird, They Might Be Giants created their own hilariously geeky genre of music. They had catchy hooks to spare and a knack for existential, caffeinated Fisher-Price tongue-twisters and wordplay.
Much like Brian Wilson once created what he called "pocket symphonies," the Giants made "pocket pop songs."
"Gigantic: A Tale of Two Johns" - doesn't give a clear,
chronological history of the band but does offer a refreshing look at two gifted musicians who usually hide behind their wall of sound and mirth.
Through clips of their live shows, videos and cogent interviews (with Flansburgh and Linnell, manager Jamie Kitman, former Pixie's frontman Frank Black, authors Dave Eggers and Sarah Vowell and others), the movie covers some of the Giants' best-known songs and the touchstones of their brief history: their formation and "do-it-yourself" early days; their Dial-A-Song service (basically an answering machine at Flansburgh's old apartment that offered a new song each day for free); the problems they encountered with their label during the grunge era; and their recent resurgence via the Internet.
As with anything of this sort, "Gigantic" isn't for nonfans (even for a moderate fan, the uniqueness of the Giants' music makes a little go a long way), but the group's countless devotees will be extremely pleased with the DVD and its giant's portion of extras.
This is how all music DVDs should be stocked: eight music videos; tons of deleted scenes and interviews; an audio presentation of their "This American Life" profile and the group's old TV appearances on "Joy Farm" and "Nick Rocks."
The best Johns I know. 
2004-06-07
Although it's not what I expected, this DVD is excellent. There is lots of great footage. Great guest stars like friends of Lincoln, Mass., Andy Richter, the 'Dial-a-Song lady', etc. Mainly the film consists of interviews and live concert footage. This was a bit of a let down, as I like to see the band going about their normal thing during documentaries (such like in Bittersweet Motel). Regardless, the excellent interviews and live footage make up for this weakness.
A word on extras. The extras double the greatness of this DVD. There are plenty of great extras. It might actually take longer to get through all the extras than it takes to watch the film. The extras are a big part of this dvd: more interviews, audio clips, music videos, etc.
If you're a TMBG fan, definitely pick up this DVD. You won't regret it.
Could have been so much better 
2004-05-20
What a documentary is supposed to do is give a respectful homage to the subject, give a clear thorough history, and make the unitiated instant converts to the subject. This just doesn't accomplish it -- not even close. The early material, the live footage, and the interviews with two Johns are interesting, but there is just too much blathering from people I've never heard of and the result is too disjointed, poorly edited, amateurish and painful -- even for a devoted TMBGer as myself. TMBG deserved much better and, unfortunately, this will be lasting tribute documentary to their legacy -- pathetic. Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, and Janeane Garafolo are the only noteworthy celebrities (sorry Paul Simon, you're still cool too) and they are relegated to reciting TMBG lyrics as poetry (for comedic purposes, no less). The comedy doesn't work. Heck, if you're going to try that, bring in master Shatner and he'll provide a Shakespearean delivery of "End of the Tour" that'll make your sides hurt! The rare extra clips are nice to have, but they don't make up for the real reason to buy this, the documentary. I would recommend this DVD only to hard core TMBG fans -- it will put the unitiated to sleep...no joke.
Pretty good, especially for hardcore fans 2004-05-14
If you are the kind of person, like myself, who already owns every TMBG compact disc and has seen them in concert multiple times, you will definitely enjoy this DVD. The extras are great, particularly the rarities such as the Flood promo. The original Cub version of "New York City" is interesting as well. The first five videos are on here, along with a number of other things the Johns have done over the years.
The documentary itself, however, is somewhat weak. It suffers from being rambling and unfocused. Even after 90 minutes, I felt I didn't know much more about the band or the lives of the Johns than when it started. On the plus side, we hear about the early days of TMBG, playing in underground clubs in NYC, the origin of the Dial-a-Song service, and the origin of the "Don't Lets Start" dance.
If you are not familiar with They Might Be Giants, spend the money you would have spent on this DVD on a couple of their CDs first. Just type "They Might Be Giants" in the little search box above and to the left for a full list. Pick any two at random; they are all good. If you are familiar with TMBG and like them, you will at least like the extras on this DVD, even if you find yourself not watching the documentary itself very often after you see it the first time.
