Stop Making Sense (1984)

An innovative concert movie for the rock group Talking Heads. (imdb)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Jonathan Demme
Written By: Jonathan Demme, Talking Heads
Starring: David Byrne, Jerry Harrison, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth, Bernie Worrell, Alex Weir, Steven Scales, Lynn Mabry, Ednah Holt
Genres: Documentary, Music
Country: USA
Where to Stream
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Stop Making Sense belongs to 41 collections
1. Features under 91 minutes (collaborative: moderated by epiphany - 56 stars)
2. New York Times' The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made (collaborative: moderated by theficionado - 32 stars)
3. National Film Registry (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 30 stars)
4. AAA: Empire's five star movies (collaborative: moderated by KasperL - 24 stars)
5. Feel Good Movies (collaborative: moderated by Midaso - 17 stars)
6. Edgar Wright 1000 Favorite Movies (Aug 2016) (collaborative: moderated by Aron Ericson - 17 stars)
7. Metacritic - Universal Acclaim (collaborative: moderated by sengir - 14 stars)
8. Doubling The Canon (collaborative - 13 stars)
9. Cinema Discusso Yearly Consensus (2008) (public: PeaceAnarchy - 10 stars)
10. Doubling The Canon (2010 update) (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 5 stars)
11. Average Percentile >70 (collaborative: moderated by peyrin - 4 stars)
12. Concert (collaborative: moderated by Tripwyre - 3 stars)
13. Music (collaborative: moderated by Hailey - 2 stars)
14. MovieMeter.nl Top 250 (collaborative: moderated by Jorg - 2 stars)
15. The Next Picture Show Podcast (collaborative: moderated by trippingly - 2 stars)
16. Title Based On Song Name (collaborative: moderated by iceblox - 1 star)
17. Time Out's 50 Best Documentaries of All Time (collaborative: moderated by theficionado - 1 star)
18. Doubling the Canon (2011 update) (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 1 star)
19. Doubling the Canon (2012 update) (collaborative: moderated by Cinephile - 1 star)
20. Rockumentary (collaborative: moderated by Hadleyreis - 1 star)
21. Showing on MUBI (UK) (collaborative: moderated by barryegan - 1 star)
22. Kyles Movie of the Year 1892-2019 (public: Dorkovsky - 1 star)
23. Movies with great music (public: juandr - 1 star)
24. Blank Check with Griffin & David (public: TychoCelchuu - 1 star)
25. The Greatest Movies of All Time - Filmweb's Alternative Top 500 (public: Hadleyreis - 1 star)
26. To Download (collaborative: moderated by ForrestQ)
27. My Top 100 (collaborative: moderated by MartinTeller)
28. The Canon podcast (all films) (collaborative: moderated by psim)
29. The Canon podcast (only the Canon) (collaborative: moderated by psim)
30. Parodied in Documentary Now! (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed)
31. Best of the Year (public: MartinTeller)
32. To see (public: pcalado)
33. us-tv Kenny 101 Documentaries (public: timxyz)
34. 1984: Year in Review (public: polanski28)
35. Filmspotting Ratings Project: Week 14 (public: PeaceAnarchy)
36. HDD 151029 (public: caffe)
37. Edgar Wright's 1000 Favorite Movies (public: coldesser)
38. Edgar 256 (public: caffe)
39. Best Film of Each Decade (public: kendell)
40. time was (public: rnest)
41. Sight & Sound (public: kendell)
Browse the full list of collections
Stars | User | Rating | |
10 | ![]() |
Sockman | 92 95th |
The ultimate anti-concert. No backstage antics, no interviews, no "Hello, Cleveland," no stagedives. This is a rare concert film that treats each song as its own visual composition rather than a recording of music being played. Not to mention that Talking Heads were at the top of their game at this stage, and the added musicians only enhance the performance. Very highly recommended to any fan of the band or of music in general.
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8 | ![]() |
Magb | 100 98th |
It's...impossible...to...sit...still...
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5 | ![]() |
MartinTeller | 98 99th |
I can't gush enough about this. There's no interviews, no behind-the-scenes footage, no fans, no animation, no fantasy sequences. Just 9 musicians and their instruments, a floor lamp, and a big suit. With these sparse tools, Demme and Byrne crafted the finest performance film I've ever seen. Engaging, energetic, and completely infectious. Through variations in lighting, staging and dance, they manage to make give every song a distinct visual feel.
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5 | ![]() |
Anomaly | 95 98th |
Amazing. The minimalism allows the performances to be taken in, and lends itself to some very creative visuals. Very energetic and entertaining, and will leave you with an appreciation of boom boxes, floor lamps, and big suits.
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5 | theficionado | 100 97th |
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The minute David Byrne enters the stage with a boombox, you know you're watching something special. And when he returns in that famous white suit... fuuuuuuck.
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5 | ![]() |
BillyShears | 100 98th |
Fat Talking Heads nerd in his basement fucking up every lamp in the house for a brief moment of absolute weightless bliss
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4 | ![]() |
Pickpocket | 9 93rd |
This is one of the best things I've ever seen. So much energy, so fun. I could watch this every day. Thanks! Anyone have any questions?
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4 | ![]() |
Alex Watkins | 5 91st |
If it's not the best concert film ever, it's the best I've seen. Completely awesome both for its music and for its merits as a film, with some absolutely great versions of classic Talking Heads tracks (the versions of "Life During Wartime," "This Must Be the Place" and "Heaven" here are essential). Fantastic visuals (the chiaroscuro lighting on some of the performances was really something), great music, engaging performances - it's a blast.
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4 | ![]() |
purgatos | 95 96th |
After watching this, it will take a week for the grin to leave my face.
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Eric WK | 95 95th |
This is the only concert movie I've ever seen that's distilled down to the only thing that really matters: the performance. By cutting (or never even filming, I don't know) all of the bullshit, Demme brings you right into the auditorium for a Talking Heads set that is nothing short of exquisite. What a band, what a film.
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4 | ![]() |
Ocelot | 90 97th |
While most concert films feature a ton of backstage bullshit, "Stop Making Sense" just delivers the goods. Burning Down the House, Psycho Killer, Crosseyed and Painless; it's all absolutely magnificent music. The album is one of the best albums ever made so it's only fitting that the movie is one of the best of its medium as well. "Stop Making Sense" is an honest to God masterpiece. It's the kind of movie that only comes along Once in a Lifetime.
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4 | ![]() |
FunkyAstro | 100 99th |
If I had a time machine I would go back to when this movie was made and be at the concerts. Nobody puts on a show now a days like the Talking Heads of '84. I will always remember the band as the one in this movie. All the songs sound better than their studio recordings. The direction was brilliant, especially the long uncut shots. And who can not make way to the legend that is David Byrne. Simply put, the man is a genius. For what it is, a concert movie, Stop Making Sense is perfection.
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joseywales | 91 97th |
Absolutely wonderful! A musical treat for any music fan. Probably the best music concert video.
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twincinema | 95 96th |
The concert documentary that all other concert documentaries want to be.
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karolcrist | 93 96th |
I love this concert movie. It's amazing how the show is conducted, starting with just David Byrne singing Psycho Killer, and little by little, more members and instruments are added, to the point of having the show complete. I loved Psycho Killer in this concert. The Byrne's personallity makes of Talking Heads an unique band. For those who like that amazing band, is an unforgettable concert movie.
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hellboy76 | 88 97th |
My favorite concert film of all time.
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bof | 90 97th |
Does for the concert movie what Loveless did for shoegaze - ie is so good it kills its genre stone dead.
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DavidKahane | 97 96th |
So exuberant, so inventive, so bright and brilliant that it stands as a mighty contender in the ongoing debate about what deserves the designation Greatest Concert Film Ever. The band delivers their own unique, vibrant staging and a thrillingly energetic concert performance, and Demme's visual sense is astounding. The camera is often in an entirely unexpected place, and yet it's also always a perfectly positioned, so much so that it's hard to conceive of why anyone would place it elsewhere.
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pilgermann | 90 94th |
Absolutely wonderful and thrilling film. There's so much energy captured here that it's nearly impossible to sit still by the end of it.
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1 | jamisonrk | 85 90th |
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It's rare to be excited while watching a concert on a Television. This is a rare film...
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Evolution | 94 98th |
Before viewing this film I described myself as a Talking Heads fan; after viewing I would describe myself as a Talking Heads fanatic.
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1 | kav | 90 92nd |
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Not only are the Talking Heads amazing, it's a brilliant concept and concert too.
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moraesfelipe | 93 97th |
SMS is maybe the greatest rock concert (or concept) ever shot. And I'm saying this not just because of the great images that Demme and his crew managed to capture -- they make a cinematic achievement out of a gig --, but the performance itself: their groove is almost unbearably catchy and weird. This is staggeringly brilliant.
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omgfridge | 9 92nd |
Wasn't quite sure how I would react to a concert movie but this blew my mind.
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ZayanK | 94 93rd |
I'm totally buying a suit like that.
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Okkervil | 89 95th |
Talking Heads... bit good wern't they!
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Bown | 86 80th |
People always be like “how does Byrne have so much energy” like they’re forgetting cocaine exists. Anyway this was fucking awesome
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wetwillies | 100 98th |
If I could go to any concert in history, it would probably be this one. Considering how much energy there is coming through Demme's camera, I can only imagine how much energy there is at the real thing. There are so many great moments in this concert both audio and visual. I just can't choose a favorite moment. If you watch this and your head isn't bobbing the entire time then something is certainly wrong with you. I don't know. This film is really awesome. (three times)
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Noblet | 93 97th |
The opening and gradual introduction of the entire band is brilliant it just gets better from there. Fantastic music, wonderful visuals.
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Jerky | 90 99th |
My god...the awesomeness!
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AceySaid10% | 78 33rd |
Highly recommended on 1.5x fast forward. A multitude of crazy legs...
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Average Percentile 79.99% from 978 Ratings | ![]() |