They Might Be Giants
It’s not hard to see why a film that flopped on release has since found itself a modest cult following. It’s eccentric, a little ragged, and wears its whimsy on its sleeve. The hook is irresistible: a wealthy man convinced he’s Sherlock Holmes, though the game is less about deduction than about delusion.
The clever conceit is that it isn’t about Holmes at all. Instead, it’s a story about belief, about finding purpose in the act of searching rather than the solution itself. George C. Scott plays it with a mix of gravitas and vulnerability, while Joanne Woodward’s Watson offers both foil and reluctant ally. Together they lend a real emotional pull to what might otherwise have been a curio.
And yet, for all its charm, They Might Be Giants is uneven. Some of the comedy drags, the pacing wanders, and not every quirk lands. Still, its oddball sincerity makes it easy to see why people have kept returning—looking not for Holmes, but for a bit of meaning hidden in the chase.
The clever conceit is that it isn’t about Holmes at all. Instead, it’s a story about belief, about finding purpose in the act of searching rather than the solution itself. George C. Scott plays it with a mix of gravitas and vulnerability, while Joanne Woodward’s Watson offers both foil and reluctant ally. Together they lend a real emotional pull to what might otherwise have been a curio.
And yet, for all its charm, They Might Be Giants is uneven. Some of the comedy drags, the pacing wanders, and not every quirk lands. Still, its oddball sincerity makes it easy to see why people have kept returning—looking not for Holmes, but for a bit of meaning hidden in the chase.
Mini Review: It’s clear why this flop is now a cult curio. The hook: George C. Scott as a man convinced he’s Sherlock Holmes, though the story’s really about belief, not deduction. Joanne Woodward’s Watson is his reluctant ally, and together they give it heart. Uneven pacing and dragged-out comedy blunt the edges, but its odd sincerity explains why people keep returning—for meaning, not Moriarty.
Watch the Trailer