GIGANTIC (A TALE OF TWO JOHNS) Rating: (out of 5 stars) Director: AJ Schnack Producer: Shirley Moyers Writer: N/A Director of Photography: Yon Thomas Featuring: John Flansburgh, John Linnell Visit the IMDB page for full cast and crew

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Review by: Warren Curry
5/19/03

I recall first hearing of the band They Might Be Giants in the late 80s, just prior to the music duo releasing their first major label album entitled "Flood." Their homespun, clever and often overly precious songs (I think it can be accurately described as "nerd rock") didn't convert me into a fan, but I always found something compelling about this band, although as the 90s progressed I largely lost track of what They Might Be Giants were up to (in retrospect, I guess I was aware that they recorded the theme song to the television series Malcolm in the Middle.). So it was with quite a bit of curiosity that I approached Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns), director AJ Schnack's documentary about the band, and for a person like me who's not quite a fan, but has more than just a passing interest in TMBG, this film couldn't be assembled any better. Along with Owning Mahowny, Gigantic is perhaps the most fun movie-going experience I've had so far in 2003.

Yes, Gigantic is a documentary made with a "fan club" mentality, but after watching this film, I find it hard to believe that there would be much to dislike about John Flansburgh and John Linnell, the two founding members of TMBG. Meeting while teenagers in lovely Lincoln, Massachusetts (home of one of my favorite places in the world, DeCordova sculpture park), the two Johns relocated to Brooklyn in the early 80s and began their musical adventures. Inspired by the late 70s Punk sound, which had largely given way to New Wave at the time of the band's formation, Flansburgh and Linnell crafted oddball, low-fi pop songs with bizarre lyrical content (a song about 11th President James K. Polk?), which they first exposed to the world via home recorded cassettes and the ingenious answering machine-based song service, Dial-A-Song (call 718.387.6962 for a sample). The Giants eventually caught the attention of both an independent record label and MTV, the latter via their experimental music videos directed by Adam Bernstein. Quickly growing a devoted following, TMBG made the jump to a major label, experienced a good amount of success and then more or less faded into obscurity with the rise of the Nirvanas and Pearl Jams of the day.

Filmed in 2001, while the band was readying to record their first studio album in nearly half a decade, Gigantic combines a good number of talking head interviews with other musicians, fans of all kinds, collaborators and, of course, the two Johns themselves. In addition, we catch many glimpses of their pioneering music videos (the doc claims that they were the first "alternative" band to receive heavy airplay from MTV), concert footage, behind-the-scenes clips and even a bit of animation. Schnack is supremely aware that to keep this film from being too esoteric, it needs to proceed quickly and there aren't many dead spots to be found. It's also an immense help that Flansburgh and Linnell come across as two charming, likeable subjects, mainly free of any irritating and laughable "rock star" clichés (instead of drugs and alcohol their vice is coffee).

The duo provides a nice contrast to one another, with Linnell truly appearing to be a person who'd probably rather just record songs in his basement than actually have to deal with playing concerts and the business end of the band. Flansburgh, on the other hand, despite the horn-rimmed glasses and (let's face it) self-conscious geek look, is the band's showman and it's obvious that he relishes living the life of a professional musician. Some of the excessive fawning of the interviewees gets to be a bit much (especially This American Life's Sarah Vowell), but there is merit to the film's slant that TMBG's current reputation doesn't do justice to their vast influence and accomplishments. This band lived the Do-It-Yourself ethic long before DIY became just a handy acronym for much less deserving artists hoping to gain street cred.

Will Gigantic reel in the interest of those with no knowledge of its subject? Probably not. Is it a fitting tribute to two musicians worthy of such appreciation? Absolutely. If you're already a fan, you certainly don't need any more convincing to see the film, but if you even find the band the least bit intriguing, you'll most likely walk out of this documentary with a much deeper appreciation for They Might Be Giants. As for the music -- some of the cutesy, sugary sweet tunes will have you blushing in your seat, but "Ana Ng" and "Don't Let's Start" are still two of the most perfectly crafted pop songs these ears have ever heard. And that doesn't hurt matters, either.

(A Cowboy Pictures release. Opens in New York on May 23, 2003. Expands to other cities [including Los Angeles on June 25, 2003] at later dates.)