Search - True Stories on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG Content Advisory: Adult Situations, Suitable for Children Movie Release: 1986 DVD Release: 03/30/1999 Format: DVD - Pan and Scan Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 29 mins Studio: Warner Home Video Total Copies: 2 Genres: Comedy, Americana, Parody/Spoof, Satire, Ensemble Film

Director David Byrne (of Talking Heads) takes an outside-looking-in glance at Texas and Texans in True Stories. Casting himself as the protagonist/narrator, Byrne adopts what he thinks is "standard" western garb and drives his red convertible into the small town of Virgil. Here he observes the town's preparations for celebrating Texas' sesquicentennial, taking time out to introduce us to several of the local oddballs. Swoosie Kurtz plays Miss Rollings, the Laziest Woman in the World; Alix Elias is The Cute Woman, who decorates her home in the most hideously "sweet" manner imaginable; John Goodman is talent-contest entrant Louis Fyne, who harbors dreams of being a C&W star; Spalding Gray is Earl Culver, a vegetable-obsessed civic leader; Jo Harvey Allen is The Lying Woman; and so it goes. The script by Southerners Byrne, Beth Henley and Steven Tobolowksy strives to avoid subtlety. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

David Byrne - Narrator
John Goodman - Louis Fyne
Swoosie Kurtz - Miss Rollings
Spalding Gray - Earl Culver
Alix Elias - Cute Woman

David Byrne's quirky directorial debut True Stories comes to DVD with a standard full-frame 1.33:1 transfer. The closed-captioned English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Surround. There are no subtitles accessible on this release. There are no supplemental features. Fans of this cult film will be happy to have it on DVD, but the lack of extras, especially considering they could have included the video for Talking Heads' "Wild Wild Life," is a disappointment. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide