Stop Making Sense (1984)
98%RT Audience Score: 97%
Awards & Nominations: 3 wins & 1 nomination
Stop Making Sense is a cinematic masterpiece that transcends the boundaries of the concert film genre. Jonathan Demme’s direction and David Byrne’s performance are a match made in heaven, resulting in a visually stunning and musically exhilarating experience. The film captures the essence of Talking Heads’ unique sound and style, blending punk, funk, art, and avant-garde into a cohesive and unforgettable performance. Demme’s love for musical performance is evident in every frame, and Byrne’s spiritual presence on stage is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Stop Making Sense is a true celebration of music and art, and a testament to the power of live performance.
Stop Making Sense is the concert film that will make you want to dance like nobody’s watching (even if you’re in your living room). With David Byrne’s magnetic energy and the Talking Heads’ eclectic sound, this movie is a pure joyride from start to finish. It’s no wonder why it’s considered one of the greatest concert films ever made – it’s a perfect blend of artistry, passion, and pure fun. So put on your dancing shoes and get ready to stop making sense!
Production Company(ies)
Talking Heads Arnold Stiefel Company,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Pantages Theater – 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
1984
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Stereo
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Oct 26, 1999
Genre(s)
Documentary/Music
Keyword(s)
starring David Byrne, directed by Jonathan Demme, written by Talking Heads, documentary, music, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Betsy Sharkey, produced by Gary Goetzman, MPAA rating, Hollywood Pantages Theatre, concert movie, David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, backup singers, acoustic guitar, bass, percussion, keyboards, vocals, color, visual wit, energetic, unpredictable, peak Talking Heads, iconic performance, enormous suit, punk, funk, art, avant-garde, postmodernist rock ‘n’ roll, intimate look, brilliant talking head, narrative, bits of invention, passion, celluloid, rock orgy, volcanic power, greatest concert film ever made, spiritual performance, life-affirming joyride, endless love of musical performance, accessible, arty, precise, loopy, urgent, enticingly, perfect
Worldwide gross: $5,108,872
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $14,960,456
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,818
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,631,456
US/Canada gross: $5,095,592
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $14,921,567
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,497
US/Canada opening weekend: $41,666
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $122,012
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,860
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $1,200,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $3,513,994
Production budget ranking: 1,961
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,892,286
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $9,554,175
ROI to date (est.): 177%
ROI ranking: 695
Alex Weir – Guitar and Vocals
Steven Scales – Percussion
Lynn Mabry – Backing Vocals
Ednah Holt – Backing Vocals
Tina Weymouth – Bass, Percussion and Vocals
Director(s)
Jonathan Demme
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Gary Goetzman
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
3 wins & 1 nomination
Academy Awards
All Critics (40) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (40)
Talking Heads made for great material, with its revolutionary mash-up of punk, funk, art, avant-garde and other sounds. But what sets “Stop” apart is the intimate look at that brilliant talking head, lead singer David Byrne.
July 16, 2020
Betsy Sharkey
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
Truly captivating entertainment.
July 16, 2020
Ian Freer
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
It’s a treat for fans (Heads heads?), and a chance for the uninitiated to tune in to the band that has come to personify postmodernist rock ‘n’ roll.
January 2, 2018
Paul Attanasio
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Stop Making Sense is a concert film with a narrative, bursting at the seams with bits of invention and passion.
December 22, 2009 | Rating: 3.5/4
Chuck Bowen
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
This movie is pure fun and sheer exuberance transferred onto celluloid and perfectly re-created at the other end. Experiencing what Demme and the Talking Heads have crafted with this motion picture makes perfect sense.
June 10, 2008 | Rating: 4/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
A quietly large achievement.
February 9, 2006
Derek Adams
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
A rock orgy of volcanic power, and the greatest concert film ever made.
August 30, 2021 | Rating: 4/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
It’s Byrne’s spiritual performance that pulls us in and takes us on a life-affirming joyride.
February 8, 2020
Sean Price
The Spool
Stop Making Sense brilliantly represents Demme’s endless love of musical performance and gleeful urgency.
August 21, 2018
Glenn Heath Jr.
San Diego CityBeat
Byrne is the auteur here; Demme is the rare, generous sort of filmmaker who would emphasize that.
May 6, 2017 | Rating: 4/4
Josh Larsen
LarsenOnFilm
Like Talking Heads itself, Jonathan Demme’s landmark 1984 film is accessible and arty. In less skilled hands, it would simply feel alien and cold, not vibrantly and enthrallingly alive.
May 8, 2014 | Rating: 4.5/5
Nick Rogers
The Film Yap
It’s all so precise even as it is totally loopy, and the music pressed up in our face so urgently and enticingly, that the movie is as close to perfect as it gets.
September 1, 2013 | Rating: 10/10
Tim Brayton
Antagony & Ecstasy…
Plot
David Byrne walks onto the stage and does a solo “Psycho Killer.” Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz join him for two more songs. The crew is busy, still setting up. Then, three more musicians and two back-up singers join the band. Everybody sings, plays, harmonizes, dances, and runs. They change instruments and clothes. Bryne appears in the Big Suit. The backdrop is often black, but sometimes it displays words, images, or children’s drawings. The band cooks for 18 songs, the lyrics are clear, the house rocks. In this concert film, the Talking Heads hardly talk, don’t stop, and always make sense.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features Talking Heads frontman David Byrne in an iconic performance featuring him in an enormous suit.
Jonathan-Demme.jpg
