Stop Making Sense

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Stop Making Sense

PG

1984

1h 28m

Documentary

Music

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Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

71 Reviews

97%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Filmmaker Jonathan Demme captures Talking Heads and an ecstatic ensemble of musicians at their exhilarating best in this iconic live performance.

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Critics Consensus

Jonathan Demme's Stop Making Sense captures the energetic, unpredictable live act of peak Talking Heads with color and visual wit.

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Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (LAist)

10/04/2023

Bring the lights down, and it's just like a [live] performance. I promise you.

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Ed Potton

The Times (UK)

09/25/2023

5/5

Everyone plays out of their skin but Byrne is the inspired star, hitting himself in the face, doing laps of the stage and reappearing for Girlfriend Is Better in his famous giant suit.

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Michael Phillips

Chicago Tribune

09/22/2023

4/4

The movie is the finest imaginable version of the Talking Heads’ Speaking in Tongues tour. The concert’s physical staging elements, introduced in pieces and segments, with elegant and wryly suggestive words, create an aura of pristine unease.

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Pat Padua

Washington City Paper

Nov 18

Despite the wild eyes and non sequiturs, Byrne’s vision is accessible and charismatic. It’s incredibly moving that someone so clearly awkward and uncomfortable can be himself and make money from it

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Calum Baker

Radio Times

09/06/2024

5/5

Above all, the film is downright fun: a showcase for nine talented musicians enjoying themselves on stage, and itself an immersive expression of creative joy.

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Johnny Loftus

Decider

05/03/2024

Stop Making Sense is all killer, no filler.

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Christine K

Nov 19

Genius! Love David Byrne and the Talking Heads! Watch America Utopia too.

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Mason M

Oct 6

Stop Making Sense was a really great concert film with plenty of great energy, music, and photography to go around. Why I think this film stands out so much among concert films is because it's not just a camera shooting the stage. The cinematography is beautifully done, and it really makes you feel like you're not in the crowd but up there on the stage with the band and all their craziness. And much of the credit should go to the band themselves. It's probably no surprise, since I'm watching this film, that I'm a huge Talking Heads fan, so of course I absolutely loved the music in this film. The staging of this concert by the band is definitely a strong point in how they kept bringing out new members and doing new things. And then of course the band's energy and how excited many of them seemed also added to it. As far as concert films go, Stop Making Sense is pretty much as good as you can get.

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Phish P

Sep 18

Just a joyful musical experience. I can't stop watching this. So fun. I put it at the top. I'm a TH fan so may be a little biased but I danced in my living room the whole time. My son got into it too.

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Rami A

@Bunt101 Jul 26

This is the type of film that you can just enjoy for the music, but with a cinema sound system.

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Ben W

@Username618 Jul 19

No option to delete my review. Put the stars in the middle. sorry. Today was Dec 26th 2025.

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Craig W

@CJWolfe27 Jul 14

Probably the best video of a concert around

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Jonathan Demme

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Stop Making Sense: 40th Anniversary Re-Release Trailer

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Jonathan Demme captures Talking Heads and an ecstatic ensemble of musicians at their exhilarating best in this iconic live performance.

Director: Jonathan Demme
Producer: Gary Goetzman
Screenwriter: Jonathan Demme, Talking Heads
Production Co: Arnold Stiefel Company, Talking Heads
Rating: PG (Brief Suggestive Material)
Genre: Documentary, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 18, 1984, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Sep 29, 2023
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.0M
Runtime: 1h 28m
Sound Mix: Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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