Rating: 
Summary: Hm...
Review: Okay, I gave this movie 3 stars, mostly because I didn't know if it deserved 2 or 4 stars. It's kind of a weird flick, and I bought it soley because I'm a They Might Be Giants fan; and TMBG, to my understanding, plucked their band name from this film.The premise is interesting enough: a once-respected judge has decided he's THE Sherlock Holmes. His brother is trying to get him declared an official nut-ball. His seemingly fate-selected Dr. Watson is a female psychiatrist who has taken his case to heart. A slice or romance rises between them, but that's not quite the thrust of the movie. I've yet to identify that "thrust" by the way. I was bored in spots, and I mention this because I think many of you might feel the same. But, considering when the film debued (1971, the year of my birth), it was pretty unique. I cut it lots of slack. It was just . . . strange. The ending made me squirm with embarassment that I was enjoying myself; at the same time, I squinted my eyes wondering why. As with all of my Amazon reviews, I don't like to give away too much. I just like to give my reactions. I haven't watched this movie twice, though I do own it. I will probably put it my DVD player again soon and perhaps come up with a second opinion. I'm curious to know what you all think of it. All I can tell you is it wasn't bad. It was probably a 4-star movie, maybe a 2, and I finally acquiesced and ratee it with a 3 while scratching my head and smirking smirkingly.
Rating:
Summary: Hm...
Review: Okay, I gave this movie 3 stars, mostly because I didn't know if it deserved 2 or 4 stars. It's kind of a weird flick, and I bought it soley because I'm a They Might Be Giants fan; and TMBG, to my understanding, plucked their band name from this film. The premise is interesting enough: a once-respected judge has decided he's THE Sherlock Holmes. His brother is trying to get him declared an official nut-ball. His seemingly fate-selected Dr. Watson is a female psychiatrist who has taken his case to heart. A slice or romance rises between them, but that's not quite the thrust of the movie. I've yet to identify that "thrust" by the way. I was bored in spots, and I mention this because I think many of you might feel the same. But, considering when the film debued (1971, the year of my birth), it was pretty unique. I cut it lots of slack. It was just . . . strange. The ending made me squirm with embarassment that I was enjoying myself; at the same time, I squinted my eyes wondering why. As with all of my Amazon reviews, I don't like to give away too much. I just like to give my reactions. I haven't watched this movie twice, though I do own it. I will probably put it my DVD player again soon and perhaps come up with a second opinion. I'm curious to know what you all think of it. All I can tell you is it wasn't bad. It was probably a 4-star movie, maybe a 2, and I finally acquiesced and ratee it with a 3 while scratching my head and smirking smirkingly.
Rating: 
Summary: They Might Be Giants
Review: One of my all time favourites. If you like Sherlock Holmes stories this is a must see. First saw it as a kid; it made a big impression on me. I searched for years for this video, finally found a copy in Winnipeg, Canada. Watched it but the ending was not what I remembered. I tried to figure out why and in my detective work was given the home phone number of the director Anthony Harvey by a journalist (I didn't realize it was his number till I phoned!). Mr. Harvey explained when I talked to him that the original theatrical release had 10 minutes chopped off it (they thought it was to long), despite the directors objections). Good to see that they have re-released the original with the cut footage added back in.
Rating:
Summary: brilliant script, stellar performances
Review: Such an unexpected gem of a film. George C. Scott is perfection as Sherlock...you get Dr. Watson, the Scarlett Pimpernell (Jack Gilford...remember the "Cracker Jacks" man?) and New York City all in a beautifully written and directed James Goldman play. Good versus evil...without vulgarity, sex or violence.
If you are tired of special effects and want to watch actors who actually let you care about the characters they portray...try this film on for size.
Rating:
Summary: "i hope the loonies win!!"
Review: the above line was spoken not by an asylum inmate, but a nurse from the asylum who decides to help "just one nut get out". this is a precious film, which i caught one late night on cable t.v. many many years ago and now have on dvd. dated and quirky, it is an absolute delight. it might be called "one flew over the cuckoos nest" with a happy ending. i hadnt realized the supermarket "shootout" scene had been removed originally for theatrical release, and restored much later (the directors commentary states 1988, but i saw it on cable at least 6 years before that and could swear that scene was in!)...anyone who has seen only the cut version is missing a sweet treat in this movie. it is a slapstick comedy scene worthy of the silent film greats! this is right up there with the all time great movies like "harold and maude", "king of hearts" and "freaks". see it on dvd if you can,where it is vibrant and uncut.
Rating:
Summary: I'm sure it's a really good movie.
Review: The guy above is confused. This movie has nothing to do with the band, They Might Be Giants. It's just where they got their name.
Rating: 
Summary: Sherlock Holmes as You've Never Seen Him Before
Review: The late, great George C. Scott does a fine turn as a widower judge who thinks he's Sherlock Holmes in "They Might Be Giants," a film that proves Scott easily could have played the fictional detective in a straight adaptation of Conan Doyle's mysteries, too. The film takes great delight in lampooning the establishment of the day--no surprise, as it debuted in 1971--with particular attention on cutting down to size the burgeoning mental health industry. Joanne Woodward is charming as a psychiatrist and social misfit, appropriately named Dr. Watson, who teams up with Scott to track the nefarious Moriarity, only to discover love and destiny instead. Along the way, they are joined by a battalion of New York City's cataways, including laconic Jack Gilford, a young M. Emmet Walsh, F. Murray Abraham with an afro, and even Paul Benedict, the fellow who would go on to fame as "Mr. Bentley" of television's "The Jeffersons" fame. Though it has an atypical but beguiling score by John Barry and some very tender moments courtesy of screenwriter James Goldman (Gilford's affinity for swashbuckling and Watson's doomed attempt at a romantic dinner among them), "They Might Be Giants" sometimes suffers from a lack of thematic focus that rivals the mania of its main characters. A slapstick scene in a grocery store seems tonally wrong in a film that otherwise takes the high road of satire rather than the low road of farce. (Apparently, it was originally excised from the film, only to return in a later version, though I recall seeing the film on TV as a child in the 70s, and the grocery store scene was intact.) Commentary by the film's director, Anthony Harvey, is worth noting, though the man interviewing him dodges the most obvious question burning in the mind's of viewers--exactly what is one to make of the film's ending?
Rating:
Summary: Sherlock Holmes as You've Never Seen Him Before
Review: The late, great George C. Scott does a fine turn as a widower judge who thinks he's Sherlock Holmes in "They Might Be Giants," a film that proves Scott easily could have played the fictional detective in a straight adaptation of Conan Doyle's mysteries, too. The film takes great delight in lampooning the establishment of the day--no surprise, as it debuted in 1971--with particular attention on cutting down to size the burgeoning mental health industry. Joanne Woodward is charming as a psychiatrist and social misfit, appropriately named Dr. Watson, who teams up with Scott to track the nefarious Moriarity, only to discover love and destiny instead. Along the way, they are joined by a battalion of New York City's cataways, including laconic Jack Gilford, a young M. Emmet Walsh, F. Murray Abraham with an afro, and even Paul Benedict, the fellow who would go on to fame as "Mr. Bentley" of television's "The Jeffersons" fame. Though it has an atypical but beguiling score by John Barry and some very tender moments courtesy of screenwriter James Goldman (Gilford's affinity for swashbuckling and Watson's doomed attempt at a romantic dinner among them), "They Might Be Giants" sometimes suffers from a lack of thematic focus that rivals the mania of its main characters. A slapstick scene in a grocery store seems tonally wrong in a film that otherwise takes the high road of satire rather than the low road of farce. (Apparently, it was originally excised from the film, only to return in a later version, though I recall seeing the film on TV as a child in the 70s, and the grocery store scene was intact.) Commentary by the film's director, Anthony Harvey, is worth noting, though the man interviewing him dodges the most obvious question burning in the mind's of viewers--exactly what is one to make of the film's ending?
Rating:
Summary: A Gentle George + A peculiar commentary track
Review: They don't make movies like this anymore.
In fact, judging by the treatment this movie got on release by Universal, they didn't make movies like this in the 70's.
For those that associate George C. Scott with a bombastic type (a la PATTON and DR. STRANGELOVE) this movie will come as a shock. Of course, if you know Scott's work in THE HUSTLER, you won't be surprised in the least.
Scott plays a Quixotic figure, a man who believes he is Sherlock Holmes. A psychiatrist played by Joanne Woodward and named - appropriately - Dr. Watson, is supposed to diagnose the man so he can be committed, but instead becomes enraptured with his good natured charm.
The problem that people have in coming to this film is that, because it is about a character that thinks he is Sherlock Holmes, they believe they are in for a mystery movie. In fact, this film is a romantic comedy, and when viewed in this light, the plot threads that don't tie up neatly make a lot more sense: they are there merely to serve the love story between Scott and Woodward. In fact, although the title THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS is stated in the movie as referring to the windmills that Don Quixote tilts at, it may also be referring to the two leading characters... and, in fact, all of us.
The print of the film is very good as can be seen by comparing the film to the featurette included on the disc. In addition, the film is a sort of "director's cut" as a scene deleted by the studio on initial release (in the grocery store) has been re-included.
The slapstick of the grocery store scene gives the movie a slightly dated feel. Scenes like this, where authority figures were ridiculed in such a farcical way were common in the 60s-70s (i.e. THE PARTY) but don't play as well today. Interestingly, the music under the scene was added by the studio (not the movie's creative team) and it only hurts the scene more. Another example of why the suits need to stick to their ledgers.
Nevertheless, this is a movie to be watched, both for it's thematic elements as well as the real chemistry between Scott and Woodward. The supporting performances (including many characters that became recognizable from TV land in the 70s) are excellent as well.
The commentary on the disc is, unfortunately, not that great. Harris' interview with director Tony Harvey seems to include nearly every film Harvey was involved in *except* THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS, and this is a fault of the interviewer who can't seem to stay on topic or ask follow up questions. One would like more insight into why Harvey was attracted to the script, for example, or what were the issues of turning the play into the movie. There are also large gaps in the commentary track, surprising since the movie is well under 2 hours. My advise is to listen to the commentary under the entire grocery store scene for some real insight, after that you aren't missing much.
After watching this film, you may want to go to have a look at other subtle George C. Scott performances, including another film he made around the same time, THE HOSPITAL (1971), as well as the overlooked performance in HARDCORE (1979), both available on DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Truly charming-one that will stick with you!
Review: This film is one a small group of absolutely captivating offbeat romances. Both George C. Scott and Joanne Woodward are excellent. Scott-is thoroughly unforgettable in his role as a man who believes that he is Sherlock Holmes. Makes the romantic comedies of our current Hollywood look worse than ever! This one is a true original and has a fairy tale feel that makes it so endearing. Well worth owning-and dvd has a featurette and commentary which will be treasured by fans of the film.
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