They Might Be Giants

I stumbled across this sleeper on cable years ago. I was familiar with Scott's heavy roles, but was absolutely blown away by his portrayal of a charming, self-convinced character who thought he was Sherlock Holmes. The way his face lit up when he met Joanne Woodward's Dr. Watson was one of my favorite movie "moments" of all time.

I am writing this on learning of his passing. While not his greatest movie, it deserves watching almost as much as Patton, The Hospital, Dr. Strangelove, or 12 Angry Men (& much more than Firestarter), if only to see him in an entirely different type of character.

This is one of those films that is so quirky that you love watching it. Certainly not a big budget film despite having two great actors in George C. Scott and Joanne Woodward but it is a fun film. Director Anthony Harvey had an odd career. He only directed nine theatrical feature films and in only his second film he hit a home run with 1968's The Lion in Winter getting seven Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Director for himself. He didn't win in those two categories but that film did win three Oscars. He didn't direct another film for three years until he came out with They Might be Giants which was such a small film and such a departure from his previous big historical epic. George C. Scott turns in an excellent performance here as does Woodward. This isn't a great film but it's fun and interesting and the supermarket scene is a riot. I've seen this a couple of times and would definitely like to see it again sometime. I would give this a 7.5 on a scale of 10.

James Goldman's most beautiful and literary script, a fragile and delicate fantasy/comedy that delivers on its initial promise. Beautifully acted by Scott, Woodward and Gilford, and with a dozen or more cameos that are truly memorable, this is truly a feel-good movie for the literate and the intelligencia. I would rank it among my top half-dozen.

If you look for flaws in this film you will find plenty. Still, I gave this film a 10 vote because it has overriding qualities which are extremely rare. It is a magical film, full of poetry, it touches you where other films cannot reach. It creates a fantasy world of its own in the midst of modern society, a fantasy world which is utterly implausible and yet so compellingly persuasive.

The cast of this gem is mesmerisingly excellent, all parts I can think of are cast with character actors who on their own have stolen entire films from the stars. The central performance by George C. Scott is majestic, and so is John Barry's wonderful score. The film contains many memorable scenes, but outstanding amongst the lot is the supermarket scene. If I had to compile a list of the ten best scenes ever put to celluloid, this would be included.

Unique.

I saw this gem of a motion picture on television in the early 70's. I really was no more than a boy when I saw it and yet it touched me in a way that no other film had. For the first time I appreciated a piece of cinema for more than just idle distraction from dull small town Texas life. They Might Be Giants taught me that movies could be art and could elevate as much as they entertain. From that time to this, whenever I am asked what is my favourite film, I always point to this picture. It was done on a very low budget so the story, characters and amazing actors carry it along the streets of New York, creating a world of whimsical romance and serio-comic tension. The relationship between the mad Justin Playfair (a loony judge who thinks he's Sherlock Homes) and Dr. Mildred Watson (obviously destined to become the pschizo's unwilling side kick) builds into a romance that is funny, touching and, by the end, uplifting. It is available on DVD now and is a cherished piece of my extensive collection. 10 out of 10 all the way.