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Fishing With John - Criterion Collection
List price: $29.95
Sale price: $26.99
You save: $2.96 (10%)
Actor(s): Willem Dafoe, Matt Dillon, Dennis Hopper, Jim Jarmusch, Tom Waits
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
Brand: Image Entertainment
Creator(s): Primary Contributor Willem Dafoe
DVD Layers: 2
DVD Sides: 1
EAN: 9780780022072
Format(s): ColorDVD-VideoSpecial EditionNTSC
ISBN: 0780022076
Label: Criterion
Language(s): English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Original Language
List Price: $29.95
Manufacturer: Criterion
MPN: PMIDFIS060D
Number Of Items: 1
Package Dimensions:
Height: 0.6"
Width: 5.1"
Length: 0.6"
Weight: 0.25 lbs.
Picture Format: Academy Ratio
Product Group: DVD
Publisher: Criterion
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 1999-03-30
Running Time: 152minutes
Studio: Criterion
Theatrical Release Date: 1992
UPC: 037429136621
Editorial Reviews
Description:
John Lurie knows absolutely nothing about fishing, but that doesn't stop him from undertaking the adventure of a lifetime on Fishing With John. Traveling with his special guests to the most exotic and dangerous places on earth, John Lurie battles sharks with Jim Jarmusch off the tip of Long Island, goes ice fishing with Willem Dafoe at Maine's northernmost point, braves the Costa Rican jungle with Matt Dillon, takes Tom Waits to Jamaica, and searches for the elusive giant squid with Dennis Hopper in Thailand.
Amazon.com:
Originally produced for the Independent Film Channel, John Lurie's idiosyncratic take on the classical fishing program places the genre in entirely alien terrain--and that doesn't just refer to the strange and exotic locations. Best known to filmgoers for roles in Stranger Than Paradise and The Last Temptation of Christ, Lurie is also a composer, a saxophonist, the leader of the jazz group the Lounge Lizards, and a painter. Fisherman, however, is nowhere to be seen on his résumé, so this city-bred hipster's foray into rod and reel country is obviously another kettle of fish. Reeling in buddies Tom Waits, Matt Dillon, Willem Dafoe, Dennis Hopper, and director Jim Jarmusch to join him on his fishing trips to such faraway locales as Jamaica, Costa Rica, and Thailand, Lurie takes his show completely out of the "how to" realm: imagine a talk show defined by its contemplative silences. Fishing with John teaches nothing about fishing. Instead, John simply enjoys the company of his buddies as they venture out into unfamiliar territory and drop a line in the water, tossing in a current of absurdist commentary (dryly intoned by Roy Webb) and surreal speculation for good measure. This is the ultimate fishing show for people who could not care less about fishing. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Reviews Average rating - 4.5
Rating - 5 Date: 2008-09-26
Content: Lurie has captured something special with this project. By taking these fine actors out of their normal working environments, we are able to see past the typecast onscreen personas that we normally associate with the roles that they play. Lurie gives us a candid glimpse into the psyche of these men - who don't act a part but let their guard down and simply interact with their situation. Finely Done!
Summary: Is this fishing?
Rating - 5 Date: 2008-07-30
Content: I remember watching this DVD with a very good friend of mine, and we were both dumbfounded. It was one of the most unique, hilarious, and endlessly watchable TV shows EVER. It's really unclassifable. It's not really a fishing show; it's not a nature show; it's not a celebrity show; it's not a talk show. It's all four of those and then some. It has some of the funniest, most out of place (deliberately) narration ever (my favorite is when the narrator says "I wish I had a corn beef sandwich" in the middle of one of the fishing expeditions). Seeing John Lurie and Willem Dafoe freeze to death in the show only to be revived next episode (without any explanation) is hysterical. The celebrities here (Dafoe, Jim Jarmusch (this show is very much like Jarmusch's early work), Tom Waits, and Dennis Hopper) are really game for this show, and their enthusiasm for the show really makes it fun to watch. John Lurie is a great musician, actor, and host here. It's a pity that only six episodes were ever made. This stuff is staggeringly funny, and I'm glad Criterion put this out on DVD. It's one of their most unique and special DVD's ever.
Summary: One of the most unique TV shows ever made...honestly...
Rating - 5 Date: 2008-07-06
Content: As an avid fisherman who's seen a lot of fishing shows, none come this close to putting me there. Mainstream fishing shows are akin to a prolonged Bass Pro or LL Bean commercial with more sponsor logos than NASCAR, going from one money-shot to another. Fishing with John is decidedly non-commercial, gritty and more true to life (hilarious dramatizations included). I've never seen a production that could capture and frame so well that awkward yet comfortable void that permeates human friendship, especially in male bonding. The dry wit and subliminal humor is rare, underrated and sadly lost on most people. I haven't belly laughed this hard in a long time. In one episode John asks Matt Dillon if he thinks people are really genuine when they say, "I don't care what anybody thinks", then after a brief pause the narrator states with rare enthusiasm, "I think this is John's best show". This is my style of humor and I would love to go fishing with anyone who gives it 5 stars.
Summary: Yes, this style of dry humor isn't for everyone, but it is for me...
Rating - 5 Date: 2007-11-14
Content: I've never seen anything like this. Take Gogo and Didi from "Waiting for Godot", put them in a boat with a script from a Monty Python sketch, and add a Zen narrator from Heaven. The soundtrack is great and the cameras are everywhere even though nearly all of it seems candid. Marvel at the fish dance of it all.
Summary: Gogo, Didi, and the Squidmonks
Rating - 2 Date: 2007-09-25
Content: Sure, it was supposed to be a spoof on a fishing show. Imagine creating a home movie that spoof's your grandmother doing laundry and petting the cat. You wouldn't waste your time... which begs to question why these guys did. Willem Dafoe manages to once again bring a brilliant performance to an otherwise graham cracker production. I wouldn't return it to Amazon, but if John showed up at my doorstep and apologized, I would gladly accept. It gets two stars, because I reserve the 1 star rating for anything with Bill Paxton.
Summary: What could be more boring than a fishing show?
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