Spike Lee and David Byrne proved themselves to be an incredible duo with this film adaptation of Byrne’s broadway show. As a huge Talking Heads fan, I’m not sure I would have coped waiting any longer than I did for this. I was lucky enough to see it at London Film Festival with a friend - also a huge Heads fan - and I think the two of us found it hard to stay seated. Constantly daring viewers to dance, American Utopia features Talking Heads classics, Byrne’s solo work and a cover too. Packed with energy, quirkiness and a whole lot of love, it’s an absolute delight.
I’d always been jealous that I couldn’t see the stage production of this, but after seeing the film, I feel more lucky than the live audiences who attended. Lee’s style has always been very clever and creative, and his talent only shines through even more in this. Without the limits of an assigned seat, viewers get to see so much more. Whether we’re transported up and over the stage or face to face with Byrne himself, we’re treated to small details that might go missed otherwise.
It feels almost impossible to compare American Utopia with the well-loved Stop Making Sense - the two films couldn’t be any more different. If SMS emulated a loose, wild and carefree nature, AU is angular, decided and direct. By no means does this mean the performances are any less expressive, to me it just feels more modern - emphasising the artists talent for changing with the times. Whilst there were jokes about Byrne’s iconic big grey suit having shrunk, I think he’s rather grown into it. Now white-haired, with all the wisdom to match, David Byrne uses breaks between numbers to discuss topics like voting, police brutality, immigration and xenophobia. If you ask me, this is the most sense he’s ever made.
