| Fishing With John - Criterion Collection | 
 enlarge | Actors: Willem Dafoe, Matt Dillon, Dennis Hopper, Jim Jarmusch, Tom Waits
Studio: Criterion
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $19.00
You Save: $10.95 (37%)
Buy New/Used from $16.98
Avg. Customer Rating:   (47 reviews)
Sales Rank: 15909
Format: Color, Dvd-video, Special Edition, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Unrated
Media: DVD
Running Time: 152 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
DVD Layers: 2
DVD Sides: 1
Picture Format: Academy Ratio
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.6
MPN: PMIDFIS060D
ISBN: 0780022076
UPC: 037429136621
EAN: 9780780022072
ASIN: 0780022076
Release Date: March 30, 1999
Theatrical Release Date: 1992
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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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 resume, 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
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| Customer Reviews: Read 42 more reviews...
 Is this fishing? September 26, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
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!
 You won't see this on ESPN at 5AM September 1, 2008
I know, I know, a fishing show...sounds boring right?
Well, add some enigmatic celebrities with some nice cinematography and you'll feel like you're drunk with your buddies out at the lake.
This is a quirky inventive escape from your run of the mill programming. You get to see some cool off-screen personalities of these stars as they fish around the world with musician John Lurie.
See the fellas swap fishing tales. See Jim Jarmusch and John go shark fishing with a chum bucket, cheese and a pistol. We've got Matt Dillon in Costa Rica, Hopper in Thailand, Dafoe in Maine....
Lots of dry humor and good times. I'm not sure about the replay value though.
One of the most unique TV shows ever made...honestly... July 30, 2008
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.
Yes, this style of dry humor isn't for everyone, but it is for me... July 6, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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.
Gogo, Didi, and the Squidmonks November 14, 2007
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.
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