Stop Making Sense

Name: Stop Making Sense
Genre: Documentary, Music
Released: 1984-10-19
Duration: 1 h 28 min
Rating: 8.4
Cast: David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth, Ednah Holt

1984·Movie·PG·88 min·★ 8.4(404)

DocumentaryMusicMore English titles

“Why stop making sense? Why a movie? Why a big suit? Where do the odd movements come from? What will the band do next?”

A concert film documenting Talking Heads at the height of their popularity, on tour for their 1983 album "Speaking in Tongues." The band takes the stage one by one and is joined by a cadre of guest musicians for a career-spanning and cinematic performance that features creative choreography and visuals.

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Where to watch Stop Making Sense in United States

Can I watch Stop Making Sense in United States? Yes — you can stream Stop Making Sense in United States on JustWatch TV Plus and JustWatch TV Free, or rent and buy it on Amazon Video and Apple TV Store.

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Click a service to open Stop Making Sense there. Availability last verified on November 10, 2026.

Where is Stop Making Sense streaming around the world?

Country	Streaming on	Rent / Buy
United States	JustWatch TV Plus, JustWatch TV Free	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies
United Kingdom	—	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Sky Store
Australia	Foxtel Now, Stan, DocPlay, DocPlay Amazon Channel	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, YouTube
Germany	—	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, YouTube
France	—	Rakuten TV, Canal VOD, Sooner
Spain	Filmin	Rakuten TV
Japan	Netflix, U-NEXT, Netflix Standard with Ads	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, FOD
South Korea	Watcha, TVING	—

About Stop Making Sense

Stop Making Sense is a 1984 English-language documentary and music film directed by Jonathan Demme. The cast is led by David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison. It has a runtime of 1h 28m. Viewers rate it 8.4/10 across 400 ratings. In United States, it is currently streaming on JustWatch TV Plus, JustWatch TV Free.

Stop Making Sense was produced by Talking Heads Films and Arnold Stiefel Company and made in United States of America. It was released on October 19, 1984, and carries a PG certification. Made on a budget of about $1 million, it went on to gross $12 million worldwide.

Director: Jonathan Demme
Writers: Jonathan Demme
Release date: October 19, 1984
OTT release: May 3, 2024
Original language: English
Age rating: PG
Status: Released
Country: United States of America
Budget: $1 million
Box office: $12 million
Production: Talking Heads Films, Arnold Stiefel Company

#concert#rock 'n' roll#rock band#concert film#post-punk#energetic#exuberant#new wave music

Stop Making Sense cast & crew

Stop Making Sense was directed by Jonathan Demme and written by Jonathan Demme.

The cast features David Byrne as Self - Vocals, Guitar, Chris Frantz as Self - Drums, Vocals, Jerry Harrison as Self - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals, Tina Weymouth as Self - Bass, Percussion, Vocals, Ednah Holt as Self - Backing Vocals, and Lynn Mabry as Self - Backing Vocals.

Behind the camera, the score was composed by David Byrne, cinematography is by Jordan Cronenweth, and it was produced by Gary Goetzman and Gary Kurfirst.

Is Stop Making Sense worth watching?

Stop Making Sense holds an audience score of 8.4/10 from 404 ratings, ranking it among the most acclaimed documentary films.

At 1h 28m, it's an easy, time-light watch.

If you enjoy documentary and music, Stop Making Sense is worth a place on your watchlist.

How and where to watch Stop Making Sense

In United States, you can stream Stop Making Sense on JustWatch TV Plus and JustWatch TV Free, or rent and buy it on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, and YouTube. Click any service above to open it directly.

It first became available to stream digitally on May 3, 2024.

Streaming rights change country by country and month by month, so the options above reflect United States today — switch your country at the top of the where-to-watch section to see availability elsewhere.