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They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants

Comedy · Mystery · 1971

After the death of his wife, retired judge Justin Playfair creates a fantasy world for himself in which he is the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes, even dressing like the character. Out of concern for Justin's money more than his health, his brother Blevins puts him under the care of psychiatrist Dr. Mildred Watson. As Dr. Watson grows fond of Justin, she begins to play along with his theories, eventually becoming an assistant in his investigations.

Movie details

They Might Be Giants

“When they reach out for each other... they touch every heart... with warmth, charm and laughter!”

1971 Comedy · Mystery 1h 38m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

6.7 / 10

3.5K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

61 %

Tomatometer

Metacritic

51 / 100

Metascore

TMDB

7.0 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

After the death of his wife, retired judge Justin Playfair creates a fantasy world for himself in which he is the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes, even dressing like the character. Out of concern for Justin's money more than his health, his brother Blevins puts him under the care of psychiatrist Dr. Mildred Watson. As Dr. Watson grows fond of Justin, she begins to play along with his theories, eventually becoming an assistant in his investigations.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over They Might Be Giants?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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The Adventures of Ford Fairlane

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Thirteen at Dinner

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Crime · 1979

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Anthony Harvey

Written by

James Goldman

George C. Scott

George C. Scott

Justin Playfair

Joanne Woodward

Joanne Woodward

Dr. Mildred Watson

Jack Gilford

Jack Gilford

Wilbur Peabody

Lester Rawlins

Lester Rawlins

Blevins Playfair

Al Lewis

Al Lewis

Messenger

Rue McClanahan

Rue McClanahan

Daisy Playfair

Theresa Merritt

Theresa Merritt

Peggy

Court is in session

Put They Might Be Giants on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Arthouse Gremlin

“Its refusal to behave is the point.”

The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Oddness is not depth.”

A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.