Everything You Know Is Wrong (1975) User Reviews

Surprisingly good

[Richard Keith Carson · 7/10 · 4 March 2010]

I liked this movie a lot more than I thought I would. I went into it thinking, "The audio works perfectly well by itself, what makes you think you're going to add anything to it by making it into a movie?" but the visual component did add something. All these guys are excellent actors and watching them practice their craft by lip-syncing perfectly to their recording was impressive rather than cheesy as I thought it might be. It really did look as if they were talking. Given the modest budget, the movie does a good job of creating the appropriate atmosphere for each scene, and it adds sight gags that go beyond merely accompanying what already can be gained by listening to the audio. I would readily show this movie to anyone who might never be exposed to the Firesign Theatre otherwise.

Fab LP...so-so flick...

[ready4fun01 · 9/10 · 5 August 2006]

I gave this movie a 9 out of 10 SOLELY on the basis that I believe this is the Firesign Theatre's at their FUNNIEST and MOST ACCESSIBLE. The film itself is not all that great. As others have said, it's merely a lip-synch to the album (missing a scene or two and adding a bit of music). This movie is to the album what TV was to radio--certainly, the visuals were added, but what Stan Freberg called the "Theatre of the Mind" could always entertain from within in ways no picture could. The original album gets a 10, but knock it down a peg for the cinematic silliness. Find the CD (on laugh.com) instead and you'll see why these four (or five) funny guys, at their peak, were (and their old albums are still) the funniest thing going.

Classic Firesign Theatre

[cinefan · 13 November 1998]

This not so much a real movie, but the Firesign Theatre lip-synching along to one of their all-time best comedy albums (and since the album is currently out-of-print, the film is invaluable). Taking a satirical swipe at ('70s) new age beliefs, U.F.O.s, and revisionist history, it has (surprisingly) not dated one bit. Plus, the Firesign Theatre, a comedy recording troupe, put out few films during their career. This one is the best, with all four members essaying several roles. Plus, the cinematographer went on to shoot "E. T." for Speilberg!

Unique and Lots of Fun

[krellmetal-1 · 10/10 · 18 December 2005]

The early Wire recording of "one of those old-time medicine shows" and the 'NURDI Classroom Film' of "Ben Franklin, Hero or Hophead" were the real highlights of this bit of Cinematic Absurdity. It was enjoyable to SEE the actors perform at long last and having only imagined the scenes previously in the 'Mind's Eye'(as in old dramatic Radio Broadcasts)there was a great interest in how the expectation of known material would equate with the scenes the creators settled on to depict the events of their story. The imagination leaves nothing to be desired when compared to the real life action. The original script of "Everything You Know is Wrong" is the epitome of Silly Cinema although it translated poorly on to the Silver Screen. The work is genius so turn your back to the TV and tune in to the original soundtrack or find it in a used record shop. It is Full of "good old country water".

Hard to endorse it without writing a spoiler

[trailersam · 10/10 · 7 March 2013]

There are some real gems in here, and you won't be disappointed. There is some amateurish cheesy homemade looking filmmaking but it only adds to the fun. You will not get it if you prefer Dirty Harry to the humor of Pink Flamingos (without the randiness) and the Three Stooges with Curly (without the violence). I saw the movie after I heard the album, but it may be funnier without the preview. The real title is "Not Insane" by the way, but I can guarantee that is not a factual description. This is the crowning achievement of some truly prophetic geniuses. At the theatre it played with a few bizarre shorts like "Nasi Goring" ( Nasi, not Nazi... Nasi Goring is a South Pacific dish, which is not explained...of course.) Oh it's so tempting to quote a line or two that you will forever have wedged in your head like a wrench between gears. This should be released on DVD immediately!

Watch with your eyes closed . . .

[niteman · 6/10 · 18 June 2000]

This "movie" is the brainchild of The Firesign Theater, and outfit best known for hilarious comedy albums like "Don't Crush that Dwarf, Hand me the Pliers" and "We're all bozos on this bus." They are not known for their work in motion pictures, and Everything You Know Is Wrong demonstrates why.

Some of the material here is funny, but the visuals don't add to the comedy. It seems like the actors are just lip-syncing to a Firesign Theater record. It looks like a bad home-movie of someone's aunts and uncles karaoking comedy albums.

Note I said *some* of the material is funny. Some of it is quite aggressively not. Like Monty Python, Firesign Theater have two modes: when they're focused, they're sharp and funny, but sometimes they're just pointlessly bizarre. Unfortunately, after a promising beginning this movie falls into the latter category and wallows there. There's some sort of plot about an alien takeover, or something, but generally weird stuff happens for no particular reason. There's nothing here to equal Firesign's best stuff: no Nick Danger, no synthetic chinchillas, not even any bubonic plague.

If you're a fan of the group, you might want to see this, but you'll probably be disappointed. If you've never heard of Firesign Theater, grab "Shoes For Industry!", their greatest hits album, and start from there.

The Album is Better

[atpzr1 · 22 December 2002]

This movie is proof that the Firesign Theatre's best medium is radio. In the movie, they are in fact lip-syncing to the album of the same name (NOTE: The album *is* available(on CD), at Laugh.com). In short, skip the move, go straight to the record.

forget the film, get the record

[demetre · 6 December 2006]

So much of the magic surrounding the recording has to do with the listener imagining how the unfolding events might appear. But the process is severely diminished by this clumsy, low-budget film. How could they hope to portray an RV full of nudists turning into crows, a group of cruise goers being transformed into aliens, and an apocalyptic stunt cycle-rider leading the human race into extinction? Don't get me wrong, I love these guys. When my high school friends were all going crazy for Monty Python, I was searching for used, out-of-print Firesign Theatre albums. "Everything You Know is Wrong" is still my favorite. Before mainstream culture had embraced alien abductions, new age spirituality, or counter-culture historical revisionism, FST was satirizing it all. The genre of the radio broadcast has never risen above their achievements, but the movie sucks.