Television series
Fishing with John
A deadpan comedy disguised as a fishing show. John Lurie, who can't fish, drags famous directors and musicians to remote and hostile locations where nothing goes according to plan. Charming, absurd, and genuinely funny—it's travel writer Kurt Vonnegut meets a buddy comedy made by people who find pretension hilarious.
If you liked this
Greetings1968
De Palma's proto-comedy about three young men navigating New York City and the Vietnam War draft. Anarchic, playful, packed with satire—it captures that same gleeful disregard for what entertainment is supposed to be.
But The pacing is chaotic and the satire sometimes lands as mere goofing around. It can feel like a sketch stretched too long, which is partly the point but not everyone buys in.
My Next Guest Needs No Introduction2018
Dave Chappelle's sketch show where absurdism and celebrity guests collide in weird, unpredictable ways. The same DNA of 'let's see what happens if we put funny people in a room'—no safety net, no perfect script.
But Uneven by design. Some sketches are genius, others fail spectacularly in real time. The show's refusal to edit itself can feel more like watching friends goof off than watching professional comedy.
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen1988
Gilliam's operatic fever dream about an old man telling impossible adventure stories. It has Fishing with John's philosophical indifference to whether anything actually happens, and the same gorgeous chaos underneath.
But Visually overwhelming and narratively slippery. Some viewers find it exhausting rather than exhilarating. You have to surrender to the style or nothing connects.
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The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
The Holy Mountain1973
Both are journey narratives where nothing is accomplished and everything is the point. Both treat famous creative people as willing participants in beautiful, pointless adventures. Both trust weirdness.
Jodorowsky's surrealist odyssey with an ensemble cast on a spiritual journey that goes nowhere and everywhere. Like Fishing with John distorted through a fever dream—two men and chaos, stretched into mythology.
But Deliberately obscure, confrontational, and often grotesque. It's trying to unsettle you. If you want plot or character development, you're in the wrong film.
More like this (6)
Jackass2000
Before it became a franchise, Jackass was just people doing ridiculous things in dangerous places with cameras rolling. Same principle: watch smart, funny humans respond to absurd situations without a script.
But Relies heavily on physical comedy and male bonding that some find juvenile. Once the novelty of 'they're actually doing this' wears off, the appeal thins quickly.
Swimming to Cambodia1987
Spalding Gray monologuing about being on the set of The Killing Fields, Cambodia, theater, and everything else at once. A solo performance that captures the same digressive, meandering intelligence Lurie brings to Fishing.
But It's ninety minutes of a man talking to a camera. If you need visual variety or dramatic structure, you'll find it static and self-absorbed.
Oblomov1980
A Russian film about a man who does almost nothing and observes life from his couch. Deadpan and philosophical in the way Fishing with John is—beauty in inaction and small moments.
But Almost nothing happens. The pacing is glacial. It's entirely unconcerned with entertaining you in conventional ways.
Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe1980
Exactly what the title says. Herzog's commitment to absurdist performance and his willingness to look foolish for art echoes Lurie's deadpan self-sacrifice comedy.
But Very short and quite strange. It's more of a conceptual gesture than a satisfying piece of film. Some see genius, others see pretension.
Koyaanisqatsi1983
Both reject the idea that shows need to accomplish anything. Both are about watching and being present. Both assume their audience is intelligent enough to find meaning without being told what it is.
No dialogue, no narrative. Just Godfrey Reggio's images of America paired with Philip Glass's hypnotic score. Travel documentary stripped of narration and purpose—pure observation and mood.
But Completely abstract. No characters, no story, no dialogue. If you need meaning explained, you'll hate it. Some find it meditative, others find it boring.
The Straight Story1999
Both prove that the least eventful journey can be the most rewarding. Both are built on character chemistry and small moments rather than plot. Both have the courage to let nothing happen.
David Lynch's only G-rated film. An elderly man rides a lawnmower across Iowa. Nothing particularly happens. It's gentle, digressive, and absolutely sincere in a way that feels radical coming from Lynch.
But If you know Lynch from Twin Peaks or Eraserhead, this will feel like a betrayal. It's slow, folksy, and entirely uninterested in darkness or weird spectacle.
People
Cast
- Robb WebbNarrator