This charmingly unpredictable animated documentary finds the French director (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep) playing wide-eyed student to Noam Chomsky, the Leftist linguist, philosopher and author. Gondry reveals the filmmaking process that is usually hidden from the viewer. His intellectual anxieties are laid bare as he gently questions and prods Mr. Chomsky. This is a film that celebrates the life of a great mind. France, 2013, 88 minutes, documentary and animation, English language
“The point, of course, is to get lost. As the soft-spoken sage himself notes, “The world is a very puzzling place.” What a pleasure it is, the film suggests, to be perpetually befuddled.” – Keith Uhlich, Time Out New York
“Blissfully unconventional as a documentary and as an intellectual endeavor, Is the Man Who Is Tall Happy? won’t tell you everything you’ve always wanted to know about Mr. Chomsky, but its modesty is one of its strengths, along with Mr. Gondry’s entrancing, vibrant illustrations.” – Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
