The premise is simple. Two city-dwellers head upstate for an outdoors expedition, primarily centered around fishing for the most coveted sea creatures around. The only problem is that show creator, director, musician, and star John Lurie and his guests don't hold an ounce of knowledge or expertise in fishing. One starts to wonder. Why is this short-lived television series, Fishing With John, presented as this fantastic voyage to the sea? In reality, their adventure is inconsequential. The cinematography and narration will confuse a half-focused viewer into believing this is original programming by National Geographic, but this show is performed by amateurs. What isn't amateurish, though, is the hilarity, chaos, and brilliance at the heart of Fishing With John.
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Originally airing in 1991 on IFC and Bravo and since being released on DVD by the Criterion Collection, Fishing With John ran for six episodes, each just slightly over 20 minutes, featuring a guest accompanying Lurie on his mundane expedition. The guest stars include Jim Jarmusch, Tom Waits, Matt Dillon, Willem Dafoe, and Dennis Hopper twice. What is masked as a nature documentary is in fact a clever execution of comedy and satire. An austere narrator reminiscent of one from a nature series or war documentary describing the travails of Lurie and his guest is juxtaposed with their bumbling attempts to catch a fish (if there is even an attempt at all). Despite narrator Robb Webb's resonant voice, he routinely speaks in non-sequiturs or obvious clichés. "When it comes to the shark, man is on his menu. It's a wonderful world we live in." He describes actions that are plainly not occurring on the screen, such as intense bouts with sea creatures as if the episode was like the climax of Jaws.
Fishing With John, despite actively inverting expectations, is a seamlessly entertaining and riveting show. It is infused with a similar comforting mood present in non-ironic travel shows. This can be attributed to the nature of the locations and the deadpan humor in the exchanges between Lurie and his guest. Lurie practices traits from Jim Jarmusch's films in his execution of quiet naturalism as he starred in his early works, Permanent Vacation, Stranger Than Paradise, and Down By Law. The show captures the loose hangout vibe of a Richard Linklater film. The meandering dialogue about trivial matters feels prescient to the average episode of '90s sitcoms that followed. Because of the accepted ineptness of the pair of fishers, the series carries a humbling relatable quality. Even though they are celebrities, many of which are firmly established within Hollywood, stars like Willem Dafoe and Matt Dillon are closer to you and your friends fishing for the first time under Lurie's vision.
In Willem Dafoe's appearance on Episode 4 of Fishing With John, the actor, who starred in The Last Temptation of Christ with Lurie, would have to combat the snowy terrain of northern Maine. "These are real men doing real things" the narrator states in a sobering manner as the two build a shelter over their location for ice fishing. Dafoe brings a different energy to his appearance compared to Jarmusch and Tom Waits. He is relishing in the absurdity of the show's premise but still maintains a level of dryness formulated by Lurie. This goes to show that Dafoe is magnetic in all the senses of the word. Listening to him talk about moose and watching him play catch over the ice fishing pond utilizes his natural charisma and satisfies the series' vibe.
The exhaustion and escalating hunger from the two inside their cabin retroactively operate as a precursor to The Lighthouse, the 2019 film starring Dafoe. At this point, Dafoe was Oscar-nominated for Platoon and announced himself as a dynamic figure in movies. Someone of his stature allocating his time to sit out in the freezing cold for a bizarre mockumentary series is endearing. Leaning further into black comedy, the episode goes as far as to have Lurie and Dafoe die of starvation. Regardless of what the unreliable narrator claims, the audience sees no valiant effort in their fight for food.
Two episodes were needed to document Lurie's voyage to Bangkok, Thailand in search of the mythical giant squid with Dennis Hopper, and rightfully so. Fishing With John decided to expand its ambitions in its final episodes. Lurie's team received aid from local fishers and sources of hospitality, and the quest for their target is played like a steadfast goal. If anything, these closing episodes of the series lose a portion of the luster created on previous expeditions. The charming futility is mildly hampered, which is not helped by the fact that the narration establishes occasional self-awareness. But no fear, in classic Fishing With John fashion, the trip along the coast of Thailand and the hope of catching that coveted squid amounts to zilch.
Hopper's presence and the setting implicitly implore viewers to think of Apocalypse Now, but even though Webb's narration indicates otherwise, the actor and Lurie are merely floating in the water and sporadically dropping bait. Hopper's unmistakable aurora is present throughout his two episodes. His abilities as a raconteur surrounding his past troubled life are quickly undermined by the pair's aimless efforts in fishing. Although the show is poking fun at the idea of explorers on the hunt for a "white whale," Hopper fits right at home on the coast of Thailand, seamlessly performing his best impression of an old sailor who's passed through every body of water. Ultimately, the most reliable source of humor is witnessing Hopper playing table tennis and engaging in frivolous discussions with Lurie about the proper amount of ice in a drink.
A series that is worthy of increased attention and appreciation, Fishing With John is a convergence of two popular genres today. Lurie beat pop culture to the punch on the mockumentary, in addition to striking while the reality television boom was bubbling. The fabric of the series is timeless, but the imprint of 1990s American culture is omnipresent. This is an adventure/fishing "documentary" about people who can hardly drop bait. Isn't it ironic? Of course, there is nothing grungy about Lurie's show. The sincerity of friends partaking on an aimless, but wholesome voyage perfectly counterweights the deconstruction of the genre. Fishing With John, whether supplies laughter or good vibes, is worthy of binge-watching.
While the series was active in its bid to be unceremonious, the closing lines of the narration in the final episode succinctly describe the juxtaposed appeals of Fishing With John. "The giant squid might not even exist. But whether there is such a thing as a giant squid or not, life is still beautiful. Every breath, every day of our lives. Ah, fishing." Uneventful, but undeniably transcendent.