‘Lilo & Stitch,’ ‘Friendship,’ and the Top Five Movie Friends

23:26Okay. They're loving it purely the same way that they were loving Minecraft and that the silliness of it and the slapstick quality of Stitch was playing really well and that's kind of all that matters and they'll probably see it a second and third time. But if you're on either end of that spectrum it's not a success. I guess there is a lot of slapstick but even Stitch doesn't get to do that much. You know, he... They kind of show us all the Stitch moments in the trailer. Yeah, he's being, like, hunted for a while and is hiding and he barely gets to dance. Yeah. He barely gets to have any fun. Yeah.

24:01A little bit less Elvis than I was hoping. And a little bit more CIA and intergalactic council. So I think in the original film, Courtney B. Vance character is retired CIA. Right? Isn't that the idea? That he's not actually CIA any longer? I thought that the social worker is actually CIA. Yes. I think he's retired CIA and he works as a social worker. But in this movie, he's like pretending to be a social worker. And so it's like it is kind of men in black where you're like, is this government agency going to get involved in the acquisition of this alien? Just a little convoluted. Yeah. And it also adds in another adult who's there just preying on them instead of helping the situation.

24:45And there's just like a lot of adults in here being like, why don't you just help this nice young woman who wants to be a marine biologist and is trying her best and her six year old little girl who just wants to do hula. And, you know, the kind of the crazy dog who's actually an alien. So as I said, this story structure is very familiar, like Lassie, E.T., The Black Stallion. Like there are tons of examples of little kid, you know, creature of some kind or unusual friend or alien or what have you. Do you like these movies? Like, is it like a subgenre that appeals to you at all? I mean, I really like E.T.

25:25and I guess so the idea of a little kid who needs a friend and then a friend comes and helps them in whatever form of friend it is is nice. I think the older I get the more focused I am on the failures of all the adults around them so it's hard to enjoy them. But also like at least ET is aligned on how all the adults are screwing up. and just casts them definitively as the bad people. So it's easier to understand why these two people need each other. And what are other... I don't know. I like a friendly creature. You know? So sure, I'm open to it. I mean, there's a ton of examples, not just...

26:11Post-ET, there were at least a dozen studio movies that were about aliens coming to this planet and befriending Mac and Me as their ongoing bit with Paul Rudd and Conan O 'Brien. I don't know if you know this. so there's so many examples of these kinds of movies done poorly they're really cringy sentimental and dreadful done well they basically will touch your soul you know et is one of the most the black stallion is a beautiful movie like there are beautiful versions of it it's so funny that this one popped from disney and the fact that 25 years later they're remaking it because the movies that were coming out from disney animated features at this time are notoriously either not good or were failures because it was happening simultaneous to the rise of Pixar.

26:54So right. Toy Story comes in 95. And then the late nineties and early two thousands for Disney animated features are like Atlantis, the lost empire, treasure planet, brother bear, home on the range. These movies are more or less forgotten. Like they have no cult following or if they do, it's very small. And Lilo and Stitch somehow emerged. This is like all time classic now. Well, I think Lilo and Stitch also broke through at the time in a way that those others did not. Because I was in high school at that point and I have never seen any of those films you just mentioned. But I did see Lilo and Stitch because it was like a thing.

27:33And it is a little bit of like the George Lucas. They just got the creature, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's just like whether it's R2-D2 or what are the new ones? Porgs? Pogs? What? You remember? Pogs know that old podcast. I think it was Porgs. Porgs, yeah. From Star Wars. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just the thing that turns into the plushie that you can sell, but they nailed it with Stitch. Agreed. There's definitely a little bit of gizmo from Gremlins going on here, too, and Zach Gilligan's relationship to those characters. And, you know, like Baby Yoda. What's his real name? Grogu. Grogu is not, like, unrelated to Stitch, you know?

28:09You can see the lineage straight on through Grogu to David Copperfield's Alien. We should do the Evolution of Man poster chain, but all just like creatures who become friends with characters in the Disney universe. I did want to give some love to Billy Magnuson. I thought he was really funny in this. He plays Pleakley, who is an alien who gets a cloaking device that allows him to turn into a human who looks like Billy Magnuson. He just knew what kind of movie he was in. You know, he has like a slapstick comedy quality that I think is in direct contrast to his handsomeness. He's also the friendly alien.

28:44And so he's like the quote unquote earth expert. Yes. And it's so happy to be there. So there is like a, you know, he can play the comedy, but also the, he's not mean, you know, he's not shooting anyone. He's just like wearing funny clothes. Yes. So it's good. This is an unkind question, but I'm just going to ask it. Did Zach Galifianakis get veneers? I did note, I thought that it was a change in facial hair. Okay. But I do know what you're saying. I did notice something. It looked a little different. I did notice something going on in this area. I thought it was like maybe a goatee instead of a thing.

29:19Here's what I want to say. I was distracted. I know. Chapel Rhone said this first, but I agree with her. I think that we need to. A nightmarish formulation. Veneers are okay. Let people get bad veneers is my opinion. Yeah, I know, but it's like now become the thing. I'm not making a negative comment. It just looked like he had veneers. Yeah, which, I mean, that happens to people. That's how dentists make money. That's not the only way that they make money. All that way is scamming you. No, you and dentists need to talk it out. You guys need to talk it out. They need to come up with a business proposal that isn't just lying to everyone all the time.

29:59You know? Fair enough. But that's fine. I think it's okay if people get... You've never been more out of your depth than your dental rants. No, I'm not out of my depth. These are not... People have serious problems. If you have pain, they can help. But otherwise, they're just paying you to use an electric toothbrush and then shame you. Like on you. I can do it at home. That's what it is. You don't like to be told what to do. And if you're doing something wrong, you really don't like that. Let me show you how to floss. I know how to floss, by the way. Again, show me the double blind studies on flossing.

30:31Show me. Okay? They don't exist. You're looking at one. They've made a dramatic improvement in my teeth health. Well, that's great. I love a strong take. Yeah. That's one in particular where I have no idea what you're talking about. Dental work has radically changed millions of people's lives in this country and around the world. Moving on. The live action remake thing. We've talked to almost everyone on this pod. Except for Snow White. We didn't talk. I still haven't seen it. Yeah, I haven't either. I think I was away when it came out and Alice went to go see it without me. Yes. Yeah, I think that was Rewatchable's tour.

31:04Right. So maybe when it hits D +, we can have a three-hour conversation about Rachel Zegler's politics. Okay. generally the live action remakes are painfully bad to me yeah I really really don't like this trend and I thought after Snow White maybe it was coming to a close and it's not no it's not coming to a close it's going to continue because this movie is so big well what's left on the table great question I'm glad you asked okay oh boy you know there's nothing actually currently in production as far as I know one thing I did note is that This is the fifth consecutive movie that Disney Studios has released that has either been a sequel, a live-action remake, or both.

31:51Okay. Inside Out 2, Moana 2, The Lion King Mufasa, Snow White, and now this. Three of the next four are also either sequels, live-action remakes, or both. The one original is Elio. and then Freakier Friday, Tron Ares, which honestly looks sick, so it's all good, and Zootopia 2. Zootopia 2 trailer in the movie theater, Bananas Town. Kids are losing their minds for the Zootopia 2 teaser. Dead silent in my theater. Okay. Yeah, because there were... It's all adults. Yeah, all adults. At night. And there are no words and it was just people... Did you like that bop, that EDM jam that they were playing?

32:28I liked the little creatures who came out and played the keyboard. Have you seen Zootopia? No, I was going to ask you What's it about? It's about a young rabbit who I believe is a police officer and she has to investigate a case and she brings in a fox character to help her research the case. It's kind of like Chinatown meets Peter Rabbit. Okay, but are they in a zoo? No, they live in a world full of animals. Zootopia is the world. So Zootopia is the world, but because it rhymes with utopia, not because it's a zoo. A bit of both. And how is the world organized? That's a wonderful question. Let's bring in the Chamber of Commerce from Zootopia Gym Animal.

33:16I don't know. Is it just like us? They all have jobs. It's like Richard Scarry vibes where, you know, everyone, it's just like the pigs. So you're not familiar with the sloth bit from Zootopia? No. You don't know the sloth joke? No. Jack, do you know the sloth joke from Zootopia? Yeah, vaguely. It's an iconic animated movie bit. All right. Do you want to tell me what it is? Why don't you watch it in real time? Okay. I'll vamp while you're watching it. Sloth Zootopia YouTube. Okay. And if you're amused, that's great. Try to not listen to it too loud so we don't get any bleed here. The sloth laughing?

33:49Yes. Okay. You just spoiled it for yourself, but I guess you had to search for it. Well, it's the title of the thing. Oh, I think I've seen this guy and he... Hold on. oh and he's going like this what do you think about a sloth uh i don't really have any feelings about them one way or the other i think that it's a live and let live situation for me so if you saw one in the street you wouldn't murder it no i don't need to interact with it or put it in a zoo either i think i would be frustrated if it were in a um consumer facing role in my in the world that i lived in consumer well this is what i'm looking at at the movie there are no humans in the film Zootopia so no need to worry about facing this sloth.

34:31Okay so the bit is just oh okay yeah I think I've seen this meme I believe it was in the trailer. Oh that's funny yeah and he's laughing okay I'm familiar okay. That's great not sold on Zootopia 2 Disney is running the same playbook they've been running for 15 years it's pretty depressing. Yes I don't have any follow up comments the other trailers that I saw were for Elio which is just I hope that's good but it is also like fancy boy Lilo and Stitch so that's fine fancy boy? not fancy boy fancy and I like you know Pixar high art fancy comma italicized boy boy yes dash because Elio is a boy yes Lilo and Stitch yeah and I guess like it's like a home and away situation yes What if Stitch dragged Lilo to another planet?

35:28But that's fine. I mean, there are no new ideas under the sun. Freakier Friday. Watch the trailer. Listen, I'm happy for Lindsay. It looks like a yogurt commercial. It does. It does actually look like one of the Jamie Lee Curtis yogurt commercials. So that is tough. Will we do an episode on Freakier Friday? I feel like it's going to be a hit. No, I'm going to be on leave again. So maybe we'll do it at the end of August. Yeah. No, we should do it five years from now. Okay. Just circle back. I don't know what's up with Tron Aries, but I'm happy for you or sorry that happened. I'm extremely excited because one, apparently Tron has gotten into the real world, which just sounds like crazy town.

36:08Two, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross did the score. I mean, I'm excited about that. That's enough for me. Jared Leto, you know, not ideal. Well, not exactly what I wanted in Tron Aries, you know. That could have been, who could that have been? That could have been Joe Pantoliano. Okay. Instead it was Jared Leto. So Jared Leto is Ares. I think he's the villain. I don't know. That's what it says. Yeah, sure. Yeah, Jared Leto is Ares. Greta Lee is Eve Kim. Love her. Evan Peters is Julian Dillinger. Julian Dillinger. That's what it says. Is that a reference to John Dillinger? Is that John Dillinger's great great grandson?

36:41I am just reading the cast list on Wikipedia.com. Okay. Is Jeff Bridges in the film? For Christ's sake? Yes, Kevin Flynn. Yeah. Yeah, I remember him. Gillian Anderson is apparently in this. Gillian Anderson. Yeah, she's seen in the trailer looking ominously out of a giant building. Do you think Tron Ares will be better or worse than Lilo and Stitch? Oh, that's a great question. So Tron Ares follows a highly sophisticated program, Ares, who is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind's first encounter with AI beings. I'm going to say worse. Okay.

37:19Tron Aries is being released on October 10th, a.k.a. Venom, A Star is Born weekend. Oh, great. Okay. Should be pretty interesting. What else is coming out that weekend? Animal Friends, an animated movie created by Ryan Reynolds. Oh, yeah. So you'll be there front row. Also coming out that weekend. I'm excited for your voice performance in that. Thank you. I play a sloth. After the Hunt is also coming out that weekend. Oh, yay. Yay. Lilo and Stitch, it's going to make$400 million. in America. Well. I got no problem with it. Okay. I hope people enjoy things. Yeah. They should be able to enjoy things.

37:57It's fine. I mean, again, I think all the adults around should do something to help this family, but. Oh, we didn't talk about the ending. The change in the end. Okay. Yeah, yeah, New Lilo and Stitch spoiled for you. Spoiler. Yes. Okay. The ending in particular, the notes that I've heard from hardcore fans is the idea that Nani, her older sister, who I thought was really good in this movie. I did as well. The performances in general I think are pretty good in the movie. Leaves Lilo and Stitch and allows her to live with their neighbor and she goes off to college which is a change from the original story.

38:36Is there more about the ending that you found disquieting? Well, I wasn't that upset with it but everyone who is so loyal to the 2002 film is really upset that this young woman's getting an education, which I, you know, I don't know if that's my take. She's going to San Diego. It's not that far. If Barbie can get a hysterectomy, this woman can go to college. That's what I say. That's what she's getting at the end of Barbie. I was going to say, is that what she's getting? Hold on. I'm just pulling up the, Jack, do you remember what happens at the very end? Wow. Okay. All right. Just, just. no no no no in the original lilo and stitch okay they just rebuild the house maybe there's nothing about going to college i guess in the original yeah i believe that's right okay i've seen the movie i mean i have too but many years um i think it's okay if this young woman wants to go pursue higher education sure and i I honestly just don't understand why the neighbors didn't step in.

39:47Native Hawaiian Gen Z women can have it all. But this was my main issue with the neighbors who were like, call us if you need anything. Obviously, they need things. They need some help with child care. They need some help with, you know, basic. You know, household tasks so that Nani can go get a job like they need a lot of things. You should run for city council in Los Angeles. your platform is extraordinary I just do you have a website? you weren't mad? I wasn't really thinking about the inner lives of these characters too much I had not remembered that this ambition the thing is that Ohana is the big theme of the movie this idea of family and never leaving anyone behind the whole point of the movie is stick together When you're in a family, you have to have each other's backs.

40:43And the beautiful thing about the movie at the end, the idea that Stitch gets to stay on Earth. And so does Billy Magnuson. Yes. And Pleakley stays and they're all together and they're a family. Right. And so her leaving is a direct rejection of the core theme of the original film. It doesn't mean that the core theme of the original film is women shouldn't be able to go to college. It means that what's most important is taking care of one another. Now, you may disagree. you may say it's important that she study porpoises you know that that is what really matters that even when you're six you can take care of your sister too by understanding that she needs to go to college and facetiming with her plus they have the portal so she comes back so it's a tough beat for your sons when you're like i have to go to venice because i have to take care of my things and they're gonna be like that is my back that is literally what's happening and the The answer is their father.

41:35So it's fine. Unfortunately for Lilo, she doesn't have any parents. I know, but she has the neighbors and she has Stitch and she has Stitch's alien companion. You're right. Family as a community is what you're saying. And that is what the neighbor says ahead of time. Well, should we all be so lucky to live in such a caring community? I mean, I think that we should. Anyway. This is just a lot more Lilo and Stitch than I expected to get into. It took them a long time to become caring enough. So that was my issue. It is weird when Amy Hill's character comes around and she's like, what's going on over here?

42:02Yeah. Oh, yeah. Good luck. This is what I'm saying. It's very true. It's because it's such a contrivance in the plot. They have to kind of yada yada it. And also the social worker being like, we can help you with the cost of the health insurance if you surrender your child to us. Just like, how about you just pay? You know what's so funny? So Tia Carrera voices Nani in the original film. And the film came out, I don't know, probably like almost 10 years after the Wayne's World boom. Right. And that's where most of us saw her for the first time. If you were me. Very important. One of the most intoxicating people that's ever lived.

42:40And I just saw her in person at a screening of Mary Poppins at the Academy Museum. And I clocked her immediately. She's so striking. And I was like, what the hell has Tia Carrera been doing with her life? Lo and behold, one month later, she showed up in the biggest movie of the year. I'm really happy for her. Any closing thoughts? No, I think I summed it right up. Let young women go to college. If they would like to. They would like to. Build the support system so that they can. You tried to nudge in universal health care, which I also believe in, but I'm not totally sure. Like, is that the subterranean message of the film?

43:12It is like really, really upsetting to me. The scene with Tia Carrera after they forget to apply for health insurance. And then. The only way we can take care of you is if you're a ward of the state. Yeah. And she's like, we can handle all of this. If you sign away, like all familial rights. It's like, how about you just pay for it and then give them some money for groceries? Just a thought. Well, I can't disagree with that. It's quite an insidious plot device to make us feel for this family. While also considering the nature of our federal and state governments. Yeah. So thank you for your work today.

43:47Sure. Now that we've talked about the struggles of young women in this country, we can talk about the struggles of aging men. Yeah. With the film Friendship. Yeah. So Friendship is a new comedy from Andrew DeYoung. He wrote and directed this movie, which I find fascinating because the movie so clearly locates the comedic talent of Tim Robinson. Yes. Tim Robinson has become over the last 10 years a beloved comic figure in America. He co-created Detroiters. He was very briefly a cast member on Saturday Night Live. And he is the co-creator and star of I Think You Should Leave, which has been a very successful Netflix sketch comedy show that I think has had three seasons now.

44:26First season is one of the greatest things I've ever seen in my life. I have never laughed harder at a TV show. I loved it dearly. This movie also stars Kate Mara, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Paul Rudd. It's about a guy named Craig, who is a marketing executive drifting through his midlife. And he tries to befriend his charismatic new neighbor, who is a weatherman. And the friendship very quickly sours into a kind of obsession. And it soon threatens to ruin both of their lives. What did you think of the movie Friendship? this was a durational experience for me but which I think is actually part of the art I think it's very good and fascinating it's clear that you are watching exactly what was intended that they have a very specific insight into whatever is going on with all of you and by you I mean men I think it's like sociologically and artistically really insightful and accomplished.

45:29I saw it in a silent theater. Really? Like it was silent. I've heard varying reports on this. And I have as well. I've also talked to people who saw it and they were absolutely like in theater where everyone was losing it. Did you see it at a press screening or do you see it in the movie theater? No, I saw it at Burbank 16. Okay. Where you would think that I would be among my people. Yeah, yeah. I think I maybe laughed the most. Really? Yeah. And which was a few like really choice moments. And I would characterize most of the other laughing. Oh, no, you know what? I saw it at the Americana, which is maybe changing.

45:58Different crowd. Different crowd, just to be fair. Yeah. And... No shots to the AMC Americana, but the Burbank sickos are like... Those are the real heads. Which is a stupid delineation, but it is true. Well, when movies only open in two theaters in L.A., when they're limited, it's at Century City and at the Burbank 16. That is where we see our fellow big pick psychos all the time. And I would characterize the laughter that did happen as like mostly nervous. So I wonder if everyone knew what they were walking into. I don't know. I saw it at a press screening. Now, I think one of the downsides of this movie is that many people, including our pal Adam Naiman, have called this the funniest movie the last 10 years.

46:44And so that immediately raises the stakes. and I think is creating an expectation for a movie akin to The Hangover or The 40-Year-Old Virgin or these memories we have of going to see these kind of crass buddy comedies from the 2000s or even the 90s that made you like rolling in the aisles. You know, the early Farrelly Brothers movies. That's not really what Tim Robinson does. He has a much more sharply defined, discomforting, psychological edge to a lot of his comedy because the character that he almost always plays is a guy who is doing something insane and he is insanely insecure about it. And this movie is kind of the pinnacle of that approach.

47:25It's not the same as a sketch. It does feel as though a sketch has been stretched, though. Yes. You know, like the premise of the movie is fairly thin. But then the details of it are highly specific. Right. And that's part of what makes the movie effective and fun for me. i mean and it is structured in such a way where it is a kind of a series of sketches that you know which which is in many ways like what all comedy movies are you know it's like now they now they got to do this and now they got to do this so anything from like you know the trip to the about the the frog trip yes is that what it is the drug trip yeah um the obviously the the maze situation But they're like discrete events of things that inevitably go terribly wrong that are mini sketches within their own.

48:15The frog licking sketch is a really good example of something that it would be weird to be laughing very hard through the entirety of that sequence. But there is a version of laughing that is like, I can't believe this is happening right now. And that was how I felt during that one. I probably had a 50-50 balance between, wow, they're really going for it, self-awareness, and then the I can't control myself, this is so funny. When the guy identifies himself as Jimp, I almost fell out of my seat. I think that is one of the funniest things I've ever heard, that his name was Jimp. That's the kind of dumb shit that I think powers the movie, in addition to that weird edge that I'm talking about.

48:53Right. And the truth is, this is a real thing. I wouldn't say I actually personally struggle with this very much. I found that I've actually made a bunch of new friends in my life in the last few years more so than in the previous five or six years, in part because of the show, because I have a thing that communicates to the wider world. Like, here's what I'm into. And so it's easier to be like, oh, you're into that. I'm into that. And then we have a lot of like-minded interests. But it's very common for middle-aged men who have families. And let's say, you know, they've fallen, you know, out of touch with some friends or their lives have gotten more tightly focused on their career and their families.

49:31And then they lose this kind of social contact. And then they even kind of lose themselves in their families and in their jobs. And then they have a real difficulty making new friends or like finding new communities. Andrew DeYoung has definitely located an actual, I don't know if it's a phenomenon, but something that does happen to a lot of people, friends of mine, I know I've experienced this specifically. And it's a very serious social disorder. I think that like kind of presages the incel era. Sure. Sure. You know, where like you can just kind of kill time on your phone all the time. You don't have to be around people.

50:05You throw yourself into like, I hear this new Marvel movie is nuts. You know, some of the jokes that they're writing, like no Marvel spoilers. That's really funny. That is very good. But I think by finding something quite, not serious, but quite real, and then building around the Tim Robinson insanity of humor around it was a good choice. No, I think it's very effective and fascinating. It was interesting that we put together our movie friendships list. And, you know, like always, I tried to think of movies about, you know, female friendships. of which there are many, but they're always about how screwed up their friendships are.

50:50Whereas historically, when you think of a buddy comedy, you think of two guys who have a pretty uncomplicated, hey, I love you, man, and I love you, man, and now we have to go solve a crime somewhere and laugh it up. And so there are not that many complicated male friendships. And sometimes it does seem like you guys, you're either like totally okay and like not worried about it or things are very very weird and with between men and this is a good examination of of of category b i think i don't personally have a ton of it i don't fight with you your husband is my best friend like i don't we don't i don't know if we've ever had a fight um chris and i never fight right like it's just not really a part of our genetic DNA.

51:40And part of that, I think, is that we kind of know where to go and we're not to go. For the most part in the relationship. But in this movie, it's a new friendship. And so it's people in the middle of their lives when they kind of have become who they are, trying to find a way to become close. Right. And very quickly we see that Craig and Austin, the Paul Rudd character, it seems like they have something shared where they have this like slightly kind of punk edge where they want to defy the expectations of their life. Austin literally plays in a punk band even though he's a weatherman during the day.

52:15Craig is sort of like oh you can like break into a sewer and smoke cigarettes. Right and you don't have to have a phone. Right there's like certain things that he has accepted about daily modern life that Austin is showing him don't need to exist and so at the very early stages of their friendship they're giving each other something. Yeah. And then as soon as Craig gets dropped into a social environment with Austin's other friends, it's clear how much he doesn't fit. He doesn't fit with them. He doesn't fit with Austin. He doesn't even really fit in the world. Yeah. He's just an odd guy. Well, and then it becomes, part of it is also just this is about one person who, like Lilo, like many of other people, doesn't really know how to make friends, thinks he finds his other person, and then you realize, oh no, he is the weirdo.

53:00You know? And we don't often get movies about about the loser. So do you think this movie... Or if we do, it's Taxi Driver. Well, okay. So that's what I was going to say because that's a really great comparison. Yeah. And there is certainly a kind of Scorsese quality to this movie where you're like, they're not, even though there's a lot of jokes, they're playing it pretty straight. Yeah. There's even a gun theft in this movie. So if this character, if Craig was played by a different actor who was not so clearly communicated as Tim Robinson is funny. Right. You know, if it was his kind of, if it was, even if it was John C.

53:38Reilly and Paul Rudd, where like John C. Reilly could go either way. Yeah. This could be a comedy or this could be an incredibly tense drama. Well, I mean, John C. Reilly is like a, if it's stepbrothers John C. Reilly, like that's pretty close. How about Joaquin Phoenix? Right. Well, then it's just strange. Where you're like, this guy's weird. Yeah. But he's not kidding. Well, and he's also, Joaquin Phoenix is just like, not classically handsome, but is sort of classically movie star handsome. So that's another thing that's... Yeah, you always bring that up. Listen, a lot of people are getting on the train and I just like, I've been on the train since then bending the abbots.

54:11Did you see Joker 2? No, I didn't. I don't like it when people sing so I don't want to mess up, you know, the fond memories I have. You don't like it when people sing? I don't like it when most people sing. Yeah. Right. I mean, are you happy when you're somewhere and someone just like bursts in a song like 90 % of the time? Unless it's a joke. Where does that happen? I don't know, but whenever it does, don't you just want to panic? No, but you know, I don't know. Most of the time when people are singing, I wish they weren't. Jack, it's very normal. I agree with you, but I don't understand what are the circumstances in which people just begin to sing at you in public.

54:52Does this happen frequently? It's like usually, you know. You mean like a busker? No, that's okay. sometimes they're good I mean if they're not good then what are you gonna do I don't know like gatherings like weddings like graduations you know uh people are bursting into song sometimes people do song and sing at a wedding and that is like tough that did not happen at the wedding that I went to I can't believe you didn't ask me to sing at your wedding I could have sang something beautiful I could have sang an you know an Irish lullaby um yeah Most of the time it's just really, it's a level of sincerity and also asking for attention that is really, really makes me uncomfortable.

55:34How did we get onto this subject? People singing. I don't remember. There is a really funny singing moment in this movie. That's when I laughed the most. There are a couple. We learned early in the movie that Craig is in a punk band. Right. But then when he and his friends are together, they also sing late 90s hip hop dance jams. Acapella. Acapella. But I was laughing. Like that was the true guffaw in the theater for me. Another genius construction of Craig realizing that he just doesn't fit in with these guys. Even though what these guys are doing is ridiculous. And I pray to God no group of friends are doing that anywhere in the world right now.

56:17It is really funny. there is I think there's something kind of challenging in a good way about being forced to be with Craig Robinson for one hour and 40 minutes again durational yeah which I ultimately did enjoy and the highs are so high but I did feel like this movie could end with him murdering everyone and I wouldn't have been stunned yes but I think I would have been a little annoyed oh because then it was trying to be too serious no or and or if it were using that as like pure comedy then it would sort of undercut what it is achieving and it's like and it's weirdness for the sake of yeah then it would seem like a nihilistic yeah yeah i get that um i really enjoyed both kate mara's character and her performance yeah i could not think of another example of a character like this in the history of a movie in the movie which is like pure comedy she never winks she's never like in on the joke she is a person who is living her life specifically the way that she wants to live it now she's in a marriage with Craig and she has a teenage son that she has an unusually close and physical relationship with but she is very openly talking about her friendship with her ex-boyfriend and she's also very clearly perturbed by the lack of support she receives from her husband with her flower business and like over time she just kind of drifts away from him and just pushes him away she has like a tremendous amount of agency in this movie after she's lost in the sewer system right well she does get lost in the sewer system you know I love Kate Mara as you know I thought the way that she chose to play it was really interesting not what you usually would see from the wife character in the buddy comedy and not funny but very is it stupid to say profound no I don't think so I think that this is a very intelligent movie for something that is like really really stupid also and playing for uh like blunt laughs but I think also if she's not there there is something about the way she performs it in her sort of like independence and just kind of how she's separated off from him that keeps you from asking questions like why are you married to this person?

58:38Like, how did any of this happen? There is, there's like a other worldliness to what's, how all of these people are behaving. That gets you past the suspension of disbelief. Yes. Agreed. So it's like when Connor O'Malley enters the garage. Everything Connor O'Malley does in this is also the other time I absolutely lost it. Connor O'Malley going in the garage is like when Godzilla and Kong finally face each other in Godzilla versus Kong. We were like, I've just been waiting five movies to see these guys punch each other. And I need, I would like Connor O'Malley and more movies is where I stand on that.

59:17It was very funny scene. Two guys who were like experts at the awkward note. Like everyone realizes there's something wrong with this guy, except for this guy who both raised their voices in uncomfortable ways and who have located something about like the disillusionment in the, the American spirit that the internet has bored down into people. Like they both have kind of picked up on something in different ways where it's just like every guy looking at his phone is basically broken. And they just they get it. It's true. They just they get it. What does Conor Mallee yell as he leaves the garage?

59:47I forget. It's really, really good. OK. And then at the end of the party, it's, you know, very funny stuff. I also enjoyed Craig's blown pitch to the mayor about his new marketing campaign, which is also just phenomenal stuff. This is a very funny movie. I know it's hard to get theatrical comedies going. And this movie is on a smaller scale. It was obviously a cheaper movie. It was a festival movie that I think got picked up by A24 out of TIFF. And it seems like they're doing pretty good business with it. I don't think it shows the way for anything. No, but it's nice that it exists. Yeah, and I think it probably is a little bit of a proof of concept for a slightly bigger Tim Robinson thing if he wants it.

1:00:31Right. but this is also this seems like the right level I think this will become like a very off reference movie you know it's sort of like instant cult yes it'll be on max in three months and then people will watch it over and over again just like they watch I think you should leave Paul Rudd we haven't mentioned him too much in this episode very funny he's great there's a phenomenal episode of Good Hang with Amy Poehler with Paul Rudd I highly encourage people it's just them doing bits for an hour I really liked it he him doing this movie is great like yeah he definitely didn't have to do this I think he clearly did it because he thinks Tim Robinson is funny.

1:01:04He still looks exactly like the guy from Romeo and Juliet 35 years later, which is a little dispiriting for me. I mean, this has been like a meme for 15 years now, but it does keep going. But that meme was like nine years ago, and it's still going. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's played for an incredible laugh in the movie because it's revealed in the movie that his character is bald and wears a toupee, which is something that we would joke about, about Paul Rudd, who's preserving his eternal fountain of youth. By the way, I saw the film Fountain of Youth on Apple TV Plus this weekend. Oh, yeah. I'll do it at some point but yeah I don't think it deserves much air time here on the pod I thought he was really good in this I thought he was really funny I thought he also his character was also a little bit more complex than I was expecting he wasn't just the suave cool guy who dashed into town and took Craig's breath away he also is kind of a middle aged guy going through it who needed to be inspired to do some things differently who also is flawed who also is insecure right you know in a way that was like i don't know pretty pretty fascinating and they and he's and they make fun of him too you know he's the the aspiring weatherman but he keeps he's like not popular at work yes yes getting kicked by his bosses the anchors are very rude to him um pretty funny movie definitely and like and also good not it i mean it is not a broad comedy and i do wonder how many people i saw um the movie with who were just like what is happening you know yeah there's a strain of that i think for anybody who fires up i think you should leave too where you're just like this is just a there's a real not for me contingent which is totally fine um ultimately not the best movie about friendship that i've ever seen i think that it is a very good movie about the way that a friendship can mutate i mean this is the thing right when we were making our lists are we is it like model friendships or good movies about friendships because i went through a lot of movies where I'm like, well, she's a pretty bad friend and I wouldn't do that if I were, you know, or I would be mad about this.

1:03:03Yeah. I mean, that is like you kind of need that to make a movie. Well, you have one on here that I left off, but I'm glad you added it because something happens to it that kind of like makes me sad. Yeah, but it's also a major part of the movie. It is. You know, and it is, I think, a good movie about friendship. Yes. Okay, let's do our list. okay I'll go first because my first one's kind of a joke but I do believe in it okay this is these are friends who are new friends like the friends in the movie Friendship yeah and they instantly bond I'm talking about McLovin and the cops from Superbad yeah and one of my favorite things about Superbad which is an all-time movie that we love is the way that the cops played by Bill Hader and Seth Rogen play it so straight that they're having a blast with McLovin while they're riding around in their cruiser with him and that they feel a bond and a connection with him and when it turns out that he's not who he says he is, that they are deeply hurt and that all the fun that they've had has been premised upon a lie.

1:04:02And there's a rare beautiful portrait of cops in a movie. And McClellan, of course, Christopher Mintz-Plos gives an incredible performance in that movie. So that's my first one. Yeah. Mine is the Flossie Posse from Girls Trip. So this is my group of women together in the movie. Sex and the City, not eligible because that was a TV show first. Yeah, but it was a TV show first. I thought about it. But also, you know, they have their ups and downs as friends. And Just Like That is coming back soon. I could not be more aware or more excited. I already volunteered myself as the Just Like That correspondent on The Watch.

1:04:35Great. So I won't be here for the next 10 weeks. I'll just be on The Watch. Understood. Diagramming every bit of it. Sounds good. Solo Phoenician scheme pod for me. There are a lot, obviously, like a lot of movies about like a group of women, usually four. And they are, you know, figuring things out. But really, at the end, they love each other. and this one is both genuinely like fun and funnier. And then also just the speech that Regina Hall gives at the end made me cry. So there is like something like very heartfelt about it that I still remember. And obviously a sensation like box office wise.

1:05:08So we had a bunch of these when we were kids. Yeah. I think Steel Magnolias probably kicked off the trend of these movies. But I remember very vividly now and then was like a huge one. Sure. Or some other examples. Huge for me too. Devin Sawa forever. Absolutely. I didn't realize that Devin Sawa was Final Destination. until I listen to your podcast. Alex, he is the critical character in the film. There are some other examples. What are some other, I mean, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is like a famous version of this, right? First Wives Club. First Wives Club, that's a great one. Yeah, there's a lot of these.

1:05:35Yeah. They're pretty persistent. My number four is two women. Two women named Enid and Rebecca from Ghost World, played by Thor Birch, also of Now and Then, and Scarlett Johansson. I think this is maybe the second time I saw Scarlett Johansson, after the Horse Whisperer. That was a movie, right? Okay. Yeah, with Robert Redford and Kristen Scott Thomas. Yeah, I think she was the Horse Whisperer. Can I tell you for a minute, I thought that Kristen Scott Thomas was voicing the Galactic Counselor or whoever in Lilo and Stitch, and then I recognized it as Hannah Waddingham doing far better accent work than she did in Mission Impossible, Final Reckoning.

1:06:12I gotta give her credit. Good to know. I would have been happy to see that money to go to Kristen Scott Thomas. I were getting far away from Eden and Rebecca. However, I watched an interview with Hannah Waddingham about her working with Tom Cruise. And she was extremely laudatory, as most actors are. And she made one note that I thought was interesting, which is that she said when she was working on the movie that Tom Cruise waited to shoot his coverage until the end of the day. And she said, unlike many other stars whom I've worked with, this is incredibly uncommon that it is important for their coverage to be shot first, that they be taken care of first.

1:06:46and he was like, we got to make sure everybody else looks good and everybody else is taken care of. I'm not sure that's really meaningful in any way but I thought it was a very specific detail that she chose to share or was encouraged to share about her experience with Tom. Anyway, Eden and Rebecca, Ghost World, fascinating movie about two young women who find themselves kind of like searching for the next stage of their life. They befriend an older man who's a collector, a jazz music fan or excuse me, a blues music fan and they kind of like befriend him at first to kind of mock him and make fun of him and then slowly come to recognize he is like a kindred spirit in it in particular kind of like falls for the idea of him he's played by Steve Buscemi and their friendship is really interesting it's somewhat similar to one of the ones on your list too and that they kind of you can see that they've been friends for a very long time since they were young girls and that as they've gotten older they've stayed close in some ways and drifted in other ways and the things that they're interested in Enid is like a little bit more of an oddball.

1:07:43And Rebecca is becoming a little bit more normie through the course of the storytelling. And the way that they like very, they don't, there's no dramatic throw down between them. They just kind of like very gently drift for a while, but they know that they'll always love each other. And I always thought it was like a very sophisticated portrait of a particular kind of friendship. And I, you know, I think they're both like such great actors. And I love that movie. My number four is, you know, less high-minded, but also really beautiful. Danny and Rusty in Ocean's Eleven. Yeah. This is me and C.R.

1:08:16Yeah. I mean, it's really you think we need one more? Yeah. You think we need one more? Yeah. We need one more. Shorthand. Yeah. Nothing. They just they are together. They understand each other. They don't have to speak the things. It's beautiful. It's probably like my ideal form of friendship. It's nice when And also they do crimes. It's kind of the opposite of Craig and Austin. Yeah. Where it's like they've got 30 years behind them. There's a real comfort and trust in that they understand each other and so then they just go do their things. And even when Danny has actually turned out to set up the whole thing in order to get back tests.

1:08:58I think Rusty's mad for like five seconds and then eats some cocktail shrimp and then moves on. So it's fine. Is Rusty good at his job? uh i think so because he gets the money out of the vault you know okay he's in the they're they're all in the vault together just asking questions i mean i guess i guess danny's in there too i'm trying to think maybe time for a revisit yeah um but no i mean he plays he plays a crucial role in moving things together and moving things apart okay so i'll roll with you on it. Okay. Ocean's Eleven, great movie. Number three is a little bit of a recognition of something that you were talking about.

1:09:44This is Gus, Harry, and Archie from the John Cassavetes movie Husbands which came out in 1970 which is a I think a very famous movie among a certain kind of person that is about a very specific kind of it's sort of a prequel to friendship. It's about old friends, guys who've known each other for a long time who come together in the aftermath of the death of their other closest friend. And it's Ben Gazzara, Cassavetes, and Peter Falk played the three friends, three guys who have appeared in many Cassavetes movies over the years. And it's about them having a little bit of a, what we might call a crash out in 2025 in the aftermath of this death where they're kind of getting into trouble and kind of wandering around the city, getting drunk, playing basketball, picking fights with strangers, picking fights with each other, finding ways to kind of sloppily communicate how much they care about each other, but then also how much they hate when one of the others does something.

1:10:36Only death can kind of draw out this kind of honesty amongst friends, I think. And this is a really emotionally sophisticated movie that feels really slapdash on purpose. I really love it. Yeah. I mean, it's also kind of a nightmare from the outside. If you're a woman, this movie is hard to watch. It's well portrayed, but yeah. I would say it's accurate. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. my number three is Francis and Sophie from Francis Ha and this movie is a lot of ways in about they're very close friends and roommates at the beginning of the movie they're in a transitional phase of life and so they are moving away from each other as the movie goes on which often happens especially for well at that phase of life yes and late 20s what am I really doing right am I getting my stuff together and I think that the hurt and the confusion and also the love are all portrayed like without melodrama.

1:11:39They just kind of are. And so it feels very true and wistful at the same time. And they get to an okay place and you know everyone's going to be okay, which is kind of what is beautiful about Francis Ha in general. One of my favorite movies. And I think it's just, it is very very lived in that friendship I agree I really like I really like gosh what is her name Mickey Sumner her performance and after I remember seeing after the movie obviously Greta has gone on to incredible things but I feel like I have not really seen her very much and I feel like she embodied I was like that's a girl I know in New York that is like my friend's friend and I think that there's something very wistful about Francis being the one who's left behind and I do think that in a lot of small groups of friends.

1:12:30There's one friend where you're like, whatever happened to X? But to build the movie around the person who's like, whatever happened to X is just a very smart idea and a wonderful movie. Okay. Number two is fresh in my mind because I just rewatched it for our Children of Men conversation. It's Julio and Tenoche from Itou Mama Tambien. Diego Luna back in the news due to Andor, obviously. Yeah. And Gael Garcia Bernal's characters from Cuaron's beautiful road movie. I put this on the list because I think it's a really great example, not just two guys who are best friends who end up basically falling in love without necessarily speaking about that feeling.

1:13:04It's funny that our number twos are the same. They are matched in some ways. But because it's about the evolution of a friendship. Like the way that a friendship, which seems very tight and very close. Like they're homies at the beginning and they're going on this trip together. And they're like, they think already that there's nothing more that they could say to each other that would blow each other's minds. But across the movie, things become so much more emotionally intense and they have like such a series of realizations about one another and about themselves that kind of shows you like what a close relationship can do for your life.

1:13:36So that's just an amazing film. Yeah. I recommend it. Once again, I'm, you know, this is. That's the art film and mine is the mainstream classic. Beta and Thomas from My Girl. Jack, you seen My Girl? I have not. so you don't know what happens at the end of My Girl I do not I remember when I had to tell Bobby what happens at the end of My Girl can I spoil it for you? you can if you haven't seen the film My Girl 1994 cinematic classic Veda Sultanfuss as portrayed by Anna Klumsky we all loved her I don't remember Thomas' last name but he is portrayed by Macaulay Culkin at the height of Home Alone Mania veda is going through some tough stuff at home she lost her mom her dad's dating someone new she's a little bit of a you know she's is it um dan akward and jamie lee curtis i believe so that's correct yeah and she's like 10 11 a little bit you know that which is a tricky age kind of tomboyish kind of just you know frustrated with everyone so alice oh my god she's no i know and then Thomas shows up and he's just a new kid in class who becomes her friend and they become friends then things are kind of sorting out at home and then Veda has this mood ring that she loves and she loses her mood ring and Thomas goes back to get it for her because they're best friends and he's allergic to bees and gets stung by a bee and he fucking dies he dies Jack he's 10 years old and he dies And like when you are 10 and you're watching this.

1:15:18I was just going to say I was 11 when I saw this and I felt like I got shot in the heart. It is still so fucked up. So real. You're saying like this is not an art film or whatever. This is a really, really good movie. Yeah. A very effective movie. It's really, really effective. And it does also get something very true about friendship at that age. And they are, you know, they like practice kissing together. And maybe if they were older, they, you know. there's like the seedlings of the romantic thing but there still is also that they're just like two 10 year olds like trying to figure out the world and they each need someone else and it's like very uncomplicated and then the loss is also just absolutely like pure and gutting and yeah we don't really see him officially die we see her being told that he didn't make it as I recall and it's so powerful so my best friend growing up was a girl my friend Sarah and Sarah and I saw this movie together and very very very tough and Sarah was a little Veda-ish as well and whew yeah great honestly really good movie incredible movie I mean maybe it's maybe we'd watch it now and be like this piece of trash why was it shot this way but I really don't think so I don't think the adults are taking Veda's emotional needs seriously enough okay I think our ones are kind of obvious but in good ways my number one is of course Elliot and E.T.

1:16:42from the film E.T., which is very similar to Lilo and Stitch. The idea of a formulation of a boy who just really needs a friend. Things at home are not going well. He feels a little bit at sea at school and socially, and he wants something kind of deeper and bigger in his life, and he can't really find it on the ground until E.T. presents himself, and then he kind of builds his whole emotional life around the friendship to E.T. You know, Steven Spielberg, the master of directing child actors, and... there's it's a hard to have a new thought about E.T. I've podcasted about it many times in my life and I will I can't I can't wait to show it to my daughter.

1:17:20But it's I thought it was kind of the perfect match for the new friendships in this episode. Yes. You know, clearly Lilo and Stitchwood's a great dad to it. I mean, I can't really talk about it without crying, but it's great movie. And similar to my number one in that it's about a friend who needs another friend in a moment. but that also ultimately, you know, if you love someone, let them go. I still let them go. So mine is Will and Chucky from Good Will Hunting. And, you know, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as well. But this scene, you know, the best part of my day is, you know, when I show up and just for a second, I think that you're not going to be there.

1:17:59And they have known each other forever. They understand each other. They also understand that there's something different. I wouldn't say it's like an equal friendship. I think Chucky's like giving a little bit more and Will's like taking a little bit, but he's had a hard life. So it's what he needs, I guess. And Chucky's going to be, uh, Chucky's going to be okay. He can ace any job interview that he needs to. But you know, that I feel like that one Ben Affleck moment, that speech is like immediately iconic. And it's, it is a nice idea of friendship, right? Of knowing that you're, you know, wanting the best for your friend.

1:18:34So, uh, beautiful stuff. Love them forever. great choices friendship complicated thing to portray in the movies I don't even really know among my honorable mentions there's kind of too many to add I tried to avoid the like classic lethal weapon Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Thelma and Louise they loved each other and then they died any closing thoughts? you feel good about the box office and how movies are back? and dentistry all of it Well, you're an anti-dentite. You know, that's you may recall from Seinfeld. I think that they play an important role in society. But that then they're just scamming you.

1:19:16Like when you are having a real tooth problem, they fix it and they like alleviate pain and help people live happy and healthy lives. You don't usually have a real health problem until you don't do the things that dentists advise. No, I think preventative dentistry is a scam invented to make money. there we go shared that take very like many times with no verifiable proof merely asking them to show me the i brush my teeth an entire field of study this is like being like archaeology is a scam show me the proof of its value yeah well it's like didn't didn't we discover the other day that the dinosaur bones are like they're putting them together wrong the other day we discovered that i don't know where did you read these where are you getting this information well i read all the news that you don't read about like you know the shark attacks and all the stuff but why aren't you sending me any of this stuff because you don't respond i give up but i look at it well you want me to write an essay back about the incredible discoveries and new archaeological our form of friendship is not me just like sending you links you know why not what what because then every time i do you're like why'd you send me that weird thing you're such a weird person you're just like oh look a hat you know that's rather than just send the link you could send some context like hey remember we were having this discussion and in furthering our friendship i thought it would be great to have some new context as we chat through this well i think i heard that some of the dinosaurs got put together wrong and also they were colorful and maybe colorful maybe had feathers well that we've heard yeah that they're in the bird phylum i don't know what the right word is there scientifically speaking you You know, one thing I did like about Lilo and Stitch was the throwaway joke of like, you know, Earth is just like a mosquito rehabilitation project.

1:21:06And then the thing about humans is that an asteroid hits their planet every however many years and they just have to start all over. It's kind of adorable. You just reminded me of something. Well, I thought that was at least like slightly funny, but that was the only humor for adults in the whole film. It wasn't very winky Pixar. This is for adults. It was definitively a kid's movie. I watched, well, two things, two wildlife notes to close this episode on. One, we watched The Good Dinosaur in Our House over the weekend, which I had never seen. That's a Pixar movie. I don't know what that is. It's probably the least celebrated of all the Pixar movies.

1:21:42Okay. There's a baby staring a dinosaur in the eye. Yeah. Well, it's obviously scientifically inaccurate because humans live contemporaneously to dinosaurs. and in fact dinosaurs in the film develop our agrarian technologies and they build farms for us which i don't think that's how i don't think that's what really happened i can't be sure but i don't think that that's how we discovered farming i mean once they put the bones out of order you know who can say i know everything has been completely undermined in my life um and i gotta tell you i thought the movie was quite nice even though it has a terrible reputation i thought there was something actually beautiful about it just putting that out there the other thing is we went to the zoo oh wow and i thought of real holiday weekend vibes oh my god we did so many holiday things uh we went to the bird show and i fucking hate that the birds i was thinking of you because the birds are flying at a low angle absolutely enormous not california and andean condors like like right over your head like sure there are parrots there they're very cute you know there's some like nice smaller tropical birds but these condors which look like ancient villains.

1:22:49I mean, they look like they were designed to destroy our culture. But they were well trained. Nobody got hurt. I mean, sure. Until they aren't. The show opens with one of them being let out of a almost look like a rucksack or something. Where's Alice on this? She was interested. She wasn't freaked out at all. She loves animals. We had a great time. I know, but the birds, they just it was wild parrot season for the last couple weeks. And the parrots were just very close to our windows. And I find it really upsetting.

1:23:23I think they're nice. I'm not really scared of them. But if a giant Andean condor picks my daughter up and carries her off to a magical land, I'm not going to feel the same about this. I just remembered that this morning while I was getting dressed, I watched a coyote poop in the backyard next door.

1:23:45It thought it was a little... Are we still taping, Jack? hour 22 it was like really having a moment by itself and I was just like well there's a coyote taking a giant shit in my neighbor's backyard we're in the 82nd minute of this episode it was funny do you think that this show is actually about your midlife crisis like when you really think about it I thought it was about mine but I don't think it is anymore Yeah, and we were like, you passed the baton? Yeah, I think so. It was wildlife, you know? And I was just, I saw him in his habitat. You were moved by this? Or you thought it was fun? I thought it was funny.

1:24:27Okay. Because I really, the coyote thought it was having a moment of solitude. Oh, I see. And I was like, I'm right here, buddy. That's incredibly invasive. Well, it's, you know, they cut down a lot of trees. So it's the neighbor's fault anyway. Okay. Coyote is an issue in the neighborhood? I mean, depending on who you ask, they're just around. It's their home too. I find they're quite nice. yeah I don't mind them don't bother them they won't bother you exactly that's how I feel about all my takes on this show if you don't bother them they won't bother you let's see how you wind us back to the segue I think I just did it I think I got back I got us back thanks to our producer Jack Sanders for his work on this episode thank you so much Jack thanks Jack for sitting in this room with us as we went through this we will be back on Friday and we're going to be paying tribute to an old friend with a very special episode Karate Kid Legends off the schedule not doing it replaced by this very special episode.

1:25:19Do you think we need to prepare people or do you think that the people are prepared and we're not? I'll just say some letters. Those letters are S, H, R, E, and K. We'll see you then.

1:25:46Thank you.