The Cable Guy / Recommended by Dr. Sweers (Guest: Mychal Dynes)

Join us on the couch to tip off “March Movie Madness,” comedy month with Restaurateur Mychal Dynes (Little Conejo), who is scheduled between 12a-12p, to discuss his pick "The Cable Guy," (1996 d. Stiller). Let's be honest, we've all been "The Cable Guy," a little bit, no? Wanting to be pals a little TOO much? Calling a little TOO often? Sharing a little TOO deeply? Breaking backboards? Just Paul? Moving on...we know how you're feeling right now. We're here for you. Remember "Midnight Express?" Oliver Stone won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay. Awesome, Awesome scene. This concludes our broadcast day. Click! 3/3!

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:00

Which uh is good because oh knock knock knock. Oh, who's there? Podcast co host.

SPEAKER_02 0:11

That's so stupid.

SPEAKER_04 0:14

Like non-committal, which is not the vibe of this movie at all.

SPEAKER_02 0:18

You really gave up on it like halfway through.

SPEAKER_05 0:22

Podcast Co host!

SPEAKER_04 0:24

There we go. Yeah, there we go. Hi everyone. You're hearing two voices so far. I am one of your co-hosts. My name is Paul.

SPEAKER_02 0:32

I am your other co-host. My name is Ben.

Guest Intro

SPEAKER_04 0:35

And today, as per most of our episodes, we have a fabulous guest with us who brought us a maybe fabulous, we'll discuss, movie called The Cable Guy, which follows all of our normal rules. It's seven years old or older. It's well under two hours and 22 minutes. It's not part of any major franchise. And the guest that brought us this is Michael Dines. Michael, say hello.

SPEAKER_01 1:02

Hey everyone. Thanks for having me, guys. I've been looking forward to this for a long time.

SPEAKER_04 1:06

Oh, such a pleasure. Such a pleasure. I have to ask right up front, what did you see this on the little list that I sent you?

SPEAKER_01 1:14

And that was that what inspired you to choose this, or was this I think I first didn't see it on the ones that you had on there, which made me excited because I was kind of leaning towards the cable guy even before looking at the list. And then the fact that you guys had it on your wish list was it was just meant to be, it was fate.

SPEAKER_02 1:34

I think we also didn't we talk about this recently. Very recently. That's what I thought. What I couldn't remember if it was on here or if it was in the real world.

SPEAKER_04 1:44

It may have been when we were we paused recording. This is the thing, is it all starts to blend together, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_02 1:50

Yeah. Hard to say. I don't listen to this program. What? So no, absolutely not. No, couldn't tell you what we actually talk about.

SPEAKER_04 1:58

No, the editing is painful enough. I I want to mention also that Michael is a restauranteur and has a fantastic restaurant, restaurants called Little Conejo. That second word is C-O-N-E-J-O. You can find them at symbol little underscore conejo. And he's as he's showing us this beautiful merch in this wonderful pop of yellow with a teal on it.

SPEAKER_01 2:25

Yeah, a little shout out there.

SPEAKER_04 2:27

Loving it.

SPEAKER_02 2:28

Tell me about it. I I'm I am someone who enjoys eating. Wow.

SPEAKER_01 2:31

Cool, me too. Um we started in 2017, started in Vancouver, and then had a couple food trucks along the way. We have a location in Ridgefield now. We're about to get on Grubhub. We've just kind of been growing steadily.

SPEAKER_02 2:46

We survived the COVID restaurant.

SPEAKER_01 2:50

Yeah, I felt like we were in a we were in a really good spot age-wise to still, because we were still um sort of figuring out what we were doing anyway.

SPEAKER_02 3:00

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 3:01

I think that you know, if you had been a long-standing restaurant that had been doing things the same way for so long, it would have been really hard to transition or uh adjust things. Um so I felt like we we handled it really well and we still have a really good staff, but we've had we've been lucky to have some really good people that worked worked with us from the beginning and have a lot of them since gone on to do some some cool stuff too.

SPEAKER_04 3:28

Um side note, I mean, some of the best tacos I've had, period. Incredible tacos. Uh the potato taco is something that's so special and near and dear to me. Also, one of the best mezcal menus you will encounter. Fantastic. So if you like a taco and a mezcal, I love all those and little little Conejo in Vancouver, Washington, we're gonna be nice to Vancouver today.

unknown 3:56

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 3:57

Do you usually trash Vancouver on this?

SPEAKER_04 3:59

Never. No, not me anyway, not a single time.

SPEAKER_01 4:04

I like that you brought up the Mezcal list, Paul, because that was like really at the heart of my business partner and I. The idea was we we really wanted to have those things together, and it was hard to find uh a good mezcal list with good tacos in the same place. We felt like it was a lot of great mezcal um selections were at bars. Um, so we'd be eating still good food, but like fish and chips and burgers and stuff like that. And so we just felt like the it made sense contextually.

What You Been Doin?

SPEAKER_04 4:39

Yeah. I'm gonna say this too, and I don't know who your distributors are, Michael, and this can be very important, especially depending on the humidity of a day. The Yarrito selection at Little Conejo is second to none. Yeah. Fantastic. So if you're not uh an alcohol drinker, that's that's another option where the menu is very plentiful. We've we've talked a little bit about Little Conejo, Michael. Now we have to talk a little bit about what we've all been doing.

SPEAKER_06 5:32

Let's hear it.

SPEAKER_02 5:33

Yeah. Who's first? Paul, you, me, Ben, I Ben, I would love you. Ben, me, Ben, you. Uh I've been sick. Oh. Uh starting 2026 hit me like on Friday and uh kind of put me on my ass for a few days, and now it's spreading to throughout the household to my wife. I feel like I'm on the tail end of it. You might still hear it in my voice, possibly. Um but yeah, a little nasally.

SPEAKER_04 6:06

I'm glad you're on recovery road.

SPEAKER_02 6:09

Yeah, yeah. It's not a great way to start the year, but uh great way to start the segment, right? Everybody. Yeah, this is why Paul and I aren't next to each other physically touching. It's true.

SPEAKER_04 6:22

Usually normally we're gingerly touching our tips.

SPEAKER_02 6:25

Yeah, usually I have my fingers in his mouth.

SPEAKER_04 6:28

So when the yeah, when one's talking, it kind of alternates.

SPEAKER_02 6:33

Whose fingers are who we puppet each other.

SPEAKER_04 6:35

I must be on Broadway.

SPEAKER_02 6:37

Directly through the mouth.

SPEAKER_04 6:39

That's not my mouth, Paul. You're puppeting me. This is why we need a video podcast. What have I been doing? I decided I have this script, Michael. It's this rom com. I love the genre. I do. I decided in terms of the rom com, I just gotta be done with it. I just did one couple final rewrites and did what I think made sense in context, and just kind of closed that. I submitted it to the Austin Film Festival screenwriting competition. Good for you. I feel pretty strongly about it at this point.

SPEAKER_02 7:18

So and you didn't ask, but I would do it. You I'll do it. So thanks. I mean, I'm here for you.

SPEAKER_04 7:25

Great. I really appreciate that. I'll do it too.

SPEAKER_02 7:28

Yeah, meaning rivalry is new. I've just cleared my schedule.

SPEAKER_04 7:34

What is what is the name title? Reset button. The thing that I've worked on often on for a million years. I've read a good chunk of that. Yeah, well, and it's like a totally different thing, I'm sure, since the last time you read it for the most part. I'm just excited to have made the decision to say I can't continue tinkering with this. There's a level of me procrastinating and not moving on to whatever the next thing is. That finality, there's uh there's a catharsis, I think, that is happening, having made that decision. That's that's nice. Michael. Good for you, Paul. What have you been doing?

SPEAKER_01 8:13

I'm excited. Good for you, Paul. I thank you. Congratulate you, and I think that artists in all facets like have to let go a little bit.

unknown 8:23

Let it go.

SPEAKER_01 8:24

You know, realize maybe it won't ever be perfect to you, but it's good, you know. Don't let I like that old saying, don't let um perfect be the enemy of good.

SPEAKER_02 8:35

Yeah. I actually use uh, because I used to work in restaurants, I use restaurant metaphors a lot with that where I just go, you gotta serve the dish sometime. Sure. Gotta put it out there, otherwise, yeah, no one's gonna eat it.

SPEAKER_01 8:47

The scrammy eggs ain't getting any softer. Yeah, Paul Boss used to talk about that all the time. DOG. Yeah. Well, you you know, all the time you spent tinkering and messing with it, you could have finished another painting by now. So good job, good job, Paul.

SPEAKER_04 9:01

Satisfaction in the growth there. Yeah, put it out there.

SPEAKER_01 9:04

So, what have I been doing? I've been um my family and I went to the Big Island, uh, Hawaii uh over New Year's, kind of around New Year's Day, and my father-in-law turned 75. So I played golf with him and um my brother-in-law and my son. There's like 21 of us there. They took uh the whole the whole lot of us down there. But we played at a really awesome course called Mauna Lani, and it was um just beautiful. It was like a mix of jungle and ocean and really old kind of gnarly trees. It was really cool.

What Are You Watching?

SPEAKER_04 9:41

Yeah. What what have you been watching, Ben?

unknown 9:45

What am I watching? What am I watching?

SPEAKER_05 9:54

What am I watching?

SPEAKER_02 10:01

Uh being sick, watched my fair share of football, gohawks, uh, and watched two movies on streaming.

SPEAKER_03 10:09

Oh.

SPEAKER_02 10:09

One from my uh Hall of Shame, Paul, which I don't know. Have we brought up Hall of Shame on here? I think Moses has brought it up. Oh, go ahead. Yeah. It's it's my hall of movies that I haven't seen that I I won't actively bring up because I'm ashamed that I haven't seen it.

SPEAKER_04 10:25

Oh, got it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, I'm caught up. I'm familiar.

SPEAKER_02 10:28

Yes, yes. So I watched the sting, uh, the sting. First time. First time.

SPEAKER_01 10:35

Did you like it?

SPEAKER_02 10:36

What a what a phenomenal experience. What a foundational piece of cinema that clearly so many people are in love with. Obviously, Steven Sonderberg doesn't make so much of his movies. Uh like I see that. I see that. But it's it really is just like it's just peak, you know, Redford, and I loved it. I love the music. I love the little uh transitional transition animated things.

SPEAKER_03 11:05

I love Oh, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:07

Yeah, it was uh and I love Robert Shaw. Uh I just sure I'm a huge Jaws fan, and so like every time I can get some Robert Shaw, it's just always chewing the scenery, man. Oh man. So yeah, I watched that. What a what a phenomenal experience that was. And then I watched Tron Aries, and what a piece of shit garbage movie that was. Uh I kept watching it and I was like, I surely the character Tron is gonna show up. Light cycle might because this movie is called Tron Aries, and they know that the character, there's a character whose name is Tron, right? He was in Tron Legacy, he was, and I'm a Tron, I think Tron Legacy is like a three for me. It's really fun, like it's the Daft Punk score is great. The the script is like really boilerplate and it it doesn't really go anywhere, but it's fun, it's cool to look at for sure. And this one I just felt like was just a slog, it was awful. And then you just have to throw Jared Leto in there, and it's like he's not even the worst part of the movie, which is insane a lot. That's surprising. Yeah, so that's what I did.

SPEAKER_01 12:18

It's not that I I pay Jared Leto, I just feel like he's made a lot of duds lately. Couldn't agree with you more. Whenever I see him in a movie, I'm like, that probably stinks because he's in it. Pass.

SPEAKER_02 12:29

I mean, I don't know if he's gonna get another huge blockbuster because the last two he's made have been absolute train wrecks.

SPEAKER_04 12:38

Counterpoint. Hi, Dr. Michael Morbius at your service. Oh, it's Mormon time? Convinced? What are you doing? Always Paul. Me? Oh, how do I morb into this? NBA League Pass. I have a couple teams on NBA League Pass that like I'm the Spurs are great. They have this French guy, Victor Wembenyama, that I'm sure all the listeners know and are very excited to hear about. So the Spurs are fun and feisty, and there are a couple East Coast teams. I mean, I'm a Portland Trailblazer fan through and through. League pass for a very competitive price gives me access to so many games. And Ben, I watched a movie streaming called The Rip. Oh, ripping! Ripping it up, the rip. The R.I.P. Rip it from you.

SPEAKER_01 13:34

Yeah, R.I.P. Affleck and Trump Damon, right?

SPEAKER_02 13:38

R.I.P. Yeah, R I P D is Deadpool and the Drum. And then R R I P is Rip is uh fucking A Fucking A. Fucking Affleck, bro.

SPEAKER_04 13:51

It was that. It was the Affleck Damon one that Joe Carnahan did. I really overall enjoyed it. The movie has a kind of odd look to it in terms of some of the lighting and the framing. Like every Netflix movie. Nerdy shit like that, where it's like, why does this feel kind of like unnecessarily flat? Or some of the performances feel like you know, exposition it's gets gone over and rehashed a couple different times, like shit like that, where it's like, fucking hey, I actually like put my phone away.

SPEAKER_02 14:25

So it's a dual screen movie.

SPEAKER_04 14:26

Yeah, to to watch this, and you're doing some of this dual screen shit, and it's just like kind of a bummer. But it's got all these echoes of like Michael Mann movies and some James Cameron-y stuff. And if you've seen movies like Dark Blue and Unlawful Entry in Internal Affairs, and a bunch of these the replacement killers, 90s action movies, action suspense movies, that kind of stuff. But like I said, in a big, big way, like Michael Mann specifically, like TNT, if it's not Christmas story, it was heat or collateral. Joe Carnahan clearly loves these movies, and the the movie is fun, the script overall, super good. I would absolutely recommend it to like anybody who is a fan of shit, like training day. Like you'll probably like. Rip, ripping it! I had no interest in watching that, but now I might check that out. Uh Moses Olsen, guest of this podcast, seemed to have similar feelings in the very brief exchange he and I had. He was like, There's kind of like uh fuck, I'm not trying to sound like a dick. I'm just not smart enough to put this a different way right now. I don't know why. But it's got like this dollar store Michael Man thing that is very charming. There, there's a level of 70s kind of grit to it at times, like it's a fun, solid actioner.

SPEAKER_01 15:56

Okay. When I saw the trailer for it, I thought it was gonna be kind of like the town.

SPEAKER_04 16:01

It's got some of that in it too, for sure. For sure, dude.

SPEAKER_01 16:06

Um, I'm I've been really late to this, obviously, but uh I'm watching True Detective season one.

SPEAKER_04 16:13

Oh now that it's so good, it's so impressive.

SPEAKER_01 16:18

Yeah, I don't know why I never watched it before, but it's been really fun to watch. McCon Hay is obviously brilliant, and Woody Harrelson's great.

SPEAKER_02 16:28

What a treat to experience that movie for or that series for the first time, right?

SPEAKER_01 16:32

Yeah, I've been kind of enjoying that just solo. That's been kind of a solo watch on a tablet. And then with my family the other night, we watched Glenn Powell's The Running Man kind of reboot. Yeah, you guys seen that yet?

SPEAKER_02 16:45

We did, we saw the theater together.

SPEAKER_04 16:48

Yeah, cool. What did you think about it?

SPEAKER_01 16:51

It was it was okay. Um I watched Schwarzenegger's Running Man. Not too much before that because I wanted to revisit that, and I'd I'd still rather watch Schwarzenegger's.

SPEAKER_02 17:05

Hell yeah.

SPEAKER_04 17:06

So as we're on this, I think we're all three in a similar pocket. I want to say about the Schwarzenegger one. I put a a heart on the rating of that movie because we did that movie on this podcast on this program right here.

SPEAKER_02 17:21

We did it for my Bertie. Go listen to it.

SPEAKER_04 17:24

Such a good episode, Chris Olds. Love Chris Olds. We love you too, Michael. Don't get over Christmas Chris Olds. Okay, there's a lot of love sharing a lot of love. It's good. I'm not ready to say that, but this feels very cable guy. Sometimes with the running, like stuff like the running man, I'll put a heart on that rating overall because I want to make sure that it's like, look, this is something that has like a level of weirdness or charm or specificity, or it's like I would watch this many, many times. I really enjoy it, but I understand why other people are like, uh, this is not my taste. I don't know how many people I've met that just fucking hate that Schwarzenegger running man.

SPEAKER_02 18:06

It's it's so cheese ball, but it's fun.

SPEAKER_04 18:09

It's a really watchable movie. Like, Michael, you're nodding.

SPEAKER_01 18:12

Yeah, I I I think a lot of those early Schwarzenegger movies have that same quality. And I really I like going back and visit revisiting them because I think that period of of movie making, they felt like they had to be so over the top to get like some shock value or to get a reaction out of people because that's what you know they thought this action genre was. And now I think a lot of those movies they're like they think they have to have a cohesive story or things need to make sense all the time. I think that's probably why John Wick was so successful because it sort of harkened back to some of those it's not logical, and we're not trying to be, you know.

SPEAKER_02 18:52

It's just fun. I mean the Schwarzenegger one like leaned into the absurd aspects of the world that it created, and it was like wrestling and like these characters were crazy, and like you believe that, like, oh my god, like this conglomerate has taken over, and this this like absurd world of like and like murder is so normalized, and it made that stuff I felt like went kind of away in the new one. Like, I felt like they didn't lean into a lot of those absurd things, they just were like, it's a reality show, and there's drones watching you, and you're like, Okay, I mean, that's not that different from now, so like give me a different world, maybe.

SPEAKER_04 19:37

This is what was so cool about that original one, and I mean that predates what I'm gonna use, but it's almost like there's like a little a level of idiocracy in it, yeah, like some sort of mass consumerism and mass corporatization and stuff like that. That's there. Like the satire doesn't always work, but like normally it works well enough. And I also I just want to shout Richard Dawson in that movie, who's a non-actor and was like apparently like a professional sleaze baller or whatever, but like and would like randomly kiss family feud contests and shit. Yeah. When Arnold Schwarzenegger looks him in the eye when he's in the tube and says, I'll be back, and Dawson looks at doesn't even look at him and looks kind of out into the crowd and says, Only in a rerun, and just throws that line away. It's like that guy just crushed a Schwarzenegger one-liner. That's pretty incredible. Only in a rerun.

SPEAKER_01 20:46

Yeah, I thought the the new one it was like it felt like they had to make it believable.

SPEAKER_04 20:52

Yeah, it was too grounded.

SPEAKER_01 20:54

And I yeah, yeah. I I I love the Schwarzenegger one, was like it's you know, it's it's fantastic, it's fake, it's like a apocalyptic future.

SPEAKER_02 21:03

Yeah, I mean, we gotta move on to, I mean, we're switching, we're we're going through the channel surfing right now, you know.

SPEAKER_04 21:09

TNT, you got to do that. We're done with IC pan on.

SPEAKER_02 21:12

Yeah, I want to say that like the biggest problem I had with that, the new one is like the arc of Ben Richards is going is going, it's watching him become this leader again and lead the resistance. And you don't get any of that in this new one. You get you get that in the OG one, like more so, you know. But in this, it's like we we see him like just be angry all the time, yell at the camera, flip off the camera, get people killed around him, and then it's like we jump cut to the end of the movie, and now he's leading the rebellion into the skyscraper. Like where where did you change?

SPEAKER_04 21:48

There was no McFleetwood. It needed Fleetwood. There wasn't. That was the problem.

"The Cable Guy" Facts

SPEAKER_02 21:54

All right, I'm changing the channel, Paul. We're going into the facts. Perfect.

SPEAKER_01 22:00

Archaeology search for facts.

SPEAKER_02 22:05

We all watched Cable Guy from 1996. It's a Brilstein Gray Columbia PG 13, if you can believe it. One hour and 36 minutes. The budget for this movie was uh estimated 47 million adjusted, that is 96.4 million. Opening weekend, June 16th, 1996. It made 19.8 million in the US, 40.6 million adjusted. Final gross North America, 60.2 million adjusted, 123.5. That's right. We're here to make you depressed about inflation. That's what this podcast is about. Final gross worldwide is 102.8 million adjusted. That is 210.9.

SPEAKER_04 22:50

Real quick, I just want to say I don't see 100 million dollars when I watch this movie.

SPEAKER_02 22:56

Was it in Carrie's uh paym?

SPEAKER_04 22:59

Like we'll talk about that. But it like this doesn't feel like a 100 million dollar movie. And that does it need to feel like 100 million dollars to be good? No, but it doesn't feel like a hundred million dollar, like massively budgeted movie. It doesn't it doesn't come across as that sure and also like this movie. I remember being programmed that this was like one of the huge failures of all time, and it's like, no, this movie made money, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:28

Yeah, I think a lot of that was in just the budget for the cast, yeah. Right because the cast was a powerhouse, you know, and obviously the guys weren't earning what they are today because they weren't as big as they are today. But this was like Pete Carey, like you know, I think I think that was the most anyone had ever made at the time.

SPEAKER_02 23:51

He was up there at the highest paid actor in Hollywood at a certain point.

SPEAKER_01 23:54

Maybe it was the mass, but it was around the same time where he he was breaking records like with every movie he took.

SPEAKER_04 24:02

We're gonna go over this pretty shortly. That that is the thing that was like ultimately, in terms of the look of the movie or this or that or the other, doesn't necessarily look like a hundred million dollar movie to me, but it's like is Jim Carrey worth the 20 million? Every penny.

SPEAKER_02 24:17

Oh yeah, every penny, every cent. Uh other releases this week, weekend. I'm sorry, other releases this weekend, no one cares during the week. Mole Flanders, which is not a Simpsons movie. No, okay, not at all. And Steeling at all. It's like you're wearing nothing at all.

SPEAKER_04 24:38

They're not related, nothing at all. Nothing at all.

SPEAKER_01 24:41

I have not seen either of those, but Mole Flanders.

SPEAKER_04 24:45

One is a Liv Tyler movie, and I forget what Maul Flanders is.

SPEAKER_02 24:50

Which is funny because 1996 I feel like this was awesome summers going to the movies.

SPEAKER_04 24:54

Um I had just got my AARP card. I had just started getting discounts, and so I was just and I had nothing else to do.

SPEAKER_02 25:02

You're retired. I was just going to the movies all the time. From the railroad. Uh, weekend top five. This movie, The Rock, Mission Impossible. I'm just gonna say it. First mission impossible, I want someone to bring it. I want to do the first mission possible on this program. That movie is the shit.

SPEAKER_01 25:17

It really is so fucking good. Have you guys done The Rock too?

SPEAKER_02 25:20

Haven't done The Rock. I would love someone to bring it up.

SPEAKER_01 25:22

That's another great one. Yeah, it's a cool lineup.

SPEAKER_02 25:24

Is he James Bond? I think so.

SPEAKER_04 25:27

I think he is too.

SPEAKER_02 25:29

Twister, which we did do. We did Twister, and we also did Twisters.

SPEAKER_04 25:34

We did do it, dude.

SPEAKER_02 25:35

And Dragon Heart. Other films from 96.

SPEAKER_04 25:38

Big Connery weekend.

SPEAKER_02 25:39

Yeah, you're right. Yeah. Other films from 96, Eraser, Tin Cup, The Mirror Has Two Faces, Sergeant Bilko, Eddie, the Phantom. We did Phantom. Listen to the Phantom episode. That was one of our first seasons. Two if by C and Ransom. Is my child? Ransom. Sold.

unknown 25:59

Howard?

SPEAKER_02 26:00

You let me know. Give me back, my son. Jimmy, you're gonna do it soon.

SPEAKER_03 26:04

We can cable gouda.

SPEAKER_02 26:09

What's happening? Letter. Did you say caber cable gouda?

SPEAKER_01 26:12

Like the doesn't he say cake cable gouda? He said something like that in there. Yeah. Oh, okay. Cable goodet.

SPEAKER_04 26:19

He says it's like some sort of gibberish.

SPEAKER_02 26:21

Uh letterbox average 3.1. Follow us on letterbox. I'm at run bmc.

SPEAKER_04 26:27

I am at Paul Axe Badly. Michael, what is the Instagram for little conejo again?

SPEAKER_01 26:33

It's little underscore konejo.

SPEAKER_04 26:35

So easy.

SPEAKER_02 26:37

So easy. Follow all those things. Siskel and Ebert split. So who was up?

SPEAKER_04 26:43

I don't understand your Siskel was up.

SPEAKER_02 26:46

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 26:47

I think that's what you have here. And then you put Sergeant Kabuki, which uh is a mystery man. But like why that's there, I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 26:55

Clarify that I do not write these.

SPEAKER_04 26:59

Siskel and Ebert reviewed a movie called Sergeant Kabuki Man NYPD in this episode, which we've talked about on this program.

SPEAKER_02 27:08

That is a real movie. That is true. I remember that. Rotten Tomatoes, 57%. That's low, guys. Come on, 51 popcorn. Metacritic 56, 6.9 user major award wins and nominations. Kid Choice Best Actor, I'm guessing for Carrie, and MTV actor and villain.

SPEAKER_04 27:26

All for Carrie. Yeah. All for JC. You know what? Two great comedians, two great actors from Canada, both JC, John Candy, Jim Carrey. Is that something? Director of this film was Ben Stiller. Zoolander, Tropic Thunder, Reality Bites. Ben is so disgusted right now. Writers, Lou Hork, Jr. This is his only credit. Music was John Ottman, Gothica, Superman Returns, Bubble Boy. Cinematography was Robert Brinkman, Sugar and Spice, Serving Sarah, and Inceno Man, which stars the favorite son of Cornish.

SPEAKER_02 28:16

My alumni, fellow alumni, Brendan Fraser.

SPEAKER_01 28:19

Brendan Fraser.

SPEAKER_04 28:20

You bet your bottom dollar. Producers Judd Apatau, Bridesmaids, Bernie Brillstein, R.I.P. Ghostbusters from 84, Brad Gray, R.I.P. The Replacement Killers, which I mentioned a moment ago, and Mark Gervitz, uh mostly TV and stand-up specials, and several other producers were involved. Jim Carrey, we just have him listed as cable guy. Cable Guy? You don't put him as chip? I did in my notes a lot. Okay. Mostly just called him Chip. Whenever I think, whenever I'm like Chip Douglas, Chip Douglas, that this is who I think of Leary Tate. Little show called My Three Sons. Sonic the Hedgehog, The Truman Show, and The Number 23. Is that something? Matthew Broderick, that's a top secret. Matthew Broderick was Steven Election War Games B movie. Leslie Mann was Robin Knocked Up. This is 40. George of the Jungle, also starring Brandon Fraser.

SPEAKER_00 29:27

Brandon Fraser.

SPEAKER_04 29:28

Jack Black was Rick. Never Ending Story 3. Nacho Libre, Dear Santa. George Siegel, R.I.P. was Dad. Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf? 2012. Is it 2012 or 2012?

SPEAKER_02 29:44

I don't think it matters. No one made a potato.

SPEAKER_04 29:47

And a movie called Carbon Copy. If anyone can tell me the premise or a basic breakdown of Carbon Copy, I will Venmo you$5 between the two of you.

SPEAKER_02 29:57

I'll just give you the yellow slip and I'll keep the pink one.

SPEAKER_04 30:01

Okay. It is uh George Siegel finds out he had a son many years ago, and that son is played by Denzel Washington. That's not what I think. That is a real movie.

SPEAKER_02 30:16

Nothing you can't miss. I mean, they look, I mean they're like carving copies of each other, so that makes total.

SPEAKER_04 30:23

Can't miss.

SPEAKER_02 30:24

They look exactly alike.

SPEAKER_04 30:26

Oh my goodness. What is the other one? I think it's like Denzel and Bob Hoskins. I can't remember the name of it, but it's like a couple movies. Diane Baker was mom, The Silence of the Lambs, Marnie, and A Mighty Wind. Ben Stiller was uh Stan and who's the brother? Stan and San? Stan and Stan. I'm still keeping it. Samuel and Stanton. Permanent Midnight Duplex, which was directed by Danny DeVito, I believe. And I think Ben Stiller really likes Danny DeVito as a director. I think I feel a lot of parallels.

SPEAKER_02 31:06

I mean, I feel some Tim Burton, I feel a lot of stuff through this piece of art, this work that's being served. Duplex came out while I was working at Hollywood Video, so I just remember the uh the cover of that DVD case very well. Did you steal it? I haven't seen it in so long. I like that movie too, Michael. Paul, I resent that question.

SPEAKER_04 31:28

Also, Ben Stiller was in Heavyweights, same character in Dodgeball. Basically, yeah. Yeah. Happy Gilmore. And maybe Happy Gilmore too. Hal L. Hal L. Eric Roberts was Eric Roberts, Runaway Train, Star 80, and the specialist, Janine Garofalo, was waitress, and she is fucking fantastic.

unknown 31:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 31:55

Wet Hot American Summer, Ratatouille, and Mystery Men. Listen to our mystery men episode. It's it's in the Wayback Machine, but it's it's in the annals, but it's real good. Did you catch way back in the annals?

SPEAKER_02 32:08

Did you cut catch Bob Odenkirk in there?

SPEAKER_04 32:10

We are gonna talk about this. We're gonna talk about Lou Holtz as well. Right.

SPEAKER_00 32:17

Michael Notre Dame reference.

SPEAKER_04 32:19

If you want to. Which it's like I find it very funny that the writer of this movie is Lou Holtz, and there's a character with a lisp, and Lou Holtz is not related to Lou Holtz, the coach with the lisp.

SPEAKER_01 32:34

I I have to say thank you for putting the in parentheses, it's not related to the football coach. I was about to Google it, like as I read the name, sure. I just kept reading and it answered it for me.

SPEAKER_04 32:46

So I tried sometimes sometimes. I did this part. I did the good the part that helped you. I did it. That was me.

SPEAKER_01 32:55

Is it true that he like sued Jed Apato or he he had something with Jed Apito?

FUN Facts

SPEAKER_04 33:01

Yeah, it's you're gonna talk about it.

SPEAKER_01 33:03

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 33:04

Fun facts, fun facts, everybody. It's fun fact time.

SPEAKER_01 33:09

Okay. This film is packed with cameo appearances from the world of comedy at improv. Here are a few of those. Andy Dick, David Cross, Amy Stiller, Owen Wilson, Joel Murray, Kathy Griffin, Michael Rivkin, Bob Odenkirk, Kyle Gass, and others.

SPEAKER_04 33:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 33:24

The Kyle Gass cameo. The Kyle Gass cameo is great.

SPEAKER_04 33:28

Legend.

SPEAKER_02 33:29

Yeah, it was this is before this is before Meet the Parents, right?

SPEAKER_04 33:33

But after the Ben Stiller show.

SPEAKER_02 33:36

Okay. Which I think.

SPEAKER_01 33:37

Because a lot of these guys are in right in the Ben Stiller show.

SPEAKER_02 33:40

If memory serves. I served Owen Wilson in a restaurant. Wow, you're so dumb. At my restaurant that I used to work at. And he did, in fact, say, Wow.

SPEAKER_04 33:50

Did you follow him into the bathroom? Did you get beat up in the bathroom? Were you? Were you then in the newspaper? It was at salt big.

SPEAKER_02 33:59

And I saw him at he was at the bar waiting for his table, and I was look, I was like on my phone on a break, and I and I just saw like on I hadn't seen that he was there yet. And it was the same day that announced like Owen Wilson casting Loki. Uh and I was like, Oh, that's an interesting casting. And then I looked up and he was just standing at the bar, and I'm like, Is that is that something?

SPEAKER_04 34:19

Is that something? Wow. Scoot it up. Scoot it up.

SPEAKER_02 34:23

He was very nice, and he had two very attractive women with him, and they sat down for dinner.

SPEAKER_01 34:27

Awesome. Okay, so in my fun facts, Lou Holtz Jr., son of a famous actor, writer, and not the football coach, had the idea for the film when he saw a cable company employee in the hallway of his mother's apartment building and started thinking, what's he doing here so late?

SPEAKER_02 34:45

It's crazy that this is his only credit.

SPEAKER_04 34:48

I think it's so well written.

SPEAKER_02 34:50

Yeah, it's a tight script.

SPEAKER_04 34:52

I also love but the joke in Seinfeld when Kramer is leading on the cable guy, and it's like the references to the cable company throughout Seinfeld, and I think Stiller probably loves Seinfeld and etc. etc. But like the yeah, the cable guy is supposed to be sometime between noon and my death from like I thought about Seinfeld a lot as I watched this too, which for me is like a good thing.

SPEAKER_05 35:18

You got a question.

SPEAKER_01 35:19

Me too. I think about Seinfeld all the time, so that's not really it didn't signal anything really to me. Um normal every day. So Judd Apatau only received producer credit. He was one of the film's writers. He was denied a screenwriting credit by the Writers Guild of America and challenged the ruling. Apatau lost in an intense WGA battle with Lou Holtz Jr. over writing credits. According to Ben Stiller, Holtz's original was basically a silly buddy comedy. Apatau made it a bleak, made it bleaker per Jim Carrey's request, going for a funny version of the classic stalker films. Apatau claimed there was no physical humor in Holt's version. Carrie described the finished product as Hitchcock meets Jerry Lewis.

SPEAKER_02 36:03

Interesting.

SPEAKER_04 36:03

That's such a good way to sum that up, too. Like Hitchcock meets Jerry. Has anyone seen Single White Female or has anyone seen Play Misty for Me? Which Single White Female.

SPEAKER_01 36:13

I was gonna bring that up because I'm so glad. I love that movie. It reminds me of this a little bit.

SPEAKER_04 36:24

I think so. There's gotta be a couple hundred movies at least absolutely on my breaker list. And it shouldn't be a breaker because it follows all the rules, but it's on my list.

SPEAKER_01 36:37

Yeah, I saw that one on there. Kiano did a the Watcher one?

SPEAKER_04 36:41

Water.

SPEAKER_01 36:42

Yeah. Obviously a stalker movie.

SPEAKER_04 36:45

Well, and like Scream and like so many movies are about stalkers. Like that's true. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:51

But the medieval time scene, Carrie asks for Broderick's chicken skin and then performs an unscripted silence of the land reference. I think we all remember this one. Um he just asked for the skin out of nowhere, and Broderick's reaction was totally genuine. Um Stiller loved it and decided to use it in the film, regardless of the angle and cuts that were needed or made.

SPEAKER_02 37:11

That's so weird.

SPEAKER_01 37:13

It's so I don't you gotta believe that was the bit that he he just does, right? Or did it just come to him there?

SPEAKER_02 37:22

I he's a weirdo. I mean, you've seen, especially as he gotten older, it's like he just goes full into every single role, like, and it's definitely affected him in a very interesting way.

SPEAKER_04 37:33

I love like the Dr. Robotnik shit. I find it so interesting and like unhinged and the way that he leans into it. And I find his art very interesting. Like, I know he's leaned really hard into that. We were talking about putting art out into the world and finishing it and moving on to the next painting. Like he's very passionate about stuff outside of the comedy and acting world.

SPEAKER_02 37:54

Hallucinogens, right?

SPEAKER_04 37:56

And maybe.

SPEAKER_02 37:57

I believe he is uh all right, JC.

SPEAKER_01 38:00

He seems like he's on some some sort of really great wavelength because he seems like very happy and very at peace with everything. Yeah, and you know, I imagine fame and what he went through, you know, it's not easy to come out of unscathed.

SPEAKER_04 38:16

Oh yeah, dude. Well, and just the way that he does certain things, it's like if anyone's seen the Man in the Moon documentary, we even talk much about Jim Carrey on this.

SPEAKER_02 38:26

And it was Earth Girls are easy, he's the only one we've done.

SPEAKER_04 38:29

Yeah, and he had you know, he's like fifth or sixth build in that movie, yeah. And so we didn't shed a lot of light, but he is just such an incredible performer, artist.

SPEAKER_02 38:42

He's just such an interesting person and definitive for this time frame, like in cinema.

SPEAKER_01 38:50

Yeah, I can remember him saying a few things that I just really locked on to about manifesting, and you know, I think we probably all heard of writing that check to himself, yeah. Um, and then actually going through and caching it. Just it seems like a lot of things, the really healthy positive stuff that came to fruition for him. I think it's really cool, really cool story, too. Yeah, kind of rags to riches.

SPEAKER_04 39:15

No, I agree. I I love going back and seeing even his like MTV movie awards acceptance speeches and shit like that, and Golden Globes except he's just like a very raw. I think that's the other thing, too, is when you do stuff like Eternal Sunshine and Truman Show and Man and the Moon, and you go to the the places that this person goes and other things in life that he's dealt with, like these things change you. So it's just like like Ben was saying too, like this clump, this artist in this clump of time is so carry so much weight, I think, just in through generations, uh most likely.

SPEAKER_02 39:53

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 39:54

Yeah, I think this movie was sort of uh I don't know if it was a turning point or what, but he had never done anything really like this. He was just sort of a physical goofball comedian character.

SPEAKER_02 40:05

It was like Ace Ventura was big, right?

SPEAKER_01 40:08

So yeah, and the mask. I think I don't know if it was before or after, but it was right around the same time. And you know, Fire Marshal Bill and you know, he was just kind of color, yeah. Yeah. Speaking of that, this movie didn't use a major marketing campaign or wide publicity push. The idea that the movie was a disaster was created and pushed by rival studios and production houses because they were angry that Sony set the high market for salaries, giving Carrie 20 million to star.

SPEAKER_04 40:37

That's crazy. That this was essentially a thing where they were like, we're giving up marketing marketing dollars to pay people, and that pissed off other studios so much that they went out of their way to try to tank it. And it seems like we're not successful at tanking it.

SPEAKER_01 40:57

Well, didn't you say you like were under the impression that this movie was a bust?

SPEAKER_04 41:01

Yeah, and I was I was wrong. I was wrong. They got me.

SPEAKER_02 41:06

This episode is brought to you by propaganda, by the way.

SPEAKER_04 41:09

Which is what every episode is made of.

SPEAKER_01 41:12

I think this episode's a bust, too. Like it's what incorrect. Maybe then it won't. No, if I'm saying maybe then it won't be a bust. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 41:22

Start the start that campaign. Let's start the smear campaign now.

SPEAKER_04 41:25

Let's start the don't bust. We know we know busting makes you feel good, but don't bust. Michael, if you want to, you can take a crack at the log line. Otherwise, I'm happy to read it. And I'm happy to also.

SPEAKER_03 41:39

Oh, go ahead, go ahead, go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 41:40

A designer makes a grievous mistake when he rejects the friendship of a borderline cable guy.

SPEAKER_02 41:45

I have two issues with this log line.

SPEAKER_01 41:49

I disagree.

SPEAKER_02 41:51

A designer, not important information, like really not important information. Uh, maybe like a recently uh like it's all about his lost relationship. Like out of a fresh relationship, uh, a single guy makes the and saying borderline cable guy is a weird way to say that.

SPEAKER_04 42:14

It is a weird way to say it, and that's the thing is like he's not borderline mentally, obviously, is what they're trying to say, or borderline in terms of his psychological whatever or his mental. Yeah, but it it's like he's not a borderline cable guy, he's a full-on, like the best cable guy that's ever lived. He's amazing.

SPEAKER_02 42:33

That's why it doesn't quite make sense.

SPEAKER_04 42:35

I don't think Steven makes a grievous mistake when he rejects the friendship. I think it's when he accepts the friendship, is when he makes the grievous mistake. If he never accepted the friendship in the first place, it wouldn't have been a problem.

SPEAKER_01 42:50

Yeah, I think that's really fun about their relationship because I think Steven, you know, goes through times where he does want to be his friend, but then that sort of always backfires on him. And you know, I think we can all relate to a time when we've either been one or the other, where it's like, it's cool that this person wants to be my friend, or hey, I really want this person to be my friend.

Brought To You By

SPEAKER_04 43:12

You know, I've said it out loud. Oh, I'm so glad. I've won I want to be friends with you and this person, or whatever. And then people are like, uh I'm making the little T sign. It's like the necklace with the little T. It's got the T on it. I want to get one of those. We're gonna hit the break, baby. Break time.

SPEAKER_02 43:31

Go to our propaganda about this podcast.

SPEAKER_04 43:34

Oh boy. Okay, we are gonna take however long we want. See you in a minute. We hope that you enjoyed the previous episode for that very real product.

SPEAKER_02 44:10

Let's not let's not bring uh speech impediments into this episode. Otherwise we're we're never gonna stop. I did have um a speech class when I was a kid. Dude, like at my own independent, like in elementary school, I had to go to a speech therapist.

SPEAKER_04 44:28

I've struggled with some stuttering and some minor dyslexia, sometimes more so with numbers, but a little bit with words as well. And like that definitely has caused some stuttering in life. And I don't know if anybody else catches this. Like, part of the reason why he or feels this, I think why Jim Carrey has this thing happening in terms of the lisp is not only that he had diastemia or whatever the gap in his tooth when he was a child, like he caught a fucking Kodiak work boot and had reconstructive surgery, and at a point he gets punched and it fixes it and gets punched again. And it's like, has his jaw just been out of place for a long time? Like the things that this movie like throws at you in like exposition. Oh man, I can't wait to talk about this. I can't wait to talk about this, Michael.

SPEAKER_02 45:23

Do you know what do you know what this is?

SPEAKER_01 45:25

Looked like maybe a deck of cards.

SPEAKER_02 45:28

You are correct, sir. You are correct, sir. This is a deck of a game called Cinephile. Basically, it is uh a deck of cards that has an actor and a and a movie title on it. So you'll just read what's on the card, just read the actor's name and the movie title. Paul will name a movie that that actor is in, I'm gonna name a movie that actor's in, you will name, and we'll go around until one of us can't. And whoever can't gets to talk about their first experience with the movie Cable Guy, as well as their most recent experience. Does that make sense? Yep. Great. All right, you let me know when you want me to stop flipping the deck.

SPEAKER_01 46:08

Stop.

SPEAKER_02 46:11

Okay. Now we're talking.

SPEAKER_01 46:13

Uh fear and loathing in Las Vegas.

SPEAKER_02 46:15

Oh man, that's the one I had in my head too. Okay. License to kill. Uh because we're in Star Wars The Last Jedi.

SPEAKER_01 46:25

One battle after another. Just watched it recently.

Cinephile Round

SPEAKER_02 46:28

My wife was just watching that. Same. Sicario. Um 13 grams? Is that not what it's called? No. No. 30 what is it called? 21 grams. 21 grams. I knew there was a number.

SPEAKER_04 46:46

We that could have been, I don't know. I don't know how far we were gonna get. But I mean Snatch? What were you what'd you say? Snatch. Oh, yeah. I was gonna say uh Sicario 2 Day of the Soldado.

SPEAKER_02 47:00

Oh, is he in that one?

SPEAKER_04 47:02

He is okay. Yeah. And I wanted to try to pull up some other like young Benicios, but I was blanking.

SPEAKER_02 47:10

Okay, Ben. I'm just bummed I got the number wrong. I think it's okay. Talking about number dyslexia.

SPEAKER_04 47:16

Yeah, I the number 23 is the one that we're concerned about today. It's a top secret.

SPEAKER_02 47:21

Uh so growing up, my big carries were, especially in this time frame, definitely uh Ace Ventura, definitely the mask. Smoking even uh Ace Ventura when Nature Calls. All of the sort of like big, goofy, silly ones loved them, watched them over and over and over and over with my brother, obsessed. And I remember seeing this movie at a young age, let's see, 96. So I was only 10. I was only 10. And so I remember seeing it and it wasn't goofy, and it wasn't like funny. And I think for someone who's 10 or 11 or however old I was, it didn't quite have the impact. Like I remember Yeah, kids are dumb. Kids are dumb, but also like you know, when you're used to this sort of broad comedy that this man does, it's not something that like stuck.

First & Current Experiences

SPEAKER_04 48:13

And it was marketed that way, I feel like it was marketed as a funny movie when I remember seeing.

SPEAKER_02 48:19

I mean, I feel like everything he things about it like we were saying, he didn't really make that transition into Man on the Moon or Truman Show yet.

SPEAKER_04 48:26

Right, but this wasn't like a broad comedy, but it like I feel like they marketed it that way.

SPEAKER_01 48:32

And maybe I'm wrong, but well, yeah, I think just because he was in it, I just thought that's what it was gonna be.

SPEAKER_04 48:38

Yeah, yeah, and that that could be it, is that it was just us the that I'm just and I didn't I didn't dislike it.

SPEAKER_02 48:44

I I I don't remember exactly when I watched it, if it was on TV at a certain point, you know, on TBS, or if I watched it on an HBO or what have you, but I would have probably given it three three stars, and you know, I've watched it several times since then, and it's definitely grown uh in favor for me. And watching it last night and like giving it my full no dual screen bullshit attention, like giving it all of myself was yeah. That is dangerous. That is dangerous. You were doing anything dangerous? Um, I I really, really, really enjoyed it. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. Uh, and I I really enjoy Bestler's direction, I really enjoy the themes of this movie. I think that it's a movie about connection, and it leans so hard into like I love a good theme, and I love when a good theme is connect, like every character is kind of connected in this theme. Like the thing that always stuck out to me that I think of when I think of this movie is the karaoke scene and him singing, and even that song, like, don't you want somebody to love, don't you need somebody to love? Wouldn't you love somebody to love? Like this, this is somebody who is like crying out for someone to just like please give him some connection, some so cringe before that term.

SPEAKER_04 50:10

I feel like it existed.

SPEAKER_02 50:12

Yeah, yeah, it is, and I think that as a kid, like it was it was too like ooh, weird and dark, and I don't really understand why like this isn't very funny. But I'm I I you know I'm sitting at four chips, which for you all, chip was my nickname in college, so I was you can call me chip for the rest of this. Um four out of five chips, and my only my my my my biggest thing on the movie is I don't I don't feel a lot of change from Matthew Broderick's character from like beginning to end. I don't see exactly what he needs to fix about himself, other than like his relationship. It's not really established that he treats people poorly or that he he doesn't seem out of line with the some of the things he wants to get rid of Chip Douglas because you're like, Yeah, I would want to get rid of this guy too. So that's my only thing. Uh, but yeah, I'm at four chips out of five.

SPEAKER_04 51:12

Michael, I'm gonna give you the floor if you'd like it, but I'm happy to speak first. Whatever you want to do.

SPEAKER_01 51:19

No, I'll go after it because I have a I have a hot take on that that I've sort of been made fun of or um disagreed with. Um, and I I think that Ben Stiller probably didn't want to cast himself in the role of Steven, but I think he would have done a better job than Matthew Broderick. I like Matthew Broderick, I think he's obviously got a great body of work, um, and he's been a really successful actor for a long time. But I just think Ben Stiller's awesome, especially in those roles.

SPEAKER_04 51:55

Yeah, like something about Mary or Meet the Parents, like the Meet the Parents as the straight man, the anxiety, the anxiety-ridden control freak, straight man, he's so good.

SPEAKER_01 52:05

Yeah, yeah. Meet the parents. I like that you brought that up because the scene where they are at Steven's parents' house, that all that reminds me of Meet the Parents. Oh my god, that's funny. I didn't think of that.

SPEAKER_02 52:17

Oh, yeah, you're right. I didn't think of that. And it yeah, and Owen Wilson's character, kind of in Meet the Parents.

SPEAKER_04 52:24

Yeah, maybe the same guy for all we know. Michael, did you always love this movie? What was your first experience with this movie? How would you have rated it?

SPEAKER_01 52:33

I did. I was a huge Jim Carrey fan growing up. Um, I loved everything he did. And I think I liked that this movie wasn't what I expected it was going to be. I I I went into it thinking it was going to be kind of like Ace Ventura or in that same realm, and it surprised me. And I I think, you know, looking back now, I probably was a little bit of a contrarian. So I think the fact that people didn't like it, um, I wanted to like it because I was a huge Kerry fan too. There was there was probably an element of that in it too. But um, I just thought it was really weird, and I had never really seen a movie like this where it was like a single white female scared me.

unknown 53:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 53:14

That was an intense, suspenseful thing. And this sort of played the line of that. And I think there's a lot of towing the line in this movie a lot. Like Jim Carrey's character, he he's very um, he's smart.

SPEAKER_04 53:28

I think that's one thing that's extremely right.

SPEAKER_01 53:31

I think that's something that's really cool about it. Um he's he's good, he's a good technician uh for installing cable, and yeah, um, he's also maniacal in how he he gets Steven and Robin together at the same night that he's supposed to go to the Soundgarden concert with Jack Black's character. Um there's a lot of that too. Like even the very first scene, I think he he comes in right when he's putting the shampoo on his hair. Um and I thought so seeing it now, so I've seen it so many times, but I wonder, was he watching him that closely where he was like, I'm gonna knock when right when he puts the shampoo on it?

SPEAKER_02 54:14

Whoa, that's okay. He's clearly been in that apartment.

SPEAKER_04 54:18

Now you might already be changing my ratings.

SPEAKER_02 54:20

He wired that apartment before.

SPEAKER_04 54:21

So he could have he could have added the old McNear, please. Uh Michael, this out of five, your first viewing was already like a five? No, I where are you at?

SPEAKER_01 54:34

I think I might have added a five back then because I did. It was my favorite movie for a long time. But I think it's a four for me.

SPEAKER_03 54:43

Oh, it's a four. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 54:44

Yeah. I I I think it's a wonderful cast, and I think the the movie's really cool. I like that it's like a dark comedy, but it doesn't get too dark to where you feel dirty leaving it. Um the only thing I would say is like the ending sort of is a little clunky for me.

SPEAKER_05 55:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 55:02

Um, you know, he doesn't have a plan on the satellite. It's a really cool place to go to end the movie, but there's just some things in the end that it's just kind of like I think we're gonna end up talking about the end a good amount.

SPEAKER_04 55:14

But you're at four.

SPEAKER_01 55:16

This way I can't give it a five, but yeah, four. That's a solid four, and I love I love the movie.

SPEAKER_04 55:20

And you can work in quarter point increments from here, Po. So you're at a four now. If you want to go down to a 3.75, up to a 4.25, and those types of increments, you're good to go. Four maces from medieval times. Yeah, the medieval times fight. Okay, nice.

SPEAKER_02 55:40

I've never been to medieval times, but every time anyone brings it up, but this is the this is all I think about. It's just this movie.

SPEAKER_01 55:45

Yeah, I watched a thing where they were saying he was surprised that it had never been in a movie before.

SPEAKER_02 55:51

I do know it's non-union, which sounds awful.

SPEAKER_04 55:54

At that time, at that time it was, or now it's still that's really disappointing to hear because that the I didn't know their strike uh was unsuccessful. Oh, maybe that changed it.

SPEAKER_02 56:05

Maybe that changed it.

SPEAKER_04 56:06

I didn't I don't know. I certainly hope that they joined SAGAFTRA.

SPEAKER_02 56:10

But wouldn't it smell like horse manure in there?

SPEAKER_04 56:12

Oh, I assume I would not want to eat in that, but shut it down. No, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 56:18

It's a weird concept if you were to describe it to someone.

SPEAKER_02 56:22

And it's indoors, right? Yeah, like if it were outdoor, like a renaissance fair, then maybe, but this is like these horses are kicking around their own shit.

SPEAKER_04 56:31

Well, but also you're drinking Pepsi. What's the fucking difference?

SPEAKER_02 56:35

I would like a Pepsi. They have Pepsi.

SPEAKER_04 56:38

Is Pepsi okay? No, it's not. You can actually just bring me literally a fistful of that horse shit, but thank you.

SPEAKER_02 56:44

Paul, Paul, I am I'm I am I am aching at the at the bones to know what your rating is.

SPEAKER_04 56:50

I owned this movie as a kid. I don't wait, a kid? Yeah, no, I was four, three and a half, four. And I saw this on cable of some sort HBO, some sort of premium channel, and I don't remember what mystified me about this, but gentlemen, I probably watched this movie through a few years of the 90s into the 2000s or some such. I couldn't tell you how many times I was that latchky kid.

SPEAKER_02 57:25

Yeah, I was gonna say, Paul, do you because how much of the I don't know if it's Chip Douglas? Because here's a person. My name's Larry Tate, that's besides the point. Here's a person who's mostly references, right? Sure came into my life through a real weird prank. Whoa, whoa, whoa, but latch themselves onto me as one of the as a friend, and the whole time I was like, is this the story of Paul Root? Is this your number 12?

SPEAKER_04 57:51

Is this your is your favorite number 23? What's your favorite basketball player, Michael Jordan? No, I I don't know how many times I've seen this movie in my life. It was four and a half cassette tapes from Dr. Swears. Yeah. I always felt kind of odd going to bat for this movie, partially because it is so specific. So this was the thing for me, having been removed for many years. I'm now almost 89 years old. Wow. Later this year.

SPEAKER_02 58:31

You look great. Look great.

SPEAKER_04 58:32

Thank you. Thank you so much. I sh uh I shaved the mustache off and just grew this soul patch, this little soul patch, which makes me look young.

SPEAKER_02 58:41

You're gonna run for president now that you're old enough.

SPEAKER_04 58:43

That's the plan, motherfucker. Camacho! So uh I re-watched this movie mostly in the focus of like, am I gonna put a heart on this movie? I don't think my score will change. Michael, we can only work in half increments, not quarter increments, as we are not guests, we are peasants, you are royalty, you are knight, you are a knight. Medieval tie. Medieval tie. Smells like shit. So that's propaganda. That's not true. It smells amazing in there. So I am not going to put a heart on this movie. I'm still at a four and a half. I find this movie really, really satisfying. I find the main big thing to be that it seems like Steven feels like a co-star in his own life, and Chip's function is to make him feel more like the star of his own life rather than the co-star in terms of his relationship. That's also what's going to make Robin happy. I'm really satisfied with the ending, up to and including the one real thread that's left open intentionally by the movie, and I find it so satisfying. And like the Kyle Gass appearance in that moment when that happens is so satisfying. So, listener, good news. I'm gonna be real, this is not propaganda.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:14

Great, not a smear campaign.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:16

No, no eyes of spies, no bridges, no cribbage. Does anybody here play cribbage? I my grandparents did.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:27

Great, poorly. I like I enjoy cribbage, but I don't play it.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:30

I can never retain how to do it.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:32

Yeah, I always need a refresher on the rules.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:35

We're at a four, a four. We'll talk off mic about a refresher because I need one too, so let's just scramble each other's brains. Fuck it. And a four and a half. Let's talk about it.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:56

Stick in the movie.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:00

And now a feature presentation.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:04

I'm impressed by the level of style uh that this movie has immediately with the staticky TV and the staticky titles. And also, Ben, you were talking about it, like the references that this movie does, like what's what's real, what's not, what's a what's a construct, what if what if people picked up in their personality from the babysitter? And and the movie sets the tone immediately with that, and that fucking amazing song. I wish I could remember the artist. As the soundtrack for this movie fucking rules, it's so good. But where she's singing about TV being the thing, and if you listen to that song, it's all about fucking which is also cool.

Start the Movie (conversation)

SPEAKER_02 1:01:47

It's always so interesting to me when we have these uh stories of latchke kids who like Scrooged had a similar thing where it's like these kids were raised by TV.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:00

Another movie with Joel Murray. Is that a thing? Oh, maybe. And in this movie, Joel Murray wears a Chicago bullshirt. We all know Michael Jordan played for the Is This a Thing? Seeing young Jack Black immediately, too, is also like, oh shit. Right. There's a piece of me that almost forgot about that kind of what's the first movie you remember seeing Jack Black in? It's gotta be this, I guess.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:30

When did Enemy of the State come out?

SPEAKER_01 1:02:33

Oh yeah, that's a good call.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:35

Year or two later. Great action movie. Uh I thought we would have done more Tony Scott's than Days of Thunder. I'm a big fan of this. So far on this podcast.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:44

Is it a sequel to the conversation? Is that is that a thing?

SPEAKER_04 1:02:47

Oh, we are doing a lot of this in this episode.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:50

Jack Black, young Jack Black. I mean, this is like it's crazy to me how how long he has been working.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:57

30 plus years.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:59

Yeah. Um, but getting to meet these characters, getting to, and and I think it's a really great way of doing the exposition dump. Uh, and I don't feel it doesn't feel too exposition-y dumpy just to be like, don't call Robin. It's giving us, it's just a simple line delivery, but it's giving us exactly we know we know exactly what's going on now. I just think it's a great uh great writing.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:20

That answering machine is fucking brutal, though. Like uh this is the stuff in the Broderick performance that I like when she's like, if Steven doesn't live here anymore, and you just like he's immediately like, ugh, without really overdoing it. And I don't feel a ton of the fair Ferris Bueller's so imprinted on so many of us. I'm one of those people, and I don't feel that in this movie as much as I do in some of his other work.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:50

Yeah, I think that's fair. I I'm a huge Ben Stiller fan, so I'm sure I'm always thinking about that, and I think that he plays that awkward sort of um I don't know, every man that just has hard luck.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:07

Yeah, yeah, he is great at it.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:09

And he clearly wrote it, or it was partially what Apato or whatever wrote it with him in mind, I think.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:16

I think that's what I was gonna say. I wonder if you gave him truth serum, you know, do you write that thinking he was that that was his part?

SPEAKER_05 1:04:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:24

I do love him as Sam and Stan. I without like recasting this, but like I even that little flicker in the beginning of the movie where it's showing all these real TV clips and that random thing that doesn't exist in life outside of this movie of the Sam and Stan's weet trial.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:43

Is it supposed to be a Menendez Brothers sort of?

SPEAKER_04 1:04:46

It is, it has to be, right? Yeah, it is supposed to be that. The and by the way, I feel like this movie is like five acts in an epilogue. Like this this the script like chugs right along, but it was Michael. We obsess over this sometimes where it's like, how many acts are in this script without having read it? Can we figure it out? And I feel like that there's one kind of like very short act, but overall it feels like five acts in an epilogue. But the the cable guy showing up while you're in the shower. Yeah, and even that's gone over in the exposition that's happened that he's waiting for the cable guy.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:27

Right when he puts the shampoo on. Yeah, you know, it's not just that he's in the shower, it's like immediately when he just gets a ladder going, it's like the most annoying time of the show.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:39

Don't leave!

SPEAKER_01 1:05:41

Hold on, and then yeah, he answers the door and he's like, uh, maybe I shouldn't have come at all.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:48

Jerk off. He's immediate just unfucking hinged. And the way he refers to this apartment as oh yeah, the old McNair place, it's like, what the fuck? Where who is This guy, where are we?

SPEAKER_01 1:06:02

Yeah, does he say, like, I'm surprised they got the floors cleaned?

SPEAKER_04 1:06:05

Yeah, cats. A lot of cats. Yeah, but that, but then he also knows exactly where he finds the cable, so he's been there.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:15

He likes flicking the wall's nipple and like being like that's right here. Like, what a fucking weirdo, man.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:21

Is this when you kick him out right here, or do you let him keep going? That's the other thing I think this movie is talking about is the the the way that we're over polite.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:31

I don't remember, like, I don't remember the last time I cut cable. Wit when the last time I had cable in my house, it's gotta be 10 plus years ago. You don't have a choice. You got you got your you gotta have this guy do the thing.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:46

You don't you don't fucking like kick him out and call the cable company and say, like, give me somebody else. What the fuck is going on here?

SPEAKER_02 1:06:54

Yeah, but yeah, I mean like I miss the chaos of cable sometimes. Like the the channel surfing, the way that he when he sure is just like you know, you just flip onto something and be like, Oh, cool, I'm gonna watch Apocalypse Now. Right.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:07

I find myself doing that just with the menu of different things to watch. Yeah, like I don't ever click on anything, I just want to see what I can possibly watch. And then that before I know it, I'm like, I just need to go to bed.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:21

Netflix, just give me the two dollars a month plan where I can just look what I could watch if I subscribed, and I can look at as much as I want. I would probably do that.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:33

I've yeah, I'd probably kick this guy out.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:35

I mean, I would be like, get the fuck out of here, dude. But the he pulls out this insane drill bit and and punches a hole in the wall and is like, Well, have you channeled Thurfin in no time? And the way he programs the remote and has rearranged the whole thing.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:53

You know what you brought up Danny DeVito and actually Death of Smoochie, like the way that the style of this is very Death of Smoochie.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:00

Thought of the same thing. Thought about throw mama from the train a little bit. I thought about a few different things, twins, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:05

And he rearranges the whole putting the TV directly in front of the entryway into the room.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:10

Yeah, the back of the TV.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:13

Yeah, twins. You have to get around it, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:16

And your guest has to look at the back of your fucking TV when they walk in. When they walk in, yeah. Just the worst. And I like that we're or they're already they want us as the audience, I think. Stiller wants us to feel like this Sam and Stan Sweet thing is so important.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:36

It's like running parallel. This whole thing is parallel to that, so it is important to a degree.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:41

Yeah, well, and he's talking about Stan Sam. One of them killed him. Joined a cult in Salem, Oregon. Like a clear shout out to like the Bogwan and like the fucking weirdos that tried to take over Armadillo a million years ago. But the even like the gag that Jim Carrey plays on him about the cable, like he's baiting him already right there. That's when he's starting to do like the like scare you, reward you, scare you, reward you, like hurt you, pet you, hurt you, pet you.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:18

My I have a question. Yeah, because he knows he knows that Steve and Robin broke up from researching their cable history. Yeah. Uh did he and he doesn't work for a cable company, he's clearly like out on his own. So did he like intercept this call for cable? Do you know what I'm saying? Like, did he choose Steve in out of all these people? Because he was like, This guy is desperate, he's alone, he's single, he'll be my friend. I'm gonna like cancel this guy's other cable.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:51

I bet he surfs to see when the the names change, right? If if somebody comes on or off of a thing. Because it seems like he intercepts calls, right? Like he's hanging on the wire and he's on directly tapped in.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:08

Okay, interesting. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:10

When he still has all the equipment, yeah. He still has the van and and everything.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:17

And he describes the internet beautifully, really accurately, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:22

Dude, like Steven, what does he call it? Superhighway. Superhighway, yeah. They they have this awkward goodbye, and Jim Carrey like hooks him into plans with him to like hang out. And we were talking about this, like it's in the dynamics at Steven's job are important, but what Steven does is not important. Not at all. Like, is he a designer? Is he an architect? Does he work an acquisition? Like, it who fucking who knows?

SPEAKER_02 1:10:51

Murders and executions, right?

SPEAKER_04 1:10:52

Yeah, exactly. But Steven, like, he's got this idea where he's like, Yeah, we have this former school, we're gonna retrofit it, redo it as condos, seems like a good idea, but they're showing how depressed he is, where he's like, he's gonna buy like Tony Robbins shit and whatever, and he's at this very, very low point, and Jim Carrey shows up and gives him an emotional sponge, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:22

At a at a very vulnerable place. It's weird to be invited out on a date with your cable guy. Uh, but you know, Paul once came up to me in improv class and was like, Is your girlfriend Jessica Aaron Martin? And then we're here we are doing a podcast.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:39

So flash forward years and many copies of trawn. Here we are sometimes.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:44

You gotta say yes to those weirdos.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:47

Say yes to life. I I think it's really interesting, and I'm wondering what you guys think when Steven and Chip go on this trip on the information super highway to the cable satellite, and as we were talking about, like uh it'll connect every phone, every television, every everything. You'll be able to play Mortal Kombat with a friend in Vietnam, which is true and has been true for a good long while. Steven says, like, yeah, my dad was there, but he might as well not have been. And Chip is like a very active listener and takes things in and responds, and then tells this like horrific story that feels autobiographical about getting his fucking face kicked in and reconstructive surgery, and Steven's like, you know, you can do something about that lisp, and like that's the like it comes out of nowhere and it's very offensive. Well, and like that's the thing is like somehow this script and this direction and these actors are so good at keeping these people likable through this mostly like upsetting journey. I don't know how else to put it.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:13

You don't just like ask someone if you can fix their speech impediments, not a thing you should do, but the first time you ever hang out with them.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:21

Yeah, like what what difference does it make to you? Like, what the fuck are we doing? This guy literally just was you were like, my dad was an absentee dad, and this other guy was like, My dad broke my face, and he was like, Yeah, you gotta fix that list. It's like, what the fuck are we doing here? Like, what is going on?

SPEAKER_02 1:13:41

Yeah, I guess okay, so I guess this is what I'm saying is I feel like at the beginning there's not a clear introduction to me as to what is wrong with Steven. What does he need to fix?

SPEAKER_04 1:13:53

He needs to be more assertive and make decisions, I think, and not get so pissed off. I think that's the main thing is like not react to difficult things with volatility or like anger or violence.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:10

And when is that I guess where and when is that like said or established?

SPEAKER_04 1:14:16

I think he goes off the rails really quick with the sleepless in Seattle thing and with sleeping with another person. So I think he's like very quick to emotional shit.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:28

And is that what Robin? But I okay, so what does Robin want from him that he doesn't is not giving? Because I feel like what the movie is wanting to do is it's wanting to say there's something missing from Steven that and that's why his relationship is failing. Chip is going to help him get that thing, and then Robin's going to be good with it, but I don't know if it I don't know what that thing is.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:53

Again, it's like a level of assertiveness. I think it's established at the the family meetup, too. Like calming down, like being assertive, and and kind of like logical or rational decision making, the way that he reacts when you remove chip from the situation, yeah, that's the thing is chip is the straw that stirs the drink. I assume we all agree here for the month for almost the entirety. But in that moment when they're doing the game night, if Chip's not there, I don't know how different Matthew Broderick is in terms of his level of comfortability.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:38

Well, I don't think they play, I I would imagine they're not playing uh foreskin or whatever as he's the one who pushed it, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:46

And it's like he won't live in the moment. See now that's when he does, he's he's angry about it.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:53

I guess I guess that's an interesting direction is that he won't live in the moment. I don't think the movie is strong enough in telling me what is wrong with Steven's character at the beginning.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:03

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:04

For me.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:06

I think that's fair. I think he's uh he's just vulnerable because she just broke up with him, you know, and he he wants something, and that's that's where I think I don't know if um Chip sees that or not, but that's why he's so open to Chip. Like all of these things that Chip does, it's he just keeps keeps in contact with him, he keeps letting him back in, he keeps you know, uh because just because I think he's he's very vulnerable as a person in general, too. Like he doesn't like being by himself.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:42

I think you make a really good point there that that chip senses that this guy is like like the limit can keep getting like pushed. I I think that was the point I was trying to make earlier. The limit doesn't exist. Yeah, you should have kicked this guy out within three fucking sentences. Get the fuck out of here, like and like get the fuck out of here.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:02

Talking about kicking someone out, kicking someone out, and then the editing and the the bat the basketball sequence. Oh my god, so fucking good. It's just the edit and whatever they're like, just yeah, just I don't know, Carrie, do some stuff the way that he ah it I loved it.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:19

Is said alliance in that Stan. Uh oh my goodness. I I could watch that every day and still laugh at it.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:27

Apparently, like huge pieces of the budget for this movie outside of casting costs and so forth. The whenever Jim Carrey essentially is doing anything that requires um dexterity with a basketball, that basketball is digital, and it's like fucking seamless. What? What? Yeah, right, and like the the battle axe thing at medieval times, it's it's seamless. And I don't want to pass over in in terms of the big thing, the big driver for Steven is Robin, being assertive about Robin, going for Robin, like not being a fucking couch pillow in terms of Robin. Okay, yeah, and the editing, like you guys are talking about with the basketball game, fucking Jack Black and the Jordan 2s, and fucking Jim Carrey busting the rim and just being generally overzealous to filter Heyman Nightshot again, like this the soundtrack just doing so much work here.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:34

It just made me think of so many times where you're like you meet someone and you're like, oh yeah, this guy seems kind of cool. I'll invite them to like a friendly game or uh or a basketball game, and then you're just like, oh, I don't want to, I don't want to hang out with this person ever again. Ben like please leave me alone.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:48

To your point, I have been a chip douglas in terms of basketball a few times, a couple few times in my life, especially when like I've played really well or really poorly, where it's like, fuck this guy, I'm sure. It's happened a couple times. Yeah, I am so fucking streaky and now just old and worthless. So the uh Robin tells Steven that she is going to go on a date with somebody else. Did the sleepless in Seattle thing happen at this point, by the way?

SPEAKER_02 1:19:23

That was a little before, I think, but yeah, we might have like what the fuck again.

SPEAKER_04 1:19:27

Yeah, what the fuck are we doing?

SPEAKER_02 1:19:29

Oh, that's when he saw how many messages you left him, right?

SPEAKER_04 1:19:31

Yeah, he then he's the it we're right here where he's got like 11 messages, and most of them are Jim Carrey.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:39

I think all of them after two are call your mother. Hey, hey, I was in the shower and I thought I might have heard the phone. Ever happened to you? All right, and call me back, dude.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:47

Yeah, some of those messages are hilarious.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:50

He's crashing out hard.

SPEAKER_04 1:19:52

It's so good. It's so nuts, though. The whole thing is so nuts. Like the the van being right there and the cut cord, that uh is is Matthew Broderick's biggest mistake, is just not fucking shooing this guy away, is constantly allowing this guy a way in. He's just not assertive enough. I can see that Robin, for all we know, Robin's been with this guy. Do they ever say how long they've been together and they're not engaged, or he's not being promoted over Hal? Who when is somebody gonna wise up and dump Hal?

SPEAKER_02 1:20:29

Yeah, I mean, look at those airplugs. Airplugs.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:33

Oh, that's just me, Ben.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:34

Well, he he proposes and then she breaks up with him because he's smothering her.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:40

Right. See, this is where this is where I feel like it's a little murky, it's a little murky to me. Like it's not, it's not super clear. It doesn't bother me too much. Like, to be honest, a four four-star movie is great, so like it doesn't bother me too much because like the entire concept and conceit is great, and and Jim Carrey is phenomenal, and so like it just it was just one thing where I got to the end of the movie and I just went, so what is it that just changed in this character?

SPEAKER_04 1:21:07

Um, yeah, it there is something extremely specific about it, yeah. Where like the lighting is incredible, the camera, the framing is incredible, the camera work is incredible. Like, has to I don't I don't remember a lot of movies that had camera spins around stationary characters or whatever before, and I'm sure there are, but before this movie, like when we do the the cutback to not showing the mom almost like oh yeah, the mom doesn't really exist. Like the main thing that exists in this child's life when Chip was young is the TV that Mr.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:44

Babysitter. It's it's like all from his perspective, right? So we just see her like legs, yeah. She's like walking. And I love that when I mean jumping ahead, but like that when he sees that bright light, he's like having this weird flashback of an arrest development where it's like the light he is seeing his mother, and it's almost like the light was a TV. Is the TV, I agree, and I think that's just such a yeah, again, I smart direction, love the style, and this is about where they go to medieval times, right? On another uh another date.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:23

Yeah, I was just thinking how beautiful that was shot, too. Like, yeah, that the fight scene was really legit. It kind of reminds me of Tropic Thunder. Um you know, where where those are just like he he takes those very seriously, yeah. Even though it's a comedy, he's still like it's like saving Private Ryan at some of those scenes in Tropic Thunder.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:44

I agree, and it still feels dangerous. Is that dangerous? You're right though, Michael. I I was watching this thinking, like, man, I would love to see a Ben Stiller horror movie or or like a high concept action movie, which not Tropic Thunder is that 100%, but it's also as much a comedy it is as it is anything else. But I would love I would love to see Oh, yeah, fantastic.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:07

Hey Tugger nuts, got you a T-O, buddy. He has one line where he's on the phone with him and he just goes, Yeah, I hate my kid. And he just you see this like picture of him and this little chubby kid just like not smiling, like a bit like a baby less grossman player. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:25

But they go to medieval times, and even the way just like Janine Garofalo is framed and lit, like everything is done with such care. And there are no utensils, there were no utensils in medieval times, hence there are no utensils at medieval times. Did you like a refill on that Pepsi? And he says, Well, we're all thinking, yeah, that she hears a thousand times a day, oh, there were no utensils, but there was Pepsi. Like, dude, I got a lot of tables. Like, give me a fucking break, man. Like, this is all from a script.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:57

And also, it's like when they get invited into the well planned, obviously. Uh you you start to learn, like, this cable guy has a cabal, if you will.

SPEAKER_04 1:24:06

He has a lot of power. TV gives you a lot of power, and he gives it for free.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:10

And it feels like every like from here on out, every interaction now with Steven, he's upping the ante even more, and it's getting more and more a little unhinged and dangerous.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:23

Yeah, the cop. The cop that comes into his office.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:26

Oh, yeah. I mean, the he hires a prostitute, like that takes his phone.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:31

I remember that cop when he comes in, puts him down, don't speak until spoken to. Oh, yeah. That was like that is like this is real. Like, he's he's gonna screw this guy over big time now.

SPEAKER_04 1:24:45

Dude, the the way that Chip like lays the groundwork, the the amount of release, the repression that is let go of after after the kind of perfectly escalating night fight that Steven feels so free, he even says to Chip, we should go back next week. Like, I want to hang out with you. This was great. Like, I feel so much better. I like kind of fight clubby in that way, right? Exact, exactly. And the the ground that is laid in this movie in the script constantly, even with like the stereo equipment that's that's there. The yeah, karaoke machine, yeah. Like, I'm just I'm just your buddy, I got you stereo equipment. And Steven, I think, at that point is just like this guy's just too nice. Well, you gotta get this stuff out of here. And it's like, no, get the what is happening? Why is this guy still around? Like, what the fuck?

SPEAKER_01 1:25:42

But what yeah, give me till Saturday. Yeah, he says about the stereo equipment.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:47

It's like no, now go now, but no, we have to have a karaoke jam. As a person who has a karaoke scene by now finished script, a couple of them, like, no, get this shit out of here now, psycho. But apparently, like, no, you get a gift, Dr. Squears. Because Steven has this obsession with being a f uh having a friend that has a lisp above everything else. His main concern is appearances after this basketball game that somewhat makes sense, but yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:21

I mean, I feel like this guy, I it's so interesting that he's just like you you have Chip bringing a wedge in between everything in Steven's life, and yet also wants to fix him and Robin, but also doesn't want Robin to replace him, uh, and then like uses a prostitute as leverage. The karaoke party sequence is mind-blowingly brilliant. And his the way they shoot and Carrie's performance of the of the Jefferson Airplane song, the casting of the people in that room. I was thinking like this, they're the weirdest. I was thinking it reminded me of uh like if you ever watched Dr. Brule, Dr. Steve Brule or Tim and Eric, uh like these kind of castings where you're like, Are any are some of these people not actors? It's just like really unique, interesting faces.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:13

Yeah, they're like they're all there's a few of them that are doing that dance move. Oh, yeah. That's that's hilarious. Like they're doing that to each other.

SPEAKER_04 1:27:22

Does anybody have a favorite party attendee? It's the guy who was doing like this. I know who you mean. I know who you mean. Yeah, my favorite. He's uh camera left, screen left to Carrie's right when Carrie goes into the bedroom and Steven's oh yeah, it with Heather. There's just some old Bobby with like a red plaid suit, like tugging the air and like spiking the lens, and the whole thing is just like wild, where there's a level of of what what all Is Steven drinking? How whatever is he? Even when the cop like does the nose thing to Steven, it's like, how many levels are we going here with like Jefferson Airplane? Is it what is the game? If the game is the the what is that is is that a thing?

SPEAKER_02 1:28:18

He has a cabal, man. He's got a gang, dude.

Meet Me Halfway (through the movie)

SPEAKER_04 1:28:21

It's fucking great. I I love that there is this hookup thing that happens and the bacon and eggs in the morning.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:34

Yeah. I just my favorite character is the old man that karaoke's American woman. So good.

SPEAKER_04 1:28:42

Raul or no. Oh, yeah, yeah, not Raul.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:46

The sweet sounds of Raul, those those were also very good, but um he's just kind of like uh the strut uh American woman. He does a really good job. He does do a good job. Does he have like a still say there's there's a lot of lines I still say scramby eggs is one of the same same scramby eggs?

SPEAKER_04 1:29:05

Don't let don't let your eggs get cold. I like me how me, uh healthy as a horse, not a drick. Like some juice. It means he doesn't have like fucking gonorrhea after that. I like that he he's like, I bought this time, you buy next time, you know, the women, and he's so casual.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:23

Yeah, he's so nonchalant with it, it's wild. I also love how he mispronounces words sometimes.

SPEAKER_04 1:29:29

Me too.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:30

Just like randomly.

SPEAKER_04 1:29:31

Sometimes when he says things like tomorrow or things like that, like you can hear his Canadian. I get that a little bit.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:39

Yeah. Does anybody else the next like the you you it's like every moment? Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you. No, please, please. Like everything, it's like you're like, surely this is gonna be the straw that breaks the camel's back. And it's like you have to constitute like non-consensually for me, get the fuck out of my life.

SPEAKER_01 1:29:56

You are trying to control me. That's another line I say too. Is he says, I'll make it cool again, Steven.

SPEAKER_04 1:30:05

Dude, it's so fucking crazy. When when the soundtrack does everybody love the soundtrack to this movie? I think it's absolutely incredible. When Curtis Mayfield Pusherman comes on, and Owen Wilson immediately, immediately sucks. Like, I like the cable guy better than him. Poor Robin, who's just like cast aside by everybody in this movie. I like Steven better. I like everybody than uh buddy better than Owen Wilson. You're sexy. Yeah, you heard me. You're sexy. Oh, sorry, I was at the gym. I felt he's fantastic, yeah, in the movie. And Jim Carrey's beating the shit out of this guy. You're like, yeah, get him.

SPEAKER_02 1:30:47

He's punching this guy in the kidneys, the like ripping his hair out, putting his face on the blow dryer and like talking about like looking like a what is it?

SPEAKER_04 1:30:58

Dizzy Gillespie. Dizzy Gillespie, yeah. And he starts snapping and like doing scatters.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:04

Don't be nuts. Dude, that's another line I say, I still say too. Um, the winters are remarkably mild in the bathroom.

SPEAKER_04 1:31:14

Like he pays a bathroom attendant$20 to just get lost as he's wearing this fake mustache and insane glasses. And like his plan is I'm going to assault this man in the bathroom. Flips the coat around the camera like he is a fucking hero. Like he's John fucking Wick, and you're like, Yeah, bro, yeah. And the music and him, the angle of the camera, twiddle.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:45

Yeah. I think that also uh really solidifies like this guy's dangerous. There's nothing dangerous.

SPEAKER_04 1:31:51

I agree with you. Yeah, he's crazy, he's super crazy. But the sketch artist thing right after that immediately like files the teeth down. That's how this movie tonally is so beautiful.

SPEAKER_01 1:32:05

But I love so spot on.

SPEAKER_02 1:32:06

The sketch is so spot on, and I love that quick moment from Matthew Broderick of flinching and seeing that, like how would he think that that's Jim Carrey?

SPEAKER_04 1:32:17

I know, but also that that shows that Jim Carrey has embedded himself in a way into Broderick's psyche already. That Broderick knows that this guy's like a little unhinged and dangerous. And I gotta know when Ryan Murphy is redoing Brother Sweet Brother, the killing of Stanton Sweet American Crime Story looks so good. Eric Roberts in that.

SPEAKER_02 1:32:45

Yeah. Sam, no, I feel like Eric Roberts would be in a Ryan Murphy, too.

SPEAKER_01 1:32:50

Sure. Uh yeah, that that cameo by Eric Roberts is wonderful.

SPEAKER_02 1:32:55

Do you think the parallel for like the murdered twins is trying to like kind of say one of these two people are gonna kill each other? Like either Steven or the cable guy are going are gonna end up killing one another. Like, is is there is that sort of the unease tension that it's sort of laying for us?

SPEAKER_04 1:33:13

I I feel like there is like a yin and yang that fight club thing between Edward Norton and Brad Pitt that these are two different sides of a coin and these two things like cannot exist in the same space. Yeah. Um I do agree.

SPEAKER_02 1:33:30

Because it's he's cut him out, right? After the after the prostitute, he's like cut him out.

SPEAKER_04 1:33:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:33:36

And this is when he goes to Robin.

SPEAKER_04 1:33:38

Yeah, the cable guy goes to Robin's place.

SPEAKER_02 1:33:41

Creepy. When he's laying down that shot with a spider.

SPEAKER_04 1:33:45

Oh my god, dude. And you know he's in the attic. That is that's great. It's great. This movie, I don't know how it rides this line. Like, it it does this great job of making sure like we never lose Rick either. Rick is like always important, yeah. Like he's a researcher, camera person, whatever, at like a news station. His storyline like makes sense. He's obviously disturbed by this guy at the karaoke thing, at the basketball thing, and Steven now cancels on Rick, and we need Rick. Steven needs Rick, and Rick is like, dude, fuck this man. I'm out, I'm your real friend, and you're a piece of shit. I'm out of here. As Steven's ready to just go back to Robin, and that's how Chip has that power. Yeah, I had a Carmen Ghia like that, by the way, like Rick has in this movie. That's wagon. I think so.

SPEAKER_01 1:34:45

Yeah, another line I still say um when he's at Robin's house, he says, He thinks for the cat pajamas. He really does.

SPEAKER_04 1:34:54

I call special special K the beeto. She's the she's the cat's pajamas, I'll say that.

SPEAKER_01 1:34:59

Don't let him go bungee jumping in Mexico. They just don't have the regulations.

SPEAKER_04 1:35:04

So dude, he's so the way he he lays the groundwork to Steven being crazy and him being like just this nice colorful my my lady likes me in colorful sweaters, like Mr. Rogers sweater guy, yeah. I do I'm just a fan of the program. And it we like the Steven thing, that it never gets too creepy because when Steven is like getting uh arrested for at his the password is yeah, yeah, like when he's like cream in his cream in his pants, ants, hair plugs, hair plug, like these things that happen, like the movie never gets overly serious, even when he's walking into jail in gen pop and dudes are saying horrifying shit to him.

SPEAKER_02 1:35:59

But it does, it's like it's showing you how powerful he is. This dude is like Absolutely, he's got he's got judges, he's got cops, he's got people who will do anything. Well, that's kind of like weird.

SPEAKER_01 1:36:10

We were talking about before, too. This like he thought of the schedule about the whole thing, too. Like, I'm sure he knew he wasn't gonna be able to get a judge, so he's gonna have to spend a night in jail, you know. Like the weak, yeah, he's a Batman band.

SPEAKER_02 1:36:28

Like, did this movie lead to him playing the Riddler? He is the Riddler, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:36:33

I think he's kind of like joker-ish because you know he changes his name, kind of changes his story.

SPEAKER_04 1:36:38

Yeah. Fucking nipples on the batsuit, nipples on the glass. Is that the number 23? Is that a thing? But the dad also, George Siegel, in the moments he's in this movie, he steals. Yeah, he's so fantastic in this. And and now I think this is when chip like really cracks for for me as an audience when like the psychosis or the DID or whatever is happening kind of breaks. He's like, My name's Larry Tate, that's not important. And just like how casually he breaks, like he has no self, he's just a collection of all these references, references, and the limit does not exist, Steven going back to his actual friend, like back to help me back to Rick.

SPEAKER_02 1:37:26

Figure out who this guy is because right going crazy. This guy got me thrown in in jail. I need your help. I yeah, I punched him in the face in front of my entire family, in front of Bob Odenkirk, which you know you're not supposed to do unless it's I was thinking of the bear season two, because Bob Odenkirk is the asshole uncle in the episode where there are that's funny. I didn't think of that, but uh yeah, I was like, he made me punch him like Robin now doesn't trust me, my family doesn't trust me. Fuck get what who the fuck is this guy? Robin and the Riddler are in this.

SPEAKER_04 1:38:00

Is that it's not it's just O'Donnell? Is a whole donald metal, Michael. Is there is there a word here? What what were the words? Vagina, nipple, and clitoris? You know that little thing? I'm not saying that to my mother. Does Chip know that this is the thing that's gonna make Steven freak out?

SPEAKER_01 1:38:22

I think he's pushing his buttons the whole time. I love the uh probably my favorite line in the whole movie is when he comes into the house and he says, You look rested.

SPEAKER_04 1:38:36

Just establishing what he's trying to do. He's controlling every situation. You psycho, yeah, like yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:38:45

I mean, it's it is going into that full, like what those stalker movies sometimes do, where it's like this person is now being cut off and isolated from everything that their entire support system, right? It's what manipulators do.

SPEAKER_04 1:38:59

Has anyone seen Hand That Rocks the Cradle? A long time ago, I think with Rebecca DeMornay and Matt McCoy, who played who was he? He was uh Roger, he worked for Deacons, he sold computers. He was always against George. Roger Deacons? What was his name? No, David. Oh, Mayor Dinkins? David Dinkins. Yeah, uh Lloyd Braun.

SPEAKER_01 1:39:22

Lloyd Braun.

SPEAKER_04 1:39:24

So Matthew Broderick gets uh fired here because the cable guy has leaked video from the apartment and insulting Hal about his hair plugs, hair plug and Hal has been certified similar to Owen Wilson as kind of like a fucking asshole, like kind of a loser.

SPEAKER_01 1:39:44

Again, the soundtrack, you know, oh my gosh, shows up again. More human than human. You know, it's like you feel that anxiety and tension and like high stakes with that music going on.

SPEAKER_04 1:39:59

It's so good. I agree with you. The score in general is good, but using that song there, Michael, like there's a level of the stakes and suspense where you kind of feel like your heart, like, oh shit, and the way it's shot, too.

SPEAKER_02 1:40:12

Yep. Yeah, and it feels like Steven has two paths here. It's either I'm gonna kill this fucking guy. Yep. Right? Like I'm my life is ending right now, so I might as well just fucking kill this guy.

SPEAKER_04 1:40:23

And and that's how we think the movie's gonna end, right? Yeah, he's probably gonna kill this guy.

SPEAKER_02 1:40:28

Which is, I think, a credit to the movie to to to sort of like keep you in a world of slight comedy and like still laughing, but then get to a point where you're like, wait, is the main character about to kill somebody?

SPEAKER_04 1:40:42

Yeah, and and is that earned? Are we okay with that happening? Like, this person is clearly sick, like the the parking structure thing that happens that feels like a horror movie that's so good, that's so suspenseful, with Jim Carrey over it being like, if you build it, he will like never getting too scary or too weird, even though it's terrifying, and what he's doing is terrifying. I don't know if anyone else notices this. They never say the city that they're in in the actual movie, except for at this moment, they say Centerville. I think they're trying to say, like, similar to Seven, it's like anywhere USA, any big city in the US.

SPEAKER_02 1:41:21

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:41:22

Maybe. I and maybe I'm wrong.

SPEAKER_01 1:41:24

I don't remember.

SPEAKER_02 1:41:25

I remember as a kid thinking that it was in the Northwest, but I think that's just because I lived in the Northwest and I thought everything was in the Northwest, unless it told me otherwise.

SPEAKER_04 1:41:33

Well, and it said Salem, Oregon, at a point in the movie that some stuff was happening, and maybe in that imprinted, I don't know. As the Sam Sweet verdict is being discussed, it's eminent, and Chip has imprinted on Steven so much that he's not just seeing him as the sketch artist, he's literally having fucking nightmares about him.

SPEAKER_02 1:41:55

Oh my god, the nightmare is so good. That's incredible. The like performance of Carrie in the hallway, the the set, the way they paint repaint the sets, or like how it like whatever filters on there. It it's just it it very Tim Burton. You brought that up, Paul.

SPEAKER_01 1:42:13

That's where he says Kaplay Gula.

SPEAKER_04 1:42:19

There is a thing too where there is something about this that feels cheap, like his apartment having just been moved into feels like sparse, which I think that is kind of like a bachelor apartment. In a nightmare, things feel just like a little off or like a little like details are missing. Yeah, and I think it's just super duper well done. And I think Carrie leans so hard into this. I I love when Matthew Broderick's trying to run away and he can't really run, that the hall's kind of extending, but is it like it's edited and shot really, really well.

SPEAKER_02 1:42:53

You think of some of these roles, right? Like the mask, nobody else could have done that. Nobody else could have done that. I agree, I could say that a thousand times. Even the something like the Grinch, whether you however you feel about that movie, nobody else could have done that. His his performance in that is is great. In this, he just he goes full balls to the wall in everything, and it's it's so I think it's like the commitment, which it's just so wonderful to watch because it you also believe everything he's doing. Nothing feels nothing feels unearned or or or like like pushed, it always feels earned, which is a huge credit to someone who's doing something that big.

SPEAKER_01 1:43:31

Did you guys come across who Ben Stiller wanted originally? No, no, Chris Farley.

SPEAKER_04 1:43:37

Oh, did he pass? Oh man, that would have been very interesting.

SPEAKER_02 1:43:43

That's a different movie, but I can I can see the vision.

SPEAKER_04 1:43:46

And imagine it's Stiller and Farley. Yeah. I mean, if we're redoing casting here, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:43:53

But uh Farley had so many of those characters on SNL, I think, that were so self-deprecating and lonely.

SPEAKER_06 1:44:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:44:01

I I think he probably would have done a really great job, but I I mean Jim Carrey did such a great job, too. It's like yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:44:10

This is so interesting. Wow, this is where visualizing the whole movie with Carrie for the Farley.

SPEAKER_04 1:44:15

Yeah. I I want to give Matthew Broderick uh a little bit of credit here in terms of the performance. There is some sort of something that does have me believe that Steven wouldn't kick him out, that Stephen would keep hanging out with him, that if he that it took that long for Steven to be like, I don't want to be your friend, and yeah, building up to this crescendo of where the cable guy has fully split and he has taken Robin and he's gonna take her for a ride on the information super highway. I love that the neighbor gives that exposition. I know, and Steven is gonna go and save her, he is actively taking control.

SPEAKER_02 1:45:02

Yeah, I do think like you bring up a good point because I do think Broderick is in everything trustworthy, you know.

SPEAKER_04 1:45:09

Ferris Bueller, but otherwise, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:45:12

But even in that, he's but not okay. His character is obviously dis but to the audience, I guess.

SPEAKER_04 1:45:17

Like you can trust him to be Dennis the Menace in that movie.

SPEAKER_02 1:45:20

You can trust him to be what we think he is, and I think he has a very like kind demeanor to him that is different from Stiller, you know.

SPEAKER_04 1:45:31

It's it is so I think horrible to Cameron. He's so horrible to Cameron, but yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:45:35

Yeah, we're not talking about Ferris Bueller. Even in Ferris Bueller, though, he's you feel like he's good at heart. You know, he's yeah, he's still his intentions are good. Yeah, you know, everybody loves him. He's like he's not gonna hurt anybody. I think that was always the vibe with Ferris, like yeah, oh he's that's just Ferris.

SPEAKER_04 1:45:56

He's not he's not hurting anybody, or he's trying to get Cameron to enjoy life in this kind.

SPEAKER_02 1:46:03

He seems like a kind like person who I I can see what you're saying, Paul. That he wouldn't be like a pushover, but yeah, he wouldn't be necessarily the person to like kick someone out, and he is trying to help Chip all the time, right?

SPEAKER_04 1:46:14

Help him with his yeah, which like in a way is like he's misguided, he has good intentions, but the way he's dealing with it should be like, Oh man, you got your face kicked in. Like, let's talk about that, not like here's this tape, like in terms of like you gotta take care of that. Like, no, what we need to talk about is that you watched Waterworld six times. We gotta take care of that. What no, you've gotta change your taste. Listen, listen to our review.

SPEAKER_02 1:46:40

Listen to our Water World episode.

SPEAKER_04 1:46:41

Yeah, the Waterworld six times is a bridge too far. That movie is not awesome. So Steven punches him in the face because he is going to get Robin fix this, potentially kill Jim Carrey. Yeah. And the lisp is gone, which magically, and then it's back. I think is a clue when he punches him and it's gone and punches him and it's back. And it's like, dude, Jim Carrey's been through some shit.

SPEAKER_02 1:47:09

Yeah. Uh so Michael, you said this final showdown is where you lose a little bit. And I can I can kind of see what you're saying, where it doesn't but but here I guess here's the devil's advocate question to you. Is his plan the whole time what actually happens?

SPEAKER_01 1:47:24

That he that he wants to sacrifice himself to break the satellite?

SPEAKER_02 1:47:28

That he wants to give Steven his hero moment.

SPEAKER_01 1:47:33

That's a good point. Yeah, it might be.

SPEAKER_02 1:47:35

For Robin. I think for Steven and Robin.

SPEAKER_01 1:47:38

Right. I took that like just processing it with you guys tonight, like Steven is not good on his own. And and he's he can't even see that Chip is so bad for him. He he he just can't be single. He has to have somebody with him, whether it's Chip or Robin. So yeah, then that that could be it. Like maybe that was Chip's plan the whole time. But it makes me I don't know if he would want to share Steven with anybody, you know.

SPEAKER_04 1:48:11

The fact that Steven, even to this point, is thwarted to a degree by like a staple gun.

SPEAKER_06 1:48:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:48:20

That that is what and and I think Ben, when you were asking about what the plan was, I think that Chip wants Steven and Robin to live with the trauma, and I think that he wants them to see it and and potentially what he's been driven to. He has this like like psychotic like break and literally says, like, somebody has to kill the babysitter. I don't know if the timing of the Sam and Stan verdict thing is part of this. Well, so I mean, like, because the neighbor given the exposition and Steven making the active choice, but I think the plan was always that he was going to commit suicide. I think Steven actively deciding, I am not going to let you do that. Yeah, I will not, I think is the main thing that is uh that that is the big character mode thing growth thing for Steven. Sure, yeah. When it when sleepless in Seattle doesn't come on, he's ready to lose his fucking mind for a moment. Like in this point, like this guy maybe deserves to potentially whatever he may have coming to him, and Steven decides no.

SPEAKER_02 1:49:35

I think like I always like I I think the thing that I love about the end of this movie, and it always the thing that I noticed this time around is just coming back to the theme of connection and desperately wanting connection and needing connection. And that like the movie is not just saying, like, obviously uh Steven needs to be connected, like wants connection with Robin. And and uh Chip needs connection in general, needs somebody to connect to him because he's always cast aside and his parents aside. Yeah, um, but I think what the movie also says is like we actually are all connected through this thing called TV in this weird way. And I think that's what the um everybody watching the same thing at the same time is like showing all of these different connections of all these different people who are experiencing the same thing. And then when it breaks, and I think this is where, and I maybe you know am fishing for more depth in this than it's giving me, but what I what I took away is like, oh, what the movie's actually saying is like the connection that is really important is a connection to yourself, and I think that like that's that's why the whole Kyle Gass thing it's not just about to me, it's not just about like, oh, I shouldn't watch TV, I should read a book. It's about like, oh, I actually I don't need to be distracted from myself all the time. I can actually be connected, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:50:58

I can live with myself, I can stand being a lonely, but but I get really lonely, and it's like, no, that and that can be okay, but also like TV going away isn't magically gonna make people go, oh, and like want to read books, it's not gonna fix the fucking world or anything. I I like the the satirization of that, yeah. And in the moment that it's like when George Siegel, the dad, like the TV's not working, like I was gonna say schlong, and it doesn't like none of it is coming through for anybody. Like what that has been the story through this whole movie is what's gonna happen with the Sam and Stan thing. It wraps up everything for Steven in terms of like he's out of this shitty job, he has kind of asserted himself with his parents, he's proven himself in terms of like this cable guy is crazy, there's nothing wrong with me, and he has become like I don't think he would let another cable guy into his life, and I think it's really important that he goes through that journey, as well as like understanding there is a level of difficulty that this person has gone through, and that being somebody who doesn't enable necessarily but wants to help, and sometimes that help is difficult in saying, like, I can't be your friend happens in 30 seconds, not 30 days, or you know, I mean it's a few days, but yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:52:21

Then we get him returned in that Super Bowl commercial, which is yeah, which Michael shared. Great recreation of the of the set, which I was impressed with. Like they got the apartment looks like the same apartment, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:52:33

Yeah, I thought it looked really cool, and uh it was kind of surprising to me that Jim Carrey did that. Yeah, I just always assume big actors like that are like, no, I'm not revisiting that, or that sounds lame, or something. Um, I thought that was really cool, and I hope they do it again.

SPEAKER_04 1:52:49

I think it's a special role. Like, there's a level we kind of made fun of this about a movie we did from the Netherlands recently called Reed Land, and we were like, the the reed cutter will return. And there's a level for me in this movie. I he he does this universal thing too as he's falling. Uh the cable guy where he's like going through all these channels and nobody can watch the salmon stand suite verdict. It's like big Lebowski. What happened in the bowling tournament? Who cares? It has nothing to do with the fucking story, it's not important, but it does he does like the Baba Lou thing, like uh I love Lucy thing, and the guy says the universal thing to him like, hey buddy, you're gonna be okay. And he says, Am I really your buddy? I'm really your buddy, yeah. And he's like, Yeah, of course, you're really my buddy.

SPEAKER_01 1:53:38

Yeah, yeah, that's why like he doesn't really redeem himself, or you know, it's kind of like could return an eventually. And he makes up a yeah, yeah, he makes up a fake name, you know, he does the Vicky Ricardo laugh. Um it's good. You know, would I like it better if he had some sort of realization and maybe his list was fixed? I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 1:54:00

Yeah, he gets through that Dr. Swears tape a couple times.

SPEAKER_02 1:54:05

Well, it's interesting because like it the movie's called The Cable Guy, and it's like the cable guy is a Batman villain. Like that that that's his thing. His dude, yeah, he's the Riddler. His name references, TV references, like that's what he and then he just like stalks you to death, gaslights you.

SPEAKER_04 1:54:21

Dude, has you institutionalized like he was in Arkham over the fucking weekend, bro? Yeah, over some propaganda, over some gaslighting shit.

SPEAKER_01 1:54:31

Yeah, he's got the crooked guards on his payroll.

SPEAKER_02 1:54:35

Yeah, yeah, he does, because he gets a sports package.

SPEAKER_03 1:54:40

What would we do?

SPEAKER_02 1:54:41

Well, we have talked about this movie ad nauseum. We are at the end of the conversation. I think it's fair to say, let's see, Michael, who would you like to share if their rating out of five has changed first? You want to go, me, Paul? You get the page.

SPEAKER_01 1:54:57

I'll go. I think since you gave me the option to do bump it, I'll bump it to 4.25.

SPEAKER_04 1:55:03

Hell yeah. What was the main reason for that?

SPEAKER_01 1:55:07

I think you guys sort of swayed me a little bit on the Broadwick performance. Okay. And then I also like just thinking about his journey throughout the movie, and like that he can't really be alone. Um, he's not good as a single person. And the whole story was basically him getting Robin back, but he kind of had to like slay a demon to do it.

SPEAKER_04 1:55:33

He had to like earn it, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:55:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:55:36

Yeah, he was he had to be the knight.

unknown 1:55:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:55:39

Buster upon your steed. Hey man, I don't think he's kidding.

SPEAKER_05 1:55:42

Yeah.

Final Ratings

SPEAKER_04 1:55:43

Get on the frigging horse. I love it. 4.25. Okay. Me or you, Paul? Well, I think it's up to Michael. Is it the blue knight or the green knight?

SPEAKER_01 1:55:56

Who's who anyway? Blue Knight. Let's let's go with the blue knight. The blue knight's been.

SPEAKER_02 1:56:00

Oh, I'm wearing blue. I'm wearing a corncob TV shirt. Dude, those coffins are just made out of fucking shit. You know, people are buried in the nude.

SPEAKER_04 1:56:13

It doesn't matter. Like a lot, a lot.

SPEAKER_02 1:56:15

We can show them naked because they ain't got no soul. Are you sure? Um boy, are we just a bunch of references, Paul? Uh that's the thing, man. Nothing, nothing original here.

SPEAKER_01 1:56:29

Larry Tate.

SPEAKER_02 1:56:31

We're all just a bunch of Larry Tates. Uh, I'm gonna I'm gonna stay at four. I'm because I don't have Liberty Rule, uh, I was never tempted to go down. Uh, I was tempted to go up. Um, I it's just I think there's just a little bit of story thread for me that's just missing, but like four is an incredibly high score for me. And I I love I love this movie. I think it's great. And I will I wish I owned this movie. I do. I think it would be really nice to watch on a on a 4K. Um but I watched it for free, so that helps. Tubi? No, I watched it on the uh Bezos box.

SPEAKER_04 1:57:12

Oh, I have a low enough income I qualify for Tubi. That's how I watched it.

SPEAKER_02 1:57:17

So yeah, I'm gonna stick it for chips. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:57:21

Uh Sandcat, everybody. Oh, I love Sandcat. Me too. She's a special lady. Yeah. Uh speaking of channel surfing, you can do that on Tubi.

SPEAKER_02 1:57:33

Yeah. I guess you can do that on Amazon now, too.

SPEAKER_04 1:57:36

They have those options. Whatever it is that probably shut down and they rebranded it or some bullshit.

SPEAKER_01 1:57:42

I do it on Hulu, Hulu Live TV. Okay. I just sit at the guide and just look at what I could watch.

SPEAKER_04 1:57:51

Pay two dollars a month to think about what you could watch. That's a rip! That sounds like a ripping good time. I similar to Ben, like there is not a liberty rule, and I don't want to go down. Uh so I'm gonna stay the cat sharpening her claws, and I'm supposed to reprimand her, but I want to finish this episode. So she's really going for it. Oh, I hope this episode has one less audience member than usual. It's hard to say. So I'm gonna stay at the 4.5. Uh do I want to change it to Schlong's? No, I'll keep it at uh Dr. Swears cassettes. I just think the movie is shot so well, and yeah, DeVito is one of my favorite directors, and I feel a lot of Stiller is doing his own thing all the time. From the Ben Stiller show forward, in terms of my exposure to this person, he's always been doing his own thing. And and Michael, you brought up such a great point, and I know we all talked about it in terms of like, oh, what if Stiller were in the Broderick role? And I love that he cast himself in this like thread that doesn't close and gives this throwaway role this level of importance that it doesn't have, and I think it's beautiful that he cast himself in it. All that said, like I can't take anything away from it. I get what people are saying, and I get a lot of what you're saying, Ben, in terms of the like where are these earned points with Broderick? I do, I think, feel them a little bit more than others, or I can justify them a little more than others. So at this point, we're at a four, a four point two five, and like I said, I'm at a four point five. That's a high movie, man.

SPEAKER_02 1:59:50

It's a good movie, Michael. Thanks for bringing it back to me. I'm so glad I could like actually sit and give it my attention and not watch it on TBS.

SPEAKER_01 1:59:58

My pleasure. Yeah, thanks for inviting me on here. Yeah, had a good time.

SPEAKER_04 2:00:02

Oh, dude, likewise. Thank you so much. Come back with some other inspired choice. Is it swim fan? Another stalker movie.

SPEAKER_01 2:00:11

That would be in that would be in that realm, right?

SPEAKER_04 2:00:13

Yeah, I would love to do it again if you have single white female, hand that rocks the cradle, something awesome. Hey, Ben, will you talk about some of the people that help us get this done?

SPEAKER_02 2:00:22

I sure can. The our bookend themes are Jamie Henwood, our what are you doing and what are you watching theme? Are the great Matthew Foskett. Uh Chris Olds does our fun facts theme. Um, I do some little interstitials in there. Paul does a bunch of editing for this, so send him love and accolades. You probably said Jamie Henwood does our bookends, and I just missed it.

SPEAKER_04 2:00:45

I did, yeah. Oh. I'm tuned in. I'm locked in. I've got good reception here. Yeah. I was getting some picks and humbars that were really unpleasant, but I have them now.

SPEAKER_02 2:00:56

Um, you can follow us at review x2 podcast on Instagram. Uh once again, Michael, give us your uh uh give us the Instagram and where they can follow you.

SPEAKER_01 2:01:07

Little underscore Kaneho, um for the for the taco shops in the northwest. And yeah, thanks for the shout out, guys.

SPEAKER_04 2:01:16

Yeah. Oh my goodness, dude. Thank you again for bringing this. And this is not propaganda, this is not fake news, this is the real deal. Ron Popeel said it and forget it. Okay, I gotta reprimand her. We gotta go. Bye. All right.