Broadcast News with Katey Rich

[00:00:01] Blank Check with Griffin and David, Blank Check with Griffin and David Don't know what to say or to expect All you need to know is that the name of the show is Blank Check No I'm semi-serious here You're seriously? He will be attractive, he'll be nice and helpful

[00:00:26] He'll get a job where he influences a great God-fearing nation He'll never do an evil thing, he'll never deliberately hurt a living thing He will just bit by little bit, lower our standards where they are important Just a tiny little bit, just coats along, flash over substance

[00:00:41] Just a tiny little bit and he'll talk about all of us being salesmen And he'll get all the great podcasts Fucking hell Hello everybody I'm Griffin Newman I'm David Sims, hi, right I'm involved in this podcast

[00:00:56] You are a co-host, we are hashtag the two friends, it's a proprietary advantage This is a podcast about filmographies Directors who had massive success early on in their careers And are given a series of blank checks to make whatever crazy passion projects they want

[00:01:10] And talk about a guy who had massive success early on in his career Yes Yeah, first time at Bat hits a full-on home run And now he's got a toll check to make whatever he wants Sure And he makes, what I would argue is, his finest film Same

[00:01:27] I think most now, that's kind of the consensus That's gotta be almost unanimous There's one perfect movie where everyone goes like, oh great this guy's cracked the code And now he's gonna make 20 of the greatest comedies of all time And then that didn't happen Yeah

[00:01:42] He mentored some really good directors Well we're, yeah He made some movies with redeeming qualities Yeah, for sure But this is the Nexus and then he never totally makes it all gel in the same way He then makes a literal fortune on The Simpsons, like right after this

[00:01:55] That's another thing that happens That's like almost parallel, right? Like The Simpsons is 87 He had a very good 1987 Well this is, I guess Tracy Ollman is on while this is coming out No, The Simpsons is 89 Is when the show starts up Right, I think 87 was Tracy Ollman, right?

[00:02:08] Yes In April 19th, 1987 Yeah, so talk about a year where the die is cast I mean I had an okay year but, yeah You had a good year In 1987 I was, it was my first full year on the planet Because I was born in 1986

[00:02:22] Yeah, you learned how to chew food but James O. Brooks did this I'm right where Charlie is right now I was right where Charlie is right now Yeah, there you go Do you guys miss Charlie? So much He's one of the better guests we've had

[00:02:33] I'm just talking to you, you're right now You gotta say who Charlie is We're gonna talk about all this stuff Well yeah, just clarify, okay Oh I get what he's doing He's talking in our ear, right No listeners, come on Okay, that's of cures

[00:02:48] That is of course a Washington bureau chief Ben Hosley Oh yeah, that should be his name Yeah AK producer Benny, AK the Benducer AK the poet laureate, AK the haze AK the Mr. Positive, AK the Mr. Hositive Yeah, faster Highbreaker, finest film critic The Peeper, the far detective

[00:03:03] The meat lover The poet laureate I say that one already So can my Benny birthday Benny White hot Benny He's graduated different tiles over the course of different majors Such as Kylo Ben producer Ben Kenobi Ben say Ben Nichomalon, say Benny Alibans with the dollar sign

[00:03:17] Warhawz, Ben 19, the fellow maker And RoboHaus Yeah, this is a producer movie This is a movie about a producer It sure is We should just be all Ben I just wanna look at Ben and go Boppy, boppy, boppy, boppy, boppy, boppy, boppy Boppy, boppy, boppy

[00:03:33] The name of the miniseries is As pot as it casts You asshole It's podcast news It's called as pot as it casts And we'll decide later which one it is We're saying both right now It's pod broad cast news That was Ben's suggestion Pod broad cast news

[00:03:51] That's the best one by far Just leave it all in, leave it all on the table We are recording this episode of miniseries in advance We haven't finished the previous miniseries Because we have an amazing guest In town We had to reschedule everything

[00:04:05] Because there was a window of opportunity here Exactly Joan Cusack was running through the hallway with files Just to stop you from recording Before I got here And our guest jumped over a small child In order to get to the studio And under an open file

[00:04:17] She is now officially joining The Three Timers Club That's right The Three Timers Club And is officially joining the Two-timer without a baby club Does she count as a four-timer Because she's actually on both Titanic episodes though But I'm not, didn't I leave No you are

[00:04:35] You are at the beginning of them Yeah Well then that brings up a question Is EO a five-timer by now? Yes What a way to know Wow I think when you get into Do you count Kill Bill as one movie or two movies? Two movies

[00:04:53] Kill Bill's two movies Yeah, Kill Bill's two movies But like is the best of both worlds To Star Trek episodes Or is it just one? Right You know that's more what it's like to me It's like a two part TV episode Right Hannah Montana slash Miley Cyrus

[00:05:07] The best of both worlds a 3D concert movie Is that one person or these two aspects Of the same person I mean you're gonna sit here and tell me That Mockingjay part one and two Or like the same movie I mean those are two epic events Those are

[00:05:18] And they have different thematic concerns Anyway Kitty Rich is here Hello That should make me explain who Charlie is Yes, Charlie is the baby I cannot believe you have me as the baby To this recording studio Not to the old recording studio Yeah, this is the thing

[00:05:33] So this recording studio that we have been in For a while now is three or four times The size of our lives I think it's more technically not a closet Yeah It's one way to think about it And how old was your baby Charlie

[00:05:45] He was about five months old So yeah, I mean now he is a toddler Who would rip all the cords out of the wall It would be, I mean I would not do it Again with a five month old I definitely wouldn't do it with a

[00:05:56] Seventeen month old and I cannot believe you guys let me do that But that's, you wanted to talk about Titanic That, I'm sorry I'm not a bad boy I just need to, one moment Ben has pulled a banana And he's eating it like he's in a banana commercial

[00:06:11] Wait I gotta take a picture for Ben's style He's holding the banana up Are there banana commercials? I just want a snack, okay Bananas are a good snack Alright, I'm behind the scenes I'm just, manning the boards Making sure that everybody is looking at

[00:06:27] The right camera talking on the right microphone Eating a nanner Continue, sorry You know, he's walking and talking He loves bananas actually I feel like this is kind of some viral marketing For a baby There's a banana on Mike Have you already trained him

[00:06:42] In the ways of Oscar prognostication? Does he have a picnic? You know what we watched a little bit of Like a Batman In your honor He was into it He likes things with songs better Like we watched Moana A good bit

[00:06:55] How do you know if he's into it It's just that he's sort of like quiet And he's like How do you know? In the words of Jimmy L Or in the words of Amy Adams and Chanton Which is, you know Oscar nominates

[00:07:07] Like he watched a Sesame Street enough When the song for the letter of the day starts He pays attention And then goes back to wandering around To do whatever he wants Have you watched Coco yet? Yeah, we watched Part of Coco It was good

[00:07:19] We didn't get to the part where you Weep and think about mortality in your family He'll get there At the opening, remember me That's fun That's a lot of fun It's on a stage with lights And then he dies Spoiler for the first five minutes Of Coco

[00:07:34] He could kill by a bell? Yeah, he could kill by a bell Coco is great Yeah We may have already talked about Coco Probably talked about it every episode Have the Oscars happened By the time people hear this? Let me check

[00:07:44] I think we'll be nudging up against her No, the Oscars have happened Wow People, congratulations to Best Picture Winner So on our Munich episode We correctly predicted Or I correctly predicted Moonlight I can't remember I'm sorry, go fuck yourself I can't remember I literally can't remember

[00:08:00] You're still La La Land Fucking Todd was La La Land I was like money on the barrel, moonlight Now I believe in a previous episode I predicted Get Out Yes, David predicted Get Out We'll invest Did you not predict Dunkirk on air somewhere? Because you've been predicting that

[00:08:15] So let me just make a third prediction Lady Bird All right, great So happy to have that one Cover your bases Do you want to predict someone Who's going to be accused Of sexual harassment between now and then? That's been a running kind of base I don't know

[00:08:29] By bit, Ben means We talk about filmmakers and actors And then half of them have been accused By the time the episode comes out Because if we record an episode Even 12 hours in advance Yeah, right We've somehow put our foot in our mouths Where we're like

[00:08:44] We're only going to talk about Mr. Rogers Disaster strikes We talked about cameras in the other episode Then suddenly the RE Bow Flex Got accused of A hostile work environment How is Charlie? I miss him Almost as much as I miss Me? You

[00:09:04] I look forward to teaching him how to be on podcast In like five years I don't know But you did the right thing You already got him on one early At least he's comfortable in front of the money I know, he likes to talk

[00:09:15] If you let us Skype in someday He was born in Manhattan I don't know when he'll get to come back He does You can teach him everything He'll never learn about writing subway Yeah, we gotta have Charlie back Well this show is going to go on for 25 years 100%

[00:09:32] Correct This is gonna be our Simpsons I remember one time early on You and I In the Star Wars days I don't remember when Our salad days In our... Yes, exactly Just being where we were like We were talking about the future in some way

[00:09:48] And I was like What if you have to like move to LA or something You're like, it's fine, we'll just do it We'll figure it out We'll just keep doing it I think I also said that won't happen in my career So I just simply remember that

[00:09:58] You say a lot of bullshit Listen, to plug my own podcast I've been doing Fighting in the War Room for Seven years now And it's like two of us have left New York City It has kept going Love number seven

[00:10:09] Honestly, having a podcast is a nice thing guys Can I say And we do have to talk about our movie at hand Because we have about five hours of conversation to get to Not a short movie either But the thing I like about Charlie is

[00:10:20] Already he is an emotionally accessible Podcaster Because he was comfortable crying On Mike in our episode I know You know Is it like really to transition into you guys Becoming a Marin-style confessional podcast I'm asking you on Marin He would just unlock those gates like crazy

[00:10:36] I think I'll go a little something like this I didn't like that That was my impression of Mark Marin I'm looking at my most recent Charlie Your most recent Charlie Who are your diapers? Alright Great to have you back here I'm so happy to be back here

[00:10:53] Okay, I'm glad you're happy So this is one of the greatest movies I've ever made It's called Brad Cass News It is the Brad Cass News Brad Cass News It's a direct follow up to a Best Picture winner Yeah, although it took him a few years

[00:11:05] Because terms is 83 Right, and then this is 87 He takes four years He's a meticulous director Was he doing anything else in that period? I think he's probably producing like half a dozen things I think the taxi was on the air at this point I'm gonna look it up

[00:11:19] Okay He was doing other shows But this becomes the thing of like If you want a Brooks movie He's gonna do it on his own schedule And especially because it's interesting Because he came out of the meat grinder of television

[00:11:30] Even though he was a very deliberate thoughtful writer It's like, you just gotta make it You gotta put a slice of pizza out there every week It doesn't matter if it's perfect And he fought a lot of sort of doubt When he went into making terms of endearment

[00:11:43] Because you can't go from TV to movies You're a sitcom guy You can't make movies Taxi goes off the air in 83 Weirdly, he has no credits in between Terms of Endearment and Broadcast News I believe he spent most of these years Writing and researching this movie

[00:11:56] He said he spent like two years researching It was worth it Yes I mean It's such a fucking detailed movie Because like, Luke Grant is off the air by 82 Tracy Elman doesn't start, as we mentioned Into 87 So it's like, he is kind of chilling

[00:12:10] I mean, he's richer than God So he can do whatever he wants Yeah, that's a crazy thing He was already richer than God from television Before he helped create The Simpsons Yes, exactly Right, yes It's worth mentioning that Terms of Endearment was also crazy successful

[00:12:25] In addition to being critically beloved It was one of the highest-grossing films of the year Right So he really kind of now had It's the thing we are drawn to With directors on the show He kind of made a space for himself Immediately with one movie

[00:12:38] It was like, this is what a James L. Brooks movie is And you marry that to the whole history of what he had done In television and how he'd sort of quietly Push progress into representation You know, in a very white-bread way

[00:12:50] But Mary Tyler Moore was like this big game changer And everything And doing sort of a little more erudite Tony multi-camera sitcoms And then even just shit Like taking Luke Grant, putting him onto a drama Like he was a guy who was experiencing a lot of interesting ways

[00:13:04] Terms of Endearment blows up And he wants to make a movie about journalists Now he started out thinking he wanted to be a news guy He worked at news stations when he was young Before he got roped up into all of this business

[00:13:17] So he decides this is what I want to do And spends like four years pretty much researching it And he really Do we know where he was? Yes, I can tell you all of the context Well, you... I hear you're a connoisseur That's what I was waiting for

[00:13:29] Damn it, it's up on your line Did you mention the word, the two friends? I can't remember I did, it's a prior to her evangel podcast, I haven't gone So he starts hanging out With Susie Susan Zyrinski of CBS News I call her Susie Fair enough

[00:13:45] Who I believe is even credited as a producer on the movie And technical advisor Yeah, both And who Holly Hunter modeled her whole look on And who he based the character off of It's all about her The crying stuff all comes from her Right

[00:13:59] Where he just starts shadowing her at CBS News Where she's at the Washington Bureau And like just that She had joined the Washington Bureau when she was 20 This is the days back before journalists went to school Fuck school You learn on the job Yeah

[00:14:18] And just worked at CBS for like decades She's now a senior producer on 48 hours, I think You want to see a picture? Yeah, I'm glad you know how to spell her name Because I was dying Wow, look at her And she's Holly Hunter sized

[00:14:33] What was she wearing in the mid-80s? Because this is the main thing I want to know Like would she be wearing long floral skirts and large sweaters And did she have a bow Dressed with a big bow on it, the correspondence dinner

[00:14:45] I mean, I can talk about the fashion of this for about 45 minutes Everything about this movie I'm trying to find young Susan Zyrinski Because there's a lot of current day There's a criterion in addition to this movie that's excellent

[00:14:57] With a very long making of sort of retrospective documentary There's one about James L. Brooks at large And there's one about this film in particular And there's a lot of Zyrinski interviews And I think a lot of photos of her from the time But I haven't rewatched it

[00:15:11] Highly recommend it though He wrote the part for Deborah Wenger She was going to be in the movie And then she got pregnant Like three months before filming And Holly Hunter was sort of just starting to happen Raising Arizona was kind of the big thing

[00:15:27] Raising Arizona was the same year, wasn't it? Raising Arizona is the same year She was not starting to happen I mean, like She's in like swing shift And she's I don't think she's even in Blood Simple She's like a voice or something

[00:15:42] Do you know what I think every time I watch this movie Can you imagine how exciting it must have been To be the casting director and have Holly Hunter walk in Holly Hunter is the greatest But especially if you don't know that Holly Hunter

[00:15:54] Is one of the greatest actresses of all time She's just someone on a list And you go, Holly Hunter And she walks in and starts doing this Yeah, and she's got that accent And she's five feet tall I've discovered a movie star

[00:16:07] Given someone the role that's going to give one of the best performances of all time And also now we have a movie Like Deborah Wenger would have done a really good job And she's a very good actress But there's lightning in a bottle in this movie

[00:16:17] With Holly Hunter fits this role so well And also the energy of someone knowing they're getting the big shot Yeah, because that's what the movie is about too Especially somebody who is chasing that big shot at all moments Kind of at the expense of everything else around her

[00:16:27] And is not going to like stop going after it And she's such a weird movie star because she's like Two foot one She's super aggressive She's like a little blunderbuss She's got a high pitch voice but also like a really heavy twang

[00:16:39] She's got a squeaky voice with this Crazy sort of Georgia Right, but she's got this like Tasmanian devil energy I love her Let me give you some I just want to talk about Holly Hunter for a while So she's born in Georgia We know that, she's from Georgia

[00:16:55] I mean I trained on her So she's from near Katie Rich Yeah, I was born in Georgia actually Just barely over the border Conyers, coiners Conyers is right at the corner That's where she's from Yes, 24 miles east of Atlanta She goes to Carnegie Mellon Like they all have

[00:17:17] Just the classic Hollywood track Gets a degree in drama Moves to New York City with who? Grand McDormand In the cons apartment At the end of the detrain Yeah, in the Bronx Up in like Arthur Avenue territory Yeah Starts doing what? Plays Off-Broadway And then

[00:17:43] She moves to LA in 82 But she's basically not in a movie For five years Has that little roll and swing shift That's it The two of them hanging out with the Coens So they were lucky enough to be in the right place

[00:17:57] And identify two of the best actresses of a generation How did they never put Francis McDormand And Holly Hunter together? It's a lot of energy for one movie Yeah, a lot of energy Are they never in a movie together? No, that's blowing my mind

[00:18:11] They're both to know Brother Where Art And Francis McDormand is in Raising Arizona That's the one where she comes over And Francis McDormand is doing a very not Francis McDormandy kind of part Where she's kind of like the airhead friend You gotta get a something

[00:18:27] I'm sure there's another one And now I'm struggling to think That's weird Sorry It's very bizarre It is those weird things about When you find out decades after That two iconic huge movie stars Were close friends before They were famous and then their careers just never passed

[00:18:47] Like how Connie Britton and Lauren Graham Were roommates for many years Really? I love that fact It's a great fact Let's only talk about women on this podcast Then we won't be like tarnished months later When it turns out the fucking, you know Yeah

[00:19:03] Cause you know what role she gets off of Broadcast News That was supposed to be the next like huge Always Spielberg's brought her in She's gonna be Audrey Hepburn Being her in this and being like she could be Like the greatest like sort of old fashioned Romantic lead

[00:19:21] Firecracker lady And she is, I think she's awesome in that movie But that movie is fucking bizarre And then she goes more serious And does her run of like The piano She only makes one movie in between always In the piano, she doesn't do a lot of movies

[00:19:37] Unless she really wants to I think Then DeFirm, right She's great in that Cat Let's see what else we got Crash, of course Good Crash Home for the Holidays Great movie A Lifeless Ordinary I didn't even And you know honestly By the time it's the The aughts

[00:20:05] I feel like she's sort of like the supporting player Who will like sort of pop up in your movie once in a while Like she's already not a lead anymore It was surprising when she got the 13 nomination too She's so good in that That movie is stupid

[00:20:17] But she's so good in that She's one of the best actors Alive But she also, I don't know She holds back She makes us urine for more Holly Hunts Well she had a 46 episode series on it USA That show was really weird Really weird

[00:20:37] That was a period where she cares Hedgwick Young Close Mary McCormack who doesn't quite fit They all had their series on the table Characters were welcome at that time Especially in the various turn to networks Yeah, because she did The Positively True Adventures of Alexis Texas Cheerleader

[00:20:57] Murdering Mom And of course we're forgetting She played Ro in Ro vs Wade Which is another TV movie She drank a jar of Granny's Peach Tea Yes she did She's been nominated for How many Oscars She gets nominated for The Big Sick It's only three

[00:21:17] Which I'm assuming she will This is the piano and it's 13 Now I need to talk about The thing I'm sorry, four because of the firm So it'll be five with The Big Sick Because the firm nomination is so weird Double nomination and money No, it's the Julianne Moore

[00:21:35] It worked for her Right And what's her name Jessica Lange pulled off the same trick She would not have won for Tussie If she didn't have Francis that same year Right, yes Usually the double nomination They give you one of them It's Sigourney with Twice in One Night

[00:21:55] So did Julie Moore It's been a while since that's happened Julie and Morty are the last one Jimmy Fox Flatterall and Ray He should have been a lead That should have been his nomination Well he is good in Ray

[00:22:11] Did Leo do it at the Oscars or was it only It was at the SAG Over-departed and Blood Diamond Yeah that was SAG Strict categories So you can only vote for them within a category Golden Globe gave him lead for departed SAG gave him supporting for department

[00:22:27] This is what happens when Katie is on the podcast Yeah, you've already had this year's Blankies with Joe so I'm just bringing it all back That's true we probably just did that What categories do I do this year Oh you gotta think

[00:22:39] On the record what categories are you going to do Who's going to get the best movie That should have had a hand puppets As all the actors, I don't know Let's take time to have you brainstorm What you're going to do two weeks ago

[00:22:51] This is a great segment That people want to hear Ben Ding dong Ding dong I recognize that music Ah hello Oh boy It's Amir Luigi You never know They're similar looking I thought you were colorblind It's Amir Well thanks for pointing that out Luigi Is this tech support

[00:23:29] Check podcast Podcast studio No I need the help What's the problem I want to transfer my Wii games I need the Wii transfer I don't know what that even means I ripped my Wii games On to a computer Help me transfer them I'm a Luigi

[00:23:51] Write the debates over whether or not I have genitalia What's your last name I tell you about something that might interest you Is your last name really Mario Luigi Mario Okay cool Would you be interested in a service called Wii Transfer

[00:24:09] Yes it sounds exactly like what I want Okay well it's all about Wii Transfer It's all about making the creative process Easier for everyone They built their site to be the simplest way To share big files around the world for free There's no sign in

[00:24:25] The password that you're going to forget You just upload the file, you send it and you get back To make what you make Sounds like I can use that for my EP as well You've got an EP Yeah I'm a SoundCloud rapper It's me Luigi Your accent is

[00:24:41] I don't know where it is but it's bleeding on some edge I don't think so So like Transylvanian No Well 40 million people use Wii Transfer To send and receive files every month To create a new space to showcase and create People around the world Musicians

[00:24:59] That many people transferred Super Mario Galaxy Photographers, illustrators, podcasters Plumbers I don't know I mean is it art of plumbing Is it art? The plumbing's in art It's not even trying It's like Dutch Spaghetti, calzone Well Luigi in the spirit of what I just described

[00:25:21] We're going to skip the rest of this ad and get right back to the podcast It's wetransfer.com You make Wii Transfer And Griffin and I have used this Well I don't make Nintendo Company makes And then I transfer it Luigi can you chill out for a second

[00:25:35] Griffin, we've actually shared files using Wii Transfer All the time Since they became friends with the show It's way easier than I My Mario and Luigi Slashfic I always use Wii Transfer to transfer that To you and it gets to you just as fast

[00:25:49] That Slashfic gets my blood boil I was thinking more of Film Clips but yeah you're right The Slashfic Just because you don't open the files doesn't mean I haven't sent them to you Honestly you could stop sending it to us We don't want to

[00:26:01] It's almost too easy to get them with Wii Transfer too They're like too accessible Stop sharing my personal stories Oh wait that stuff's real Oh boy You might want to hop on out of here Luigi Okay so where were we This is a necessary thing to talk about

[00:26:22] Because this has been a big aspect of my life My mother looks a lot like Holly Hunter And people think my mom is Holly Hunter Your mother does look a lot like Holly Hunter It's weird, I haven't even met your mother

[00:26:32] I've only seen her if that makes sense At the time we saw Star Wars at the Zigg Field which Katie was also Oh yeah You met her His mom was there His mom famously got up Right before Han Solo got killed on screen Spoilers

[00:26:50] And at the end of the movie she said Isn't it weird that Han Solo is just not in the last 20 minutes at all Like at the end they show everyone saying goodbye Leia looks so sad I wonder why It's so funny

[00:27:02] I remember her getting up and wanting to say to this woman I have not met back No, no, don't just sit down This tiny flinty Holly Hunter She's quite small-framed My mom very similar build to Holly Hunter Very similar hair color Facial shapes Frencher

[00:27:20] She's French but she speaks in a pretty Standard transatlantic Kind of accent But they have very similar looks And they dress fairly similarly And especially like I'd say 10 or 12 years ago There was like a point of confluence Where my mom was getting stopped all the time

[00:27:36] Where she went to a clothing store Someone would be like, hey can I help you And employees would like bend over backwards And start calling her Ms. Hunter I can't wish I could do her Dash, I know you're running as fast as you can That's pretty good

[00:27:50] She's gentler in the incredible Slightly, she has that area I also think my mom looks like She's so good in the incredible She looks like elastic girl I love Holly Hunter Anyway, I don't know if I told this during the podcast before But I was talking

[00:28:06] I was new at a high school Right as my freshman year high school I just got in there I had two friends who knew me well enough And I knew for a fact my mom wasn't Holly Hunter And I was talking to them about the fact that

[00:28:16] Everyone thinks my mom's Holly Hunter And they were like, what if we pretend that your mom's Holly Hunter So the next day Or whatever it was a couple weeks later The Oscar nominations come out and she gets 13 nominations Oh And in a pre-smartphone era

[00:28:30] Where people couldn't get that information People come to me and they said like hey I heard you have the Oscar What are the Oscar nominations? Because they knew I'd memorized all of them All right You had a brand up old

[00:28:40] So I had two friends before I went to school And what I would do was I would announce them while one of those Two friends was around me And I'd go best supporting actress Marcia Gay Harden, Mystic River, Renee Zelliger, Holly Hunter 13

[00:28:56] And then one of them would go oh my god your mom got nominated And I would keep on moving So who would make them Ask like wait Who's Griffin's mom? You had like your confidence man Right, so then people kept on saying like your mom got nominated.

[00:29:10] I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah, but I just would never say it. I would act quite cool about it. Someone asked me, so what's how did how did your mom react? And I was like, oh, she was still sleeping when I left for school.

[00:29:23] The next week, the Entertainment Weekly Oscar, she comes out. You know, they do their little profile of each of the actors. They said, so what do what? How did one time winner and four time nominee, Holly Hunter, react to the news of her latest nomination?

[00:29:37] I was sleeping at the time. I didn't find out about it. And everyone came back to me and was like, we thought you were lying, but you were telling the truth. So I went by Griffin Hunter Newman for like a lot of high school

[00:29:46] to try to trick people into it. Did you feel like you were trapped in the lie at that point? Or did you feel like it was really benefiting you? No, I felt like Steve Raniz easy. I felt totally oppressed by the lie I had made.

[00:29:57] And remember Steve Raniz easy? Yeah. I told my mom because my sister, Romley, was much younger. So she'd come by to pick up Romley from like preschool, which was in the same building. Yeah. I said, like if you come by, you don't have to lie to anyone.

[00:30:09] You don't have to say. Oh, so you told her you like owned up fast. I was like, if someone comes up to you and says Ms. Hunter, don't correct them. If they ask you what your name is, you can be honest. And she went along with this.

[00:30:17] Yeah. Do you think we could get him on the pod? Raniz easy? Yeah. Yeah, he told me he'd do it, but I don't know if he's telling the truth. He told you he'd do it right after he gets off work at Merrill Lynch. Yes. Sorry.

[00:30:31] If you Google me online, my name still comes up with Hunter in it. At most places, my mom's pretty angry about it. My mom calls the photos of her in the big sec now. Wait, what? When you Google me.

[00:30:43] Yes. Now that there's like more information out about you. You're saying your Wikipedia entry is wrong? Every other name I have there is. Griffin, Claude, Beresford, Dofan, Hunter, Newman. One of those is false. I'm deleting Hunter. Don't do it. Why not? My mom will be really happy.

[00:30:57] Well, because your high school friends will finally figure out you've been lying about this. Yeah. My mom thinks I've been like forcefully reasserting that lie and I'm like the internet is at life of its own. Because I was like my Facebook name when I was 15.

[00:31:09] So now everyone like edits it into everything because they thought it was real. So are like your high school classmates editing your Wikipedia entry? I don't know. I have no idea how anything works anymore. I don't really know how it works either.

[00:31:20] But I went to go see the big stick with Romley and literally every outfit Holly Hunter wears in that movie is a collection of clothing items that my mom has. And I couldn't pay attention to the phone. I like what she wears in that movie.

[00:31:30] It looks pretty good. She dresses very well and I'm a stylish lady. So it's comfortable. Yeah. Anyway, I've always felt like a kinship to Holly Hunter because of that. I feel like this was maybe one of the first times

[00:31:39] I watched Raising Arizona really young but didn't like it at the time. Raising Arizona is like the best. Yeah, it took me weirdly a long time to realize that. I adore that movie. I watched it when I was like below. I feel like we've talked about Raising Arizona.

[00:31:51] Usually it's like picking your favorite Cohen's. I feel like is like every day you can pick a different one. But like I often default to Raising Arizona is as my favorite Cohen. Wow. I think it's a decent favorite Cohen. I do too.

[00:32:03] This was probably the first time I really engaged with with Holly Hunter in like a full force way after knowing for years just about her being like a doppelganger to my mother. But you didn't see this till you were like older. I saw this one was like 10.

[00:32:15] Oh man. Because there was that AFI 100 funniest movies special that they did like 100 years, 100 laughs, funny times for funny people. They did like a prime time special. Shout out to my crying. Shout out to my crying.

[00:32:26] They did a prime time special with a countdown and I at blockbuster they would hand out a little booklet with 100 movies. I became obsessed with going through all the because I was a connoisseur of comedy. Before I was a concert, we're going to talk about the movie. Yes.

[00:32:38] OK. Broadcast news charted really high. So I remember watching it very young. It's got all these fucking stories and liking it. But also I was 10. I was like, why is this so sad? Yep. Like I had a hard time swallowing the sadness to it

[00:32:50] because you're also watching like Animal Crackers or like right. Yeah. I thought right. And then I probably didn't see it again until maybe I was 19. And then was like, oh, this is one of the greatest films ever made. And I watch it once a year now.

[00:33:04] You talking about raising Arizona? I'm talking about broadcast news. I am on topic. So. Hey, just checking in with the booth. Sure. Are we going to talk about Albert Brooks career? We're going to get into the plot. Where are we at? I mean, I got it. OK, good.

[00:33:17] Don't worry. You're talking about how you keep us on track. Yeah. Well, Jesus, he's on and on. Just feed me the lines. What will establish a rhythm would be like sex. Feed me the lines. The connoisseur. You're the connoisseur of context. Now I would like to discuss.

[00:33:31] And the thing I'd like to discuss now is Albert Brooks and his career. They call Tom Katz. I hate this bit. They call him Tom Katz, right? Yeah. It's one of the hardest planes to follow. Are you riffing on me, Griffin? So rhythm.

[00:33:44] I mean, Brooks is I mean, Lost in America comes out in 95. Brooks is just sort of established at this point. Right. I mean, it was like a huge icon of cool comedy. He was like a Tonight Show favorite. Tonight Show favorite.

[00:33:57] He'd been on, done his SNL shorts and stuff. I mean, he has one of the best like a star is born stories ever. Like better than the like Lana Turner being discovered. OK, I want to hear this story.

[00:34:08] We're going to talk about Albert Einstein as we all know. Yes. Yes. But do you know this story? He went to Carnegie Mellon just like Holly Hunter. Before that. Yeah, go on. He was born Albert Einstein because his parents thought they were really funny. Uh-huh.

[00:34:21] His brother, Bob Einstein, also known as Marty Funkhauser and Super Dave Osborn. Right. Um, he was childhood best friends with Rob Reiner. They grew up next to the Reiner. Sure enough. And Rob Reiner, son of Carl, of course. And in the late 60s, early 70s, maybe. OK.

[00:34:39] Carl Reiner was on the Tonight Show and Johnny Carson asked him, who do you think is the funniest person alive? And his answer was my son's friend Albert. Right. Right. And he gave a whole speech about how his son's 10 year old friend, Albert Brooks was the funniest person.

[00:34:52] And how Rob Reiner is not worth a damn. Right. But he was like kind of anointed at that moment. Yeah. And it took him a while to start popping, but like he always had this glow

[00:35:01] around him because it was like Carl Reiner at the peak of his powers. Said he was the funniest person alive. Right. So he was like on the Tonight Show like 20 times in his early 20s, was making short films for Saturday Night Live, like was too big

[00:35:12] to join the cast of Saturday Night Live by the time Saturday Night Live started. Did these stop stand up albums that were like legendary and then just was like, I don't want to do stand up ever again and just stopped. Yeah. And then I'm making movies now. Yeah.

[00:35:25] And he starts doing that makes himself like an auteur. Yeah, because he made Real Life, which is I think 79. Modern love. Modern romance. Sorry. Which is 80, like three maybe. Sure. Let me look it up actually. I want to know. 81. Sorry. Oh boy, that was embarrassing.

[00:35:41] Then Lost in America, which is in my opinion, a perfect movie. I weirdly have never been able to love that movie. That's why they call it Las Vegas Gambler. I'm all about Gary Marshall in that movie, giving the greatest performance in the history of Santa Claus. Yeah.

[00:35:56] Santa Claus. So yeah, he's an established great comedian, right? It's kind of a big move for him to be in this movie though, because he was mostly doing his own films or little tiny bits and stuff. This is someone really using him as an actor.

[00:36:13] He had been in Taxi Driver. Oh, right. Which is his first film role. Which I don't remember at all. Oh really? You should watch Taxi Driver. Yeah, it's been a long time since I saw that. I don't remember him being in it.

[00:36:22] He kind of plays the same character. Yeah, he's Sybil Shepard. Oh, let's say he works with Sybil. Got it. Okay. I definitely saw Taxi Driver before I saw Brock Lesniewicz. He's in it a lot though, and he has the, I believe he has a square box.

[00:36:35] So no, maybe he doesn't. It doesn't matter. He's also in Private Benjamin. Right. He dies over Kitchen Sank. Yes. He's in on Faithfully or something else. That's a small role. So he did more. But also, of course, he has made his movies, three of his movies.

[00:36:52] He's going to make Defending Your Life Next with Meryl Streep, which is a great movie. I agree with that. And yeah, he's Albert Brooks and I love him. He gets his one and only Oscar nomination for this movie.

[00:37:03] That's right because they snubbed him for Drive, which was weird. Yeah, man, we all thought that was going to happen. He thought that was going to happen. Well, not only did we all think he won Lafka. Oh no, he didn't actually win Lafka.

[00:37:14] He won, you know, a zillion critics awards. I remember even after he got snubbed at the Globes, they said, look, this is still a two-person race. It was between him and whoever won that year. Yeah, it was like it's either Brooks or him. I think it is.

[00:37:28] I think it was. I think it was a plumber. It's a plumber. Plumber v. Brooks. Don Justin. It's not weird when he's good in that movie. And then the third leg of this triangle, obviously, is The Big Hurt. The Big Hurt. How do you feel about Billy Hurt?

[00:37:41] I mean, I was, I have not finished your Lost in Space episode, which is the the most recent one. I love your wife. I love your wife. You have to go through the planet. I think it's hard.

[00:37:52] Like, so I was trying to, I've seen The Big Chill also a million years ago and I was trying to put it on the other day to be like, all right, this movie. And I got like 10 minutes in and Charlie didn't want to watch it.

[00:38:00] So, you know, watching movies with babies is a challenge. The Big Chill is an incredibly watchable movie. Yeah, no, I like it's on Hulu. I'm like glad to know that it's there. It did, you know, certain things about it staying a little bit where

[00:38:10] you're like, okay, who cares? But you're also saying, I mean, babies are kind of like Arm on White. Very, very selective. Very selective. Yeah. Very Mike D'Angelo. They walk out of a lot of movies. Oh yeah.

[00:38:22] You know, just so he wants to go play with some blocks instead. Who can blame him? I think I didn't like, I was born in the eighties and wasn't tuned into it. Like I'm not up on my eighties precision enough to get William

[00:38:31] Hurt movie star because he was a gigantic movie star. This is the tail end of it. And like a heartthrob too. He was like a sex. Let me give you her. Because in this you get the like news anchor heartthrob.

[00:38:41] Like he's a heartthrob to the extent that like Peter Jennings. Yeah, he has that pretty look. He's got the like nice look about it. But at this point, this is almost postmodern use of William Hurt. Yeah. Yes.

[00:38:51] So Altered States is his first role, starring role, which is great. Great film. Yeah. Body Heat is the year after. I know Griffin's a big fan of Body Heat. Steams it up. Yeah. Sexy movie. Then you got The Big Chill. Yeah.

[00:39:03] No Oscar nominations yet and Gorky Park, which is an underrated little thriller. Okay. Then 85, Kiss of the Spider Woman. He wins the Oscar. Yeah. You know, wins everything. Great movie. He kisses a spider. And then 86, Children of Alessor God. Yeah. Second Oscar nomination in a row.

[00:39:18] He kisses a deaf woman. Yeah. I mean, I've never seen children. I haven't either. It's good. Yeah? No, I've never seen children. You're just feeding me the line. It's good. And then 87, Broadcast News. Third Oscar nomination for lead actor in a row, which I think was sort of

[00:39:35] like a crazy streak at the time. And then Accidental Tourist in 88. I watched that movie. I watched that movie. It sucks. That movie is no good. I've never seen it. It's a cast in. It's like a super man down on his luck, falls in love with this

[00:39:53] wild woman who teaches him how to love again. She's a classic manic-prick. Yeah. It's crazy that she never gets brought up in that mold because she's so right there in it. The castings don't hold up very well. No. He's no good. I sadly agree. Alice.

[00:40:08] And then it's like, holy shit. Like I'm going to read you names and you're not going to know it. Until the end of the world, the doctor, the plague, Mr. Wonderful, second best trial by jury. It's like what happened to him? Was his agent drunk for years?

[00:40:22] Well, he had a big drinking problem for a long time. Did he? I think he had his demons and he was very, very difficult. I think he was one of those guys where they go like Life's Too Short for William Hurt. Yeah.

[00:40:31] Doesn't matter how big a story is. Doesn't matter how good he is. I don't want to put up with it. And then it's like by the time you get to Lost in Space in 98, he looks so furious to be in that movie. Yeah.

[00:40:42] And he's committed in some way. Like he is still doing his thing, but he just looks like mad about everything. And we talked, but he kind of boned out for a while after Lost in Space. Yeah. Yeah. Well, he's in one true thing the same year,

[00:40:54] but then it's kind of just like he's like, I'll do, sure, Steven Spielberg all do one scene in AI. I'll do one scene. Two scenes. Cronenberg'll come do two scenes. Well, that's... But then it felt like, oh, this is his new career revival,

[00:41:06] and then he didn't really take that baton and run with it. He keeps making movies that it's just, oh, except for Thunderbolt Ross. Of course, our favorite Marvel universe character. Absolutely. Did he die in the newest one? No, they have him to a 20-picture deal.

[00:41:19] They're going to keep on using it. He's like in Civil War. I do not remember anything. I remember when we saw the Civil War trailer and I said, can you imagine the Marvel intern who's like going through the files and then just runs through the hallways going like,

[00:41:31] wait, we have five more pictures. You've already heard. We forgot. We still got him. Put him on the poster. But yeah, this... Who's in damages speaking of... Oh, yeah. He's recently been on something called Beowulf Return to the Shieldlands. No, he hasn't. I don't believe you.

[00:41:48] I call Shanane again. Unfortunately, he has. He's Rothgar. Okay. Shout out to Rothgar. People like Shanane. He was also in Dune, remember that? Oh, right. The TV Dune. What do they like him in? On Humans, the BBC show. Why is he doing all these English shows?

[00:42:02] I don't know. Fuck her. Does he live there? I think he was on that last season of damages where everyone was on damages, right? There's one season where Marty Short, Lily Tomlin, Tate Donovan, John Goodman, Dylan Baker... Oh, God, there were some... Oh, God.

[00:42:16] Damages really was the show that got my billing brain just all wired up. Because there was one season with like two whiffs and four ends or something where I was just like, I can't believe this is happening. I'm so happy right now. Also, Van Dam.

[00:42:31] Billing on this is fascinating just because... Well, Holly's third bill. That's the thing, a year later, the billing would have been totally flipped. Brooks would always be two out of three. Yeah. And you notice they, at least in the closing credits, they spelled Joan Cusack's name wrong. Really?

[00:42:43] Really? They'd leave out the second C. That's rude. So she's like... Isn't that rude? That's very harsh. Cusack. Yeah, yeah, Cusack. I think it is a way that people have spelled that name. It's probably the sort of original way, right? Probably.

[00:42:55] And she's already gotten fired from SNL at this point, right? Probably. This is like in between... You want me to do Cusack now? Yeah. And then let's do Robert Prasky. Oh, yeah. Can we do Cusack? What a legend!

[00:43:05] I've had Robert Prasky's career open in a tab since before we started. He's the best. Grandpa Fred from Grandma's 2, the new batch. We got to do it, Grandma's 2, I would say. Yeah, we do. Yeah, she's on SNL from 85 to 86. So yeah, so she's already done her SNL run.

[00:43:20] She's out of the Hughes kind of teen comedy thing. She was in 16 Candles. No, well, she's going to be in, say anything though, in 89. That's not Hughes though. Oh, yeah. Right, right, right. But at that point, she's an adult. She plays a single mother.

[00:43:30] Say anything dot dot dot, thank you. Yeah. And then becomes one of the quietest and least heralded two-time Academy Award nominees in history. And two weird nominations. Okay, I remember in and out, I don't remember the other one. Working girl. Oh yeah.

[00:43:46] The in and out nomination, like, I will treasure that. She should be a five-time nominated at that point. Oh, yeah. She's the best. She should have just won Fred and out. She's so fucking good in fucking School of Rock.

[00:43:56] I was going to say, she should have been nominated so fucking hard for School of Rock. Nominator. I'm really trying to find the damages season two opening credits. And let me tell you, it is not easy. Going to do that all day. All right. So.

[00:44:10] Broadcast News opens with a little boy in the truck. True. Like all great movies. Do we want to talk about this guy? I think his name is Jack Nicholson. No, we'll get to him right here. He's uncredited. We'll mention him only at the end. That's true.

[00:44:22] He's not in the opening credits, but he is in the closing credit. Oh, yeah. What's the surprise has been revealed? That is a thing that I don't think Jack Nicholson gets fully enough credit for

[00:44:32] is for how big a movie star he was, how willing he was to play supporting parts. You know, like even in terms of Endearment, obviously, like Reds, you know, something like this where like he's uncredited, but he's got a fair amount of stuff in this movie.

[00:44:46] Yeah, he's got one big scene and then, you know, some pickups. We've like filmed like three days. Sure. Sure. But it's more than just like. He clearly just, clearly with Brooks, he's just like, James, anything you need. That's pretty good. Jimmy. I'll do anything.

[00:45:03] Except for I'll do anything, which I won't do. That thing's a disaster. Because he's in three out of six, Brooks, or four? He's in three out of six. Because he's in terms of broadcasts as good as it gets. And how do you know?

[00:45:20] Yeah, he's in four out of six. He's in four out of six. Two of his three Oscar wins come from Brooks. Which is nuts. And he's kind of wrong, even though he's great in those movies that he won for. It's weird that that's how.

[00:45:32] And we'll cover this in its own episode, but Bill Murray was fully set to play the dad and how do you know? And only dropped out of the film three days after filming started. When he refused to show up and James L.

[00:45:43] Brooks was like, Jack, please, the movie's already on the rails. Help me out my buddy, my pal. I got you two Oscars. Can you please show up? And he's like, yeah, James, I'll do it as a favor to you. All I ask him return is $12 million.

[00:45:57] Well, they had already spent what? $50 million on the three days of production. God knows what they spent that money on. We will get to that. That is his last film appearance. $12 million, Jimmy. It's fine. Unless he makes that Tony Urban movie, which I'm all about or

[00:46:14] brings back anger management. Yeah. Charlie Sheen already did it, but sure. Prequel. Or how to get so mad. You have to. When Ben was saying that he was holding his arms out like Beetlejuice saying it's showtime, it was like a triumphant victory laugh of a joke.

[00:46:36] God damn it. Could people hear you remove your headphones and discuss David? I'm so angry about that. So as movie starts in a truck with a very handsome little boy, it feels very frustrated by his lack of ability. He's so cute, that little boy.

[00:46:53] He's the most successful of the three little ones in my opinion. Oh, I think the Albert Brooks one. He's so. He is pretty good. Little hunter is. She's got she's just that's a lot of dialogue. She has to say like she's very cute.

[00:47:08] It's just it's just the hardest way the little boys goes. You'll never make more than $19,000 a year. That's pretty good. The conviction that he says it with. And he also has that palpable sadness in his eyes. I know. So that Brooksian sadness. So that's the opening. Right.

[00:47:25] Yeah, I like I had remembered feeling like these were kind of like unnecessary and a little cheesy. A little jokey. But like I just I love the movie so much that I'm like happy to see them.

[00:47:35] And I do feel like it does this genuine like establishing them as endearing from the very beginning. So like William Hersch shows up as like a stuff shirt and you're like, but he just wants to do right. Yes.

[00:47:42] And you know, I think it's the most crucial for him. And you know he's being genuine when he meets her that he's not just like trying to sleep with her or take advantage of her or whatever. Right.

[00:47:50] These are also like each of these characters are they're like a gordian knot of a person and establishes like the central internal conflict to each of them, which is like William Hersch is a guy who's so aware of his limitations and can't stop succeeding, you know,

[00:48:03] and feels the guilt about that. Yeah. Like Albert Brooks is someone who knows he's superior, but is constantly punished for it, but also hates himself. So it doesn't think he really deserves better. And then Holly Hunter is someone who's like intelligence is a burden.

[00:48:19] Like you cannot figure out how to relate to human beings in normal way. Yep. Because she's so on top of things and so ambitious. Yeah, I just love that speech about like choosing your words carefully. And then she kisses him at the end, which is so nice.

[00:48:34] It's like she is she throws this back at her dad and like has so much affection for him. Well, and like in a movie full of like like diamond cut, like perfect, like fucking daggers of dialogue.

[00:48:44] The one that I always think about the most aside from the opening one that we butchered. I did great. You did a great job. You did a great job. Is the it must be great constantly know you're the smartest person in the room. No, it's awful.

[00:48:59] You know, which is just like the entire like that's this whole movie's about. Yeah, because the amazing thing about her character and this happens throughout and we'll keep talking about it is that she has this like hard shell about her, but there's no pretending.

[00:49:09] It's not like she's trying to act like she's got her shit together. Like she's open about all of this. So she says to like the head of the network, like kind of admitting this turmoil inside of her and like it just keeps popping up.

[00:49:19] And you think is what makes people like junkie Sacker, the guy who plays Bobby like want to work with her is that she is competent, but like not trying to pull on over on it. She's incredibly honest and transparent.

[00:49:29] And then even though no one else knows how much she cries in private. And then she's very early. Yeah. Yeah. Don't you see we see her unplug the phone. The credits are so rolling. I think yes, yes. So works his name is over her sobbing,

[00:49:43] but just the fact that she can take the cord out of the phone and be disconnected from the world. That's all. Yes. And there's also this thing where like the phone's moving pretty fast at the beginning, setting everyone up in these little kind of bursts of scenes,

[00:49:56] especially just with like the childhood incidents. And then when it goes to her with the phone and she unplugged and suddenly the movie just like stops and the credits are still going, but there's no music and she's just sitting there still and you're like,

[00:50:08] why are they holding for this long? And then suddenly she just starts crying. Yeah. But there's like 15 or 20 seconds before she even starts grimacing. Yep. Where you're just watching Holly Hunter still on a bed. Yeah. It's impressive to the point of being off-putting where I can't believe

[00:50:22] they lead with this. Right. Like, you know, it's a confident movie. It's confident because like this could easily make people too uncomfortable, too quickly. Well, because she's already had these two cute conversations with Albert Brooks. Like you get that they have this like.

[00:50:34] And we're supposed to be watching this. You're like, oh yes, I'm watching a romantic comedy about a career woman who can't figure it out and it's going to be great. The man she loves is right there.

[00:50:43] He's right around the corner, right on the other end of the phone and it's going to be staring or whatever. Right. And then she just like is suddenly crying like a maniac and you're kind of like. So do you think the crying is triggered by him?

[00:50:54] Because this is what I thought about when I wrote like all her three major crying scenes are all kind of after big moments with him because I think the one in the office is the day after the correspondence dinner. That's true. I never thought of it that way.

[00:51:04] I always thought of it as like an existential dread thing. I always thought of it as that thing. I feel like we've talked about Griffin where it's like she just she's too busy. So like this is the time in the day that she can cry. Yeah, yeah.

[00:51:16] Like, you know, down to the methodical sort of like take the phone off the hook. And it's just sort of like this is this is where I have a moment for an outpouring of emotion. Sleepy buddy. Yeah, I want to take a nap.

[00:51:29] You interested perhaps in a sleep brand that makes expertly designed products to help you get your best rest one night at a time. I mean, that's exactly what I'm interested in. All right, well, let me tell you about Casper. OK, never heard of him.

[00:51:41] You spend one third of your life sleeping, Griff. So you might as well be comfortable. Yeah, the problem is it's the wrong third. It's never the right time. That's true. I need all the help I can get, David. OK, well, the original Casper mattress combines multiple supportive memory

[00:51:54] foams for a quality sleep surface with the right amounts of both sink and bounce. Oh, bounce, baby. Exactly. And they offer two other mattresses, the wave and the essential. OK. The wave has a patent pending premium support system that mirrors the shape of your body.

[00:52:10] Oh, like bad, like the bad shape of my body. And the essential has a streamlined design with a price that won't keep you up at night. Well, that's great because right now almost anything will keep me up at night. I need no encouragement to stay up.

[00:52:21] This is getting a little real. But well, these are affordable prices. So they cut out the middleman. They just send the box directly to you and it's a mattress. Well, that's amazing. But you know, here's something that would stress me out.

[00:52:33] If for 100 nights I felt the risk of trying it out. No, no, not sure if I was going to like it or not. You can be sure of your purchase with Casper's 100 night risk free sleep on it guarantee. 100 nights sleep on guarantee.

[00:52:47] You can be sure of your purchase with Casper's 100 night risk free sleep on it trial. OK, now here's something kind of embarrassing. I'm a jingoist. Can you promise me that this was designed, developed and assembled in the US? That is right, my friend.

[00:53:00] It was and I own a Casper mattress and I sleep on it with my body. OK, boy, here's a little contradictory thing. I have some friends I want to get Casper mattresses in Canada. Can I get it shipped to them for free? I think you can.

[00:53:16] Yeah, shipping and returns in the US and Canada. Oh my God. This is unbelievable. Well, David, you're just speaking about this impersonally from some place of remove you have no experience with this product. I why should I believe you? Definitely do. I sleep on a Casper mattress.

[00:53:33] I have a great time doing it. It's came right to my house and I just open up the box and out it flimped. It's flimped. It flipped. OK, what? It's out. How do I get this deal? All right.

[00:53:45] Well, you can get $50 towards select mattresses by visiting Casper.com slash check and using check at checkout terms and conditions apply. I just check out is what you're saying. No, you go to Casper.com slash check and use promo code check at checkout.

[00:54:01] OK, check to make terms and conditions apply. OK, I'll read into that. I love a good reading assignment. This applies to select mattresses and you can get $50 off any readers. OK, well, excuse me, I'm just listening to a quick.

[00:54:16] I'm going to take a quick nap, Ben cut this out and then we're done with the episode. I'm going to order myself a mattress. Guys, I found it. Here's the billing from damages season two. Thank God. Glenn Close, Roseburn, Tate Donovan with Marcia Gay-Harden.

[00:54:34] Oh, she was on it. And Timothy Oliphant and William Hurt and Ted Danson. That's wild. That's insane. It's one with and three and not two withs and four ands. And everyone else we've talked about was just a guest star. Well, the other people, Tomlin, Goodman.

[00:54:50] They pop up in other seasons. You know, it's a very like season by season because there was always a new case every season. So it was like, you know, there would always be flashy guest stars. Danson's on it for two years at least. Crazy.

[00:55:02] Because that was kind of the start of like gray hair drama dancing. Oh, yeah. Like we're like, oh, Silver Fox dancing. Yeah. And he's also doing Bored to Death. Right. And then he did CSI and people are like, why are you doing CSI? You're so rich. Yeah.

[00:55:15] You've worked your whole like why? And he was just like, I just kind of wanted to be on CSI. So here I am. My dad always throws out Ted Danson as like the go-to for someone who's really rich.

[00:55:25] Like it goes like, can you imagine how much money Ted Danson must have? He's really rich. And he's been on TV forever. Yeah. Yeah. He should be in broadcast news. He should. He's in very few movies. I feel like if Kelsey Grammer is right there though,

[00:55:36] if you're going to go like someone who was on Cheers, he's insanely rich. That's the weird thing. Kelsey Grammer is really rich. That is true. The two guys my dad always goes for. Can you just even imagine how much money they have are Ted Danson and Zach Braff?

[00:55:48] Well, Zach Braff, it's just sort of like it's infuriating. Because it's like that guy? That much? And then he hit a Kickstarter? Yeah, right, right. The Danson thing is just like the amount of huge shows he was on, you know? Yeah. For sure.

[00:56:03] But Grammer, yeah, had like two crazy syndicated shows. Ted Danson is not in this movie. He's not in this movie. Feels like he should be. He could have been Bill Hurt. A couple years later, maybe he would have gotten this. Maybe.

[00:56:17] I mean, I would say he's a little rough around the edges than Hurt. You know, the whole point of Hurt is when he approaches her early on, which we're talking. We're right there. And she gives that speech that no one's paying attention to.

[00:56:28] And then she shows the Domino's clip and everyone loves it, which I just love how badly she's read the room where she's like, this is gonna, they'll be like, oh my God. And instead they're like, yeah. And that like adage about like tragedy plays in close-ups,

[00:56:43] comedy plays out in wide shots. Like this is such a good wide shot comedy where they just hold on her between these two giant screen sandwich. You hear the audience reacting possibly to Domino's and it's just seeing her face get more and more disgruntled in the middle.

[00:56:57] And as people who work in media, David, like you listen to her being like, we've lowered our standards. This is falling apart. You're just like, this movie is chilling if you work in media because they're like, jeez, you know, the news is getting really bad.

[00:57:08] And then every news segment in this show is this like very serious, foreign affairs piece where it's like... Or about date rape. Well, we'll get to that. And they take the time to like fucking cut in the Rockwell thing. Right, it's dry. You're at the Rockwell thing.

[00:57:21] That's what the whole opening sequence at the newsroom is, is that they have to cut in that Rockwell transition. Yep. Imagine... But like talk about a movie. Imagine editing on fucking VHS dude. Well listen, my internet ABC productions, we use beta tapes.

[00:57:37] Like that was the very end of that era. Yeah, I do. Yeah, go on. Sorry. All three of us have time and time again discussed a fondness for movies depicting people who are really good at their jobs. And especially when the job is executed with this much detail.

[00:57:54] Oh yeah. And just every element of this movie, like whatever the emotional conflict, the interpersonal social conflict going on is, you're never not aware of what jobs they have and what they have to be doing in the office at that very moment.

[00:58:06] And from the technology to just like the way they hold themselves, the way they talk about certain subjects, the fact that they just live and breathe this shit. That section towards the end where it's Prosky talking to people in the hallway about like, OK, here's a scenario.

[00:58:20] What would you do? It's like all they want to think about is just like, how would you manage this situation? Yeah. What are your ethics? Like all they care about is the fucking news. You're just like, I don't know. I watch this movie and I want to cry

[00:58:33] because I want to believe that we have journalists who care this much and that aren't totally beaten down by the system. Yeah. Who believe that it's possible to get this stuff out there. Yeah. And obviously there are, but it also feels a little dire right now.

[00:58:46] And it's also a climate where each individual news outlet holds less power than it used to because they're just so fucking mad. Well, and that's the whole thing is like they're put, they're killing themselves to get together this segment

[00:58:56] about this returning veteran and get the rock ball thing in there because it's going to be important and it's going to vanish and no one's ever going to watch it again. No. But it was such a massive thing at that point.

[00:59:03] If they don't get it on at 8 p.m. on Tuesday. No one will ever see it. And everyone's watching the news. Yeah. And I think about how many things I've written in a week where it's just like, well, that's up and then it's gone.

[00:59:12] And like, was there a type I wanted? Huh, right, right. Please keep employing me. Anybody who's right. It's like watching this movie where it's like the pressure to get everything so right under such a time constraint. Yeah. And not just in terms of reporting the story ethically,

[00:59:26] but like technically the artistry of how you compose the story, how you perform it. I mean, jumping ahead, but the fucking scene where Hurt teaches Brooks how to be on camera. And you're like, yeah, this guy is a total artist at one thing and you can't discredit that.

[00:59:44] Beyond that, it's like, I don't know how you feel about this, Katie. You might feel differently, but Hurt's job, Tom's job, is the job I would be the worst at in this environment. Oh, of the three? Oh, yeah, for sure. Yeah, like any of them.

[00:59:56] Like I could do any of the other jobs better than here. His is the or at least he's the one that frightens me the most. Yeah, the anchor job. It's like I would be so worried about saying everything in the right order.

[01:00:07] And then when Hurt's talking about like really punch one word in every sentence and you're really selling an idea. And I'm like, I wouldn't even be able to start thinking about punching a word. No, the incredible thing about the scene where she's talking in his ear,

[01:00:19] which I guess we'll talk about later, is the way that he doesn't just repeat back what she's saying. He like translates it and does it in real time. It's so good. I also have, it's amazing, but I have this whole like theory

[01:00:30] because I spent a lot of time thinking about this. Like why so many incredibly good looking people are good actors or good performers in this kind of way? And I don't think it's just audiences like watching people who are good looking, which they do.

[01:00:43] But I also think if you're that good looking and put together from like a baseline level, there's a certain confidence you have to not worry about certain things that frees up the mental energy to worry about things like your posture. Yeah, punching one word in particular

[01:00:57] because you just kind of go into situations going like people like me. They're one over by me. They're compelled when I speak. Yeah, now I can focus on like the little details. And I like that they don't just make her a savant.

[01:01:08] Like they don't just go like, well, he's good looking and he just innately has a quality. Like in that scene, it makes it clear how much he's thought about the artistry of some of these decisions that puts him over the edge from being like a good looking,

[01:01:19] fairly charismatic person to someone who's like an utterly captivating broadcaster. Beyond that, he's not full of himself. No, like, you know, which he does the work. If he was smarmy than that would be its own thing. Yeah, he is really genuine. He's genuine.

[01:01:33] And that's what he is in that when he's a little boy and he's like, I want to work. You know, he puts a lot of work and energy and effort into it. The thing that he represents though is putting that energy into the less essential places. Yep.

[01:01:45] And that's the central conflict of the movie. Yeah. Is it's like this guy knows he doesn't deserve what he's got. He is working really hard for it. He's constantly trying to get better, but his mind operates on a totally different track

[01:01:56] in terms of what he values is important. He doesn't even understand the regression he represents, how dangerous letting someone like him rise to the forefront could be. For all of media. Katie. All I can think about is how like all the William Hertz of our president. Yeah. Yeah.

[01:02:14] Yeah. But I just think he's perfect because he's not intimidatingly handsome. No. He's nice guy handsome. He's got that weird little horseshoe scar on his cheek. You know, it's like he's not too smarmy. Like I said, like it's the perfect lane for that anchor. It's a tricky performance.

[01:02:33] Like Peter Jennings, Dan Rather, you know, Tom Brokaw, which is like the anchorman of that era. Can we talk about their like date that they have like the very beginning of the movie? Right at the beginning after she gives her speech,

[01:02:43] she comes up to her and he's like, you reach one person, you know, me. Yeah. He's like sitting in the audience with a bottle blonde and can't get his eyes off of how the answer. Every other woman in his life is a bottle blonde. Yeah.

[01:02:54] But talk, talk, Katie. Yeah. But like they, you know, you don't see most of the date and then get to the end of it and she's talking so fast and she's got this energy and the way that it's blocked

[01:03:00] that you cut to her room and they're like kneeling on the bed, which is like not anything anyone in a movie has ever done, but you can kind of imagine having done that in your life. Yeah. And it's like kind of sexy, but like not really.

[01:03:13] And then you see when she like badly misreads what's going on. But she kind of doesn't like it's kind of every time I watch it, I like think of something different going on in his head. And it's also like here's this guy who represents

[01:03:23] some sort of physical ideal to her, right? Like clearly she's just taken with how he looks from the beginning of the movie. This is like her time. You don't invite an idiot or a bad looking idiot into your hotel room.

[01:03:32] And she's found a guy who looks like this, who's in the same field as her. Yeah. Which makes her a while. And who's interested in her. Right. But it takes her a while to realize like what side of the coin

[01:03:40] he represents, but at the beginning it's just like, oh my God, it's another guy who likes Iron Maiden. You know, like I can talk about my favorite thing with him. Yeah. And that hotel room stuff when she's like nestled up with the pillow, it's just like,

[01:03:51] I get to geek out with someone about this. Who I'm sexually attracted to, who doesn't look like Albert Brooks. But then she, you know, realizes, take a turn. Right. He's the he's the enemy. In a way, he represents something she doesn't

[01:04:04] that she's been like about her industry fight against. Right. Where he's basically describing his career track to her, where he's like, you know, I was on sports and they, they, someone said I was going to get fired. He didn't even get fired.

[01:04:16] Someone just falsely said he was getting fired. He got so many letters from outpouring the support that they promoted me, you know, and then he can't even, doesn't even a heart to tell her to say, by the way, I've been promoted again and I'm going to, you know,

[01:04:29] work for you. Isn't it after that that she asked him for a back rub and it kind of, and then he rebuffs her and like, presumably because he's been hired and like, he doesn't want to like start that. It was like the, the great anatomy scenario.

[01:04:38] He's avoiding the big dreamy thing. But there's also like an incredible shift that Holly Hunter pulls off where she goes from being like, oh, come on, don't be humble. Don't be modest. And the more he explains it, she starts to actually become irate. And then he's so hurt.

[01:04:54] Yes. William hurt. Yes. William devastated. The way I really love the way he like, he's like, I couldn't stand the way you just talked to me just now. Like, you know, and it's not because she was too mean, although she was too mean.

[01:05:07] It's because no one's ever talked to him like that. Yeah. He also has that line like that, that it's heartbreaking to know that you're not very good at the thing you're a success at. Yeah. Oh, yeah. But she doesn't get that he is good,

[01:05:21] but in a way she doesn't like. Yeah. I mean, just later on, what's the line his dad has that just I just burst out laughing every time? She's not a very affectionate person. The way she's talking to you is like, I want to know the exact line. Yeah.

[01:05:34] Do you know what I'm talking about? Yeah, I know it's something that she's not a very affectionate person. Then he comes to her, he's like, he loved you. Yeah. So he admired your fire. It's like the way he talks is not the way an affectionate person talk.

[01:05:45] It's something like that, but it's it's really good. Yeah. So yeah, then he calls her later. Like like an hour later or like well, first she talks to Albert Brooks on the phone. They have their nightly phone call where they're catching up.

[01:05:56] And are you so smitten by Albert Brooks at that point? Like all like you want to do is just like, how about someone to call you on the phone like you put it to me very

[01:06:03] well last night where we were texting about this movie and you were like, everyone wants to be loved non-threatening. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Well, he's just got like this boundless affection for her and like for the most part, he's not making it weird.

[01:06:14] We can talk about when you make it weird. But also I think I'm a stroke at this movie is that they make it weird. It'd be very easy to just make him ducky. No, that's the thing.

[01:06:21] And let him off the hook by being like cute and sad, sad. That is what makes the movie complicated to watch because there are things especially in this time when we're recording this, where like it's nonstop talking about sexual harassment at work.

[01:06:31] Like there are lines crossed all over the place. I assume by the time this episode has come out, that's all over with. Everything's been sorted out. We've solved everything. And it's fine. Yeah. Yeah, Shreks and Jail. Everything's been solved.

[01:06:42] My running joke is now predicting that Shreks the next one to go down. Yeah. But you see this like this depth of affection between the two of them and you want that relationship there and you want someone to just like,

[01:06:52] you know, like you're talking about how he yells at her, but like he just pours this like caring on her and she knows that she can lean on him at every possible moment, which is a shitty position for him to be in and co-dependent, but valuable.

[01:07:02] His anger is what this movie gets really right, that it isn't afraid to make him an asshole and have him do incredibly awful things. But I feel like when I saw this movie when I was young, when I was 10 or 12 or whatever,

[01:07:13] I think what may be uncomfortable was that. Right. Because he's not been still in reality bites where you're like, oh, this is me. I understand. It's clear cut. And the assholes are. That's the nice guy and William Hurts the villains, but William Hurts the villain,

[01:07:27] but James LeBruck's movies don't have villains ever. Right. Sometimes it's a problem, such as in How Do You Know where there's no stakes or really anything to push against, even the man who's committed fucking financial white-collar crime is like, what can I say?

[01:07:42] And you're like, he's all right. You know, there's just no one to be mad at. They offered me $12 million. No, I mean, we're going to get to the effect that you made in 2010, a movie about white-collar criminals. You are nice. Even at middle school,

[01:07:57] I had a whole complex about being the ducky boy who was in love with the best friend, who the unrequited love, the late night phone calls, but never be the one they want to kiss. And so I got a lot of real masturbatory validation

[01:08:11] from movies where at the end, the girl realizes that's who she should have been. We're sure. And this movie is like, no, these people are angry and there's a weird sense of entitlement that comes to being best friends with a girl

[01:08:22] but also thinking she's stupid for not realizing she should be with you. I'm constantly telling her that. And the level of denial that she must have to continue this friendship and rely on him and just push anything that he suggests otherwise in the back of her mind.

[01:08:35] And you see the expression she makes later on. She kind of shakes it out of her brain. Yeah, because she just understands this is something she has to tolerate about being friends with him. It has to weigh against all the things

[01:08:44] he does do for her as a friend. Well, I like you. But it's frustrating that her that he has to... That has to be part of it. Yeah, and she loves him. Then he's putting that on her. But she's not going to go...

[01:08:53] She's not going to do that. And she thinks that they can keep at equilibrium even though it's killing them. Right, but he views her not liking him as a choice. Like, why would he make this bad choice? Your judgment is better than this.

[01:09:05] You know I stand for what you respect. But it's like a head versus heart movie where it's like, yes, intellectually this is the kind of person she wants to be with except no part of her actually wants to be with him

[01:09:14] in the weird inexplicable way that relationships form and attachments grow. My mother is a journalist. Humbleburn. As was my father, they're both journalists. I do think when I'm watching this movie that I'm watching my mother's career. Because this is how she describes it.

[01:09:35] Mostly boys, a lot of Albert Brooks types, a lot of lines that are very hazy, a lot of like... They were all so hard charging. And there's a lot of like, just like, let's drink all night now. And especially... Like your whole life is the news.

[01:09:52] When you have this righteous motivation of like we're doing something important, we're saving the world and everything, the stakes are so high. Yeah, yeah. Where did your mom work? Daily news for... Let me... 28 years? 1980 to 2008. Oh, no, wait, longer than that. Anyway, 1982 to the 2010 teens.

[01:10:14] And she did everything. She was business reporter, she was city hall reporter, she was a social welfare reporter, like did lots of different things. But you know, especially in the 80s in New York, mostly boys, a lot of drinking. Yeah, a lot of Brooks-y types.

[01:10:27] And a lot of like, you got to play with the boys. You know, like, you know what I mean? And like that is Hunter's character in the way where it doesn't seem like she's trying harder or anything. Like she's a total idiot, totally at ease.

[01:10:40] But the relationship she has with Brooks is so unusual, would be so unusual in so many other workforces. But you also, I mean, we only get this one snapshot from the beginning, but it seems like she's in a single-parent household being raised only by a father. Oh, yeah.

[01:10:54] You never see her mother, that's true. That's just always the inference I've gotten by the fact that they don't show the mom. And when they cut to the living room, it's the dad sitting there by himself, which probably sets her up to a dynamic

[01:11:05] where she feels comfortable around. Which interestingly is some of my mother's upbringing. Hmm. Interesting. Anyway, we combine my mom with your mom and we have... Holly Hunter. In broadcast news. In broadcast news, except neither of our parents are from the South. Yeah, we got a son.

[01:11:18] My mom is. Hey! We can buy an hour and three mothers. Is your mother from Georgia? Or is she from... She was born in Georgia actually, but grew up in South Carolina, like me. And then she went back to Georgia to get birthed to you

[01:11:30] and then right back to Carolina. So I grew up right on the border, so you know you would go over to Augusta for the hospitals and then come back and live in your nose out of Carolina. It's like how Charlie was born in Manhattan

[01:11:38] and we lived in Brooklyn. Very sweet. Of course he was. I believe he was born where I was born. You got across a river to be born. Yeah. In the Bible, probably. Got it. All right, so after that we get the Bobby, Bobby, Bobby, Bobby scene, right? Yes.

[01:11:53] It's so good. I'm a Christian climate saint. I don't know how she does that on just a technical line. She's amazing. Her voice, everything about her. Bobby, Bobby, Bobby. Christian Clemson is Bobby. Shout out Christian Clemson. Strong young Philip Seymour Hoffman look, I assume. For sure. 100%. All right.

[01:12:08] They're trying to finish up this story, get it ready and she suddenly has this moment where she thinks of the perfect Norman Rockwell painting to put in. That's a book in her office. You can't Google that shit. You can't pull up that PDF.

[01:12:19] They have 15 minutes until the segment's gonna air. Yeah. She calls, get that book, film it, Albert Brooks with a stopwatch, adding in the one line of narration. Junk you sack. In a moment that should break this movie. I mean, this moment gets so much more slapsticky

[01:12:35] than the rest of the film and it's right on that edge of like... She leaps over a dazzled child. Right, and the sliding under, the like filing cabinet. Because I remember that was the clip they played on the AFI special and then when I put in the tape

[01:12:47] and the movie started out so sad, I was like, did I accidentally rent the wrong one? Was that working girl? That's definitely like the most comedic that movie gets. Pretty much. Yeah, this is a funny movie that is not a very heightened comedy. No, no.

[01:13:00] But it is a funny movie. Oh yeah. But it's more behavioral. Very much so. I mean, it's just the kind of movie they don't make anymore. Right. They don't make them like this. They certainly don't make them 135 minutes long. Oh yeah, they do. Who does that? Albert Brooks.

[01:13:14] John Appetow. John Appetow. You know, and like that's where people are always like, I can't believe John Appetow is so indulgent where his movies are so long. I'm like, do you know who his hero is or not? Like come on. 100%. And even the TV to film progression.

[01:13:27] Yeah, totally. It's all the same fucking. Anyway. I used to watch The Big Sick also with Helly Hunter. It's not a 135 minutes long. No, I think that one's two hours. Solid two. It's two hours on the nugget. But I like how long that movie is.

[01:13:39] That's a very Brooksie movie as well in terms of all the different stuff it covers and how complicated every character is. And like that's where Appetow is saying the Brooksie thing, which is like don't shortcut anything. Like every part of this needs to be long. It's fine.

[01:13:52] It can be a little longer. Like their relationship needs to go on for a while. And the 90 minute version of that movie would lose entire... Some people disagree. Shades, you know? I think so. Yeah. I don't know if Katie agrees. We thought about it. Oh, The Big Sick.

[01:14:07] Yeah, I think The Big Sick can be shorter. I think every single scene in broadcast news is perfect. Perfect. Yeah. But they're long. They're long scenes. It's also a big two shot movie. Like it's a lot of two shots where you're just letting actors play it out.

[01:14:21] There's a moment. Oh, it's here in when they're watching. When William Hurt is sort of shadowing in the office. Yeah. The control booth watching her. And it's this sort of shot with her at the control panel. The guy, the sort of point dexterity guy.

[01:14:34] Out the controls and the Hurt, the big Hurt between the two of them while she's making the calls. And Hurt is sort of just like bumping the back of his head against the wall. Like a little boy in a classroom who's just like kind of bored. Yeah.

[01:14:47] And he just like lets these scenes play out with like a bunch of really good actors doing a lot of really telling physical behavioral stuff, even when they're not talking. Yeah. You know, or when they're talking about their work doing physical things that show what they're thinking.

[01:15:00] Nothing in this movie is rushed. Like he's really taking his time. I'm going to rush us a little bit. Because we've been talking for an incredibly long time already. And I feel like we've done five minutes of this movie. Great. So what's next?

[01:15:13] It gets the story on kills it. Wait, who? What? She gets the story on kills it. And then, yeah, and then he says he can't talk to Albert. Or like she lies to cover for Albert Brooks and says that he can't talk to him.

[01:15:25] And then you see Nicholson just kind of twiddling his thumbs on the life feed. Heartbreaking. He only wants to talk to Holly. Yeah. Is that the second one? Isn't that after they do that might be essential? Oh yeah, you're right. Central America. They go there.

[01:15:38] So they go to Central America after this part. Yeah, that's right up. Right. The next thing is central. Crazy to me that they just go to like embed with the Sandinistas and Central America. They send Albert Brooks to Central America.

[01:15:50] And you see, and there's like gunfire and explosions. And you see how fussy she is. Oh, about the shoes? About the shoes where it looks like they're kind of setting up a shot. We're like, let's get a shot of them tying their shoes.

[01:16:01] And she's like, no, no, no, no, no. If you want to tie your shoes, that's fine. So you do whatever you want to do. But that moment when he goes to get the shot of the boots, you know, because he knows.

[01:16:10] They're already cutting it together while it's happening around them. And they have these moments where they get, their faces get really close to each other. And any other movie it looked like they're about to kiss.

[01:16:19] But it's just they're getting so sexually charged off of doing their job well. Yep. Right. And then the same thing happens when she's back, where she went when she's feeding the lines into her tears with the same sort of like sexual foreplay kind of thing.

[01:16:32] But that's when they put that story on the air. Nicholson flips out, calls her, yeah, says, well, really, you got to give Aaron the credit. And he goes, well, I kind of what this is. Whatever he says. Hangs up, they watch him total his thumbs.

[01:16:44] And then one of my favorite heartbreaking moments in the movie where he leans in and says, the second I leave. Yeah, like I'm not, I'm not shattered into a million pieces. Yeah, laugh really hard. Something incredibly clever. Yeah.

[01:16:56] And then she does such a good performance, laughing too hard to junk you second says, I'll never tell you what he said. Yeah, I'll never tell. See, don't you want that friendship? You want someone who's going to cover for you like that. Maybe just not be.

[01:17:05] I've had that friendship a number of times. I don't have to play any fantasy with this movie. This this movie plays to me like my high school years. Yeah. No, say I definitely thought about it.

[01:17:16] It's got about like doing like high school theater and like having this like 100% production relationship where you're all trying to accomplish something. And like no one's really talking about their feelings in the proper way and everyone's kind of filtering it in weird ways.

[01:17:26] That's what my high school was. My plays in short films and collaborative fucking presentations for science class. Okay, humble brag. Yeah, I mean, you know what? You could have had someone cover for you with a big laugh when you're a moment where you're emotionally devastated. Yeah, 2017 David.

[01:17:39] Yeah, 2018 by this point. Actually, the theater was with the girl school. So, you know, that was one way to meet the girls. Yeah, making out behind the scenes. I did have this feeling. It was happening. If this movie takes place 50 years later, I think Albert Brooks's character

[01:17:55] would have become an alt-right gamer kid before he got into tournalistic ethics. Oh, well, he had that outlet. I hate the world and let's not talk about it too. I want to point out there was also some boy on boy making out in my boys school theater scene.

[01:18:07] Just don't want to be enclosed. Congratulations. So I just actually I feel I feel rude for I don't want to erase the the totally true boy on boy making out. Yeah, they turned the theater in my school into an obstacle course.

[01:18:22] Is that for the out of the furnace boys so they could learn how to like be under siege by the government? Yeah, we didn't even have a whole entire siege. Yeah, climbing on ropes and it was an obstacle course with cardboard

[01:18:35] cutouts of cops in there that you had to dodge around. They're training you for the Hunger Games. Yeah, that's I mean it is the Hunger Games over there already. I think it's already happening. Do you attend Battle Royale?

[01:18:48] So usually I have like the plot in front of me so we can easily run through it. But the plot summary for this news is really small because it's not plotty per se. It's just a lot of things happening.

[01:18:59] But like the well, OK, so you get the central market thing then they all having that brunch at like the network presence house. That's right. Where the is it Lois Chiles? I think Jennifer, is she the other anchor? No, she's a correspondent.

[01:19:14] She's the one who's like standing outside the White House. Right. And she's the one who's like asking Holly Hunter, like do you have something with Tom? And her already done on airpiece at this point because he's starting to look like the golden boy, right?

[01:19:25] But I'm interested in Tom and she's like, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. And she's like we don't go on. And then she's like, wait, I do mind, which is so shitty. Come on, man, like you got to make up your mind.

[01:19:38] No, but then she stops her going out and it's like, actually, I don't mind. Do whatever you want. And I like the one thing to her, right? Yes, something shitty to her. What does he say to her? I forget.

[01:19:48] He says I'm crappy to her that then she goes, excuse me, I'll be back. Yeah, goes back to Jennifer tells her. I think it's him still having a problem with her attitude in the way she talks to him.

[01:19:56] Like he talks about how I remember what is he talks about how much better she looks at the party. And he goes, usually at the office, you have that film over you. Oh God, yeah. And so that's where she stops Jennifer leaving the party.

[01:20:08] He's like, do whatever you want. Jennifer's like, well, I'm not going to do anything right now. Right. Which I think is funny. And then right then, like they find out the Libyan plane has. Yeah, that's the Gaddafi story starts up.

[01:20:18] Yeah, so then but then it's everyone doing their jobs. You see everyone springing into action. It's like a Saturday afternoon, they're all in like nice party clothes and they're like, now we got to go to work. And it's like Nicholson's on vacation, right?

[01:20:26] So they have to cover it. Yeah, and it's like, that's the great sex scene. That's where she's feeding him. So they ask her to do it and they don't want Brooks to be part of it at all. And Brooks, so Brooks is phoning in from his apartment.

[01:20:37] She takes the boss out. This guy who's got this great character actor face. Yeah. Yes, yes. And says you're making a big mistake here. You have to put Aaron on it. And that's when he says that like it must be great. Right. No, it's miserable.

[01:20:49] Aaron sort of like takes the bullet, goes home, starts listening to French music. Listening to French music, making himself a very strange looking drink. Orange concentrate. Orange concentrate and like making a strange driver. And he's like singing in the song.

[01:21:00] And he like scoops it out with his finger out of the can. Revolt. It is really funny. So revolted. I realize I watch the whole credits. They play him singing over that song over the end of the credits, which is amazing.

[01:21:11] But they set up the whole thing like before he gets to the whole like her and his ear thing. Like they are building and building this entire thing. So you like, you get his excitement over it because you're watching the process. Yes.

[01:21:21] And this is the sequencer you get those great sort of like composite split diapeter shots. So many split diapeter shots. Through the window. Yes. Fully in focus, super crisp, but also like the side of Hunter's face watching it. Ben's like, move the band in. So good.

[01:21:35] And then just like the voice in a voice in a voice of like Brooks calling her. Her like the heart care phrase. I say it here, it comes out up there. It's incredible. They're a good team. Yeah. They are a good team.

[01:21:45] And it is like a weirdly erotic scene just because of how good everyone is and what they're doing. And she's like whispering in his ear like it's an intense relationship. Right. And then afterwards he has that moment where he pulls her closer. Which is yet another HR violation.

[01:21:58] A hundred percent. Yeah, there's a few HR violations in this. 100%. But at this point they're a team and Hertz kind of nailed it. His like first major app ad, it's a home run. Yep. He just terms of endearment the shit, you know?

[01:22:13] So then from there, the correspondence center? No, no, no. They all go out after she goes over to Aaron's house. She goes to Aaron's house because she and also this is a movie where you really feel the lack of cell phones because she. Oh my God.

[01:22:23] She wants to hang out with him. She's got to go to his fucking house. He lives like far away clearly because she always arrives two hours later. This is one of two movies he made set in DC too.

[01:22:31] This is a real DC movie with all this nice, you know, George Hemp. Aaron's house is way too nice. I guess in the late 80s DC was on that night. DC is like a pit. I mean not, you know, not too mean about it. But DC is this.

[01:22:42] Yeah. Not only is it like, oh if I want to catch up with him, I have to go to his house. It feels like they have sort of like a standing like obligation where it's like, whatever night I'll come over to your place.

[01:22:52] We won't have sex with each other. Right. And now it's your turn. You do you. We'll just confess all our darkest thoughts to each other and not have sex. Yeah. Well, and that's a scene where he kisses her, which is not just HR violation.

[01:23:03] It's just like not the, it's a shitty thing to do. And then he has the line while I felt something which is funny. That's the problem with this guy. Like and she laughs and it's like, ah, it's so complicated the way that that relationship works.

[01:23:15] Which I think is great. It's great. Wouldn't it be great if needy was sexy? Your Brooks is good. I'm doing old Brooks. I can't do the old Brooks. I'm touching your teeth. Right. And you just sort of Nemo. Yeah. You can do these things and you can't Nemo.

[01:23:30] I've been trying, but then I pitch it up and it becomes Grover. How much do you think go on, please? Wouldn't it be great? Yes. See, I go too high and it becomes a muppet. Now you're pretty good. It's just he does have such an iconic voice. Yeah.

[01:23:43] Nemo. One of their great voices. How much do you think he makes from those fucking movies? Oh, God. Just like. And you know the story that they recorded the whole thing with William H. Macy and they were like, this guy's unbearable. Like his neuroses is like insufferable.

[01:23:58] He's pretty annoying as Albert Brooks. I mean. And Andrew Stanton watched broadcast news and he was like, this is the level of somehow you're still on this guy's side. Right. The media knows how to do it. So funny. They reported like pretty late. Yeah. Marlin.

[01:24:11] They did like test screenings where it was, William H. Macy. Oh yeah. Marlin's tough to deal with. But you also get where he's coming from, which is like the same thing in this way where the guy drives you mad and you don't totally love him,

[01:24:20] but you understand what's motivating him at every moment. Right. But at the same time, what I like is that the movie is not on his side. This is not a movie about. Finding Nemo isn't on Marlin's side either. Sure. I wasn't making that.

[01:24:31] But you know, this is not the movie about the guy who got screwed over by the privilege of the Goy-ish, you know, preppy handsome man. You know, no one's. I mean, it's her movie. Here's like the accidental secret to why I think this movie is a total masterpiece.

[01:24:49] Like it's weird that Hurt is lead and Brooks is supporting it. The Oscars, they're the same. Yeah, they're the same. They should be one or the other. I think it was just that Hurt was more of a leading man. Of course. He was a bigger star.

[01:24:57] Of course, that's the decision they make. Brooks is the comedian, you know, he's supporting. Yeah. But they're both, you know, it's Holly Hunter and then the two of them are sort of the. The thing I think makes this movie an accidental masterpiece. He'd been doing research for years.

[01:25:09] He'd been working on the script for years. They finally got the movie ready, but he still hadn't come up with an ending because he couldn't decide which one she ended up with. He didn't come up with the ending until like during the movie, right?

[01:25:18] He went into it saying we'll start filming and I'll look at the chemistry and I'll decide which one she ends up with. That's an insane thing to do. No one should do that. Right. Well, I think James L. Brooks is weird

[01:25:26] because he took him four years to make to shoot Termes of Endearment. Like he's like he's and I think that's why. How do you know it cost a billion dollars? It's just because of time. He gets to do what he wants and he's very slow. He's very slow.

[01:25:40] But this movie doesn't pick sides because he wasn't trying to set it up for any ending. And then he shot an ending that ended with Hurt, which I'll get to when we get to the end of the movie, that didn't work.

[01:25:51] So then he added that like epilogue scene where it was just like, yeah, these are three people. There's no combination of them that makes sense. Here's my take. Yeah, we don't need the ending. I used to hate the ending. I don't hate the ending.

[01:26:03] I think the ending is cute. I just don't think we need it. I like it a lot. We'll talk about that later. I don't. We probably should start talking about it. We'll talk about it in five minutes relatively soon. We're going to talk about it. Correspondence dinner.

[01:26:13] I mean, we're pretty much up to the course. Correspondence dinner is dinner. Which is an hour. Yeah. Like it's most of the movie. Yeah, yeah, because then they don't go to the dinner, which is I always forget. The like, yeah. They go through the metal detector.

[01:26:23] No, they don't because she's got condoms in her purse. She's gone through, no, neither of them. She's got the condoms in her purse. She doesn't want that to be revealed, which it doesn't have to be put... It's a little sitcom-y.

[01:26:34] It is because it's like you don't have to dump your whole bag. You just take out the metal. It's also the guy beforehand because he's at her house and she's like, it is a professional conclave with colleagues. And then she drops the condoms into her purse.

[01:26:43] Conclave is a great... Conclave. But to be fair, right after the metal detector, there's a latex detector. So she's probably going to get busted. I consider this a professional conclave. Ben, give me a puncture. I feel extremely professional at this moment.

[01:26:55] But the simultaneous thing being set up here is that big budget cuts at the network which are going to trickle down to their department. And everyone's sort of been warned and Robert Protsky takes Albert Brooks out

[01:27:07] and he's just like, look, I'm not saying you're going to get fired. Not saying you're fired, but maybe you're another guy. You're exactly the kind of guy who's too good to stay on. And she's also... But I mean, let's remember, she's also in that budget cuts meeting

[01:27:17] where she kind of zones out and then they're like, who should we send to Anchorage? And she's like, Jennifer, we should send Jennifer. So she's... Yeah, she's like, right in the middle of the trees. That shot just of her on the TV in the fucking snow. Yes.

[01:27:29] But no, the other thing we have to mention before we talk about the party is the date rape. Oh yeah, they filmed that before. Because that's the other thing where it hurts. Like, I want to do a piece. I need to learn sooner or later

[01:27:39] how to make my own piece from beginning to end. And we don't see him making it. We just see this piece, this very moving... He tells you what he wants to do. You know, sexual assault from people you know. It's the unreported story.

[01:27:48] Where it's like, hey, 1987, like rape? I know what you're thinking. You're in a barn and a violence... Jack the Ripper show. Exactly. No, your friend could rape you. Like if this is still breaking news in 1987. And it's this like moving human interest story. Like a classic, you know...

[01:28:05] Something that the news... And Albert Brooks thinks it's ridiculous. That's... Albert Brooks is a dick about it. He's a total dick about it. And the women in the office are mad at him. His ex-boss on Nucky is not this line. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[01:28:14] That's his worst line, I think. Until he gets to the end and starts to really mean... Look, that line is more tasteless today than it was at the time. But even then what works about the line is that he's so callous. And then the women all...

[01:28:25] And then, yeah, the women totally get it. That's the thing. And that moment where John Q. Sack goes, my cousin, damn me. Yeah. And it's like they're all relating to the story being like finally someone's... And they're like frozen in the office.

[01:28:35] And then there's the cut to William Hurt crying, which I burst out laughing at every time. Yeah. Because it is so... Like it's so... I mean, Anderson Cooper is a bad example because I have no beef with Anderson Cooper.

[01:28:48] But it is the kind of thing he would do, I know. And you're like, Anderson, I don't care about how you feel about this. This isn't about you. Yeah. And three people bristle at it. Prosky? Yes. Who already has bristled at when they need to stall for time

[01:29:00] and he goes, I think everything will be fine. Uh-huh, uh-huh. And he goes, no one cares what you think. Like, Prosky sees the beginning of the lowering of standards by this guy making it a cult personnel. Brooks is already against him.

[01:29:12] Brooks is against him and then Hunter doesn't love that. But you see Hunter sort of like flitter for a second and go like, ugh. Yeah, well, wait, and then she talks to him and she's like, well, you know what? It's not what I would have done.

[01:29:21] I find it very moving. It worked for me. I wouldn't put that in there, but I guess that's... Maybe I'm too conservative about that. Right. Like, she's admitting like not fault exactly, but like, you know what? I'm not the boss of everything. Right.

[01:29:32] And fucking Nicholson clearly loves the piece, right? Yeah. Where he's like... Yeah. The Listerholm David just made a face silently. This might be going back to that. I can't remember the part of it when the two guys at the keyboard show up with the theme song,

[01:29:46] which is Mark Sheyman. Mark Sheyman! I just put up this Wikipedia page so I could just like list his... No, no, no, no, no, no, no. What's the line? The guy answers like, guys, I'm spellbound, but it's not that. It's so funny. And then they go, big finish!

[01:29:58] No, no, no. It's really... The one guy looks like Nick Kroll. Yeah, I think... Is that one Mark Sheyman? I think that's Mark Sheyman. He has a Nick Kroll. That scene is the only throwaway in the entire movie, but I love every bit of it. It's so funny.

[01:30:10] Yeah, but then the correspondent's dinner is where she's like, you know what? I'm gonna sleep with William Hurr. Yeah, they make out by the Lincoln Memorial. Look at the reward of it. They have that crazy conversation at the Lincoln Memorial, too,

[01:30:20] where she's like, what is it about you? You know, like... And he's just like grabbing her arm. Right. And then she's like walks off. She's like, I'm gonna go see Aaron. And he's like, you can't just leave me after saying all those things like that.

[01:30:31] It's a bad decision. We're missing a couple big things. Because simultaneous with this, Aaron's getting his shot to be a weekend anchor. He says to Krosky, you gotta give me one shot. And Krosky goes, perfect. Everyone else is going to the correspondent's dinner.

[01:30:44] Exactly. You're gonna get fired anyway. You're gonna get fired anyway. Just do it. I love that he writes his own copy and the guy is like, really beautiful work. Pleasure to read this. My nice little copy. Which is a disaster to hear, I feel like.

[01:30:54] I mean, Brooks doesn't get that, but it's like, that's already... It's too flowery, you know? Yeah, right. And he's talking. And her Ted to give him all this advice, which he hates. And he hates even more when he realizes the advice is pretty sound. Yeah.

[01:31:05] No, the scene between them, it feels like the opposite of the MacDale moment. Seeing the two of them in a scene together, you're like, oh, hey guys. And he's like, no, really sit on it. And he's like, oh! Guys look great.

[01:31:16] And Shane gives him her shoulder pads before he goes. And then gives him a nice line. Krosky says to him that thing where it's like, when he says you could do Saturday, he's like, you better start working on it now.

[01:31:25] And he's like, what are the stories already ready? And he like tries to find a way to say to him, you got to be a little more charismatic. Like you got to work on the Razor Dazzle. A little more Hugh Jackman please. So then he coaches her.

[01:31:37] She goes to check in on him right before and reveals... He reads all over her that she's now in love with Tom. Yeah. And flips out on her. No, that's after. That happens before and after. But he doesn't flip out on her before.

[01:31:51] When he flips out on her is in his house after. Oh, right. When he's in a good mood. Right, right, right, right, right. When she's going to go back to see. Anyway, his meltdown scene, I watch it on YouTube all the time.

[01:32:01] I mean, it's the set piece of the movie. Oh, the literal meltdown. It's so fucking funny. It is really funny. The towel is what always gets me where she's like, do you have a bigger one? The part that gets me is when they hit the sign.

[01:32:11] The sign is so good. Your hand, your hand, your hand, your hand. It's like suddenly like a Marx Brothers scene in the middle of this movie. But it's never too much. Like it's like the kind of thing where you almost might not notice it, you know,

[01:32:26] even though it's so bad. He's really subtle in how he sets all of that up visually. And also, I was crying thinking about it like when he opens his jacket. But like cutting between, he's got like the three major shots

[01:32:39] he's using, which are like the wide long shot where the sweats less visible, right? There's the close-up where you see everything. And then there's the on the TV screen where it's standard death and it's not that big.

[01:32:50] So when it gets to the point where you see the color as a different color on the TV, like, oh, fuck it's bad. Like if it's showing up there that visibly. Oh my God. My dad really wants to be a sportscaster

[01:33:01] and fought really hard to get his one shot and then always referred to it as like Albert Brooks broadcast in his moat where he realized like I can't do this. But Brooks just sort of like flips the other way and is like it was so horrific.

[01:33:11] It's almost incredible. No, exactly. And that's what I love how he's just happy when he's at home or he's like, you know what? I mean like clearly I can't do this. It was a disaster. Yeah, animal. They thought he was having a heart attack.

[01:33:23] They were nice phone calls. They were worried about him. Yeah, what's the good news? I lost six pounds. Every line he has in like when he's already so funny. He's just in such a good mood. And he's in such a good mood.

[01:33:36] So I think that's partly why she's like, you know what, I think I might be in love with Tom. And he just turns on a diamond screams at her. And this is her single best line reading the entire movie

[01:33:45] is she's trying to say it in a light casual way. Yeah, that guy, what's his name? By the end of I think I might be in love with him, she's choking back tears. Like over the course of one line, she goes from like the cute like,

[01:33:56] yeah, he has a moment and a bottle of absolute. I've never figured out why. Oh, anyway, sorry. Maybe they got paid. And he I knew it. I knew this was going to happen. He's everything you've tried to stand against your entire life. Seen is hard to watch.

[01:34:10] It's really good. And he gives the devil speech, you know? Yeah, I know he's a nice guy, but I truly think he's the devil. And I always, always fucking think about that when I think about evil in the world

[01:34:20] that the most kind of evil is just the lowering of standards more than the people who go out there and like fucking wave the flag for hatred. I mean, this is this is the thing that's driving us crazy now.

[01:34:30] Is all the things that we are used to now that we were not used to a year ago? And God knows what will be happening by the time anybody hears this. Right. But but yeah, it's like they both are so furious at each other

[01:34:42] but also can't continue hating each other. They represent too much to each other and they know what's driving each of them to behave in this way. So they keep on like it's such an uncomfortable scene. But the balance between like when he's yelling,

[01:34:55] when he's pathetic, when she's crying, when she's laughing at him, when she's laughing with him. And I think you're right that you see them in the same frame together for so much. But like I think of like him standing in the foreground

[01:35:04] and she's sitting on those stairs in his house. And that's when is that's when he gives the devil speech. Then she walks away and he drops that he's in love with her. Like it's so well choreographed. Like you said about the blocking, like every block is right.

[01:35:15] All those scenes are very, very. Yeah, they're just using the space that they have been in before and they like know where to go in it. And it also ruins his house is so big. It's so big. Brooks goes from like sitcom TV

[01:35:28] where it's like very didactic close up, close up, you know, kind of like perfunctory blocking to like really understanding how to like play comedic moments with pathos visually on film. And then he goes all the way back around

[01:35:39] to like movies where it's just like dumb close ups again. Yeah. But this it's like there's so much you get from just watching how they listen to each other while they're talking what they're doing with their bodies where they're where they are in relation to each other.

[01:35:49] It's like masterful fucking shit. It's like press and sturges level shit that scene especially. Yeah, where does that scene end? I'm trying to remember like he's basically like he kind of calms down and he's like, go, go fine. It's fine. You know, he like he relaxes.

[01:36:03] Then she goes and Tom's already kind of lost interest. Yeah. And like whatever like, you know, sparky moment they had is kind of forgotten already. And that's when the Laos come. Yeah, then the Laos comes to the office and they start with the layoffs.

[01:36:17] It's a tasteless joke about cutting a million dollars from a salary. J. Nicholson plays that so perfectly. That's another thing that is in our industry today for sure. Yeah. There's another one after you know, Paul the network boss fires one of the people and says,

[01:36:31] there's anything else I can do for you? And the guy says, well, I certainly hope you'll die soon. Yeah. Right. But it starts with that like super grace graceful like, well, I'm just old enough to be complimented by early retirement.

[01:36:44] And it goes to like, I hope you die soon. And that's this, you know, Tom hasn't changed at all where he's like, getting rid of me. Yeah, they're moving me. Like he really thinks it's bad. He's like to London. He's like, that's good.

[01:37:00] You're on like the career track. Yeah. He's like, I guess so. You know, he doesn't get it. Where he's like, you idiot. They're like, they're grooming you. You're going to be the guy and you don't even realize it. Yeah. Brooks quits.

[01:37:13] That line has, there's like, there's no system that it doesn't want one of us. That's also where there's your favorite line aside from socially. Oh, you're my role model. Yeah. Joan Cusack, she just slays every single. She's really funny. She has like four lines.

[01:37:28] I also love that like, Joan Cusack is probably a woman of average height, but Holly Hunter is so healthy and she looks like a giraffe. And she also got like six inches of hair. She has like, merge Simpson hair. She's close.

[01:37:39] She's five nine pretty tall for a lady. She's a, because working girl is like right around now, maybe the next year. So she's her hair is like, it's a beautiful thing. But what does Aaron figure out as he's leaving? Oh, yeah. Tom fakes a crime.

[01:37:57] You had one camera on that shoot. Yeah. Do you feel like I'm trying to think if for the first time I saw it, I would have put it together. I don't think I ever would have. No, I, no.

[01:38:05] I don't think I understood the language of what they were like. Right. Yeah. You don't really get like, what do you mean you have to move the camera? Move the camera? Who cares? Like, you know, why would that be complicated? Right. Yeah.

[01:38:14] But then Aaron has this awful, awful lunch. Oh, and Rarov Prosky gets fired and they offer Holly Hunter the job. And Prosky has this great scene where he says to her like, look, they're gonna fire me. They were gonna fire me. I'll be angry if it isn't you.

[01:38:25] Mm hmm. It'll take some of the sting out of it knowing it's someone who's down to this. No, but the Brooks lunch is where you turn on him. Yes. Yeah. Yes. Well, first you see her walking around the room talking to everybody

[01:38:34] and like seeing what approach she is. Like I love that list a little bit of her dealing with it. And then William Hart asked her on the trip before that lunch. So she has 14 weeks of vacation. And his idea seems so good.

[01:38:45] Just go somewhere warm and get the hell out of there. Like, I'll do that tomorrow. It's a real Tom thing where he's like, yeah, it's fine. There's a logic to like you don't want to just come back into the office tomorrow and have a new job.

[01:38:56] Like you need a little bit of a reset here. And everyone's coming up to her and going, like, look, I've always wanted to tell you this, like all the people on the way out. She's got some shifts she's going to have to go through

[01:39:04] to get this new position totally like wrapped around there in her mind. So she goes to lunch with Brooks to tell him, I guess, that she's going on the vacation. To meet there, he says, one of my other friends,

[01:39:13] let's go to the place near the thing where we went that time. Yeah, I'll see you there and then cut to them there. And they go into these really like loving romantic comedy, like movie star close ups when he's going like,

[01:39:27] I just think about being there with my son and my wife. And she's like smiling. She's like, oh, son. And you just think it's teeing up to like some sentimental like, well, it's been great being friends with you.

[01:39:37] Yeah. And then he just throws in like the worst fucking petty jab about, like it's not nice to make fun of fat single ladies. Yeah, it sucks so much. Yeah, sucks. And her fucking Holly Hunter just in a millisecond shifts

[01:39:51] her entire face to like, I can't believe you would do that to me. Yeah. He immediately realizes what he's done, tries to apologize. But I mean, it's like there's no going back from this point. And he has this sort of narrative.

[01:40:04] He sort of lays out to her, like, it's fine. We're going to be friends and we're going to see each other every 10 years. And we'll see a spark and we'll never act all that, which it's like she's not viewing that as a spark that they're not acting on.

[01:40:15] Right. That's what he thinks. He thinks she's strategically choosing to not sleep with him all these times rather than just someone who's not interested in him in that way. Also, like I don't think Holly Hunter could be fat. It just doesn't really seem possible. No, it's physically impossible.

[01:40:29] Like, is your body just doesn't have the space to get enough food in it to get fat? One of the great things about her playing Zoe Kazan's mom in the big sec is that she's like tiny, tiny people.

[01:40:38] It's just my mom, like all three pregnancies gained no additional weight. God, I'm sure everyone like I'm sure all her friends adored her. Yeah, but she was just like a matchstick lady with like this tumor belly.

[01:40:48] But it's just it's a perfect example of what that guy is in my opinion. And like, you know, we've all been that guy maybe not exactly. But you know, like where it's like you're not that smart and fun.

[01:40:59] You know, your jokes are all going to be Albert Brooks level jokes. Sometimes you're going to say something where it's like, apart from you, Benny, of course, you're different. But also the like stop acting like the world owes you everything.

[01:41:11] Like it's all stacked against you, which gets to like him feeling like when he tells the bullies at the beginning of the movie, like these wounds. I'm going to leave you with a wound that's really good. He really thinks that is what matters.

[01:41:21] The world is going to course correct. Not bad. Like your high stats right now, but I ultimately have to succeed and get everything I want because I know I'm smarter. I graduated when I was 15. But he does leave her with the other thing,

[01:41:31] the his piece of evidence about Tom as well. I don't think it's shitty that I'm doing this. He says like, I feel like I was right to tell you and I don't feel like I turn on him. Like I kind of get almost certain.

[01:41:40] I think with that you're like, yeah. Yeah, you see his doubt that you know he's not just trying to be vindictive and ruin her relationship. But like he gets that it's important to her. He gets that that matter is way more than almost anything else to her.

[01:41:53] Including him saying that dumb thing insulting. Exactly. That's gone. But that's why Brooks not deciding which guy she was going to end up with even into filming the movie works to its benefit because both of them are the wrong guy.

[01:42:04] Yeah, like he has them do the wrong things in the right way and the right things in the wrong way. Yeah. So there's no sort of favoritism or preference for sure. And then she goes back and watches the tape and immediately.

[01:42:15] And I love how it's not that bad. He is just it's an it's it's exactly what he would do. Oh yeah, it was moved. She's smiling for most of it. He goes like, well, they just need a shot of me nodding like a dope. Yeah, right.

[01:42:27] And they're like, which she could have gotten. No, I can do that. You know, like it's not he doesn't get how like. No, it's not vindic. It's not mean. It's not like trying to lie. The audio in the video you hear off camera of the interview subject

[01:42:38] going, wow, that's amazing. Yeah. And he feels like he did something right. Yeah. Oh, he's such a good boy with his Barbs Morales trucker cap. He doesn't know he's such a good boy. And the bikini around his neck. So off he goes. And I think it's good.

[01:42:52] Yeah, the bikini around his neck. Yeah. All right. For what? Well, I love the cab scene. Yeah. Oh yeah. No, the runner of the way that she can't stop giving instructions to cab drivers, which I guess. We've all lived in New York.

[01:43:02] We know that is what you do where you're meeting like, no, don't get on the FDR, you know, like where she's like, you know what? I'm not going to do it. Take go anyway you want. Beat. But yeah. So she's changed, but she hasn't changed. Right.

[01:43:16] You know what he wanted his ending to be? Go on. Man and a woman, the French film at the end when they're reunited on the train. I haven't seen this movie. I haven't either. But there's an end scene where they're reunited on a train. OK.

[01:43:29] And it wasn't in the script and he didn't tell the actors what was going to happen. So we had them both come to set. OK. And they didn't realize that we're going to see each other. And it's a reunion scene in which the emotion is real. Uh-huh.

[01:43:38] And it's playing out in real time while he's filming just that one take. And Brooks was like obsessed with that idea. And so he was like, whichever guy I decide she's going to end up with, I'm going to design a scene like that. Yeah.

[01:43:49] So we had her leave the airport. She gets into the cab and then William Hurt follows her into the cab and he wasn't in the call sheet that day. Right. So she thought he wasn't going to be there. And someone on set ruined it for her. Whoa.

[01:44:00] So by the time he jumped in the cab, she knew and they tried to improvise this thing, but it didn't have that energy in the scenes bed. And you also don't want to see her end up with him at that point. No.

[01:44:07] But that ending is on the Blu-ray, the criteria. I have the criterion. I'll go watch it. It's terrible. It's really odd acting exercise like scene. Wow. And then he was like, fuck what's my ending now? And so he came up with this epilogue code.

[01:44:20] So I don't think he really needs an ending. The thing I like about the ending is William Hurt's wife because that just makes me laugh so much. Oh, it's so perfect. The reveal of her is so good. Yeah.

[01:44:28] And then the part where he's like, is it okay if I just go and she's like, yeah, like she understands that this is what her life is. Right. And I like, I love Aaron's kid. Like, yeah. He's great. He's a great kid.

[01:44:39] And there's just something nice about it where it kind of is what he said. Like we'll see each other and we'll have a relationship. Because I think if you end with her in the cab, it's like it's got the bitterness tone to it.

[01:44:46] And there's something like sentimental but not unrealistic about like just seeing each other. And she's going to be William Hurt's boss. Right. And I mean, what I really like is that it's not like she's just married to her career. She's got a guy. Yeah.

[01:44:58] He likes Bo too, knows maybe she'll end up with him. What I like about the ending is it represents this triangle of like they, this was a fulcrum point in their lives for all three of them in terms of where they stood in relation

[01:45:09] to this industry and themselves and relationships and all this sort of stuff. And whether or not they're constant communication, like they are always going to have that power over each other in all three directions. Yeah. And that it's a nice understated like. Yeah.

[01:45:21] And like just thinking that it's fine. Like it just makes me think of like people who you've known an intense part of your life and then you see them five years later and you're just like, huh. Okay.

[01:45:27] And you have that affection even if like at the time you like load them or like, or love them or whatever. Yeah, exactly. I'm just so with her in the cab and I love the little shift of her like she's not going to give the instruction.

[01:45:37] Yes, she is. Yeah. But I get what you guys are saying. The ending it's just sort of like the energy is, you know, sort of leaving you a little bit at that point and you're like, okay, I mean, you know, and it's,

[01:45:47] it's, it's, it's a damper ending literally because it's right here. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. It's fine though. I don't like hate the ending. Or there's that line where they're walking towards him. She goes like all the men in my life. Yeah, right. United once again. Yeah.

[01:46:00] She's most interested in Clifford. Yeah. Who would be like a telescope? What's he looking at? It's on like a kaleidoscope. Like a kaleidoscope. Like a Nickelodeon kid's choice awards. Okay guys. Okay. We're going to play the box office game. This movie is a reasonable hit.

[01:46:14] Big hit, big hit. I mean, she's one dearment was like humongous. That's true. Was like 130 or something. This is 51 million, which is adjusted. 115. 112. I'm good at adjustment. No, no, no. I mean, of course he did. I definitely thought it was bigger than that.

[01:46:32] I guess terms have been so. Terms of endearment. Terms of endearment. So this was kind of like a disappointment compared to terms of endearment. No, it made three times its budget. It was a big hit. It didn't win Best Picture.

[01:46:42] It didn't win Best Picture because that's the last year. Oh yeah. Which maybe like an unbreakable to a six sense kind of thing. No, but I mean it was a hit and like. So it was unbreakable? It made sure. I think it's to a mega hit.

[01:46:55] Okay, you're right. I mean, but that is that's the that's the last emperor year. Michael Douglas wins Best Actor. Not that William Hurt was going to win Best Actor. Cher wins Best Actress. Yeah. I would give it to Holly Hunter, but I mean, I

[01:47:10] do like Cher and Moonstrike. Yeah, she's very good. Yeah. Nicky Cage not even nominated her. Sure. Sean Connery beats Albert Brooks. Yeah, that's Brooks should have won for this. Well, number one. So it opens in limited release. Christmas time. December 18th, 1987. Guys, number one. This is crazy.

[01:47:28] It's a stand up comedy film. Any Murphy Raw? Yes. Number one at Christmas time. Yeah. The movie is like super rated R. Yes. Yes it is. Good call. Ever be that big of a movie star again. Uh yeah, it is crazy. Like Elvis level famous.

[01:47:44] No one's ever going to be that iconic that you're able to translate anything in any medium into success because you also would like hit albums and shit. Yeah. Number two. Yeah. In only it's when any Murphy Raw is opening weekend, nine million dollars first week. Shoot.

[01:47:57] Number two in its fourth week and the movie has already made 44 million is the biggest movie of 1987. Biggest movie of eight to comedy. Seven three men and a baby. Oh, how much does it make total? A one sixty five. One sixty seven. That's crazy.

[01:48:16] Adjusted to almost four hundred million dollars. For three men and a baby. Who would have thunked three men and a baby? Leonard Nimoy does it again. Leonard Nimoy, he did it. The Captain America Civil War of its time. Number three at the box office is a fairly

[01:48:33] sizable comedy hit made more than broadcast news starring two big comedy actors of the eighties. Ben Hosley is loving it. Prior and Wilder. No, not a team that I think gets together again. I think it's a remake of a Hitchcock movie. It's a remake of a Hitchcock movie.

[01:48:52] I believe that I am right about that. Man and a woman, two men. Two men. Two men. It's a remake of a Hitchcock movie. Is it Throw Mama from the Train? Throw Mama from the Train, a Danny DeVito film. DeVito picture.

[01:49:03] Starring DeVito and Crystal, I believe it is. No, it's not his debut. His debut is something called the Ratings game. No, War the Roses is after this. Oh, War the Roses is so dark. Yes. Anyway, I would love to do DeVito someday.

[01:49:16] Yeah, I mean it's only like six movies. Death of Smoochie, Duplex and Hoffa. That's a weird photography. On Matilda. It's got some good movies in there. The Ratings game is a TV movie, so forget that. Yeah, so Throw Mama from the Train,

[01:49:31] War the Roses, Hoffa, Matilda, Death of Smoochie, Duplex. So is Throw Mama from the Train a remake of Strangers on a Train? Yes. With Moran Ramsey. Number four is a kid's film about a robot. A kid's film about a robot. Is it Short Circuit?

[01:49:49] You're on the right track. Short Circuit 2. No. It's a kid's film about a robot. Isn't this about a robot? I don't know. It's not batteries that are included, right? It is? Yes. That's about many robots. They're little metal aliens. Written by? Brad Bird. Among other people. My goodness.

[01:50:07] We'll never talk about that movie ever again on this podcast. So that opens to three million dollars. So I guess that wasn't a hit. Not a huge hit. No, okay, it wasn't. Number five is one of the, another Oscar player. One big movie of the year.

[01:50:22] One in Oscar. Affirmations or not? We just mentioned it. Wall Street? Yeah. So good. How'd you do that? That was fast. Contact. It's weird to hear it not with the ding. No, just like it's happening in real life and not in my...

[01:50:35] I have to ding myself in my head. Otherwise I feel bad. You feel like you're not validated. I need that Adorfin rush of the ding. Clean Strains and Automobiles, which is a great movie we all love. Yeah, a master of this. Overboard.

[01:50:45] Right. So he should have won fucking Best Actor this year. 1987, if Michael Douglas is who won, John Candy should have won Best Lead Actor in 1987. Well, Michael Douglas won. Yes, should not have. Because he also had fatal attraction this year. Hey, hey, hey.

[01:50:57] That was a hot year for him. Can I tell you something? Lend her part six. Can I tell you something? Yeah. You want to say something? I like me. My friends like me. My, my wife likes me. Yeah, maybe I talk too much.

[01:51:11] What the fuck are you doing? But, but I'm the genuine article. Del Griffin, what you see is what you get. That's the fucking planes trains. No, it's good. It's just, it's just. I like me. It's a good movie. Have you seen planes trains? Automobiles?

[01:51:25] I have seen parts of it. It is not, it's not a, I've seen Home Alone a billion times and seen John Candy writing in the back of the writer truck. Yeah. Yeah. John Candy. That's my John Candy. That's the jam. He's good. Yeah.

[01:51:40] I like we're ending on a weird note. His friends like him. All right, we're done. Like Del Griffin's the genuine article. Okay. What you see is what you get. This is a perfect movie. It's like, well I'm hurt. You know what you see is what you get.

[01:51:50] Yeah, but you get a lot of pain. I'm glad we can agree this is a perfect movie. This is a perfect one. I would be interested for someone to argue if it's hashtag problematic for all of the things that we've been talking about.

[01:52:00] I think that is what makes it good. I agree. I think it's honest about what is hashtag problematic about its characters. It's a hard time to watch it right now. At a time where like, I think everyone in a workplace

[01:52:08] is like, I will never touch another human being. Are there any circumstances? Right, when there's all those op-eds going around with like, can men even hug anymore? As if it's like Harvey Weinstein just too much hug and that's what did it mean.

[01:52:23] I mean, that literally is what John Lasseter did. Like that is much of what he is accused of doing. Yeah, this is true. He's a real Lotso Hug and Bear. That Lotso Hug and Bear is hard to think about right now. Yeah.

[01:52:33] Yeah, also someone pointed out that like all the Pixar characters are like big kindly men you idolize who they are. Oh, the villains. Yeah, all the villains. Yeah, yeah, big kindly men you idolize and then it's like, no, there's a dark face.

[01:52:44] Even in Coco, I mean he's not, he's like not that big, but he's like, you know, big like. He's kind of big. Yeah, he's tall, yeah. Yeah. And even like Olaf's Frozen Adventure. You think that Olaf's your friend and then he makes you watch that fucking 20 minutes short.

[01:52:57] How much of it did you watch? I watched all of it. Oh, because I arrived 37 minutes late and I still caught the last two minutes. My mom arrived very late and I had to run out and give her her ticket because I bought the ticket.

[01:53:08] I watched Coco on a screener and the short was not on there. No, and now it is not on the theatrical release either. That's crazy. Well, now also Coco's not in theaters. This episode's coming out by the end. You don't know. I don't know. Coco doing great.

[01:53:21] I hope Coco do great. You know my tweet. Coco more like Gomo. A good movie. I remember that tweet. Everyone remembers it. By the time this episode comes out, that tweet will be put on a plaque somewhere. That tweet is president.

[01:53:35] Wait, Griffin, did you predict a best picture winner for prosperity? I just can't believe it. The post did it. I don't know. I was going to say the post. Congratulations to the post. You think so? Yeah, I'm starting to maybe sense it. I don't know.

[01:53:47] I feel like literally anything could win this. Phantom thread, baby. Yeah, it's happening. Last Jedi. Speaking about things winning, of course at this point that our episode is coming out, we're in the midst of blanky March Madness. So of course, Ben, can you believe that? Just be...

[01:54:04] It looks like... might now take it all the way unless... comes out of nowhere. We're so far in advance, we just have to say random shit on our podcast. Look out for it. Ben has to figure it out later. And don't count out. Ben's really excited about this.

[01:54:21] We don't even know how many... It doesn't matter. I don't even know what blanky March Madness is. I was surprised at this point. It's a gleam in her eyes. That's all it is. It'll make a lot of sense at some point.

[01:54:32] I think everything that's problematic about this movie is also what's great about this movie. I think this movie is very honest, as David said, but it's also... It's so well researched. It's so well observed that the things that now bristle more than they did at the time

[01:54:45] only bristle because they're so dead on. And the culture changed around it. Yeah, everything is problematic. That makes it great except for the Mark Shaman scene on the keyboard, which is perfect and not problematic at all. That is true. That should be the whole movie. Nothing but joy.

[01:54:58] All right. Katie, you came all the way. We did it. Literally. Yeah, of course. Yeah, you fly people in for... I mean, I flew first class. And you want to tell people who your celebrity plus one was? Of course, when we fly a guest in,

[01:55:08] they get a celebrity plus one to accompany them. Oh, is my celebrity plus one supposed to be on the podcast? No, no, you just flew with them. Pointedly cannot be on the podcast, but they're a flight companion, a travel companion.

[01:55:19] Oh, like who do I want to have taken my first class flight to go record the Blankies with? I don't know why I thought of Michael Shannon first, but he could kind of find it. Great choice. He's a former Blankie winner. He wanted to go to Chicago himself.

[01:55:28] Yeah, he's actually... Yeah, we're getting big Chicago and I are going to go to Chicago after this. That's lovely. Very cold. Listen to Fighting in the War Room, listen to the local man, follow you on Twitter. Yeah. So my name K-A-T-E-Y, sometimes important to figure out. It's important.

[01:55:42] Unlike Albert Brooks, you never bury the lead. No, that's a great moment when he says, and I'm in love with you. And look at that, I buried the lead. That is a great moment. Yeah. I'm gonna say the other Albert Brooks line

[01:55:51] I like now that we're ending it off. Sometimes I wish you were two people, so I could call up the one who's my best friend and tell her about the other one I like so damn much. He's got a lot of fucking great lines.

[01:56:02] He's got a lot of good movies, full of just perfect fucking little weapons. Little baggers. Hey, nice to see you. Thanks for having me back. Cool. I will fly on back in anytime you want. Well, this was the movie you wanted. Yeah.

[01:56:14] So think of the next movie you want. I just feel so lucky that I got it. Like I was prepared to take Spanglish. I kind of cleared the field for you. I was like, K-T's... Yeah, I just figured you needed a woman in journalism

[01:56:25] who is from the South. I'm really sorry, we got one. Yes. Anyway, who we got for Spanglish is great anyway. Yeah, you'll be excited. When we record that episode five years from now, thank you all for listening. Please remember to rate, review, subscribe.

[01:56:38] Thanks to Joe Bowen and Pet Reynolds for artwork, Lame on going for our theme song and for Google for our social media. Go to BlinkyZotRed.com for some real nerdy shit. And as always, I think you can do these things, Nemo, but you can't. All right.