Dear Movies, I Love You

Thanksgiving and The Ice Storm (1997)

Hosts: Millie De Chirico & Casey O’Brien
Date: November 18, 2025

Main Theme & Purpose

In this episode, Millie and Casey discuss Ang Lee’s 1997 film The Ice Storm through their signature lens of cinema worship, critical nuance, and personal anecdote—set against the rare context of Thanksgiving movies. They unpack why Thanksgiving makes such fraught territory for families both in real life and on screen, offering honest reflections, deep dives into the film's themes, and a character-driven analysis. The episode also celebrates the forgotten gem status of The Ice Storm, explores its uniquely 1970s suburban malaise, and connects it to personal experiences and broader trends in American film.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Thanksgiving as a (Troubled) Movie Setting

• The hosts agree: Thanksgiving is “the worst holiday” ([06:21] Millie).
• Few great Thanksgiving films exist—perhaps because, as Millie jokes, “they have to cook too many turkeys” ([04:16]).
• The holiday amplifies family tension because "it really makes you stare down family members in the face in a way that Christmas allows a little distance" ([04:59] Millie).

2. The Ice Storm's Place in Thanksgiving Cinema

• A rare, moody, adult-centric film set around Thanksgiving.
• The infamous 'key party' is both comedic icebreaker and thematic anchor for suburban angst ([03:38]).
• Casey frames it as “not chill…like The Big Chill, but not funny...not enough people dancing around the kitchen to Motown classics” ([23:27]).

3. Suburbs, Ennui, and Intergenerational Parallels

• The hosts reflect on their own experiences with suburban ennui and neighborly detachment, paralleling the suburban malaise of the 1970s depicted in the film ([38:39]-[40:58]).
• Casey: “There’s just a lot of, like, nothing. A lot of hanging out” ([04:46]).
• Millie: “It is the neighbor thing—it is the kind of, like, upper crusty white...one of those movies about neighbors and having parties with neighbors…” ([55:43]-[56:02]).

4. Character Analysis

• Joan Allen (Elena Hood):
  • Both hosts praise Allen’s “searcher” character—a lost, quietly desperate housewife on the verge of self-discovery.
  • Casey: “I think her character is so fascinating because...you don’t really know what she wants, and she doesn’t really know what she wants, but it's just kind of like, this ain't it” ([46:00]).
• Sigourney Weaver (Janie Carver):
  • Embodies 1970s sexual liberation but is “icy,” “free,” and perhaps adrift ([44:57]-[45:22]).
• Christina Ricci (Wendy Hood):
  • A standout—sexually curious, rebellious, and a political firebrand ([39:01], [79:55]).
  • Millie: “She’s all fire, all passion, all wanting to discover and do everything, just experience everything” ([44:57]).
• Tobey Maguire (Paul Hood):
  • Alienated at boarding school, tethered to his family by “the void you emerge from and the place you return to when you die. And that's the paradox. The closer you're drawn back in, the deeper into the void you go” ([24:36])
• Mikey (Elijah Wood) & Sandy (Adam Hann-Byrd):
  • Represent different responses to suburban stasis—dreamer vs. potential “incel”/violence-obsessed ([79:07]-[79:37]).

5. Why The Ice Storm Resonates More With Time

• Initially overshadowed (not even Oscar-nominated!), it’s now celebrated for its subtlety versus the “obvious and now fairly reviled” American Beauty ([31:02]-[33:31]).
• Casey: “I feel like The Ice Storm is a way better movie than American Beauty” ([33:09]).
• Both discuss how the film’s slow-burn, adult orientation and Ozu-esque visual language allow for complex emotional truths.

6. The Key Party: Sexual Repression, Risk, and Social Loosening

• The infamous scene is unraveled—both as social commentary and personal aversion.
• Millie: “Going to a key party requires a baseline attraction to...someone in a group you’re affiliated with—and I find that very hard... I don’t want to make things weird” ([68:40]-[70:04]).
• Casey: “The family unit is such a strong structure that it’s kind of fun to play games to put it at risk, because it’s never really at risk...I don’t think any of these men think their women are going to ask for divorces based off this key party…” ([70:04]).

7. The Ice Storm’s Climactic Tragedy

• Mikey’s electrocution and Ben carrying his body home as emotional, thematic climax.
• "I was really touched this time...there’s two instances...where Kevin Kline carries children...these are still children that need to be cared for..." ([76:54] Casey).
• Millie: “It’s also kind of, again, the theme of the movie, which is largely that the kids and the parents are the same. They’re going through the same struggles in weird ways. Like, everybody’s just trying to figure it out..." ([76:54]).

8. Ang Lee’s Direction & Subtle Flourishes

• Praised for stylistic restraint, emotional maturity, and vividly threading Ozu and 1970s America ([81:05]-[82:28])
• "I really feel like you can’t not talk about Ang Lee as a director when it comes to this movie..." ([81:05] Millie).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Thanksgiving Movies
  “There are a surprising very few Thanksgiving movies. But...the hit rate is pretty high. I feel like all Thanksgiving movies I generally like—which is interesting, because I don’t like the holiday that much.”
  — Casey ([04:02])

• On the Purpose of Thanksgiving
  “It’s problematic at best. Historically. It’s just kind of a nothing holiday where we eat food, which we also eat at Christmas. So it’s like, what’s the point?”
  — Millie ([07:16])

• On Family as "the void"
  “Your family is the void you emerge from and the place you return to when you die, and that’s the paradox. The closer you’re drawn back in, the deeper into the void you go.”
  — Millie quoting Tobey Maguire’s character ([24:36])

• On Adulthood and Suburbs
  “The suburban ennui is back. The feeling of, like, am I stuck out here? Is this it?”
  — Millie ([38:39])

• On The Ice Storm's Status
  “Even if it didn’t succeed at the box office or the Academy Awards, I think it was known pretty quickly thereafter as: oh, this is what the real heads like.”
  — Casey ([34:25])

Important Timestamps & Segments

[03:38] – Discussion of The Ice Storm's infamous "key party"
[06:32-09:38] – Why Thanksgiving stinks (and how to rebrand it)
[22:33-25:22] – Cast rundown; first experiences with The Ice Storm
[28:58-31:44] – Personal connections to film, discovery stories
[32:26-34:25] – Why "adult art-house" movies like this stand out
[36:34-40:58] – Suburbs, upbringing, and viewing the movie through experience
[41:47-46:01] – Analysis of main characters (especially women); Joan Allen and generational disconnect
[51:51-53:14] – Key party, neighbor dynamics and social risk
[74:06-76:54] – Climax: tragedy, parenting, inter-generational lessons
[81:05-83:09] – Ang Lee’s style, the waterbed, 1970s mood

Film Diary & Tangents

• Recent watches: Hellbound: Hellraiser 2, Begonia by Yorgos Lanthimos, 1986’s Magic Crystal
• Tangent on horror sequels and mental hospitals ([12:20])
• Quick sidebar on personal encounters with Tobey Maguire as “celebrity enemy” ([59:21-61:38])
• The mystery of the “Charles” nickname between the Hood siblings ([65:21-65:51])
• Waterbed nostalgia and discomfort ([83:09-83:48])

Employee Picks (Film Recommendations)

• Millie: Ordinary People (1980, dir. Robert Redford)
  “Tense family drama about white people in sweaters and it’s the fall and cold mothers… A classic.” ([84:10])
• Casey: Blue Velvet (1986, dir. David Lynch)
  “You think you know what’s going on on the surface, but there’s this whole creepy dark underworld…” ([85:36])

Episode Tone & Style

Freewheeling, candid, funny, and infused with film-nerd detail. Millie and Casey blend pop culture awareness with personal narrative and a deep love for slightly-forgotten art-house classics. The episode skews irreverent but affectionate both for their audience and for the idiosyncratic movies under discussion.

For New Listeners

This episode is an insightful, frequently hilarious, and sometimes moving exploration of a cult classic and the messy, meaningful human experiences that movies crystallize—especially during the fraught stillness of Thanksgiving. Whether you’re a superfan of The Ice Storm or just a cinephile craving something richer than football and cold turkey, Millie and Casey deliver depth, context, and a kind of cinematic camaraderie that makes you want to watch (and rewatch) with their voices in your head.

Next up:
After a brief hiatus, Dear Movies, I Love You returns with David Fincher’s Zodiac (2007).

Contact:
Email: dearmovies@exactlyrightmedia.com
Instagram: @dearmoviesiloveyou
Letterboxd: @CaseyLeeOBrien & @mdecherico