The Work of Bradley Cooper and Is This Thing On? (2025)

Summary

Podcast Summary: Dear Movies, I Love You

Episode: The Work of Bradley Cooper and Is This Thing On? (2025)
Aired: March 31, 2026
Hosts: Millie De Chirico & Casey O’Brien

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Episode Overview

This episode delves deep into Bradley Cooper’s 2025 film Is This Thing On?, exploring Cooper’s evolution as a director and the depiction of stand-up comedy and marriage in his latest work. Millie and Casey bring both their affection for cinema and sharp, irreverent commentary as they examine not just Cooper’s filmmaking quirks but also the larger themes and failures in the film, especially from the perspective of people intertwined with comedy and film culture.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Stand-Up Comedy: Love, Hate, and Truths

• Hosts’ Relationship to Stand-Up:
  • Millie confesses to generally disliking stand-up as both an art form and scene.
    • “I am not normally a fan of stand up. I'm not, I hate to admit it.” (28:12, Millie)
  • Casey describes dabbling in stand-up but being turned off by its lifestyle:
    • “I never felt comfortable doing it… at the end of the day, I just don't want to be out at night that much.” (31:00, Casey)
  • Both agree on the frequent cringiness of stand-up audiences and the awkwardness of open mics.

• Clichés and Misrepresentations:
  • Dissection of the film’s fantasy where a finance guy effortlessly succeeds at comedy:
    • “It's sort of insulting to stand up comics that it's like just walked in, it's like, hey, I'm pretty good at this.” (36:43, Casey)
  • Millie finds such depictions “fantas[y]” and “milquetoast.” (42:25, Millie)

2. The Plot & Characters in Is This Thing On?

• Basic Premise:
  • Will Arnett plays Alex, a wealthy financial guy with the “most amicable divorce of all time” (36:46, Casey).
  • Following his marital split, Alex stumbles into stand-up comedy by accident and proves immediately “good” in the movie’s reality.
  • Laura Dern plays Tess, an ex-Olympic volleyball player and Alex’s wife; Peyton Manning plays a love interest.
• Friend Group Critique:
  • The “Big Chill”-esque friend group (including Bradley Cooper as “Balls”) is called out as implausible and clearly written by out-of-touch celebrities:
    • “Ain’t no way these people are fucking friends.” (48:03, Millie)
    • “It's like it was made by an alien.” (47:34, Casey)
  • The “Amazing Grace” acapella breakfast sequence is particularly mocked for its bizarre, unmotivated sentimentality. (59:55-60:54)
• Visual Aesthetics and Casting:
  • Host theory: everyone looks “bad” in the movie, possibly due to intentional makeup/nose prosthetics inspired by Cooper’s “Maestro” era. (48:38, Millie; 49:05, Casey)

3. Critical Analysis: Romance, Resolution, and Realism

• Lack of Conflict and stakes:
  • The divorce is amicable, with no clear conflict or emotional stakes:
    • “There's just, like, nothing much happens in this.” (50:18, Casey)
    • “What is their issue? Or what are their issues? ... They should have hinted at something. There should be more context.” (63:47, Millie)
• Reunion and Resolution:
  • The reunion of the main couple is seen as arbitrary and unsupported by plot or character development; the stand-up journey feels dropped by the end.
  • Criticism:
    • “So the end of the movie felt like, well, I'm done with stand up now. And so in that way, I'm kind of like, what was the whole point of this whole movie?” (69:59, Casey)
  • Millie sees the resolution’s logic as “the same conceit” as many male wish-fulfillment narratives:
    • “This would be tantamount to a woman… opening an Etsy shop and then he's like, I love you again.” (94:37, Millie)

4. Bradley Cooper as Director: Arc, Ambition, and Camp

• The Hosts’ ongoing fascination with Cooper:
  • Both love and criticize his career evolution:
    • “Bradley Cooper is one of the weirdest filmmakers we’ve ever come across.” (07:21, Millie)
  • They note his earlier films (A Star is Born, Maestro) are “almost camp” and “gay movies for straight people,” with this new film being “just a super boring straight movie.” (72:51-73:05, Millie)
  • Casey on Is This Thing On?:
    • “[It] felt lazy... no research into the comedy world… no real emotional research... an outsider perspective on what getting a divorce looks like.” (73:54, Casey)
  • Both hope Cooper returns to his former, campier, more ambitious register.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Dear movies, I hate you.” (08:08, Millie) – a playful twist on the show’s usual theme, reflecting how much the film frustrated her.
• “My art before then had always been like writing stories… this was different. I never felt comfortable doing it.” (31:00, Casey) – on trying stand-up comedy.
• About the friend group:
  • “I would never call my friend Balls even if his name was Balls.” (45:50, Millie)
• On implausible ‘open mic’ success:
  • “This is not funny.” (42:34, Millie)
• On character relationships:
  • “There were no inciting incidents on either end… it just kind of like, they just decided, I guess.” (66:14, Casey)

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Important Timestamps

| Segment | Topic | Start | |-----------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------|--------| | Cold Open | Millie’s stand-up comedy bit, Casey "in the crowd" | 03:03 | | Main Theme | Intro to Is This Thing On? and Cooper chat | 07:12 | | Film Diary | Other films discussed (Undertone, Heated Rivalry, etc.) | 10:43 | | Main Review | Full breakdown of Is This Thing On?, stand-up culture, etc. | 26:51 | | “Amazing Grace” | Breakfast acapella scene group breakdown | 59:55 | | Character Acts | Photo argument, character context issues discussed | 61:42 | | Summation | Cooper’s directorial “arc,” host final thoughts | 72:47 | | Gripe Section | Listeners' gripes, practical effects, accent rants, actor talk | 78:17 | | Employee Picks | Alternative recommendations—High Fidelity, Whip It | 92:05 |

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Listener Mailbag Highlights

• Southern Accents in Film:
  • Monica calls out bad/misplaced Southern accents; Millie riffs on nuance in local dialects (e.g., Texas vs. Memphis vs. Carolina).
  • “Hollywood doesn't know that... just be like, yo, talk about. Talk like Huckleberry Hound and you'll be fine.”
• Practical Effects vs. CGI:
  • Tanner raves about practical effects in horror; the hosts agree they bring “soul” and “texture” (83:13).
  • Films and directors praised: Alien, early Cronenberg, Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice, Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive.
• Character Actors They’ll Watch in Anything:
  • Steve Buscemi, Toni Collette, Ivy Woke, Margo Martindale among favorites.
  • “For every Bradley Cooper there’s going to be some absolute fucking weirdo that’s... stealing the show.” (91:36, Millie)

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Employee Picks & Recommendations

• Millie: High Fidelity (2000)
  • “A movie about a guy that follows a self-involved pursuit and then ends up getting his girlfriend back.”
• Casey: Whip It (2009)
  • Praises its narrative on adults finding new passions and communities.

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Tone & Style

Millie and Casey mix deep movie knowledge, snark, and unpretentious honesty. The episode is conversational, funny, and occasionally self-deprecating (“I feel like I've been so negative”), but always insightful—perfect for film obsessives who appreciate candor over hagiography.

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Summary Takeaway

This episode is a thoughtful, delightfully scathing exploration of Cooper’s “straightest,” least successful film, and a broader meditation on the movie world’s recurring myths about stand-up, male midlife crisis, and the power (or not) of self-reinvention. If you’ve ever wondered why movies about stand-up rarely work or what makes a group of fictional friends believable, this episode is for you.

Transcript

[Millie de Cherico]

This is exactly right.

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[Millie de Cherico]

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[Millie de Cherico]

All right, folks, I want you to

[Commercial Announcer (Various Brands)]

give a big, hearty welcome to our

[Millie de Cherico]

newest comedian, brand new to the scene. Please give it up for Millie de Chirico. Hey, everybody. My name is Millie. This is actually my very first open mic, if you can believe it. My very first time on stage, everyone. You guys are a great crowd. I can already tell you're a great crowd. So a little bit about me, if you want to know. I work in entertainment and I host a film podcast with this guy named Casey. And I gotta say, like, this guy Casey is a real trip, okay? I mean, first of all, he's from Minnesota. I mean, who is from Minnesota? What are you, like Rose Nyland from the Golden Girls? Are you, you know, out there hanging out with your sheep in, you know, a land with a bunch of Swedish people and shit? Like what? Like, can you believe it? Why don't you go to Target or something? Or, you know, go and hang out with, you know, Prince or, you know, like, whatever. Yeah, and then the other thing about this guy is that he's married and has a kid. I mean, what. Who does that anymore? Honestly?

[Casey O'Brien]

Millie. Millie, I'm in the crowd. It's Casey. Hi.

[Millie de Cherico]

Wait, I can't even really see you. The light is really bright.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, yeah, Millie, I'm here.

[Millie de Cherico]

You are here, aren't you?

[Casey O'Brien]

Is all your material just making jokes about me?

[Millie de Cherico]

And listen, I wrote on this little piece of paper, minnesota, married with a kid likes Garden State. Yeah, pretty much everything is about you, dude.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, you shouldn't have. You shouldn't have invited me. I came out to support you. I didn't realize all these jokes were gonna be riffing on me, Dude, I

[Millie de Cherico]

invited you because I felt bad. I never thought he would actually come. Like, I'm like, he's such a loser. He would never come to my. To go my open mic. But now here you are. Well, yeah, now. I don't know, dude. How was I supposed to, like, come up with material? It's like, I don't know. I just was like, it's my first time. I'VE never written jokes before and it just seems obvious.

[Casey O'Brien]

I. I don't know. I don't know what's worse, you making all these jokes about me or that you're absolutely crushing up there. People are eating this up.

[Millie de Cherico]

Are you serious? Yes.

[Casey O'Brien]

You hear the laughs? People are dying.

[Millie de Cherico]

You're putting me on.

[Casey O'Brien]

Are you?

[Millie de Cherico]

No, I'm not. Good. Am I really that good? Am I really that good?

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, you should. You should keep it up.

[Millie de Cherico]

Oh, man. Well, that's. That's nice of you. Now I feel bad. I feel bad saying all those jokes about you. I mean, I. I mean, I always thought I'd be good. I'd always thought I'd be good at stand up. So, you know.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, congrats, I guess. Well, you know, Millie, we're supposed to host a podcast together this week about sort of this topic, you know? Yeah, yeah, we're talking about the movie Is this thing on from 2025, a Bradley Cooper joint.

[Millie de Cherico]

Imagine if he stole that. If he just stole that phrase of Bradley Cooper joint, put it at the beginning of his films.

[Casey O'Brien]

I mean, it wouldn't be the mo. It wouldn't be that out of the realm of something he might do. Yeah, he's a wild card.

[Millie de Cherico]

He is truly a wild card. And I. I have so much to say, having watched this new film of his, because we've gone on record in the past talking about how Bradley Cooper is one of the weirdest filmmakers we've ever come across.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie de Cherico]

And I don't even know if I'm gonna be able to rein in my feelings about this new one.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, we have an obsession with him. And I think that, you know, we've reported on any sort of news that comes out about him. And so we had to see this movie. We had to talk about this movie at some point, you know.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah. And listen, Casey, I'm just gonna say right now, the title of this podcast is Dear movies, I love you.

[Casey O'Brien]

Uh huh. However,

[Millie de Cherico]

this week the old jingle might go, dear movies, I hate you.

[Casey O'Brien]

Wow.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

I am amazed that it's shifted you as a person so much that you hate the medium, not just a singular film. Isn't that wild?

[Millie de Cherico]

I have re. I have recalibrated my thoughts on movies, on comedy, friendship, friendship, on doing any creative pursuits whatsoever. So stay tuned. Stay tuned, everybody. It's gonna be a journey.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh my God. Well, we're gonna be talking about that and we're also gonna. We got some great emails coming in for our gripes, gropes and grits section. So we Got to answer some of those. But no, this is gonna be a great, great show.

[Millie de Cherico]

It is. So stay tuned, everyone. You are listening to Dear Movies, I hate you. I mean, I love you. Dear Movies, I love you. And I've got to know if you love me too.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes, check the box below.

[Millie de Cherico]

Hey, folks, you are listening to Dear Movies, I love you. This is the podcast for those who are in a relationship with movies. My name is Millie Di Cherico.

[Casey O'Brien]

My name is Casey o', Brien, and

[Millie de Cherico]

as we alluded to in the intro, we are going to do a movie this week called Is this thing on? From 2025. It's Bradley Cooper's most recent directorial efforts, which is about stand up comedy, but it's also about marriage.

[Casey O'Brien]

It gets away from the standup for like a large chunk of the movie.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah, it's kind of like the standup part becomes, like less and less important and more irritating as the movie.

[Casey O'Brien]

I actually weirdly, like, found the standup stuff. Okay, we'll get into it. But, like, did ya. A surprise to myself as well. I can't wait. I cannot wait to get into this. Oh, my God.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah, I'm thrilled.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, Millie, did you have anything you wanted to get into before we open up the film diary?

[Millie de Cherico]

No. We might as well just do this now.

[Casey O'Brien]

Let's dive right in. Open it up, Millie. What did you watch this week, Casey?

[Millie de Cherico]

This week I watched a very important movie. Very important to you. And I specifically I watched a movie. I watched a movie from 2025 called Undertone.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes. And now I've heard of this movie. I don't know what it's about, but I know that there is a podcasting element to it.

[Millie de Cherico]

I dare I say this is the first podcast horror film. Am I right about this?

[Casey O'Brien]

You're not right about this. I saw. I'm trying to find. There's like another one I saw. Hold on. I watched it.

[Millie de Cherico]

You're not right. You are incorrect.

[Casey O'Brien]

Okay. I can't find it. I really can't find it. But there is. There is another horror movie. I'll look it up when we're done recording about podcasting. Okay. It's, it's. There's. There's not that many entries into that. That genre. I will say.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah, I would agree with that. This movie is basically like a podcast episode.

[Casey O'Brien]

Okay.

[Millie de Cherico]

I knew absolutely nothing about this movie when I walked in to the theater. And, you know, it's very based in audio, as you can imagine, because it's about a podcast. A lot of freaky deaky shit going on there, the director is Filipino, which I really appreciated. Filipino Canadian, actually.

[Casey O'Brien]

That's great.

[Millie de Cherico]

So fully into scary. Yes.

[Casey O'Brien]

Okay.

[Millie de Cherico]

I won't go beyond that. Does doing a podcast with a guy who does not live in my town inform my appreciation for a movie like this?

[Casey O'Brien]

Is that, like, the plot of the movie?

[Millie de Cherico]

Yes.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, my God.

[Millie de Cherico]

When I tell you it is, like, I was like, that is. This is the story of Millie and Casey, basically.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah. That's spooky.

[Millie de Cherico]

It's spooky, but also, like, I just couldn't help but, like, laugh about it in a way.

[Casey O'Brien]

Like, I was like, sure, sure.

[Millie de Cherico]

I was like, come on, this is too much. Right? Like, I was like, this is. And I remember, like, at some point, my friends were turning to me. They're like, is this what it's like to do a podcast? And I'm like, yes, actually, it is. We both wear headphones and we both log into, you know, our zoom call and blah, blah, blah, and, you know, look up things while we talk. And, you know. Anyway, it was very immediate in that way, to the point where I was kind of laughing about it. I don't know if it kind of, like, took me out of it a little bit. Maybe it did. But anyway, Scary. That's all I'll say.

[Casey O'Brien]

Scary. Okay. Okay. I found the name of the other podcast horror movie. It's called Monolith, and that one is really a woman recording a podcast by herself, and so in her house. And that's, like, the only place. That's the only location. So that's kind of an interesting one, too. From 2022, if you want to check out more in the podcasting genre. Well, I got to see this movie. I really got to see this.

[Millie de Cherico]

You. I figured you'd be there.

[Casey O'Brien]

Should we do a pot? Should we do an episode about it? I guess is what I. Yeah, let's

[Millie de Cherico]

put a pin in it. Like, look at it first, and then we'll decide.

[Casey O'Brien]

Okay. It's 8:24, so.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah, it is.

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[Casey O'Brien]

Okay. I saw, so I watched. If I had legs, I'd kick you.

[Millie de Cherico]

Okay, good.

[Casey O'Brien]

You know, because I wanted to make sure I saw all the movies that had been nominated and that was like, that was like, that was nominated for Academy award, but it wasn't one of the big nominees. So I kind of skipped it before the Oscars. But I wanted to make sure I saw it and I thought it was really great. Have you seen this?

[Millie de Cherico]

No, I haven't.

[Casey O'Brien]

It is stressful. It is made by this director, Mary Bronstein, who is married to Ronald Bronstein, who is like the main collaborator with Josh Safdie.

[Millie de Cherico]

Oh, I see.

[Casey O'Brien]

So he like has co written and co edited every Safdie brothers movie too. So this does have something of a stressful feel to it that is sort of adjacent to a Safdie's brothers movie. But it's much, it's, it's, it's much different. It's much more surreal and funny. And Conan o' Brien plays Rose Burns, therapist, and he's really funny in it. And it's just like I think people who have kids would relate to like the difficult, like how annoying having a kid can be and how difficult it can be to balance all these elements in your life. But it's really good if you want to check it out. And it's funny and Rose Byrne is obviously great in it. Sure. Then most of this week I've been watching heated rivalry.

[Millie de Cherico]

Ah, yes. Finally. Finally.

[Casey O'Brien]

Which I loved.

[Millie de Cherico]

Okay, that's good. That's good.

[Casey O'Brien]

I Thought it was great.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah. Did you tear up at all? Be honest.

[Casey O'Brien]

Joking. Are you joking?

[Millie de Cherico]

Were you weak? I did, yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

I was very weepy. I was very leaky.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

The scenes that really got me. Well, I'm going to spoil this if you haven't seen it.

[Millie de Cherico]

So talking to me.

[Casey O'Brien]

I'm just saying that for the audience.

[Millie de Cherico]

Okay, cool. I've seen it. Have you listened to the past, like, eight episodes. I keep referencing it. Sneaking in.

[Casey O'Brien]

Hollander and his little girlfriend are breaking up.

[Millie de Cherico]

Oh.

[Casey O'Brien]

And she's, like, asking him. And she's so gentle and thoughtful, but she's, like, asking him questions like, have you ever been with a man? And he's just, like, nodding and shaking his head to the answers. And his eyes are tearing up, but he's kind of, like, smiling a little bit, like.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

It's just so sweet and well done. And I was really tearing up during that part.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah, I love that part, too.

[Casey O'Brien]

I mean, this might be one of the greatest moments in television history when Kip comes out of the stands after Scott. I. I mean, can you. I was like. I was getting chills. Getting chills right now thinking about it. It was good. It was good. I think a lot of people, you know. You know what you hear about it before you watch it. Everyone's like, this is like softcore porn. No, it's not. It's not like softcore porn. And then also people are like, it's so soapy. It's a soap opera. It's a romance. I actually didn't feel like it was. I thought it was just a really good TV show.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

It's romantic and it's sexual because that's the trajectory of their relationship. But I don't know. It didn't feel like either of those things. And I don't dislike things that are soapy. But it's not like a soap opera.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

It's just a good, compelling television show. I also thought. I have a real problem with my. I've mentioned this before, but, like, modern prestige television, there's so many episodes that just like, nothing happens.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

And I'm often like, this should have been a movie. And I didn't feel that. With heated rivalry. Every episode felt very full. There's just a lot of action packed into every episode. Things are moving so much in that show. That was great. I loved it.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah. I think I told. I said. When I watched it and talked about it on the pod, initially, it felt like maybe it could have been condensed. But I ultimately think that I started thinking about it actually recently. Cause a friend of mine had just watched it too. He's a gay man and was like, completely. I mean, he just was destroyed by it. And it was lovely to hear him talk about that. But I think we both kind of came to the conclusion that the best thing about it maybe, is the fact that nothing bad happens. Like, do you know what I'm saying?

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah. Like, no. And I think so many queer stories, it's like, okay, let's see when the hate crime scene happens.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

Or like some horrible, you know, homophobic scene happens or something, you know?

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah. It's like, either somebody is gonna get a horrible disease and die. Ilya is gonna be found out in Russia, and they're gonna kill him for being gay. You know, none of those things happen. Like, in fact, the most stressful thing to happen is that Shane's dad finds out that they're gay, and then everything's fine afterwards. And then they. I mean, even in that scene where the woman rose, I guess that Shane is trying to date. That whole episode, by the way, was my favorite, I think.

[Casey O'Brien]

But it's like, that's a great one. That's the one where they're in the dance club too, right?

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

And they're, like, looking at each other.

[Millie de Cherico]

Well. And like, even her reaction towards him when he's like, I'm, like, not into. You know, is completely great. Like, she's just like, cool. We could just be best friends. Why don't. You know, as opposed to, like, this having this negative reaction of like, well, I can't believe you wasted my time and blah, blah, blah. Like, that's the thing is, at the end of the day, I think the reason why the show is so popular and has resonated is because we're in a horrible moment right now. And it's like the nicest, most pleasant thing to be watching. Like, nothing bad happens. We need it. We need this joy, you know, I.

[Casey O'Brien]

I totally agree, but at the same time, when you say that, I think people think it's, like, fluffy, like, Ted Lasso.

[Millie de Cherico]

No, no, it's not.

[Casey O'Brien]

It's like. It is very. Like, there's a lot of tension and you're. And stakes. There's a lot of stakes, and you feel the stakes, but it also doesn't. It exists in a. It. You don't feel like something horrifically tragic is gonna happen. You know, it's just like. It's. It's a romance. It's like, if it was a. It's the same stakes of, like, a. A Straight romance that you would see on screen. You don't assume that one of them is gonna get like, yeah, but.

[Millie de Cherico]

And it's not like inspirational in that direct, like in that kind of way. It's not quirky.

[Casey O'Brien]

No, it's not.

[Millie de Cherico]

It's, no, you know, it's a romance.

[Casey O'Brien]

But it's like the tension of like not just being a professional athlete, but a gay athlete and like keeping it secret but without like the real life tension of that, you know, like. So I, I don't know. It was, it was great. I loved it.

[Millie de Cherico]

God, that's great. Now you can understand all the jokes that I've been slipping into the podcast for weeks.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, I'll have to go back and listen to every single minute of I'm

[Millie de Cherico]

coming to the cottage means I'm coming to the cottage.

[Casey O'Brien]

Hollander. Hollander. Way cool. Did it make you more into hockey?

[Millie de Cherico]

Not at all. No.

[Casey O'Brien]

That's fair.

[Millie de Cherico]

Did it make me more into

[Casey O'Brien]

Connor

[Millie de Cherico]

Story and Hudson Williams? Yes, sure. I, I, you know, that's the thing about these two guys. The do they come from. They're amazing. Like, I like, it's such, it's. If you want to talk about it, you know, in terms of that even on its own, I mean, what a fucking crazy out of left field phenomenon. Like.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie de Cherico]

A show, I think that was made in a foreign country with two completely unknown stars, like becomes the greatest TV smash of current times.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, Connor's story was talking about. He's like, when I got the heated rivalry job, he was still a waiter, you know.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

It's like, it is just crazy. They really, I mean to go from where he was to like hosting snl, I mean it is absolute insanity.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

Did you watch the snl?

[Millie de Cherico]

Watched bits of it, yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, I did. Like the, when Hudson came out. That was exciting.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah, yeah. Love, love them boys, so.

[Casey O'Brien]

Those boys. Anyways, should we close up the film diary? Fuck. Fuck.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

We gotta get into this important film.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah, It's a groundbreaking masterpiece.

[Casey O'Brien]

We're back with our main discussion. I'm like scared to get into this. Oh my God, it feels nuclear.

[Millie de Cherico]

Oh God. It might be.

[Casey O'Brien]

So we're talking about is this thing on from 2025, directed by Bradley Cooper, written by Will Arnett, Bradley Cooper, Mark Chappell. I'm like laughing already.

[Millie de Cherico]

I'm already rolling my eyes.

[Casey O'Brien]

A comedy drama. It's about divorce. It's about being a dil, I guess.

[Millie de Cherico]

I guess.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, Arnett, I mean he, he's a real life smoker.

[Millie de Cherico]

Oh, you can tell. He can Tell the skin of a voice Thrift store handbag.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie de Cherico]

Oh, boy.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah. He looks like he's been. Yeah. Tanned. In a leather shop. Some of the standout actors. Will Arnett, Bradley Cooper, Laura Dern, Peyton Manning.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

Wasn't expecting him to be acting in this. Not as Peyton Manning. He's an act. He's playing a character in this.

[Millie de Cherico]

Right.

[Casey O'Brien]

Millie, what is your personal connection to this movie besides your undying love of our boy Coop?

[Millie de Cherico]

Coop. Yeah. I have no connection to this movie at all. Stand up. Let's talk about it.

[Casey O'Brien]

Sure.

[Millie de Cherico]

I'm kind of reticent to say this because I have so many friends that do stand up comedy.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes.

[Millie de Cherico]

I am not normally a fan of stand up. I'm not, I hate to admit it.

[Casey O'Brien]

That's brave of you to say.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah, I have seen it. I certainly enjoyed it. You know, like, I've have listened to stand up comedy albums in the past and have seen a lot of stand up, especially when I lived in la. But have, on the whole. But on the whole, have I. Can I say that I'm like a huge fan of stand up comedy?

[Casey O'Brien]

No, I. I'm not gonna go that far.

[Millie de Cherico]

Okay.

[Casey O'Brien]

But I can see what you're saying. I don't really. It doesn't really, like, pull me in. It's not something I'm particularly attracted to. I don't seek it out. It can be really bad and awkward and I think there are art forms that I just prefer more. I have a lot of respect for it. I think it's singular and unique. It's like jazz music, you know. Yeah. But I don't, like, seek it out very much.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah. I think part of what I hate about it is the audience.

[Casey O'Brien]

Sure.

[Millie de Cherico]

Like, and it's not even like, I think all stand up audiences have to be terrible. Like, it doesn't even matter if you're like, at the coolest bar in LA or New York or at, you know, like a, you know, comedy festival in the middle of nowhere with like a bunch of drunk, you know, parents that are out for the night or something like that. Like, it doesn't matter. I think every standup audience is inherently bad.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Millie de Cherico]

I get frequently embarrassed for people in the audience, especially those who, like, try to participate. That makes me cringe. That makes me cringe on a level that I can't even talk about because I'll start having stomach pains. Ugh.

[Casey O'Brien]

Like, I am very skeptical of stand up movies too.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

I don't know. I would say, like the. The king of comedy is probably my favorite stand up movie, but that's not even really a stand up movie. You know, I did do a little bit of standup. Oh, my God.

[Millie de Cherico]

What was that like, Casey?

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, number one, I was not very good. I think I really had a hard time because you do have to have kind of an onstage Persona. Even if you're being yourself and you're trying to be authentically yourself, it's a little bit of an elevated version of yourself, you know, And I could never quite get into that vibe.

[Millie de Cherico]

And.

[Casey O'Brien]

And it also felt like, weird to me to like, my art before then had always been like, writing stories or writing movies that had. Were like narratives, and then this was like, different. And I had. I just had a hard time with it. I couldn't. I never felt comfortable doing it.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

And it's really a grind. You have to go like five, six nights a week to, like, get good at it and make connections and stuff. And I. I never, like, vibed with the other comedians, so it just. I wasn't. I just didn't. I wasn't hyped up about it. My friend and I. My friend Alex and I used to go together to try to go do it, but it was like, at the end of the day, I just don't want to be out at night that much. Yeah, that's, you know, it's like a lifestyle thing.

[Millie de Cherico]

Well, that's like the thing that really makes me cringe about the lifestyle of it because it feels like. Okay, I will say this. Generally, as you know, I would say like a person in my 40s. It feels like there's kind of two distinct life paths that a lot of, like, people of my age group sort of went for when they realized that they weren't going to be musicians and they didn't want to be musicians. They either became chefs or they became standup comics.

[Casey O'Brien]

Interesting.

[Millie de Cherico]

So there is this, like, you know, badassery, like, punk thing happening in both of those professions that I feel like got ushered in by people of my generation.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie de Cherico]

Like alternative comedy mixed with, like, Anthony Bourdain.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie de Cherico]

And so it all. So it also felt like comedy became a lifestyle. And I think we'll talk a little bit more about this as the movie progresses because I don't know, to me, that notion of it drives me fucking bananas. The whole, like, you know, I gotta be this like, you know, complete fuck up, like complete nightmare of a person in order to be really good at standup.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie de Cherico]

Or to be like a truth teller. I have to have, like a damaged life or something like that. I just. I think I just have gone through so much of it in my life as the friend to stand up comics and improv people and people in the comedy world that I'm like, respectfully, I've had enough. I love you all. I do not want to be in the world that you're in.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie de Cherico]

Ever. I never wanted to be. By the way, just because I do a podcast doesn't mean I want to be a comedian.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie de Cherico]

You know, just because I've done podcasts with comedians doesn't mean I want to be a comedian. I've never wanted to be.

[Casey O'Brien]

So it is interesting, too, because I feel like stand up, it's. It feels like standups. Most standups treat it as a stepping stone to something else. They're trying to do something else. They're trying to get, like, on a TV show, they're trying to get, like, movies made. And I'm like, so what are you just trying to use stand up to, like. Like, put it behind you? Yeah, at some point. And then I just couldn't get passionate about something like that, I guess.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

You know?

[Millie de Cherico]

Well, I mean, that's the other thing, too, is that I think we talked about this a long time ago when we were talking about. Were we talking about the king of comedy, where everybody thinks that they're funny?

[Casey O'Brien]

Like, yeah.

[Millie de Cherico]

Like, there isn't, like, one person in the world that's like, I'm not that funny. I don't really think I have a very good sense of humor. It's just, if everybody thinks that they're funny, then everybody thinks that they can be a comedian. And I just am like, it's okay to not be a comedian. It's okay to be a person in this world who doesn't want to be a professional comic. And I'm one of those people, like, I don't want to be. I'm. I'm like, I'm believing that to the experts. And like, I said, all my. A lot of my friends do comedy. Some of my best friends in the world are standups. And I'm like, great, I love you. I love that. For you, I love you. But for me, no, thank you.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, I've made a whole career of working with comics, so it's, like, sacrilegious that I'm even saying this.

[Millie de Cherico]

I know. And I feel like we're. I feel like our show's gonna get shut down.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, I think it's exactly right. Is gonna come in, they're gonna arrest both of us, and Then cancel our podcast.

[Millie de Cherico]

Well, I would encourage bananas. I would encourage Kara and Lisa. I would care to make fun of cinephiles. Now go on record. Do an entire episode about how you hate movie people. Because I. I would be with you. I'd be standing there with you.

[Casey O'Brien]

So anyways, let's get to the movie directed by our boy, Bradley Cooper. So this is about Alex Novak, played by Will Arnett. He's an upper class Westchester financial guy. We don't really get into his job at all, but we have to just assume that he's incredibly wealthy.

[Millie de Cherico]

You know, does it say he's a financial guy in any way?

[Casey O'Brien]

It's like in finance, he says that at some point.

[Millie de Cherico]

Oh, God, I didn't catch that. Now I hate it even more.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, how else would he afford this giant house, like in Westchester and like, apartment in Manhattan and stuff?

[Millie de Cherico]

I know, but like,

[Casey O'Brien]

he makes. It makes him a little less sympathetic. He though, is getting a very possibly the most amicable divorce of all time from Tess Novak, played by Laura Dern. They have two kids together, two boys. So he's moving to the city and he's having a bit of a midlife crisis. One night, in order to avoid paying the entry fee to a bar, he puts his name down for an open mic. He's like, I just want to get a drink, you know? But he's called on stage and he does a quick improvised set and guess what? It goes okay. And now he's been bitten by the comedy bug and he wants to keep doing stand up. Now, I find this whole introduction very irritating because I think it one is sort of insulting to stand up comics that it's like just walked in, it's like, hey, I'm pretty good at this. And it's like, you just made that up on the spot. And it's like, that's insulting. Then number one, I feel like there's this type of guy and Bradley Cooper is certainly this type of guy, and Johnny Depp is like another type of this guy who kind of like, they like to brag about like, yeah, I was doing this thing, I wasn't even trying and they ended up hiring me for this job. Or like I went along with a friend to an audition and I didn't even audition and they wanted me in it, you know, like these kind of stories, you hear these kind of stories where they're like, I was doing something and I didn't even really care, but they thought I was so good at this. I just was naturally so good. It's like bragging about how they didn't try, but they still succeeded. Do you know this type of story?

[Millie de Cherico]

Yes, of course.

[Casey O'Brien]

And I feel like this type of character, this whole movie is sort of that way, you know?

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[Millie de Cherico]

Okay, like right off the bat I'm like, this guy goes to the Comedy Cellar, which is an actual place, does this.

[Casey O'Brien]

Very popular, very esteemed.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yes, very esteemed place where lots and lots of famous people have performed.

[Casey O'Brien]

Liza Traeger there is there all the time. Yeah, professional comedian Liza Traeger.

[Millie de Cherico]

He goes to this open mic and really has probably the most milquetoast first time set you could possibly ever have. And in the, in the context of the film, it's supposed to have gone well. And this is where I'm like, no, it did not go well. This is not funny.

[Casey O'Brien]

It went well in terms of the laughter though taken out of the film, it was not a good set.

[Millie de Cherico]

I mean, dude, get real. Like you go to an open mic and you see this guy come up and he says like, what's going on with his life for five minutes you're telling me you would have laughed at all?

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, I'm not saying I would. And if you go to an open mic, most are horrific and people, it's like absolute silence and it's painful, dude. And that's what would have happened in

[Millie de Cherico]

real life before I Knew better. Before I knew better, I used to go see my friends at open mics. Yeah, never again. I will never.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, that's a young person.

[Millie de Cherico]

Are you kidding me? Like, I'll go see your show. I don't want to go to your open mic, though. Like, are you joking? I mean, that is like. It's like watching 27 unfunny people before you come up at one o' clock in the morning and then you're only on for a couple minutes. And I'm like, what, did my time just fall into a vortex? Like, what the fuck am I doing here? And that's the thing.

[Casey O'Brien]

And you had to pay 25 bucks for drinks?

[Millie de Cherico]

Yes, yes, 25 bucks. I had to have at least four drinks.

[Casey O'Brien]

And I'm like.

[Millie de Cherico]

And I'm like, this is supposed to happen every week. I'm supposed to come see you every fucking week. Anyway, this was a constant runner in the film for me on whether or not I believed that Will Arnett's character was supposed to have been good at comedy.

[Casey O'Brien]

I think in the world of the movie he was.

[Millie de Cherico]

Of course he is in the world of the movie. But it's like fantas. And I kept thinking to myself, no, he ain't that good. Are you kidding me?

[Casey O'Brien]

Are we saying this is fantasy? It's like in any movie where, like, it's about an. A fake artist and they're like, oh my God, this is the most beautiful piece of art I've ever seen. And it like, sucks, but in the world of the movie, it's incredible, you know? Yeah.

[Millie de Cherico]

At some point we're putting the cart before the horse, I suppose, but at some point he gets a call, they jump him up. They're like, we'll give you 10 minutes. I'm like, why would you do that? 10 minutes.

[Casey O'Brien]

Okay, Millie, we gotta talk about this adult group of friends they have.

[Millie de Cherico]

Oh my God. Go ahead.

[Casey O'Brien]

So this is sort of the smartless podcast sponsored movie because Sean Hayes is also in it.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yes.

[Casey O'Brien]

And Audra Day is in it. And Bradley Cooper plays a struggling actor. I mean, he plays one of the most irritating characters put to celluloid. And Millie, what is Bradley Cooper's character's name?

[Millie de Cherico]

Okay, his character is named Balls. All right, first of all, I'm gonna float another theory of mine to you that these people are not fucking friends. Where do you meet people like this? Where do you have this perfectly integrated, big, chill Ian group of fucking fuckers with like a guy named Balls and his black w. Like rich gay guys? And then there's like Will Arnet and Laura Dirt. Okay. And they're so good friends that they go to like vacation together. Give me a break. Bradley Cooper's character is named Balls. And I'm not sure if that is his nickname or his God given name, but I don't care. I would never call my friend Balls even if his name was Balls. Balls given to him by his parents. You're not. I'm not calling you Balls. Sorry.

[Casey O'Brien]

See, I think this is what, one of the big failings of this movie among a few, I would say that Bradley Cooper is a per. As a person is so out of touch with reality and he has no actual friends. And so he's like, this is what a friend group looks like. And this movie is about more normal people. And one of the first movies he's ever made about normal, regular citizens. Yeah, because like A Star Is Born is about like artists and rock stars and then Maestro. Maestro is about like a very famous conductor. It's like these people live in like elevated, weird celebrity places. And these are about. This movie's about regular people. And he is so out of touch that these. It feels like it was made by an alien.

[Millie de Cherico]

Oh, yeah. I mean, this is his like James Bond L. Brooks scene movie with like normal friends who are, you know, cool with each other. But I'm like, it bricks. Like, first of all, they're completely useless to the plot. Like I don't even know what. What point they serve other than giving a little bit. A tiny bit of levity and then this crazy acapella version.

[Casey O'Brien]

Okay, we. I was going to. Hold on.

[Millie de Cherico]

Put a pit in it. Put a pit in it. Okay. But in terms of the friend group generally, I was like, ain't no way these people are fucking friends.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, no, 100%. I mean, it does feel like this was written by a bunch of out of touch celebrities about real life. And that comes through a lot in the friend group. Also, you have a note here that says you're convinced everyone wore a fake nose in this.

[Millie de Cherico]

Okay, theory number two. First of all, this has nothing to do with the actors in the film. I'm sure they had nothing to do with this. I don't know if it was the lighting, I don't know if it was the makeup. I don't know what it was, but like everybody looked bad. Like everyone looked like shit.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, everyone's looking a little rough in this one.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

And I don't know, I'm sure that was intentional because Bradley Cooper was like, well, these are real people. So they look bad. Like, I feel like he was. That was an intentional choice.

[Millie de Cherico]

I couldn't understand it. I was like, is it me? Why does everybody look, like, sick? Everybody looks bad. Then I started getting in my head about it, and I was like, I don't know if it's because I was thinking about Maestro and Bradley Cooper's love for fake noses and shit. And. And I'm like, I started convincing myself that Laura Dern and Will Arnett were wearing fake noses.

[Casey O'Brien]

That's really an interesting take. I haven't heard anything about this, but I didn't think that when I watched it. Go back and look. You're like, it's a pruder film. We gotta go through this.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

Frame by frame.

[Millie de Cherico]

I'm convinced, like, this is my pizzagate, that they were wearing fake noses. And I'm not saying complete fake noses, but maybe they got added to, like, maybe they. They had a tiny bit of a. Of. Of some, you know, some. Some.

[Casey O'Brien]

Some extender.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

Maybe putty.

[Millie de Cherico]

Some. Yes. Something like that. Some ain't. Some ain't right. Something ain't right with the way that people look in this film.

[Casey O'Brien]

And this is a movie that is, like, devoid of conflict kind of too, like, there's just like, nothing much happens in this. Or it's like. And the conflict is very silly.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

Like I was saying at the beginning, there's like, the divorce isn't even that. Like, it's not, like, messy. And you're kind of like, what's his problem? He's got money and a house. I don't know.

[Millie de Cherico]

Well, and that's. That's, I think, again, like, another failing of the film is trying to figure out what the deal is. And you're like, okay, well, if they're not going to reveal it at the top, maybe. Maybe it gets revealed as the movie goes on. Perhaps I didn't catch it, but we'll see.

[Casey O'Brien]

We got a lot of plots. Maybe on this read through we can maybe pull some things out. Okay, so Alex, he starts writing jokes and he's going up every night and he's getting better. And, you know, he's not burdened with having to take care of his children anymore because he lives in an apartment downtown, so he's got plenty of time to do stand up. So he even hooks up with a young comic. Hooray. Also, Tess, the Laura Dern character, she's pursuing her life passion, which this was another weird choice. She is a former Olympic volleyball player. She reaches out to an old acquaintance, potential future fuck buddy Laird Played by Peyton Manning, who is like the athletic director for some college or he works for Team USA Olympic volleyball. Anyway, she's gonna get a job. I can't remember what, but he's gonna offer her a job as a volleyball coach. And they go on a date and they accidentally stumble into the Comedy Cellar when Alex is doing standup and he's doing standup about her and, oh, big trouble. But guess what? This makes Tess horny. And they get back together. Oh, my God, they're back. Everything's gonna be okay. It's funny. This is one of the first times where I like, made a note on our document and then Millie wrote like counterpoint. Wrong. Because what I was saying, what I said that I thought I actually liked about the movie was that you can get into something new no matter what your age. You just have to enter humbly and not like an asshole. And that's what he does to the comedy world. He asks questions, he tries to become better. And I thought that was a good lesson in life. I kind of found that inspiring. But you apparently did not.

[Millie de Cherico]

Well, because I do it every day of my life As a single woman with no kids and no husband, it's like, yes, I'm constantly able to follow my bliss and try new shit. I could start stand up tomorrow if I wanted to.

[Casey O'Brien]

You could, you know, you'd be good too.

[Millie de Cherico]

Well, and I think, okay, the inspiring thing being like, stay, I guess, curious and inspired by things, to want to start things. But nothing holds my ass back from doing shit.

[Casey O'Brien]

Sure. But I think, Millie, you're unique in that way.

[Millie de Cherico]

Sure, I'll say, yeah, I'll take that. I am. But it's also like, so to me, I find it. I had the opposite reaction to you when it comes to Will Arnett being like, I'm a divorce guy who's kind of sad and now I want to be a stand up comic. I'm going to try it. I'm going to be like, no, don't try it. Actually, we need less of you. We need less divorced guys doing stand up, please. You know, whereas I'm like, you know, I don't know, maybe if you wanted to start painting or wanting to like, you know, be a potter or something, I'd kind of be down for that. But I feel like it's such a straight white guy thing to be like, following my bliss is doing stand up comedy.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie de Cherico]

You know what I'm saying? So I can go on stage and get love bitching about my ex wife.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah. You know, well, what did you think about that? Making her horny?

[Millie de Cherico]

Don't even get me started. Like, okay, I gotta even go back a step, dude. I gotta go back a step. Okay? The idea that she'd go out with Peyton Manning on a date and then Peyton Manning being such a boring fucking jock to be like, hey, why don't we get a drink at the open mic next door? I would have left. I would have been like, absolutely not going for a drink with you at the open mic. That sounds. First of all, how do we even talk at the open mic? Like, your suggestion to me is to leave the dinner and get a drink with me at a place where we have to watch people. Brick. Yeah, no, like, I don't know if you think we're gonna have sex after this, but I'm absolutely.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, I think that he did, and I think that he thought he was. This was on the pathway to having sex with Laura Durham, which is crazy.

[Millie de Cherico]

Which. Which is, again, a dumbass's assessment of how to have sex with a woman. Right? So then ideas that she just goes with him is error number one. Number two, she shows she's, like, at the open mic, realizes that her ex husband is basically revealing to a room full of strangers that he's divorced or he's separated, and then he's had this new, you know, jaunt in the sheets with, you know, someone, and that he actually, like, misses his wife or something like that at the end of the day, right? Some, like, yeah, some sad dad revelation where he's like, yeah, I had sex with somebody. And I just realized I kind of like having boring sex with my wife, which I. It's kind of a nice sentiment. I will give him that. But the idea that she simply sees him on stage and is like, that's my ex husband. What a hottie. This is, like, making me, like, real horny. And then she meets him outside, he starts smoking a cigarette, and she's like, yes. Now my ex husband is not only a fucking cool stand up, he's also edgy enough to smoke a fucking cigarette after his set. I was like, do not put this messaging in the world, please. God. I was like, this movie is going to convince men that if you want to get your women back, back, you just have to do stand up.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah. I mean, it's. It. It is a sickening message at the end of the day.

[Millie de Cherico]

God. Oh, no, no.

[Casey O'Brien]

So it's almost as bad as, like, to get your wife back, you need to start a po. A podcast or something.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yes. All of these, like, things that I think have been debunked. Have these things not been debunked by everyone we like? It is impossible to get women back by your old dumb tricks. You know, like, no stand up, no podcasting, no, you know, whatever. Like, sports betting. I don't know. What. What else, you know, like, oh, my God.

[Casey O'Brien]

Incredible. Well, they're back together. Wouldn't you know it? And so they're secretly dating now because, you know, they made the whole thing about telling everyone they're getting a divorce. I don't think they might have even gotten a divorce. Yeah, I don't know. But now they're dating in secret, and it's kind of sexy, you know, the secret of it all. But there's still tension for some reason. And one of the big tension points is Will Arnett framed a photo of Tess for his apartment from when she was playing volleyball. And it's the back of her while she's spiking a volleyball, and she did not like that at all. And so they go on this, you know, this. This reminds. You know, talk about the group of friends. It's kind of like the movie the Four Seasons or the. The new TV show. They go on this, like, friend vacation, and things are not working between them. There's just tension. They're not connecting. And Balz tells him that he and his wife Christine, played by Andra Day, are also splitting up because Alex inspired him. And like any good standup movie, you know, Will Arnett has a meltdown on stage. But I think the big thing I wanted to talk about is at this, like, friend vacation, there is a scene in the morning when the group of friends, including Sean Hayes and Bradley Cooper, AKA Balls and Andra Day, they're, like, making breakfast and they start singing Amazing Grace acapella, and they sing the whole song. And it is truly so insane. It's like, why did that happen at all? It is totally unmotivated. It is not a beautiful moment. It felt like it was improvised, and Bradley Cooper's like, you know what? It's actually, like, a really interesting thing to put in there. Really interesting moment. I think it really sums up the friendship. I don't know why it's in the movie. It's so weird.

[Millie de Cherico]

I mean, I'm gonna go back and repeat what we just talked about not too long ago. This friend group does not exist. It was completely shoehorned into this fucking movie, right? Not only that, but now they've got this friend vacation. And I already invoked the Big Chill. This is their Big Chill wrapping Shit

[Casey O'Brien]

up in foil, washing dishes and dancing at the same.

[Millie de Cherico]

Everyone's like, plating scrambled eggs and bacon and shit. And they're doing like a, you know, acapella, three part harmony, Amazing grace. And I'm kind of like, apropos of what? Like, this is just no fucking rhyme or reason to this shit at all.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, it's not even a fun. It would be one thing if it was. They did like some funny dance to show that they were friends. But it felt very solemn and bizarre. Like, it was like, why? Why is this happening?

[Millie de Cherico]

And honestly, like, even the Andra Day character being the only black person in this group of extremely white people, I'd be like, they don't get this from me. They're not getting my singing prowess on my vacation. They don't deserve that part of me. And I would have hidden that from them. I would have code switched.

[Casey O'Brien]

Code switched.

[Millie de Cherico]

I was like, none of these people appreciate you. Okay. Come on. Even balls. Even your husband balls. So you mentioned in the notes that you could understand why Tess had such a violent reaction towards this photo that Alex kind of like blew up and made into a giant wall sized poster for his kids.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes.

[Millie de Cherico]

Because she does have this reaction that is kind of like, why would you do that?

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, I. The thing, I can kind of understand why she was upset. Yeah, I think it's good. I think it's hard because you don't even know what their main problem was as a couple. Like, you don't understand why they' splitting up. And so, like, when someone gets upset about something, I have no context about why.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

Like, so that was sort of confusing to me. I can see how she would be upset. Like, I think it's sort of bizarre that, like your ex husband's like, hey, look, I put a. Your big. A big picture of you on my wall. I'd be like, don't do that. We're splitting up. You know? Yeah, I can understand that. I can also understand being like, can't you celebrate my accomplishments for now and not who I was? Which I think is kind of ultimately what she's mad about. That it's like, you don't see me now. You see the old version of me.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah. And she has such anxiety about that too, where, you know, in the movie, and she talks about this with the Peyton Manning character, but also kind of at other points in the movie, it's very subtle, so you may not catch it, but she's like, like, you know, trying to, you know, make peace with the fact that she no longer plays and is now trying to be a coach, which I can understand being, like, a star at something and then realizing that you're now probably much better as, like, an advisor to something.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie de Cherico]

Which means. Ultimately means that you're older and can't be a player anymore. Right. So she's having that kind of internal turmoil. But then I could also see it as a woman being like, oh, so you want to put this picture of me when I'm, like, super hot and young and what, do you want to just, like, you know, think about me like that and not what I look like or who I am now? So I get that. However, I totally agree with you that the story is so bad that you don't even know that that's an issue for her or for them.

[Casey O'Brien]

That's the thing. That's the thing.

[Millie de Cherico]

I didn't.

[Casey O'Brien]

I was like, that was a problem. Why is she so upset? I didn't know that was like.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

Ticking into something, you know?

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah, you like? This is the thing about this movie that confounded the. Out of me was that I'm like, what is their issue? Or what are their issues? Because, honestly, the first five minutes, she's just like, hey, you want to get a divorce? And he's like, cool. As she's brushing her teeth with no toothpaste.

[Casey O'Brien]

Literally, verbatim. That's verbatim what the scene is. She's like, so this is done.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

Cool.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah. No toothpaste, by the way. I've talked about.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, there was no toothpaste. I didn't catch that.

[Millie de Cherico]

Multiple scenes of people brushing their teeth with no fucking toothpaste drives you crazy.

[Casey O'Brien]

Who brought that up? Did Alicia Malone bring that up?

[Millie de Cherico]

We talked. I brought it up in the Alicia episode as the thing that drives me nuts. Film gripe. But it's like, that's the thing is that it kind of. That is all we know. And then you're like, okay, well, maybe we'll talk about it. And then when they do talk about it, you're like, it's kind of too little too late. I have no idea why they're already mad about this kind of stuff. They should have hinted at something. There should be more context. And that has. That was happening all throughout this movie, and it was driving me bananas. So.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah. Yeah, I think. Yes. I 100 agree with that. It was just like. It's hard to. It's like, why were people getting upset and why were people getting happy? I didn't know what was going on.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

You know, so the end of the movie, Alex talks to Balls and guess what? Balls and Andra Day are not splitting up. They're getting back. They never split up. And that was confusing too. I was like, what Balls? Character trajectory. I think Bradley Cooper thought he was comic relief, but was not funny at all. It's really painful to watch, actually. And Alex decides that he does want to be with Tess and that they'll make it work. They just both need to pursue what they individually love and they'll work it out, I guess. And that's satisfactory to Laura Dern. And they get back together because basically he's like, I know marriage is hard, but I want to do it with you. And it's like, okay. But it comes back to the thing we were just talking about. It's like, why were they splitting up?

[Millie de Cherico]

Up?

[Casey O'Brien]

I don't know. Why did they get back together? I also don't know. Like, there were no inciting incidents on either end of that. It just kind of like they just decided, I guess.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah. And I get that sometimes divorce doesn't come from this, like, super dramatic place. I mean, like, it's. They say in the movie, like, nobody cheated. There wasn't like some huge events. Sometimes it's just people like, hey, like, we fall out of love. And, you know, I don't really know what to do about that. And I can, I can get with that. I can get with the idea that people want to separate for non dramatic reasons. But I also think if you're gonna make a fucking movie, you're gonna have to explain that to the viewers a little bit more than you did.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, it needs to be. Also, they just. I think it would have helped if they made the characters not get along. But there's so many scenes of them after, they're like, we're getting a divorce, them hanging out and, like, joking around with each other. And if it's a. It's one of those things where there's not a dramatic reason they're splitting up, they at least need to not get along in the movie. But they got along great. It seemed like.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

I don't know, it was like, weird.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah. They would have like these little moments where she's just like, oh, cool, you bought a big car. Why'd you do that? Okay. But then they'd be at the kid's birthday party and they're running around like, you know, some damn whimsical, you know, Wes Anderson movie, and I'm like, okay, yeah, what is it? What is it with these people? I don't Understand what's happening?

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, yeah, it was. It was like. It's almost like Bradley Cooper wasn't comfortable enough making anyone a bad guy. Like, no one's a bad guy in this movie, you know, or do any. None of the characters really do anything bad, I would say, in the movie. And I think you have to have your characters do bad things to each other for there to be tension, you know?

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah. Also, seriously, dude, I spent half of the movie wondering if Alex's father. Because Alex's mother and father play a prominent role. They're kind of like babysitters to the kids, but then they're like kind of around to like give him guff once in a while. Right. I was like, is Alex's dad Mexican? I can't understand who this guy is. What is his character?

[Casey O'Brien]

You don't know the actor, Kieran Hines?

[Millie de Cherico]

No. I mean, yes, by name. But I also thought his look was super bizarre in this film. Like, I was just like, I don't know if that's the way he looks at all films.

[Casey O'Brien]

He's Irish.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

And he is in There Will Be Blood and other things. But it's funny because the. They do kind of seem to go out of their way to be like, well, he's foreign. But they never say, like, they aren't like, he's Irish or like he's that. They say he's like from a different country. And it's sort of kept vague.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah, I mean, he's got kind of dark features. And so that's why I was kind of like, what's his ethnicity? Is Alex half Mexican? Like, I don't understand, like, what's happening here. So I. Anyway, again, something too vague to leave unanswered.

[Casey O'Brien]

The end of the movie I was like, so this movie is about finding stand up comedy and finding the passion for standup comedy, but it really loses that along the way. And then at the end of the movie, I'm like, wait, so is he moving back to Westchester? Because if he does that, he's not going to be going up five nights a week in the city. So the end of the movie felt like, well, I'm done with stand up now. And so in that way I'm kind of like, what was the whole point of this whole movie? Yeah, you're done with it. Like, it seems like you tossed it aside without any. Any thought. I don't know. That's how it sort of felt at the end.

[Millie de Cherico]

I know. And it was kind of like, we're still on the. On the fence. On whether or not Tessa's reignited flame for him is contingent upon him being a stand up.

[Casey O'Brien]

Right? Yeah. So it's kind of like, it's confusing the ending that they aren't like, like, I think there had to have been a scene where it's like, I want to get back together, but I still want to do comedy. And her being like, okay, like some acknowledgment of it. But it's like not. It's gone. It's very weird.

[Millie de Cherico]

I mean, it's like, like, what do they do? Do they move back into the city? She's a volleyball coach and he's a stand.

[Casey O'Brien]

I know.

[Millie de Cherico]

And they just live a bohemian lifestyle in the sand. I don't understand, like, what is the wrap up, dude? I feel like I've said so much about this film. It's very clear how I feel.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes.

[Millie de Cherico]

If we're going to wrap this up in any kind of way, because the whole fucking reason we watch this movie is because of, of Bradley Cooper and our thoughts of him as a filmmaker. Okay. I think it's fairly obvious that I did not enjoy Is this thing On. Okay. Besides the fact that it's way too long, over two hours. Why is it over two hours? Again, as a romantic comedy does not need to be this long. The thing that really bothers me about this film in particular, and now that he's made three movies, we can, we can, you know, assess his filmmaking career over the course of three movies. Okay. He made two movies that are essentially gay movies for straight people. Okay. If this is my opinion, by the way, you know, A Star is Born, a classic ip, which, you know, is, I'm, I'm claiming it gay. It's for gay people. Like the story is the, the legend of it that everybody involved in it prior to his version is for the girls and the gays. Okay. Period. And I know a lot of straight guys that watch that movie for the first time because of him. Okay. Then he makes a second movie about a gay icon, again, for Oscar bait for straight people. I don't know. I don't know who he made it for. He left Snoopy in the vestibule. He put on a fake nose. I mean, that to me, you know, is not as, not as straight as one would assume. But like, yeah, that's, I think why I, I'm having such a bad reaction towards this movie because it's like he now he just.

[Casey O'Brien]

Those movies are also like almost camp. They're almost bordering on camp.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yes. Again, a perfect, A perfect way of saying it. This recent film is just a super boring straight movie. It's about, like, like middle aged people getting divorced. Okay. And it's not even like a Nancy Myers straight people movie, which I would argue is actually kind of gay too. A Nancy Myers movie, right? Yeah. So he's like, not fun by making this movie. At least we could find the camp in those first two. I can't even find the camp or joy or anything in this new one. And. And quite frankly, if I'm gonna watch a movie about straight people getting a divorce, I just watch the Squid and the Whale again. Like, of course you've got like two precocious, you know, boys in that movie too. Like, it's basically a better version of this movie at the end of the day. And there's no standup plot, thank God.

[Casey O'Brien]

So it is funny because this movie, and I'm loathe to use this word, but it felt lazy.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

It felt like there was, like, no research into the comedy world. It felt like there was no real emotional research to getting a divorce. It was kind of like. It felt like an outsider perspective on what getting a divorce looks like. And even though I don't have any experience with that in my life either, but it didn't feel lived in. And I think Maestro and A Star Is Born, those felt the opposite of lazy. It felt like he went way above and beyond to get things done accurately and make it feel lived in. And I just didn't get that sense with this movie.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

You know, so I would say it's his worst movie. And I don't know, I wonder if he got self conscious after Maestro and he was like, I have to do a real straight movie or something. But, like, I want him to go back to what he did with the first two movies because I legitimately, like, loved both of those.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah. Because they had moments of true bizarreness that I weirdly appreciated. And I think you're right. The camp factor is what made me appreciate both of them. Right.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie de Cherico]

Even the, like, I just wanted to get a good look at you line. Yeah. Like, even that is hilarious still to me. And there's moments of that in both these first two films that I think I was amused by. And I felt like this movie was just sort of boring and.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah. It's disappointing.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

Because I do like him and I think he's interesting. And it's funny because he couldn't quite let go of. He's like, well, it has to be about a performer. There has to be a performance element. To it, which, like all of his movies include, you know, the character as a performer. But. But I just feel like it was really misguided.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah. And if, like, if again, we're watching. There's so many better movies about divorce that you could watch.

[Casey O'Brien]

So many.

[Millie de Cherico]

If you're a middle aged guy out there that's like, man, I don't know. I'm going through some hard times with my woman and I don't know, I'm thinking about making, Making a pivot. What should I watch? Watch? Literally anything but this. Like, watch, you know, Squid and the Whale marriage story. You know, scenes from a marriage. Like, I don't know, there's just so many movies about divorce that got kind of our first in line before this one.

[Casey O'Brien]

But yeah, Yeah.

[Millie de Cherico]

I don't know. And I feel bad saying this because, you know, mostly.

[Casey O'Brien]

I do too.

[Millie de Cherico]

We're mostly positive people. We don't like hating things. But.

[Casey O'Brien]

No, and I really. And I think he's really talented and I really want him to make more movies. Like, I don't want him to stop making movies. It kind of reminds me of when we talked about the Materialists. Like, I was just like, it just feels off. It just is. Like you weren't playing in the right key signature or something. I don't know. Something is just wrong. And like, I want you to get back to where you were before. And because I like, there's a quality to his films that feel very alive. And I felt that a little bit in Is this Thing On? But it just. I don't know, it just. It didn't quite work.

[Millie de Cherico]

Bradley, I need you to move more towards the Baz Luhrmann end of the spectrum and not the Noah Baumbach end of the spectrum. Okay.

[Casey O'Brien]

I think he was trying to make a Judd Apatow movie.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah, well, your wheelhouse is being insane, so let's just go that way. Okay, dude.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, I just think back to the interview he did about with Leonard Bernstein's children on 60 Minutes. I think it was. And they're like, what do you miss most about him? And he answered first and he's never met the man. And I was like, okay, that's so crazy that he did that. And I want that guy back. You know, sometimes artists are out of touch with reality. I mean, I don't think Prince was living in our world when he was making his music. You know, sometimes artists are like that. And I don't want you. I don't want to see your commentary on everyday life, you know?

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah, it's hard to be in the middle. You either got to be, like, real off the rip or real underground.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, yeah.

[Millie de Cherico]

Being in the middle is weird.

[Casey O'Brien]

Anyways, that's our convo about. Is this thing on? All right, Millie, we're back. We got some gripes, gropes, and grats. Can you believe it?

[Millie de Cherico]

I can, actually. This entire episode has been a one big film gripe, unfortunately.

[Casey O'Brien]

So we got some gropes in here. Consensual.

[Millie de Cherico]

Okay.

[Casey O'Brien]

Consensual.

[Millie de Cherico]

Okay.

[Casey O'Brien]

Okay. Here's a gripe from Monica. Love your show. It is a treasured part of my Tuesday routine. Oh, thank you. Not sure if you've talked about this, but I feel Millie may have, considering she has definitely spoken about Southern accents before. But my film gripe is when someone has a bad Southern accent or if it's a misplaced Southern accent, like when it's set in Texas, but someone sounds like they're from the Carolinas, it really takes me out of it, and I get so annoyed. I'm from Oklahoma originally, so I can distinguish Okie from Texan as well. But I'll give that a little bit of a pass, which also thank you, Millie, for saying Oklahoma is south, but it's a different kind of south. Lol. Because it's not. Because it is. It's not Midwest. Anyways, that's a geography region gripe for another day. Thank you so much again for being yourselves and adding so much fun to film. Monica, any thoughts about this, Millie?

[Millie de Cherico]

Dude, of course. I've gone on record about this several times. Monica and I are completely aligned. As a Southern person, listening to bad Southern accents is like nails on a chalkboard. It's like going to an open mic, honestly. And you're absolutely right, because you can't put but somebody like Sissy Spacek, who has a classic Texan accent next to Glorilla or something, who is from Memphis, Tennessee, and has a very specific Memphis accent. Right? Yeah. And even closer in proximity is like there's a difference between a Memphis accent and a Atlanta accent, and there's a difference between those two and a Carolina's accent, like a North Carolina's acc. Right. So it's like, as a Southern person, you know this. Most other people, though, don't. Hollywood doesn't know that. They're just be like, yo, talk about. Talk like Huckleberry Hound and you'll be fine. And it's just. Yeah, it's a. I've had that film great forever. So Monica, totally with you. I. I propose Monica, if you want to Write back. Maybe we both come up with the three worst Southern accents in film history.

[Casey O'Brien]

I like this.

[Millie de Cherico]

We'll do, like, a top three list. You can do one, I can do one, and we'll compare notes. I'll do it on the podcast. So I'm giving you time to think about that. But right back.

[Casey O'Brien]

Right back in. Monica, we need to hear from you.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

I want to say sort of similarly, it bugs me, you know, Minnesotan. That's a very specific accent. It is Midwestern, but it's a little bit more elongated. But a lot of times in movies, people will have Minnesotans talking like Canadians.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

Like, where they're like, sorry, sorry, we don't talk like that.

[Millie de Cherico]

That.

[Casey O'Brien]

And. Or they'll make a Minnesotan sound like a Chicago guy. They're talking like a Chicago guy. Like that. It's a different accent, and it's a confusing accent, but I noticed that as well, and so it pisses me off. People don't care about these flyover states. Sometimes the coastal elites.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

Unbelievable. Okay, I have a film group. Consensual.

[I]

Gross.

[Casey O'Brien]

Here we go. Playing it.

[I]

Hi, Millie and Casey. My name is Tanner, and I have a film grope for you. I was reminded of this when Casey brought up the movie society in a discussion a couple of weeks ago, and. You mean a society starring love of my life, Billy Warlock, better known as the son of Dick Warlock, actor who played Michael Myers in Halloween 2. Anyways, I digress. What I really love about that movie is that it has some very, very delightful practical effects. And I. I simply think it looks so much better than a lot of CGI news today, which looks just kind of very tacky to me in a way that I find objectionable. So, anyways, love a good practical effect, and I would love to hear what other films you guys like that have a notable use of practical effects. And I know that you guys talked a bit about this in your episode on the thing, but I would love to hear more of your thoughts.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, man, what a great question. Yeah, and I agree, obviously, when we were talking about that in the thing, that you can just see texturally that there's something going on with a practical effect. In a way, it has more soul. It has more texture to it than something that's made from cgi.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah, I talked about the brief millisecond of shittiness that happens before a practical effect goes off because there is no seamlessness, you know, as the way it is in cgi, where a scene, like, immediately becomes another thing.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie de Cherico]

Practical Effects has like, there has a physicality that has to happen. So there's usually like a millisecond, something of shittiness where you're like, oh, there's a puppet coming out or whatever. Or like, you know, the. The chest cavity has to open because it's manual and not digital. That is the joy of my life is that millisecond of shittiness before a practical effect pops off. It's so nice and it's nostalgic. And then sometimes in the more B horror movies, that millisecond drags on into even longer millisecond and it's even, even better. So, you know, I think, you know,

[Casey O'Brien]

when I think about practical effects, I really think about the early movies of Tim Burton, like Beetlejuice, especially where it's like, there's a lot of claymation, a lot of like, prosthetics and just more artistry goes into that. And then as like later movies, he's like, I love cgi. I think there was some interview where he was like, oh, I hate looking back on my old movies with like the bad special effects. I love this CGI I am able to use now. And I'm like, no, the stuff like Alice in Wonderland. That stuff looks like shit. The Boot, Willy Wonka. I just think that doesn't look as good as his older stuff. So, I mean, that's kind of like one filmmaker.

[Millie de Cherico]

But honestly, the best practical effects. Alien, early Cronenberg, like Scanners. Are you kidding me? Classic practical effects. I mean, you know, even stuff like, you know, any kind of like, like 80s transformation movie, like American Werewolf in London, like all that kind of stuff. Fantastic, like all like fun, weird horror from the 70s and 80s. Like, man.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, there's one by Peter Jackson from 1992 called Dead Alive, I Believe, or it's called Brain Dead. And this is one of the most goopiest, most disgusting movies I've ever seen. But there's just so much good stuff in there.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

So it's good practical effects.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah. I mean, like, honestly, age for me, you know, like, I grew up watching 80s and early 90s stuff, so I was lucky. I grew up in the practical effect age and I was like, this is the shit. Like any science fiction or horror movie that I came across was always practical. So I don't know. I was lucky in that way. But I have so many faves and I still, like I said, I still think they should do them, even though it's probably like cost prohibitive at this point. But. And I still Want a practical effects artist to come on the podcast? So if you're like, hook us up.

[Casey O'Brien]

Let's go talk to our booker, Patrick Cotner. Find us a guy.

[Millie de Cherico]

Oh, I'm sorry, Isn't it Patrick Cotner?

[Casey O'Brien]

Is that how you say it in the.

[Millie de Cherico]

That's how you say it? That's how you say it.

[Casey O'Brien]

Patrick Cotner.

[Millie de Cherico]

Patrick Cotner.

[Casey O'Brien]

Wow. He's going to love that I'm mentioning him on this show. He's just going to slurp this up. Okay. Another consensual film grope from Emily from Minneapolis. Love that. Hi, Millie and Casey. There are character actors I love so much that I will see every movie they are in, regardless of genre, reviews, role size. You get it. If John Leguizamo is in a movie, I'm going to see it. If Toni Collette is in a movie, I'm going to see it. Not only are they insanely talented and transformative, they always have great taste regarding the movies that they sign on to. So who are your must see actors and what movies made you fall in love with the them? You both rock. Thanks for making me laugh every week, Millie. I was thinking about this recently. I don't have that many, like, gotta see actors working today. I would say Philip Seymour Hoffman used to be one.

[Millie de Cherico]

I don't know. I mean, Steve Buscemi, like, that's. That's a great one.

[Casey O'Brien]

Steve Buscemi gets a great one. You know, Keanu.

[Millie de Cherico]

You think Keanu's a character actor?

[Casey O'Brien]

No, I guess he's not. He's a leading man.

[Millie de Cherico]

Well. And like, to be real, I was a huge. Well, maybe I shouldn't say this.

[Casey O'Brien]

Do it.

[Millie de Cherico]

Say it. There have been times where I loved a character actor and then that character actor became like a main guy. And I was like, I kind of feel like that's happened with Walton Goggins a little bit. Yeah. You know what I mean?

[Casey O'Brien]

Where I was like, he's lost his bloom a little bit.

[Millie de Cherico]

And I mean, I'm not even talking about somebody like Paul Giamatti, for example, who is like, always going to be a character actor, but is the star of movies. Walton Goggins went from being like a creepy redneck guy to now being, like, kind of a hottie in things. And I was like, oh, no. What do I feel about that? I mean, there's a lot. There's a lot of great character actors in there. Anytime I see Donald Logue in a movie, he pops in a movie for two seconds. I'm like, great movie.

[Casey O'Brien]

You know who I like Shea Wiggum.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah. Love Shea Wiggum. Fuck, I love that guy.

[Casey O'Brien]

Every time he pops in, I'm like, hell yeah, dude. Great to have you here.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah. I mean, there's so many good ones. I love Margo Martindale, like, rest in. Rest in peace queen. But Conchata Farrell, anytime she was in movie, I loved her.

[Casey O'Brien]

You know who's my main one right now? Do you know who this is? A young woman, Ivy Woke. Do you know?

[Millie de Cherico]

Yes. She was in Anora, right?

[Casey O'Brien]

She's in Anora. She's in. If I had legs, I'd kick you. Yeah, she's great. She plays, like, annoying young person really well. And I love her.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah, she's great. Somebody made the case for John Carroll lynch being the greatest dude and not just the creepy guy from Zodiac, which I very much appreciated. But honestly, my favorite character actors are the old school ones. I think for me, possibly my favorite character actor of all time is Timothy Carey. And I don't really know if many of y' all know who he is. He was in quite a few Stanley Kubrick films. Like, most notably, he was in Paths of Glory and the Killing. He was in a lot of Cassavetes films. And he ended up making his own movie, self finance, called the World's Greatest Sinner, which is, like, one of the weirdest movies I've ever seen in my life. To me, he's a perfect character actor. Just like, he comes on screen, he's fucked up for, like, 10, 15 minutes, and then he goes away. And then you're just like, well, I want him to come back. I don't know what happened there.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, Timothy Carey's an interesting one, too, because he. I feel like good character actors also have, like, a. Like, they're weird people in life. In life, too. Like, they almost, like, stumbled into acting kind of as an afterthought, you know, and he had. There was something where he was, like, really disruptive on the movie Paths of Glory.

[Millie de Cherico]

Oh, yeah. Like, that was like. He was like an absolute maniac.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah. Oh. He faked his own kidnapping to generate personal publicity, which prompted Kubrick to fire him. So he's. He was fired halfway through.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah, I mean, he's.

[Casey O'Brien]

He's.

[Millie de Cherico]

He's an absolute maniac. I also, of course, would be remiss if I didn't mention John Cazale, who was a character actor that happened to be in, like, five incredible, you know, classic films.

[Casey O'Brien]

But, yeah, yeah, he's in five movies, and they're like, in the top 25 greatest films of all time.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah. But like all of my favorite actors are pretty much character actors, like Warren Oates. I mean, I could go down the list of, you know, William H. Macy.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie de Cherico]

You know, like Michael Parks. Like, even people from like classic Hollywood, like a Sterling Hayden or a Robert Ryan or something like that, you know, like to me I think that they're just more interesting. And you know, like for every Bradley Cooper there's going to be some absolute fucking weirdo that's kind of like popping into a scene and stealing the show, you know, and I don't know.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Millie de Cherico]

I'm just that person.

[Casey O'Brien]

It's time for employees picks.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah, yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

Film recommendations based on the theme of the discussion. Millie, what do you got for us today?

[Millie de Cherico]

Well, I couldn't, I couldn't honestly figure this one out this week. I was like, okay, what am I going to recommend based on a movie that I pretty much disliked the entire time?

[Casey O'Brien]

Sure.

[Millie de Cherico]

But then I decided that I was going to go in this direction, which is like, what's a movie about a guy that follows a sort of self involved pursuit and then ends up getting his wife or girlfriend back? And then I was like, it's gotta be high fidelity from 2000.

[Casey O'Brien]

Sure. A beloved. I love that movie.

[Millie de Cherico]

Well, and it's like in that similar way, which is kind of like, I'm on the rocks with my lady. How am I going to process it? I'm going to do something that's kind of like self indulgent and navel gazing, which is I'm going to start a record label and put out music by kids. And maybe in some way that's going to entice my woman back. And in fact it does.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie de Cherico]

Because it shows up like weird initiative or something. Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

But that the High Fidelity does such a better job of explaining why. I follow the logic of High Fidelity much better than yes is this thing.

[Millie de Cherico]

Whereas because that movie is literally all about the details, it's the complete opposite approach, which is basically like, do you want a minute by minute playback of the highs and lows of my relationship? And this is exactly why we broke up. It becomes very clear as to why they're not supposed to be together versus Bradley's movie which has no, no explanation whatsoever. But you know what I'm saying, like you can see why I'm linking these two movies together. Sure. Right.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes, I totally can. I also think High Fidelity does a better job because I feel like the movie itself is saying Rob, the main character is a fucking idiot and isn't. And I Feel like the. Is this thing on? Is kind of like, well, this guy's kind of cool. Like what he's doing is cool.

[Millie de Cherico]

Well, but it's like. But I always am gonna argue. Okay, think about the gender reversal of this, okay? This would. This would be tantamount to a woman and her husband are getting a divorce and he's not in love with her anymore, so she opens an Etsy shop and then he's like, I love you again. Let's get back together. Isn't that what we're talking about? It's the same conceit. It's basically like, oh, I'm gonna do something that is just like. So, like, I'm gonna have my own personal mode of discovery via something that is very self indulgent and then that somehow woos my ex back into my arms. Or I'm going to be a Pilates teacher. And my husband's like, what? I just saw you teach a class out of the window of your Plaudius studio. And like, now I love you. Again, it's the same thing. And I'm like that Hollywood is never making that movie. So anyway, God, you gotta get me off this microphone by saying, your employee pick now.

[Casey O'Brien]

Okay, well, okay, mine, sort of. I also had like, a hard time following, like, oh, what should I. What kind of movie should I recommend? And I'm going with the more positive spin on the movie, which is that I think it's cool to learn something new and become a part of a new community and humble yourself before that community in order to enter that community and finding yourself, like, finding out about yourself, entering into kind of a new thing. And I'm recommending 2009's Whip it, directed by Drew Barrymore, her only movie she ever directed. It's about roller derby and Elliot Page entering into the roller derby and finding themselves in that. And I liked that movie. I thought it was really cute and fun, and I haven't seen it in a long time. But there's a speech that Juliet Lewis gives where Juliet Lewis is like, do you know how old I was before I found this is my thing? Roller derby's my thing. Do you know how old I was when I found out found my thing? I was 35. And in the movie, it's like, whoa, that's old. But obviously I'm older than that now. And I'm like, that's not that old.

[Millie de Cherico]

Ain't that funny?

[Casey O'Brien]

Not funny. But anyways, I enjoyed that movie. I thought it was fun. And I Drew, get off the damn couch. And start directing some more movies.

[Millie de Cherico]

Yeah, you need to call up Bradley and be like, where's the money you're getting? Can I have some?

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, that's right. Anyways, that's our show.

[Millie de Cherico]

Okay.

[Casey O'Brien]

If you want to write in, like, the great people who did on this episode, if you want to do a. If you need film advice, if you want to give a consensual grope, a gripe, or a regret, write into dearMoviesExactlyRightMedia.com. you can also leave us a voicemail, which I love. Tanner did that. Great job, Tanner. Just record a voicemail on your phone that's under a minute and in a quiet place and email it to dearMoviesExactlyRightMedia.com.

[Millie de Cherico]

oh, yeah. So if you want to follow us on our social media accounts, we're at Dear Movies, I love you on Instagram and Facebook. Our letterboxd handles are Aclee o' Brien and Mdecherico. So follow us there. But listen to Dear Movies, I love you on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast. Wherever you get your podcast, please rate and review the show. It'd be really wonderful to get five stars. And, yeah, that's that.

[Casey O'Brien]

Amazing. Millie, what are we talking about next week?

[Millie de Cherico]

We're talking about this movie that I've actually never seen before. I know. And I'm making up for lost time. I have no idea why we're watching this movie. I think it. Is it a. Wait, is it a. I think it's an anniversary. Hold on.

[Casey O'Brien]

It's technically an anniversary, but also the NBA playoffs are starting soon, and it kind of lines up with that.

[Millie de Cherico]

Well, yeah, I think that's exactly why we picked it. I couldn't remember why, but we are gonna watch space jam from 1996, and I'm sure my mind is gonna be completely fucking blown.

[Casey O'Brien]

Now, this is the movie I saw in theaters, and when it was done, I remember thinking, well, that's gonna win the best picture for the Academy Awards.

[Millie de Cherico]

I think that's something you said on a very early podcast, and I laughed about it for weeks after you said it.

[Casey O'Brien]

How could it not? Why wouldn't. Why wouldn't that win best picture?

[Millie de Cherico]

That's so goddamn funny. Oh, boy. Yep.

[Casey O'Brien]

Anyways, Millie, thanks for laying it all out there with this movie. Got it.

[Millie de Cherico]

I feel. I feel like I've been so negative. I need to go be positive, put positivity in the world.

[Casey O'Brien]

It was negative in the service of our love for Bradley Cooper. Because we love Bradley Cooper and we support him.

[Millie de Cherico]

I don't support him making movies like this.

[Casey O'Brien]

That's fine, a slight misstep, but we look forward. We'll review every single movie he makes for the end of time.

[Millie de Cherico]

All right people, see you soon.

[Casey O'Brien]

Bye bye.

[Millie de Cherico]

This has been an exactly right production. Hosted by me, Millie de Cherico and produced by my co host Casey o'. Brien.

[Casey O'Brien]

This episode was mixed by Tom Bryfogel. Our associate producer is Christina Chamberlain, our guest booker is Patrick Cotner and our artwork is by Vanessa Lilac.

[Millie de Cherico]

Our incredible theme music is by the best band in the entire world, the Softies.

[Casey O'Brien]

Thank you to all our executive producers, Karen Kilgarith, Georgia Hardstark, Daniel Kramer and Millie de Cherico. We love you. Goodbye.

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