How Did This Get Made? — Live! Champagne & Bullets (aka GetEven aka Road to Revenge) with Jessica St. Clair Episode Date: August 22, 2025 – Portland, OR – The Beefcake Tour Finale

Episode Overview

In the latest rowdy LIVE edition of How Did This Get Made?, Paul Scheer, Jason Mantzoukas, and special guest Jessica St. Clair (subbing for June Diane Raphael) gather in Portland to break down Champagne & Bullets—also known as Get Even and Road to Revenge. This 1993 cult oddity—written, directed by, and starring attorney-musician-contractor John De Hart—comes in various bizarre cuts and is often named “the worst movie ever made.” The crew digs into the film’s baffling plot, jaw-dropping scenes, accidental comedy, and the “Renaissance Man” at its center. Live audience Q&A, unforgettable quotes, and genuine wonderment abound as the hosts attempt to process a movie that invades your psyche and changes you forever.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Film(s): A Mystery in Multiple Cuts (05:00–13:00)

• Champagne & Bullets, GetEven, and Road to Revenge are the same movie, differently cut for reasons that baffle the hosts.
• The plot (per IMDb): two cops framed by their boss—who becomes a satanic cult leader/judge—seek revenge after one’s wife is killed.
• Paul (06:50): “IMDb does not fuck around with their synopses. They just straight out spoil the movie. The wife gets killed with 20 minutes left.”
• Versions differ mainly in nudity, violence, and inexplicable additions like a 2007 martial arts insert.

2. John De Hart: Legal Eagle, Auteur, Songbird, and... Renaissance Man (05:45–09:00)

• Per LinkedIn, De Hart is CEO, actor, singer, lawyer, real estate broker, contractor—"good at all of the above.”
• Paul: “He has a script for Champagne & Bullets 2. He won’t make it because you all think it’s funny and it was made as a serious fucking film.”
• De Hart’s refusal to recast the deceased Cindy reveals conflicting tones in his legacy.

3. Hosts’ Viewing Experiences & Initial Shock (07:30–10:10)

• None had heard of the film before—Jason dubs it "Pantheon." Michael Weber (The Disaster Artist) recommended it mid-tour.
• Jason (09:01): “You told me there was nudity in the movie... Less than five minutes in, I was like, wow, this movie is incredible.”
• Jessica got a version with more “comic relief” (the poodle), fewer nude scenes: “I dissociated... I ate a king size Snickers and watched sorority rush videos for an hour and a half.” (14:00)

4. The Genre Mash: From Satanic Panic to Softcore Romance (19:00–33:00)

• Sets, acting, and logic are uniformly confounding:
  • Silk jackets & transition lenses define LA cops.
  • The satanic cult subplot is handled with all the subtlety of a party store: “I love that the altar just has 666.” (23:46)
  • The “Shimmy Slide” musical number is positioned as a Ghostbusters-level breakout.
    • Jason (30:54): “He looks like someone wants a performance that is transcendent. That is better than Whitney Houston singing the national anthem.”
• Jessica observes the romance angle makes sense: “If you, even unwillingly, participated in the murder of a baby...who is going to take you in and accept you for that? This guy.” (46:18)

5. Absurd, Legendary Moments

- The Bathtub Scene(s) (09:33, 36:43, 63:21)

• Multiple minutes of soaping, romance, and unclear direction—reportedly shot while De Hart was on pain meds.
• Jessica: “Why is it a nautical theme? There’s a fishing net behind them... He keeps trying to feed her champagne, awkwardly.”

- Huck Finley, Improvisation, and Existential Collapse (27:20–28:45, 41:00–44:00)

• Wings Hauser plays Huck, the unraveling friend, possibly improvising most of his lines: “It felt to me like the movie only makes sense if it’s taking place in his [Huck’s] mind.” (27:35)
• Huck’s relationship with a wooden Native American statue, and “drinking bleach” subplot, summarized: “He is in rough shape.” (56:22)

- Music Is Everything (13:12, 33:10, 52:42)

• The score is intrusive (“casio keyboard drum demo”).
• “Shimmy Slide” intended as a nationwide phenomenon.
  • Jessica: “But the joke is on us. People on YouTube are obsessed with the Shimmy Slide. He has won.” (33:34)

- Dialogue to Remember

• “Here’s a quarter. Buy yourself a personality.” (38:41)
• “Let’s drink to new beginnings, let’s hope they never end!”—Jason: “Does he not understand what beginnings are?” (45:44)
• “He doesn’t react when Cindy admits to baby murder.” (20:01–20:10)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jessica on De Hart: “He’s got conf. He’s got Riz. ...He got married in a white track suit.” (16:16–17:22)
• Jason: “This movie has invaded our mind—antibiotic resistant. This is ‘It Follows.’” (14:29)
• Paul: “Every woman at the wedding is wearing a white dress.... I blame Scar. Scar should have gotten everybody different outfits.” (57:58–58:33)
• On the Shimmy Slide:
  • Jason: “I would kill for somebody to do a cover of this.” (33:10)
  • Paul: “He is mystified the Shimmy Slide did not become a huge hit.” (33:26)
• On acting & romance:
  • Jessica: “Every woman wants her boobs to be used in the right way. ...It’s what we dream of as little girls.” (66:20)

Technical Breakdown & Live Screams

• Editing and Sound: (43:34–44:00, 52:42–53:58)

  • OBSCENE mix: dishwashing, chewing, and action sounds drown out dialogue.
  • Coverage missing for visual and audio cues—one microphone, one light.
  • Sets double as homes, bars, and a “judge’s office.”

• Acting and Set Choices:

  • Extras play to the camera, wardrobe is pure estate sale chaos (“pleather, blousy leather 80s kind of way”).
  • Scar (the henchman): “Scene to scene, his scar’s a little different...someone handed him an eyeliner and said, have at it.” (48:03)

Audience Q&A Highlights (57:01–65:53)

• Scar’s inspiration for Lion King? Audience member notices the movie preceded The Lion King. (57:01)
• Why is everyone in wedding dresses? “Scar did wardrobe, showed up with just all wedding dresses.” (58:12)
• Why the fake denim aging with beer? “If it’s Japanese salvage denim, you gotta soak it in beer!” (64:49)

"Based on a True Story?" & Surrealist Intentions (69:53–71:59)

• Shocking revelation: John De Hart claims the film is rooted in a real event—a client confided about a satanic baby sacrifice in Riverside County. She later died in a motorcycle crash De Hart suspects was murder.
• De Hart also asserts he prefigured Pulp Fiction and drew inspiration from A Clockwork Orange.

Final Recommendations & Reflections (78:16–80:05)

• Jason: “100% yes. This is in the realm of Miami Connection, Birdemic. This is really one of the greats.” (78:18–78:33)
• Paul: “He could have retired three times over if he would have just not done this.” (76:12)
• Jessica: “I’m different. I’ve changed. And I don’t know if it’s a good thing...you hate that you’re watching it and then you realize that he [De Hart] lives in all of us.” (78:55–79:27)
• Paul: “He’s braver than any of us have ever been. To put your art out there.” (79:29)

Must-See Segments & Timestamps

• [05:40] — Explanation of three versions & John De Hart’s “Renaissance Man” credentials
• [09:01] — Jason's reaction to nude scenes
• [13:12] — Differences in edits, including Pinky the poodle & martial arts reshoots
• [23:27] — Satanic altar and “who put their baby in this movie?” moment
• [30:54] — The “Shimmy Slide” song and its intended cultural impact
• [38:41] — “Here’s a quarter, buy yourself a personality.”
• [46:18] — The romance between Rick and Cindy: odd yet logical
• [52:42] — The soundtrack: “casio demo” levels of chaos
• [66:20] — “Every woman wants her boobs to be used in the right way.”
• [71:00] — The real-life motivation and “true story” behind the movie

Conclusion

Champagne & Bullets (in all its titles) is a singular labor of ego, confusion, and sincerity—a must-see for fans of “bad-good” cinema. The hosts unanimously recommend it as a life-changing watch, and audience engagement shows De Hart’s strange charm has left its mark, in Portland and well beyond.

Recommended If You Like: The Room, Miami Connection, Birdemic, Samurai Cop—and absurd true stories told with absolute conviction.

Listen to the full episode for wild diversions, live crowd reactions, and more evidence that sometimes the worst movies truly bring out the best in comedy podcasts.