Last Looks: Dream A Little Dream

Summary

How Did This Get Made? Podcast Summary Episode: Last Looks: Dream A Little Dream
Release Date: December 6, 2024

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1. Introduction to "Dream A Little Dream"

In this episode of How Did This Get Made?, hosts Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas delve into the made-for-TV holiday rom-com, Dream A Little Dream. The episode sets the stage by highlighting listener submissions and introducing the episode's primary focus: addressing corrections and omissions related to the film.

2. Corrections and Omissions

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to listener feedback correcting inaccuracies and filling in gaps about the movie's production details.

• Corey Haim's Injury ([12:24]):

  • Johnny Unusual explains that Corey Haim broke his leg four days before filming began, leading to his character, Dinger, being rewritten to include the injury. Despite efforts to conceal the real injury, the film incorporated a fake cast to maintain continuity.
  • Paul Scheer expresses skepticism: “I think the whole story is bs. Shout out to our previous segment. Yes, I believe that Corey Haim never broke his leg.”

• Choreography Credits ([14:58]):

  • Dell Preston points out that Corey Feldman was credited as a choreographer alongside Tony Fields, refuting June’s earlier joke about missing this fact.
  • Paul Scheer jokes about Feldman's singing abilities: “Give Jason Robards and Corey Haim some singing lessons and let them sing that end credit theme.”

• Age Gap Miscalculations ([14:59]):

  • Grammys and the T. Rex corrects Paul on his math regarding the age differences between Alex Rocco and Victoria Jackson, clarifying inaccuracies in their portrayal.

• Body Swap vs. Possession ([17:00]):

  • Johnny Unusual emphasizes that Dream A Little Dream is a possession movie, not a body swap story, fundamentally altering the film's interpretation.
  • Paul Scheer acknowledges this as the standout correction: “This is not a body swap movie. This is a possession movie.”

These corrections not only address factual errors but also reshape the listeners' understanding of the film's narrative and character dynamics.

3. Introducing the "BS in Movies" Segment

The hosts unveil a new segment titled "BS in Movies," where they critique and discuss superficial or unrealistic trends commonly seen in films.

• Paul Scheer ([07:00]):

  • Introduces the segment with disdain for persistent cinematic clichés like prolonged misunderstandings and unrealistic family breakfasts.
  • Notable Quote: “I hate misunderstandings. Just clarify yourself.”

• Highlights of BS Trends:

  • Lack of Genuine Goodbyes: Characters often end phone calls abruptly without proper farewells.
  • Overuse of CGI Babies: Preference for real babies over computer-generated or puppet ones to maintain authenticity in films.
  • Extravagant Breakfasts: Unrealistic portrayals of abundant and time-consuming breakfast preparations.

• Listener Engagement:

  • Paul Scheer encourages listeners to call in with their own grievances about movie trends: “I challenge you to tell me some of your BS trends.”

This segment aims to resonate with the audience by addressing relatable frustrations with modern filmmaking conventions.

4. Just Chat: Hosts Discuss Current Shows and Movies

In the "Just Chat" segment, the hosts share their current favorites and recommendations, offering a window into their personal tastes and ongoing projects.

• Jason Mantzoukas:

  • Current Watches:
    • Chef's Table: Noodles – Praises the new season as a fantastic addition to the series.
    • Rivals – Describes it as a “wild” British show filled with posh Brits in the Cotswolds engaging in dramatic and humorous antics.
    • Flipside – A personal favorite documentary exploring artistic momentum and procrastination.
  • Recommendations:
    • Dan to Dan – An anime on Netflix lauded for its visual brilliance and captivating story.

• Paul Scheer:

  • Current Watches:
    • Bad Monkey – Enjoys the blend of humor and mystery, citing performances by Vince Vaughn and Carl Hiason.
    • Family Secrets – A Peacock series about a missing girl and the subsequent investigation into her father's possible involvement.
  • Personal Projects:
    • Mentions his cameo in The Gutter, a "big dumb comedy" that received positive reactions at South by Southwest.

• Mutual Interests:

  • Both hosts express admiration for Letterkenny, highlighting its comedic prowess.
  • Upcoming Projects:
    • Paul shares excitement about upcoming live shows and tours, including appearances with fellow comedians.

• Notable Quotes:

  • Jason Mantzoukas ([27:00]): “Flipside is a documentary about artistic momentum and procrastination. I feel very connected to that inability to follow through.”
  • Paul Scheer ([35:00]): “It's fun to feel inspired by people doing stuff that... gets mainstream success. That's such a small needle to thread.”

This segment not only showcases the hosts' diverse interests but also builds a personal connection with the audience by sharing authentic experiences and recommendations.

5. Announcements and Upcoming Episodes

The episode concludes with teasers for future content and listener engagement opportunities.

• Next Episode:

  • Movie: Christmas Mail – A 2010 made-for-TV holiday rom-com.
  • Event: Live streaming episode with Jessica Sinclair on December 12th.
  • Trailer Breakdown: Provides a synopsis of Christmas Mail and notes its availability on platforms like Peacock, Amazon Prime Video, and Freevee.

• Listener Instructions:

  • Encourages ratings and reviews on platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
  • Promotes social media engagement and acknowledges the production team.

• Future Segments:

  • James will join for a classic discussion, likely revisiting beloved films and TV shows.

6. Conclusion

How Did This Get Made? wraps up the episode by reaffirming their commitment to dissecting and celebrating the peculiarities of bad movies, ensuring listeners have a comprehensive and entertaining analysis of Dream A Little Dream alongside engaging discussions on broader cinematic trends.

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Notable Quotes:

• Paul Scheer ([12:24]): “I think the whole story is bs. Shout out to our previous segment. Yes, I believe that Corey Haim never broke his leg.”

• Johnny Unusual ([14:58]): “This is not a body swap movie. This is a possession movie.”

• Paul Scheer ([07:00]): “I hate misunderstandings. Just clarify yourself.”

• Jason Mantzoukas ([27:00]): “Flipside is a documentary about artistic momentum and procrastination. I feel very connected to that inability to follow through.”

• Jason Mantzoukas ([14:59]): “This is not a body swap movie. This is a possession movie.”

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This comprehensive summary encapsulates the key discussions, listener interactions, and thematic segments of the How Did This Get Made? episode on Dream A Little Dream, providing a clear and engaging overview for both regular listeners and newcomers.

Transcript

[Paul Scheer]

Hey, everybody. Just wanted to give you a quick heads up here. There's something we should all be doing. It's going to improve your life, make every day a little bit better. And that is eat more Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Yes. Think about it. All the gurus, all the coaches out there, they've never said the words eat more Reese's. I mean, the combination of sweet chocolate and salty peanut butter, I mean, this is something that brings other people and ourselves joy. That's why there's two in a pack shop. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups now at a store near you found wherever candy is sold and offer often in my pantry because I love these. Every memorable gift starts with a story. And what better gift to give this holiday season than giving something that represents pure power, Nature's power. I'm talking about Jefferson's Ocean Bourbon and Jefferson's Ocean Rye. They are aged at sea. They have dealt with elements you could only dream of. You'll taste the journey in every sip. It's darkened by the pounding waves. It's kissed by ocean air. And it's caramelized by equatorial heat. Give the gift of adventure. Give Jefferson's Ocean Bourbon and Jefferson's Ocean Rye. Please sip responsibly. Copyright 2023 Jefferson's Bourbon Company Crestwood, Kentucky. You ever worry about the safety of your home and family? Well, Simplisafe has a brand new way to protect your home that stops intruders before they break into your home. Now, I love Simplisafe because Simplisafe is about the future. All right? They're minority reporting this. All right? They're stopping it before it happens. Now here's the thing. Simplisafe is extending its massive Black Friday deal to my listeners this week only. You can get 50% off any news system with a select professional monitoring plan. This is your last chance to claim their best offer of the year. You go to simplisafe.com bonkers. That's simplisafe.com bonkers. There's no safe like Simplisafe. Is it a possession or a body swap? And what's BS in movies? All this and more on a brand new how did this get made? Last looks hit the fame. How did this get made?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Trash can fires in Jacob's ladder started out bad.

[Paul Scheer]

Now it's getting better.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Jason Statham Angelino down at the loco.

[Paul Scheer]

Is where I seen them. How did this get paid? Tall John cheering Z Balcony monsters about to puke tonight as what's its mission.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And where the march stars is Another question.

[Paul Scheer]

How did this get made? James? Projector. James, the projector is broken again. Oh, my God. I am so sorry about this, folks. Our projector repair guy, James Acaster, was supposed to fix that problem, but I guess, I don't know, he just hightailed it back to the UK right after our show. And don't try to unpack the logic of what we just tried to do there, because this is an audio medium, and if James Acaster left after the show, who was yelling at people? This is entertainment. It's not supposed to be analyzed. Okay. Anyway, how are you? I'm Paul Scheer, and welcome to how did this Get Made? Last Looks. That's right. This is the show where you, the listener, get to voice your issues on Dream A Little Dream, a movie that Discord user Scully thinks should have had the tagline Dream a little dream. Double your coreys, double your confusion. I like it. I like it. It's solid. Look, I'm always going to go all in on a Double Mint Gum reference. Is it a little bit too old for our age group? Who knows? Some of you get it, some of you don't. But if you've never heard of Double Mint Gum, do yourself a favor. Go to YouTube, Google some double Mint Gum commercials. You're going to see some wonderful work by the top twins in the biz. Not just a set, multiple sets of twins, the Double Mint Gum. Double your pleasure, double your fun. Anyway, thank you, Scully, for that tagline. Remember, if you have an alt movie tagline or title submitted to us on our Discord, and we might just read it here on the show, Double Mint Gum ones definitely get preferential treatment. Anyway, coming up on today's episode, we'll be hearing all your corrections and omissions on Dream A Little Dream. We have a brand new segment we'll be introducing in the show in just a little bit. Jason will stop by for a classic. Just chat all about the TV and movies that we are currently loving. And as a reminder to you, one of the things that we are loving is our friend Joe Mandy's brand new special on Hulu. It is coming up and we want to give you a little taste of it right now. So, Scott, play the clip.

[Joe Mandy]

Okay, this next joke, I'm going to apologize before I do it because I'll admit it was written from a very CIS hetero perspective. So buckle up. For straight women, tall is boobs. Here's what I mean. Women treat tall men with the exact same level of superficiality. The exact same, like, brain Dead tractor beam energy that men treat big breasted women. And it's fucked up. We have to talk about this, you know, we have to have a national conversation. It's not okay. All you have to do is watch one episode of that show, the Bachelorette. She goes on a date. It cuts to her interview and she's like, oh, my God, Preston's incredible. He's so handsome. He's so funny. He's got a great smile and he's tall. And I love that he's tall. Cause my dad is tall. So I'm just used to tall men, you know? We've been conditioned to think that's an okay, acceptable thing to say out loud. It is not. It's fucking psychotic. Imagine if the Bachelor acted that way. It cuts to his interview. He's like, yeah, dude, Kelly was cool as hell. Like, she's really cute. She's fucking stacked. Did you see that? Holy shit. I was looking at them all night. Like, God damn, they're huge. They're so huge. And I like that. I like that, you know? Yeah. Cause my mom has fat tits. You know? I like that. Makes me feel safe.

[Paul Scheer]

Just a reminder. Chill. Premieres on Hulu on December 13th. You're not going to want to miss it. Joe is one of my favorite funny people. Emmy award winning Joe. Mandy, you're going to love it. It's a great, great, great special. Plus, I want to let you all know that we have tons and tons of sales. That's right. We have Team Sanity, Team Fred pint glasses in the Podswag store. We also have exclusive autographed Joyful Recollections of Trauma books with a Castle McQuaid bookmark in them. You couldn't get that Castle McQuaid bookmark unless you bumped into me. Now, as part of my holiday gift to you, you can purchase an autograph book with a How did this get made? Personalization and a Castle McQuaid bookmark. Oh, boy. Oh, boy. But if that's not enough for you, you want a personalized book. If you hear this before December 10th, just go to my website and I will hook you up with anything you want. You tell me what to write, I will write it. It'll be personalized and will be sent out on December 10th. Just go to Chevalier's bookstore or my website and you'll figure it all out. We're also going to reveal next week's movie, which is going to be a good one. And speaking of that, it's now time for me to mention the how did this Get Made holiday livestream show on December 12th. That's right. We are bringing back the old croner self, Jessica Sinclair to talk about a great film, a classic Christmas movie that you've never heard of. Tickets are on sale now at how did this get made.com? that's hdtgm.com I believe it's a little cheaper if you buy it before the show starts. I'm not sure about that. I could be totally lying. Could I check? Maybe. But not now. I don't have time for it. But here's the thing. You can watch the show from around the world and you can watch it seven days after the event. So if you miss the live stream, you can watch it at your leisure. All right, so people, I gotta tell you, we have been doing this show for a very long time and very rarely do we add in a new segment. But today, before we dive into corrections and omissions, I want to announce that today we are tackling something that is a pet peeve of mine. And I am talking about those BS trends in movies. That's right. We're going to be breaking down all the things that we think are BS in movies. This segment is brought to you by Midas. And the reason why we're talking about BS trends is because when it comes to car care, there's a ton of BS out there. I mean, that's bad service. Of course, now Midas provides an auto experience without the bs, from oil changes to tires. With Midas, you can get reliable service that you can trust. All right, let's talk about things that we don't like in movies. You know what I don't like in movies? When there's a misunderstanding that lasts for days. Most romcoms are built on just somebody accidentally overhearing something and then they change their entire life. And they should have said, oh, wait, did you say that I should buy a car? Or did you say that I won't go far? And then because they didn't go far, they changed their whole life and they become like this Australian biker. Anyway, that might have just been a Steve Gutenberg movie, but you know what I'm talking about. No more misunderstandings. I hate misunderstandings. Just clarify yourself. All right, you know, and then this is an old school thing, but we don't see people say goodbye. People never say goodbye on the phone. No, they just hang up another one. Who has time for these breakfasts? Every time I see a movie, people are. The spread is amazing. What time are you getting up? Three in the morning. To get a spread that good on Christmas. I'm trying to make a spread that good. It takes me hours and days. This is like a normal day. Somebody comes down and breakfast is ready. All of a sudden it's like a movie where it's like 12 kids. A cheaper by the dozen reboot or whatever it is. There's too much. Pour some cereal, you know? You know the other thing that gets me? The baguette. The baguette in the bag. Oh, everyone who goes shopping gets a baguette. Come on. No one's eating that many baguettes. Okay, other thing I. The other thing that. I don't like CGI babies, all right? I don't like these puppet babies. I don't like CGI babies. Use the real thing. I don't care that they shouldn't be on camera. I want more real babies in movies. If I want to go see Yoda, I go see Yoda. I want. I want real babies in my movies. If I'm seeing it on the big screen, save the fake babies and the puppet babies for Netflix. But if I'm seeing a movie on the big screen, you give me a real baby. Give me that real baby. Just like Jason says. All right? Those are just some of the BS trends that I have noticed in movies. And you know what? I challenge you to tell me some of your BS trends. What are the things that you are sick and tired of in movies? Give me a call at 619-P A U L A S K. That's 619-Paul- ask. But you're going to be Paul telling me what the BS trends are, and I will play some of my favorite calls. Thanks again to Midas for sponsoring this segment of BS in movies. I can't wait to hear from you on our next Last Looks episode so you can air your grievances. It's just not me yelling. And remember, don't let yourself get taken for a ride. When you bring your car in for service, turn into Midas for a straightforward, transparent communication about what you need for your vehicle maintenance. It's time to get automobile services tailored to your actual needs. And say Goodbye to the BS. Welcome to AutoCare Without Bad Service. Visit Midas.com for a location near you. All right, welcome back. Last week we talked at length about Dream a Little Dream. We had questions, and we might have even missed a few things. Here is your chance to set us straight. Fact check us, if you will. I mean, you can do it. It's the Internet. Internet is built to tell people that they Are wrong and now you can do that to us. It is now time for corrections and omissions. Corrections and omissions there's no need for.

[Joe Mandy]

Permission.

[Paul Scheer]

Youn got it a little wrong so we wrote down this song. Creations and omissions. Thank you, Andrew Winston, for that theme song. All right, we are going to go to the discord. Johnny Unusual writes, here is an explanation for why Corey Haim's character was given a limp. And the explanation in the film is pretty close to the truth. Wikipedia says four days before filming, Corey Haim broke his leg. And Dinger's character had to be rewritten to include the injury. While his actual cast was removed during filming, he had to wear a fake one for the remainder of the production. In the movie, Dinger says that his mother hit him with her car. In real life, Haim broke his leg while trying to teach his mom how to ride a motorbike. She couldn't use the brakes, ran into the side of the wall and broke her nose and Corey's leg. Okay, I knew this. I thought I brought it up. Maybe we edited it for time. Oh, wait, I see what you're saying. They had to remove his cast during the middle of filming, and they had to put a fake one on to complete the filming. Well, here's the thing. I never saw Corey Haim be believable in that cast. I think the whole story is bs. Shout out to our previous segment. Yes, I believe that Corey Haim never broke his leg. And if he did break his leg, his sense memory is terrible because it doesn't look like he remembers what it was like to have a broken leg. All right, next up, Dell Preston writes. Meredith joked about the choreography in the episode, but I checked the credits, and there are two choreographers listed. Tony Fields and Get ready for it. Corey Feldman. Yes, Feld Dog was actually credited as a choreographer. I do want to make it known that I didn't say Feld Dog. I appreciate you saying Feld Dog, Dell. Of course he was credited. The man did a Michael Jackson dance that was truly superb. I mean, it's funny because you look at that and you go, well, he just is ripping off Michael Jackson, but it's still impressive. I mean, did he choreograph that or did he steal it from Michael Jackson? And if you stole something from Michael Jackson, can you still be credited as a choreographer? I guess the answer is yes. Also, Del wants to note that Corey Feldman did not sing Dream A Little Dream in the end credits. Nope, that was Mel Tor and Mickey Thomas, who Meredith did mention played the teacher and was the lead singer of Jefferson Starship. Oh, come on.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Really?

[Paul Scheer]

You're not even giving me fel Dog singing Mel Tor. I like Mel Tor. You know what? Give Jason Robards and Corey Haim some singing lessons and let them sing that end credit theme. I mean, where is their. Their Will Smithism, right? You got to get in there. You can't just dub that. I'm mad. I'm mad. All right. Grammys. And the T. Rex writes. I love the joke about Alex Rocco and Victoria Jackson's age gap, but I think your math was slightly off. You said that Rocco was 53 and Jackson was 30 years old at the time of the shoot. Then you subtracted feldman's age of 18 from each parent's age to deduce that Jackson would have been 12 years old and Rocco 41 at the time of birth. However, Rocco would have been 35 years old, not 41. I know the numbers don't matter that much, and it's still gross and problematic. And your point still stands. Well, if my point stands, then why did you even bring it up? Grammys. But I appreciate your correction there. Thank you for correcting that. I don't know how I did that, but I am terrible at math. And honestly, I'm not surprised. My son tries to get me to do math homework, and it's not a good look for me. He loses respect for me. I have to stay out of the kitchen during those moments. All right. John Knott Connor chimes in on the age discourse. Oh, boy. Everyone's coming after me about this age thing. I bet Victoria Jackson's hair curlers were intended to make her look old enough to actually be Corey Feldman's mother. I mean, yeah, I guess. Good point. But seriously, was Nora Dunn busy? I mean, was anyone busy? There are women that are older than 30 or men younger than Alex Rocco to have done this. These weren't plum parts. These are side characters. I mean, they're not even really funny side characters. They're just really. Just like, you know. Yeah. Why did they need to cast those parts up? I mean, was it even cast? I mean, Alex Rocco probably was a cast up at that point. I don't know if Victoria Jackson was. Was she on SNL at that point? I guess she was. Anyway, a waste of casting. Dr. Guts1003 writes, Is it possible that there wasn't even a dormant swap between Laney and Gina, but rather that Laney's inability to recall, like her locker number and the dance routine are simply the result of being repeatedly roofied by her mother and Ron. Dr. Guts, you got the goods. Yes, this woman is being roofied all the time and is having short term memory loss. Oh boy, we've uncovered something big here. Firebert writes, I think this movie could have at least made the old man and woman be in a coma while Coleman and Bobby were having to work together to figure out whose body Gina is inhabiting. And instead of Bobby playing a prank that renders the entire plot of the movie pointless, they're racing against Coleman and Gina's declining health in the hospital so they aren't stuck together forever. Now honestly, Firebird, that is the way to do this movie. Not put them in some dream dimension, some Inception Nolan bullshit where they are that I don't, I don't like it. That would have been so much easier. Firebird continues and says, maybe that's all in the Corey cut. We release the Corey cut. That should have been the shirt. I mean, it would have been the shirt until James Projector Johnny Unusual is back again. This is not a body swap movie. A swap implies an exchange. As far as I can tell, Jason Robards disappears, so this is a possession movie. Yes, Corey Feldman is possessed. Though based on his acting, he spends a lot of the time completely forgetting this fact. Yes, Johnny, good point. Corey Feldman does not embody Jason Robards at all. And wow, the hits keep on coming. I mean, I was ready to give it to Dr. Guts, but now between Firebird, Johnny Unusual people are just firing off fact after fact. IQ Winehut writes, Roger Ebert created something called the Stanton Walsh Rule which stated that no movie featuring either Harry Dean Stanton or M. Emmett Walsh in a supporting role can be altogether bad. Now, I think that Harry Dean Stanton in Dream A Little Dream was the first time that this rule was broken, with the second being Emmett Walsh in Wild Wild West. Wow, we have the unique distinction of doing the two rul breakers in the Roger Ebert Stanton Walsh rule. Not something I take with a lot of pride. Wow, so many great corrections and omissions this week, but there can only be one winner. One that is the best one that truly is mind blowing. And you know, honestly, so many of you came in really, really hot. Everything about. I mean, I'll even go back to saying that Grammys and the T. Rex, even in the correction, it was a good one. Del Preston breaking it down. Everybody, everyone bringing it to the table. But I gotta say, Johnny Unusual, not only because Johnny Unusual submitted twice, but Johnny Unusual calling out the one mistake that we made repeatedly time and time Again, this is not a body swap movie. This is a possession movie. Must be the winner for this week because that reconceptualizes the entire film. And that's why our good friend Johnny Unusual is the winner and you get nothing. But you do get this amazing song from Katie Maris. Hit it your inside. Really impressed you win. Some restrictions apply.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

All submissions become property of hdtgm.

[Paul Scheer]

Prizes have no cash value.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Basically, you win nothing.

[Paul Scheer]

I love that song. Katie Aces aces on that song. Now remember, if you want to submit a song to us, email your theme to how did this get [e-mail] Please keep them short. 15 to 20 seconds is best. And if you want to chime in with your own thoughts about the latest episode, hit up the discord at discord gg hdtgm or call us at 619p a u l a s k. All right, coming up after the break, Jason will stop by to chat about all the TV and movies that we are currently loving and binging. We'll be right back. Today we're going to be breaking down all the things that we think are BS in movies. This segment is brought to you by Midas because when it comes to car care, there's a ton of BS out there. I mean, that's bad service. Of course, now Midas provides an auto experience without the BS with their closer look vehicle check. They let you know what needs fixing now and what can wait. From oil changes to tires. With Midas, you can get reliable service that you can trust. All right, let's talk about things that we don't like in movies. You know what I don't like in movies? This is an old school thing, but we don't see people say goodbye. People never say goodbye on the phone. No, they just hang up another one. CGI babies. All right, I don't like these puppet babies. I don't like CGI babies. Use the real thing. I don't care that they shouldn't be on camera. I want more real babies in movies. Give me that real baby. Just like Jason says. All right, thanks again to Midas for sponsoring this segment. And remember, don't let yourself get taken for a ride. When you bring your car in for service, turn into Midas for a straightforward, transparent communication about what you need for your vehicle maintenance. It's time to get automobile services tailored to your actual needs. And say Goodbye to the BS. Welcome to AutoCare Without Bad Service. Visit Midas.com for a location near you. This podcast is brought to you by Squarespace. Squarespace Oh, I love it. Is the all in one platform for entrepreneurs to stand out and succeed online. I have been using Squarespace for years, and whether you're just starting out or you're managing a growing brand, Squarespace makes it easy to create a beautiful website, engage with your audience, and sell anything from products to content. Okay. All in one place on your terms. Now, this is what I love about Squarespace. You can constantly tweak and update it. It's easy. You don't need to hire a designer. All right. You can get 10% off your first purchase of a website or [e-mail] bonkers. Plus, Squarespace is introducing design intelligence. This is pretty cool. All right. Design intelligence empowers anyone to build a beautiful, more personalized website tailored to their unique needs and craft a bespoke digital identity to use across one's entire online presence. So check out squarespace.com for a free trial and when you're ready to launch squarespace.combonkers and you will save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Texas Pete. Oh, my gosh, I love Texas Pete. It is the hot sauce that allows you to sauce like you mean it. All right. Texas Pete sauce is packed with bold and balanced flavor. I've loved Texas Pete for years. When I got a box of their stuff at my house, I was so psyched because what I love about their hot sauce is their tanginess. Okay? You can use it on anything and you're going to try every flavor. I mean, you got the original, which is great. That's fermented peppers. It's a special blend. Then you got the hotter hot sauce, which is three times hotter than the original. And believe me, it is not for the faint of heart. Then you got some Sabor by Texas Pete, which adds an authentic Mexican flavor. And I gotta tell you, that might be my favorite. Next to their dust dry seasoning, which matches the flavor of the original hot sauce in a flavorful dry rub. It is so, so great. Texas Pete sauce like you mean it. Visit texas pete.com and use the store locator to find Texas Pete products as well as purchase sauces and get recipe inspiration and use the promo code podcast24for20% [e-mail] all right. Welcome back, baby. By now I'm sure you've noticed that every Monday we re release old how did this get made episodes back into our feed. This last week's episode we talked about the Hugh Jackman and Meg Ryan romcom, Kate and Leopold. And next week we are talking with one of our all stars. That's right. Casey Wilson is joining us to discuss Harry and Meghan, A Royal Romance. Yes, we are bringing out some of the classics from the back catalog every Monday. So keep on checking out all of our replays. You are going to find some true gems in there. All right, without any further ado, it is time to just chat with Jason. And before I even do that, I want to say that this was recorded before Jason and I went on tour on the east coast with Dinosaur and wow, you all were fantastic audiences. We played in Boston, New York and D.C. the shows were awesome. The crowds were electric. We had amazing guests like Edie Patterson and Chloe Trost and Rob Hubel and it was just a great, great time. Thank you so much. We are going to be in San Francisco on February 2, I believe. So check that out if you are in San Fran and more tour dates are coming. All right, people, without any further ado, let's start chatting with a little something I like to call just chat. Just chat. Just chat about it. Just chat about it. Jason, welcome back.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

It's disappointing.

[Paul Scheer]

December. Oh, yeah.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Whoop.

[Paul Scheer]

Holiday season is upon us.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Oh, I've started my Gilmore Girls advent calendar that you gave me. Thank you so much.

[Paul Scheer]

I'm so happy it's there. I have, we're doing a bunch of different advent calendars at the house. We have a Star Wars Lego advent calendar that's opening for my kid. We have an NBA advent calendar for my other kid. And then the family advent calendar is a National Lampoon's Christmas vacation advanc. Yeah, we are.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Is that a movie you've all seen? Have the boys seen that movie? Okay, great.

[Paul Scheer]

Yes, we love, I mean our.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

What are your traditional Christmas or holiday watches? Rather?

[Paul Scheer]

Well, I'm going to say this. And it's, it's, it's one of them involves June. It's called eight bit Christmas. June is in it and the kids love it.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I've seen it.

[Paul Scheer]

And not even because June is in it, I think because of video games and whatever it is. So. But the ones that we go to on the regular, Home alone, Home Alone 2 Elf, and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Those are heavy rotation rewatch.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Great.

[Paul Scheer]

Go back through them. Those are kind of our, I would think, family. That's our bedrock. Kids do like I am in one. June is in one. And depending on the moment, they definitely like eight bit Christmas a lot. But then last year, they like my movie a little bit more than June's movie.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Wait, which one's your movie.

[Paul Scheer]

I did a movie called Family Family Switch, which is a body switch movie that just happens to take place at Christmas. And I will tell you. I don't know if I told you this, Jason. At the last dinosaur show, a young man, nice young man came up to me and said to me, I'm your biggest fan. And I said, oh, my gosh. Well, thank you so much. And he said, yeah, I've been following your career since Family Switch.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And I said, that is so cute.

[Paul Scheer]

And at that point, not even a year. Not even a year old at that point. And I said, thank you. But I laughed because it felt like a bit. It felt like a bit that someone would do.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

What a good joke.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah. And it was like, that is a funny joke. And. But it was very serious. And I appreciated it. I did appreciate it and embraced it 100%.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Oh, that's very sweet and very cute.

[Paul Scheer]

Yes. So that was a nice moment. But I do like to. When last year, when that movie came out, I liked to yell at the kids when I was dropping them off at carpool at other kids. Your own families are. Get out of here. Kids. I'm not even. That is not even really taking technically my character. But I do like to. I like to goose them. Good.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yeah. They deserve it.

[Paul Scheer]

And you and I, we're gonna go see Sean Astin on Broadway doing a reenactment of Elf.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yep. Can't wait. Yep.

[Paul Scheer]

Why are we doing this?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

What are we up to?

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Why? Why is this what it is? Why is this what Broadway is? You know what I've never thought to myself? I wish I could see Elf on Broadway starring Samwise Gamgees. Never.

[Paul Scheer]

I mean, look. I mean, I think it's not, but look, no offense to anyone who's playing Elf, but all I will say is this Elf is so good. Because it's Will Ferrell. Right? Will Ferrell is. He's the reason. He is the reason.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I don't think I need. I mean, and this is just me. I don't think I need any of these musicals of things I don't need. Back to the Future, the musical I don't need.

[Paul Scheer]

Honestly, like, what makes me angry about that? You would never say, like, oh, well, Back to the Future makes a great musical. Like, you could say, like, okay, maybe the Bodyguard can translate into a musical Elf. I don't know. Why are we doing it? I don't know why we're taking the things that we like that are good and saying, let's add music to it. And Then put it on.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Well, it does seem like they are caught in the same trap that we are in some ways, which is people would so much rather have something IP driven to try and build around rather than come up with new ideas. Like, we just aren't inside of new ideas. And I think on Broadway, even more so. It does seem like for Broadway, the last bunch of years, it has really been revivals or musical adaptations of nostalgic movies for people our age, specifically Beetlejuice, Back to the Future, who are like.

[Paul Scheer]

I don't like musicals. So. But if you give it to me, like, or theater, I will go. If you give me that, I will go. If Sean Astin plays Santa, Is this.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

All because of the Producers? Is that the first. Like, we wrote songs and put them into a. A movie from the past?

[Paul Scheer]

I mean, well, the fact that the Producers even, you know, like, the Producers.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Spamalot. Those were the two that I remember being like, why would they do this?

[Paul Scheer]

Spamal. At least I think creatively was trying to do something. Sure. I think again, I'm not sure. I'm not sure.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Who knows? Didn't see it. Never seen it.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah, but now it's. Now it's just like straight up, like, we're just. I mean, the fact that the Producers is a movie that then became a musical, that then became a movie on the musical is truly one of the craziest switches I've ever seen.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Oh, yeah. Out of. It's insane.

[Paul Scheer]

If we were living in a different time, the Odd Couple. Well, I guess the Odd Couple is a stage play, became a TV show. They should have been gone back on stage as a musical. I mean, it's weird. It's weird.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And I.

[Paul Scheer]

And I like. I like musicals. By the way, I saw. When I was in New York. Oh, Mary.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Oh, I'm going to. I'm seeing it. Oh, by this time, I will have seen it as well.

[Paul Scheer]

You will. What a great. What? And that's what that, you know, that's what we should be talking about. What a great. Great. If you're in New York City, if you can go see it. That's the fact that this is even existing on Broadway is exciting and different and fun.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Also, this is Cola Scola's show. Yes. And then I will also mention on YouTube, Cole has a previous special that is up on YouTube. It's like a half hour special. It's called Our Home Out West.

[Paul Scheer]

Okay, great.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Our Home Out West. And that's great, too. And while we're talking about YouTube, I will. No, we can keep going if you've got anything else to shout out.

[Paul Scheer]

No. Shout out.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Did you want to talk more about O Mary?

[Paul Scheer]

No, I don't. Because I want people to see it and enjoy it for what it is. I didn't know. I knew it was great and it succeeded in being great. That's. That's all. I was having so much fun with it. And it just, you know, it's like. I don't know if you feel like this, too. It's like, it's fun to feel inspired by people doing stuff that. Cause I think that there is a certain level of things that get made for it to be so interesting and weird and bizarre and get mainstream success. That, like, that's such a small needle to thread. And the fact that he did that was. It was like. Everything about it is inspiring, but also it's just like, you leave going like, oh, I love it. I love everything. I love what we get to do.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

It's so great when something finds its moment.

[Paul Scheer]

Yes.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And everybody grabs onto it and rides the wave and is like, we're all agreeing that we love this. And it doesn't feel like it was somehow predestined. It doesn't feel like it was made to happen or it doesn't feel manufactured. It feels like a real grassroots event. It feels cool.

[Paul Scheer]

It's like people, if you trust them with cool things, they will actually enjoy it. And I think that that's, like, the fun part. That's the fun part of it all. That's great. Really, really good. Well, we haven't talked about what we've been watching.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I've been watching a bunch of stuff.

[Paul Scheer]

Me, too. I'm excited to hear what you got up.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Great. Just a couple of quick things off the bat. There's a new season of Chef's Table out called Chef's Table Noodles.

[Paul Scheer]

That is terrific. Love it.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

David Gelb. Fantastic series. Chef's Table. All the different spinoffs of it. This is a great one. Colin from Accounts. Season two, just absolutely dynamite Australian rom com sitcom is so funny and so sweet and so fantastic. Rivals. Have you watched any of Rivals?

[Paul Scheer]

What's Rivals?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

It's on Disney or it's on Hulu. I can't remember. It's the same thing now.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

It's a British show. This is a wild show. It is so horny and so soapy. It feels like a throwback almost to a falcon's crest or a dynasty, sort of, in that it's about, like, posh Brits living in the Cotswolds. You know, at a time in the 80s. And it's all about like the rise of private, private TV networks in the uk.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, wow.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And. But it's all really about rich people fucking each other and it's so nuts. And it's based off of these books and this, the author of the books, this woman who is now 91 years old has adapted her horny sex filled books for tv. And it's great. It's just a blast. David Tennant is in it and is one of the parts there's a lot of people you'll recognize from a lot of your favorite British shows. It's just so fun and like I said, it's very soapy and very fluffy, but it's a blast. And it's. That's well worth getting into Rivals.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, okay. I am into that in a major way. I would like to like. I have to find these shows that I can watch with June. It's hard to find.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I think she will love this.

[Paul Scheer]

Okay, that's. That's a. That feels right.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

It's fun as hell.

[Paul Scheer]

Okay.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

You know, in a way that I think you will enjoy.

[Paul Scheer]

I mean, I will continually tell you my Star wars journey and say that now that my son loves Star wars so much, Jun is now tortured by our family, begging her to watch Star wars. And she's like, no, no. She's like, you guys can go downstairs.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Like, oh my God.

[Paul Scheer]

So we are often, my son and I are often kicked downstairs to watch stuff.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I love it.

[Paul Scheer]

Today we're going to be breaking down all the things that we think are BS in movies. This segment is brought to you by Midas because when it comes to car care, there's a ton of BS out there. I mean, that's bad service. Of course, now Midas provides an auto experience without the bs. With their close look vehicle check, they let you know what needs fixing now and what can wait. From oil changes to tires. With Midas, you can get reliable service that you can trust. All right, let's talk about things that we don't like in movies. You know what I don't like in movies? This is an old school thing, but we don't see people say goodbye. People never say goodbye on the phone. No, they just hang up another one. CGI babies. All right. I don't like these puppet babies. I don't like CGI babies. Use the real thing. I don't care that they shouldn't be on camera. I want more real babies in movies. Give me that real baby. Just like Jason says. All Right. Thanks again to Midas for sponsoring this segment. And remember, don't let yourself get taken for a ride when you bring your car in for service. Turn into Midas for a straightforward, transparent communication about what you need for your vehicle maintenance. It's time to get automobile services tailored to your actual needs. And say Goodbye to the BS. Welcome to AutoCare without bad service. Visit Midas for a location near you. You know, when you are hiring for your small business, you want to find quality professionals that are right for the role. That's why you have to check out LinkedIn Jobs. LinkedIn Jobs has the tools to help you find the right professionals for your team faster and for free. Now, LinkedIn isn't just a job board. LinkedIn helps you hire professionals you can't find anywhere else. Even those who aren't actively searching for a new job but might be open to the perfect role in a given month. Over 70% of LinkedIn users don't visit other leading job sites. So if you're not looking on LinkedIn, you're looking in the wrong place. On LinkedIn, 86% of small businesses get a qualified candidate within 24 hours. Hire professionals like a professional on LinkedIn. Post your job for [e-mail] valuable. That's LinkedIn.com valuable to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. Mint Mobile has figured it out. You can say goodbye to overpriced wireless plans. You can say goodbye to jaw dropping monthly bills and unexpected overages. Because Mint Mobile is here to rescue with premium wireless starting at 15 bucks a month. Okay? Our producer Scott, he has Mint Mobile. He loves it so much, he can't stop talking about it. He's like, oh, Paul, I got a easy to read bill. No complicated fees. I'm like, scott, I love that you're into Mint Mobile, but seriously, dude, we got to reschedule the next recording. And he's like, no, no, no. Switching to Mint Mobile was so easy. I used my same phone and kept my same number. I'm like, sounds great. But seriously, you're producing the show. We got other things to do. And he's like, no, no. Let me tell you more about Mint Mobile. And that's why I decided to do this commercial, because Mint Mobile is changing lives. So to get this, this new customer offer of 3 month premium wireless for just 15 bucks a month, go to mintmobile.com HDTGM that's mintmobile.com HDTGM cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com HDTGM 45 dollar upfront payment required. Equivalent to 15amonth. New customers on first 3 month plan only. Speed slower than above 40 GB on unlimited plan. Additional taxes, fees and restrictions apply. See Mint Mobile for details.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Have you watched? I'm sure you have. And if not, you guys will love it. June as well. Anatomy of a Lie.

[Paul Scheer]

Yes.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

The Grey's Anatomy. True, True lies. Yes.

[Paul Scheer]

That was amazing.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yeah, I thought that was fantastic.

[Paul Scheer]

And you look, there's a great. We've talked about this in like these little lies, Right? Like these little lies.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Oh, yes.

[Paul Scheer]

That can balloon into something that is so unmanageable. And there's a part of me that feels like I have sympathy on some level. Right. Like, you know, and I think that that's the hard thing about this is like, I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna do it. But you can see how people. Yeah.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

How this can kind of get carried away.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Get carried away. And it's so interesting. It's so interesting. Also, it may be for us especially because it's. This is the story of a TV writer, a woman named Elizabeth Fitch. Finch. Finch. A woman named Elizabeth Finch, who. There's a great Vanity Fair article that is about this whole scandal. And then that article has been adapted into a three part documentary, which is what we're talking about. And it's this woman who is a TV writer who ultimately becomes a writer on Grey's Anatomy. But then this wild web of interconnected kind of white lies that just turn into straight up lies. All this stuff that just perpetrates and permeates her entire life. And it is so interesting. And such a strange story to follow.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, yeah. Look, and I'll tell you this. I've been going into lies. I've been going into these. Look, I tell you, June watches only murder, Murder, murder. Oh, that's right. And we just stumbled upon another show that's a very interesting one. It's not. It doesn't have any Hollywood connection to it.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Sure.

[Paul Scheer]

But it's called Family Secrets. It's also on Peacock. I believe that one is on Peacock as well. The lies one. And this is about this girl who has gone missing and her sister later in life puts it together that her dad probably killed her. And it's this wild. They've never found her body. They like, she just disappeared. And the father's like, oh, yeah, she ran away. There is some stuff in this, and I won't overly explain it more than this, but it's a good little twist and a turn on this idea of A daughter who. I'll give you this moment of it, at one point she says to her boyfriend, she's like, do you think my dad had anything to do with my sister disappearing? And her boyfriend's like, yeah, everyone thinks that. And she's like, wait, what? And that kind of causes her to go and dig in. And I'm like, wow. Yeah. So a really good. An interesting story. Family secrets, the disappearance of. You know, there's a podcast about a crematorium. Have you heard about this?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

No, not at all.

[Paul Scheer]

It's the Noble podcast.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Okay.

[Paul Scheer]

And it's. So basically there's a crematorium in Atlanta where, I mean, I guess the long story short is the machines at the crematorium stopped working and the people running the crematorium just kind of started burying the bodies in the back they found.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

You know what this reminds me of is that cryogenic freezing scandal from. Oh yeah, was, ah, Maybe that was 15 years ago. Was it a. This American Life? They did a thing about it or somebody did a thing where it was similar, where all these people who paid all this money to have themselves frozen such that they could be unfrozen in the future when their illnesses could. All of the tanks failed, so all these people like thawed out and died.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, it is this, this story is wild because the way it kind of starts is a FedEx guy or something is like delivering a package, and he goes around back and he drops out the package and then kind of just catches something out of his eye, which is like an arm coming out of a trash bag and calls the cops. And the cop he's like, you need a warrant to check it out. Anyway, they come and they go. These machines haven't worked in years. And they find 339 bodies and maybe even more because they don't even. Everything is mixed and matched at a certain point. But it's a really interesting podcast because that's the sensational part of it. But it also goes into family dynamics and things about why you might do this and interesting. So it's called Noble.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

That's cool. And I was right. The one I was talking about is this American Life called Mistakes Were Made. And it's about the failure of a cryogenics lab.

[Paul Scheer]

But again, small lies. Small lies, right? You're trying to. To do it right. I'll.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I'll use this American life as a pivot point for one of the. My favorite movies that I've seen this year, which is a documentary called Flipside.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, what's that?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Which is the guy who is a documentary filmmaker, Chris Wil. I'm not going to remember his last name. He also was the filmmaker behind this American Life when they did those few seasons at Showtime or wherever they did it. But regardless, a documentary filmmaker who then goes into. He becomes very successful directing commercials. And this is a documentary about himself and about his process. And I genuinely felt like the two movies this year that I have felt more seen by. There are. There are. I should say there have been two movies this year that I have felt more seen by than in recent memory. One of which I talked about a while ago. Blue Giant, the anime Blue Giant. Oh, about jazz musicians. And this one, which is about artistic momentum and procrastination. And so the documentary is all about this guy who has all these opportunities and he starts to become successful, wildly successful as a commercial director. And then he feels so creatively unfulfilled that he starts a documentary about a record store called Flipside Records where he used to work in New Jersey when he was a teenager. But then what happens is he kind of stops. Make 10 years go by and he starts. So he stops making the documentary. He just all. So the movie is a collection of footage of all these different documentaries and things he's started and abandoned. All of this stuff, all of these projects that were meant to be his next big creative endeavor, his next big thing. All of this stuff that he put hours and energy and time into that just kind of then disappear and suddenly it's 10 years later and he hasn't been back and he has to. So he goes back. And so you get inside of this documentary, all of these peeks into all of these other little documentaries that could have been their own movie, but he just never finished them. So I think this. I feel very connected to that inability to follow through and make decisions and finish up.

[Paul Scheer]

What is the name of it again?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Flipside.

[Paul Scheer]

Flipside. You know what that reminds me of? I know it's similar. It's different, but it's similar. What was that documentary where the film student challenges his. His. His film professor to remake his. Oh, his movie?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yes. It's not a film. It's the Dogma, guys. It's. Yes, 10 the 5 obstruction.

[Paul Scheer]

So, yeah, it was where Jorgen Leth created this, like, short film called the Perfect Human, starring a man and a woman sitting in a box while a narrator poses questions about their relationship and humanity. Years later, Lars Von Trier made a deal with Leth to remake the film five different times, each under a different set of circumstances. And with Von Trier's strictly prescribed rules. And each time he completes it, there's a more elaborate challenge. It's almost like a reality show meets a. You know. But I think the idea, from what I remember, was Lars von Trier wanted to get Jorgen Leth inspired again. Yeah. So by putting these things in front of him to. To make more. To actually, like, lean problem solve.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

To have to. Yes. Well. And this was also like the era when the Dogma, you know, manifesto went out, which was from those filmmakers that were all about these restrictions to filmmaking. You have to shoot with natural light. You can only, you know, there was all these kind of. The Dogma Manifesto is worth looking at just as a. Isn't this interesting? A way to give filmmakers problems that might inevitably, through trying to circumvent those problems, create interesting solutions.

[Paul Scheer]

Well, I think that that's always something for me where I'm. I'm always excited when you have to make something and you are content or you are. You believe, like, well, there's only one way to do it. And then you can't for whatever reason. And then you. And sometimes the best stuff comes up, whether that's even in casting or location of activity. It really is always. I mean, like, you kind of talked about that when you were working on John Wick. Right. Because it wasn't. It just started to rain. So, like, oh, fuck. Well, it's going to rain.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Oh, it always rains. It always rains. You know, and whether or not if it started raining, great. There was never a. Oh, oh, bummer. You know, like. Yeah, yeah. Just using all of it. They. That production. Unfazed. Always, like, nothing happened that they seemed unable to kind of pivot. And I never saw a massive production be that at ease that calm, you know, for so many moving parts and so much, frankly, dangerous stuff, stunts and so forth.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

For everybody to be so calm and so. Which makes it. Makes everybody feel safer. Makes everybody feel better, you know, because when a set is like, I'll grind it up because, oh, we've got this big stunt today. Everybody's freaked out. And everybody. There was, like, preparation. It was. Yeah. Just being ready for it and malleable and able to pivot.

[Paul Scheer]

What else are you watching?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I'm gonna run down some pretty fun shows. I'm like, I'm still in my. I want to watch people solve a mystery. So. One of my favorites. We both love the Kings Ells best. Season two is out.

[Paul Scheer]

Great.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Carrie Preston, Fantastic show. Great. Our friend Rob Riggle was in an episode and was fantastic. I'm really loving High potential. The Caitlin Owens.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Drew Goddard show adaptation. Drew Goddard adapted it from. I can't remember. It's a foreign. They've done it someplace else. I can't remember where. That shows a blast. I'm a sucker. I'm in my Leslie Manville era right now.

[Paul Scheer]

Okay.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I'm a big Mrs. Harris goes to Paris fan. Love that movie.

[Paul Scheer]

That's very much my stepmother.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Love it. She also has that show on BritBox called mum that I think is a beautiful half hour sitcom. But I'm. I've gotten very into her murder mystery series, which is. The first was called the Magpie Murders and the second was called the Moonflower Murders. Fantastic. Like, like PBS Masterpiece Theater. Like, who done it? Absolute blast. Bad Monkey. I had a blast with Bad Monkey. The.

[Paul Scheer]

I've been enjoying Bad Monkey. Yeah, I liked it. I liked the way it started and I was like. And you look, you know Vince Vaughn, when he's kind of in that, like, pocket is fun. I like Carl Hiason stuff.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Same. That's what I'm liking. I'm really loving the Carl Hiason of it. Just the goofball stuff. And then I know I've talked in the past about my new love of anime now that I have my Crunchyroll subscription and I've become obsessed with anime. The show, it's not Crunchyroll, it's Netflix. There's a show called Dan Da Dan that is straight bananas, visually incredible. The story is absolutely cuckoo crazy. It's a blast. I think this show is absolutely fantastic.

[Paul Scheer]

And everybody should know that's on Netflix as well.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I believe it is on Netflix. I'm sorry. Yes, it is on Netflix. Dan to Dan there. This year there have been. Go ahead. What do you got?

[Paul Scheer]

Well, I was going to say, you know, I. I wanted to shout out our, you know, our friends, you know, we talked about Letter Kenny. You brought Letter Kenny into my life. You know, and Shorty, that Michelle Millette has a. A Letter Kenny watch Along podcast now.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Oh, I didn't know that.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah, it's called Spare Parts. It's her and Evan Stern. Okay. Also from the show. And they're gonna do the whole. The whole. The whole 80 episodes.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Oh, that's great. Oh, I'm excited. Yeah, I'm excited to listen to that. Oh, that's great. That Letter Kenny and Shorzy, I think, are two of the most exciting half hour comedies to come out in the last, whatever, 10 years.

[Paul Scheer]

Ooh, can I plug the movie that I am in that I have a very small part in, So I don't want to, like, plug it in the, like. Oh, well, Paul's telling us a movie that he thinks is funny. But this movie that I did, again, very small part. It's called the Gutter, with Shamik Moore, Darcy Carden, Susan Sarandon and Paul Reiser. It is a big dumb comedy. It's written by Yasser Lester and directed by him and his brother. And it is. It's like Happy Gilmore meets Kingpin. It's so funny. When I saw it in south by Southwest, it just was nonstop laughter. I haven't been in the theater that was laughing. That's how I feel about Letterkenny too. Like, where I'm just, like, laughing, laughing. It's got like 10 jokes a minute. It's like, bam, bam, bam, bam. So if you don't like one, there's like 10 more. And Darcy's so funny in it. There's great cameos. Jay Ellis is in it, I'm in it. Nelson Franklin, a bunch of great people. It's a very funny, big dumb movie. Like, super dumb.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Oh, I love that.

[Paul Scheer]

The Gutter.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

There have been, I would say, this year, as I am kind of winding down my year and making my lists, there have been a number of, I think, absolutely fantastic standup specials this year.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

So I'll just shout out a bunch of them right now. Ali Wong's Single lady is terrific. Absolutely fantastic. We've had them both on the show to talk about them, but Joe Mandy's Chill and James Acaster's welcome are both terrific. Fantastic. Langston Kerman's Bad Poetry is incredible.

[Paul Scheer]

Really liked it. Really liked it.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Incredible, incredible. Stand up special. And then on YouTube, one of my favorite standups who's very difficult to see his stuff because he's. He's based in the uk. He's very diff. He doesn't post his stuff anywhere. It doesn't stream anywhere. Except Stuart Lee has one special streaming on YouTube right now, and it's called Basic Lee Live at the Lowry. And it's fucking hysterical. It's great.

[Paul Scheer]

Ooh, I'm excited about that. I want to also shout out, like, Dropout has been doing some interesting specials as well. Oh, and Courtney Peruso, the best. So funny. She has a special called Vanessa 5000, which was a stage show here. And it is. If you have that. If you have Dropout, watch that special. It's really fun. It's just. I mean, Courtney is part of the.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Clown, the LA comedy clown scene that's built around the Elysian Theater in Frogtown she's partnered with Natalie Palmetes on a lot of things. Natalie Palmetes you might know from Nate on Netflix the special Nate, which is incredible. Courtney's had two phenomenal specials that have gone to Edinburgh, Gutterplum and this one that you're mentioning.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And she is Vanessa 5000. So fucking talented and so funny.

[Paul Scheer]

It's like one of those things where it's like, if you want to like, like it captures also something that I don't think a lot of people who live outside of major cities get to see. Like, it's a very cool, like, I love that Dropout is doing that and they have a lot of cool shit on there.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

So I guess I need to like figure out Dropout. Dropout is a thing I don't quite have my, my arms around.

[Paul Scheer]

It's Crunchyroll. Just think of it like Crunchyroll. It is. It is.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Okay.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

It's just a slate of shows.

[Paul Scheer]

It's a slate of shows that they make that with original comed series that are nowhere else. It's, you know, it's games. It's like Very Important People. Hosted by Vic Mikalis. Really, really funny. They have like.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

They're so funny.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah, they have a D and D show called like Dimension 20. Funny game shows.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Them.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah, they have like, you know, Thousandaires is another like popular game show that they have. Smarty pants. Yeah, A bunch of great stuff. And they're doing like, they're doing specials. They're doing a lot of cool shit like. Yeah. So you can sign up for a full year, I believe. Let me look here and tell you how you can get it. And it will be functional like a Criterion Collection or anything like that. It's $47 for the entire year. That's great. Great. You know, a really easy, easy decision.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I love that.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

All right, I want to shout out one more thing and then I have a request.

[Paul Scheer]

Okay.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

My shout out is for Boy. We've talked about them in the past and I'll talk about them again. Tom Bin our backpack making friends in Seattle have put out two new bags that I've been using like obsessively. The one of my favorite all time bags is the Synapse 25. Love that bag, which is my favorite bag but doesn't always function in the way I want it to. And they have built the Cynic 26, which is that bag but with everything that I wasn't wild about fixed. So it is a 26 liter clamshell opening, incredibly organized bag. Cynic 26. Fantastic bag. And then they put out a new travel bag that I've been using on tour and traveling around because it's bigger, which is called, I think the Bixie or something like that. But it's great. Oh, I got a great bag for, like, weeks of travel, which is, sadly what has been going on in my life in the past bunch of months. All for good reason.

[Paul Scheer]

I gotta look at this. I gotta look at this bag.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

That's been great. Both of those bags I love. And then there's two shows. Thank you, everybody, who has been so helpful in getting me shows that I can't get. Otherwise, there's two shows that I'm looking for that I can't find. I really want to watch. Stephen Knight, who created Peaky Blinders and all the other stuff that we love, created a show called this Town in the UK that is about the ska, the punk, SCA scene in London, the specials and madness in, like the 70s and 80s. It's a TV show about that era of music and bands. I want to watch that show, but I can't find it.

[Paul Scheer]

Okay.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

The other show I want to watch is the Showtime show Flatbush Misdemeanors. If anybody can help me find either of those shows, I would appreciate it.

[Paul Scheer]

Okay. I love it. All right, Jason, we will see you next time. Bye for now. All right, I hope you enjoyed just chat. And now it is time to finally announce our next movie. Next week we'll be going from a body swap fail, or I should say possession, to Santa's mail. That's right, a body swap fail to Santa's mail. I have to make sure the rhyme works. That's right. Next episode, we'll be watching the 2010 made for TV holiday rom com, Christmas Mail. It's actually not Christmas sales. You've got Christmas mail. And that will be our live streaming episode, Jessica Sinclair. You can get tickets right [e-mail] you can watch it wherever you are in the world. Here is a breakdown of the plot. A mysterious woman who works at the post office answering Santa's mail captures the heart of a disillusioned postal carrier. That's. There are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, so instead we turn to Letterbox, where user Cameron writes. Christmas mail is simultaneously 0 stars and 5 stars worse and funnier than the room. Oh, shit. I can't wait. Let's take a listen to the trailer for Christmas Mail. Matt has a job. Matt, there's no slacking at the US Postal Service. We got four weeks till Christmas Emily has a wish. Dear Santa, I live with my uncle, but he's all alone except for me, and I think he needs a friend. Can you help my Christmas wish come true? Love, Emily. Christy has a secret. What's going on in here? I'm on special assignment from corporate. You didn't get the memo? Nope. No memo. Now, we recently mentioned the poster for this movie uses the title We've got Christmas mail. But if you look at it on streaming services, you should just search Christmas mail. Okay, now I corrected Scott. Now he's correcting me. So, yes, look for Christmas mail. I don't think it's going to be too hard to find Christmas mail. It's available to stream on Peacock, Amazon Prime Video, Freevee and to be. All right, so watch the episode Uncut on December 12th with Jessica Sinclair or get just the audio version if you want next week. Either way, it's going to be fun. But the video episodes are a lot of fun. We're going to add some fun bonuses in there. And heads up if you plan to listen to the podcast version of the episode, we are doing a fast turnaround to release it the very next day after the live stream. So the episode will likely hit your podcast feature Friday afternoon or evening instead of first thing in the morning like usual. And if you're gonna complain about that, it's the not the time. It's not the time, people. All right, that is it for last looks. If you listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please rate and review us. Please also make sure that you are following us and have automatic downloads turned on. It helps the show and we appreciate it. Visit us on social media at hdtgm. And a big thank you to our producers Scott Sonny and Molly Reynolds and our movie picking producer Avril Halle, our associate producer Jess Cisneros and our engineer Casey Holford. We will see you next week for Christmas Mail. I'm Elliot Kaelin and I cannot wait to tell you all about the new.

[Joe Mandy]

Podcast I'm hosting for Smartless Media.

[Paul Scheer]

It's called Smartless Presents Clueless, a bite sized twice weekly game show with a different main game and cliffhanger puzzle every single episode.

[Joe Mandy]

And all this season, the contestant will always be Sean Hayes.

[Paul Scheer]

That's the Clueless promise. Since you never know what the game will be, you won't want to miss a single episode. Listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts. Did you know that parents rank financial literacy as the number one most difficult life skill to teach? Meet Greenlight the debit card and money app for families. With Greenlight, you can set up chores, automate allowance and keep an eye on your kids spending with real time notifications, kids learn to earn, save and spend wisely and parents can rest easy knowing their kids are learning about money with guardrails in place. Sign up for Greenlight [e-mail] podcast.