Matinee Monday: Kate and Leopold

Summary

Matinee Monday: Kate and Leopold – Episode Summary

Released on December 2, 2024

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Introduction

In this episode of "How Did This Get Made?", hosts Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas delve into the quirky romantic comedy "Kate and Leopold." Celebrating the film's unique blend of time travel and romance, the trio dissects its plot intricacies, character dynamics, and numerous continuity gaffes with their signature comedic flair.

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Plot Overview

"Kate and Leopold" centers around Leopold (played by Hugh Jackman), a 19th-century Duke who inadvertently time travels to modern-day New York City. There, he meets Kate (Meg Ryan), a successful market research executive specializing in promoting Farmer’s Bounty Margarine. Their unexpected meeting sparks a romantic connection that bridges centuries but is fraught with comedic and illogical moments.

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Continuity and Time Travel Gaffes

The hosts spend significant time critiquing the film's handling of time travel and continuity errors:

• Time Travel Mechanics: Leopold's method of traveling through time—jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge during specific weather patterns—raises eyebrows. Paul Scheer (02:30) questions, "Did you think she was a margarine salesman?" highlighting the confusion surrounding Kate's actual role.

• Historical Inaccuracies: The film references historical events and figures inaccurately. At (04:14), Jason Mantzoukas notes Leopold mentions Jack the Ripper, whose activity peaked in 1888, seven years after Leopold’s supposed 1876 origin.

• Costume Consistencies: The hosts humorously discuss the unchanged attire of characters despite time shifts. At (09:49), Jason quips about the "continuity police," emphasizing how Kate's modern hairstyle remains unchanged even as her dress transforms to fit the 19th century.

• Logical Inconsistencies: The abrupt disappearance of the time portal and the effortless relocation of characters between eras are points of contention. At (07:54), June Diane Raphael remarks, "We actually have not seen that," referring to the portal's existence.

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Character Analysis and Development

• Leopold’s Characterization: Leopold is portrayed as a "complete and utter idiot" despite his time-traveling abilities. Jason Mantzoukas (18:20) sarcastically summarizes Leopold’s obsession, illustrating the lack of character depth and motivation.

• Kate’s Professional Life: Kate's dedication to her career is both a strength and a weakness. Paul Scheer (28:14) criticizes her inability to balance love and career, leading to her tragic decision to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge.

• Supporting Characters: The interplay between Meg Ryan's Kate and other characters, including played by Breckin Meyer and Bradley Whitford, adds layers of complexity that the hosts find underdeveloped and confusing.

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Romantic Elements and Chemistry

The chemistry, or lack thereof, between the leads is a focal point of the discussion:

• Lack of "Meet Cute": The absence of a traditional romantic "meet cute" hampers the development of Leopold and Kate’s relationship. Paul Scheer (05:02) laments, "But there was stuff in it that I couldn't figure out."

• Meg Ryan’s Performance: While June Diane Raphael (11:29) praises Meg Ryan’s portrayal of Kate, Paul Scheer (22:03) feels her character lacks genuine interest until later in the film, undermining the romance's foundation.

• Romantic Inertia: The hosts argue that without a compelling romantic connection, the film fails to engage emotionally. Jason Mantzoukas (39:07) points out, "There's nothing for her to..."

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Humor and Comedic Elements

Despite its flaws, the film contains moments that elicit laughter:

• Opening Scene Jokes: The movie kicks off with a "30-second dick joke" (15:02) that sets an awkward comedic tone.

• Character Quips: Lines like Margaret’s (Bradley Whitford) comments on Kate’s appearance and attire provide levity but often fall flat due to lack of context.

• Deleted Scenes and Alternate Pitches: The hosts brainstorm alternative scenes that could have enhanced the film’s humor and coherence, such as a more dynamic entrance for Kate through the portal (65:05).

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Technical and Production Critiques

The podcast hosts also touch upon the film's production choices:

• Direction and Script: While acknowledging James Mangold's directorial efforts (17:53), Paul Scheer (63:22) criticizes the convoluted problem-solving approaches Leopold employs, undermining the film’s logic.

• Budget vs. Execution: With a budget of $48 million (72:16) and a modest box office return, the hosts question whether the investment was justified given the film's lackluster execution.

• Deleted and Additional Scenes: Insights into deleted scenes suggest a more developed storyline that could have enriched the film, yet their absence leaves the narrative disjointed (45:19).

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Audience Reception and Legacy

In assessing the film’s reception, the hosts reference audience reviews:

• Mixed Reviews: Despite their critique, some audience reviews on Amazon praise the film for its "old-fashioned romance" and "clean fun" (66:49), indicating a polarized reception.

• Cultural Impact: The movie maintains a nostalgic charm for some viewers, while others, like the hosts, see it as a convoluted mess that fails to resonate.

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Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Paul Scheer (73:09) and June Diane Raphael (73:26) ultimately conclude that "Kate and Leopold" does not stand up as a commendable romantic comedy. They recommend viewers opt for more coherent and engaging rom-coms, deeming this film neither a hidden gem nor a worthwhile watch for fans seeking sensible storytelling and genuine chemistry.

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Notable Quotes

• Paul Scheer [00:03]: "Christmas is going up in flames."
• Jason Mantzoukas [03:08]: "She's slinging margarine. She's not making."
• June Diane Raphael [11:29]: "She didn't chew the scenery. It was so well done."
• Paul Scheer [29:06]: "I have to jump. And the visuals of that are very unsettling."
• Jason Mantzoukas [37:18]: "She needs her. Who gives anyone a bomb pilot?"
• June Diane Raphael [39:26]: "I'm here for the right reasons. Are you here for the right reasons?"

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Final Recommendation

For fans of "Kate and Leopold" seeking a light-hearted critique filled with humor and sharp observations, this episode offers a comprehensive dissection of the film's strengths and glaring weaknesses. However, those expecting an endorsement of the movie should note the hosts' unanimous sentiment that numerous other romantic comedies offer a more satisfying viewing experience.

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Join the conversation and share your thoughts on "Kate and Leopold" by visiting our Discord at Discord.gg/hdtgm or tune into our mini episodes for more in-depth discussions.

Transcript

[Paul Scheer]

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[Jason Mantzoukas]

A spelling mistake causes a letter to.

[Paul Scheer]

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[Jason Mantzoukas]

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[Paul Scheer]

Grand openings and celebrations, although those are pretty great.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

But for all the hard work it took to get there, the fine tuning.

[Paul Scheer]

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[Jason Mantzoukas]

Workflows, and decision making, we're in to help you through all of it.

[Paul Scheer]

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[Jason Mantzoukas]

Day out that there is nothing as powerful as the power of us. Visit usbank.com to get started today. Equal Housing Lender Member FDIC Copyright 2024 US bank the Palm Pilot the Time Traveler and the Margarine Salesperson. We saw Kate and Leopold, so you know what that means.

[Paul Scheer]

Now it's time for how to discriminate.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

We're gonna have a good time celebrating.

[Paul Scheer]

Failure, not just being a hater. Could you know. You wondered how to Discrete. Let's wallow in the mediocrity of subpar art. Perhaps we'll find the answer to the question how did this.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Hello people of Earth, and welcome to how did this get Made? I am your host, Tal John Scheer, and today we are talking about Kate and Leopold. The Meg Ryan, Hugh Jackman rom com classic just in time for Valentine's Day. What do you need to know? Well, it's simple. Leopold is from the past. He comes to the present, and then he falls in love with a woman who sells margarine. That's pretty much the basic premise. There's a lot of things in between, but we'll get into all of that. But first.

[Paul Scheer]

Did you think she was a margarine salesman?

[June Diane Raphael]

She doesn't sell it.

[Paul Scheer]

She's not in margarine sales. She works for a market research company.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

That has a client Selling margarine.

[June Diane Raphael]

Margarine is a client.

[Paul Scheer]

Do you think? Farmers bouncing.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And so what does she do for margarine? What does she do if she's so there? She's a.

[Paul Scheer]

Yes, she does market research for Farmers Bounty, which is a margarine brand.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And so what is she doing for Farmers Bounty?

[Paul Scheer]

She works helping them do. She works for crg.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yes, she is selling. She's slinging margins. She's not making.

[Paul Scheer]

She's not like. She's not a margins. Giving out samples of Farmer's Bounty.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I'm not saying that. I'm saying that she is. She is. She's selling. Look, the whole end of the movie is Hugh Jackman giving an impassioned speech about how dare you put yourself out there. You're sell this garbage, this filth, this, you know, saddle wax. Anyway, we'll get into all that.

[June Diane Raphael]

Please, what she does. Well, she doesn't sell it. She sells research.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yes, explain that to Leopold. Because when Leopold dealt her that devastating blow about what she does with her life selling margarine, she had nothing to say. She didn't say, oh, no, no, no, I work for the company. She took it on the chin and then she jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge. Anyway, ladies and gentlemen, my. On this show are fantastic people who don't know a thing about margarine sales. And they are Jason Mantzoukas and June Diane.

[Paul Scheer]

Wow.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Jason Mantzoukas and June Diane Rayfield. Please welcome them to the show. Hi, Paul.

[Paul Scheer]

Wait, what's he from? Is he from. What year is he from the 1800s or the.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

He is from. He's from 1876. But this movie is full of continuity gaffes because he references Jack the Ripper, which happened in 1888. He also has that big monologue at the beginning where he talks about Thomas Edison, but he hadn't even invented the lamp. Rudolph Diesel was only 18 years old. Graham Bell just got a patent for the phone. Like, he didn't.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah, he's all over this. Yeah, it's all. It's his story. Well, here's the thing. Like the movie is that is very much in line with kind of what my problem with the movie was. And listen, I love rom coms. I love. I love rom coms. I've been watching a ton of rom coms during the pandemic just because they are such feel good, you know, great love stories.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

What's your favorite rom com, Jason?

[Paul Scheer]

What's my favorite rom com? I'm going to say I like. I mean, I love the Nora ephron movies. Speaking of Liev Schreiber in this movie, also in Mixed Nuts, Nora Ephron.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Well, wait, hold on. Wait a second.

[Paul Scheer]

I know it is. I watched it because I specifically June. I watched it because.

[June Diane Raphael]

What's this?

[Paul Scheer]

You said it was your favorite Christmas movie, right? Yeah, it was. Christmas movie, not Robin.

[June Diane Raphael]

What did you think?

[Paul Scheer]

It was good, but I felt like it was uneven. But it was really good.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Great actors.

[Paul Scheer]

Really great actors. But there was stuff in it that I couldn't figure out. But the cast is like.

[June Diane Raphael]

The Murderer's Realm is amazing.

[Paul Scheer]

Yes, Liam is.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Scheiber is like. I was talking to Devin, our audio engineer, and we have been going through the Scream franchise very, very deeply in the last couple of weeks, and he's great in those movies.

[Paul Scheer]

I was excited to see you guys. Seen the Day Trippers.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Oh, right.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, my God. Watch the Day Trippers. It is, if not his first movie, it's one of his first movies. And it's. It's Liev Schreiber, Stanley Tucci, Ann Mara, Parker Posey. It's like a. It's like a New York indie. That is so funny and so great. Anyway, my beef with this movie was that there wasn't enough. Like, it's mushy. Like you were saying, Paul. It's mushy around specifics. They want to have it both ways. And it's also mushy. Like, this is a time travel movie. I love a rom com. And I love a rom com. The idea of a Rom com, that is a guy from the 19th century shows up in modern day New York and there's a love story. But even that, the rules of time travel are mushy.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I mean, all right, I couldn't quite.

[Paul Scheer]

Get my arms around it.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I mean, the idea of the movie is that Liev Schreiber has found, like, a hole in time. And the only way that he can time travel is by waiting until a certain weather pattern hits and then he has to jump through it. But he has to jump through it from great heights. So he winds up jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge through it. Now, they don't explain what happened. Like, they show it at the end a little bit, but it makes.

[Paul Scheer]

They don't. They just show her.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

They don't call.

[June Diane Raphael]

That's all I can do. She just. She poofs is gone.

[Paul Scheer]

She just jumps off the bridge.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

But when you cut. When you cut back to her in this and 1700s, you kind of see her, like, feet, like, land on the ground.

[Paul Scheer]

She's like, no she's like running around in. In like Dumbo. She's running around the cobblestone streets of Brooklyn.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

The.

[June Diane Raphael]

Okay, so the portal that's referenced. We never see. We have no idea.

[Paul Scheer]

We never see it. We never see it either where. Where you jump into it or where you exit it. So the. With the Meg Ryan theoretically jumps off the Brooklyn Bridge. Literally jumps off the Brooklyn Bridge, we think.

[June Diane Raphael]

We actually have not seen that.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

No. And Liev Schreiber and Hugh Jackman also jump off the beginning of the Brooklyn Bridge and then is just magically in his apartment.

[Paul Scheer]

My presumption would be this tear in the fabric of time would deposit them in the water.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yes.

[Paul Scheer]

Whether it's going back, forwards or backwards.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Whichever direction they're going, body of water probably wouldn't change. It makes a little bit more sense. It's like, great.

[Paul Scheer]

But this seems to be like. Everybody seems to land just wherever they need the next scene to be. She. She literally lands next to Hugh Jackman's house in 1876.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

But her outfit changes her. No, it doesn't slightly change. She has lace.

[Paul Scheer]

That's the same gray dress.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

That's the same exact one. All right. Because the continuity police have said that it changed just a little bit.

[Paul Scheer]

The continuity police.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I didn't know. You know, this is.

[June Diane Raphael]

This is CP has a huge caseload right now. So they are totally overwhelmed.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

The gray dress. The gray dress. And we will talk about that because if you do have extra money right now, we would love to have you think about donating to the continuity police.

[June Diane Raphael]

I know, like everybody is saying, defund the police.

[Paul Scheer]

A lot of people are saying, I was right there. I was right there.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

We want you to fund the continuity police. So they say that the.

[Paul Scheer]

Please. Yes. And continuity is so important as we're seeing in this movie.

[June Diane Raphael]

And honestly, can you imagine walking down the streets and going to see a movie and feeling safe there without the CPO and knowing.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I simply can't.

[Paul Scheer]

Knowing that the cigarette that the actor is smoking will be the same length throughout the whole scene.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And you see, we are paying. We are paying for them to be in the edit suites, making sure that even in the post process, this movie is being looked at from a continuity standpoint.

[Paul Scheer]

And please, guys, stop attacking the continuity police.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I want to. All right, so the dress at the end of the film looks like a modern two piece with a narrow profile in the present day scenes. But when she slips through time, the dress has a small lace rim on the top of the corset and a sizable bustle. On the back. While her dress effectively changes by going back through time, her modern side part hairstyle remains the same.

[Paul Scheer]

I could talk about her haircut for. I mean, her hair. I want to talk about this glasses that she's wearing.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I mean, she is putting on these John Lennon glasses.

[June Diane Raphael]

Coming back. That 90s style, that choppy, weird haircut. Yes. That was like the Nora Ephron. That was the $100 Sally Hershberger haircut. That entire 90s look is coming back, by the way.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I don't mind. I kind of like that. Kind of like, you know, I don't care. Like, it feels like. I guess the idea is like, I don't care about my hair. Like your style. Yeah, I liked her style. It's like, I don't care about my hair.

[Paul Scheer]

I didn't mind her style. The haircut. I couldn't get behind, though.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I felt like I couldn't get behind her shirts. I couldn't get behind her shirts with no collars. Yes. She seemed to have, like. I know certain people are like, oh, I wear the same outfit every day. Jason, You're.

[Paul Scheer]

You're one of those people.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yes. But she seemed to have different colors of the same colorless shirt. One as black, leather, one as white.

[Paul Scheer]

And she had, like, a uniform. Like, I like. I like that she is, you know, and that it is, you know, like, there's a way in which they are, you know, putting her in an environment where she's constantly butting up against the kind of sexist Bradley Whitford character who is just at his smarmiest kind of best in a lot of these scenes.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Again, amazing actors across the board.

[June Diane Raphael]

Okay. For about an hour. So clear the decks. Here's the interesting thing about watching her. She takes that small role. The moment she was on screen, I didn't know it was her right away. And I thought, I can't take my eyes off this woman. There's a powerhouse on screen in that tiny, small, nothing role. It was incredible to see.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Maybe you don't understand. It's against the law to leave it there.

[Paul Scheer]

Are you suggesting, madam, there exists a law compelling gentlemen to lay hold of canine bowel movements? I'm suggesting you pick the poop up and throw it away now. I refuse.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Respectfully.

[Paul Scheer]

All right. What's your name, fancy pants?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Leopold. Alexis Elijah Walker Thomas Gareth Mountbatten.

[Paul Scheer]

Agree. It was. It was. I love those moments. And it happens frequently when we do these movies where we will see someone who is now just an undeniable presence in pop culture in one of Their first jobs. It's really kind of wonderful. I love it. And this one blew my mind. She was so good.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And she. By the way, this is not her first role. She had been acting since 1996 in NYPD blue. Out of Sight, Judging Amy. She was in traffic. So this is.

[Paul Scheer]

Okay.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Deep in. But I'm just saying.

[Paul Scheer]

But again, but making. Making the most out of a very small. Yeah. Moment.

[June Diane Raphael]

And making the most but also not chewing the scenery. It was a. It was so well done.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

She gave Hugh a chance to do what Hugh needed to do, which is get the laugh lines. But then she was able to come in and get them too. That's a good scene.

[Paul Scheer]

I mean. But to your point, Paul, Hugh Jackman's 19th century clothes didn't change at all when he came to the future. He's still dressed just like he was in the. In 1876 or whatever.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

First of all, I have.

[June Diane Raphael]

I mean, listen, I never doubt the continuity police. So if they said that her dress changed, then I think we should just.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Now. Yeah, we have to go with the.

[June Diane Raphael]

CP sort of a situation.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yes, the cppd. We have to go with. Now. I will say this. I just want to go back a little bit. The movie starts off in, you know, in olden times in New York. And you're seeing this. I would say this movie does have these moments that go from like very subtle rom com to like broad rom com. I'll talk about that in a second too. But this opening sequence where you are watching someone with an accent that feels like it's that character from like a Princess bride going like marriage. Marriage is between. And so. But I think only does this character have that accent so he can say. Cause he's supposed to be talking about the Brooklyn Bridge. And it's a great erection like he's erected.

[Paul Scheer]

This will be one of the great erections, you know, in world history or whatever. Yeah.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

As the pyramids testify to the Egyptians.

[Paul Scheer]

So my glorious erection shall represent our culture in perpetuity. Behold, rising before you the greatest erection on the continent.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

The greatest direction of the age.

[Paul Scheer]

The greatest action on the planet.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And so. Yeah. So you're watching the scene, like the opening scene. The opening scene is a 30 second dick joke. I mean, it is a. It's a boner joke at this to start the movie.

[Paul Scheer]

Which, by the way, the movie, which I kind of was like, oh, okay, this movie's gonna have like jokes in it.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Cool.

[Paul Scheer]

And then it doesn't really like the movie.

[June Diane Raphael]

That's the last one.

[Paul Scheer]

Not until the Movie doesn't know what it. Yes. Because why when Liev falls down the elevator shaft, he's. He's dead, right? Yeah, he's gotta be dead. You don't fall down a full elevator shaft and be pretty much fine.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

He. It seemed like the elevator was. It seemed like the elevator was maybe like a 20 foot drop. Like, oh, maybe he didn't fall fully. So I felt like he fell and broke his leg. But he was still able to use a phone. Yeah, he didn't fall the way down to the bottom. But by the way, my issue was that when Meg Ryan can't get on the elevator because someone has died on there or been severely injured. No one. Like there's no energy in the, in the apartment building. Like, oh yeah. And as a matter of fact, a man fell down the elevator shaft. Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

Your ex boyfriend is currently mortally wounded from falling down the elevator shaft.

[June Diane Raphael]

And not only that, but I thought for sure, like, okay, we're gonna have some other scenes aside from the elevator where because time has been pierced, there's going to be other repercussions of like in a sliding doors way of this man's life stopping in the past because Hugh Jefferson.

[Paul Scheer]

Yes. Because he was the inventor of the elevator. The elevator now. No elevators in New York City work, by the way.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

How great would that would have been? Now I also have an issue with Liev Schreiber's character. Cause he goes back, he's the world's worst time traveler. He's running around with a mini cam just like snapping shots. Not even secretly. But why is he taking pictures of old like drawings of elevators? Because even he came back here. There's nothing to do with that. Like there's no.

[Paul Scheer]

I couldn't figure out why was he. He seemed to be obsessed with Hugh Jackman's character. Literally. He seemed to be seeking out.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I know, I know why. And it's because the answer lies in the. Oh, so tell me more. I'm going to play a couple of clips throughout that kind of blow out this movie in a very different way. There's seven extra minutes in the director's cut. It's not available to stream. You can get it on Blu Ray or dvd. But this is the director, we should.

[Paul Scheer]

Say James Mangold, one of the best. Who is, you know, who's made like so many great movies, you know. And by the way, since from then till now, you know, continues to make great movies.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yeah. I mean now here's another person that was cut in the director's cut, James Mangold. James Mangold has a large part in the film to establish Meg Ryan. I'm gonna get into all this is all gonna come together. But first I'll just play you this clip of Liev Schreiber explaining why he is obsessed with Hugh Jackman. I found it.

[June Diane Raphael]

What did you find?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

The portal. A crack in the fabric of time. It was over the east river gate, just where I said it would be. You found the portal? A portal into April 28, 1876. I jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge and took a walk in 1876. Today I followed my great great grandpa.

[Paul Scheer]

Around old New York.

[June Diane Raphael]

You know what, Stuart?

[Paul Scheer]

You know what?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I'm not your girl.

[June Diane Raphael]

I haven't been for a whole month now. You can tell me the truth.

[Paul Scheer]

I am.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And so that is his. That is his reasoning.

[Paul Scheer]

Okay. I mean, that's. I wonder why they cut that. Because that's actually.

[June Diane Raphael]

That's kind of.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Well, that gives that motivation to this. Is there incest going on? I think that that is the issue.

[June Diane Raphael]

No, there's no incest.

[Paul Scheer]

They're just between. In Meg Ryan and Liev's previous relationship, they unknowingly. Yes, we're in an incestual relationship.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Right.

[Paul Scheer]

Because if. Right. Which I.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And.

[Paul Scheer]

Well, to be fair. To be fair, I will say what's even funnier is in my notes I wrote, the two characters who have the most sexual chemistry are Meg Ryan and Breckin Meyer. And they are brother and sister.

[June Diane Raphael]

I know. I was like, goodbye, Bridge. I was like, let's turn these two toward each other.

[Paul Scheer]

I don't want to watch Meg Ryan fuck Liev or Hugh Jackman. I want her to continue this banter that she. She has with Breck and Meyer.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

You know, when you go get your car serviced, it feels like everything is wrong. Right. Oh, you need to fix this. You need to get that done. And it just feels like, am I getting taken for a ride? Well, with Midas, you don't have to deal with upsells, intimidation, or unnecessary stress from oil changes to tires. Midas provides the services that you need and doesn't pressure you into services that you don't. Midas believes in honest, straightforward auto care that you can trust. Welcome to Auto Care without bad service. Visit midas.com for a location near you. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Oh, people. I love the holidays. I love the food. I love the fun. But I also know that sometimes as we get to the end of the year, we start, you know, getting wrapped up in a blanket and maybe we start getting wrapped up in our own anxieties, right? Something that we start reflecting on is like, what did we do this year? What could we do better this year? And you know, maybe instead of just wrapping yourself up in a blanket and watching a movie and just thinking about what you want to do more, why don't you start talking to somebody that can help you do more? Therapy is a great way to bring yourself some comfort that never goes away, even when the season changes. If you're thinking about starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It's entirely online, designed to be convenient, flexible and suited to your schedule. You just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist and switch therapists at any time for no additional charge. You can find comfort this December with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.combonkers today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp help. Bonkers. For a gift that's always on time and lasts a lifetime, you can't do better than Masterclass. I have been on the Masterclass bandwagon for a long time. That's right. I am a member since the very beginning. Why? Because Masterclass is the only streaming platform where you can learn and grow with over 200 plus of the world's best instructors. You can learn from any Masterclass instructor anywhere on a smartphone, computer, smart TV or even an audio mode. I've used this for a long time. Right now my son and I are watching the Steph Curry masterclass where we are learning well, he is learning. I'm watching how to be a Better Shooter. There are so many great deep dives in here. David Sedaris Before I wrote my book, I listened to his Masterclass and watched how he edited and worked through all of his pieces. I love it. I have given it to people and they have thanked me. Masterclass always has great offers during the holidays and sometimes up to as much as 50% off. So head over to masterclass.com hdtgm for the current offer that's up to 50% [e-mail] hdtgm Masterclass.com hdtgm Now there are some interesting like things. I mean there's so many interesting things in this movie. I would also say that just to kind of just hammer home Liev Schreiber being a complete and utter idiot. He has figured out time travel but yet he tells everybody about time travel. That's why he's institutionalized because they think he is insane. Like just keep that shit to yourself.

[Paul Scheer]

A keep it to Yourself. And B, you should be able to explain your way out of this. He can't be institutionalized against his will unless he has been. I mean, the movie is. The movie is just. I felt like this was such a missed opportunity for a great rom com because I. I was like, I want to just be into this movie. And I am not. Because you guys, I felt like the movie kept cheating. It's like, oh, well, Liev can't hang around because they need to feel in love. So, I don't know. Put him in a mental institution. Yeah, he gets institutionalized against his will.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I also think it's like, we're talking about this love story between these two people. And I'm going for a long time going, why do they like each other? Who is Meg Ryan? Like, Meg Ryan seems to have no reason to. Like, we don't even know who she is.

[Paul Scheer]

We don't need her.

[June Diane Raphael]

She needs her.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

She needs her. Who gives anyone a bomb pilot? Who lets anyone. It's like, would you ever go, hey, can I borrow your iPhone? Give it back to me whenever you got it. Like, Because a PAL pilot is.

[June Diane Raphael]

I actually left it in his place. Well, I was trying to figure out how long ago did they break up? That was awesome. A month.

[Paul Scheer]

A month.

[June Diane Raphael]

It was recent, so I guess that Palm Pilot was there.

[Paul Scheer]

That is my assumption too.

[June Diane Raphael]

I would also like to have seen her use that PalmPilot that she was so eager to get back.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I mean, well, Natasha Lyonne, who comes in, who is also a young Natasha Lyonne, comes in and says, like, oh, you got your Palm Pilot back. So it has been an issue like that she has not been able to.

[Paul Scheer]

Get certain information while we're shouting out, like, people in smaller roles. I'll say Kristen schall in the 1876 scene, party scene really jumped out at me and I was like, oh, my God, this is exciting.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

So funny as her first rule.

[June Diane Raphael]

She's just staring at him so intensely.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, yeah, she is very funny. She's doing great work.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

But she want. She wants her PAL pilot back and then finds another reason to go back up there. Because she needs the pointy thingy. Give me the pointy thingy. She doesn't even seem to understand why she need, like, what the Palm Pilot is. But we. It's a weird movie where it's. You're supposed to meet two people and we really don't meet her. Like, we don't get to see her job until she gets the Palm Pilot. And then we really get to see her and understand her in the first marketing meeting for the Margaret.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah. I found what I think what was a little bit of a barrier for me into getting into this movie is that genuinely, I felt like Meg Ryan for one full hour did not want to be in the movie.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yes.

[Paul Scheer]

She didn't want to be around Hugh Jackman. She didn't want to be around Liev Schreiber. She didn't want her brother there. She didn't. She didn't want any of this, you know, so there was no meet cute. There was no. I'm now curious about it until an hour in, and then it starts to happen. That's when it starts to. Actually, she starts to clock it and it starts to happen.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

But that's why I'm like, why does he even, like. My question was, why does he even like her? Like, you know, like, at one point, you know, Brecken Meyer's like, you're in love with my sister. And I'm like. I get like. I'm not questioning.

[Paul Scheer]

Well, she's just.

[June Diane Raphael]

In the world of the movie, this is where things are weird. And in the world of the movie, he has a sense of her. So it feels like he has known her in the past. So that when we see her in the photos, we're gonna understand, like, she has been there.

[Paul Scheer]

He even says, have we met before?

[June Diane Raphael]

We met before.

[Paul Scheer]

Something like that. Oh, yeah.

[June Diane Raphael]

So it feels like he is he. That meet cute. Or that kind of sense has already happened.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

By the way, this is the deleted scene because she was in the opening of the film in that time period.

[Paul Scheer]

Okay, so that, again, makes more sense. Like.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

But I think the audience was confused.

[Paul Scheer]

Because this is a rom com with no meet cute, you know, like, like, and. And. And in. In fact, the more that. That Hugh Jackman, the more that first Liev and then Hugh Jackman are telling her, this guy is from the past, Please look after him. Or please, whatever she is, like, no, I don't want any part of this. Stop calling me stuff. Leave me alone. Get away from me. Leave me alone. Get out of here. And so, like, it's. I want those two characters to be inextricably, like, locked into curiosity about each other or something, you know?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I mean, she also has no faith.

[June Diane Raphael]

Listen, they should have opened on something with the two of them colliding and him being able to use his old timey skills to help her. I mean, similar.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Greg, throw down a jacket over a puddle. Give me, like, a chivalrous moment.

[Paul Scheer]

And. And for her to be like, eye roll. Like, what Is this. But still kind of, like, intrigued, you know, like, not so, like. Because we're also. I think the hard thing is we are tracking Meg Ryan's professional. Like, the main thrust of the story, almost equal to the ro. The romance, is her trying to get a promotion at work. We're tracking this a lot with Bradley Winford's character and. And the. The office place. And Hugh Jackman is. Just until very late in the movie. Hugh Jackman is not related to those scenes at all.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

No, they're. You know, they're not. It's so bizarre because, I mean, even the way she get. He gets brought in. Well, we'll get into the margarine of it all, but this is. I want to. I just.

[June Diane Raphael]

That's my main problem with the movie, though.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

The margarine.

[June Diane Raphael]

Is that. Not the margarine, Paul. Is that.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Damn it.

[June Diane Raphael]

What I think overall we walk away with is. Is that she can't. As a modern woman who's just been promoted to senior vice president. I thought she liked this job. Maybe not only. I know she got this Sunday series, but I thought that this was exciting.

[Paul Scheer]

Took pride in it.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah, Took pride in it. But the main takeaway is that her having, like, love in her life and a man in her life and this. This career was not possible.

[Paul Scheer]

Well, she's basically said the end of the movie. And this blew my entire mind. Blew my mind. The. At the end of the movie, it basically is. She goes through the portal back into the past. She meets him at the dance. They dance credits. So she basically is saying, I have just gotten the thing that I want, the promotion. I'm the head of my company's New York branch. I'm the head honcho. They keep saying head honcho, right? So now I have to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge, which is crazy. Which is essentially. The visuals of that are very unsettling.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Very.

[Paul Scheer]

I have to jump.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

They don't even show it.

[Paul Scheer]

Because I live the rest of my life where I cannot vote. That is bizarre.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And. And to give up her life for a man in her career. Here's the thing that I want to just. Just drill home too. I know that this is like a trope in all these movies, and I know it does not supposed to make sense, but I just started laughing thinking about the people in the audience. Like that speech that she gives when she's on the podium and she's being installed now as the head of this company. And she basically gives a monologue about the movie. Like, I want to feel. And if a Person from the past comes and tells me that they love me. I want to accept it. And it makes no sense to the people in the room, but it makes sense to us, the audience watching it. I just want to see the people in the room go, huh? Like they're like they, they are confused. I just want more confusion. And then to be like, then the next day, like, yeah, it was so crazy. She started talking about like how she was in love in the past and then I guess apparently she ran off the Brooklyn Bridge and killed herself. The story is like this really tragic story of a woman losing her mind.

[Paul Scheer]

Or the New York Times headline that is like, you know, market research genius gets promoted and jumps off Brooklyn Bridge. Like what is going on?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Passion speech about, about time travel and love and then kills.

[June Diane Raphael]

So here's what I'm really worried about though. So I thought that he, that, that Hugh Jackman was, was trying to figure out who to marry as the Duke of Albany or whatever his, his title was because his family was running out of money.

[Paul Scheer]

That's true.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yes. Me too. Didn't he say that?

[June Diane Raphael]

So that's what, that's what I'm driving toward. Fine. But when she shows up, this man has no money and she has no money in the past.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Right, Right.

[Paul Scheer]

So, well, keep in mind elevator. Keep in mind he' to invent the.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Elevator and she is gonna market it. She's gonna sell elevators.

[June Diane Raphael]

Oh, so he hasn't invented the elevator yet.

[Paul Scheer]

He's invented it in like there's a little model in his. And he, he has a, he has a speech at the beginning where he says the buildings are only getting taller. Blah, blah, blah. Exactly. We're going to need. And so he's.

[June Diane Raphael]

I must have missed that. Okay, great. So she's not just running. Yeah. Leaving her whole life. At least her.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

So she's going to go out there and start slinging elevators and naked people.

[June Diane Raphael]

I don't think she is, Paul. I don't think there's any sort of space for her there.

[Paul Scheer]

It doesn't make any sense that she wants to live in the 19th century. I don't understand why they don't just go find the portal and go back to the 20th century and go back.

[June Diane Raphael]

To that his house and open.

[Paul Scheer]

Or I guess elevators wouldn't exist.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I mean there's so many things.

[Paul Scheer]

Can they do a long distance relationship through time?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Well, I mean, I mean she could just keep on jumping through the portal.

[Paul Scheer]

Every Monday, every two weeks. We do. You know, like, it's like having fun time or Not.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yeah, it's like. But it seemed weird that he, like. Again, you're talking about the issues of time travel. The portal opened again the following Monday. Like, he's only in town for about a week and it opens to the same day. And like, Liev Schreiber's like, well, I'll be there, so don't look for me. So I was like, hold on. I'm like, all right, so if you're.

[June Diane Raphael]

But we don't see him at the end, do we?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

We know, but he. We do.

[Paul Scheer]

We see him. Yeah, at the table.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

But he goes like, I'll be there.

[June Diane Raphael]

Follow me.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I'll be there. Don't follow me. But if he's there, then Hugh Jackman is there too.

[Paul Scheer]

Well, yes, because Hugh Jackman has arrived early.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Early.

[Paul Scheer]

Hugh Jackman's running around theoretic. Well, this is what the. This is where the movie fucks up. Because Hugh Jack. This is why. I mean, it's mushy. Because they want to have it. They want to have their cake and eat it. Hugh Jackman arrives earlier than he left. So technically there should be two Hugh Jackmans, right? They don't play. They. They're like, we don't want to even engage with that. So we're just going to make him like a. A Hugh Jackman prime. He's either there or he's here. It doesn't matter. And that's nonsense. So he sees Liev at the end of the movie, and instead of following him like he did at the beginning, he lets. He lets him go off and have an adventure. But I'm like, well, wait a minute.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Wait, wait. You've just.

[Paul Scheer]

Just stopped the movie from happening.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

No, no, no, no. He is letting Hugh Jackman, the first Hugh Jackman, have that adventure, right? Because there should be two Hugh Jackmans.

[Paul Scheer]

There should be, but I don't think there is because. Because when Hugh Jackman comes, we never see them both. When Hugh Jackman comes back and he starts to get ready and his uncle says, who do you. And he's basically like, all right, which one do you want me to marry? And he's like, chris, Shawn. And he's like, okay, I'll do it.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

It.

[Paul Scheer]

We've already seen that scene play out already in the first, right, when he.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Said, I don't want to do it. And he gets slapped in the face with that beautiful little slap. A lot of slaps in the beginning.

[Paul Scheer]

It's pretty weird that, like, I also was like, hugh Jackman should give a speech. That's embarrassing. About love in front of his whole dance, the way that Meg Ryan just did in front of all the partners at the thing. They should have both had these, like, these weird kind of declarations.

[June Diane Raphael]

Jason, I don't think that Hugh Jackman has learned one goddamn thing throughout this.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

He learned how to. Well, first of all, he learned how to use a washing machine. June. Like a dishwasher.

[Paul Scheer]

Dishwasher.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And, and I mean that. That they spent a lot of time on that.

[Paul Scheer]

Like, it really is. It's a. It's really a man's world that you can convince a woman to move to the 19th century for you.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I mean. All right, so this is the way that. Lf Schreiber explains it. Okay, this is the explanation that I think tried to answer the question that we just had, but I think further confused audiences.

[June Diane Raphael]

Can you tell me in short complet sentences featuring no words over two syllables why exactly I am in these pictures?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Probably not. Try. Because you were there. I wasn't.

[June Diane Raphael]

I would remember.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Believe me, I would remember if I was there. Because you're going to be there.

[Paul Scheer]

If we get there in time.

[June Diane Raphael]

These are pictures of the past, not the future.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Not exactly. Theoretically speaking, if you go to the past and the future, then your future lies in the past. And that is a picture of you in the future, in the past. But that's the. That's as much explanation as we get, which just even watching it back is confusing. Like, I mean, yes, it is hard to parse. And especially because they deleted her from the beginning, it actually then makes it even more confusing.

[Paul Scheer]

It's disappointing because if the mo. If the romance worked, we wouldn't be. So. We would be able to gloss over stuff like this. You know what I mean? If the movie were. If the love story worked, I wouldn't be wanting to nitpick the mechanics of time travel so much. But because neither are really working, both are bothering me.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Well, I mean, does that make sense? You got me out when Bradley Whitford was just offering up Edamame on his desk.

[Paul Scheer]

How funny was that?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I mean, a great funny scene, but also just a hilarious. Like, it's like he passes Edamame to her as if they were jelly beans or MM's.

[Paul Scheer]

Like, it was the perfect douchey New York, like, power move to be like, Edamame, Edamame.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Now, was he. My question to you both is, is, was he into her or did he really think that she was good for the promotion? Because there's two things at play. Like, he takes her out for Dinner. He kisses her on the back of the head. He seems to be inviting her to the house. And then he's like, I'm going to give you the promotion. And she's like, I just am interested in the promotion. Then Hugh Jackman shuts him down and he's so embarrassed. But then he does give her the promotion. Like, that also felt weird to me. It's like he wasn't vindictive. He was like, you know what? I'm going to give you the promotion. And so, like, did he was. He just.

[Paul Scheer]

I was also. I also was slightly confused. I think we're unequivocally. He's meant to be like, a douche, right? Like a. A smarmy douche. Like a classic Bradley Whitford character, right? Charming, but smarmy douche. But you're right. Like, I do believe he intended to give her the job. I do believe he was like, they. But I also felt like he was also trying to romance her in some way, shape or form. I don't know if that was.

[June Diane Raphael]

I think what was supposed to happen was that he was a douche and he was just trying to fuck her. And. But because of the arrival of Leopold and Leopold's views on, you know, respecting women and being a chaperone and courting and all that stuff, I think the movie was saying that Bradley Whitford's character was changed by the presence of Leopold. Okay? I think that's what was supposed to happen. I don't think that's what happened.

[Paul Scheer]

The only thing that's hard about that is the movie is also unquestionably showing us that Meg Ryan is crushing it at the job. Like, she's only making herself and Bradley Whitford look good, so how could he not give her the job?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

You know what I mean?

[Paul Scheer]

Like, she's doing a great job.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And, like, that was the like. So there's a part of me that thinks of Bradley Whitford as being just a sad guy who can't. Like, he's like, oh, I'm so caught up in work. I'm going to just try to date the person I work with instead of like. Like, I. I feel like his. Like, I think that he respected her for her job, but also was trying to get her.

[Paul Scheer]

I feel like a different version of this movie would have made him. That's her boyfriend, but he, like, cheats on her or something. Like the version of it that's like.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Something or he just needs to be a dick and she doesn't get the job or she doesn't like.

[June Diane Raphael]

See here's the weird thing about the movie though is like. Cause there are, I agree, Jason, like the rom com, the romantic stuff didn't quite work. But then there are some moments in the movie that are really dropped in and really like there is that moment where lie Evan and Meg Ryan are on the phone and she says something like, I gave you the best years of my life.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh yeah, great.

[June Diane Raphael]

Those were your best years. Great. And he, right after he says it, he sort of looks like he wants.

[Paul Scheer]

To take it back and he says, I'm sorry. I think he says, I'm sorry.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah, it's such a great moment. And it's a moment like I've never seen in a movie like this. And I was like, oh my God, this is really interesting and fascinating. And then he is institutionalized, you know, and so it's.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

But by the way, falls in love with his own next door neighborhood. That woman who takes out the trash has been pining for him. The woman who takes out the trash in the hallway is the intending nurse that frees him at the end.

[Paul Scheer]

Wait a minute, because I was going to say I thought he fell in love with the nurse.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

The nurse is the woman who takes out the trash when he's walking the dog in the beginning. She comes out of that door. So yeah, Gretchen is the neighbor.

[Paul Scheer]

What that. Okay, that so that again, I'm like, I don't get it.

[June Diane Raphael]

Small town nyc.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yeah, that makes Gretchen is from the. So Gretchen is from 1894.

[June Diane Raphael]

Okay.

[Paul Scheer]

I mean like that's a, like that's a why. That's a why make that. Why make his neighbor also the nurse. This is why this movie doesn't work is because the. It's super inert. And then just contrivance or convenience to smash people together and be like, see, they're a couple now.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Okay.

[June Diane Raphael]

Did we ever, did we ever find out why if Liev and Megaran were dating for four years and they were neighbors, why they didn't ever move in together and rent out that other apartment and make.

[Paul Scheer]

What I kind of liked was that they kind of had an unofficial duplex with the fire escape. You know, like there was a part of me that thought like they dated four years, why didn't they move someplace else? But I was like, I don't know. This is kind of New Yorky to me. Like we have like a we, we. We live upstairs and downstairs in the fire escape between.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And so much so that the dog collar REM is in her apartment and so she can shock him like they're.

[Paul Scheer]

They'Re living shocking the dog. I did not care for.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I did not like that either.

[June Diane Raphael]

Hard that one bit.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

That dog also disappears, by the way. That dog you could have the dog.

[Paul Scheer]

Is in the first act so prominently and then Gonzo and also that kid.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Who comes over like they a lot they introduce like a potpourri of characters that they go like it almost feels like, it feels like a bad improv scene. It's like, oh, here's a bunch of walk ons we don't need to keep.

[Paul Scheer]

Also like at some point Hugh Jackman needs to end up with that shock collar around his neck and somebody's shocking him. Like you can't introduce all of these elements and then just not follow them up with something like comedic or otherwise with all of this funny stuff.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

You know, when you go get your car serviced, it feels like everything is wrong, right? Oh, you need to fix this. You need to get that done. And it just feels like, am I getting taken for a ride? Well, with Midas you don't have to deal with upsells, intimidation or unnecessary stress from oil changes to tires. Midas provides the services that you need and doesn't pressure you into services that you don't. Midas believes in honest, straightforward auto care that you can trust. Welcome to auto Care without bad service. Visit Midas.com for a location near you. You already love DoorDash and now there's even more to love with the new DoorDash Dash Pass annual plan benefit. All right, here it is. Drummel, please. Max with ads is now included at no extra cost. That means you can have dinner delivered with DoorDash and settle in for a night on the couch watching the HBO original series House of the Dragon. Plus, while you're watching Gotham's own Oz Cobb and the HBO's original series the Penguin, you can enjoy some New York City pizza or soft pretzel with DoorDash. And if you're rewatching friends, don't be surprised if those coffee shop scenes make you crave having a latte delivered fast. Of course, you still get all your favorite Dash Pass Annual Plan benefits too, like unlimited zero dollar delivery fees on eligible orders and exclusive member only offers and menu items. Sign up for DashPass annual plan and get Max included at no extra costs. It's your door to more terms and conditions apply. Max is now included with your Dash Pass Annual Plan Stream Max with ads up to $120 value included at no extra cost. Terms apply. See doordash.commax for details. 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. Let me show you this opening scene. Because this is a scene. This is another deleted scene. This is how they introduced Meg Ryan. And this is why I'm thinking that this movie was trying to do a lot here. So this is how we're supposed to meet her. She didn't just sling margarine. We met her doing something different, which is working at a. As a focus group tester for a film. The voice of the director will be James Mangold. So here we go.

[Paul Scheer]

Why don't they love it?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

She's not likable.

[Paul Scheer]

She's right. Absolutely.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

She'd do some trims where she sleeps with her boss.

[Paul Scheer]

Cut that whole section.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Excuse me? What? What are you talking about? The movie, Richard. Your. Your movie. Oh, I'm aware of that. Look, I want to say something. I think Julie is likable, very likable in this picture. And real. What? Excuse me. You've never. You've never made a mistake in your life. You have no flaws. You've never slept with the wrong guy. I'm not the protagonist in a major motion picture. Let me tell you something. You people with your tests, you are sucking the life out of American cinema. So this is like a meta. A meta take on this thing.

[June Diane Raphael]

This is such an interesting movie. I'm so.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Now, what makes this more interesting is I went on a deep dive last night in watching this. So in this.

[Paul Scheer]

Wait, you went on the deep dive? Jessica.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I went on the deep dive.

[Paul Scheer]

Jessica.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Great episode on Small Talk. Listen to it. If you've not listened to Deep Dive, you're gonna love it. There is a so this movie comes out in 2001. In 2000, Meg Ryan was accused of cheating on her husband, which is Dennis Quaid with Russell Crowe. And she was kind of took the brunt of that. Like, she was like, oh, she's no longer America's sweetheart. And she was kind of in this moment where people were basically, like, people turned on her. Turned on her. So this is like, an interesting point of view where. Cause they talk about, you never slept with the wrong person before. Like, they're addressing it in this opening scene. And then they're also, I think, commenting on what we just talked about with Bradley Whitford. Like, oh, cut out that moment where she sleeps with the boss. Like. Like, they're kind of saying, like, well, what. Why do we judge a woman in a movie like this? Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

I have another thought then. So then. So the mo. So then my big problem with this movie is the movie should have been about Meg Ryan, period.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yes.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

Right. And instead, this movie starts with Hugh Jackman in the past. He meets Liev. They're building the Brooklyn bridge. There's a CH through 1876. They fall through time into the modern age. Like, we don't catch up to Meg Ryan until too late. Meg Ryan seems like the. She's the meat. Cute, but she's not.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

L. Like, what does she do? Who is she?

[June Diane Raphael]

I don't. Yeah. And I think then in. Okay, so in that case, I do think then the movie should have been about. I can't believe I want to talk about the margarine again. But it should have been about this idea of, like, a thing being a thing, meaning. Like, the elevator that he's about to come up with is something that's useful and has weight and purpose and that you can describe what it does simply because that idea is sort of, like, sprinkled through the movie. Like time slowing down things, having meaning, be having integrity. And it should have been about her journey with her own career and, like, life and love in finding real meaning and being authenticity. Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

Basically, she should have been shown in Act 1 to be like, it doesn't matter what we. It doesn't matter what they say, what we want them to think. What we need them to do is buy the dumb thing. Right? Buy the margarine or watch the dumb movie. She should have been. She should have been Whitford.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Right? She needs to be. She needs to have.

[Paul Scheer]

She needs to be cutthroat and not have like a. Yeah, yeah.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Is like, what Bradley Whitford says there is. Like, you're Too male. Like that scene where he's like, you just like, you are a good dude. Like you. We like you because you are a man. Like he says that whole. He says like you skew male. But that's also interesting because if that's the case, it doesn't make sense why he is like, he says, you don't do.

[Paul Scheer]

I like you because you don't do Pretty.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

Which is, which is wild.

[June Diane Raphael]

That's a tough, tough self to hear.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

But it's like. But that's also like. But that's also not like her character flaw. Her character flaw isn't that she's not pretty. Her character flaw isn't that she's like too much of a dude. Like she has nothing to do. Like there is nothing for her to.

[Paul Scheer]

And not for nothing. Like she's not necessarily open for love because her four year relationship ended one month ago and her ex boyfriend lives upstairs. So like the all of that. And also like if you're dating someone for four years who's working on time travel to that degree and he says, I did it. This guy's from the 1800s. And she, this guy shows up and appears to be from the 1800s. Wouldn't you just be like, holy fucking shit, you did it.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

She has no faith in him at all. She's like, whatever. Like she, like, so you, so you dated a person that you think is a complete lunatic for four years. Like, just make him your an upstairs neighbor. Just make him your weird. Make him Kramer. Like it's way more.

[Paul Scheer]

He doesn't have to be an exact.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yeah, because it's like to have this idea that she doesn't. Because it's like, why would you not believe this guy? Like, you clearly see he's got a lot of shit around his house. Like, I don't understand why. I still don't get why he's taking any of these pictures. Like, I don't understand.

[Paul Scheer]

And then Breckenmeyer spends literally the entire movie believing Hugh Jackman is an actor who is committed to a performance.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yes.

[Paul Scheer]

Like nobody. Nobody ever. They basically, every time everybody brings up time travel, they basically, everybody in the present basically plugs their ears and is like, la, la, la, la la. I don't believe you. I don't believe you. I don't believe you.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

So that means that they all are willingly hanging out with an insane person. Yes.

[Paul Scheer]

With an insane person.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yes. And it's like, and this person you just met the day ago, you're like, I'm gonna go out on a date. With this insane person who's dressed in period garb. It makes me question every single person in this movie.

[Paul Scheer]

It's such a high concept idea. But then the movie abandons it for a romance that is basically inert, in my opinion. I mean I was trying to understand.

[June Diane Raphael]

Like why isn't there. Why isn't this chemistry popping off? Like. And there are certain tropes in rom coms that really work. Like when, you know, when the meet cute is something like she falls out of the window and he catches her and they tumble on each other. Whatever those things are. There was none of that. I didn't.

[Paul Scheer]

What should have been that, that scene the first time they leave the house should have been when her purse is snatched and he chases on the horse. Right? Remember that scene? That scene should have done that. But it didn't. Like it really.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

It was like that scene makes her almost more insane too because it's like she only has really fallen in love with him because like he can ride a hor. Like. Like it seems like all their, like their meat. Their love is based on like nothing about the two of them. Like she starts looking at him like goo goo gaga. Like just because he can ride a.

[June Diane Raphael]

Horse, he can move march.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Oh that. Oh well, when, when he. When he's. First of all. How prevalent is toast in the 1700s? Like, because I don't think that people are toasting that much bread. Like he speaks about toast as if like oh, the delicacy of my time is toast. And he's trying to make a lot of like so, so fucking ham fisted to get the fucking toast in his mouth.

[Paul Scheer]

That's like one their first scenes together. And what's very strange is most of their scenes together early on in like the first act and the first half of act two, they are either bickering like. Because like in a way that isn't flirting in a way that is straight up, like, I'm pissed off at the toaster.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

And she's like, how do you not know how to fucking use a toaster, asshole? Goodbye. Take the dog for a walk. And then he's like trying to walk the dog with her and she's like, don't walk with me, asshole. Go over there.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And I'm like, what does she even think he is? Because at a certain point at first she thinks that Lieber is lie.

[Paul Scheer]

Is hooking up with him.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yes. And then he's like, it's a dude. And then she's like, okay, whatever. And then. But then once that mystery is solved Then like, what has she bought into? Like, I, I never quite understood. Like, they never explain it.

[June Diane Raphael]

Really. No, because he says lie, tells her the truth, which is like, he's from 1876.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

She goes to the hospital. She goes to the hospital to see him. He's like, hey, do not let him leave the house. He is from the past. I know he's from the past. Like, let's go. And she does not. She, I never buy like any choice. But then she does fight him over for dinner.

[Paul Scheer]

Here's an example, right? Like he, all he needs to do is say that man invented the elevator and that's why no elevators in the world work. Right now it's on the news and she should be like, that should be all the proof she needs, which is evident. Like all the elevators. We see her multiple times having to walk up all the stairs to her office, to her home. All the elevators in the world are currently inoperable.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Hold on. When she, at the end of the movie is in the elevator and she looks at the wall, it says Otis.

[Paul Scheer]

It says Otis.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

But that's not his name.

[Paul Scheer]

That's his, that's his uncle's name or his, his. That's the man's name who is his, his valet or his uncle. I can't remember. It's the man from the past.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Okay, the guy, the guy who, okay. Who has been in a lot of different stuff. Yes, I know. Okay, but does she know that?

[Paul Scheer]

Yes. Cuz he keeps quoting Otis.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Otis.

[Paul Scheer]

Otis says this or he frequently quotes that character.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Wow. Amazing that Otis was able to stay that long. I mean, we're talking about 2001. Otis never. Like that name really stuck around. I mean, it's, it's. I guess it's like Ford. I guess, you know, on some, like.

[Paul Scheer]

I just was like, it really, it bumped me that she never. Like the movie has no exposition dumps. And as a result, nobody knows, believes or learns anything in specifics until the last moments of the movie when an adult person has to be convinced to leap off of the Brooklyn Bridge into the past.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Take off the chunky boot, Meg. If you're going to be walking across.

[Paul Scheer]

The bottom, that should be a bare foot walk.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Like, I mean, that's a barefoot walk.

[Paul Scheer]

Or even hands and knees.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I mean, look, I was thinking about it myself. I was like, how would I do.

[Paul Scheer]

That Walk, hands and knees.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I was like, I was like, hands and knees. I literally thought it was like, would I shimmy across?

[June Diane Raphael]

No, like get your center of gravity.

[Paul Scheer]

As low as possible.

[June Diane Raphael]

As low as Possible. And then shimmy over and take the heels off.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Take.

[June Diane Raphael]

Honestly, take the jacket off. Take the scarf off. Off. Streamline it and. Yeah, shimmy across.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

The other thing I wanted to talk about was my favorite line in the movie. And again, June, you're right. Like, there are, like, these really nice moments. And I think that there's, like, I like, actually, like, there's so many subplots in this movie. Like, it has an abundance of subplots.

[Paul Scheer]

That either pay off Meyer's romance.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yes. Like when he goes to the flower store and he was like, oh, get this flower over that flower. There were certain things I really liked, but the line that I love so much and I wrote it down, why does Love Santa keep on getting. Like, why does Love Santa keep on getting caught in the chimney? Like, that was such.

[Paul Scheer]

Wait, was that at their rooftop date?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yes, their rooftops.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Well, it was.

[Paul Scheer]

Yes, their rooftops, which should have been, like, the apex of the romance of the movie.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

It's a romance bachelorette date.

[Paul Scheer]

It's like they're both complaining.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yes.

[Paul Scheer]

They both spend most of that scene complaining about how hard it is to find love. Instead, it felt like the bachelor love.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

It felt like, to me, it felt like that bachelorette was like, I'm here for the right reasons. Well, are you here for the right reasons? Like, I think I am. It's like you always, whenever I watch that show, I'm like, why aren't we talking about each other? You're just talking about this show, like. And that's what I felt like they were doing in this moment. They just were not. Like, they weren't enjoying the connection. They were just talking about how they are not going to be connected at all.

[Paul Scheer]

Everybody was so self absorbed that, like, I felt like, well, this is why. And they didn't learn to be, like, better at or curious about, you know, each other or.

[June Diane Raphael]

There wasn't a moment. The thing that I thought could have been like an interesting movie and I thought maybe that's where we were going at some point, which was not the other way to go, is that Meg Ryan is a woman doing market research, working for these brands who's convinced romance is dead. Great. And then this guy shows up and he has a different approach and he sweeps her off her feet and he's putting her coat on, all this stuff. And she then believes in romance again. But she was so. It just didn't hit that romance piece. And it really needed to be in that scene, you know, where she doesn't really know how to dance. But he's not really teaching her. It just.

[Paul Scheer]

Both of them just want capital L, love. And for people their age, that doesn't make any sense. You know what I mean? Like, like, like, like Romancing the Stone. Kathleen Turner, hopelessly single, but is prolific romance writer who is writing these love stories that she always wants to live and then lives out that love story, you know, and has that adventure and has that.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Which by the way, looks like that new Channing Tatum cinder bullock movie, which I'm excited about.

[Paul Scheer]

Is that right? I haven't seen it, but you know what I mean? Like, like, you're exactly right. June. Like her Meg Ryan's character setup should have introduced the fit.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Like Natasha Leone comes in like, crying and she's like, what? Yeah. Reading a romance. Oh. Because at this point we don't know what she does. I'm like, oh, she works at a romance. Not like she writes. She is a publisher. And this is going to, like, this story is going to be the next big hit. Like, I'm looking at like the elf story, like the movie Elf.

[Paul Scheer]

She's like, being mercenary about it and is like, great, we'll sell on this. We'll sell him on that. Because later, love is a love is fake.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And then later when we see Gretchen, the hospital attendant who is like assigned to liev. She's also reading a romance novel as well. Like the romance, she's like just sitting on a little. Like it's a little cutaway, but it's like, so everyone in this world is looking for love.

[Paul Scheer]

I think what's frustrating us because we are really frustrated with the movie. I feel like, and forgive me, I don't want to speak for you guys, but I feel like what's frustrating for me at least is this movie has so many good actors, good ideas that it should work. And the fact that it doesn't is actually annoying. Like, you don't get to have all of these players and all of this interesting stuff and still manage to not convince me that this is a coherent love, a rom com love story. And it's. And it fails.

[June Diane Raphael]

Here's the typical thing, like, Meg Ryan is being so Meg Ryan in the best of ways when she is. When it's related to her job. So like that moment where he does, you know, he does the voice and he gets. She comes up with a brilliant idea of having him do the campaign and she walks out on the street and she's jumping around and bouncing around and being so Meg Ryan and so adorable. The movie, like, is lifted in those Moments because is she's experiencing real joy. But we never see that with him.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

No, he like. But he does do the thing that I've been wanting. I think I mentioned it on this show. The total absolute freak out of being in this time period, which I, I do appreciate. Like, hey, he did come from the 1700s. Like, let's have him really get fucking freaked out. But he only gets freaked out by seeing different people of colors and ages. Like when he walks in the street, he's like, ah, yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

He only gets freaked out once. Like, I would have learned again, this is a fish out of water.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

People should not be the thing he's scared of. He should be scared of, like cars, airplanes, subways, not, oh my God, this old person. Children.

[Paul Scheer]

I would have liked it if he. So you know the scene where there's a kid enters. There's just a child enters the apartment.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yes.

[Paul Scheer]

And starts, you know, is like, oh, I come here on whatever Wednesdays and watch TV with Stuart, blah, blah, blah. Okay. But Stuart's not there. Hugh Jackman. Okay. And then Brecken Meyer shows up through the window and Hugh Jackman is like telling the kid a story. Like acting out a story. Right. And it's like, really funny and the kid is really enjoying it. The version of the movie that would have made more sense for the movie would be the kid is explaining to Hugh Jackman what TV is.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yes. Not that Hugh Jackson is explaining.

[Paul Scheer]

Hugh Jackson is telling him a great story, but that the kid is like, okay, okay, so this is the Price is Right. This is how it works.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Right.

[Paul Scheer]

Or what? You know, whatever. You know, like explaining like Survivor or.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Something so crazy to him.

[Paul Scheer]

That is that, that, that again, reminding us Hugh Jackman should not be having constantly be winning. He's always winning.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

But he's on a turtleneck without any hesitation. He's wearing a different jacket.

[Paul Scheer]

And he's great at dating. He's great. He fits into the modern world effortlessly and. And so smoothly in a way that most of the people in the modern world are str with it.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

You know, I would tell you this. You said the word frustrating. And I think the movie can really be summed up like, this is how the movie goes about the way that Hugh Jackman problem solves is the way that the movie goes about problem solving, which makes no sense. Which is Hugh Jackman wants to write her a letter. So what does he do? He finds a pheasant feather in her house and then takes pens.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And breaks the pension and puts the ink in a glass and then uses the feather to dip into the ink.

[Paul Scheer]

He cuts the feather into so that he makes a quill. He makes a quill.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

But yet he knew enough that there were pens that he could have written with a pen. Like, there is no. Like, he could still write with the calligraphy that he wanted because his handwriting would be ultimately the same. He knew what a pen was. He had access to a pen. But yet he goes about it in a very convoluted way. And you're like, well, yeah, not only.

[Paul Scheer]

That, to double up on how convoluted it is, he leaves her the note. And then when she gets up in the morning and Breck and Meyer is like, hey, here's the paper. Here's a coffee. And the note is there with the paper and the coffee. She's like, oh, no, I got to go to work. And she leaves and doesn't even see the note. And Brecken Meyer doesn't say, hey, there's a note for you. He instead follows her down to the sidewalk and sneaks the note into her briefcase. Why?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Why?

[Paul Scheer]

Why not just say, say, leopold left this note for you?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

No, because she needed to open it in the middle of a very crucial moment. And by the way, also play the.

[Paul Scheer]

Same thing with the photos when she's giving her speech. There's so much, like, needless setting up. Yeah, like, just like there's. The movie never says like. And again, we wouldn't be complaining about this if we loved their connection and we were sold by the movie's kind of the character's journey. Right. But because we're not. Not. The plot starts to seem, like, really rickety and crazy.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I just want to talk about one other thing that, again, needless weird things, which is when he's auditioning to do the Margarine Spokesman, they allude to the fact that the test group is watching a live feed of the auditions. He is getting into place, and they're. They love the jacket. They love the jacket. He hasn't even, like, he's getting miked up and ready to go on camera. And they're. They're watching, like, raw footage. Like, it seems like a terrible testing environment, like, to be like, we're just going to have raw footage on. And they're like, oh, they're. They are. They're engaged now. They're very engaged. I just didn't even understand the world of the commercials or anything at all. What are we doing?

[Paul Scheer]

It would have been so much better if Meg Ryan jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge, went through the portal like, comes up in the water, has to, soaking wet, go to the party, and shows up soaking wet at his big, fancy 19th century party. And now it's like, that's this big moment.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Okay, you know, I have my pitch.

[June Diane Raphael]

I like that.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I like that pitch, too. But I'm gonna. I'm gonna give you a better pitch. Here's my pitch. Yeah, the margarine is phenomenal, right? Everyone loves the margarine. She go. She does her speech, she jumps off the Brooklyn Bridge, but she has some of that margarine in her pocket.

[Paul Scheer]

Okay?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

She lands back in 1776. They go there and they go, you're no one. You're. I'm from Massapequa. They go, what do you do? She's like, I. And she pats herself down. I make this. And then they go, oh, margarine. And they're all so excited because they never had margarine before.

[Paul Scheer]

And then everyone goes in. They thought.

[June Diane Raphael]

What I thought you were gonna say is that she pulls the pompey violet out of her pocket. But then it's like, I don't have the pointy thing.

[Paul Scheer]

There you go.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

That.

[Paul Scheer]

That wasn't it right there.

[June Diane Raphael]

Credits.

[Paul Scheer]

That would have been it right there.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Credits. Obviously, we had an opinion about this movie, but there are people out there with a different opinion. Let's go to Amazon right now for some second opinions.

[Paul Scheer]

The movie was a piece of it, yet this person recommends it. Tell me, what is the message? Maybe that art is subjective. I need a second opinion.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Thank you, John Lej. All right. The average rating of this film is 4.7 out of 5 stars. 80% of these reviews are 5 star reviews. Only 1% is a 1 star review. And there are 4,000 reviews on Amazon. This is a very highly rated film. Noggins writes this. The title.

[Paul Scheer]

Kenny. Kenny Noggins.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Kenny Noggins. The title is interesting information. Love it. For the information on the Louvre. Five stars.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, God, that's funny.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

All right.

[Paul Scheer]

Which is like a 15 second throwaway to lines. That's really funny.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

This one here. Title, great movie review for the grandchildren. Five stars, huh? Just for the grandchildren. No, period. Nothing for the grandchildren. C. Morrison gave it 5 out of 5 stars. And the. The title is, if you find your soulmate, how much are you willing to sacrifice? Not exactly When Harry met Sally, but still Meg Ryan in another romantic role. And what can I say about Hugh Jackman? Plenty. But I'd be censored. Wink.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, my God.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And then. And then. This is. This is. I guess this is the last One I'll read. This one is from Ashley. It's called Old fashioned Romance with a lot of good humor and good clean fun. She wrotes. I love this movie. It has old fashioned romance with humor and includes some history of the Brooklyn Bridge. Five stars.

[Paul Scheer]

Holy shit. This person's like, oh, this is part documentary about the Brooklyn Bridge.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I would say that the information about the Brooklyn Bridge is not suspect.

[Paul Scheer]

Suspect at best.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

It really is just a boner joke.

[June Diane Raphael]

I am a. Yes. I'm a bridge snob. How would I describe myself?

[Paul Scheer]

Too short.

[June Diane Raphael]

I do love learning about bridges. And I love bridges.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

We have been married for over a decade. You love learning about bridges?

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

Wow. This is a huge. How did this get made, Revealed?

[June Diane Raphael]

I do. And so I was actually like, my ears perked up around the bridge dock.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Oh, my God.

[June Diane Raphael]

But then I was like, I don't. I don't.

[Paul Scheer]

That's the T shirt.

[June Diane Raphael]

This is true.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

It's a.

[Paul Scheer]

It's the Brooklyn Bridge with like June outline over it. I love bridges.

[June Diane Raphael]

Weirdly, I did connect to Hugh Jackman there when he was looking at the bridge and like, it's still standing.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Oh, yeah.

[June Diane Raphael]

I thought that was cool. I thought that was really cool. And I felt. I feel that way all the time. Like looking at the Brooklyn and I.

[Paul Scheer]

Felt like there could have been more like that. More moments of him being like, what an interesting feat.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

You know, all these things that he's. He's in. He's at this era of New York that is so interesting. And to be thrust into the future, you know, and to see the echoes of the past and what has changed, that could have been really cool. But it's just not.

[June Diane Raphael]

It's just not there. It could be because. Yeah. I mean, there is so much. There is so much interesting architecture in New York and him going into that building, his home and seeing things were the same. I mean, all of that was. I loved that stuff.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Well, the budget of this movie was $48 million. $48 million. The opening weekend was about $10 million. But it did make back its money. It made back. It made back 47 million in the domestic box office. It made a worldwide gross of 76 million. The top three movies of 2001 are Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Shrek and Monsters, Inc. This came in 108 out of all the movies in 2001. It was beaten by the Fast and Furious Swordfish Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles. Wow. I guess this wasn't that much of it. And the movie beat Rock Star, star on the line and glitter. So that's this. Another fun fact is this movie also shot right out in front of my house. And I remember them shooting it. First thing that I did not see in the film. So, again, on the. On the cutting room floor for a great scene on. Was it.

[Paul Scheer]

I wonder. I'm so curious. It sounds like there was potential. I bet there was a good script for this movie, which is why all these great actors signed on to it. And then. And something happened, you know, or some series of things happened. Because the movie that is a result does not warrant the level of both money poured into it and the talent that was attracted by it.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Well, here is something interesting. In the early version of the screenplay, Leopold is accidentally transported through time in an actual time machine developed by a group of scientists that include Kate. They have a child of whom Leopold is unaware and eventually reunite during the roaring 20.

[Paul Scheer]

Sounds like a way better movie.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

It's an interesting movie. Here's one other thing that I thought you might have paid. Might have seen. I don't know if you picked this up, but in this movie, Meg Ryan plays a character named Kate. She played Kate in French Kiss, and in youn Got Mail, she plays Kathleen, whose nickname is Kate. And in Restoration, she was Catherine, another Kate. So this is her fourth Kate performance of all those films.

[Paul Scheer]

That's funny.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

So that's. That's some of the stuff there. And yes, so that is.

[Paul Scheer]

I'm. I'm still blown away that it cost $48 million. That's wild.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I guess it's a lot of location, a lot of.

[Paul Scheer]

But it makes. It makes sense. You know, it looks good. It looks like James Mangold. It does a good job, by the way.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Very rare. A very rare difference that we always talk about here. Meg Ryan, 39. Hugh Jackman, 31.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, interesting. Oh, okay.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

So a little reverse. You know, a little reverse romantic. You normally have the older man going after a very young. All right, so, Jason. June, would you recommend people seeing this movie? What would you. What would you say?

[Paul Scheer]

I would say no. I think there are so many. So many better rom coms that I think you would enjoy watching more. This. This was neither. Neither did this. Yes, it was kind of a mess, but it also didn't satisfy my kind of what I want out of a rom com. You know what I mean? There are just way better romantic comedies that I would say watch instead.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

June.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah, I agree. I mean, I've seen this movie, like, circling around for years, and it's. I remember when it came Out. And I'm glad I got my eyes on it. But, you know, it just. It. Yeah, it just didn't.

[Paul Scheer]

It's not like some hidden gem.

[June Diane Raphael]

No, no.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I think what was fun was watching all the different people pop up. Like Spalding girls, Chris Shaw, Chris Paulding Gray, who I think is eating grape Nuts out of the box, which is a hard food to kind of chow down on. But nonetheless, I would also recommend. I wouldn't say it's look after Voyage of the Rock, aliens. Anything is hard to.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, my God.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Follow up to that.

[Paul Scheer]

Watch that immediately.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Watch it again.

[Paul Scheer]

Watch that instead.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And we've talked about shirts. You know, we talked about June Silhouette over the Brooklyn Bridge.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, yeah. I love Bridges.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

But also maybe there's a fun fund the continuity to police or a cp. A CPD Police. I don't know. Tell us what you think and we'll get one started there. We'll get one out there. All right. So, June, anything you'd like to pitch? Talked about anything.

[June Diane Raphael]

Check out the deep dive with Jessica Sinclair. One of your how did this get made faves. Yeah, just go ahead and we're using different language, I guess, on Apple podcasts. Right. But instead of subscribing, follow it. Follow the show on Apple.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Oh, I like that.

[Paul Scheer]

I don't like the idea of encouraging people to follow us.

[June Diane Raphael]

Well, that's what's happening, Jason. They're no longer subscribe. They're saying follow us, follow, follow. Get right in line from a respectful distance.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Jason, anything you got going on?

[Paul Scheer]

I mean, no. Oh, you know what? I'm really loving this Reacher show on Amazon. Ooh.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

You know, Jason, people ask.

[Paul Scheer]

Fantastic.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

People have asked us to start doing a mini Reacher podcast where we just talk about Reacher. Now. Ju got me into Reacher. I'm very excited to watch it.

[Paul Scheer]

The show is fantastic. The movies are not. So don't you lest you think you need to have seen the movies. These are completely different, separate things. Completely different interpretation of the character. It's a blast. And to be clear, I have no involvement in it whatsoever. I'm just enjoying it well too.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yeah. To plug something I have not involved in. But I will also say, get yourself to a movie theater and see Jackass forever. It is such a fun, fun, like great experience.

[Paul Scheer]

I just rewatched the first three jackasses.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I did too.

[Paul Scheer]

And they are really. They made me laugh so fucking hard. They're great.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I will say this. You will fall in love with a man named Poopy. His name is Poopies.

[Paul Scheer]

Poopies.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Poopies is a new character in the Jackass franchise. And, and Dave and Danger Aaron. Danger Aaron is probably my favorite of all of them, but yeah, so definitely check out that's funny. Jackass. And you know, Brian Cox was on Unspooled and that was really fun interview to talk to him about his great favorite films and we got him to do like a rhyming couplet from a Danny Kaye movie which was kind of fun to see him him do. He just wants to do comedy. Brian Cox. Oh, that's exciting. Yeah, really fun. All right, everybody, so we will see you next time on the show, but if you want to continue this conversation, please do in our mini episode. Jason and I will be on that next mini episode talking about all of our stuff, probably talking about Reacher and more. Call me about any of your problems. You can ask me and Jason a question. You can ask me about your life, your love, your parenting, whatever. I'm going to try to give you some answers. Devin and Cody will chime in as well. If you have questions for them, give me a call at 619-P-A-U L a s k p a u l a s k 619 P a u l a s k and tune in for that and so much more. But a big thank you to our entire team. Our super producer Cody Fisher, our per movie picking producer, Avril Halle, our audio engineer and all around Jack of all trades, Devin Bryant, our producer Molly Reynolds, art by Kyle Waldron and of course the ghost of Craig T. Nelson. That's Zach McLeese on Instagram and July Diaz who makes sure the episode sounds good. Coming from us to you getting it all done. Make sure to Visit [e-mail] and we will see you next week for our mini episode and join in the conversation on the Discord which is going on all the time at Discord GG hdtgm. Bye for now. Hey, this is Jeff Lewis from Radio Andy live and uncensored. Catch me talking with my friends about my latest obsessions, relationship issues, issues and bodily ailments. With that kind of drama that seems to follow me, you never know what's going to happen. You can listen to Jeff Lewis live.

[Paul Scheer]

At home or anywhere you are. Download the SiriusXM app for over 425 channels of adree music, sports, entertainment and more. Subscribe now and get 3 months free offer details apply.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

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