Perfect LIVE! w/ Seth Morris (Classic)

Summary

Podcast Summary: How Did This Get Made? — "Perfect LIVE! w/ Seth Morris (Classic)"

Date: July 14, 2026
Hosts: Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, Jason Mantzoukas
Guest: Seth Morris
Recorded Live at: Largo, Los Angeles
Movie Discussed: Perfect (1985)

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Episode Overview

This laugh-out-loud episode of How Did This Get Made? takes on the notorious 1985 cult classic, Perfect, starring John Travolta and Jamie Lee Curtis. With special guest Seth Morris, the team hilariously dissects the movie’s blend of erotic aerobics, clunky journalism subplots, and jaw-droppingly bizarre moments—all performed in front of a pumped live audience in Los Angeles.

The panel unpacks the film’s legendary unedited approach, questionable journalistic ethics, and oddly earnest depiction of 80s health club culture. Along the way, they shout out memorable scenes (that infamous workout montage!), roast the film’s logic and character choices, highlight standout performances, and riff on everything from leotards to "sphincter muscles." Audience questions and live bits add even more energy, making this a must for fans of bad-movie comedy.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. A Movie Aggressively Unedited (02:31–06:13)

• Paul: Kicks off by noting the movie’s “aggressively, unedited” feel—no sequence, no matter how mundane, seems trimmed.
• Ben Schwartz (as guest co-host): Points out that even basic moments, like driving from one place to another, are shown in real time.
• June: Observes extended, full-length aerobics classes, not just snippets.

"You're going to see the whole class." — June, (05:52)

2. The Gym: Body Image, Realism, and 80s Fitness (06:13–08:17)

• The hosts marvel at the cast’s “perfect” bodies and the surreal aspiration of the 80s health club scene.
• June: “There's not a body in there that's in transition...every single body in that class is perfect.” (07:28)
• Jason: Notes comic relief is spare, and even the token "fat guy" is just Jan Wenner as the Rolling Stone editor.

3. The Obituary Writer, Journalism, and Flimsy Plot (08:17–12:30)

• Paul: Recaps that Travolta’s character starts as an obituary writer, a fact almost immediately forgotten by the plot.
• Jason: Critiques the movie’s presentation of journalistic ethics and the bizarre tone, especially in sequences like the Mackenzie subplot—nonsensical enough that the hosts try (and fail) to explain it.
• June: Tries to make sense of Jamie Lee Curtis's character arc and her relationship to journalistic "truth."

"The lesson from the movie...he lost his journalistic integrity because there was something wrong with the culture there." — June, (11:00)

4. The Gang Bang Party Scene & Infamously Bad Writing (14:01–16:44)

• The hosts do a dramatic reading of Travolta’s write-up of a “gym legend gang bang”—mocking its euphemistic, childlike prose:

“She pretended a third was an inner and outer thigh machine, popularly called the leg spreader...affectionately called the most used piece of equipment.” — Read by June, (16:09)

• Audience reacts in equal parts horror and amusement; hosts repeatedly roast the movie’s dialogue and narration.

5. The Mackenzie / Espionage Sidebar: “Wait, What?” (23:12–25:57)

• Jason: Tries to summarize the Mackenzie subplot involving computers, the Soviet Union, and a vague criminal trial—admitting, “I have no idea” what’s going on, a sentiment echoed by all.
• June: Agrees, “We never saw that interview,” referencing key scenes that apparently landed on the cutting room floor.

6. Aerobics Logistics, 80s Fashion & Body Oddities (26:00–29:13)

• June & Jason: Get sidetracked by analyzing the logic of the aerobics classes, choreographies, and the decade’s love of leotards, sheer stockings, and high-waisted athletic gear.
• Ben: “Everybody also looked great, but it looked weird.”

7. The Real Articles, Rolling Stone, and Jan Wenner (34:21–35:54)

• The hosts bounce around the real-life inspirations for Perfect, including Aaron Latham's Rolling Stone articles (and closely named protagonist Adam Lawrence).
• Jason: Is pleasantly surprised at Jan Wenner’s acting as the magazine’s managing editor, while Paul notes the movie tries not to offend anyone or anything—Rolling Stone, Sports Connection, or Gym Culture.

8. Jamie Lee’s Secret Backstory & The “Coach” Revelation (39:23–40:53)

• June: Points out the hidden depth to Jamie Lee Curtis’s character and questions why the climactic reveal (her inappropriate relationship with a coach) is so underplayed, especially as it seems worthy of actual reporting.

“Wasn't she on the high school team? That's really inappropriate and should be reported.” — June, (39:30)

9. The Aerobic Olympics & Credit Sequence (38:09–39:47, 62:29–63:41)

• Jason: Jokes the film should’ve gone “full character arc” and ended with an “aerobic Olympics,” complete with death and obituary.
• All marvel at the bizarrely cheery end credits sequence, with cast mugging for the camera:

“Everyone is dancing... and he’s [Travolta] out of breath.” — Paul, (63:33)

10. Iconic Scenes: “Thrust It,” Chippendales & ‘Sphincter Muscle’ (45:09–57:12)

• Avril, the clip master, creates a hilarious “Thrust It” mashup (45:09).
• June: Breaks down the infamous men’s strip club scene, likening it unfavorably to Magic Mike and mocking the way 80s stripping was all “marching and thrusting” (52:01).
• The group cackles over the recurring phrase, “sphincter muscle,” and the movie’s G-rated approach to adult jokes.

“Not only does Jamie Lee Curtis call him a sphincter muscle instead of an asshole... she then later... says, you know, you called me a sphincter muscle. To which she replies, I know. She replies, you are one!” — Ben, (56:14)

11. Computers, Early Tech, and “Wanna F***?” (57:56–60:13)

• Much time is spent mocking the film’s computer scenes—long, loving shots of giant 80s machines, endless scenes showing characters learning to delete text, and childish onscreen flirting.

12. Audience Questions & Participation (54:31–69:44)

• Audience members chime in with alternative titles (“Leotards and Half Chubbs”) and burning questions ("Is the rest of the film just Adam creating his own obituary?").
• The hosts speculate about dream logic endings, plot holes, and whether the urn on Adam’s desk contains his own ashes in a wild, meta twist.

13. Second Opinions & Would You Recommend? (70:21–75:54)

• Paul reads out five-star Amazon reviews, ranging from the enthusiastic (“JLC, you single-handedly made spandex and lycra a noun, verb and adjective all at once... aerobics a form of foreplay”) to the slightly unhinged.
• All hosts (and Ben Schwartz) ultimately recommend watching it, with the caveat of fast-forwarding through every car ride and focusing on the wildest sequences.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I would argue that Travolta... was a Patrick Bateman, American Psycho character in this movie. He seems so emotionally detached from reality and so mercenary...” — Jason, (12:01)
• “It’s like Goldilocks.” — Ben Schwartz, mocking the bad writing in the gang bang scene (16:52)
• “You alone, Travolta, can stop this... by being solo.” — Ben Schwartz, on the absurdity of the party scene (15:16)
• “She was holding the tapes... and getting them wet.” “No, she was having a tender moment with that pool.” — June & Ben, misreading a key silent scene (41:03)
• **“If you exercise, can you make your tits bigger?” — Ben Schwartz asks the crowd, getting rapid-fire denials and laughs (33:03)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------------|---------------| | Intro/Live audience, setup for Perfect | 02:31–04:59 | | “Aggressively unedited”—movie pacing | 05:03–06:13 | | What's up with the gym bodies? | 06:13–08:17 | | Obituary writer: pointless set-up | 08:17–12:30 | | Journalistic “ethics” debate | 10:17–12:43 | | "Linda, gang bang..." dramatic reading | 16:09–16:33 | | Mackenzie / Espionage plot confusion | 23:12–25:57 | | Aerobics choreography/fashion commentary | 26:00–29:13 | | Jamie Lee Curtis’s character backstory | 39:23–40:53 | | End credits sequence “why isn’t Travolta dancing?” | 62:29–63:41| | Audience Q&A, “sphincter muscle” | 56:10–57:12 | | Five-star reviews ("Second Opinions") | 70:21–75:54 | | Would you recommend? | 75:29–76:00 |

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Tone & Energy

The episode is classic HDTGM: frenetic, gleefully disrespectful, and packed with asides, jokes, and personal anecdotes about 80s culture. The hosts’ chemistry, live audience input, and playful chaos make it engaging even for listeners who’ve never seen Perfect—or even heard of it.

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Recommendation

All hosts and guest Ben Schwartz agree: Perfect is a bizarre, fascinating time capsule that's both terrible and hypnotically rewatchable. If you love “so-bad-it’s-good” cinema, “aerobic Olympics,” indecipherable subplots, or just want to watch John Travolta thrust with wild abandon, this is one not to miss. Just remember to fast-forward through the car rides.

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Final thought:
“If you were young, you might look at this movie and be like, what the fuck were people doing?” — Ben Schwartz (76:16)

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For more laughs, listen to the full episode or search for visual clips like "Thrust It" for the full, surreal experience!

Transcript

[Paul Scheer]

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[Jason Mantzoukas]

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[June Diane Raphael]

Reese Witherspoon here, checking into my favorite hotel in Paris.

[Paul Scheer]

Bonjour. Bonjour.

[June Diane Raphael]

I'm traveling with my Wells Fargo autograph journey card. So I earn rewards wherever I book. Travel five times points with hotels, four times with airlines, three times on restaurants and other travel and one point on other purchases. Phew, that was a lot. I need to lie down. Is the room Ready?

[Paul Scheer]

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[Guest or Announcer]

Financially.

[Paul Scheer]

Go easy. Sold my car on Carvana. Amazing offer really.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I hit 200 on a scratcher. Did the scratcher come to your house

[Paul Scheer]

and hand you a check?

[Audience Member or Additional Guest]

No.

[Paul Scheer]

How many scratchers did you hit to get that? I hit a button on Carvana.com once.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Okay, that's fair.

[Paul Scheer]

It's like the lottery, except you always win. Not like the lottery at all actually. Exactly.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Inexplicably good offers worth bragging about.

[Paul Scheer]

Sell your car today on Carvana. Pickup fees may apply. Finally, a movie that's not afraid to show a 4 minute and 37 second aerobic scene. We thought perfect and you know what that means.

[June Diane Raphael]

Remain.

[Audience Member or Additional Guest]

How did Schwarzenegger grow a baby in his belly? Rock a rhinestone vest while ripping Justin the Kelly? Or maybe see a burlesque show with Nick Crowe and take a boat with speed to hitting cruise control J man Big Paul in the Beautiful June gonna take you lagoob all the way to the room Ran the games in Street Fighter Help to blow off steam Just a sucker punch the odd life of Timothy Green Sharknado the birdemic how we staying alive they call it in the badass and he's on the line cranking 88 minutes cause they cool as ice cause the bad Jim Barney looking kind and nice Paul and June getting literal Jason is getting laid June is making sure all the monkey shots gettin paid they judge a bunch of movies while they making the grade Here's a real question for you. How did this get?

[Paul Scheer]

Hello people of Earth and hello people of Los Angeles. We are live here at Largo, our LA home. If you're ever in Los Angeles, come check out Largo at the Cornet. It's an amazing theater. We love being here. We Love being here with a live audience. An audience that has subjected themselves to the full two hour runtime of Perfect. A movie that did not edit a frame. Aggressively, unedited. I don't think I could say that for any other film in that way. The film was perfect. Please welcome my co host tonight, Jason Mantzoukas.

[Ben Schwartz]

What's up, jerks? Please welcome june diane rayfield.

[Paul Scheer]

Do you want to greet them?

[June Diane Raphael]

Hi.

[Paul Scheer]

And our very special guest tonight, please welcome Seth Morris. We very rarely have guests come back to the show, but we gave Seth such a bad movie originally that I feel like we owe it to you to kind of give you the best worst movie of all time.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I'm glad I was able to redeem myself. I don't remember what that was called.

[Paul Scheer]

It was a terrible movie with like, I think it was an ooey ball movie, maybe like about the farmer.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Was that the one night it was like set in night nights in arm.

[Paul Scheer]

Night. Yeah, there was night. Yeah.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

My joke is it was a. It was a movie made to be shown on buses in Ecuador. It's like nobody. There's no reason for anybody to ever watch it.

[Paul Scheer]

Return of the King.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Thank you.

[Paul Scheer]

There we go. It wasn't that. All right, well, we'll get into it later.

[Ben Schwartz]

Isn't that a Lord of the Rings movie? But this.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

But this, Boy, oh boy, was this amazing.

[June Diane Raphael]

This is a real treat.

[Ben Schwartz]

This is a movie that when they need to drive from the courthouse to the jail, they drive the whole way.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yep.

[Ben Schwartz]

You watch them drive from the courthouse to the jail.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

That's the one thing the director was like, listen, I will do this movie, but I want people to know what driving's right now.

[Ben Schwartz]

I want people to understand that it takes time for things to get done.

[Paul Scheer]

I never laughed so hard because you see it and you're like, oh, well, this will be the end of this sequence. And then they'll cut to him at the jail. No. Not only did they do his whole sequence of getting there, getting there, getting there, but then Jamie Lee Curtis also getting there, getting there, there. And it's a similar angle, just like a car.

[June Diane Raphael]

Similarly, when you think, oh, I'm going to see a bit of an aerobics class, like, no, you're going to see an aerobics class. You're going to see the whole class.

[Ben Schwartz]

Here's the reality you could use. I thought of this. You could use this movie as a workout move. You could do these workouts. People should do them. Instead of Tracy Anderson. You should sign up for this.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

But you Know, I gotta call. I gotta call out Jamie Lee Curtis's character in that seduction.

[Ben Schwartz]

Jessica.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Jessica. And there's Jesse. There's just too much. Too much glutes in that class.

[June Diane Raphael]

So that's not responsible.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I didn't see any cool down. I didn't see any stretch.

[Paul Scheer]

Well, she just.

[Ben Schwartz]

There was some of that.

[June Diane Raphael]

I mean, am I crazy to say, did not seem like, as I know it, an aerobic exercise.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Well, I will point out that they. At one point when he was given the tour, he said. And I don't know if this was one of the things that they had at this gym was Slimnastics. So maybe we saw a slimy.

[Paul Scheer]

Well, when she does talk about sex in regards to her workout, she does say there are many parts to it. So she is working it out. Here's the thing about Jamie Lee Curtis. She trained constantly during filming and only ate one meal a day during production. All the scenes with Jamie Lee leading the aerobics classes were shot first. Then they shot the narrative sequences and then the closing credit workout. And apparently Curtis lost about 10 pounds of muscles before shooting the closing credits. So in between.

[June Diane Raphael]

That makes sense.

[Paul Scheer]

In between getting her body ready to go. And then there.

[June Diane Raphael]

Here's the interesting thing about this gym is that there's no. There's not a body in there that's in transition. Like every single body in that class is perfect.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yes.

[Ben Schwartz]

As per the movies.

[June Diane Raphael]

As per the movie. But nobody's arriving at the gym and changing their figure.

[Audience Member or Additional Guest]

No.

[Ben Schwartz]

And nobody. Nobody. Here's. This is a gym that is. Yes, exactly. Not full of slobs.

[June Diane Raphael]

No.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah. They don't even have, like the typical fat guy. Comic relief. I don't believe.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Well, they do, but he's not in the gym. It's Jan Weiner playing the editor of Rolling Stone.

[Ben Schwartz]

Yan Weiner, a butterball of a. Why not just call yourself Jan Weiner?

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah, yeah. Because you are the head of Rolling Stone.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

Just to talk about how much track this movie lays before we get into the plot of it, do you all remember that this movie starts off with him being an obituary writer?

[Ben Schwartz]

Oh, yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

Wait, you pulled open of the movie.

[Ben Schwartz]

You mean in New Jersey? Where? The home of the Jersey Journal.

[Paul Scheer]

I wrote that same thing down.

[Ben Schwartz]

I am so glad they wrote that. They wrote that on screen and then never wrote anything on screen again. As if to say, we gotta explain that this is Jersey. Everything else. They'll figure it out.

[Paul Scheer]

Or to be like the New Jersey Journal building. Like you would know that you're in New Jersey. I would assume. But that's how crazy this movie is. That detail that he wrote obits features in no way.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I disagree. Because if he hadn't basically looked into the camera and said, I don't want to do obituaries for the rest of my life, I wouldn't have known what the tract of this character was going to be.

[Ben Schwartz]

But here's the thing. It's. The cold open of the movie is, I don't want to write obituaries anymore. And his editor or whatever is like, this is the last chance as a journalist to write something nice about somebody. Titles. Then, like, that's it. That's like, what they went. They're like, oh, that's gonna fucking crush. And then we're gonna go to the titles, and people are gonna get hard for this move.

[Audience Member or Additional Guest]

Yeah.

[June Diane Raphael]

It's also a strange.

[Audience Member or Additional Guest]

Strange.

[Ben Schwartz]

And five years later, they come back from titles five years later.

[June Diane Raphael]

But it is also a strange way to introduce your protagonist when he's the. He's so tired of talking to people who have just lost a loved one, and he's so frustrated with them and

[Paul Scheer]

annoyed by them that he runs away when he sees them. But yet he has an urn on his.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

He has an urn on his desk. Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

Which is supremely disrespectful, it seems.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And you know what? They should have been. They should have kept that with, like. They're like, somebody comes in and they say, we want to talk to the obituary writer. You can't miss him. He's a guy with the urn on his desk. They should have the sports writer with a football helmet on his desk. The business guy with a sack of money with a dollar bill on it on his DEs. How else are you gonna know which department people are in? But I like how they set up.

[Ben Schwartz]

How.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

He goes. He goes, this is the last time. Yeah, applaud for me, please. He goes, this is the last time you can ever be nice to people. Cause I felt like there was a through line of this where they want the audience to know, like, reporters are jerks. Because when I said to Jamie Lee Curtis, she goes, I'd like to interview. And she goes, I've been burned before. Like, what?

[Paul Scheer]

But to me, it's also like, this is listening to your friend who is like. Or not your friend. You go out on a dinner date and someone's like, oh, yeah, I'm a journalist. It's fucking hard, man. It's like the most, like. Cause it's like. It's from the perspective of a Journalist talking about almost covering trials and gyms. It was so tough. Like, you know, it was like, here's

[June Diane Raphael]

the weird thing about the movie, because the lesson from the movie, because he. That is sort of the lesson that he hasn't told the truth about gym culture in la. Ultimately, yes, he is. No, he did not. He did not print that story. He did not print looking for Mr. Goodbody. He printed. He sent to print looking for Mr. Emerson.

[Ben Schwartz]

But he did write looking for Mr. Goodbye.

[June Diane Raphael]

Of course he did. But then he didn't go through with it. But that he lost his journalistic integrity because there was something wrong with the culture there. This woman was asking to be gang banged. There is something wrong with what's going on there.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

By the way, it would have been irresponsible of him as a journalist not to follow that lady around the party trying to get a gang bang going.

[June Diane Raphael]

Absolutely.

[Paul Scheer]

The woman. Well, that was my issue with the whole movie is like, he's always being like, yelled at for being a good journalist. He is not anything but a good. He is seeing something and he's reporting on like, hey, hey, shame on you. It's like I would see if there was a version of it where he's like.

[June Diane Raphael]

Cause you know what? I think there's a version of this story in which Linda reads that article. Well, I guess it did happen, but reads the article he originally wrote, right. And takes a good look in the mirror and honestly re evaluates what's been going on. I feel like focus in.

[Paul Scheer]

But he's like his. In his whole, like the story that he's breaking is so like, duh. It's like. It's like our sports clubs is the new single bars and everything.

[June Diane Raphael]

Wow.

[Guest or Announcer]

Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, shit.

[Ben Schwartz]

Wow.

[Paul Scheer]

You're bringing in the house.

[Ben Schwartz]

Jamie Lee Curtis calls it out and she's like, oh, don't tell me you're writing one of those. Our single. Our health clubs, the single clubs of the 80s. And he's like, oh, no, I'm doing a Ralph Waldo Emerson Emersonian. I would argue, and I wrote this down a couple of times. I would argue that Travolta, like, at times in this movie, I felt like this was a pre. This way. He was like a Patrick Bateman American Psycho character. Like, he seems so emotionally detached from reality and so mercenary in terms of getting what he wants to get on whoever he wants to get it on. That I was like, oh, no, this guy is capable of murder. He is a stone cold killer. And there's a bunch of scenes when he doesn't get his way. He's like. He's so fucking mad.

[Paul Scheer]

Do you think that there's never any tape in that recorder?

[Ben Schwartz]

If you told me that he made everything up, that he never. Like, I would. He seemed. He is the least trustworthy person in this entire movie.

[Paul Scheer]

Well, he has the handwriting of a serial killer. They cut to his handwriting so many times, like, what is it?

[Audience Member or Additional Guest]

What.

[Paul Scheer]

What does it say? Don't show me that scratch.

[Ben Schwartz]

It says Linda, gang bang.

[Paul Scheer]

He writes the. He writes and gives himself the most obvious notes.

[June Diane Raphael]

Like, he's gonna remember.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yeah, yeah, he's not gonna remember.

[June Diane Raphael]

He's gonna remember.

[Ben Schwartz]

And she says. And the. When she says, I need to. I'm gonna go see if I can scare up a gang bang.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And by the way, just so they. Just so we know she's not speaking metaphorically, we watch her go from guy to guy.

[Ben Schwartz]

Nah, nah.

[Paul Scheer]

Like, what the.

[Ben Schwartz]

What's going on?

[Paul Scheer]

By the way? Let's just get into his great journalism.

[Ben Schwartz]

If I'm not gonna say with you, John Travolta, I guess I'll just have a gang bang.

[June Diane Raphael]

Well, here's what I was curious about. Was she saying that I can't have sex with no guy? No single guy is going to have sex with me, but maybe they all will.

[Ben Schwartz]

Yeah, right.

[Paul Scheer]

And not guilty of it. If it was presented like an oddity, then it would work.

[Ben Schwartz]

Or maybe she's saying, like, if you don't fuck me, I guess this is what I. Cause she's doing it for him, right? She keeps going around being like, hey, hi, middle school. The

[Paul Scheer]

looking at.

[Ben Schwartz]

You can stop this. You alone. Travolta can stop this by me solo. But if not, this is what I'm into.

[Paul Scheer]

And she also, like, gets whispered in the ear by one of the guys, then mimes with her fingers how big that guy's dick is to Travolta. Like, big dick. Like, either wooing him over to it as well. Like, why would he care?

[June Diane Raphael]

Because I think she's reporting on that for him.

[Ben Schwartz]

Oh, you think she's a reporter as

[June Diane Raphael]

well in that moment? I think she's letting him know. Like, I got the facts.

[Paul Scheer]

By the way, June, I don't mean to put you on the spot, but would you like to read his great writing here about the gang bang went down? Can you read that?

[Ben Schwartz]

Also, he's a terrible writer.

[Paul Scheer]

The writing is terrible.

[June Diane Raphael]

Linda gave them all a good workout. She pretended one young man was a life cycle. She pretended another was a rowing machine. She pretended a third was an inner and outer thigh machine, popularly called the leg spreader. Thanks to such adventures, Linda is fast becoming a health club legend. A legend with a well earned nickname. She's affectionately called the most used piece of equipment in the gym.

[Audience Member or Additional Guest]

Wow.

[Ben Schwartz]

Don't cheer for that. This is a podcast. Are there creeps here?

[Paul Scheer]

But this is terrible writing, right?

[Ben Schwartz]

She pretended legitimately bad writing.

[Paul Scheer]

She pretended one young man was a lifestyle. She pretended another was a rowing machine. She pretended a third was an inner and outer thigh machine.

[Ben Schwartz]

It's like a fairy tale. Yeah, it's like. It's like Goldilocks.

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[Paul Scheer]

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[Paul Scheer]

By the way, the articles really cut to the chase. Like like it man Adam Lawrence Even this line where it's like the line is they used to go to single bars where they had their own bar stools with notches in them but no more. Now they go to a co ed gym where they have life cycle exercise bikes with notches on them.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Like it just seems I love it's they have it in this article and on the other the Emerson article wrote there's a bunch of these sentences that start like for they knew that the health club.

[Ben Schwartz]

I'm starting to understand why Carly Simon threw a drink in his face by the way.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah, Carly. Carly Simon.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

A thick brown drink thick tomato.

[Ben Schwartz]

She her glass of gazo that she

[Jason Mantzoukas]

threw in his face.

[Ben Schwartz]

It was like a a viscous fluid in a cup.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I can imagine them on it's just not reading. You got to get that thicker. Yeah just get some flour and ketchup in there.

[Ben Schwartz]

Flour.

[June Diane Raphael]

It's really crazy too cuz she just just walks into that restaurant like she arrives, turns around and throws her Drink at him.

[Paul Scheer]

Well, it's the famous Adam Lawrence, Rolling Stone reporter. Can't go anywhere. Yeah, just to see him get hit in the face. An idea for a story that would actually take place better in California. What? I got this idea while I was at the Atrium Club this morning. Well, who would you be going after?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Well, it's not who, it's what.

[Paul Scheer]

Well, excuse me, what would you be going after? Health clubs. Oh, gross.

[Ben Schwartz]

No.

[Paul Scheer]

Why not do a story about how they're turning into the singles bars of the 80s. Find a couple. Do a non fictional love story with pictures. Yes, lots of pictures.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

It could be hilarious.

[Paul Scheer]

Particularly set in Los Angeles. You know, inflated bodies, airheads, hot doves, alfalfa sprouts.

[Ben Schwartz]

Absolutely.

[Paul Scheer]

We haven't done LA in a long time. I mean, it would be wonderful. Sounds great. Shit. What? Carly Simon just walked in. Oh, God. She hated the story you did on her.

[Sponsor or Promo Voice]

I know.

[Guest or Announcer]

I don't.

[June Diane Raphael]

Hi, Carly.

[Paul Scheer]

Hi, Carly. Hi, Carly. I read that shit you wrote about me. Oh, come on, Carly. You know the only thing worse than being written about is not being written about.

[Ben Schwartz]

Look how thick that liquid is.

[Paul Scheer]

Seemingly a vat of it, too. She's carrying a very small martini glass.

[Ben Schwartz]

It's more like. You're right, it's more watered down ketchup than it is thickened booze or whatever.

[Paul Scheer]

And based on what we know of Adam, he probably just wrote a pretty truthful story about Carly Simon. Probably just quoted her exactly. Like. That's the thing. Like, pick a side on this guy. Like, his only downside is that he quotes people exactly how they present themselves. They say something, he goes, got it. And then presents it. Really? Without much judgment.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Well, they also. It's weird. Like, what kind of journalist is he? Cause he does. He does Carly Simon, he does the aerobics thing, and then he talked to the most dangerous man in America. What is that guy's name? The.

[Paul Scheer]

His name.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Mackenzie. Thank you.

[June Diane Raphael]

Mackenzie.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And like, they have this vague espionage kind of thing throughout with Mackenzie.

[Paul Scheer]

Can anyone even explain what that was?

[June Diane Raphael]

I have. I think.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Here's what I think it was. They made. They made a slight reference to cocaine. I think he was like a John DeLorean sword esque figure.

[Paul Scheer]

Okay.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

But the thing was, he was a billionaire. He sold computers to the Soviet Union. Yeah, somebody in the Soviet Union. And the State Department was mad at him because of that.

[Ben Schwartz]

And then they framed him for selling drugs. Can I ask somebody? Was he guilty or not guilty? I know he was found not guilty, but what are we to believe? He was I. No idea.

[Paul Scheer]

Well, my. My thought is. My thought is this, is that he was a good. Like, he was not a good guy, but he was being wrongly tried.

[Ben Schwartz]

Oh, that's what I'm wondering.

[Paul Scheer]

That's what I think. Do people agree with that?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Well, he's still in jail. It's too late.

[Paul Scheer]

But. But then this goes into my larger question. What would have been the big problem if the tapes were revealed?

[June Diane Raphael]

That's what I don't understand. So what were.

[Audience Member or Additional Guest]

What.

[June Diane Raphael]

What. By the way, I totally respect that John Travolta did not want to give over those tapes.

[Paul Scheer]

Yes.

[June Diane Raphael]

But. But it leaves us as an audience really confused because I. I don't know if this guy did something really terrible.

[Ben Schwartz]

I also don't know what was on the tapes, do I?

[June Diane Raphael]

No. We never saw that interview. We never saw that interview.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

They could have played the tape, but they decided to put in that driving sequence instead.

[June Diane Raphael]

Tough choices, but you know what? You got to make them sometimes.

[Ben Schwartz]

That storyline was so important, and we saw so little of it.

[June Diane Raphael]

I got.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I have to point out one thing.

[Audience Member or Additional Guest]

So.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

So at a certain point, the government is following John Travolta, right?

[Paul Scheer]

Yes.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

There's that. That nameless guy with the sunglasses. There's a scene when they go skiing to. At Mammoth, and there's just Jamie Lee Curtis and John Travolta out on this deck, and they're hanging out, they're making out. And then you reveal that three and a half feet away from them is a guy standing like this, watching the whole time. They don't see him there. They don't acknowledge there's nobody else on this balcony.

[Paul Scheer]

But that guy is always like. Or that guy. Or a guy. Like, that guy is always two feet away, like when he gets off the plane. And then Jamie Lee Curtis is like, hey, welcome back. Then they walk out of frame, and then he just, like, enters from stage right. And I'm here, like, chill out, FBI guy. Get a little bit better at your covert ops. At least, like, lower newspaper.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

It'd be great if he was in that aerobics class with his sunglasses being like.

[June Diane Raphael]

This is my other question about the aerobics class. I know we have a lot to cover.

[Paul Scheer]

Let's go.

[June Diane Raphael]

Now, did everyone learn these routines beforehand?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Oh, yeah.

[Ben Schwartz]

I feel like they're regular. I feel like they're all regulars.

[June Diane Raphael]

These moves are changing, though, and these are slight movements, but that's like Tracey Anderson at the drop of a time, like Tracy.

[Paul Scheer]

That's like a Tracey Anderson, like, kind of workout. Like, you know what she's gonna do.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I've done Tracy Anderson a bunch. No big deal. But I don't know.

[Paul Scheer]

I've done it too.

[June Diane Raphael]

I don't know. I don't know every single thing.

[Ben Schwartz]

I don't know the moves. I feel like people in that era would be like, oh, and then we're gonna grapevine and then we're gonna.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah, you're right, though. Jamie Lee Curtis never exactly. She never goes and out of arms or this. It's a silent.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

She just knows. And by the way, I wanted to point out that. So she is the most popular instructor at the most popular gym in la. Doesn't work on weekends. You want to go to Mammoth this Saturday? Yeah, sure. Fuck it.

[Paul Scheer]

She's like pulling all the classes would be. She's pulling triple shift. She's like, I gotta head over to Beverly Hills now. I gotta go over here now. I gotta go in the Valley.

[June Diane Raphael]

Well, the big question I have about Jamie Lee Curtis is, and I guess all the women, are they wearing stockings under those leotards?

[Ben Schwartz]

Yes.

[Paul Scheer]

Fuck, yes.

[June Diane Raphael]

Wow.

[Ben Schwartz]

And it looks crazy.

[June Diane Raphael]

That's really crazy.

[Ben Schwartz]

It's really weird because it's those high cut leotards with stockings. With like sheer stockings or whatever. Paul. Sheer stockings.

[June Diane Raphael]

And they're sweating. I mean, they are working out. Oh, God, I say it.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

June. You're worried about yeast infection.

[June Diane Raphael]

No, I'm worried. I'm worried.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

We're all thinking it. That's why you guys brought it up.

[Ben Schwartz]

That's. I mean, think about it. They're wearing stockings and a leotard. So that's like multiple layers of.

[June Diane Raphael]

And underwear.

[Ben Schwartz]

I would assume natural fibers. Right. On their biz.

[Paul Scheer]

Seemingly, though, the guy who looks like Roger Daltrey is wearing the same exact thing.

[June Diane Raphael]

That's true.

[Paul Scheer]

Stockings and like his dick has disappeared. He is Ken doll down there.

[Guest or Announcer]

Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

And I don't know what is going on, but even the women look unnatural because maybe their waists are high. It's just too flattering.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

There's a lot of weird shapes and it's like.

[June Diane Raphael]

I think the bodies were normal. I just think it's angles and waistlines and cuts that we're not used to.

[Ben Schwartz]

It looked. I'll be honest, it looked weird. But everybody also looked great.

[June Diane Raphael]

I thought everybody looked wonderful.

[Paul Scheer]

I thought Jamie Lee Curtis was straight up.

[Ben Schwartz]

I wish people dressed like that. And I was so happy to be like, look at all these people. And it's not like everybody looks fake and plastic and weird. Everybody looks like real people who are just in Weird shape. And the weirdness was like hairstyles and clothing, right?

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah.

[Ben Schwartz]

Not like, oh, I don't know, their weird bodies.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I, I don't know if this is true, but it seemed like just about everybody that was at the gym that wasn't somebody famous that you knew actually worked at that gym. Because like the guy that gave him the tour was like, hey man, let me show you.

[Ben Schwartz]

Whatever the guy.

[Audience Member or Additional Guest]

Here we go.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, I got really. I actually, I actually have that introduction.

[June Diane Raphael]

They all have like very heavy tongues. Something was weird.

[Paul Scheer]

Here is the gym introduction, which is pretty amazing. The acting in this.

[Ben Schwartz]

If you cut all of the actual gym, aerobics, workouts, shots of people working out all of that together, it's two hours.

[Paul Scheer]

By the way, this movie is full of this. And I'll do my best to explain it, but you guys are smart, you'll get it. These ADR esque shots where it's just on a building and then a full dialogue scene. We don't see anybody, but we're just here like, hey, so you got to get that story. Well, story today. Yeah, the story's got to be due today. Well, I can't get it today. Go ahead and do another thing.

[Ben Schwartz]

I kept thinking that my thing had frozen.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah.

[Ben Schwartz]

Because I was like this, this much talking can't be happening over a static image screen.

[Paul Scheer]

Talking like so much off screen talking like. Or like really high angles of characters like walking in. They're like, well, you need to give them the camera. I gotta get that camera from you. All right, shut up. Get over here.

[Ben Schwartz]

When you think about how much stuff they show people doing, what must they

[Paul Scheer]

have not gotten Some test audience is like, we need to connect the dots way more. Here is the introduction. One of my favorite sequences coming up here. And here we have the co ed gym.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Ah, so this is where all the

[Paul Scheer]

action takes place, huh? Yeah, on the free weights, the universal equipment, the Nautilus and the I carrying equipment.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I feel so guilty, all these people working out.

[Paul Scheer]

You have your life cycle bikes.

[June Diane Raphael]

Hi, Bobby.

[Paul Scheer]

Hi, Linda.

[June Diane Raphael]

I miss you. I never see you anymore.

[Paul Scheer]

Adam.

[Guest or Announcer]

Linda. Linda.

[Audience Member or Additional Guest]

Adam.

[Paul Scheer]

Hello, Linda.

[June Diane Raphael]

No, I mean it. I really miss you.

[Paul Scheer]

I used to work up here as an instructor before I was.

[June Diane Raphael]

I used to work on my body looking good. God knows I try. I'm still in the before group, you know, not the after, but I'm gonna get there.

[Paul Scheer]

Where's Sally?

[Sponsor or Promo Voice]

She here?

[June Diane Raphael]

She's over there working out with Roger. Trying to make her tits even bigger.

[Paul Scheer]

Well, see ya. Nice meeting you too. What's Your story. She has seen her. She was a mess.

[June Diane Raphael]

What do you mean?

[Paul Scheer]

I've never seen anybody work so hard

[Sponsor or Promo Voice]

to get into shade.

[Paul Scheer]

Here it is. Hi, Shelly.

[June Diane Raphael]

Oh, he's killing me.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Come on, let's go back to work.

[Guest or Announcer]

Come on.

[June Diane Raphael]

Three more.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

There's a couple. By the way, they are disgusting.

[Paul Scheer]

Well, Sally works with Linda.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

They're so fucking gross.

[Paul Scheer]

I know, I know. That clip is long, but it just shows you. Like, that's what every scene feels like. No one's like, we can edit out some of this.

[Ben Schwartz]

No, no, no.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

It's like, let me give you a tour of the club. It's 45 minutes and here's every second of it.

[Paul Scheer]

Can you give that message to Jane? Oh, yeah. What do you want to say? Just tell her we'll meet up later.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Jeff, I told you. Listen, you got to staple things on the left side, not on the right, because.

[Paul Scheer]

Right, okay. Of course. Yeah, I'll do that.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Here, follow me. Let me show you how to load the stapler.

[June Diane Raphael]

It's so before this guy does his tour, another woman had come out before him and also given a bit of a spiel. I mean, there's so many, what if?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

At the time this came out, people in gyms were like, thank you. You finally got it right. Well, I was finally told our side of this.

[Ben Schwartz]

It does make you wonder. Were they like, well, we have to explain it all, because conceptually, this is insane. The idea that this place exists with nine racquetball courts and all of this shit and all of the other nonsense is so absolutely bananas that we gotta really, piece by piece, explain what's going on.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I feel like half of the movie is explaining there's such a thing called aerobics. Yeah, it's aerobics. They work out, they exercise.

[Ben Schwartz]

Wait, I wanna ask you this, ladies. Can you exercise and make your tits bigger?

[June Diane Raphael]

No.

[Ben Schwartz]

That machine, is that an exercise? No. Right.

[Paul Scheer]

Wait. Half the audience is saying, yeah. I was like, no.

[Ben Schwartz]

Wait, who says yes? Oh, nobody's saying yes. So you're all saying no. Okay, Wait, what?

[Paul Scheer]

There still seems to be your pec muscles.

[Ben Schwartz]

Your pec muscles.

[June Diane Raphael]

I think that was just Linda's rage speaking.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Right?

[Ben Schwartz]

But, like, that's. She's talking about Marilu Henner. She's working out, I don't think in a bra.

[June Diane Raphael]

No, nobody wears a bra.

[Ben Schwartz]

Nobody wears bras.

[Paul Scheer]

And her boyfriend.

[Ben Schwartz]

I missed this. I wish people didn't wear bras anymore.

[Paul Scheer]

Her boyfriend loves to work out, like kneeling in front of her. On the.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

On the pictorial, there's no reason for him to be. It's a automated machine.

[Ben Schwartz]

To be fair. This is when you could eat. Your girlfriend's at the gym and nobody cared.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Somebody walks 20 minute limit. Dude, come on, let me in there.

[Paul Scheer]

And, and obviously, just so we know, I mean, not that we have to restate this, but this is an autobiographical film.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Like, it's based on a true set of articles in Rolling Stone.

[Paul Scheer]

Yes. By a guy named. His name was Aaron Latham. So they share the same initials, but the Jan Warner stuff. I want to talk about him because like we said, he is a co founder of Rolling Stone. He plays the managing editor of Rolling Stone. I thought he was pretty good.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

He wasn't as bad as I thought he was going to be.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah, right. You would think he would be stiff. I felt like he was.

[June Diane Raphael]

He's pretty natural.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

But he had. He had that thing of like. I'm going to shrug. I'm going to stay the line real quick. Listen, I don't know, you go out there, California, you write the line, give me Adam.

[Paul Scheer]

Like, I feel like you look like

[Jason Mantzoukas]

a little boy, by the way. A little roly, poly little boy.

[Ben Schwartz]

Tiny man.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yeah,

[Paul Scheer]

cute little. You want to hug him?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Peanut butter and jelly smeared all over

[Ben Schwartz]

his face and a giant swirly lollipop.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I need that.

[Paul Scheer]

But this is why I think this is my issue with the movie. Besides the length and everything else is

[Ben Schwartz]

like, they had so long.

[Paul Scheer]

They had to please so many masters. Because it's like, okay, we can't make Rolling Stone look bad. We can't make Sports Connection look bad because they're giving us their logos and everything like that. We can't make, you know, we can't make. And no one can look bad.

[June Diane Raphael]

Rolling Stone does look bad, though.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Well, I guess because they fuck with the journalistic integrity.

[Paul Scheer]

Maybe they do. That's why Jan Werner didn't want to be John Werner. He wanted to be whatever the fuck his name was.

[Ben Schwartz]

Marcus.

[Paul Scheer]

Mark Roth.

[Ben Schwartz]

Oh, Mark. Mark.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah. Because.

[Ben Schwartz]

Yeah. No, they farm it out to David Pamer at the end. Everybody's favorite bad guy.

[June Diane Raphael]

I mean, the premise of this movie. Right, Isn't it David Pamer?

[Ben Schwartz]

Yeah.

[June Diane Raphael]

The premise of this movie is really insane. Insane. It's just so insane.

[Ben Schwartz]

Yeah. When you think about how much happens to Travolta over the course of the movie. It's wild.

[Paul Scheer]

Well, I mean, seemingly takes place what, like, over, like, I don't know.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Well, five years, six years.

[Paul Scheer]

Five years.

[Ben Schwartz]

At least five or six. It begins. It begins at the obit section at the Jersey Journal.

[Paul Scheer]

Five years.

[June Diane Raphael]

Well, I don't know how long he was in jail for, like. How long. How long did it take?

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, I think he was in jail for. I said this to you. I think he was in jail for quite some time.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

No.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah, I think that that went off. He comes out of it.

[Ben Schwartz]

Oh, really?

[June Diane Raphael]

How do you know? Because Mackenzie. I mean, I don't know when his court date was, but I don't. I mean.

[Paul Scheer]

I mean, he had to go a whole trial.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah. He could have been in jail for years.

[Ben Schwartz]

I think they tried to get him to give the tapes for the trial of MacKenzie. He wouldn't give them up, so they had to do the trial of mc. I guess maybe it could have lasted

[Paul Scheer]

taking a while before the trial. I feel like this movie took place in two and a half weeks, give or take.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yeah, that's.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah, yeah. Like. And so much goes on. He's in Morocco, New York, LA. New York, LA. Again, like, he's on so many flights and he's just. I mean, his body is tired from working out, too.

[June Diane Raphael]

I mean, oh, my God.

[Paul Scheer]

He literally can't get out of bed. The next morning after his aerobics, she

[Jason Mantzoukas]

shattered his glutes from all that.

[June Diane Raphael]

What's so weird, though, is that he doesn't have any. There's no learning curve with him in aerobics. Like, he jumps into that class and knows exactly what to do.

[Paul Scheer]

As we all saw.

[Ben Schwartz]

I really thought the movie was gonna be. Because I didn't know this movie prior to watching it. And I thought the movie was going to be. He jumps into the aerobic scene and is like, I'm in. And is like, heavy to aerobics, starts competing. But I thought that's what was going

[Paul Scheer]

to happen to the aerobic Olympics.

[Ben Schwartz]

When I get to.

[Paul Scheer]

Where's the aerobic Olympics? That was going on.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

It was some benefit. It was some sort of. You know, what they should have done through a full character arc. Here's what should have happened. He, at the movie, starts the way it starts. Then he goes through this thing. He and Jamie Lee Curtis fall in love. She dies in aerobics class and love it. And then he has to write her obituary.

[Ben Schwartz]

Right.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

That would be the full. The full. And I love, too, how they eventually explain it, but where he goes, I want. I want to write a story about you. And she's like, no, no way. I've been burned before. Like, as if it's a common thing. Like, listen, every woman's been fucked over by a reporter.

[Ben Schwartz]

Yeah.

[June Diane Raphael]

But apparently so unusual.

[Ben Schwartz]

She Was so burned. Jan Wenner, the photographer, and David Pamer are all like, she looks familiar.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah.

[Ben Schwartz]

Because the story helps, apparently.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

The story was huge. And that's. I was like, don't. The people in la, they would know you're so popular. They would. They would get this scandal.

[Paul Scheer]

Well, my issue with this, I mean, the other thing too, is she. I was burned by a reporter. We find out she wasn't. He reported what happened. Like, again, we're mad at their supporters for simply doing their job.

[June Diane Raphael]

And wasn't that relationship. Wasn't she. I mean, her coach was much older than her. And wasn't she on the high school.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yeah, she was in high school.

[Sponsor or Promo Voice]

Yeah.

[June Diane Raphael]

That's really inappropriate and should be reported.

[Paul Scheer]

Somebody should. Yes.

[Ben Schwartz]

You could argue the unsung hero of this movie is that reporter.

[Paul Scheer]

But yet. But yet she's under some sort of, like, she's under some sort of spell by her former coach. She's like, look, don't. Whatever you do, don't mention my coach in this article. Because he just got back together with his wife.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yeah. She's still in touch with him. Obviously,

[Paul Scheer]

things are working out for him. Why are we rooting for that guy to be back with his wife?

[Ben Schwartz]

Oh, no, I want them to work it out. I want them to work it out. I believe in them. And by the way, the picture in the story was him, like, holding her face like this.

[Paul Scheer]

Don't do that during the photographer's there.

[Ben Schwartz]

Don't. At a swim meet. Have a tender embrace. What are you, Bella? Caroly.

[June Diane Raphael]

It's so weird, too, that after we've spent so much time with her as an aerobics instructor, we then find out, like, she's not even into. She wasn't even into aerobics.

[Paul Scheer]

She's really into swimming.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

Which, by the way, leads to my favorite scene in the movie when Travolta watches her out the window and she sees the pool and she just kind of bends down to be like, oh, pool, I knew thee well.

[June Diane Raphael]

See, I missed. I think you had a different reading of that scene. I. I think she was holding the tapes he gave her. Oh, and getting the tapes wet.

[Ben Schwartz]

Really?

[Paul Scheer]

She was touching the pool.

[June Diane Raphael]

No, she wasn't. She wasn't petting the pool.

[Ben Schwartz]

She is drawn.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Why are you giving this movie credit for subtlety?

[Paul Scheer]

Just taking just that moment.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

That's the only time they weren't. They didn't hit it right over the head.

[June Diane Raphael]

She just taken the tape. She didn't want to leave them in the pool, but she wanted to make sure they were destroyed.

[Ben Schwartz]

No, I don't think so.

[Paul Scheer]

No, she didn't drop those.

[Ben Schwartz]

No, she was having a tender moment with that pool.

[Paul Scheer]

Used to sleep the fuck out of you.

[Ben Schwartz]

That's like. That's like if in the movie she had been like, oh, I used to jump horses. And then they found out that I was sleeping with my coach. And then she, like, walked by a stable and was like.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And she fed the tapes to the horses.

[Ben Schwartz]

That would be.

[June Diane Raphael]

Well, I guess I don't put the

[Jason Mantzoukas]

tapes in an apple and.

[Sponsor or Promo Voice]

This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Have you ever avoided a difficult conversation? Minimized how you felt or waited until things felt really heavy before reaching out to a friend, family member, or significant other? You know, even in 2026, stigma can get in the way of a lot of things, like getting support for your mental health. I mean, maybe you've encouraged your friends to consider therapy while avoiding taking the first step yourself because you're busy, you know, you're worried what others will think, or you're just telling yourself that you should handle it alone. But therapy with BetterHelp, the world's largest online therapy platform, can be a space to slow down and talk through what's been building before it feels unmanageable. Just take a short questionnaire to identify your needs and Preferences, and BetterHelp will handle the initial therapist matching work for you. Their industry leading match fulfillment rate means that BetterHelp typically gets it right the first time. Feel confident knowing betterhelp therapists work according to a strict code of conduct and are fully licensed in the US don't let stigma stand in the way of support. Start therapy with better help. Sign up and get 10% [e-mail] Bonkers that's better. H E L P.com Bonkers let's talk about that feeling. That feeling that you get when you are three days out from someone's birthday and you have no idea what to get them. I mean, you want to get them something good, something that feels personal, but not a gift card gets a little too generic. You know, you want to get them something that is memorable. Well, that's where Zazzle comes in. Zazzle is a custom marketplace where you can take any product, a mug, a tote bag, a card, a phone case, and make it mean something. You're not buying a gift, you're making one. You can browse millions of designs or start from scratch and build something completely your own. Either way, you are the designer now. We actually tried this out and it was pretty Amazing. We made Zippo lighters with the how to Discipit made logo on them. They are awesome. It was very easy to do and it feels kind of cool and personal. So whatever you want to do, you can make for a friend and make them feel good. And right now you can save 25% off your first [e-mail]. that's 25% savings on your first order@zazzle dot com. Go make something zamazing.

[June Diane Raphael]

Zazzle.com Close your eyes, exhale. Feel your body relax and let go

[Paul Scheer]

of whatever you're carrying today.

[June Diane Raphael]

Well, I'm letting go of the worry that I wouldn't get my new contacts in time for this class. I got them delivered free from 1-800-contacts. Oh my gosh, they're so fast.

[Paul Scheer]

And breathe.

[June Diane Raphael]

Oh, sorry. I almost couldn't breathe when I saw the discount they gave me on my first order. Oh, sorry. Namaste. Visit 1-800-contacts.com today to save on your first order.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

1-800-contacts.

[Paul Scheer]

Avril makes amazing mixes for this show. Found something that was really interesting. Go online. The audience here has already seen it. We can't play because it's just visual, but a video called Thrust it. You can find it on the movie BITCHES channel on YouTube. It is exactly what you think. Thrust it with John Travolta. Would you recommend to see it? Right, everyone? So go check that out.

[Ben Schwartz]

If you want to experience like an absolute hypnotic nightmare of Travolta Dick. Watch this video.

[June Diane Raphael]

See, what's interesting about him in the aerobics class is he seems surprised that his body is doing the things it's doing. Like he's like watching it all and just like. Yeah, it's just a strange.

[Ben Schwartz]

His facial expressions are they as if to say, can you believe this?

[June Diane Raphael]

You believe this?

[Paul Scheer]

You know what it's called? Thrust It. It's amazing. It's.

[Ben Schwartz]

By the way, this video, it's weird.

[Paul Scheer]

This video should be on a loop in every like cool bar.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I was super impressed with whoever did who was like the sweat roadie on this movie. Oh yeah. Cause they just like everybody only either had a V of sweat here or a V of sweat here. There was no nasty butt sweat. There was no lower back sweat. Everybody just had perfect.

[June Diane Raphael]

I just love weird patches.

[Ben Schwartz]

Everybody had sexy sweat.

[Paul Scheer]

Here's another thing that that Avril found that and made a mashup of. And I'm not even gonna tell you what it is. I think it will become self explanatory. But here is. Well, I won't Tell you, you'll figure it out.

[Ben Schwartz]

Hello?

[Paul Scheer]

Hello, Hello,

[Guest or Announcer]

Hello,

[June Diane Raphael]

Hello.

[Audience Member or Additional Guest]

Yes. Hello, hello,

[Jason Mantzoukas]

hello. Yes, mark.

[Audience Member or Additional Guest]

Hello, hello,

[June Diane Raphael]

hello,

[Jason Mantzoukas]

hello,

[Guest or Announcer]

Hello,

[June Diane Raphael]

Hello.

[Paul Scheer]

Yes, hello, this is Adam Lawrence. Leave a message.

[June Diane Raphael]

Should be

[Paul Scheer]

Adam Smart.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Hello, Mr. Lawrence?

[Guest or Announcer]

Adam.

[Paul Scheer]

No, that is every phone call.

[Ben Schwartz]

That's what's amazing. What's amazing is that I would say, what, like, 98% are first ring pickups. How often do you pick up a phone ringing? Pick once.

[Paul Scheer]

It was the 80s. Things were picking up. It was easy.

[June Diane Raphael]

Did they ever call back? The Boy George?

[Audience Member or Additional Guest]

No.

[Ben Schwartz]

Didn't you think we were gonna see Boy George? Of course.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Set you up.

[Ben Schwartz]

We've seen Carly Simon.

[Paul Scheer]

I mean, I thought we saw Boy George. I thought one of those people was Boy George. No, but, yeah, we see Carly Simon. We see Lauren Hutton in a cameo where she's making liquid nitrogen ice cream.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Right.

[Paul Scheer]

Which seemingly is like. Like, wow, Rolling Stone editors, they're cool. Like, I mean, like, they're just traveling this weird world, but like, Lauren Hutton, I guess, comes to your house if you're the head of Rolling Stone.

[Sponsor or Promo Voice]

I don't know.

[Guest or Announcer]

Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

Interesting fact about this movie. If you've been listening to this podcast and while at the time of this recording, you may or may not know this, but this movie has distinction of having Chelsea Field in it. And Chelsea Field has been in Masters of the Universe, Death Spa, and perfect. She has pulled the last actress who's been in every movie that we've done the last three movies.

[Ben Schwartz]

This is a hat trick for her, in order.

[Paul Scheer]

Yes.

[Ben Schwartz]

That's amazing.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah. So that is pretty amazing. Chelsea Fields. Give it up for Chelsea Fields,

[Jason Mantzoukas]

all three.

[Ben Schwartz]

Are you here, Chelsea? No, there's.

[Paul Scheer]

Lauren Hutton is liquid nitrogen ice cream. Is that like a thing? Was that ever a thing? I thought they were making fondue.

[Ben Schwartz]

I'm shocked it wasn't fondue. When you. When you say liquid nitrogen ice cream, all I hear is fondue.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yeah, well, I feel like there was a subtle thing that maybe got edited out, but they had more of a LA vs. New York storyline through this because they have a couple little snarky quirks about, like, oh, Brussels sprouts. And then here is making liquid nitrogen ice cream at his Upper west side apartment.

[Ben Schwartz]

Come on, Jan Wenner.

[Paul Scheer]

Come on. Well, here's an interesting fact about this movie that. That Jamie Lee Curtis wanted to play Lorraine Newman's part. The thought that was a more interesting. Yes. Thought Linda's a much more sympathetic and interesting character. But then I guess people would not let her do that.

[June Diane Raphael]

I mean, I thought Lorraine Newman was great. In this. I mean, it's a. Gosh. Linda has it tough, though.

[Ben Schwartz]

Oh, the scene where she is drunkenly preparing coffee because Mary Lou Henner has gotten engaged. And she is crestfallen, by the way.

[Paul Scheer]

Preparing coffee after midnight. Because we all know Mary Lou Henner would not accept any birthday salutation until midnight. That was stated in the film. And then she. They cut the cake and then she's like, I'll make the coffee. For who? For everyone is drunk and fucking now at this party. Like, who wants a nice cup of coffee?

[Ben Schwartz]

Well, everybody. Everybody needs to get a little caffeine in their system so they can gang bang.

[Paul Scheer]

And then at that party, they go like, I like everything healthy, so I'm keeping everything healthy but the cake. Meanwhile, everyone has liquor in their hands. Everyone is getting drunk as fuck at that party.

[June Diane Raphael]

I also feel like that was not much of a proposal.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, yeah. You were disturbed by that.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah, he just pulled out a ring and, you know, there was a bunch of people around and that was that. He didn't even say, will you marry me?

[Ben Schwartz]

They're still together?

[June Diane Raphael]

No.

[Ben Schwartz]

You don't think they laugh?

[June Diane Raphael]

I did not. No.

[Ben Schwartz]

Now, I would like to talk to you, June, specifically.

[June Diane Raphael]

What's up?

[Ben Schwartz]

About the Magic Mike scene in this movie. Do you remember when stripping looked like that? Now that we've seen Magic Mike, doesn't this look shameful? All this guy does. Okay, yeah, go ahead.

[Paul Scheer]

Well, no, there's no sound. You can just talk through it.

[Ben Schwartz]

All this guy does, he takes his clothes off. Fine. But then all he does is single leg kicks and basic thrusting. Arm, arm, arm, arm, arm, arm. Oh, yeah.

[June Diane Raphael]

Thrust, thrust.

[Paul Scheer]

Just.

[Ben Schwartz]

That's thrusting, thrusting.

[June Diane Raphael]

I hate about that move, by the way.

[Paul Scheer]

Kick, kick, kick, push up.

[Ben Schwartz]

Thrusting, thrusting, thrusting arms, arms, arms, arms. Thrusting, thrusting. Kick, kick, thrusting, thrusting, thrusting arms, arms. Kick, kick, thrust, thrust, kick. That's it. That's what stripping was in the 80s.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, wait a second. We gotta talk about. About the best scene in the entire movie.

[Ben Schwartz]

That one. Yes, because that's it right there, Paul. We just watched it.

[Paul Scheer]

I'm just saying. But that scene continues to. John Travolta literally being in a closet, just interviewing Lorraine Newman at a men's strip club. Like, interviewing. Like I can't even describe to you.

[Ben Schwartz]

No, he can't be on the floor because he's.

[Paul Scheer]

Man, I get it.

[Ben Schwartz]

He's behind a screen.

[Paul Scheer]

He's behind a screen and he's doing an interview. Like, it's bonkers.

[June Diane Raphael]

It is so weird too, because it's.

[Ben Schwartz]

It.

[June Diane Raphael]

The setting of it is in, like a gladiator type, like arena. Yeah. It's like, there's no stage, but it's Chippendales.

[Ben Schwartz]

So there's also guys that are in, like, those weird bow ties and cuffs situation, trying to corral the women.

[June Diane Raphael]

What I hated most about that dance, if you can even call it that, was the marching and thrusting.

[Ben Schwartz]

Yes.

[June Diane Raphael]

If it was just thrusting, I think

[Paul Scheer]

he's on a mission to fuck you.

[Ben Schwartz]

It's not erotic at all. It's not erotic at all. It is just pumping, pumping, pumping, pumping. He's just like, pumping, pumping, pumping in a way that is. Can't. Ladies. I don't know. I've never had sex, but that. That can't be good.

[June Diane Raphael]

Sexy. No, it's not great. And it's also. He's pasty and he. Travolta's wearing, like, a diaper.

[Ben Schwartz]

He's wearing a jock strap.

[June Diane Raphael]

I know it's a jockstrap.

[Ben Schwartz]

June, did you think that was a diaper?

[June Diane Raphael]

I know it's a jockstrap, but the way it looks from our angle, it looks like he's a giant man in

[Ben Schwartz]

a diaper, which arguably I would be more into because that would suggest.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Well, let's hear that argument sort of

[Ben Schwartz]

deviance that I'm more curious about than just a jock strap and really athletic thr.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yeah, he should have. What really would have made that strip teeth sexy if he had a big baby bonnet on the whole time.

[Paul Scheer]

I. I do want to. I do want to say something. I want to just say.

[Ben Schwartz]

I want there to be a stripper scene with a man in a baby bonnet so bad.

[Paul Scheer]

I would love that. I just want to say. And I think it's like, I want to make a big deal out of it or anything like that, but he's not a stripper. He's an exotic dancer.

[June Diane Raphael]

And

[Paul Scheer]

I just, you know, let's respect. Let's respect what's going on there. All right? Just, you know. All right, we're going to come to you guys right now, the audience. If you have something that we have not talked about, something you think that we should bring up, if you have a good question, I will give you one of these Mezco toys, which are primarily Sons of Anarchy merchandising. So if you're a Sons of Anarchy fan, you're in luck, sir. Your name, what you would title this movie and your question, go.

[Ben Schwartz]

My name's Sway.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

A robo orgy.

[Paul Scheer]

Wow. Sway. Nice. I like that. You any relation to the MTV Sway?

[Guest or Announcer]

My cousin.

[Ben Schwartz]

All right.

[Paul Scheer]

Great.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Not a question, but John Travolta is visibly aroused during the.

[Paul Scheer]

During the aerobic scene. Is he visibly aroused or.

[Ben Schwartz]

I don't do a job if he's aroused. I feel terrible for him.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah, I don't think so.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Can I tell you what I think happened? I think he just jerked off before that. And so his dick is kind of puffy and plump.

[Paul Scheer]

Plumped it up.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

That's what I think it is.

[Ben Schwartz]

He's got post cum. Puffy dick,

[Jason Mantzoukas]

pcpd.

[Paul Scheer]

All right, I got a question back here, sir. Your name, your title, your question. Here we go. My name's Ben. I would call it 90% thrusting, 10% labored breathing. Great. I like that title. And have we addressed the use of the phrase sphincter muscle yet?

[Ben Schwartz]

Oh, no. Thank you.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Thanks, Ben.

[Ben Schwartz]

Not only does Jamie Lee Curtis call him a sphincter muscle instead of an asshole, I guess he then later, 45 minutes, at least later says, you know, you called me a sphincter muscle. To which she replies, I know. Oh, no. She replies, you are one.

[Paul Scheer]

But that's the. I mean, that's. We're in an adult world, right? They could say something more.

[Ben Schwartz]

He swears in the movie. It's not like it's a. Ratings.

[June Diane Raphael]

I think, honestly, I think it was about. About her understanding of, like, the human body.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I think it was to show she's the best aerobics instructor in la.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah. She wouldn't call it by its. Like. By its normal term. She called it by its medical term, sphincter muscle.

[Ben Schwartz]

She understands the anus, or the sphincter muscle is the thing that she would exercise in class.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah.

[Ben Schwartz]

So this one. This one's really getting your sphincter muscle, everybody. All right.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

That's how you sign in for the class.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, you. Oh, you have a book. I'm gonna go to the book.

[Ben Schwartz]

All right.

[Paul Scheer]

Your name, your title of the movie and your question.

[June Diane Raphael]

My name is Jordana. My title is Leotards and Half Chubbs.

[Ben Schwartz]

Leotards and Half Chubbs.

[June Diane Raphael]

That's it.

[Ben Schwartz]

Okay, Jordana, I'm listening.

[June Diane Raphael]

I would just like to address Jamie Lee Curtis's first interaction with the computer. Two pronged. Addression, not question. First of all, she says that she has taken a few computer classes, yet she does not know how to delete.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah, she was. And he really walks her through.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

It's the third class, though. Delete is the third computer class.

[June Diane Raphael]

And yes, here's a really weird thing about that, because they're setting up. It's so weird because she will come to delete his article.

[Paul Scheer]

Right.

[June Diane Raphael]

Okay. So. So it's so strange that they felt they needed to set up how she knew how to delete. They also, like, we needed to see the scene in which she maybe.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I don't know. Like, maybe. When was this movie made?

[Paul Scheer]

1985 is when maybe everybody was just

[Jason Mantzoukas]

a total fucking moron then. We don't. We take for granted that we're pretty smart. Everybody's like, well, they do take.

[Ben Schwartz]

All the computer scenes are long, and it's long shots of the computer itself. As if audiences at the time would be like. I think they kind of were.

[Paul Scheer]

He also. Jason is my.

[Ben Schwartz]

What is this? What are we watching?

[Paul Scheer]

I was gonna say true, though.

[Ben Schwartz]

I think they literally had to be like, click, click, click, word, letter, letter, letter. So people would be like, What is the world we're living in?

[Paul Scheer]

He seemingly.

[Ben Schwartz]

It's like when audiences saw a train in the 1920s in a movie, and we're like, uh oh. Uh oh. Like, the Lumiere brothers fucking blew our minds. They did that with a computer. 2001 came out in 1969.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Well, he also. At a certain point, he's like, I leave it on in case I get inspired so it doesn't have to warm up in the middle of the night. Yeah, we've come a long way.

[Paul Scheer]

He also. He also seems to travel very light. And yet he never carries that computer. Wherever he is, he has that computer with him. But that computer is big and bulky. Like, that's a carry. That's not a carry on that.

[Ben Schwartz]

And then when she types, wanna fuck? Question mark.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I like that.

[Paul Scheer]

And then he writes back, you got me or I give up.

[Ben Schwartz]

The answer is yes. What are you, a fucking idiot? You win. Come on.

[Paul Scheer]

All right.

[Sponsor or Promo Voice]

Your name.

[Ben Schwartz]

From yelling.

[Paul Scheer]

Your name. Your title of the movie and your question.

[June Diane Raphael]

My name is Cassie. I don't have a good title, but I just.

[Ben Schwartz]

Cassidy.

[June Diane Raphael]

Cassie.

[Ben Schwartz]

Cassie.

[June Diane Raphael]

Sorry, short for Cassidy.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

No. Why are you furious all of a sudden?

[Ben Schwartz]

Casey, your name is a lie.

[Paul Scheer]

You don't even have to really memorize their names. Go ahead. Yeah.

[June Diane Raphael]

My question is. There seemed to be a setup of when the whole MacKenzie story broke. They kept saying, oh, somebody got an advanced copy. Did you give it to him?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

No.

[June Diane Raphael]

Did you give it to him? And it seemed like they were setting up this big betrayal and they were gonna find out that somebody leaked the story. And then nothing happened.

[Paul Scheer]

It just was, like, popular. That's all. It was like that. He wrote a story that was kind

[June Diane Raphael]

of popular, but that was before it was published. People Kept asking about it, but.

[Paul Scheer]

But Jan Werner's like, hey, turn on the radio. Your story is leaked.

[June Diane Raphael]

They said that someone like Pre released a copy, and they.

[Ben Schwartz]

I'm betting Hamer. I bet it's David Pamer. He's everybody's favorite weasel.

[Paul Scheer]

Well, we can't talk about America's favorite weasel without talking about America's sweetheart, the photographer, Frankie.

[Ben Schwartz]

I loved her.

[Paul Scheer]

I loved her. Loved her.

[Ben Schwartz]

She was my favorite character.

[June Diane Raphael]

She was amazing. And, like, I really. I don't know, I felt like I saw her entire life in New York City.

[Ben Schwartz]

Yep.

[June Diane Raphael]

With that hair and that outfit and the job. I was like, she's the, like, dude,

[Ben Schwartz]

Coke with Bernadette Peters.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah. And I'm envious. Like, what a life.

[Paul Scheer]

Sir, your name.

[Ben Schwartz]

I loved when she was.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Sorry.

[Ben Schwartz]

I loved when she was like, she arrived in la, she was like, oh, maybe I'll have some time to find an assistant and whatever else I need to keep me up or say. She makes, like, a real. Like, I need drugs immediately.

[Paul Scheer]

She also.

[Ben Schwartz]

I was like, wow.

[Paul Scheer]

She has one of the most bold entrances. Comes in, immediately, goes to whatever his tray is, eats, and drinks everything off of it. She drinks out of his glass, eats his French fries. I don't know. I thought that was a bold move.

[Ben Schwartz]

No, thank you.

[Paul Scheer]

No, I wouldn't want it. Germs 100%.

[Ben Schwartz]

She just got off a plane. Her immune system weak.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

A plane in 1980, by the way.

[Ben Schwartz]

So it's full of smoke. Remember when we smoked on planes? That was recently.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And she has the biggest turn we can. When. Tell me when we can talk about the credit sequence.

[Paul Scheer]

I mean, I want to talk about this credit sequence because it does not

[Jason Mantzoukas]

belong in this particular movie.

[Paul Scheer]

No, I'll come back.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I'm glad they did it, but they kind of. It was a romance, and it was a kind of, like, political thriller. And at the end, it's something about Mary for some reason.

[Paul Scheer]

Well, let's just play it, and then we'll. I'll get, like, a couple more questions and then. But this is this. This the closing credits. Again, you can't see it, but it is exactly like Seth.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I do want to set up for those of you who haven't seen it.

[Ben Schwartz]

It's.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

It's like. It's a pretty serious. It's not that goofy a movie.

[Paul Scheer]

No, not at all.

[Sponsor or Promo Voice]

Drama.

[Guest or Announcer]

Right?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

But this is the credit sequence.

[Paul Scheer]

Everyone gets a title card with their name and. But they're playing to the camera. Jamie Lee. Amazing.

[Ben Schwartz]

Jamie Lee Curtis. Looks unbelievably cute.

[June Diane Raphael]

Cute in this movie, she's so sexy, so hot.

[Paul Scheer]

Now, wait. So let's now talk about this then. The final one is Travolta. Why is he not dancing? Everyone is dancing. Everyone wants to see Travolta dance one more time. And he's out of breath.

[Ben Schwartz]

He's like, no, I'm not. I'm not. I'll dance in the movie, but I won't dance in the credits.

[Paul Scheer]

And he's like. He's just looking around like. Like, I'm embarrassed.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Look how excited those astrology people are behind him. Thank you so much, Mr. Travolta.

[Paul Scheer]

John Travolta did not work for four years after this movie. Anyway, go on aerobics.

[Ben Schwartz]

Aerobics and the world of aerobics are, like, the whitest thing in the world next to improv. Comming to podcasts.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Next to improv comedy.

[Paul Scheer]

I would say it was improv comedy. Podcasting, aerobics.

[Ben Schwartz]

Okay, okay.

[Paul Scheer]

Or vice ver. Yeah, I agree. Okay. Your name, your title, and your question. My name is John. The title of the movie is all the President's Men Thrust. Oh, nice. And the question is an interesting correlation between this and staying alive in John Travolta's speed of, like, response on a phone call. And when Mackenzie first calls him, he's like, hello. Yeah, it's me. Oh, you want to meet?

[Ben Schwartz]

Okay, that's the call in the.

[Paul Scheer]

In the lobby in the flop house and staying alive. So he just gets. Gets information quickly. There you go. They take, like, these that. Yeah, he does.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yeah, he came. It's like. It's like in acting classes at the time, they were taught by, like, James Cagney or something. So it was all like, huh.

[Paul Scheer]

All right, wait, mobster's here.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

0Q592. I'll be down in a gyp. Okay.

[Paul Scheer]

All right, I see. I see a person back there. They seem like they have a very good explanation. Hope your name, your title, your question. Here. Here we go.

[June Diane Raphael]

Okay. Hi. My name is Lindsey. My title.

[Paul Scheer]

Sorry, Lindsey. I'm making you cross a huge aisle.

[June Diane Raphael]

My title would be Sex, drugs, and Rolling Stone.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah, that's a good one.

[June Diane Raphael]

That's actually a much better title. Thank you. I wanted to talk about.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Do we.

[June Diane Raphael]

The mom of Jamie Lee Curtis.

[Ben Schwartz]

Oh, yeah. Who's like, one year older than her.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

Who makes a great divinity. Yes. I Googled it.

[June Diane Raphael]

What is it? Yeah, it's got, like, egg whites and corn syrup.

[Ben Schwartz]

Oh, no, thank you.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah, it sounds weird.

[Audience Member or Additional Guest]

I don't know.

[Paul Scheer]

You die.

[Ben Schwartz]

Yeah, that would kill me. What is this?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

What is it?

[June Diane Raphael]

It's hard or soft.

[Paul Scheer]

It looks like it's hard.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But she was really into it.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah, the mom liked divinity. And apparently the mom.

[Ben Schwartz]

It might have looked like it was hard, but probably because she just jerked off. So it was maybe just.

[Paul Scheer]

Did you just want to talk about her? Do you have any. Cause we can talk. Cause I felt like the mom ratted her out. The mom was the one who said the affair.

[June Diane Raphael]

But then if the mom saved her life.

[Paul Scheer]

But if the mom knew about it, why wasn't the mom doing anything?

[Ben Schwartz]

Her daughter was the victim of a predator.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, my gosh. All right, we got someone who has a. Who believes they have one. That's. Oh, that's Guy. All right, I see it. He showed me.

[Ben Schwartz]

I will say guy in black T shirt was sitting one seat over and then made his girl girlfriend moved to the edge of the aisle.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

He also has a lump under his shirt. Be careful.

[Ben Schwartz]

Cheer.

[Paul Scheer]

All right, this is it. Your question. Your name of the movie. Your.

[Sponsor or Promo Voice]

Your name.

[Ben Schwartz]

Do not, bro.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Do not. James.

[Ben Schwartz]

Alternate title. The never ending montage.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, nice.

[June Diane Raphael]

That's. Yeah.

[Ben Schwartz]

Okay, what do you guys think was the pitch for this movie? And how might that have differed for the pitch for the article in the movie?

[Paul Scheer]

Ooh, wait. This is a tough one.

[Ben Schwartz]

What?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I think.

[Guest or Announcer]

I think.

[Ben Schwartz]

I think Go back in. Go back. Move back to your old seat.

[Paul Scheer]

So what is the pitch of the movie?

[June Diane Raphael]

I think the pitch for the movie was the article.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

The pitch for the movie is something like Jamie Lee Curtis, John Travolta. Sweaty. Shoving their junk at each other.

[Ben Schwartz]

A sweaty junk shove.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Sweaty junk shove.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah, but don't you think think that the sex was underwhelming because there's no nudity? Simulated sex. Like they. Like they were behind closed doors. It's like you're like, why isn't the camera in that room with them? Like, yeah, just like. It's like we're just kind of right outside the door, like a USA show or something.

[Ben Schwartz]

I feel like.

[Paul Scheer]

I feel like a burn notice over here.

[Ben Schwartz]

I wouldn't be surprised to. Suits. Is this. Is this movie Suits?

[Paul Scheer]

Hope it suits. Mr. Robot's gonna hack into suits and sweatsuits

[Ben Schwartz]

and get all the dirt on Rizzoli and aisles.

[Paul Scheer]

Sir, your name, your. Your title and your question. Cool. I'll hold the mic. I'll hold the mic.

[Ben Schwartz]

Don't touch the mic. Hey, hands off the mic.

[Paul Scheer]

So sorry. My name is Chris. The title is Thrustworthy. Nice. And my question is. So this movie makes such a Big deal about the opening scene where he's an obituary writer and everything after that

[Jason Mantzoukas]

is like weird dream logic and sex

[Paul Scheer]

fantasies and people changing locations. Is the rest of this film just Adam creating his own obituary?

[Ben Schwartz]

Ooh, wouldn't it be amazing if at the end. The end titles, he woke up on the obit desk and like. And nothing had changed?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

What if you find out that the ash. It's his ashes in that urn.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, I love it.

[Audience Member or Additional Guest]

And then.

[Paul Scheer]

And then. And then the writer of the Jersey Journal goes, it's better to say nothing. Or it's better to say. Wait, what's that phrase?

[Audience Member or Additional Guest]

I met.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

It's better to nobody talk.

[Ben Schwartz]

Say nothing at all.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Bad press.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah.

[Ben Schwartz]

So better to say better.

[Paul Scheer]

We're. We're all. We're all having a George Bush moment right now. It's better not to say anything then nothing at all? No, it's. Who knows it right here.

[June Diane Raphael]

Okay, if you can't say anything, nice.

[Ben Schwartz]

No, no.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

It's what Yan Weiner said, right, where he says to Carly Simon, is that what you're talking about?

[June Diane Raphael]

It's better that they're talking about you.

[Audience Member or Additional Guest]

Oh, that.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I. Sorry.

[Paul Scheer]

Better than no press at all. Well, that's bad press. But I'm just saying that, like.

[Ben Schwartz]

Wait, wait.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Two in the bird is one in the stone, right?

[Ben Schwartz]

Two in the pink, one in the stink.

[June Diane Raphael]

Hang on.

[Paul Scheer]

Well, anyway, all I'm saying is the

[Ben Schwartz]

question I want to know is, on the urn. In the urn on his desk, are there ashes that are recognizable or not? Call back to the last show, assholes.

[Paul Scheer]

Well, wow, wow, wow. I think we really have done it here with the show, but obviously we had an opinion about this movie, but there are other people out there that had a different opinion. It is now time for second opinions. You guys sing the theme, but really try to get words, not words that we've done. Make up your own words, and let's see what happens. Here we go. Go.

[Ben Schwartz]

I have a question. I do have a real, real question. Can I get house lights for a second? Is there a person in the house who thinks they have a good second song, they would like to come down here and sing into this?

[Paul Scheer]

I'll go to you. I'll go to you.

[Ben Schwartz]

Who's got it?

[Paul Scheer]

Who's gonna sing for us?

[Ben Schwartz]

Who's cowards?

[Paul Scheer]

All right, here. I got one. Here we go. What do you got? You ready? The pressure might. Might feel on, but at the same time, it's off, because whatever you do will be great. Here we go. I hold the mic. Second opinions, they're not your first. My voice is much better than Fred Durst. All right, I liked it.

[Ben Schwartz]

Can you beat it? Can somebody beat that? Anybody can any. That's what you guys are electing. I just wanted, I want you all to know the opportunity and as a group, you elected him to do that.

[Paul Scheer]

Next live show, if you bring your own theme, we'll let you sing it. All right, here we go.

[Ben Schwartz]

So all of you aspiring musicians out

[Paul Scheer]

there, bring your own keyboards. All right, here we go. Here are our second opinions. These are five star Amazon reviews. Here we go. Here we go. This is titled the 80s were a weird, amazing time. Written on my birthday, January 31st by Valley Girl. It's a movie about aerobics. John Travolta wears teeny tiny shorts and has a huge package and hairy legs. Jamie Lee Curtis wears leg warmers and is passionate about jazzercise. This. This might be my favorite movie about aerobics ever. 5 stars. I will actually go on a limb and say, I think this is my favorite movie about aerobics too. Like, if you're talking about just aerobics

[Ben Schwartz]

movies, yeah, I would rather watch Jane Fonda workout videos.

[Paul Scheer]

Come on. This movie, this movie deserves a high rating because it exposes the real life of confidentiality when the media had real guts not to reveal newsworthy information. It also exposes women in the 80s and now who are obsessed with their bodies and desire to be as perfect and thin as possible. Even when they're at a healthy weight, beauty is still on the inside. Five stars.

[Ben Schwartz]

By the way, Paul, June B. Paris,

[Jason Mantzoukas]

does it say in that review which prison it was written in?

[Paul Scheer]

All right, this is one that we get a lot, but this is good to read anyway. It goes Ruin for life writes, are you kidding me? We know it's gonna be a five star review, so let's see what they say. Anyone who watched this for plot and character development, please get over yourself or simply step in front of the next bus. You see,

[Ben Schwartz]

I have heard that there are five suicides as a result of this.

[June Diane Raphael]

That's terrible.

[Paul Scheer]

I like John Travolta as an actor. Well, I have liked him for like the last 15 years or so. I think he can play a bad guy with the best of them, but I've been ruined since. And seeing Jamie running around in spandex for the entire movie, her in a unitard sweating and gyrating around, is reason enough to buy 20 copies of this movie just to make sure you have one to replace it. When you wear out the first copy. The only thing even close to this as sexy is her striptease. And true lies in quotes. True lies. And even then, it's a far second. I am a sexist and I'm okay with the label. Women as perfect as JLC deserves the admiration that only a sexist can supply.

[June Diane Raphael]

Okay, okay, jlc, I'm sort of getting behind it.

[Paul Scheer]

Okay, jlc, if you read these, you. Jlc, if you read these, you single handedly made spandex and lycra a noun, verb and adjective all at once. And aerobics, a form of foreplay. I thank you. 5 stars ruined for life. Would you guys recommend this film? Yes or no?

[Ben Schwartz]

Yes, yes, yes, yes. There's a lot you can fast forward through. Anytime people get in a car, fast

[Jason Mantzoukas]

forward, but because then you're gonna miss her calling him a sphincter muscle.

[Ben Schwartz]

True.

[Paul Scheer]

But still, I do feel like this movie is like really fun to watch. Even though it's annoyingly long. But like a 4 minute aerobics is great. I'll watch it.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

Well, that is our.

[Ben Schwartz]

I wonder, I do wonder, This movie. Because I was old enough during this time to be like, oh, right, when everybody did this and wore these clothes, whatever. To me, if you were young, you might look at this movie and be like, what the fuck were people doing?

[June Diane Raphael]

I have a very vague memory of my parents belonging to a racquetball club.

[Ben Schwartz]

Oh, yeah. And I played racquetball.

[June Diane Raphael]

Oh, boy.

[Ben Schwartz]

Don't worry about it.

[June Diane Raphael]

Oh, boy. And I remember going to like the daycare center in the racquetball club. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. And being in this sports center that was like, not just about like, it was more of a place like this where there's different.

[Ben Schwartz]

Sure.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Because it was. This was at a time when it's like it wasn't just medicine balls and gray sweatsuits. It was like different.

[Paul Scheer]

Could be like a CrossFit version of this movie.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

I was talking to my cousin about that. Like, if you showed now, like, I was like, we got slimmer size and we come over here for this. Now it'd be like, now you just take this fucking tractor tire and you push that over and then you take these rope. Like, people 10 years from now will be like, what the fuck are they doing?

[Ben Schwartz]

Yeah, what are you doing, you idiot?

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah, you're right. It's the same thing. In the moment, it feels like. That's right. I mean, those videos of like exercise videos were. That it was just like.

[Ben Schwartz]

Well, exercise videos were still a huge thing Even, like, Tai Bo was a huge thing or P90X is still a huge thing, or inside insanity, or all of these things.

[June Diane Raphael]

Well, even just the idea of exercise for everyone is huge.

[Paul Scheer]

What was that show? Wasn't there a show just of, like, women on, like, a road? Like, a lazy Susan exercising?

[Ben Schwartz]

Well, listen, first of all, Susan could get motivated when she wanted to.

[Audience Member or Additional Guest]

Do not. No. No. Bo.

[Ben Schwartz]

That felt great. Well, don't get me wrong. I was gonna say don't get me wrong. I will Google women on a lazy Susan.

[Paul Scheer]

There was, like, a workout where women were just, like. It was just, like there. Does anyone know what that is?

[June Diane Raphael]

I know what you're talking about.

[Ben Schwartz]

That person. You raised your hand. They wore white pants.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah. What was it called?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

If I have my information correct, it's women just sit on a lazy su.

[Ben Schwartz]

Hold on. I think the audience creep knows what's up.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Oh, he brought his own flashlight to stick under his face.

[Paul Scheer]

Seth, what do you. What do you want to plug?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Here's what I want to plug. I have an itty bitty part in a movie called Hell and Back coming out, but I want to talk about it because Riggle, I think, is a star of it.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah, I'm in this too.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

And you're in this claymation movie. It comes out soon. Look for it. Hell and Back.

[Paul Scheer]

Very nice. Yeah.

[June Diane Raphael]

Jason, June, still check out Grace and Frankie, which is streaming on Netflix. Also, Ask Backwards is on Netflix, too.

[Paul Scheer]

I do, actually, I do have a question about this, about the Grayson Frankie thing. Now, Jason was in the Dictator, which was on Netflix. Will his character ever from the Dictator come into your Netflix show?

[June Diane Raphael]

Oh, wow.

[Ben Schwartz]

Will nuclear Nadal ever show up in the Grace and Frankie universe?

[Paul Scheer]

Like, not saying that you would show shoots something there, but I don't understand.

[June Diane Raphael]

You mean because they're streaming, like

[Ben Schwartz]

Netflix?

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah,

[June Diane Raphael]

it's possible.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

It'll be like when Simon and Simon went to Hawaii for.

[Ben Schwartz]

For Magnum P.I. great episode. Yeah, Both of those are great.

[June Diane Raphael]

Both.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Those are great episodes. Yeah.

[Ben Schwartz]

Almost as good as the Magnum PI where he. Where his sea kayak goes down and he treads water for the. The full hour.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

The full hour. Yeah.

[Ben Schwartz]

That is an amazing episode of television. Second only to maybe Hush.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, yeah, that's a great one.

[Ben Schwartz]

Nerds.

[Paul Scheer]

All right, so Ask Backwards. Grace and Frankie on Netflix.

[Ben Schwartz]

Jason, I'm in a movie called Sleeping with Other People that's out now in some cities. Or maybe when this goes up, it will be on vod, so please watch

[Paul Scheer]

that if you can crash test on itunes now. Crash test on itunes which is a special. Seth is in it, a bunch of great people in it, Earl Sweatshirt, one of the comedy greats and of course Aziz, Rob Cordrey and a bunch of other people. You can follow us on Twitter dtgm. Stay tuned for next week's mini episode where we'll answer more of your questions. We will find out the age old question would Nicolas Cage be better imperfect than John Travolta and do a bunch of other stuff. Listen to our mini episode. Thanks so much. Bye bye. That's it for the show. Make sure you head on over to slashfilm.com read the oral history where Debra Winger talks about her experiences and Aaron Latham, the guy who the movie is based on also tells you about working with John Travolta. Also, Avril Howie's clips are available for you to consume right now. Go to Twitter or Facebook page and you'll be able to watch her amazing videos in all their glory. Big thank you to everybody here at Earwolf. Big thank you to Dana. Big thank you to July. Big thank you to all of our engineers who put this show together. Thank you guys so much. We'll see you next week. Bye bye.

[Guest or Announcer]

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