Super Mario Brothers LIVE! w/ Jenny Slate (Classic)

Tue Apr 07 2026

Can you make a movie out of a video game? In this case, no! Jenny Slate joins us to discuss Super Mario Bros. the movie on this week’s How Did This Get Made? LIVE at Bumbershoot! We cover everything from the alternate dinosaur infested dimension, the absence of gold coins, Mojo Nixon’s odd cameo as a Goomba, and the fact that Mario & Luigi are not brothers in the movie. Plus, we hear what the gang was doing when the movie came out in theaters during our Q&A. (Ep. #47 Originally Released 10/16/2012)

Transcript

Paul Shear (0:00)

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Jason Manzoukas (0:55)

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Paul Shear (1:05)

See full terms@mintmobile.com hey guys, it's Will from Smartless.

June Diane Raphael (1:11)

And yes, this is a promo.

Paul Shear (1:12)

Okay, and so listen, everybody. We just recorded our 300th episode with Stephen Colbert, which actually felt less like booking a guest and more like accidentally scheduling a performance review for ourselves.

June Diane Raphael (1:24)

Y. You know, that's why, because we. We talked late night in the art of the monologue and spent a solid chunk of time realizing that he's actually funnier and smarter. And. And this is the one that really hurt. He's better at hosting our own podcast. Am I right, Sean? Yeah, a little bit. At one point, I'm pretty sure he could have just taken over and none of us would have noticed or stopped him.

Paul Shear (1:39)

That's true. That is true. That's true. Anyway, listen, episode 300 is out now, so please listen so that we can justify calling this work.

June Diane Raphael (1:47)

That's right. Listen to smart lists. And where, where, where can we listen to smart List, Sean? Wherever you get your podcasts.

Paul Shear (1:52)

Wherever you get your podcasts.

June Diane Raphael (1:55)

Summary

How Did This Get Made? — Super Mario Bros. LIVE! (Classic)

Podcast: How Did This Get Made? Episode: Super Mario Brothers LIVE! (Classic) Date: April 7, 2026
Hosts: Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, Jason Mantzoukas
Special Guest: Jenny Slate
Location: Live at Bumbershoot, Seattle

Episode Overview

This live episode dives deep—and hilariously—into the infamous 1993 “Super Mario Bros.” movie. The hosts and guest Jenny Slate dissect its wild deviations from the beloved video game, its bonkers plot, misaligned tone, inexplicable art design, and baffling production choices. Audience questions and riotous tangents abound as the panel tries to answer: How did this get made?

Main Topics & Key Insights

1. The Absurdity of Adapting Super Mario Bros.

Paul Sheer launches the episode questioning: "Can you make a movie out of a video game? In this case, no." (02:00)
The film's failure to capture any meaningful connection to the game beyond the title is a running joke.
June Diane Raphael observes: “Everything about the game that you love, but none of that.” (03:15)

2. Opening Scene — Bananas Plot from the Start

The film starts with an animated sequence about dinosaurs in Brooklyn, meteorites, and alternate dimensions.
Jason Mantzoukas dryly summarizes: "What if the impact of that meteorite created a parallel dimension where the dinosaurs continue to thrive and evolve into intelligent, vicious, aggressive beings just like us?” (06:31)
The panel is incredulous that this setup is supposed to excite viewers.
- June: “That is the beginning of the movie. That is what's supposed to get you excited.” (07:32)

3. Video Game vs. Movie: Disconnect and Character Backstories

The panel laments how the film invents odd backstories:
- Mario and Luigi aren’t actually brothers; Luigi’s origins are ambiguous.
- Bob Hoskins (Mario) apparently didn’t know he was filming a video game adaptation until halfway through shooting.
  - Paul: "Bob Hoskins did not know that this movie was based on a video game until he was in the middle of shooting it." (04:39)
Casting trivia: Danny DeVito, Tom Hanks were considered for Mario.
- June (on Tom Hanks): “... I just want to know, like, Tom Hanks being like, Philadelphia, Super Mario Brothers. Philadelphia, Super Mario Brothers.” (13:37)

4. World-Building: Dystopian DINOhattan

The world is a dystopian alternate New York run by evolved dinosaurs.
- Described as “Judge Dredd meets Pluto Nash.” (05:27)
Features like “devolution machines”, “Goombas”, and gooey fungus king mystify and amuse the hosts.
Jenny Slate remarks on meeting the “king”: "...she's like. Has like a. Oh, my God. Like, you're my father. Like, as if to say she was reunited with a real man for the first time. An orphan finding her father. Except that it is Drooping Jizz bucket." (37:36)

5. Wild Set Pieces & Adult Overtones

The movie crackles with unexpectedly adult themes, bizarre plot turns, and memorable/weird side characters:
- A women’s prison full of oddly cheerful abductees.
- Mojo Nixon as “Toad”, devolved into a harmonica-playing Goomba.
- Dennis Hopper as King Koopa gives a full-throttle, slightly “Blue Velvet”-esque performance.
  - June: “He’s basically playing Frank from Blue Velvet as the bad guy in this movie.” (22:33)

6. The Fungus King, Goombas, and Those Elevator Scenes

Dennis Hopper’s Koopa turns people into Goombas with a brain-shrinking machine.
Goombas (tiny heads, huge bodies) are both disturbing and hilarious.
- Elevator scene: Goombas are distracted by harmonica music and begin dancing in unison.
  - Jenny Slate: “They love it. They love it so much when they're in the elevator. It's so sweet. Their big bodies and Their little heads.” (31:14)
The goo/fungus (former king) theme riffs on the “mushroom” power-ups from the game.

7. In-Universe Logic and Nonstop Exposition

The crew breaks down how the movie constantly tries to explain itself—often via dubbed or offscreen dialogue to patch over plot holes.
- Paul: “This movie does a great thing… They do exposition in every scene… Where are we? What's happening? Why is it happening?” (19:31)
Speculation on why plumbers are “public enemy #1” in Dinohattan; various (inconclusive) theories offered.

8. Visuals: 9/11 Imagery and Dystopian Aesthetics

A particularly jarring moment: The film appears to anticipate the 9/11 collapse of the Twin Towers.
- Paul: "Super Mario Brothers kind of called 9/11. Basically it showed the destruction of the Twin Towers." (41:01)
- The gang reacts with mixed horror and disbelief.

9. Production Stories & Behind the Scenes

Troubled shoot: Bob Hoskins broke his finger (hides it onscreen), admitted to being drunk during much of filming.
The rumored chaos of the production includes directors pouring hot coffee on extras.
- Paul: “The director, Rocky Morton, once poured hot coffee on an extra's head because he didn't like the extra's Costume." (46:46)

10. Cult Status and Why People Love It Anyway

The movie flopped financially ($21 million gross on $48 million budget), with Jurassic Park’s release blamed for the failure.
The hosts read from actual 5-star Amazon reviews—most of which are barely coherent, slightly aggressive, but enthusiastically positive.
- June, singing the “Second Opinion” jingle: “The movie was a piece of shit, yet this person recommends it. Tell me, what is the message? Maybe that art is subjective. I need a second opinion.” (44:50)

Audience Q&A Highlights

[39:01] Why Are There Election Posters in a Dictatorship?

Audience Member: “Why is there election posters in a dictatorship?”
- June: “It is a monarchy. It's a monarchy because he is King Koopa.” (39:18)
- Paul: “Maybe just. It's to keep morale up. As if they do have a choice.” (39:29)

[43:29] Colorful Plumber Costumes

Jason: “Where did those [plumber] suits come from?”
- Jenny: “Didn't they grab them out of a locker in order to sneak into somewhere else?” (43:39)

[44:04] The Box Office Bomb

Movie cost $48 million, made $21 million.

[47:41] Jenny's Goomba Impression & Donkey Joke Section

Jenny: “Hee haw.” (47:49)
Laughter erupts as the audience and hosts get silly about donkey jokes and Goomba impressions.

[48:33] Where Were You When This Movie Came Out?

Paul: “I was in high school.” (48:37)
June: “I was a sophomore in college and... I couldn't have given a shit about Super Mario Brothers, though.” (48:39)
Jenny: Grew up without Nintendo, remembers being both sad and a little scared of the film as a kid.

Most Memorable Quotes

Paul: “This is like a student film with $100 million.” (29:59)
June: “Those all sound like excuses covering up a gay relationship.” (14:14, about Mario & Luigi's ambiguous connection)
Jenny (about goo king): “As if to say she was reunited with a real man ... Except that it is Drooping Jizz bucket.” (37:36)
Jason: "Super Mario Brothers kind of called 9/11." (41:01)
June (singing): "The movie was a piece of shit, yet this person recommends it..." (44:50)

Notable Segments & Timestamps

[02:00] — Opening banter, Paul sets up the premise: “Can you make a movie out of a video game? In this case, no.”
[06:31] — Discussion of the bananas dinosaur intro and alternate universe.
[08:27] — Jason and June question the plausibility of "meteorite causes parallel universe" science.
[12:45] — Ethnic casting and the weirdness of Mario/ Luigi as “not brothers”
[22:33] — Dennis Hopper as Koopa and “Blue Velvet” comparisons
[29:31] — Goomba transformation and harmonica elevator scene
[31:14] — Panel riffs on the Goomba elevator-dancing scene
[34:12] — Gooey fungus king and its role in the plot
[41:01] — “Super Mario Bros. called 9/11”
[44:50] — “Second Opinion” jingle, reading insane Amazon reviews
[46:46] — Production chaos: "director poured hot coffee on an extra"
[48:39] — Where were you when the movie came out?
[50:07] — Mojo Nixon's arc as a Goomba

Final Thoughts & Recommendations

The panel awards the movie high marks for sheer absurdity, with Paul and June recommending everyone watch it—preferably “in small doses” or 'on acid'.
Repeatedly described as a failed experiment, accidental avant-garde art project, and a film so bizarre it’s oddly compelling.
Closing advice: “Watch this movie. Cause that scene with Dennis Hopper in the pile of goo is awesome.” (37:12)
Key closure: the movie’s end-credits scene does (sort of) loop things back to the video game's origins, with Japanese businessmen visiting Mario and Luigi.

In sum: This "How Did This Get Made?" episode delivers a riotous and oddly affectionate takedown of a movie that must be seen to be believed. They ultimately answer their own question: No, you can’t make a movie out of a video game—at least, not like this.