Pop Culture Happy Hour – “Him And What’s Making Us Happy”

Date: September 19, 2025
Host: Linda Holmes
Guests: Aisha Harris, Gene Demby
Theme: Film review (“Him”) and pop culture recommendations

Episode Overview

This episode features hosts Linda Holmes and Aisha Harris, joined by Code Switch’s Gene Demby, for a wide-ranging discussion about the new horror movie Him, followed by their regular “What’s Making Us Happy” recommendations. They analyze the film’s ambitions, the performances, and how it draws on broader themes in sports, horror, and Black cultural commentary, before pivoting to pop culture picks that brought them joy (and a little melancholy) this week.

Main Discussion: “Him” (00:22–15:36)

Plot and Performances

• Him tells the story of Cam (Tyrique Withers), a promising young quarterback whose career is derailed by injury, leading him to a mysterious training facility run by his idol Isaiah (Marlon Wayans). The setup quickly spins into horror and surrealism.
• Marlon Wayans and Tyrique Withers are highlighted as standouts:

  "Marlon Wayans, I think, is a performer who was underrated in terms of his Range... he can do the broadest of humor... but... he is very good in [dark roles]."
  – Aisha Harris (02:35)

Tone and Style

• All three agree the film is full of striking, and sometimes baffling, imagery:

  “She [Marianne] said it felt like a perfume ad. Like… you, like, see a unicorn walking across a golden lake. And then Natalie Portman said something about infinity…”
  – Gene Demby (04:19)

• The group observes that Him is visually engaging but often incoherent:

  “I think you see a lot of scenes that are kind of interesting scenes. But do they cohere into a movie? I don’t think so.”
  – Linda Holmes (06:03) “It is a movie that is both very obvious but also very obtuse...just likes to collect a bunch of random, weird, creepy images that don’t really add up to anything profound.”
  – Aisha Harris (02:56)

Influences and Ambition

• The team discusses Jordan Peele’s influence (as producer), and how the film tries to follow in the thematic footsteps of Get Out and other genre-bending horror:

  “If 'Get Out' is a movie about the exploitation of young, especially black men's bodies in that way, this is also sort of about that. But... it feels often like this one is going for a profundity that it does not really manage.”
  – Linda Holmes (10:21)

• The use of body horror to explore the toll of elite athleticism is praised even while the execution is critiqued for lack of coherence and payoff.

Memorable Moments and Critiques

• Multiple references to sports, masculinity, and the superficial invocation of profound dialogue:

  “If you’re starving to death in prison and they offer you food or freedom, you don’t really have a choice, do you?”
  – Recapped by Linda Holmes (11:25)

• Aisha highlights a standout performance:

  “There is one moment when Marlon Wayans fully locks in and he is giving Bishop in 'Juice', the Tupac character... I want more of this Marlon Wayans, more of this.”
  – Aisha Harris (13:33)

• Julia Fox’s odd, magnetic presence as Isaiah’s wife is appreciated:

  "She is so weird in this movie. And I actually think it kind of works for the most part... She works in a movie like this."
  – Gene Demby (13:55)

Key Timestamps

• Film introduction & summary: 00:22–02:35
• Aisha’s reaction: 02:35–04:08
• Gene’s reaction & “perfume ad” analogy: 04:14–04:45
• Discussion of visuals & performance: 05:39–07:42
• Jordan Peele influence: 07:47–08:30
• On themes not paying off: 08:30–10:21
• Comparison to Get Out: 10:21–12:11
• Random “deep” dialogue critique: 12:11–13:12
• Julia Fox’s role: 13:52–14:11

Notable Quotes

• “Not too hard on the eyes. I’m just gonna say it’s nice to have them. It’s okay.” – Aisha Harris (03:19)
• “What are we looking at right now? It's just like a bunch of actually very dope looking shots of things that don't make sense.” – Gene Demby (04:45)
• “Body horror is absolutely part of elite sports...this is a great idea, and I think these guys are both compelling.” – Linda Holmes (06:03)
• "I don't know what this movie is..." – Aisha Harris (03:13)
• “It feels like the movie is very creepy right at the beginning...but there's no real, like, rising tension.” – Gene Demby (09:47)

What’s Making Us Happy This Week (17:28–23:10)

Gene Demby [17:35]

• Recommendation: "Buffalo" by Spencer Hall, a 2016 essay linking football, American culture, racism, and the culling of the buffalo.

  • “If you want to sort of like have a big think about the Ideas that are in this movie by someone who actually can actually do it, Spencer Hall's Buffalo.” (18:39)

Aisha Harris [18:48]

• Recommendation: Pump Up the Volume (1990) – “Christian Slater as a high school loner who...moonlighting as a crude but empathetic pirate radio shock jock... Free speech, censorship, institutional corruption, it's all there.” (19:00)
  • Notes its resonance with current issues about speech and media.

Linda Holmes [20:30]

• Recommendation: Reflects on Robert Redford’s passing; highlights his activist legacy and recommends his thriller Three Days of the Condor (1975), as well as All the President’s Men and Sneakers.

  • “His directorial debut was Ordinary People...But I really have a soft spot for thrillers like Three Days of the Condor.” (21:37)

  • Humorously references Redford’s looks: “He was a man who had no choice but to be handsome and figured out ways, I think, to navigate that… quite interestingly…” (21:01)

Overall Tone

Engaged, humorous, sometimes exasperated but always thoughtful. The hosts balance sharp critique with appreciation for artistic risk-taking, and their recommendations mix nostalgia with contemporary relevance.

Closing

• To share reactions to Him, listeners are directed to Facebook and Letterboxd.
• Newsletter with recommendations available at npr.org/popculturenewsletter.
• Hosts sign off warmly, celebrating the fun and eclectic spirit of their pop culture roundtable.