Scary Movie

Summary

Pop Culture Happy Hour — "Scary Movie" (June 8, 2026)

Hosts: Stephen Thompson, J.C. Howard, Ronald Young Jr., Rihanna Cruz
Main Focus: Reviewing and discussing the new rebooted "Scary Movie," its place in comedic cinema, and its successes and shortcomings as a parody.

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Episode Overview

This episode explores the 2026 reboot/legacy sequel of "Scary Movie," a film infamous for lampooning horror movie tropes since its 2000 inception. The conversation centers around what makes these movies (and parodies like them) work or fall flat, how the new entry holds up in an evolved comedic and social landscape, and whether nostalgia can justify its return.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. General Impressions and Nostalgia

• Nostalgia Factor: The film's appeal largely hinges on viewers’ fondness for the original Wayans-led entries.

  • Rihanna Cruz: “Is it a good movie? Debatable. … The bar was on the floor and I had fun. … I love parody movies … They make me laugh … This movie, I was entertained.” (03:29)
  • J.C. Howard: “If you're looking for likable characters, some smart and often biting satire, tasteful jokes, a tight plot, you're at the wrong movie.” (05:21)

• Who is this Movie For? The humor’s crudeness and references seem best suited for those nostalgic for the original audience it captured—teens of the early 2000s.

  • J.C. Howard reflects: “The sex jokes, the weed jokes, the stereotypes, the latent homophobia, they all spoke to like this middle schooler in me. … There is a chance to really reinvent … but they successfully avoided that growth at all costs.” (06:10)
  • Ronald Young Jr.: “16 year old Ronald probably would have watched this and enjoyed it, but 42 year old Ronald wants to know that the weigh ins are also growing up with me.” (07:29)

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2. Tone, Humor, and Satire

• References vs. Actual Jokes: The film leans heavily on referencing pop culture touchstones (crypto, Twitch, horror franchises), sometimes at the expense of actual comedic substance.

  • Stephen Thompson: “One of my biggest issues with them is that they tend to give you references in lieu of jokes.” (09:09)
  • Ronald Young Jr.: “So it was okay, but it could have been good, Steven. This could have been a great film and they just didn’t want to do it.” (08:52)

• Meta Commentary: Some meta-humor, including jokes about the franchise’s own rocky history, worked for panelists.

  • J.C. Howard: “There was a little bit of K pop in there that was incredibly delightful to me … that stuff accounts for maybe a third of the movie … the rest is the same five or six jokes from 20 years ago.” (06:29)

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3. Problematic Elements and Lack of Perspective

• Dated & Risky Humor: Several dated jokes and problematic punchlines are present, notably transphobia and some surface-level racism.

  • Rihanna Cruz (on the trans character): “There's some transphobia here that I don't really get down with. … The comedy is that this person exists, which is kind of the only place in the movie where I was like, uh, I don't really know about that.” (04:24, 11:23)
  • Ronald Young Jr.: “There’s some commentary about police brutality … again, not a perspective, but more like a pointing to it.” (13:04)
  • Stephen Thompson: “There’s a vibe … that’s very like, they’re back and cancel culture had better watch out. But then it doesn’t have anything to say.” (10:58)

• Debate: Is this Expected in Parody?

  • Rihanna Cruz: “Do you come to these movies for perspective? … I'm not really looking for anything beyond jokes that make me chuckle.” (13:58)
  • Ronald Young Jr.: “If you are going to do parody and you don’t have a perspective … we end up walking into a movie just being like, oh, we're just supposed to laugh at this, even though we walk back outside and things feel just a little bit more tense than that.” (14:58)
  • J.C. Howard (Generous Read): “In some ways they are … examining their own kind of feelings about these things, but not actually telling us exactly how they feel. … However, none of it was there on the screen.” (15:40)

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4. Legacy and Parody Choices

• Parodied Material: The film still primarily lampoons “Scream,” “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” and older pop culture—missing opportunities to skewer fresher horror hits.

  • Stephen Thompson: “…One thing that doing a horror movie spoof should give you is a lot of reference material ... Where’s Midsommar? Where is Hereditary? There have been so many huge horror properties and they're just kind of still mucking around with Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer...” (17:51)

• Sketch Comedy Structure: The movie feels more like a patchwork of sketches or TikTok shorts than a fully realized film.

  • Rihanna Cruz: “It feels like you're stitching together two minute TikToks over and over and over again.” (19:11)
  • J.C. Howard: “…Might as well have been a series of sketches. This was a sketch comedy bit that was very loosely woven together.” (19:56)

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5. Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Rihanna Cruz (on expectations): “The bar is truly on the floor and it stepped over the bar. I laughed more than I thought I would.” (05:07)
• Stephen Thompson (on references): “They tend to give you references in lieu of jokes.” (09:09)
• J.C. Howard (meta-context): “This was Marlin's way … of processing acceptance … his own actual acceptance of his transgender child. … I can see this movie in the shadow of those interviews. … However, none of it was there on the screen.” (15:40)
• Ronald Young Jr.: “We put more thought into this review than they did into writing this movie.” (20:59)

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Notable Timestamps

• 02:24 — Classic “WAZAP” joke acknowledged; sets tone of nostalgia and referential humor.
• 03:29 – 05:18 — Panelists’ initial reactions and generational connections.
• 06:10 – 08:58 — Debate about whether the genre has matured with its audience or stagnated.
• 11:12 – 13:57 — Discussion on problematic jokes (transphobia, racism), and the lack of pointed perspective.
• 17:51 – 19:56 — Critique about dated parody targets and sketch-comedy structure.
• 20:36 – 21:08 — Final thoughts: does simply laughing justify the film’s existence?

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Final Thoughts

Panel Consensus

• If you love broad, reference-heavy, and sometimes crude comedy—this movie is for you.
• The rebooted “Scary Movie” is “decidedly dumb”—and for the right audience, that’s what’s expected and even welcome.
• There’s a generational divide in expectations: Some panelists want smarter, fresher satire; others are happy just to laugh.
• The humor’s lack of perspective and some outdated insensitivity are noted as disappointments, even as a few clever meta-jokes and the warmth of nostalgia partially redeem the experience.
• For the best time: Watch in a communal setting, late at night, or in the same irreverent spirit as the original.

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“I also think we put more thought into this review than they did into writing this movie.” — Ronald Young Jr. (20:59)

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Panelists:

• Stephen Thompson: Looks for more than just references—hopes for sharper jokes and a modern edge.
• J.C. Howard: Offers a deeply generous, contextual lens—even if he can’t defend what’s not onscreen.
• Ronald Young Jr.: Yearns for growth in the franchise; notes missed opportunities to update its perspective.
• Rihanna Cruz: Happy to revel in nostalgia and broad laughs, even if the bar (for comedy or insight) is “on the floor.”

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Listen to Pop Culture Happy Hour for more pop culture reviews and lively debate.

Transcript

[Announcer]

This message comes from Capella University. That spark you feel, that's your drive. For more Capella University's flexpath learning format lets you earn your degree at your pace without putting life on pause. Learn [e-mail].

[Stephen Thompson]

It's been more than 25 years since scary Movie showed up to Lampoon horror movie tropes. Since then, it's been sequelized, passed from creator to creator, and now rebooted as a legacy sequel led by the Wayans brothers who started it all. I'm Stephen Thompson and today we are talking about Scary Movie on Pop Culture Happy Hour from npr.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

This message comes from Wise, the app for international people. Using money around the globe, you can send, spend and receive in up to 40 currencies with only a few simple taps. Be smart, get Wise. Download the Wise app today or visit wise.com Ts and Cs apply. This message comes from LinkedIn ads. Ever invest in something that seemed incredible at first but didn't live up to the hype? For marketers, that's impressions. When ads don't create revenue, that's a tough conversation with the CFO. Instead, invest in results your CFO will love. LinkedIn Ads generates the highest ROAS of all major ad networks. So advertise on LinkedIn. Spend $250 and get a $250 credit. Just go to LinkedIn.com NPRpod Terms and conditions apply.

[Announcer]

This message comes from BetterHelp. Summer can feel like a sprint. Kids home, trips to plan, routines flipped upside down. It's easy to slip into survival mode just trying to get through it. Then suddenly it's over and you're wishing you enjoyed the days just a little bit more. Therapy can help you slow down and actually be present for the moments that matter. With BetterHelp, you can connect with a licensed therapist from anywhere on your schedule. Don't just survive the Summer Thrive. Visit betterhelp.com NPR Joining me today is

[Stephen Thompson]

NPR producer J.C. howard. Hey J.C. hello.

[J.C. Howard]

Hello.

[Stephen Thompson]

Also with us is Ronald Young Jr. He's the host of the film and television review podcast Leaving the Theater. Hey, Ronald.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Hello, Stephen.

[Stephen Thompson]

Also with us is freelance music and culture journalist Rihanna Cruz. Hey, Rihanna.

[Rihanna Cruz]

Wazza.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Oh my God.

[Stephen Thompson]

There is a WAZAP joke in this movie ripped from the cultural headlines.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

So relevant. It's astonishingly relevant.

[Stephen Thompson]

So the original Scary Movie came out in 2000 as a parody of horror franchises like Scream and I Know what yout Did Last Summer. Since then, Scary Movie has followed a trajectory familiar to fans of the movies it was orig originally spoofing it got sequels. Then it got passed to different directors and writers, and then it fizzled out entirely. Now Scary Movie is getting a reboot legacy sequel, which is itself a parody of other reboots. Legacy sequels. The Wayans brothers are back on board. Many, many Wayans's pop up in the cast, led by Marlon and Sean. Other familiar faces return as well, including Anna Faris and Regina hall. While a new generation turns up to face the return of the dreaded ghost. It's in theaters now. Rihanna. Cruz, I'm gonna start with you. What did you think of Scary Movie?

[Rihanna Cruz]

All right, I'll put it simply. Is it a good movie? Debatable.

[Stephen Thompson]

That's what we're here to do. Rihanna.

[Rihanna Cruz]

Yeah, I know.

[J.C. Howard]

Debate it.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Why don't you tell us?

[Rihanna Cruz]

My bad, my bad. Do we expect any scary movie to be a good movie, though? I would say no. And I think because of that, the bar was on the floor and I had fun. You know, I. I love the Scary Movie franchise, personally. I love parody movies. I watch all the scary movies so frequently. Like, even 4 and 5, which are generationally terrible and have pretty much only boner jokes. Like, I love them. They make me laugh. This movie, I was entertained. I laughed a lot. Most I could ask for. It's bloated. Not everything lands. I think there's a lot of dated jokes in it that feel like they were made six years to a decade ago at best.

[J.C. Howard]

Generous.

[Rihanna Cruz]

Between the doofy character, which should have been left in the early 2000s, if at all, there's some transphobia here that I don't really get down with. But there is a space for this kind of movie, and I'm happy to see it back. And I also am like a Wayans apologist. Like, I watch everything they do and they make me laugh.

[Stephen Thompson]

I mean, look, man, I rocked with In Living Color in the early 90s, watched the hell out of that show. And did every joke land then? No, it didn't. But.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

But the ones that do really do.

[Rihanna Cruz]

The ones that do do, right? Like, I. I grew up on that. You know, my dad watched that all the time, and I watched that with my dad when I was like, oh, Stephen, yes, you.

[Stephen Thompson]

Like, my father also watched that.

[Rihanna Cruz]

But, yeah, I don't know. It made me laugh. I think the bar is truly on the floor and it stepped over the bar. You know, I laughed more than I thought I would.

[Stephen Thompson]

Okay, thank you, Rihanna. J.C. howard, how about you?

[J.C. Howard]

This is decidedly a dumb movie, but you already knew that. So what I'LL say is this. If you're looking for likable characters, some smart and often biting satire, tasteful jokes, a tight plot, you're at the wrong movie.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Oh my God.

[Stephen Thompson]

I mean, yeah.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Stop setting me up. License, jc. Stop it.

[J.C. Howard]

Yeah, this is not what you're getting.

[Stephen Thompson]

Once you were alluded to, kind of, I was like, okay, Jay Z's doing a bit.

[J.C. Howard]

That is not what this movie is, even in the least bit. This was written largely by the Waynes brothers. So the bottom line is like Rihanna, if you like the things that they do, you will like this. If you don't, then you won't. And for me, I will be honest, it had some nostalgia appeal. I was in middle school or high school, somewhere in between there when the first two scary movies came out, which were the ones that had the Waynes brothers involved with them. And at that time, the humor was expressly, for me, a middle school, high school boy. The sex jokes, the weed jokes, the stereotypes, the latent homophobia, they all spoke to like this middle schooler in me. There is a chance to really reinvent and to do something new that reminds us of the original but brings a certain growth and maturity. And they successfully avoided that growth at all costs. The humor is there. It's not for me anymore. That same humor that I laughed at when I was, you know, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, that humor isn't for me. But they delivered what they promised. And there were that said some things that did work for me. There was a lot of meta jokes about the franchise itself. There was commentary and references to crypto and Twitch streaming and EV charging infrastructure. And without saying too much, there was a little bit of K pop in there that was incredibly delightful to me. The thing is that stuff accounts for maybe a third of the movie. You know, the rest is the same five or six jokes from 20 years ago. You know, like I said, if you like it, then you'll love it.

[Stephen Thompson]

How about you, Ronald?

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Okay, so to continue JC's point in this order, scare movie 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. These were my ages when they came out. 16, 17, 19, 22, 29. And I walk into scary movie at 42. So I feel like what I absolutely thought this movie was about to be was what it kind of avoided. It stepped up to the line and stepped back, which was Gen X and elder Millennials dealing with living in a Gen Z world now, which was, I thought was going to be very fun and funny. They tap it a few times on. Ferris shows up, Regina hall shows up. They are Very funny. I'm reminded that they are good at this. The Wayans brothers show up, I'm reminded that they are good at this. And then they just throw wall to wall references at, at us from the beginning to end. Jokes that are coming so fast I can't even laugh at them because I'm trying to read the screen and it's clicking away from it. 16 year old Ronald probably would have watched this and enjoyed it, but 42 year old Ronald wants to know that the weigh ins are also growing up with me. And there were a few times in which they're making comment about gender, about queerness. And I want to know that what they actually think of these things and I'm not actually getting that, I'm getting just very sophomore jokes. So it was okay, but it could have been good, Steven. This could have been a great film and they just didn't want to do it.

[J.C. Howard]

All the ingredients were there.

[Stephen Thompson]

I'm really glad, Ronald, that you made that last point about kind of the absence of point of view that comes through in a lot of these references. I mean, my issue with these movies in general and with a lot kind of post Naked Gun spoof franchises of which this is one of many. One of my biggest issues with them is that they tend to give you references in lieu of jokes.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Yes, Steven.

[Stephen Thompson]

And there's a bit here at one point, there's like a whole bit where it's like the one character has like a drug stash and oh no, we gave the drug stash to the kids for Halloween. And then it's like all the kids are on drugs. Ha ha ha. And I'm like, okay, well here's where you're gonna get your weapons reference, right?

[J.C. Howard]

Yeah, yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

And the kids are like the kids in weapons. And one of them says 6, 7. And that's the joke.

[Rihanna Cruz]

I laughed, Steven.

[Stephen Thompson]

Rihanna, God bless you.

[Rihanna Cruz]

I'm so glad I laughed. I laughed.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

I'm laughing at Stephen saying six, seven. I'm not laughing at the record.

[J.C. Howard]

Yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

And so to me, so much of it was just like, oh, here's where they're gonna do the parody of this. Here's where, oh, that church looks like the church in Sinners. Here we go. And so to me, I wanted more jokes where this film worked for me somewhat. I mean, naturally this is going to be a meta property, like meta is in this film's bones. This is a parody of a meta satire. Of course you're gonna have opportunities to kind of play around with the long and winding road that got this franchise to this point. And some of the jokes that they're able to work in about. That did work for me. There were a couple of kind of fun running jokes that were referencing horror movie tropes. There's a pret thought, pretty funny bit where the love interest, who is very, very heavily telegraphed to be the killer. I thought some of that stuff was pretty funny. But to me, getting back to what Ronald said, I just thought so many of the jokes were so toothless. There's this vibe that runs through it and it runs through the film. It runs through the marketing of the film that's very like, they're back and cancel culture had better watch out. But then it doesn't have anything to say.

[Rihanna Cruz]

Yeah, yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

Rihanna alluded to kind of some transphobia and I definitely got transphobic vibes off of it. But it mostly is just like, here's a trans character. Oh, yes, right.

[Rihanna Cruz]

And that's the joke. Like, that's the comedy that this person exists. Which is kind of the only place in the movie where I was like, uh, I don't really know about that.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

I agree.

[Stephen Thompson]

And obviously, like, I don't want it to come from a point of view that is worse or that is actively hostile, but it just doesn't have anything to say. And so there's like a scene set in a subway that's full of kind of these commentaries on like, Karens and stuff like that. And again, that just feels so dated to me. This franchise and this film just don't really land for me. And some of this, I think, is generational. The original Scary Movie came out when I was in my mid to late 20s and I grew up on Airplane and the Naked Gun and Hot Shots Part Deux, you know, like that kind of original Zuckerberg era of spoofs. You know, David Zucker famously kind of took over this franchise for a while and piloted it into the ground.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Pun intended.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yes, exactly. For me, like, this film, if you are notionally open to this franchise, if you have enjoyed these movies, either have a communal experience in the theater with lots and lots of other people, or, you know, either watch it at 2 o' clock in the afternoon or 2 o' clock in the morning in a state of mind to enjoy it.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Yeah, I get what you're saying.

[J.C. Howard]

A shorty state of mind, if you will.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah, I went in with as open a mind as possible. I really, really, really came in ready to laugh. And I only chuckled lightly.

[Rihanna Cruz]

I was chucking it up in there, I gotta be honest. I was having A good time.

[Stephen Thompson]

I wish I'd seen this with you.

[Rihanna Cruz]

I know. Yeah, I was having a really good time.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

I wish I'd been in that state of mind. That 2am state of mind or watching. There's something that there's one thing I wanted to point out about the transphobia, and I will also include racism that's in this film. There's a scene in this film in which there's some commentary about police brutality. And I feel like what I got from that was again, not a perspective, but more like a pointing to it. Ness.

[Rihanna Cruz]

Yeah.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Rihanna, you just said that, like when you said they said, here's a trans person. Isn't this hilarious? That's kind of like the biggest issue that I have here is to say, if you're gonna make the joke, either make the joke and say it with your chest or don't mention it at all. Because it's like you're not making the joke now. You're just referencing it as funny. Which just makes me say, like, I need to know what you think about this so that I know. Like, are you being smart? Are you writing something? Or are you just confused at the prospect? And it seems like it's the latter.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah.

[Rihanna Cruz]

I can't believe I'm on here as like a scary movie defender. But what I will say, I love it. What I will say is like, like, do you come to these movies for perspective? Because I've rewatched all of them recently, you know, and granted, like the third scary movie, which is one of the Zucker movies, and it's the one where they parody signs, like, that's my favorite scary movie because I. I think it's like top to bottom jokes that make me laugh. But, like, it reminds me a lot of my favorite movie, which is Austin Powers Gold Member. But, you know, like, this is the vibe that I'm going for. Right. But when I watch all the movies, I. I don't know, I'm not really looking for anything beyond jokes that make me chuckle. You know, it's the same type of humor as something like Family Guy or American dad. Like the Seth MacFarlane type of comedy where it's like you're making a reference to a thing that I know and that's making me laugh because I could put the pieces together. And that's as much as I'm expecting. You know, I'm not really going into a Wayans movie expecting them to comment on the state of the world. I don't know. Maybe it's a generational thing.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Well, let Me just say one thing. I. Okay, you're right. However, I think that's a problem. I think the fact that they are doing that I take issue with. So I feel like if you are going to do parody and do that and you don't have a perspective, then you're absolutely right. We end up walking into a movie just being like, oh, we're just supposed to laugh at this, Even though we walk back outside and things feel just a little bit more tense than that. That's all I'm saying about parody and comedy. And I don't think you're wrong because that's exactly. I feel like now I have to switch my brain to say I'm walking into a parody. That's not gonna have real much of a perspective.

[J.C. Howard]

I think I have to kind of come down. The two of you in a lot of ways. And I think in typical JC fashion, I'll offer one of the most generous reads of this movie.

[Stephen Thompson]

God bless, man. I appreciate you so much.

[J.C. Howard]

It is parody. It is not as much satire as it should be. The movie being what it is, I think is why some of the meta jokes worked for me. We've kind of talked about this a little bit, but the original movie was produced by Miramax, which at the time was run by Harvey Weinstein and his brother Bob Weinstein. And Marlon Waynes has talked about how, in a sense, they lost this franchise to the Weinsteins who made those other three sequels without the Waynes. And so I feel like a lot of the jokes about Anna and Regina doing some of those sequels and some of the meta commentary about Hollywood, I feel like for them, this was their kind of way to process everything that happened to them with this franchise. This was Marlin's way, one of Marlin's ways in real life, processing acceptance, his own actual acceptance of his transgender child. And like, in some ways, it does work. Like, some of them land and some of them don't, because in some ways they are. I think they are doing something deeper. They are examining their own kind of feelings about these things, but not actually telling us exactly how they feel. They're just. They're processing it out loud in front of us. And I can see this movie in the shadow of those interviews. I can see this movie in the context of those interviews, and I see that something deeper. However, none of it was there on the screen. So, like, okay, well, that's a hard credit. Does this movie. Yeah, exactly.

[Stephen Thompson]

I gotta review what's on the screen,

[J.C. Howard]

which is why I don't. I Don't defend this movie from that perspective. I just like, this is my own. Is my own therapy. This is my way of processing it.

[Stephen Thompson]

I appreciate it, I love it. I am totally here for it. That is a very generous read and I will try to think about the movie through that lens. I think that's really useful. I will say I found. I did find so much of what they were actually parodying to be some of the most obvious stuff and some of the most dated stuff. The fact that they're still primarily parodying

[Rihanna Cruz]

scream, the 2022 scream at that, which gone and forgotten like water over stone in my brain. I was watching this, I was like, am I supposed to understand?

[Stephen Thompson]

And I just think like, man, I mean, one thing that doing a horror movie spoof should give you is a of reference material to work with. And obviously this movie is not going to be able to touch on obsession or backrooms. But man, what about the conjuring movies? Like, I could probably write you a satire or a parody of the conjuring movies, which are so silly. Where's that? Where's Midsommar? Where is hereditary? There have been so many huge horror properties and they're just kind of still mucking around. With Scream and I Know what yout Did Last Summer and then with these kind of glancing. Look, we also saw weapons. They managed to like clear a very, very, very, very, very low bar and also feel like a missed opportunity.

[Rihanna Cruz]

A lot of this movie feels like it was cobbled together from screenplay drafts over the past 15 years. And they like cherry picked scenes from each of them, you know, as they were developing it over time. And it leads to a little bit of disjointedness with the parodies.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah, these are sketch comedy guys. They've always been sketch comedy guys. And there are elements of this that feel very sketch based. And that is a very hard thing to translate into a feature film.

[Rihanna Cruz]

Yeah, it feels like you're stitching together like two minute TikToks over and over and over again.

[Stephen Thompson]

You know, of course my reference is, I'm talking about like sketch comedy. Like, oh, in the late 90s, Mr. Show.

[Rihanna Cruz]

But yeah, no, it's like that's the vibe, you know, it feels like it's cobbled together. There's scenes that like exist in their own world. Like the scene where Shorty's doing Twitch streaming with Kaisana. That's like a little short in and of itself.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

I thought that was one of the better scenes in the movie.

[Stephen Thompson]

Sorry, go ahead.

[J.C. Howard]

I agree.

[Rihanna Cruz]

Yeah, no, totally. I I laughed a lot at that. But I don't know. I, like, think a lot of the references for me felt dated, but I don't know what they could have done to bring it up to speed, you know, without the movie becoming corny.

[J.C. Howard]

I don't know exactly to your point, Steven, it might as well have been a series of sketches. This was a sketch comedy bit that, like, was very loosely woven together. But when they found something that they thought they could have fun with, I think that they showed a deep knowledge and appreciation, like people who have watched get out and Sinners over and over and over and over again and found something that they thought was funny and said, hey, let's just, let's put this out there and see if other people laugh.

[Stephen Thompson]

I think we're. I think we're all coming down in variations on the same place, which is, if this is what you're into, here it is.

[Rihanna Cruz]

The movie comments on that, though. The movie even makes a joke. Like, this is not a smart comedy. And I do think we're in, like, a smart comedy epidemic where you go to the movies and, you know, you don't laugh.

[J.C. Howard]

Yeah.

[Rihanna Cruz]

I don't know, like, comedies that aren't designed to make people laugh. They're just situationally funny. And the fact that I went to the theater and laughed my ass off, like, yeah, that says something.

[J.C. Howard]

That's the testament.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

I also think we put more thought into this review than they did into writing this movie. The most robust panel I've been a part of.

[Stephen Thompson]

All right. Well, I think that's an excellent place to leave it. Ronald Young, Jr. Rhianna Cruz, JC Howard. Thanks so much for being here.

[Rihanna Cruz]

Thanks for having us.

[J.C. Howard]

Thanks for having me.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

You're welcome, Steven.

[Stephen Thompson]

This episode was produced by Hafsa Fathoma, Liz Metzger, and Mike Katsif, and edited by our showrunner, Jessica Reedy. Hello. KMIN provides our theme music. Thank you for listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour from npr. I'm Stephen Thompson, and we will see you all next time.

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