The Big Picture | The Top 10 Underseen and Overlooked Movies of 2025

Hosts: Sean Fennessey (SF), Amanda Dobbins (AD)
Date: December 22, 2025
Episode Theme:
Sean and Amanda review two of the most unusual new releases of 2025—Bradley Cooper’s Is This Thing On? and James L. Brooks's Ella McKay—before sharing their top five overlooked and underseen movies of the year. They discuss trends in character-driven films, the challenges of mid-budget cinema, and highlight the best forgotten gems of 2025.

1. Overview of the Episode’s Main Theme

This episode is dedicated to exploring films that have flown under the radar in 2025. Before unveiling their Top 5 overlooked picks, Sean and Amanda evaluate two major new releases by prominent filmmakers: Bradley Cooper’s Is This Thing On? and James L. Brooks’s Ella McKay. They reflect on how these movies fit into broader trends in Hollywood—particularly the struggle to get adult-oriented, character-driven movies made—and what happens when star power or legacy talent doesn’t necessarily result in top-notch cinema.

2. Key Discussion Points and Insights

Tom Cruise’s “Digger” Teaser and Festival Speculation ([01:08–04:16])

• Brief chat on the teaser trailer for Digger, Tom Cruise’s new movie with Alejandro G. Iñárritu.
• Amanda nervous about the “comedy” branding:

  "Anytime the movie poster has to have an explanatory blurb that proclaims itself a comedy... that's when you know it's not obvious." – AD (01:38)

• Sean likes the Saul Bass-inspired design; both discuss predicting its festival path: Venice, Cannes, or both.
• Notable ensemble cast and technical crew, including “Chivo” as cinematographer.

Bradley Cooper’s Is This Thing On? ([04:17–23:44])

Plot and Context:

• Bradley Cooper’s third film, described as “intimate” and a significant pivot from the ambitious Maestro.
• Will Arnett stars as a divorced finance worker discovering stand-up comedy as self-discovery.

Critical Takeaways

• Amanda’s harsh summary:

  "This is loser behavior is what this movie is... all of the characters and the choices made are losers." – AD (06:13)

• They debate the film’s intentions—favor, experiment, or self-indulgence by Cooper?
• Discuss how the “hyper-intimate” filmmaking (extreme closeups, proximity) was more irritating than affecting, especially for Sean who had to watch from the front row.
• Amanda on the lack of stakes:

  "My instinct after having to spend two hours with these people... was just grow up, you know?" – AD (09:30)

• Both agree the script doesn’t deliver enough tension, drama, or insight into modern divorce—divorce as “mundane and annoying and stakesless.”
• Laura Dern’s volleyball subplot: Sean says it’s “very odd”; Amanda jokes Laura Dern “does not read volleyball.”
• The comedy aspect fails—the film’s stand-up scenes aren’t funny enough to sell the premise.

  "It does make sense dramatically... but the other comedians... are kind of funny, but there's not a lot of laughs." – SF (15:09)

• Amanda:

  "If I were a person even going to open mic night at the Comedy Cellar and this is what showed up, I would ask for my money back." (16:12)

• Amanda and Sean single out Will Arnett’s performance as the movie’s highlight.
• Sean wishes Cooper would “go beast mode” on his next project after what he calls a “misstep.”

James L. Brooks’s Ella McKay ([23:46–45:28])

Plot and Set-up:

• James L. Brooks’s first film in 15 years—about a driven young woman (Emma Mackie) who becomes the governor of an unnamed New England state, balancing family and political challenges.
• Stellar supporting cast including Jamie Lee Curtis, Albert Brooks, Woody Harrelson, and Ayo Edebiri.

Critique and Analysis:

• Both hosts, Brooks fans, are deeply disappointed.

  "Absolute disaster." – AD (25:08)

• Sean identifies Brooks’s signature character type—ambitious, stymied women—but says modern execution is disastrous:

  "It feels like people took laughing gas before they started making it... The tone, the joke writing, the performance style, the editing, it's so misshapen all over the place." (29:13)

• Amanda points out the “unspecific sitcom quality” of the dialogue, which “undermines” the political drama.
• The film’s “microstakes”—her key political victory is a local children’s dental initiative called “Tooth Tutors.”

  "They're just screaming tooth tutors in a way that is cutesy and gimmicky. And it is also... not the Pentagon Papers." – AD (30:58)

• Performance and tone issues: wild scene choices, “gas leak cinema,” and miscasting, e.g. Jack Lowden’s American accent.
• The plot resolves with the heroine resigning after a petty scandal and running a legal aid center; much effort over “loser behavior” and bittersweet achievements.
• Amanda’s withering comparison:

  "This reminded me deeply of The Intern. Another late career movie made by a true hero... that is just about how a millennial woman must be personally and professionally humiliated..." (39:45)

• Sean laments the sad state of getting these types of movies made:

  “The only way to make a movie like this successful now is to pretend like it's actually not as bad as it actually is and lift it up with memes.” (44:00)

3. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On festival positioning for “Digger”:

  • “You don't want to self identify the genre on the poster.” – SF (02:01)

• Amanda on Is This Thing On?:

  • “This is loser behavior is what this movie is. That’s my review.” (06:13)
  • “My instinct to having to spend two hours with these people very close up in their faces… was just grow up, you know.” (09:30)
  • “If I were a person even going to open mic night at the Comedy Cellar and this is what showed up, I would ask for my money back.” (16:12)

• On Ella McKay:

  • “Absolute disaster.” – AD (25:08)
  • “It feels like people took laughing gas before they started making it… The tone, the joke writing, the performance style, the editing, it’s so misshapen all over the place.” – SF (29:13)
  • “They're just screaming tooth tutors… in a way that is like cutesy and gimmicky… not the Pentagon Papers.” – AD (30:58)
  • “This reminded me deeply of The Intern. Another late career movie made by a true hero of mine that is just about how a millennial woman must be personally and professionally humiliated…” – AD (39:45)

4. Timestamps for Important Segments

| Time | Segment | |----------|------------------------------------------------| | 01:08 | “Digger” teaser review and festival talk | | 04:16 | Is This Thing On? setup & plot | | 06:13 | Amanda’s first reaction: “loser behavior” | | 08:23 | Sean on the film’s style problems | | 09:30 | Amanda: “grow up” reaction to the characters | | 15:09 | Comedy and stand-up scenes critique | | 16:12 | Amanda dissatisfied with the comedy | | 22:09 | “After Sun” and “Under Pressure” musical cue | | 23:44 | Ella McKay intro and James L. Brooks talk | | 25:08 | Amanda: “Absolute disaster” | | 29:13 | Sean on tone and editing | | 30:58 | “Tooth Tutors” and low stakes | | 39:45 | Amanda’s The Intern comparison | | 44:00 | Sean on the state of mid-budget movie making |

5. Top 10 Underseen & Overlooked Movies of 2025 ([46:39–end])

Sean and Amanda alternate their Top 5 picks each (not ranked jointly). They explain why each film deserves a wider audience, what makes it special, and share the brief plot or stylistic notes.

Amanda’s Picks

1. Jane Austen Wrecked My Life ([68:54])

   • Netflix original, self-aware romantic triangle about a writer’s retreat; “very funny and self-contained.”

2. Megadoc ([65:33])

   • Documentary about the making of Coppola’s Megalopolis; “amazing access… if you’re interested in how films are made, it’s really good.”

3. The Wedding Banquet ([60:25])

   • Andrew Ahn’s gentle remake of the Ang Lee film, with a strong cast (Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone) and a soft-touch portrayal of IVF and fake marriages for citizenship.

4. Ojai ([54:49])

   • Sundance indie about a couple’s tense first weekend away. Amanda loves Molly Gordon’s comic intensity.

5. Eternity ([48:50])

   • High concept rom-com about choosing which dead spouse to spend eternity with; fun performances, especially Callum Turner.

Sean’s Picks

1. Volcano Zadora ([70:46])

   • Intimate, strange buddy film about two men on an ill-fated pact, by independent director Joel Petrykis.

2. The Things You Kill ([67:18])

   • Turkish-Canadian thriller, moody and Lynchian, about grief and revenge with a surreal edge.

3. Influencers ([63:20])

   • Shudder original, slick and stylish thriller about social media, left/right influencer wars, and AI, directed by Curtis David Harder.

4. Urchin ([58:03])

   • Harris Dickinson’s directorial debut, a raw depiction of homelessness and addiction with an unexpected cosmic twist.

5. Unbecoming a Guinea Fowl ([53:21])

   • Zambian family drama from Rungano Nyoni, “funny, unusual, and disorienting,” available on HBO Max.

Honorable Mention:

• The Plague ([47:46]) – Not officially on the list but recommended.

6. Episode Tone and Closing

Throughout, Sean and Amanda’s tone is casual, irreverent, and deeply film-literate. They don’t hold back criticisms of failed “prestige” projects (Is This Thing On?, Ella McKay), lamenting the current state of adult, character-driven moviemaking and expressing the need to champion lesser-known gems.

7. Conclusion

The episode serves both as an autopsy for two high-profile misfires and as a lively celebration of overlooked films. If you’re looking for the best movies you might have missed in 2025, Amanda and Sean’s picks offer an eclectic, international, and personal set of viewing recommendations.