This is Important – Ep 274: Men’s Rights Mansplained

Podcast: This Is Important
Hosts: Adam Devine, Anders Holm ("Durst"), Blake Anderson, Kyle Newacheck
Date: December 9, 2025

Overview of the Episode

In this characteristically irreverent and candid episode, the TII crew – minus Kyle – dives into topics ranging from the nuances of men's "self-care" (read: masturbation) etiquette in relationships, to Quentin Tarantino's controversial recent podcast appearance where he shredded some notable actors and shared his much-discussed favorite movies of the 21st century. The guys weave in stories about mustaches, adolescent sexuality, nostalgic board games, and what they’d do if acting dried up. The banter is loose, hilarious, and occasionally introspective, all in the signature crude-yet-clever TII style.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Masturbation and Relationship Dynamics

Timestamps: 03:20–14:52

• The episode opens with Adam and Durst joking about the blissful alone-time after dropping kids at school, leading swiftly into a conversation about masturbation habits as dads and husbands.
  • Blake: “Have you guys ever had a girlfriend...that was bothered by you jerking off?” (05:28)
  • They discuss partners' jealousies, boundaries, and the cultural narratives online about porn addiction.
  • Durst: "Let's just be clear here, right? You don't like me jacking off. Sorry." (07:10)
  • Adam: "That's it. That's explaining men's right?" (07:18)
  • They debate whether watching porn or just using imagination is "worse" for a partner's jealousy, with consensus that “it ain’t about you. This is called self-care.” (08:09)
  • Blake talks about avoiding interruptions during VR-use by barricading his office door, leading to a round of self-mocking on the elaborate lengths for privacy.
  • Personal anecdotes of "sex coupon" books and how male sexuality is often commodified or gamified in relationships.

2. Twister, Sex, and the Horniness of the 1950s

Timestamps: 15:04–17:51

• The crew re-litigates the invention of Twister (1966) and why it’s the "horniest" party game.
  • Blake: "Whoever invented Twister was like, horn dog who just didn't know how to meet girls..."
  • Durst: "In the 50s, everything was way more perverted…cooking spoons were all dildos." (16:12)
  • They joke about the perceived innocence of the era vs. what was actually going on in American culture, riffing on retro perversions.

3. Porno as a Historical Constant

Timestamps: 17:52–18:36

• Durst notes that with every new media technology, sexual content arrives instantly.
  • Durst: "They do say that as soon as cameras or, like, movie cameras were invented, porno was…right there." (17:56)
  • Adam: “Horse running…and then it was like a naked chick belly dancing.”
  • Consensus: Some things never change.

4. Dad Staches & the Aesthetics of Aging

Timestamps: 18:41–23:42; 30:51–32:35

• Adam laments the consequences of mustache growth as a father, how he’s now “completely shaven everywhere else.”
  • Blake describes his own mustache/hair woes: "I went on tour with it when I was morbidly obese with the Hitler stache."
  • Durst talks about shaving his '70s stache after an audition, leading to talk about mustaches as grime magnets.
  • Adam: “That shit curdles in your stash. It smells like shit all day, dude. I don’t fuck with that.” (21:38)

5. Tarantino’s Podcast Rant & Actor Rankings

Timestamps: 32:34–47:24

• The heart of the episode: Tarantino’s recent appearance on Bret Easton Ellis’ podcast, where QT famously called Paul Dano “the limpest dick in the world,” and slammed Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard’s acting.
  • Blake: "Imagine you're Paul Dano…look at your phone and one of the biggest directors in the history of cinema just calls you the limpest dick in the world. Oh, my God." (38:35)
  • The crew dissects whether Paul Dano really deserved the criticism, and what Tarantino meant about charisma in actors—using examples like Chris Hemsworth’s real-life presence and Daniel Day-Lewis’s on-screen intensity.
  • Notable defense of Matthew Lillard’s unique style: “I don't know if Matthew Lillard is like a good actor, like a Philip Seymour Hoffman, but he's definitely memorable. There's no one else like Matthew Lillard.” – Durst (71:19)
  • The group debates whether Tarantino is right to be so unfiltered, or whether he’s just a “huge dork.” (46:02)
  • Debate about whether “Inglorious Bastards” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” are “mid,” with Adam taking the opposing, controversial position.

6. Tarantino’s Top 20 (and Movie Taste in General)

Timestamps: 47:24–60:03

• The guys go through QT’s list of favorite 21st-century films:
  • Split reactions, e.g., Toy Story 3 ("Amazing.”), Black Hawk Down ("Pretty crazy #1... seems like a #12.”), Jackass ("Jackass 2 is the funniest movie I've ever seen." – Adam (59:36))
  • Mini-reviews of “There Will Be Blood,” “Dunkirk,” “Lost in Translation,” and more.
  • Anecdotes about movie-watching routines with kids and revisiting baseball movies.
  • Running sidebars: “Have you guys laughed harder at anything than Jackass 2?”
  • Reflection on the longevity of actor careers (esp. Matthew Lillard) and the fleeting nature of Hollywood work.

7. Field of Dreams and the Male Wet Dream

Timestamps: 61:01–64:44

• Why is “Field of Dreams” such a classic for men? The guys psychoanalyze its appeal.
  • Durst: “It’s just every guy’s fantasy...the wife is like ‘We might lose the farm, but sure, go for it,’ and he gets to play catch with his dead dad.” (62:10)
  • Parental nostalgia, ghost stories, and jokes about how the message is "go crazy with your new thing, honey."

8. What Would You Do If You Couldn't Act?

Timestamps: 72:35–75:35

• Hypothetical: If acting dried up, what would the guys do?
  • Adam claims he'd do woodworking – everyone else laughs at his lack of manual skills.
  • Blake: “I would open my own breakfast spot...just cook some eggs and go around table to table.” (74:29)
  • Durst: “I'd just coach swimming. I think it's fun. Boys in speedos. Something about it, I don't know what it is.” (74:00)
  • Extended riff on why every shop teacher is missing fingers.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Masturbation in Marriage (07:10):
  Durst: "Let's just be clear here, right? You don't like me jacking off. Sorry."
  Adam: "That's it. That's explaining men's right?"

• On Sex Coupon Books (14:10):
  Blake: “A little booklet of sex coupons...I’d, like, stack them up where I was doing multiple a day, and she’s like, I can’t. You have to… it’s void. It’s void.”

• On Twister’s Origins (16:12):
  Durst: “In the 50s, everything was way more perverted...cooking spoons were all dildos.”

• On Paul Dano’s Acting (38:16):
  Blake, reading QT: “He is weak sauce man...the limpest dick in the world.”

• On Quentin Tarantino’s Persona (46:02):
  Adam: “He’s kind of a dork, dude. I think he’s revealed himself to be a dork.”

• On Jackass 2 (59:36):
  Adam: “I think Jackass 2 is the funniest movie I’ve ever seen.”

• On ‘Field of Dreams’ and Male Fantasy (62:10):
  Durst: “It’s just every guy’s fantasy...the wife is like, ‘We might lose the farm, but sure, go for it,’ and he gets to play catch with his dead dad.”

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic Summary | |-----------|----------------------| | 03:20–14:52 | Masturbation, relationships, and "men's rights" banter | | 15:04–17:51 | Twister, sexuality, and pervy history | | 17:52–18:36 | Porno’s inevitability with new media | | 18:41–23:42 | Mustaches, masculinity, and dad-life grooming | | 32:34–47:24 | Tarantino's savage podcast appearance: "limpest dick" rant and the nature of star power | | 47:24–60:03 | QT’s favorite films, Jackass, Tarantino’s taste, movie nostalgia | | 61:01–64:44 | Field of Dreams: The ultimate "man fantasy" movie | | 72:35–75:35 | What would you do if acting dried up? Alternate careers and woodworking fails |

Flow, Tone, and Style

The episode flows as a classic, free-rolling TII hangout: brash, often crass, introspective in spurts, but always slanted toward keeping each other laughing. There’s zero puritanical filter, plenty of retro pop culture, and a strong sense of shared history and affection beneath the playful jabs, self-deprecations, and sex jokes.

SUMMARY

For fans of the Workaholics squad and anyone wanting a mix of real talk and raw humor about relationships, pop culture, and Hollywood, this episode delivers. Major highlights include a refreshingly honest look at men’s private (and not-so-private) rituals, a deep-dive on why Twister is the world’s horniest game, the ever-relevant link between new media and sex, and a wild unpacking of Quentin Tarantino’s latest, most controversial opinions. A must-listen if you like your movie criticism with a side of butt-wipe jokes and “men’s rights” lampooning.

Related Episodes/Follow-up Topics:

• More on Tarantino’s actor call-outs
• Hollywood’s “10-year run” rule
• Is Jackass America’s greatest art?
• Dad staches: necessary evil or style crime?