Blank Check with Griffin & David - Is This Thing On?

Episode Date: January 4, 2026

Testing, testing…does anybody know? Is this thing on? It depends on who you ask, frankly. The Blank Check team are divided on Bradley Cooper’s latest offering, the divorce dramedy Is This Thing On? Can you just walk in off the street to do an open mic at the Comedy Cellar? No. Is Peyton Manning one of our finest athlete actors? Yes. Is Griffin’s opinion of this film possibly strained by his anxiety over the New York City mayoral election? Probably. Join us for an episode that we hope is funnier than Will Arnett’s sad sack stand-up, but also probably not as brilliant as Bradley Cooper’s performance as a guy named “Balls.” Read the Cybertruck article Listen to Cannes I Kick It Watch the Vic Mensa ft. Wyclef Jean performance on Colbert Sign up for Check Book, the Blank Check newsletter featuring even more “real nerdy shit” to feed your pop culture obsession. Dossier excerpts, film biz AND burger reports, and even more exclusive content you won’t want to miss out on. Join our Patreon for franchise commentaries and bonus episodes. Follow us @blankcheckpod on Twitter, Instagram, Threads and Facebook!  Buy some real nerdy merch Connect with other Blankies on our Reddit or Discord For anything else, check out BlankCheckPod.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Blank Check with Griffin and David Blank Jack with Griffin and David Don't know what to say You're to expect All you need to know is that the name of the show It was blank check Oh, do you have something to say? No, go ahead.

Is this podcast on? See, he, he wanted to, he killed our great intro so he could do that. Yeah. That's why he killed it. That's why he killed it. Here's my impression of what happens every time David goes, can we start the podcast? I go, okay, let me find a quote. And then you go, oh.

Yes. Yes. As if you have not been hosting blank check with Griffin, David, for 11 years. 11, Ben. 11. This is 20, 26. The first episode of our 11th year? Yep.

And sometimes you seem so confused and irritated by the mere existence of this show. Confused is not the word, but you nailed the second one. It is what it is. I don't know what you want out of me. Arrive on time. Impossible. Have a quote ready. And when Ben says we're rolling, do the quote.

Do you think this is why Laura Dern and Willarnett separated? No, they separated because he couldn't. see her as anything but a volleyball player? I think. I think that's what it was. I'm just saying what happened just now was I started the quote and you sighed. No, I sighed because we had a funny intro and you

nixed it and instead you did this. The funny intro was Ben eating a sandwich. Listeners, vote if you think that's how you wanted this episode. I welcome the poll. And let me be clear. Blue Wave incoming. I'm blue. The crunchiest sandwich It sure was. He did toast it

to get a crunchier. This is a movie about stand-up comedy, but I don't know how you guys feel. It's not a laugh riot. I found it dramatically unfuny. Griffin wasn't a huge fan. I would say this movie made my skin crawl. But even quality-wise, aside, just not that funny, a movie.

A few moments. I rest-in-there. I found it dramatically unfunny. Marie funny? Bradley Cooper's funny. Sure, sure, sure. Ben off mic, but my guess is you thought it was mildly funny at best. Yeah, not even very funny.

Every single time Bradley Cooper's character who is named Balls... He sure is. He sure is called Balls. Really? I mean, that's how he's credited. That's his nickname. And they do call him Balls. Every single time Balls is on screen, I was laughing. And at the screening I was at, the entire audience was laughing.

Yes. Every time he was on screen and the rest of the movie was Pindrop Silent. Yeah, it was a lot of... But anyway, so this movie is not that funny. Now, we talk for half an hour, various meeting stuff, guys, debating... Debating businesses. Celebrities we should invite on. Who's on our shit list?

Deciding to make a sandwich. No, no, no, no. So we're all scheduling. Oh, who should we email? You know, we were burning time and it's sort of like, okay, we got to start the episode. Ben's like, okay, produces, I would say, a loo-to-size. You're missing a piece of this. What am I missing?

You're missing a piece of this, which is, I'm eating a rap. Yeah, you're eating. Ben goes, I'm rolling. I go, hold on, let me just finish this bite. Sure, you take a bite, right? I digest the bite. I'm ready to start, and I look over, and Ben has magically produced. It's so big.

The largest, it's fresh out of the microwave, steam lines coming off of it. I think it was fresh out of the toaster oven. I smelled some burning bread. And he takes a bite, and it's crunch. It's crunch. And I'm like, where did you get that? Why didn't you eat that while we were talking? And he said, because I wasn't hungry then, which was funny.

It was all captured on Mike. You'll hear it later. Marie's taking a picture of this. David, I got it from Caputo's. You're filming. the sandwich? Love that. Great Italian specialty food store in Cable Hill. I love Caputo's

bakery, a classic old school Italian joint in the neighborhood. One of our great Italian American filmmakers. You got to finish that thought? Bradley Cooper, one of the great Italian American filmmakers. And why do you say that? I mean, his mother is Irish.

Italian, I believe. His father's Irish. He, of course, makes a cheese steak on the East Village. I mean, he doesn't do a But it's available to anyone. When they opened, he was making them himself. Or at least when they were in the food truck, he definitely was. When they opened the physical space. He was in there a couple times.

And when it was like, they're open one day a week and you've got to check the schedule. It was because it was fucking Bradley was there. And he was like, I got two hours. I haven't forgotten you guys. The choppy things. Not inviting me. I didn't go. He didn't invite me either.

It was just Bobby Wagner and I. Yeah. I went with my friend Eric. Bobby Slag. You still went. Okay. Do you want to hang out with Eric? Do you know him?

No, but maybe we'd be friends. Honestly, you might get along. We're going. We'll go. Ben and I will go. It's honestly kind of better now because you don't have to wait a million hours for it or whatever. When he was still doing the limited pop-up hours, Bobby Wagner and I and our respective partners went to see a better man. A better film than this.

Sure. Sure. Was playing at the villagey cinema in a screen with a sign outside that said, warning. This movie's about a monkey guy. Heating broken. Oh, hell yeah. And Better Man came out at the August, right? It was a late December release.

We were seeing it the nippiest days of January. We were seeing it the last day of the theaters. I remember that being the reason why I didn't go to the Bradley Cooper pop-up at the time was like, I'm not going to stand out in the East Village. It was a cold winter. In the freezing cold. We saw it. There was no good time to release Better Man, but Christmas does not strike me as a great time to have released that.

We saw it at Second Avenue. It's fun for the whole family. What are you talking about? Sure. Very close to Danny Coupes, which I was wrong. It's not Danny Myers. No, it's not Danny Meyer. It's some other guy.

Yeah. No offense to that man if he listens to this podcast. And we decided we were like, fuck it. It's really cold, but we're here. Let's see. They had advertised they were going to be open today. And we walked over and a guy was like pulling the gate down and he was like they ran out of brain. Danny Giampietro.

Danny Jampietro. Who's like a legit cheese steak man. Right? And so they'd run out the first time, but you and Bobby went back. So then Bobby and I were like, we got to go back. And, you know, I had that cheese steak. It was forged in that moment. There was the impulse decision to try to get it post-Betterman, and it was forged in that

moment. You were not left out of anything consciously, Marie. And it was just Bobby. And this is Marie Barty Salinas, who is a Philadelphia native that we're speaking to. We're going to introduce a party out of order. Yes, it is. We're going to have a good time. We're going to have a great time.

But I'm not, I'm not trying to offend you. But I'm not a huge cheese steak person generally. Right. I think you're kind of not that pumped up on a cheese sticks either. I'm like, you know, I don't love cheese whiz. I'm like more of a. Right. And he,

I want like either pro bonoan or American. This place has its sort of proprietary cheese, which is very good. It's really good. It's a very liquidy cheese that is not cheese whiz, but it doesn't feel like it's some stupid elevated. Right. No, exactly. That sounds really promising.

It's a better version of a junkie super soft cheese. I went with there. And Eric makes fun of me for, usually I'll only eat half of a giant sandwich like that and keep the other half. Now, I don't think you should make fun of me because I think I'm just living my life. There are many other reasons to make fun of you. Oh, Ben's going, is Ben going to get the other half of his giant sandwich? All this talk. Taking another bite.

And I ate half the sandwich and I was sitting and I was digesting and I was like, I'm going to eat the other half. This isn't making me feel like complete garbage. Like, it's not like a, you know, rock in my stomach, which a cheese steak can be. I had the exact same experience. And knowing me and my tum-tum? And no weird poops later. I did not have problems. And, you know, I had dinner with Bradley Cooper, which we'll talk about on this episode.

And I should have told him no weird poops later. Can you just clarify that? Any time you say a sentence like this, I need to clarify it. I attended one of these awards-y, where it's like 20 people and three celebrities. It's the funniest occurrences where they'll be like, the cast of this movie invites you to dinner, sit at a long communal table. I mean, like, it's... With like 15 of your industry colleagues and then the A-lister is at the top of the table. I told my husband.

In a way. I was like David Sillina or David Sims talked to Bradley Cooper. They had dinner and they talked about how he goes to every Eagle's home game. And my husband David was like, wait, David got dinner with Bradwick. It sounds like I texted him and was like, hey, want to go to like, you know, let's get a slice. And I was like, Erlik was there too. It was not a real thing. Do you think the whole notion behind, and by the way, Ben Hosley, ultimate professional, eating his sandwich in the corner?

What a great boy. He looks great. He's really happy. No crunch on Mike. And by the way, we're getting this good sandwich material you want. And this is the first episode of the new year. A great entry point for the listeners. We have not introduced what this show is. We'll get to it.

We'll get to it. Yeah. But I actually am lying because Bradley Cooper didn't stay for dinner. Oh, which is fine. Odurs? He was there for the drinks, which is kind of the, you know, the part where there's the most The mingling. So you should have said, I got drinks with Bradley.

I got a drink with Bradley Cooper. Also, it's famously sober, correct? Yeah, we were both drinking, like, Yuzu's sodas. Okay, that's cool. Yeah. He wasn't drinking, like, a Tom Holland beer. Not that I knew. And then we sat down to dinner.

And Will Arnett and Andrea Day were also there, people in this movie. Arnett also sober. Yes, that's right. I mean, look, I wasn't checking everyone's drinks. You should have been my finger being like, I taste alcohol. It would have been funny if you showed up with, like, a breathalyzer. Now, wait a second. Hold on.

Andrew Day, how. However, gluten-free, and we discussed that. Interesting. And you did test her. And I did. I was like, eat this crouton. She was like, no, I won't do it. You had a celiac test in your back. And, oh, wait, oh, but right, we sat down to dinner, Bradley Cooper went. Anyway, I have to go.

I'm so sorry, and he talked to us for a minute more. And then he's like, I have to pick up my daughter from Russian class. Yeah. And I was just like, so many questions. Russian cause. Her mother is Supermodel of Rina Shake. There you go. That's the thing I couldn't put together.

That's what you need me for. Thank you. To know Bradley Cooper's dating history and all of the Victoria's secret models. So I will report everything I got from Bradley, which included some insights about this movie, mostly insights about Clint Eastwood, which is what I really want to. Okay. But I'll do that later. Am I correct in thinking, in remembering that they were never married? That they had a child together and they were together for several years.

I believe the only person he's ever been married to was Jennifer Esposito for one year. Who is famously gluten-free. Yep. Very, very seriously. Very seriously gluten-free. Does she, like, posts about it a lot? No, she, like, opened up a bakery. in the East Village.

Well, you know, my wife has celiac. I know. Congrats, Humbleberg. And so I am very conscious of gluten. I don't want to get the details of this story wrong, which is why I'm going to proceed to just describe what I remember, probably inaccurately. But she had an issue where I believe she was misdiagnosed for many years, where she could tell that something was seriously wrong in her body.

I think this often happens, right. Doctors misdiagnosed it, and it caused a lot of issues when she was on Blue Bloods, and they dropped her from the cast of the show because they said she was difficult to work with, and it was, like, a health condition, and there was, like, a years-long lawsuit about it. No, no, and I do, you know, if women complain during a job, they are being difficult. Well, they should be grateful. Right, exactly. And by the way, Marie, is there anything you want to say to us?

I feel like at this point, we could edit together, like a compilation of all the four. We can't drop that when it's time to Newkevish show. I love that's a joke. God damn it. It's like when J.D. says that he wishes he could pull clips from the podcast and make them pull quotes. on posters like this looks like a bowl of farts David Sims the Atlantic Hamlet is the greatest interview of all time

I love Jennifer Esposito who I first discovered on Spin City way back in the day Yeah Great show Big big fan They had She's a big Spike Lee

collaborator I feel like she's been a bunch of leaves Summer Sam she's really fucking good at that movie I still haven't seen that one I love Summer of Samson I love Summer of Samson I kind of have like an Adrian Brody thing It is where he really

great son. Oh, but dude, it's when he was like this like, like, fascinating thing. Yeah. Yeah. You were like who, it was pre him being famous. It's like perfect Brody. But we're also, I mean, just try to think of a time when like any time that guy popped up and he wasn't famous, but you would be like, it's that guy again with the face and the

nose. Like, he's so weird. Also, Marie, he's playing a Jewish punk. Yes. Who people start to suspect might be the son of Sam. Okay. Because they're like, his vibe is so bad. It's like perfect casting for him

Where the whole energy is like The fuck is going on with you man He's great That movie is very akin to Bring Out the Dead for me Yeah I love 1999 major New York American Master

Epics, sorry efforts about New York That are very dark And like bombed hard at the time And everyone's like the fuck are they doing And I watch them and I'm like This is like top tier of the filmography My brain is on screen right now Yeah

Yeah. Very high up favorites for me and both of their filmographies. Written by Michael Imperioli. Yeah. Love him. Because he was supposed to play the Legzomacher. And then I think Sopranos happened. Well, Violator made a couple phone calls.

That's the other thing that happened. He farted into the phone. And Spike Lee said, what am I going to do? What do you want for me? He's violated. Anytime Spike Lee, like he's in the Sorsese dog. Yeah. And they'll just cut to him and he'll be like, thank God for asthma.

And you're like, Rebecca Miller knows when the audience just needs a little punch in the arm, you know. Here's the best part, him saying, thank God for asthma and then laughing for 15 consecutive sense. Doing a full barty laugh. Uh-huh. Yeah. He does like a Wai Luigi laugh now because he kind of like crouches and like he'll, yeah. He is kind of a Wau Luigi. Well, because he wears a lot of purple.

He wears a lot of purple. He wears a lot of purple. Did I tell you guys I was walking around this neighborhood and it was the first time I had seen. And this was probably a year ago, if not more. The first time I had seen a cyber truck out in the wild. Okay. God fucking damn it. Darmes truck.

Was he driving it? No, why Luigi was. Someone's driving a cyber truck in Brooklyn? Who the fuck is this asshole? And I look as the car turns the corner and I am 95% sure a sort of like sinking in his chair, Spike Lee was shotgun. Oh, shotgun. He wasn't driving it. It didn't seem to be his car.

So maybe someone was like, hey, I'll come pick you up. But almost as if he was like embarrassed, like, I don't want him to see that it's me. All right. I'm going to put something out here and I want to see if you guys agree with me. Okay. I don't think Spike Lee can drive. I don't think so either. And that probably explains why I like his homography so much.

Right. Are you Googling Ken Spikeley drive? I am, although I don't know why I thought that would work out for me. I'm sure he can drive like a big wheel. I could see him on a big wheel, Bobby's World style. Now we're making Spike Lee into an increasingly sort of nomish, magical figures. He's Wallyji. He's Bobby from

Bobby's world. Penn, Spike Lee Drive. I didn't get an answer, and I don't know. I mean, he's a New York City guy, so he doesn't have to drive. He did an Escalade commercial. Oh, that doesn't. He'll do commercials about anything. Yeah. God bless him. What's the podcast? His production company

was ticketed for doing illegal parking in front of the office. Yeah, sure. But unclear. No, just to close the loop on Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Esposito were married for 15 minutes. Yeah, they were very briefly

and it is one of the most bizarre kind of unexplained divorce situations ever. They were dating for many, many years and then they got divorced like one week after they got married. I mean, technically, obviously, six months or whatever, but I think they've said

like, we realized immediately it was not a good idea. I am not saying that Bradley Cooper doesn't have the right to make this movie. I just thought it was interesting to bring in like his own history with divorce. For a guy who's had a lot of high profile relationships. Today we are talking about his new film because this is Blank Check with Griffin and David.

I'm Griffin. I'm David. And there's a smiling producer sitting across from me. His belly full. The look of satisfaction on his face. Chicken parm. Chicken parm. Chicken parm taken down. It's Benjamin crunch crunch hazzly. I love it. It's Benjamin Crunch Krantzli and has already mentioned

Marie Barty Salinas, Party Salinas. Philadelphia Zone. Philadelphia Zone. Fly Eagles Fly? What do they what do they say? Go birds. And also, like, yeah. Wooder ice. E-A-G-L-E-S. Eagles.

Yeah, no, Bradley Cooper told me, I'm going to just drop in all the things that Bradley Cooper told me, which I've remained in my brain, like, locked in the vault. To be clear, okay, so these stupid dinner invite things. Only come in an awards season, obviously, and just because I'm an awards-e voter, I get invited to them. It would be funny if in April they were like, hey, Mars Crusas just wants to not be free for dinner sometimes. Well, I've heard of, there's a couple of people who do stuff like that. But that's not publicist. That's like filmmakers who just, right. They want to sum it.

Yeah, they like to sort of mix it up. It's like the character actor dinners or whatever. Yeah, and it's like, I feel like that's also, that is kind of the old school thing that like Pauline Kale used to do where like, you know, they were really mingly back then. The critics and the filmmakers, you know, Kale and Altman and all that. And Ebert and Scorsese. Yeah. And, you know, Corliss that was a big guy with Corsese, Richard Corlis. Yeah.

Anyway, these dinners come in. And yes, I rarely go because I don't, I have kids, and I can't do evenings. You have kids? I do. Okay. But that night I had to introduce kiss, kiss, bang, bang at the Nighthawk. Sure. And I was like, I'm actually not going to go home tonight.

And this dinner is bizarrely at 5 o'clock, probably to fit Bradley Cooper's Russian lessons. Uh-huh. And so I was like, I think I'm going to take the meal. Even though I was mixed on the movie, I do like Bradley Cooper. Uh, and Will Arnett, uh, you know, I've, I've liked it. We've loved so much of his work. Yes. And Andrea Day, hey, she's great, I guess.

She absolutely has an Oscar nomination. Did you talk to Willarnette about being like... She's been really nice. Yeah. What's it like, being a famous podcast? Do you not talk to Will Arnette really much at all except sort of like in... Well, when I walked in the door, I was one of the first people there. And Will Arnette and Bradley Cooper were standing there.

Yeah. And I was like, hi. I'm David. And they're like, hi. And I was like, do it? what do I do with my coat? And Willa was like, I'll take your coat. Like, he was doing a bit, like, which I thought was funny.

He was like, oh, yeah, I'm doing the coats. I'm doing the coats. You know, that was funny. You handed him the coat, and then he went, is this thing off? That he should have done. He had taken the coat off. That sounded like a Nicholson. It's tough.

Is this thing on? You know what I just watched? Because I have the, what is it, Miniger Syndrome, sort of fancy brands, cinematography or whatever. It's a nomatograph. There you go. They're going south. Oh, I've never seen that.

I just know, like, the picture of Jack Nicholson would be. I'm like, yeah. Looking pretty, Jack. A retro I will do one day when I open the Sims cinema or whatever. The Sims. Horny Westerns. Horny Western. I don't know, but I'm going to have to, after watching that, I was like, right, Jack was like, can we make the Western horny?

Like, there's got to be others. Let me just close a loop here. And then I want to hear about fucking all the Bradley. Can I close a loop before? Sure. I'm sorry. I just found an article about celebrities who own cyber trucks. Okay. Film director Spike Lee took to Instagram in December 20203 to show off his brand new cyber truck, quote, I put my reservation in two years ago. Lee wrote in the caption. So he owns the cyber truck.

Whether or not he still doesn't answer the question if he drives or not, but he does own a cyber truck. It had that vibe. It had that vibe. This is a podcast about filmographies, directors who have massive success early on in their careers and are given a series of blink checks to make whatever. crazy passion projects they want and sometimes those checks clear and sometimes they bounce baby we almost exclusively do miniseries on directors some people especially more recent viewers might be going why the fuck is this an episode what is what is happening here uh in the earlier days of the show we would look for opportunities of new release movies where we'd be like ah fuck let's do an episode on that but i think with it stars born it was also just the hype around that was so crazy totally it was like a it was a watershed moment right and it was

this kind of like instabank check and we were like well let's fucking do a star's board and then he has kind of you know continued to build out a filmography so I remember that being the last year where Ben would actually have us look at the calendar and go is there anything

worth building an episode around and we both were like this kind of feels like it and especially after you had seen it at a TIF it was like this is a moment and if we get it on the ground floor of this it is going to be interesting to keep tracking what's going on in his career, which I can tend to still the case, even though I don't

like this film at all. So this has been in our sense series on Bradley Cooper happening in real time. Yeah, whenever he makes a movie will be there, including, is this thing on? Is this, is this thing? Wait a second. Lego Batman, I'm trying to find it. Did you turn this on? This is kind of a weird Lego Batman sequel. I know they struggled a lot in development to figure out the hook for the second one, but I feel like they really dropped most of what I liked about the first one. the only thing we did in 2019 that was a standalone was joke well yes we did you joke but we had of course done dc you movies and cats right yeah we did the lion king cats trailer episode the other thing we did was we uh we uh solved some saw some murders we saw some crimes oh detective Pikachu detective we met the good detective sort of an all format episode it was but i would like there to be a sequel to that

I really enjoyed Detective Pikachu. I mean, shot on the film? It was fully announced. Do you remember they said Jonathan Cressel was going to direct Detective Peter? They did. I think COVID kind of kneecapped it and now they're just sort of figuring out what to do a Pokemon. There are a lot of sequels like that that were in active development and then COVID basically adding an extra two years of like pause made them go like, did we miss the moment, you know? Like there's an alternate timeline in which they filmed that movie in 2020 or 2021 and it comes out in 20.

or 22 and by the time they could have started having that conversation in 21 they were like well we're going to have this come out in 23 it just felt like yeah you know what else is coming out in 2026 this year by the way because we're going to cover some new films this year obviously from people who we've covered same ramy new sam ramy picture hell fucking yeah we'll cover sam ramey's send help we're going to obviously cover stephen speleberg's untitled alien movie we're going to cover the odyssey i hear it's called alta aliens that's right that's a joke about people getting mad at us go on we're going to cover M. Night Shyamalan's Remain.

And we're going to cover Danny Boyle's ink, which is coming out this year. Wait, really? Yes. The movie about River Murdoch. But he's getting it out that fast? I think so. They shot it in October. Like, there's no way it's not going to be like a fall festival. Oh, Danny Boy. And I liked that play. Yeah.

Well, it's on the sketch because it doesn't have a release date. Right. But there's like the side column of undated. And of course we'll cover Horizon. Part two, an American sock. I'm sure that's coming. I mean, that's one of those just it's coin flip either we'll never see it or tomorrow is coming out look may its memory be a blessing it lives in my head i watch it every night before i fall asleep

now may i ask if it's only released to streaming would we do it yeah we might we might put it on patreon or something but we'll do it if it comes out in any way it is going mainframe i think it has to i would agree i mean i would agree yeah but i hope we live in hope that some katari prince will furnish Kevin Costner with whatever millions he needs to get that accomplished. And I say this without revealing, he's in guitar right now. I say this without revealing any privileged information. The vibe I keep getting of why this thing is bottlenecked is anytime anyone offers money to buy the film away from Warner Brothers, he's like, can't we put that money into part

three? That his priority, anytime money is made available to him, even as a notion is what about three, four, and five? And they're like, Kevin, can we just get two out? I thought there are only four. Well, he started being like, I've got some five ideas. This is what's incredible. He absolutely is like, right now I'm really excited about this five idea I just had.

And people are like, get two out. Well, you say people are like, it's a handful of people who are that instance. I'm struggling like three lawsuits. I know. But it's just one of those things where it's like there's no mob storming. Any Warner Brothers Gates being like, her eyes? No, the people I'm speaking of are the people who invested into, the people who worked on two. I'm not saying the public is demanding it as much as everyone's surrounding him directly.

So the people who invested in Kevin Costner's two-part epic saga about the American West, I say thank you and I salute you. And I'm looking for the list of his primary investors. It was just himself, right? It wasn't just himself. He put up a tremendous amount of money, but it was not just himself. He also, Taylor Sheridan just checked his wallet. And it's empty. And Costner's running away.

We're here to talk about is this thing on which is Bradley Cooper's third film as a director. Yeah. I don't know how many movies he's done as an actor. I could count if you want. Yeah, give a quick count because I'm going to just quickly since this is...

And this is just how the podcast works. We're 11 years in. This is technically our final episode in our Bradley Cooper miniseries for now. Unless he'd make something else, which I believe he is going to. So let me just do a quick ranking of a Bradley Cooper films. Number one, Maestro with a Bullet.

You love Meister. Number two, a Star is Born. number three, the cheese steak, space, space, space, space, space, number four is this thing on. A movie I really did not like. So just... Griffin didn't like the film. To table set for everyone. Oh, please.

Oh, I am excited for this thing. David is licking his lips. So, David saw this film independent of us. I saw it at the New York Film Festival. Yes, David saw it before us. And the three of us, Ben, Griffin and myself, We're supposed to go to a press screening. Kindly offered to us by the folks at Fox Searchlight.

Yes. And it was packed. People wanted to know. On? Off. There was a tension. Medium. There was a tension in the city.

People were getting really ants. Right. People are, I was like, are you voting for Zoro? And they're like, I don't care. I just want to know, is this thing on? Has anyone seen the switch? What position was it in? I mean, I haven't been to as many press screenings as you have, David.

I have certainly been to a lot of them. But to me, this was like the most, it's a prite. This is the first press screening I've ever been to where they didn't have enough seats. I do think what you experience is a little rare. I also think they probably just, right, they should have scheduled more screenings. This was not at a movie theater. This was at a private screen room. It was a five hundred park, which is a small room.

But, you know, there's a real dearth of screenings. screening rooms in New York City these days, I think, and like, come award season, I am not a publicist, I don't have to deal with this. I think it becomes this nightmare, a jigsaw, of like everywhere's booked, like all fucking day, you know, from October to June or whatever. I was running late, and they hit capacity like 10 minutes before the movie started. So you basically were like, there's no way you're getting in here. And they weren't letting you hold seats. No. So Ben and I didn't sit next to each other. Kind of like the cellar. A little bit like the cellar. A little bit like the cellar. And really high cover charge. They made Marie get chicken

tenders. It's a four drink minimum, ma'am. And Cokes cost $18. How much is like a diet Coke at the comedy song? Oh, my God. But yeah, Griffin didn't, Griffin missed the movie. I saw it at the same screening room about 10 weeks, 10 weeks, 10 days, two weeks later. Good bathrooms there. Big mirror. So you can really see everything that's happening. I love the bathroom. And in fact, maybe I'll rank the shit I took in that bathroom above this movie. You know, okay, but just to, just to put it out there. I'm taking some shit at the 500 park bathroom. David saw the movie first and you were like, yeah, it's smaller, but it's fine.

I was sort of like, flawed, mixed, some moments, which is where I am. And then, Ben and I, we get out of the movie and we're like, it's kind of a nut. We shrugged, we're like, you know, and I'm like, which seems to be the somewhat general critical. I know a couple of people who love it. Katie Rich, a huge fan of this movie. You hate this. Let me just take a step back.

here, right? They announced this movie. Well, keep on the mic. Oh, okay. Take a step back, but bring the mic with you. Hello. And Ben, do you have a second sandwich you want to eat right now? Unfortunately, no. But I do have dessert. Teramisu. No, I'm trying. And Ben, do you want to... That's too soft. You would need a crunchy dessert.

Rice Krispy Treat. Kind of bland, but funny. Ben, do you want to tell everyone what you've Googled and look up on your... I... From the position of our desk, I have the beauty of Ben's... Ben's Googling. And sometimes I just see what Ben has silently pulled up on his computer screen and it makes me happy. I was just trying to find an answer to your question.

How much does a Coke cost a comedy seller? He's got the menu. He's got the full menu PDF on his computer. But they don't have listed soft drinks. But I'm actually kind of surprised reasonable-ish pricing. Like, for example, a Bud Light, $5. That is pretty reasonable. Not bad at all.

So shout out. So, you know, and I will say the seller is a totally fun place to go. I'm not trying to diss the seller. No. No, none of this, these movie's sins are not on the comedy seller. I would say it has some insane representation of the comedy seller. Well, what do you mean, Griffin, when we were coming up in comedy, we would always go to the open mics at the comedy cellar. Well, it was the only way to avoid having to spend $15 to drink at a bar above the comedy seller with no view of the stage.

Of course. That's just what you do. Listen, let me step back. They announced this movie. Yeah. This movie, as it proudly proclaims in its end credits, is based on a true story. It is, I can speak to this. It's some real Britney Runs a Marathon shit.

A little bit, but I would say it does not do the Britney Runs a Marathon thing. It is ostensibly based on the life story of John Bishop, but as Bradley put it to me, because I was talking to him about, like, adapting. We were talking about Jeremy Strong because he had just done a Q&A with Jeremy Strong for the, though at this point in January. Well remembered, Springsteen delivered me from or two. nowhere from evil yeah i did i did typo twice in the same day deliver her deliver me from evil and i told him like oh i just interviewed jeremy strong we talked about playing real people yada yada yada and i was like this must have been interesting with like you know you got the real person and he's like oh no and i was like no and he was like i took two things that he'd become the stand-up in that way yes where he put

his name down for fun and then he gets back together with his wife's boy no no no no just that that his wife was then at a show like that he was like those the only two things about that that interested me. But in real life, the guy's name is John Bishop, I believe, yes, he reunited with his wife, but he's like, but the marriage in this is not based on the marriage or anything like that. He's just like, there were

just two plot points I liked, the initial thing and then the twist of like, and then when he's finally finding his feet at the comedy show, one day his wife is there. Yeah. That was it. this film is announced it's announced kind of quietly as like bradley cooper's working on a new thing he's noodling around it's a script by will or net will or net would star in it and it's maybe

something about the comedy scene and then at some point it comes out oh it's based on john bishop and people are like what does that mean right but it's also like you start hearing like he's in new york And, like, because he lives in New York, but like, he's testing out materials. Right, they're shooting stuff and maybe, like, comedians are involved. Right. That's like, what's going on here? New York comedy subredits are going like, I saw Will Arnette do 10 mediocre minutes last night. Right. And then people are like. And you're like, but it's Will Arnette. Like, he could be funny.

Right. But it's like, but no, he's doing this like stilted thing. But then people are also like, I keep seeing Bradley Cooper at the audience at the cellar. Or like, I saw five real comedians last night. But Bradley Cooper was just standing in the back with like a 16 millimeter camera. Right? Like, there was just this sort of like something's happening here. We all are a little befuddled by this announcement. We're like, this is kind of a weird swing.

We know that he is very good friends with Will Arnett. They live together, which I did not know until he told me at this dinner, that they lived together in Venice. And it took me, I would say, six to 12 days to clock that he meant Venice, California. I was like, why did you poor struggling actors move to Italy? That actually sounds kind of cool. I don't want to do a movie about that. Yeah, what's that? But then I realized he met Cal.

When was this in the time? My guess is, like, the 90s. Like, because, you know, like, when is Arnette's already, like, I mean, Alias is 2001, which is Bradley Cooper's Big Break. I believe he meets Arnett because of doing Wet Hot, his first movie with Amy Poehler, who is already with Arnett at that point. I don't know when exactly they lived together, but it was certainly when they were both struggling nobody since how about it came out in 2001.

2001. It's a famous 9-11 failure. So then it's shot in 2000. He gets wet-hot like a week after he graduates from the actor's studio program. Right. So I think he's there like 96 or 97 to 2000. Right. And they're right. They're in L.A. as the century turns, the millennium approaches.

Yes. You know, the Y2K bug. Everything okay with that? Everything worked out great. Yeah. Good, good. And perhaps I'm wrong about this. and there was some other reason they had met before.

Bradley has said they knew each other in New York. Okay. But that he was kind of intimidated by Will Arnette. Yeah. Because Will Arnett, I can confirm, and I think you guys know, is kind of big. Yeah. He's like this tall, kind of broad guy. Yeah.

Which is funny because I guess I just associate him with, like, playing a loser. Yeah, but also, also disarmed by having this kind of light, soft voice. This very tender kind of. Hey, how are you doing? I'll take your coat. So he kind of talked about Will Like we were all intimidated by Will But then I guess they lived together and whatever

Had a good time Things I know for a fact, right? He does this acting program He loves comedy He gets wet hot off a straight audition He's not in that scene But he's always been kind of intimidated By New York comedy people

And loved comedy and felt like I'm too much of a serious actor That's like a straight audition He is severed He gets that part He becomes friends with all those people He was one of these guys Much like John Hamm in the LA comedy

scene where in the years where he's just kind of a working actor it'd be like do you know who's actually really funny right they all know him he hangs out and they're like yeah he's actually he's actually really funny but he becomes very close with will or net this period of time the big thing he always cites is that will or net is like one of the first people who helped him get clean that in the early 2000s he had a big uh coke issue and that he was being very abrasive with people in social settings and will or net pulled him aside one night and said like Like, you know everyone thinks you're an asshole, right? Like, I get that you think you're being funny and that you don't know because the drugs are like giving you this confidence and that you think you're being this like awesome kind of like shit talking badass guy.

But like everyone is like really, really fucking annoyed with you. Right. And then I think as these two guys have had their respective substance issues ups and downs over the years. Sure. Well, I think alcohol, his big thing. Both to surprise. But I know he had a prescription pill thing that Flaked was sort of about. I thought Flicks was about alcoholism, but yeah, I don't know. Maybe yet after that, I don't know.

I know there's also been, they've had journeys over 25 years of friendship, and their friendship has very much been forged in them sort of, I think, to some degree, being accountability buddies and what have you on top of everything else. A hundred percent, and Bradley put it, Bradley, my friend Bradley. Your friend, Be rad. Yeah. I call him. Be rad coops.

Be red coops. Basically, very much said, like, I made this, this movie. Like, he was like, I'm very lucky. that I'm successful and I make movies and I get to make movies. And I made this movie for Will. Like, it's just, like, give him the Star Vehicle to, he didn't say this part, but it's clear, you know, to adapt his screenplay. This is me doing something for Will. Not it being perhaps a straight favor movie, but this is a movie I'm doing because I love my buddy.

It's interesting usage of a blank check. I agree. I also detect more than a hint of another Bradley Cooper collaborator in this film. God Phillips. Cameron Crow. Like so obviously to me. And like this movie is so close. Oh my God, I forgot about Aloha.

I'm like, what do you mean? I'm sorry. I've re-watched in the last year. Where is David pointing, everyone? The sky. The sky. I regret to inform you that I have fully come around to Aloha being good. I, one, know that.

And two, I'm happy to hear it. I've just been digging in deeper and I gave Elizabethtown another watch recently. Right. And you were like, here's my experience. Stove's still hot. First half of it And a lot of this is

And this is why I really wanted To like this movie Without putting pressure on it As much as I'm like This is a weird choice for Bradley Do I want him spending his time As a director Kind of servicing Will Arnette

Who I like at times But I'm like You're making Willardnette Sound like an old jalop Surfing Just kind of rolling under I mean He made this quickly

So I certainly don't mind But yes I know what you're saying But I'm like Especially because we kind of fucking call our shot with him Right And we're just like Here's a guy who seems to be like developing a career as a filmmaker with intentionality, right?

And I'm on the record loving Maestro. I feel like the three of you like it with more qualifications, whereas I'm a huge fan of Mystro. I love Maestro. I love Maestro. And I think it's like one of the most underrated movies of the last five years. Yes. And I get why people bump on it. It is like a very bizarre film.

And it's like a huge swing. movie. Yeah. And this movie, to me, feels like a reaction to some of the guff he got for Maestro in a way that bums me out. Well, it feels to me like his first two films are the work of a filmmaker, filmmaker, not an actor filmmaker. And this, to me, feels like one of those, like, Tribeca movies that an actor does a

one-off, you know, and it goes... Tribeca movie, back when Tribeca had a little more juice, but yes, I think... But, I mean, to me, that's... fine i'm like you know what take your foot off the gas a little bit maestro is a very hard act to follow and you don't want to do the next mind movie will be about alexander the great you know you don't he had to reset at some point and i think it's it's nice to have variety like every great filmography has big and little movies and he's a new york guy as he told me and then i was like yeah because hollywood sucks right and he's like no no no i don't feel that way and i was like no

Not in a way where I was like, I'm mad that he thinks of it, but I was just like, oh, I failed to bond with Bradley Cooper in this moment. But you were like, and you love the Mats right? And he was like, more Yankees guy. No, no, he's a Phillies fan. We talked about that. I'm joking. Yeah, just about you.

But, yeah, I love the Mets. Let's go Mats. And I hope by this point we have re-signed Edwin Diaz and we've re-signed Pete Alonzoan if we haven't, I'll cry. Look, if we were covering Bradley Cooper as a filmmaker 10 years after. Right, right. And we're just like, that's weird. have to do a is this thing on episode i maybe be less frustrating than maybe if you know what like his eight films are his 12 films are but i i finish

this point uh i i give elizabethton a rewatch because my i realize my girlfriend has never seen i made some reference to it and i'm like fucking let's watch elizabethtown and i watch it in the first half of it i'm like god in the nine years now 10 since we've covered this movie we have been living in such a dearth of not just Cameron Crow, but if anyone even attempting to really do the Cameron Crow thing? I think, I do think, right, there was, his vibe became kind of radioactive in a way. Yeah. Elizabeth Town, of course, being the ultimate manic pixie dream movie and all that. Yeah. Yeah. I just, it felt like everyone got scared off of everything like that and there was even a period. And no one even fucking buy zoos anymore. No one buys zoos. No one buys. No one

buys. No one buys. I'm going to Google if there any zoos for sale. This is the thing. No one's having kids and no one's buying zoos, and this is why our economy is failing. We used to have hope and cash, and cans, and zoos. 11 years, David. I'm all for it. I love you. I love you very much.

Marie, I love you. Love you, too. I love you guys. Ben, I love you. Ben, I love you. And I love chicken parmesan. Who doesn't is? Can we make a promise to our listeners? We're not getting divorced. No. The four of us are not getting divorced in our four-way marriage. Absolutely.

The first half of Elizabeth town, I was like, God, Orlando Bloom is even worse in this than I remember. I truly, like, was I being too many, no. This is like one of the most disastrous movie star tests I have ever seen. And yet, everything around him in the movie was suddenly working for me. And even in some, like, long tail, like, nostalgia way, I was, like, kind of loving peak, dunced manic pixie dream girl. Like, right, this is, like, fucking... She's a wonderful term. actress. And this is ground zero of the whole

thing. It's the purest version, the most extreme thing. And I was like, I was way too down on this movie. And then like at the halfway point, it like amps the crow up to like 11. And I was like, this movie has broken me again. It's not a good movie. But there was certainly

like more stuff in it I liked than I remember and I think that is more representative of being like, we kind of kicked this whole thing out of the bloodstream of Hollywood out of the movie culture. movie has some Cameron Crow energy. I mean, this is where I was starting

to get excited. There are moments in this movie that I really liked, such as, I think, the best moment in the movie, the Amazing Grace scene where I'm like, I love this and this is Cameron Crow defined. Why am I already forgetting what this is? Dude, there is a scene in the movie where I was like, it's one of those scenes where I was like

a fucking jazz pulmonary. They're setting up breakfast and it's just completely out of nowhere and they just all matches. And it just feels like, probably Cooper being like, I just have an idea. I just want to something to demonstrate how you guys used to be in sync as like friends and stuff and aren't really anymore

but you still unconsciously have it. I'm fucking Chas Palman Terry and the usual suspects in that moment dropping the coffee cup being like am I going to have to love this movie and then it's back to like I just you weren't just a volleyball player and I'm like oh I don't care

I see first of all I block that scene from my memory second of all I had the opposite response which I was like this is some second half of a Elizabeth Township. Oh, see, I didn't have that reaction. Because it didn't have any, like, I just felt like it was, it had no reason to really exist.

So I was like, I'm interested, like, I'm interested in. This is part of the weird Cammer Crow thing, right? And obviously it, like, ends up biting him. But old double C's? Right. But he would do these scenes where you'd go, like, how the fuck? 100%. Do you have the courage to put that in a movie?

How dare you? Right? Where he'd break more. How very dare you? Or he would do some, like, incredibly, like, a statically emotional. expression of an idea you know tiny dancer is that what kind of that's that's a great example of it totally working yeah right and and you're just like jesus fucking christ and i think in rewatching the lesser crows as i've been doing lately i have

more affection for those moments even when they don't work because i think there's still even when it's not consistent the balance of him being able to like identify these incredibly precise, incredibly small moments of humanity and human connection, right? I want to shout out my friend Colin, Colin of the K-I-Kickett podcast, who also was speaking to the crow thing with. We were texting about it. Yeah. And I think in the later half of his filmography, it perhaps becomes imbalanced.

Oh, with double C. Where he's doing too much of the I Can't Believe shit and less of the well-observed human relationships shit. And I felt like the human relationship shit in this movie, which is like 95% of it, you know? I mean, people were like, oh, is it like really all about stand-up? And I was like, I'd say it's like 30% a comedy movie, 70% of divorce movie. Absolutely. If not 80, 20.

Marriage movie, yeah. And the other question I got from a lot of friends when I was telling them how much I hated this was like, oh, is it one of those movies that annoyed you because it's a movie about comedy that gets all of comedy wrong? And I was like, I do think that's a sin. And I can go off and nipick some of these things, but they're not my primary concern. Sure, and any movie about anything will annoy an expert.

My primary concern is it feels like it's a movie about divorce that doesn't understand people. Well, that was one of my issues with it. I don't... What's your issue? I don't really understand... We get put in media res into their divorce. We don't...

I know that he works in finance and she... But like, again, completely not... Completely nondescript. We don't know why they split up. We don't really know anything about it. them gradually like I still don't understand why they split up because he only sees her as of because you only saw me as a volleyball player this is my whole problem with the movie the entire relationship is horribly rendered well the history of it the present of it what we're working

towards it feels very nonspecific to me and it feels like a collection of like screenwriter like I don't know what's like an interesting thing that was like her past career Olympic volleyball player I don't know how they got there. I mean, it's fine that they did, but I don't really know how they got to volleyball player. I, I, the movie is depicting, I think, in a way, kind of just a chiller divorce by and large. They are not fighting over the kits. They are not fighting over money. No one cheated.

No one cheated. No one's being acrimonious. Just all the energy and the passion just kind of dissipated slowly. And that's an interesting thing to make a movie about, but it's a hard thing to make a movie. And it requires, like, in my opinion, incredible perception and location of, like, specificity. Well, volleyball, she played volleyball. I do think that's good casting. Yeah.

Dern? Laura Dern as an ex volleyball Olympian. She's so tall and blonde. I'm not mad at Laura Dern. If you pitch this movie to me as... And she keyed my car. What? I'm joking.

I'm just imagining a reason to be mad at Laura Dern. Is that a movie reference? I was like, what? Does she, like, do that in blue velvet? Yeah, probably. I just want to point out, before I forget to bring it up later, absolutely insane, like, post-screening Q&A. Laura Dern talking about how working with Bradley Cooper on this film

where he's directing, he's operating the camera. She was the B camera operator. And she's like, it was, like, the creative partnership I've had since David Lynch that felt the most similar to working with David Lynch. And I was like, how many? I'm just trying to think of how many directors are dead in a ditch hearing that, like, Bomb Back. Steven Spielberg?

He's probably feeling fine. He's like, who cares? I've worked with everything. Yeah, Bomback won her an Oscar. Yeah, right. Like, who else would be mad hearing about that? Well, Trevor O. Dominion, the locusts. He really helped locate that character.

Throw in locust center. Yeah. Licks her finger. Feels like there are a lot of big locusts in the air. Ryan Johnson, he was like Hyperdrive now. He go to Hyperdrive. her a maneuver. No director had ever given her a maneuver before.

Oldo. No, if this movie was like, Bradley Cooper has decided to make a film about Laura Dern in middle age, a former Olympic volleyball player trying to figure out her next move after divorce, I'd be like, there is no way you can convince me.

I won't eat that shit off. Yeah, I thought she was a way more interesting character than Will Arnett. She gets a fair amount of time in the movie. It's not like the movie blarps her. No, we do get, no, it doesn't blurp her. We do get some of her. I mean, Blarp might have done some fun.

We do get some of her. He might have done punch up. We do get some of her. I wish we had some of Blarps, outrageous comedy. Sorry, Marie. No, we do get, we do get like some of her, uh, perspective in the film. Yeah, we do. Which is, I appreciate.

And that's, yeah. It's not a my wife left me. No. Correct. No, it's a fear. It is. And that's fine. Like, surprise when they announced that they were.

were running her in lead, which this is a classic, like, you know, we always complain about this, like punting the female lead of a movie with a male lead to supporting, especially if it's a suffering wife character, even if she has the screen time. And they're just like, no, this is, like, very much a two-handed. Yeah. Which it is. It is. It's not for a lack of screen time, and I think she does good work in this, but I just kept being like, I don't think this movie is speaking from a place of like identifying the real kind of what you want from the cram and crow magic of just like there is honest comedy coming out of the recognizing of a moment that feels so true and you've never seen someone put on screen before or at least not in that way you know

and there is stuff that's interesting in the setup of this and i do like that it's trying to be a divorce movie that isn't about a fucking fight. Yes, the kind of Kramer versus Kramer, you know, again, there's so many pitfalls you can avoid. And it does not do those things, but when in the final act of this movie, and we can sort of go through the plot, but like, you know, she's, they're having the heart to heart in the attic or wherever they are. And she's like, you know, you just kept seeing me as a volleyball player and he's like, you know, whatever, like, you weren't in with me or like you have that line about like the difference between being miserable because of

someone or being miserable with someone or being miserable in the marriage and I'm like this is all interesting you guys are catching me up on something I didn't see yeah so I'm not that like these are these are things that could be insightful but because I met you having decided to get divorced I just don't know that I care too much about why you got divorced you already I don't They also have, like, really great chemistry, like, right off the bat. That is true. That scene when they go to their friends lofts, they're played by Andre Day and Bradley Cooper. We're going to get divorced, but let's go to this fucking thing.

We can't tell anyone we're getting divorced, yeah. And then, so, like, he, Will Arnett is already, like, living in an apartment in the city, and Laura Durn and the kids are in the house upstate. And, right. And they're at Grand Central, and they're like, you know. We got to say, before he passed that. Bradley Cooper does trip and fall onto a carton of milk. And that might have been the only moment I laughed.

I mean, basically everything he does. I laughed at everything he does in this movie is really funny. He has like an along-came poly and true. And he's got like a big ass beard and like super long hair. And he's like an alternate in not Jesus Christ superstar, but it's a John the Baptist play. Yeah, it's some sort of religious play. And he grew the beard so he'd look more like a disciple. But he's like, yeah.

It's just kind of one of those. I mean, he's smart. to be like I'll just play this fun supporting role but then any time he's on screen I'm like I think I want the balls movie What movie is this guy? Not only do I think I want the balls movie But I'm also like

No disrespect to his buddy But Will Ornette could play balls Well And Bradley could play the lead Much better But you're I mean I think maybe you're right But I do like Bradley as balls I do too

I love Bradley as balls Ideally it's a double casting Bradley's both. You know, most people have two balls. Not everybody. Let me just zoom out for a second here, right? We're all confused by this. The trailer comes out.

You're like, I like what he's going for. I'm like, I really don't see it, right? Then you see it first, and you're like, it's fine. Yeah, I just couldn't get there with it for the reasons I just said. But then there were little moments I like. Then Marie and Ben see it. They kind of have the same reaction. Yeah.

Your line I remember was, I think I won't remember it in two. weeks when we record. Sure. Right? Yeah. And then I see it. I will say candidly, I saw it on the day. We're about to get a classic Griff new movie. Okay, go ahead. You saw it on the day. It's not a new movie thing. I just have to be honest about this. What life-changing advice or what's it the election? It was the election. 100%. I did not like this movie. I would never like this movie. I will admit, and I had to like clock this once I felt the relief of Zoron winning, when I stepped into that theater and the movie progressed

and I wasn't liking it and I was just so terrified of like and then I'm gonna fucking get out of this theater and turn my phone off and I'm gonna see that Cuomo is like in the lead Why would you think that? Because I don't believe

anything good can ever happen again. I just didn't trust it. I don't trust anything anymore. I certainly... You are. Right. You were rubbing your pierced nipples. Yeah, I was about to say

do you guys remember when everyone thought he had pierced nipples for a couple weeks during COVID when he would give those press conferences with like Do you remember when he like obliterated a retirement home and then did like six months of victory laps on TV with his brother being like, now listen to me, I figured out how to beat

COVID. And then wrote a book like by the end of 2020 being like how I beat COVID. And I'm like, none of us have gotten the jab. yet. And you're, you're declaring yourself. And the winner by knockout. July 2020.

Yeah. I feel very resolved in my opinions on this. And I, but... Every moment the movie irked me, it irked me twice as much being like, it was like when we saw here and I... But that actually ended badly. Where I was just like, fuck, Trump is present and we have to watch here now. And I would love nothing more in both cases to be like, this movie took my mind off of everything and transported me. Have you seen sentimental value yet? Yes.

I mean, made me think of here a lot. Here's another thing I'm going to say, here. I see sentimental value just a here I only build in black and very dark gray Lego Batman good movie five stars Love Lego Batman I see sentimental value the same week as this right And one of the first shots of that movie

Quite a good film One of the first shots of that movie Is just a shot of the family house It's not my favorite either I greatly prefer a worst person Yeah, house is like the starring role in the film. There is what in almost anyone else's hands would just be a perfunctory establishing shot of a house. And I look at this shot and I go, God, he is somehow making this shot feel emotional.

It is not because of swelling strings. He has somehow in an image without doing any fancy trickery, put some feeling into a shot of a house before. we built the characters into it. And what jumped out to me was I was like, this is the part of the thing that Cameron Crow can do that other people don't get right. It's not just the dialogue.

It's not just the working with the actors, but Cameron Crow somehow knew how to visualize the emotions of his films where you watch them and you're just like, even when he's doing a weird thing, right? You're like, the films have a texture and a feeling and a color palette that feels like the melancholy.

I just feel that way about Bradley Cooper's movies, And I think he had an idea with this one. The Cameron Crow thing, I don't really think of him. Maybe this will change if I, like, spend more time with his filmography. I don't really think of him as, like, super visual filmmaker. Have you seen Jerry McGuire? You shot the shit out of that thing. It's a wet movie.

No, I mean, it's a, like, I'm not saying that they don't, the movies don't look good. But I think when we talk, when I talk about moments that I have, like, a particular emotional resonance is because of the music. And he picks really good songs. No, I don't know what you're talking about. Right? He doesn't really use music in any way. No, it's not really his thing. He worked in Rolling Stone as a music journalist, but famously every week he'd file.

Haven't listened to a song yet. See you later. He would review how the record looked. And not the cover. He'd go deep grooves on this one. Black. Not to derail us even further. Did I tell you guys about my experience seeing sentimental value?

Well, how was your seeing of cinema? Well, I saw it at a Q&A screening that David Ehrlich was moderating. Right. So I got to go for free. Sure. Wonderful. And I got to sit in the comp section. Nice work if you can get it.

Yeah, who else was sitting in the comp section? Who? Directly behind me. Both of us there by ourselves. Sorry, I'm done. No. John Terturo, who I see quite often at various things in New York. A New York celebrity.

Francesco Bernoulli himself? Uh, indeed. Carmine Falcone. Carmone. Carmone Falcine? Carmon Falkin. But. The fading jiggle-on?

Catwoman's batty. Right? That's the twist. Yeah, but then it was Mark Strong. Okay. But he, it was like watching the movie, like, with running commentary. Was he responding vocally? Vocally.

What would he say? Okay, so first of all, they're in the trailers. Yeah. Paola Sorrentino. Oh, sure. Is making another movie. I don't know if it's like a sequel to the Great Beauty, but it's the same guy. Okay.

Most of them are Tony Servita. Yeah, this guy. Yeah. And then the trailer plays. ends he goes credible actor he is by himself he is by himself so then when we get to trailer number four oh my god how many fucking trailers are there all right john all right i'm with you guys you saw a car commercial yeah so i really enjoyed that and then the probably the most notable john detouro reaction to the film itself was during the sequence where um spoil well no

People have seen the movie by the time it comes out. It's early January, I would say. Yeah, there is a moment where Stellan Scarsgard gives some, there's a birthday present. There's a birthday present. It's like an eight or nine-year-old child's birthday birthday. Let's not ruin the gag, but there's a birthday present. If you've seen the movie, you know what it is.

There is a birthday present that is wildly inappropriate. And John Tudorro just lost it. Yeah. Like, me slapping. Good for him. I was like, you know what? I love that. And then at one point, he claimed.

He clenched his fist and went Lightning McQueen. I'm going to win the race. We never, never forget that he was in cars. I forgot he was in cars. Francesco Bernoulli. Oh. Did you reset the clock? No, Ben put it as an in-count-down mode. I set it to two hours, and I counted it.

Down. Because Ben wanted this to be a short one. Let's see. We started about an hour late. Yeah, we started kind of late, but we're... And then, of course, someone just suddenly felt a bit peckish. As we were in the sandwich. Check off sandwich was eaten.

Is this thing on? I just felt some of the Cameron Crow shit I wanted from sentimental value, and I do not, like, I like the ambition. I know the crow thing's thing's been stated a lot, right? In a weird way, this felt like Bradley Cooper specifically trying to make, like, a 2006 Fox Searchlight Dramedy. Yes. It felt like a weirdly specific evocation of a kind of, like, dead forgotten middling, like, Sundance drama. No, it's, it is a Tribeca actor making a movie shooting in New York. With bigger actors.

Yes. And we had this conversation when the Starsborn trailer came out where we were just both like, Holy shit. Yeah, it feels like a real movie. When I hear that, like, Bradley Cooper is now directing Star is Born after every A-List director in Hollywood has flirted with us with 10 years. And now he's doing it with Lady Gaga. We were like, okay.

And you see the trailer, you're like, holy shit, this is a real movie. And it doesn't much in a Cameron Crow way, Maestro and Stars Born look very different, but are both, like, beautifully shot and look very emotional and are very, like, ecstatic and expressive. Sure. And I see this true and I'm just like I don't know

what this is. I don't get why he's doing this. And this movie, let's just say, much like the game I loved of like ask someone

give them a million chances they will never ever in a million years guess what the final shot of tar is? You could do the same challenge with this movie of how do you think

Bradley Cooper's Will Arnette stand up, divorce dromedy is this thing on opens why of course with a ceremonial Chinese New Year lion I really like that

rearing up its head it's just like where is this movie and then it's you know the two of them at their child's like recital and then it basically goes into to this point of what we're saying the two of them standing in the bathroom mirror doing their nighttime routines

standing in just kind of like complacent silence and then She turns to him and says, do you think we should call it? Yeah. And you're like, okay, this is kind of interesting that they're choosing to just be like, this thing just ends in like a poof. You know, there's no dramatic blow up. Absolutely. I think it's a realistic portrayal of this stuff.

I mean, the Chinese New Year thing comes back. It does at the end of the film. Right. Under pressure. Yeah, but they also talk about like a lion, like the difference between a lion and a drag. Yeah, I think that made me roll my fucking eyes. Well, you look, Griffin. You were hostile to this film.

I got to die. But I'm just saying like the Chinese New Year thing is not that is woven in. Right, right. I'm not saying there's nothing to do with anything. I'm just setting the bed. It worked for me in that kind of thing of like you are a grown up having a crisis. You had to show up to your kids thing. Your kids thing is a loud, bizarre, echoey gymnasium thing where you're just like, oh my God.

To him like his head against the wall and it looks like he's going through a hangover, which he's not. But it's just like this guy's at nothing. I found that quite resonant. And then you have this, right, like, there's that, should we call it? And then the next thing you see is them standing outside the son's bedroom and they're like, so like, do I stay here or do you? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like they're trying to make the immediate plans, right, before even figuring out the larger untangling of everything. The son comes out the bedroom and he's like, are you guys fighting?

And they're like, consoling him and they're going out of their way. I say, like, no, of course, we never fight. We never fight. We never fight. You know that. We never fight. And the kid is accepting that. And you're like, okay, this is kind of interesting in what we're saying that this movie is setting up like this thing just fizzled, something clearly just like slowly leaked out of them. They're in the least dramatic way possible just going like, I guess it's over.

And they're acknowledging that there hasn't been a strain on the kids of them fighting. And then you basically go to this, right, their friends, their group of friends who they've been friends with for decades. It's Sean Hayes and his real husband. Yep. Oh, that's his real husband. Oh, that's nice. Because I'm like, I don't know who that actor is. Two of the three smartless guys in this movie.

Andrew Day and her husband Balls, Bradley Cooper, who is a struggling actor. And then Will Arnett and Laura Dern. They, I feel like don't really drop the volleyball reveal until like 40 minutes in. Because he makes a joke that feels like it's a random, like, where he's like, why don't you go train for a fucking gold medal? And then in her getting insulted by it, she explains like, you know that that's behind me. like, wait, what? All I'm saying is at like minute 50, he says something about, I think it's the scene where he says to Bradley Cooper like, I've been doing stand-up, because the kind of a running

joke in this movie is that everyone thinks he's got like a secret girlfriend because he's being mysterious about what he's doing at night, but he's actually going and doing these infamous comedy cellar mics with packed warm crowds. And he... I didn't, like, I've only been to the comedy seller like once. I'm going to just come out and say it Louis CK is your favorite comedian I really don't like stand-up

Right you like his personal life When he's your favorite comedian You like his novel Did you see the author photo? Yeah Oh wait is this a new thing He wrote a novel Yeah but everyone's ripping on his author photo

Because it makes it look like he's fucking Tolstoy at his desk and he's like out of typewriter Right yeah It's the most jerk off She's novel like literally about like a Dust Bowl trial Wow oh my gosh Is it? I don't know. He looks fucking old, too.

Well, he's not a young man. It's like a character study of, like, I want to say, like, a young boy in Oklahoma who, like, grows up to work on the railroad. Wow, that's crazy. Does, like, the young boy, like, get jerked off? Okay, so wait. You don't like stand-up. Why don't you like stand-up? It's mostly divorced dads, kind of just like...

Stand-up makes me really uncomfortable. Free-flowing, like, not really hitting hard jokes, just kind of doing a therapy session on stage. I, like, don't mind. I know. I don't mind, like, watching clips of stand-up. I don't like being in the audience. Like, I... Is it because of the trend of crowd work?

It's the crowd work. You're worried. It makes me deeply uncomfortable. I agree. I think crowd work, this trend... It also seems to be, like, right, it's a growing thing. It has become a play. Because of TikTok, right?

Yeah. It sucks. It sucks. Like, you need, like, a viral clip where you're... Like, I'm not coming here to be roasted. I'm not, like, I'm not interested in that. I also feel deeply uncomfortable with, um, I don't know, people bombing

Like Well it's not fun to watch It's right I mean I don't think A lot of people Take pleasure So when I say Like I don't like stand up

Like the idea of going to A comedy club Sure In New York That to me is not Like I don't enjoy that But what about like a

You know Very established standup Doing like a show At like a theater or whatever Is that of interest Maybe Okay well Like I

Honestly The only like major stand-up show I saw was Lucy K at Madison Square Garden, which is the absolute worst venue for that. MSG is great for stand-up. I love it. The acoustics are great. You're right on top of the guy. Exactly. Ben and I, do you remember in our 20s, we used to always do the MSG open micke? Oh, yeah. Well, you wanted to see the Knicks games. And then you didn't have to pay the $50 cover charge by popcorn. You could just get up on stage. When we got out of the movie, I was like telling Ben, I was like, I really want to talk to you guys. Like, because I

I have a, I don't know this world that well. You were asking me a lot of questions and you were like, but you, did you do shit like this? And we're like, yeah. But like they do. At the depths of our depression. You can just do, you can just do the comedy seller as a complete rando. No. No.

Yes, you can. No. You can do it. No. Right. Obviously, the real guy this is based on is a British comic. Yeah. Can you talk about him a little bit?

I mean, sure. John Bishop is his name. And I, yes. I mean, obviously, the Brits, what? What do the Brits love more than a fucking, you know, stand-up comedy? They adore it, and there's open mics everywhere. And he did an open night at the Frog and Bucket in Manchester, which I assume is not as esteemed as the comedy seller in Greenwich Village, New York.

Yes. So I think that may more be a place where, yes, if you put your name down, you can, like, get a seat at the bar, and then you'll get to do your open mic or whatever. I saw there is a interview. It was a four-pound entry fee that he didn't want to pay. interview on the Graham Norton show recently in the last couple of years that is a pretty good encapsulation of the real life story that inspired this movie, right? And I'm not holding this movie to that, but like the changes made within it destroy any internal reality of

understanding how the comedy scene works versus what he describes. First of all, it was 30 years ago. Second of all, he was in, I think either his late 20s or early 30s. He's telling this story as Like, I've been in comedy for 30 years, and you'll never believe how I got my start. It's a really bizarre story, right? Right. He got married young. He, like, married a childhood sweetheart. After a couple of years, they had a sort of fizzle out in their relationship like this.

They broke up. And he was just like, I'm super depressed. I think similar, they had a bunch of kids fast and it, you know, whatever. Their marriage ossified. Can you double check that, that they had kids? The quote is, after having three kids so quickly. Got it. Okay.

And he's just sort of like. I don't know what to fucking do. I, like, made my bed in this, and now I have nothing, right? I have no sense of self. He just wants to drink. It is not a comedy club. It is a bar that has an open mic. No, it's a comedy club.

It's the Frog and Bucket Comedy Club in Manchester. The Frog and Bucket. Is it their open mic? He performed well in front of an audience of seven people, was encouraged to return every week, which he saw as a form of counseling. One of his regular jokes was about how he missed his ex so much that he kept her severed head in the fridge. Bit of a dark joke. The comedy, yes, it sounds like...

And then one day, he says this joke, and he realizes his wife is in the audience. She meets him after the gig, and she's like, want to fuck. No, I don't know. They laugh about it, and he says it saved their marriage. They got back together, and they've stayed together since then. As far as I know... I want to make a distinction on a thing here, okay? In the Graham Norton interview, he said that he goes up, it's seven people, which is what open mics are like.

It's not a real audience, right? you're either performing for like less than 10 people or there are a bunch of other comics there who are all impatiently waiting as one of 40 names on a list who had to like camp out hours earlier to get on that list and they are all so in their head about their own material so jealous of how everyone else is doing very few people play well at mics and no one like brings like a non-paying friend audience obviously It's like rare. British clubs in the 90s, the scene might have been different. I can't speak to this with authority, right?

But he is saying definitively, I performed for seven people. I did not get a big response, you know? Right, right. Oh, yeah. That line got a laugh. But it was a form of therapy, like you said. Right. I just kept going.

And that's something really raw came out of him, as shown by, like, him making a joke that dark, right? Sure. And this guy comes up to him and is like, you should do this again. And he was like, oh, you thought I was. funny and they were like no but like there's something kind of interesting that just happened on stage and the conversation that happens pretty late in this movie after he's already seemingly become like a comedy seller regular and is hanging out with the guys upstairs every night where someone goes like you're not good but you're interesting was basically what was said to him the

second he walked off the open mic and gave him the encouragement to be like let me figure out how to actually do this well versus this movie basically has him stumbled into the most coveted stage in New York City to a crowd of people who just seem like a regular comedy-going audience who give him a pretty fucking polite response in a way that feels totally inaccurate for what I think is like an incredibly mediocre set.

Like that set should be received more harshly than the set that turns the Joker into the Joker on the same comedy seller's state. That is a little extreme. You know, it's very awkward and embarrassing And, like, this guy's having, like, an emotional breakdown. No one really laughs. I mean, I thought that, like, it was a polite response.

I mean, this was another question I had is, like, do, because, again, haven't been to a lot of open mics. Do people boo? Yeah. Well, not even that. It's like, that would be wild if someone did that. Like, no one's going to be like, get off the stage. But someone would be like, ugh. Like, like, if they made something really off color.

I'm certainly, someone's, like, running the light or if they're, like, really, like, stirring people up. And I think, Ben, you'll agree with me on this. Like, the polite response is not a fucking thing. No. Like, now there are more... Because that's not helpful. Now there are more comedian curated. Like, I made a deal with a bar to get, like, an afternoon in a back room.

And I'm working really hard to try to make this a positive mic. And that feels like a peer-to-peer thing. But these sort of club mics, it's like, especially in New York City and even going lower than comedy seller, it's like, you're probably paying to get up on stage. Or there's a drink minimum, right? Well, there's bringer shows. Yes, but that's a real audience. That's a real audience. Almost feels more like he's doing a bringer show.

But it's like, no, he's drunk stumbling after like a night when he goes out with the old friends. They hide the fact that they're getting divorced. And then his wife gets on the train. He has a little piece of a weed cookie. He does. And he's just like, oh, what am I doing? He puts his nose up against the glass. It's this famous restaurant that exists, the fig tree?

Yes. That is owned by the same people at the comedy. seller it is upstairs upstairs it's upstairs from the comedy seller it is connected but you cannot see the show from the restaurant right and the guy's like 15 buck cover charge and he's like why because there's comedy in there so i have to pay 15 dollars to have a drink yes jordan jensen walks by or i think it's Chloe radcliffe at first very good comedian uh and he goes why didn't she have to pay because she's performing well how do i do that you just put your name on a list.

Why the fuck is anyone paying $15 to go to that bar? And that it's a sign up for what seems to be like a weekday night at a legitimate stage with a packed house. And you guys are saying, well, it doesn't feel like he does that well. But I think Ben and I would agree that like it doesn't pass the sniff test. No one is that polite in an open mic. No one is that polite. And especially that kind of stage.

I mean, even at these club mics, they don't even turn the same lighting on for what you would have if you were to go to a regular show they put on like the worst like fluorescent lighting yeah like they don't even bother with like you know creating the ambiance right for those kinds of mics it is so much more depressing than this it is like so much more like no one is putting a good face on this right if you get like a huh you're like oh fuck that joke's a keeper right the idea that he could be up there and be this sloppy and not go into something that is so raw and so dark that it would get some kind of shocking response from someone like my wife's head is in a fridge

and would get this much of it like polite thing I'm just like no one starts out that well and what I wanted to grant them the like the kindness of assuming they were doing is a lot of comedians talk about being like I was the funny guy at the office and one night we were at a bar and an open mic started and they all pushed me to get up and I got up

and I kind of killed like it wasn't like amazing but I like lived a bunch of shit and I got some laughs and I thought I was good and then I went up the next day and I bombed. And I bombed for a straight year. He never bombed. I didn't get another laugh for a year and a lot of people talk about that dead count

bounce thing where it's like you have some beginner's luck and then you can't replicate it and now you're like fuck well I've had a taste. I'm addicted to this and now I have to learn the craft of knowing how to do it and he never bombed. And the movie tries to explain to him the process of iterating. You've got to

go up six times a night. You need to work a bit out to get it honed. Every set we see him do is entirely new, feels like a stream of consciousness. We see his binder full of notes. I understand the movie doesn't. Yeah, Griffin, it would be so boring if we watched him do the same material over and over again. And it's not what the movie's about. Yeah.

The comedy scenes are just him exploring his feelings for the viewers. I've seen other people say it's on Letterbox, but it is literally a men will literally do stand up to avoid going to therapy. Yes, they will. And that's something that's interesting to explore. That's what most end of comedy feels like. Can I bring up another film, which I would like to recommend. Please. That I think is a really nice exploration of like...

I love you, Daddy George, by Lucy. No. Of like a middle-aged straight guy decides to get a hobby that he like kind of keeps separate from the rest of his life and then how that ends up affecting the rest of his... The film is called Trap. Sorry, it was a good joke. Is Josh Harton at middle-aged? He is.

I guess that's not. Yeah. Forty-five? Oh, my, he's almost 50? He's going to get there. God willing. I am so old. You're not.

It's fine. It's just like these guys who were famous when we were teens. It's like they're 10 years old. I'm going to be 37. That's great. No, it's not. What is? Is this thing on?

Oh, my God. I should start doing stand-up. It's a good time. It's a good time. So the movie. The industry is in a really good place. The movie is called Shelby Dance. Oh, yeah.

Yeah, you just saw this. The gear. Well. In the original movie. The original movie, the Japanese movie with Koji Ashuko, who's in Cure and Perfect Days. But he's like a salary man who decides to start taking ballroom dancing lessons. Look, there's no country read in the Japan for that vibe, too, of the sort of broken-down salary man having a... Yeah.

But it's such a nice exploration of like, I don't know, sometimes it's nice to, like, start a new project that's just for you. and like interrogating that and also like why can't you bring other people in your life into it like why are you hiding this from your wife like you're not having an affair you're just exploring Right why wouldn't you say this

Right right why wouldn't you admit you're doing this? So like that to me is like so so interesting But this movie it's like Okay she finds out about the stand up A lot sooner than I thought And then the second half of the movie is She's just like I'm horny for you Truly, the full second half of this movie is they sleep together again, and then they're like, so are we back together or what?

And in starting to have like a little bit of heat between them, they finally start having the conversations about like what went wrong. And there's some like very charged. He back and forth of life. He breaks their thing open. Right. Was I sad in the relationship or was I sad in a relationship? Did I fall out of love with you or did I fall out of love with you falling out of love with me? Like a lot of that kind of litigating.

The thing that's happened, it's the therapy thing that you just said. It's like, right, she's finally watching him process. Yeah. And talk about how he feels. And I guess that wasn't happening, which makes sense. People just, things go unspoken or whatever, right? And that's exciting for her. She's also very angry at Slash turned on that he does stand up about having slept with another standup.

He does. But he also acknowledges that he misses his wife. Yes. Mm-hmm. I think there is. With Jordan Jensen. He does. This all happens.

Another stand-up that appears in this movie. That every other stand-up in this movie is a real stand-up. And you're mostly watching them do real... Love stand-up comedy and goes to the cellar all the time, I believe. Right. So he knows these guys. Yeah. This is all happens while...

Fucking Laura Dern is on a date with Peyton Manning. Almost insane. Playing a character. Oh, he's not playing himself. He's not. I thought he was actually quite good in this film. I think he's incredible in this movie. I thought he was fine.

I wanted him to stay in this movie. I ran into Patrick Willem's. How many movies can you do? And Dave Westkis, head of Nebula, who works with Patrick. At this screening sat with them. It cuts to this date night, right? There's this whole parallel thing. Oh, Bradley Cooper's been getting deeper into this.

Comedians are letting him hang out with them. He's performing only there. They say this thing. You need to go up six times a night. You see him go to one open, like, just put his name in a bucket. But otherwise, it feels like this guy's just doing the seller every night. At some point, pretty late, I think. think when he admits to Bradley Cooper he's been doing this, he goes, like, so what?

Now you're just going to, like, be a stand-up? And he goes, well, I'm not going to quit my job. And I think that was the first moment in the movie that I clocked. He had a job. Yes. He has some boring financial job. You see that he wears a suit sometimes. But the movie can't even bother to be, like, what is his job and how does it affect his life?

It does feel like this is a guy who can kind of just drop everything and then, like, knows when to show up for his kids, right? Yeah. But there's this one thing where they call. call him and they're like, we got a show tonight. There's the one dilemma of like, you're going to get an actual slot versus, but you have to, you know. Which I think the movie fails to in any way present how this slot is in any way different from what he's been doing the entire movie. I think it is very understandable that you're hung up on all these details.

I do think most viewers don't care. I'm not even calling out like lack of realism based relative to what I know about comedy. I'm like, shouldn't that show feel different if the energy around it is this one matters, the other ones were all. fucking training wheel shows. That worked for me just fine. All the stuff you're complaining about, I'm like, none of this. Bumped on super fucking hard. Right, right.

He goes to her. He's like, I know it's not supposed to be your night. Right. Can you take the kids? They also have Irish twins, is the joke. Yeah, I was having... In vitro. They had them very late.

Because clearly, like, Bradley wanted to cast his two friends in the movie, and then they were like, huh, the math on them having kids who are under 10. They're 58 and 55. Right. Yeah. But the idea, I guess, being she was an athlete. Honestly, it doesn't make a lot sense. Whatever.

I like a lot of sense. kid stuff. The one thing I didn't like was the musical performance. The under pressure. Those kids would not be that good. It also just kind of felt like a movie in need of an ending. It felt like a force came across. We love actually. A lot of movies are like, kid plays the drums. You'll love it. Right.

But even the Aloha ending, which is the most successful part of Aloha with Bradley watching her dance routine. That shit rocks in a lot of now. Yeah. Yeah. How embarrassing when the kid finds his stand-up book? I was going to bring that up. That gives me shivers, Griffin, to think about, like, having to explain to any child that is, just the madness that I've written down. A moment that rang true for me when he's like, these are just jokes and they're like, they're really sad. Yeah. What do you mean jokes?

These are not funny at all. I loved that part because I think that that happens before Laura Derns to him. And so I'm like, oh, this is interesting. I'm expecting it to be about the wife finding out about the stand-up, but it's actually. way less well-tread ground and more interesting to me to talk about the kids. Right. I'm talking about you a little bit. Because it's just like there's no, there's no like easy way to explain it, but it's not about that.

So I was like, oh, okay, we move past that real fast. They do that, but then, right. Compared to shall we dance, right, where you're like, it makes sense in the 90s culturally that this character would have a secret shame about the idea that he's doing ballroom dancing and doesn't want people to know, right? And he's finding some form of self-expression. Right. And there's like a little kind of dancing around like,

and it's the Bradley Cooper scene I think is good where he's like, fuck, I'm annoyed that you're going for it. Like everyone always thought you were funny and talented. And my thing was just that I'm the only person who decided to like be pot committed to living the artist's life and that the rest of you gave up and took boring jobs. Right. But there's a degree of like shame and hiding he has around the stand. thing, as if he is, like, doing ballet.

No, I think it's just that he's talking about his personal life. I think that's it, right? That's the conflict. I feel like whenever it comes up with people, they're like, stand up. What do you mean? Stand up. And I'm like, Karen Heinz says that, and he says, like, it goes, oh, stand up.

And, like, that is how I would react. While he's, like, drinking juicy juice out of a... Yeah, that was a weird character detail. No offense to people who have practiced stand-up comedy in a professional way. But if I had a random friend, you know, Tell me that I would be like... I'd be like, hey, I've been starting to do open mics. I'd be like, are you okay?

Like, there's something wrong with you. And I think you'd be like, oh, God, I don't want to see their show. It's probably really awkward. But I feel like this movie has everyone be like, what is stand-up? What are you talking about? When I'm like, we are arguably living in a time where the problem is that stand-up is too culturally powerful. And this movie kind of treats it like this weird, shameful underground thing. It's in a cellar.

At a time where, like, it... Just to reassure you, look, okay? I feel really good. He won, okay? He won. He won really hard. I would say more if, like, if someone was like, I'm actually becoming an influencer. That would be more scary.

I started a YouTube. You need to follow. You need to subscribe and like. That is what I'm living right now. Oh, your husband's becoming an influencer? No, my dad. Oh, yeah. Your dad's got a lot of projects.

Kind of the Bradley Cooper of the podcast. My dad is kind of the Bradley Cooper. playing check. Your dad is if you can buy in all three movies. Yeah. My dad considers himself an influencer on social media. He's pitching tent. He'd be posting.

Yeah. Your dad went to the Vatican. My dad went to the Vatican. We shouldn't laugh. No, no, we can laugh about it. We have to laugh about it. I feel like your family listens to this. They do.

And do you know what? Hey, shout out, John. Not did you get to meet the Pope, right? I felt bad for him. So he was supposed to meet the Pope. He was supposed to get a handshake. And he was supposed to do that. do the backpack dance with him.

And instead the Pope was like, hang on, got a pop off five more fire tweets about how J.D. Vans can suck my dad. That would have been the funniest thing. I love woke Pope. If your dad was in line to meet the Pope and he was like, hold on one second, I just have to meet J.D. Vance quickly.

Five minutes later, dead. To bitch lap his fucking ass. Dead. Yeah. No, my dad. Oh, right. That was the old guy. That was the other guy.

Oh, oh, this was you supposed to meet. New Pope. Chicago Pope. My dad. Chicago Pope. My dad was going to meet Chicago Pope. There was like a. something where it's like a bunch of people

get to go to the Vatican. It's like they did this for comedy. They're doing it for filmmakers. They did. Yeah. For filmmakers. This is only underlining my point.

The idea that the Vatican is like, we must invite the comedians. It's like, this is seen as like one of the most powerful forces in communications. But yeah, my dog gets to go to the Vatican. He was supposed to get a, you know,

get a blessing. It doesn't happen because of security concerns. Okay. Because they knew my dad was going to try and like take a fucking like TikTok video. with the Pope. But he was also holding a giant chicken parham sub. Taking big crunchy bites with steam lines coming off.

My dad had never been. We're like, we're Italian American. My dad had never been to Italy. That's so crazy. He'd never been to have been. And so we had been talking. Your dad is a real mystery wrapped in a riddle sometimes. There's a lot of stuff going on.

Bradley Cooper's next movie will be about my father. It feels like he's trying to get your dad's attention. I know. There's like so much. Like, rich thematic material there. Now I'm imagining I admit that. I'm like, just check out this guy's Instagram. We're going to watch some stories together.

He did post pictures of him meeting Will I Am. Yes. Who is? To be clear, Deputy Pope currently. Leo the 14th was like, a number two Pope now, Will I Am? Apple D. Applediapp is unavailable. You didn't finish his name, Ben. It's Will I am the Pope.

You're right. I am the first. Is it the 14th that he is? Leo the 14th. Yes. The Will I.m story, just to add, this was not posted on social media, but this is like really fucking embarrassing. So during COVID, when they would have musical performances on late night, but they would be like they'd film weird things for them. Yeah. Pre-taped. Yeah. Yes. So I did a Vince Staples performance for the Colbert show.

What? First I'm hearing this, major lore drop. Wait, didn't really? Are we not? I'm sorry, not Vince Staples. Vic Mensa. See, whatever. You just haven't heard of this. rapper guy. But he Wyclef like guested on the track. So Wyclef was there. Okay. And so

I told, you know, my family, because I'm like, they won't fucking know who Vic Mence is, but they will know who Y Clef is. You also called your family and said, someone please call 911. But Wycliffe Sean. Yeah, I was trying to think like, what's the best one? Someone please call my mom. But my mom told my dad, she got Will. I.m. and Wycliffe confused. So my dad starts talking to Will I am about how his daughter worked with him on a film shoot. That's tough if he's like, no, I swear to God, my daughter knows you. Right. So that was pretty embarrassing. But also my dad was like FaceTiming the whole family from the roof of like St. Peter's or whatever, whatever the Vatican building is. And like, Marie, your family's going to get really mad.

Yeah. No, it was great. Okay, okay. Isn't this amazing? Look, I'm on the room. I know, but no, more at you being like, yeah, wherever the popes lives, whatever it's called, yeah. Whatever. Whatever.

But, yeah, but he, my, all of a sudden, my dad was like, sorry guys, I got to go. I'm not supposed to be filming up here. That rules. Yeah. Yeah, anyway. Breaking news, a Lubu-Boo movie and early development at Sony. Interesting. And Scorsese is signing on or is he just circling?

No, he's attached. There's a lot on his plate. Well, I feel like Scorsese is a Laboubu. He is turning into a Labubo. He is turning in. He's been a couple different types of Labu, but I'd say he's always been a Labuibu. I'd say that with all love and respect

for the wonderful, wonderful great Martin Scorsese. Yeah. You saw the George Lucas Labubu thing. Yes, I was saying. He was on a red carpet with his lovely wife, Melody Hobson. And he was holding a Labibu dressed like him in a little flannel shirt. Oh, sorry. Jen, thank you.

So Ben's just sending us the screen grabs that he took of my dad's Instagram story. Which I had meant to send to the group text and then I got distracted and I just was looking through my photo roll. If I sent every funny John Barty like Instagram story to the group text, the group text would be flooded. Had a chat with John Legend and his wife, which is another good one. Is she even visible in the, okay, she is. She's like, yeah, there's a lens flare. J.J. Abrams shot this one. Her name is Chrissy Teagan.

She's quite famous. He was quite famous. That was fun. But yeah, shout out to my dad's adventures. My dad would do stand up. I bet he would be good at it. I think the clock is ticking on him going to the comedy cellar and somehow getting on stage. It's going to happen.

When I did the fashion show, your dad was lovely enough to volunteer to be a participant. And he was eating it up on stage. I mean, the man is a ham sandwich. He's a performer. Well, hey, don't say that too loudly. That's going to get hungry. His eyes are walking. Have you performed at the Seller Griffin?

No, it's incredibly difficult. What do you mean? Isn't it just some old lady called like Mitzie or whatever? Who's like, all right, kid, I'll give you a shot. Mitchie Shore was Pauly Shore's mother. And she was, what you might call it? The, not the improv. The comedy store.

In L.A. She's an L.A. person. No, it's like one of the hardest places to get past. It is not a place that is open mics. As they show them us have to, like, graduate from other clubs to get there. Now, do you think maybe that Bradley wanted to use it because it's, you know, cinematically, it's an interesting space and all that? I think this, I think all of, I think the story would have been exactly the same.

Everything in the movie tracked for me in a sort of logical way, even if it's not real. Yes. Old Man Hustle, or like, they should have done it at Old Man Hustle. Or like the fucking, what's it called? Or Eastville. The Grizzly Pear, any of these fucking places. Yeah. Grizzly Pear is really where you would do open mics that was basically like a few buildings down from the

That it's like, what if we have comedy every night because it helps bring in an audience. And it smells like a urinal cake. You're not getting paid for any show. Like, I just- Crashing obviously did it best. Sorry. Hold on.

Let's all just take a moment of silence. A moment of applause. And there's a show where the actor was the correct age for the role he was playing. One, I know we're doing fucking like, you know, bumpy inside baseball shit. Yes. But I also think if you're going to do this,

despite the fact the comedy seller was like, a good space to depict visually. It looks as comedy cluby as a comedy club could look. It is the comedy club, right? The kind of like collective unconscious idea of going down to a basement New York City. Every comedy club I've been to except maybe the weird ones in Bushwick just replicate that. Right. Yes, absolutely.

It's like you need a fucking brick wall. Or they're like way too shiny and kind of like corporate looking. Right. But I think it's like a mistake to depict the one comedy club that gets depicted in media. To your point, it's like that's the club that crashing. uses. That's the place that Marie's best friend Luisa Kay is walking up to at the beginning of every episode of this TV

show. Like, if you are someone who does not live in New York City and you visually know one New York Comedy Club, it's that one and every other depiction of that, it is the place where the Joker bombs, every other depiction of it is like this is the ultimate stage you want to get

to and this movie makes it the entry point, which I think is kind of stupid. You know, the Joker walked those steps? He walked the... Well, he danced them. No. And then in the sequel, he walked up them to be told, fuck you. Don't remember. That's a movie I saw in a fugue state. I'm focused. I know. I won't get back on the plot. I had a question for you.

What do you think is the worst open mic that you would go to? Because I have my answer. So I'll go first while you think about it is the alligator lounge. Oh, sure. I've made out with people there. Okay. But I don't think I ever saw comedy show there. I feel like I did a bar show there. Let's applaud David in his 20s. I feel like I did a bar show there. I feel like I did a bar show but I never did a mic there. So it's the location in Manhattan, right? Because Crocd-Dyle is the Brooklyn location. And so the deal is you could go there as a regular person and you get a beer and then you get a free pizza.

The terrible. Terrible. But people, you know. Like airplane pizza. Yeah, yeah. It's like, it's truly. You're right. Airplane like not cafeteria pizza actually makes this look like gourmet, right?

So I would go to that mic occasionally. It was like a weekly mic. Mike, I believe. And so you would get, though, actual people, audience members, not just like open micers, but here's the deal. They were essentially your prisoners. Yeah.

Because they were there to eat sheet pizza, drink beer, hang out. And instead, they were, you know, it's like when you go to a bar and it's like, all right, it's trivia night, you're like, get me the fuck out of here. But this is 10 times worse. I think it is a failure of the movie to not depict this.

I don't want to see the same set six times. But I do think the movie doesn't give you the sense of how he is building or developing. They should have had a fucking rocky montage. A, there should be like one montage of him doing six mics and one mic. Where you see the same line getting refined, right? But I even feel like every set is so holistically different. And he basically starts at a point and stays exactly there the entire time where he's just kind of okay. You told me when you saw it, you were like, he goes from being bad to being like maybe okay for 10 minutes.

I was relieved that he's never killing it. But he starts way to... And no point does he go viral and have someone say, you're going viral? Right. Thank God. He starts way too warm and gets like 5% better. Like instead of like people laughing

or clapping, there should just cut to like the audience and the sound of a glass bottle falling on the ground and kind of just like rattling. It's obviously not... That's more true to what I think of my mind. It's obviously not the main concern, even though that's where the movie started. We should also acknowledge. this film has a screenplay credit

story by Willarnet, John Bishop, who it's based on, and another man, I'm forgetting the name of. Mark Chappelle, who also wrote, got a screenplay credit. Inspired by John Bishop, but then the screenplay credit. Mark Chappelle did the,

that show the increasingly poor decisions. Todd Margaret. Which Willarnet was a part of. The screenplay credit is Bradley Cooper and... Willardette and Mark Chappelle. So they wrote a script together and Bradley rewrote it.

It makes sense that Bradley was like, I really only took a couple things. Bradley really liked, right. Took it even further in a different direction, your friend, Brad. But I think, like, it's not this movie's primary concern. Bradley clearly pushed it even more towards the marriage and the divorce, right? But I feel like it is a waste to even set it and stand up at all if you were not showing some arc of how he comes to understand, A, how to be, like, better at doing it. And I don't need it to be, like, fucking brass tax accurate, right?

and be like some greater emotional understanding of what he's expressing and like how he is gaining emotional intelligence through doing this, which is what the movie is really trying to do. And he starts out getting out there just kind of making soft barely above take my wife please jokes about being sad and divorced and just kind of stays there. And she sees him and she's like it's kind of like attractive to see that you were on stage confident and that you mentioned you had sex with somebody. And the audience was laughing, and she's a little turned on by, like, you have the ability to speak, which is certainly the starting point of the movie is this guy is so closed off. They don't have to talk to each other. All the passion's gone. Really, what she seems into is this guy can say what he's feeling.

Right. The stand-up, it's not about him learning to be good stand-up. It's not what the movie's about. It's just the therapy scenes and the Sopranos. It's just us being leveled up on his journey through his marriage, through his feelings. It's just a way to dramatically reveal that, in my opinion. It's just, that's just not what the movie's about. I agree.

but to relate it back to Shall We Dance, you're like, you want the dancing to be good. He doesn't need to be Fred Astaire at the end of the movie, but I think it being translated through a new hobby, a new form of expression. I don't find that stuff in the movie that bad, yeah. I also don't think that, like, again,

like, again, I talk about a movie that, like, not a ton of people have seen, but, like, the dancing, and he doesn't become, like, it's not the best dancer. It's more about him, like, getting a hobby and what that means to get a hobby and how that affects you, emotionally.

I just think this film absolutely fails to show any arc of what is happening through him doing stand-up until the moment where Laura Dern sees it. And then it's all just about what she's receiving from. What I loved about Peyton Womanding's performance. Yes. Yes. Is he impressively plays a guy who's just getting a drink with an old friend realizes halfway into the date he's going to fuck her.

This could be a thing. I was like, great actors could not do what he is doing right now. The way his eyes shift, it's like Peyton Manning is, like, reading an offense or a defenseee. And he's suddenly like, wait, this pocket's open. I think I'm going to fuck Laura Dirk. I thought I was just saying, hide her. And then she's like, I am, you know, getting, you know, we did break up up. But she also was realizing it, too.

And Laura Dern for a good actor. The whole thing with Peyton Manning in this movie is I'm seeing this in New York Film Festival. Cut to Peyton Manning on the date, but he's sort of from afar in Michigan. And I'm like, is that fucking Peyton Manning? Did no one else know who that was? None of these virgins at the New York Phil Festival. And I go like, is that Peyton, man? I like say it to my seat, to Emma.

I was with Emma's Devansky. And she's like, huh? And I'm like, God damn it. Nobody knows who like the most famous football player of my lifetime is. I clocked it immediately. You know Peyton because you love SNL. Exactly. And they talk about him so lovingly on the lonely I-enland podcast.

I think the best regarded athlete host of SNL. Yeah, he's a good actor. He's fun. And that digital short with him and the kids and being such an asshole. People for the United Way or whatever. They're like, this is like deceptively difficult. Yes. And they do a good job on that episode breaking down like right, why it's hard.

His skill set. Yeah. As I was sort of 40 minutes ago before I got waylaid by seven other ideas I had was setting up, I run into Patrick and Dave Wiskis there, right? I'm sitting next to them. My like level of frustration with the movie is growing, right? Will Arnette's like, I need to take the kids tonight. She's like, I can't, I have a thing, right? He drops off with his parents, Christine Ebersole, who I always love.

We love to see it. Kieran Hines, who's super solid and is doing something in this movie, I couldn't quite pin down. It was, his casting, it felt like the Andrew Dice Clay thing where you're like, did Bradley just sort of like have a vision and kind of just wanted him there? But down to like the juice box and his like little toy soldier, like train set shit. There's got to be a guy, maybe Bradley's own father. I don't know. I'm like, are there 20 minutes cut out? Because it felt like he came in with a bunch of ideas.

and none of them come across on screen. Also, he's like an immigrant. Right. They try to like allude to a lot of backstory there. Coted as like very virile still. But also like. Yeah. But also like Eastern European.

They make it very clear as an immigrant and I could never pin down. He's not doing his own native dialect. No. No. But whatever. Okay. So then they both have these parallel nights out where they're not letting the other one know about the thing. Right? And we cut into the restaurant. I immediately, like the sound of his voice, being fun from the distance, three quarters. I like turned to Patrick. I'm like, fucking Peyton Manning. He's like, what? What are you talking about? And then they cut in and he's like tilting his head. And I'm like, that's Peyton Manning. This is so bizarre. And I was feeling the way you were feeling during the Amazing Grace scene where I was like, Bradley's doing something weird here. Right. And then I'm locked into how good Peyton Manning is, as you're saying. And you hear her on the phone with Andre Day.

There's this whole side plot that Andrew Dan Bradley Cooper's marriage, like, sucks. Yeah. And they kind of actively hate each other, but make a bit out of fighting all the time. They're having a parallel crisis and not acknowledging it in a way. And they, unbeknownst to them, as Dern and Arnett are about to rekindle things secretly. Yes. They're looking at them and going like, man, they seem pretty happy being divorced. We should get divorced.

We should get divorced. So they're starting to, like, buttonhole them separately. Right. Right. So she says to Andrew Day, like, it's not a date. He's married. He has kids. I'm just thinking about getting into coaching and he's going to give me advice. And then you're like, oh, fuck. The cast, Peyton, man. This guy wants to fuck her. Right. But then the surprises, he's playing it like, no, actually, you know, this and that. She does get it. She gets a job. She gets a coaching job. She gets the coaching job. It's nice that she feels like she's found this new avenue. And then they both realize in real time that the other one is divorced and he's locked in. And his situation. suggestion is she says, do you want to get another drink? Because I'm actually not tired at all. And it's like open for business, right? Yeah. Neon sign. And I'm just like, okay, I'm down to watch this happen, right? And then he goes, he says, oh, I know a good place around the corner. And I turn to Patrick and I go, I swear to God, if the place around the corner is the comedy club, I'm going to arrest this movie. Why? In what universe?

He basically says, do you want to go get a nightcap? I know a good place. Right. And the good place is taking her to a show? Like, you know, if he like, I guess knows the owner and you can just get in, that's kind of a cool look. It's kind of a cool thing. It would be just as insane if he went, yeah, I'm doubt to get another drink. I actually know a really good place around the corner.

Hard cut to them at Film Forum seeing a movie. Sounds like a great place to see a movie. Hard cuts you. They're at a noise show. that's where you would go she sees him perform you think she's going to like flip out and like revenge I think it's a really good scene because of that right because I think it's good because of their two performances and their performances yeah and then she like and the way it swerves in an interesting way he does have kind of a good joke about her yes it's it's it all works fine

that's when I was like energized because I'm like the movie's doing something who had clown had literally done a clown routine at their son's birthday party. Yes. So met Laura Dern sees her on the way out. Yes. You know, Peyton Manning goes, do you want to leave? And she goes, no, I'm not leaving. I wouldn't, I wouldn't leave for anything on earth right, right, right, right. And then she storms out

the second the set's done. Yes. Chloe Radcliffe's like, cool of your wife to come. He's like, what? What's going on? Goes upstairs. Oh, Jack Horseman. She's put Peyton Manning in a car. She's chain smoking. Or is he coming out with a cigarette and she asked for a puff? This I cannot tell you. That sounds right. They're sharing a cigarette. That sounds right. And just

immediately the vibe is like, so we're going to fuck, and then it cuts to them in bed. And now you're like, huh, second half the movie is... Is it then, like, coming back together, which it is, but... It's a little, it's complicated. It's a little... The lover's a movie I like quite a bit. The Tracy Let's...

That's a bad bitch. Yes. But that's a movie that's like... just tired, loveless marriage, they're both having affairs. They find out about each other's affairs, and it kind of turns them on. Right. They start to have an affair with each other. And it's fun that they're, like, keeping secret the idea that they've actually reconnected. It's very, it's complicated.

Yes. Yeah. It's a good, very spare little movie that is Basil Jacobs lovers. This is like area where I was like, okay, I'm a little more interested in the movie going in this direction. Me too. And then it just felt like kind of the same conversation getting repeated over and over and over. This was the thing where I was kind of like. Insight. Am I about to be in on this movie? I like that. And then, yes, I do think it's interesting

to try and mandanely portray the sort of stuff that sets in with marriage. That's fine. But at the end of the day, it's just kind of them talking about stuff where I'm like, oh, I don't know. I suppose you both are a little right. This is a little boring. You guys are both, like, well off. Like, I don't feel a crisis here. Right. Their lives are like... The amazing Gracie and I loved. We have these three friends, these two couple, friends and oh my god how is you getting divorced going to affect our like timeshare cabin weekend getaway kind of thing it's not really a cabin it's like a man it's pretty big

I keep I keep mixing up details of this movie in Splitsville because I love Splitsville but both of those movies we saw that together we did both those movies are like about New York people getting divorced there's like a long island home there's also a child's birthday party So I'm just like, wait. And that movie is very exaggerated at times. Nicholas Braun is in which movie? He's in Slitsville. But he's playing a magician.

He's playing a mental. A mental. Yeah, right. So it's like a play. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That movie gets into more exaggerated territory. It goes into sort of like. Yeah, and it goes into almost like magical realism at times.

Which is what those guys do, which I like. Right. But I was like, I kept feeling like the bigger they swung, the more they were kind of identifying intro. human dynamics where I'm like, huh, haven't kind of seen that, which I just kept wanting this to burrow deeper. Like the whole thing where... Not deeper and heavier.

There's the whole thing where he blows up the poster of her being a volleyball player. Yeah. And he's like, look at this awesome thing I did. He doesn't even say it in that way, but he shows her on his phone. She goes, what's that? He goes, it's an old picture I found of you in the volleyball days. And I blew it up and I got it the size of my wall in my bachelor pad so the kids can see how awesome that is their mom was.

And I turned to Patrick, but that's the most insane thing a human being has ever done. So we're in narrowly beating Peyton Manning saying, I know a cool place around the corner. Like, it was like an eight or nine point victory. All the votes have come in. It took another two hours to have that relief. They announced it three minutes after the pulse post. I got off the subway and I heard people cheering as I was walking up the stairs. And truly it was like heroin had been injected.

But unfortunately, you were in the Upper East Side because Cuomo had won and the Cuomo sexuals were out. Yeah. No, actually, Sleewell won. You heard the cat's screaming. And the annoying part was my red beret was at the cleaners and I couldn't even celebrate. I can't even go on the subway with this thing. I'm sorry, Murray. Kind of a hot take.

I get why she was upset. No, I do too. But I also was interesting. I also was like, oh, that's kind of nice. So she says, like, I understand, but this is not who I am anymore. You can't see my face. like I this is making me feel like you loved the person I was not the person I am now that's interesting if I'm her I'm kind of like you went to a store and got a thing done good job buddy we're making

some progress here you want like our two young male sons you made a decision about decorating right right good for you like you want like you're our boy I'm so concerned about the crisis of like raising young boys right now sorry David to like you know I ain't worried It's fine. He's only got two. You got two of them. Only. But no, I think it's nice to be like, look, your mom was an athlete.

She was super badass and she's a woman and she's also your mom and she does all this stuff and we're going to celebrate her. And I was like, that's nice. Right. And then she's like, it hurts my feelings. And I was just kind of like, at that point, I was also just like, you know, this money is short. I'm kind of ready to go. I think they both just need to. Why don't they just go figure this out privately?

I had this. I had this Lord of them. of like, you know, all the shit against Maestro was like, this is so pretentious. What is he doing with this? Is this self-indulgent? Right. What is he saying about himself or not saying about himself?

He wants an Oscar so bad. Which I, you know. We pushed back on so many times of like, if you want an Oscar, you don't make a film that strange, right? I completely agree. But it feels like he actually got wounded by this narrative that happened. And it was a similar thing that happened to like DiCaprio in the J. Edgar period, right? Where it feels like his Oscar movies start becoming weirder.

because people were making fun of him doing these kind of straight down the middle Oscar baity things. And it's like, I got to win an Oscar for doing a thing that's different than what I've done before, right? And Bradley Cooper is getting dinged as if he made Bohemian Rhapsody, but also for being pretentious and like, you know, inaccessible and whatever. And this movie feels like a real like, oh, I'll show you how unpretentious I can be, right? And I'm just going to make something that's small scale and focused and character-based. And yet, I just feel like this movie feels very representative of being, like, the byproduct of a bunch of older, very rich people who have been successful for a very long time who just, like, cannot totally relocate normal human behavior. I agree a little bit. And Star is Born and Maestro, you're just like, he can say shit in these worlds that other people can't access.

He has an experience. I'm not even talking about, like, write what you know. But those are also operatic movies. I think is what he's so good at. I agree. And they're very different types of operative. I don't either. This movie didn't make me angry.

Right. And like I was an interesting truck. You know? So this scene with the poster. I'm like, sure, sure, sure. There is a version of this in which it's like her birthday or whatever. And he goes like, hey, I want to surprise you. I got you something cool.

And he unwraps this frame thing. And she's like, what is this? And he's like, I thought you liked this. I found this photo. And she's sort of like, why are you giving me a photo of the back? of my head, the notion of him delivering it to her as like, can I show you something cool on my cell phone? I've had this hanging up in my apartment already for two months. I found it and blew it up because I wanted to be an inspiration to your sons. And I haven't told you.

And she just in real time gets so mad and processes everything about what's weird about it, where I'm just like, the way in which that happens is so bizarre that I wouldn't even understand what the fuck he was saying. You know, where I'm like, there's an idea in that I agree with you that I think is, like, kind of dramatically interesting. And I keep feeling this movie, like, absolutely botched the execution of how these events play out, of how people interact with each other, where I'm just, like, feeling any sort of, like, Cameron Crowe moment of magic being strangled out by, like, logic bumps of just, like, I don't think anyone talks like that.

I mean, I hear you. I was a little, I do think it's really funny when Bradley Cooper says it just, he goes, like, just flip it. And he's like, what do you mean? So it's the front of her face. And he's like, just flip it. Take it to the store. Like, I just love the, if, as someone said this to me, I forget who.

That if Will Arnett is, you know, BoJack, that Bradley's playing Mr. Peanut Butter in this movie. Yeah, you said that to me. And I was like, that's great. The guy who's just kind of like in another dimension, like, you know, got a different way of looking at things. I was talking to a friend about this movie and saying, like, it is really fascinating as a sort of study and like, what is a movie star and what isn't a movie star, right? And I love Will Arnette at doing the Will Ornette thing. And I'm not someone asking him to just do the same thing over and over and over again. But I was like, is he the right person for this?

Can I, like, buy this sort of, like, depth and nuance of emotion and this guy who's putting on a brave face, but is kind of quietly crumbling inside. Podcast is over. Wow. So it's going into O.T. We're almost done. It's tied. We're almost done.

And then I remember fucking Bojack where I'm just like, I actually feel the pain of that fucking cartoon horse, more than I do this guy. I did, at least for a while. That show really got on my nerves at a point, but the initial. I just was like, I don't think Arnett, I don't know if he's not vulnerable enough. I don't know if there's an ego he's protecting here. I don't know if the material isn't diving deep enough, but I just like never cared about this fucking guy.

And I did not feel like the movie was letting me in. And if the point is, this guy doesn't let anyone in and he's a brick wall, I don't think it's playing that well enough either. And on the opposite end, like, Lord Durn is someone I basically, like, can never not love. I think she, like, never misses, and she is always engaging

and has just kind of like an automatic perfect balance of, like, comedy and, like, human realism. And I'm just sort of like, this feels like a waste of her energy. She's doing everything you're asking her to do here well, but you're really not going to ask her to go deeper than this.

So you love the film five stars? I get back together. Yeah, they get back. The kids learn how to play under pressure. Yeah. Yeah, that I was just like, can I, can I, can I get up? I mean, I was just like, it's time for me to go. Yes, I, you have not earned a transcendence.

Can this thing end? I had a question. A little bit. What do we think about Balls and his wife who are also equally having marital issues? There's a scene later where I guess Bradley Cooper's character got cast in some cowboy thing. I like this bit, and he stole the hat from costume, and they killed his character off. It seems like he's in a Taylor Sheridan show or something. But it was like a two-episode arc that for him was just like the magic,

and then he stole the hat because he thinks if they have to call to ask for the hat back, they'll also be like, maybe there's a way to bring the character back. I'm confused about, like, in what world are Bradley Cooper and And And Andre Dei and Willernet and Laura Darn friends? And Sean Hayes and his husband. Well, Sean Hayes, I get. Like, she was a fucking Olympian jock. So? They're not, she's...

Maybe they all went to Penn. Yeah, I don't know. They're college friends. No, he's too stupid to go to Penn. I agree with you that none of them feel like friends. None of them feel like friends. Like, you know? But it's the same as like, oh, he's wearing a suit.

So, you know, he has a job where I'm just like, the movie asks us to believe, like, of course they were friends when they went to college 30 years ago. And I'm like, I have no sense of history between these people. There's no sense of, like, ease in familiarity. But I guess what I'm saying is like Will Arnett's character influences Bradley Cooper to kind of consider maybe separating from his wife

Yes, and then later they have a conversation Where he's like, oh no, we bended everything, we're great That to me felt so deflating But at the same time I'm like, is that realistic maybe? Or like, what's the juxtap? There's no way they're getting divorced, yeah. Yeah, I don't know. It just stuck with me in a way where

it wasn't like I was annoyed by it. I just was like, I don't know what to feel about this. I just mentioned divorcing balls. everything like call a lawyer forever you kind of can't too he's too hot and they have like an 18 year old son who's a basketball prospect or some shit they're not serious people

they're just not serious people so it's just like okay you are not a serious person but maybe to this point of like what I want to see Bradley Cooper write about and what I don't I'm like this movie feels so locked in and perceptive about the kind of unserious people they are

like it's not just that like Bradley is playing like a struggling actor. I'm like, oh, he knows this. Right, he knows this kind of guy. Everything that character says, and in a movie that he wrote, and Willardette also has a screenplay credit on, everything he says feels improvised and feels like this guy could go off for fucking six hours in this character.

He knows, he knows those people. I don't know if Bradley Cooper knows finance guys who live in Westchester, whose father's drink from apple juice boxes. I felt the same with Andreda, and I was more interested in, like, what's going on with their relationship, honestly. I definitely thought that Andro Dei and Will Arnette, we're going to hook up. That scene on the couch where she's

like insulting him but is like, it's a shame because I used to think you were so fucking hot. I'm like, oh, great, they're going to make out. This is going to be the wrinkle and everything. That's an interesting fucking like French farce. They're all in the house together. No one can talk about who's sleeping with it. Weirdly, they all have sex with Sean Hayes at some point.

Did you also feel like Arnette was kind of playing Bateman in this? Part of it's the hair and the stubble. Oh, the hair was bad. But even just, that's what his hair looks like now. It is his hair now, which is identical to, like, that's what Bateman looks all the time. But Jason, Beitman looks good.

Bateman looks pretty terrific. The floppy, sort of, like, getting a little grayed, salt and pepper, perpetual kind of, like, one with a beard. Like, kind of cow lick thing where it's like more, whereas Bateman has the, yeah. And a very different shape skull. Sure. And I did try to measure his skull at the dinner, but they wouldn't let me. It was weird. I was at him with some calipers. You got to calipers before I did.

No, I had just even felt like the energy of what he was trying to go for in the performance is this kind of like world-weary, winsome kind of sadness that Bateman can do really well. Yeah, I mean, maybe. Bateman's a better actor, although sometimes Bateman will phone it. But like, Bateman gives performances every so often where I'm like, yeah, you know, Bateman can be good. Yeah. And obviously I bank with SmartList, so I do need to acknowledge that. Of course.

They're my financial services provider. Right. And they're my health care provider. Right. I'm on SmartLest Dental right now. That's why I had to have two teeth removed in the last year. My fucking dentist is a podcast producer. He's engineering while he's doing the surgery.

What's Bradley Cooper's next directorial effort going to be? Do we know? There's certainly things... Aal Boo Boo Boo movie? Oh, no. He's circling the little boo-boo movie. There are certainly things that I feel like he's kind of called dibs on, but has anything been lined up to be next?

It seems like he likes to pick a, like, a certain creative occupation. So what's next? And like dig into it. And a different kind of. He's directing Super Mario 3. A different kind of tense romantic relationship. Well, of course, it has recently been rumored that he would do the Oceans prequel film. Right, but he's not directing that.

Directed by Lee Isaac Chung. Right. There's the bullet movie that Spielberg would do. Right. Or what's he going to direct? Was Matt Helm supposed to be him directing when they announced that? What is that? Matt Helm is like a classic, like a pulp paperback.

Oh, yeah, I think I heard about that, right. So that's him sort of like trying like a kind of actiony thing. Yeah, but it's like a little bit more of a real world kind of, yeah. Dime store paperback secret agent. I'm trying to remember if that was supposed to be him directing. Yeah, it's at Paramount. That might be something. Tom Shepard attached to write.

No director announced. And then wasn't there the CIA one that got announced? That was like a big fucking hot property. Well, that was called alias. And it was, you know, it's one of her aliases. No, I don't know. I think there's another one. But it doesn't seem like there's a clear next thing lined up.

Yeah. Well, I'm excited for whatever it is. Best of Enemies, Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale. MGM bought it after a battle two years ago now. Is that the Gore-Vidal? No. I mean, it's the same title, but... What is that about?

It's a spy thriller. It's a CIA movie. Oh, okay. But I think there was a rumor. I don't know. Like, all the stuff he's attaching himself to as an actor, every time there's another story, they're like, and maybe Bradley might direct this.

It feels like he's weighing his options. Yeah. I would just want him to... You know, I think maybe one of the reasons why I really loved balls is because... He's a great actor. Well, he's a great actor, but he also, he had the beard. He had the long hair and he had the hat. And I just feel like I miss Jackson May.

We all miss Jackson, man. I do miss him. He's dead, though. But... Uh, somehow he returned. What if? Him and Ben Solo? Yeah.

Interesting. The hunt for Jackson Me. How crazy is it? I heard that, like, four or five months ago. A listener of the show told me in confidence like, hey, don't repeat this on Mike, but I've worked at. What you're going to do right now? Like Lucas film for the last, like, seven years and you wouldn't believe the shit I've seen it. And I was like, like, what? And he was like, like, in the last year, they killed both a Fincher movie and a Soderberg movie. And I was like,

no one will ever know about the Soderberg thing before. No about that. And now both of those things have come out in the last month. Wait, I didn't know. I didn't read the Fincher thing. I saw the Soderberg. It came out that, like, yeah, he was also trying to develop stuff and that they were like, I don't know, too much control. Right. And they need to fucking, well, look, I think Mandelarian and Groger is going to underperform. And it might lead to a bit more of a come-to-jesus, but we'll see. I don't think it'll underperform.

Because Grogu's a little... He little. A little baby older? And you know when he eats things? Sometimes he throws up. He takes a ball. He throws the ball. Also, look.

He got big ears. Not to bring things back to Fernasco Bernouli. Oh? You're always doing that. They won't like make a billion dollars in Grogu merchandise in 2026. It's like the Cars franchise where even if the movie underperforms a little bit, it's like so good for Disney corporate. I certainly think it could kill excitement at a time where they don't need people getting more cold on Star Wars. I just wonder if the universal reaction to the Adam Driver's Steven Soderberg thing of everyone being like, why wouldn't you fucking do that?

Why not? Like, what do you have to lose? Like, it's not like episode nine ended so well that you're like, and yes, his canonical death was so good. Especially when the, right, and they're like, we just, we can't get past this. I'm like, it's fucking Star Wars. You'll figure it out. You just did somehow Palpatine returned. Well, especially if it's like.

Announced it in Fortnite. Just announce it. Especially, especially when it's like, oh, they passed on it. But what? It was just like Soderberg going in them with a rough pitch. And they were like, no, finish script. And they were like, but the script wasn't good. They were like, no, everyone really liked it.

And they were like, but driver was on the fence. And we were like, no, no, he was the one who really like. Oh, and we checked. And they were like, but sort of her schedule was busy. No, no, he was ready to go. It was going to be really expensive, though, right? Right. He's the one who stuck.

But that they were also like, we think we figured out how to make a Star Wars movie that feels exciting without a burdensome budget, where you're like, they made the risk lower. The fuck is your problem. And beyond the fact that that character is popular, they've invested so much into, like, Kylo Ren permanently being in theme parks all across the world. These are, like, the reasons that, like,

how to train your dragon got rebooted immediately, you know? And you're telling you that, like, the corporate side of Disney is the one who's like, I don't know. You guys? Yeah. I think I could fix him. Kylo Ren? Yeah.

I could fix him. Does that mean blow him? Sorry. David. What? But he's got the cross. saber thing. It's hard to blow him. His dick is three ways. Yeah, it's a

three-way thing. That's an insane. That's an insane visual. Avergence in the force. I'm sorry for reporting the truth. Don't shoot the messenger. I don't like it. It's just his body. And that last movie, I'm learning because I started watching all of the

series and I watched the, not the advocate. The acolyte. Thank you. The advocate is coming up, though. It's just about Star Wars court. They would do that. Oh, I thought you were going to make a gay joke. No.

I already did. I was about blowing Kylo Red and it was great. I'd love to do it. Let me add him. LGBET. He's technically in the Star Wars universe. In Palpatine's like fucking dungeon whatever are all references to

past Sith Lord. Cepodeas, bro. I'm kind of interested. Yeah, I want a Sith series. I've been saying. Yeah, there's a Luis C. K statue. There's a bat pecky statue. An Alugashu statue. Jeff Ross. Darth's stupid idiot. I'm combining like two different silos of bits here. Silo Ren. Can I ask you a question, Griffin?

Yep. What's wrong? You didn't like talking about this movie? I'm doing great. Did we answer the question, by the way? Is this thing on? I don't know if you guys saw my letterbox. This thing's off. He was like, turn it off. I said, please turn it off. Um, I wanted to ask. You want to ask. I wanted to ask you, but also open the floor to everyone else.

What films have gotten comedy right, in your opinion? We're wrapping this episode. Funny people. That's interesting. But I like that movie a lot. I haven't, I've only saw it once. I rewatched it recently. The stand-up in it is not good.

I agree. It's not like, right. It's sort of somewhat realistically bad. Yeah, I think it's part of what it gets. right but um i think it gets i do love that movie it gets the dynamics of it and the energy of it correct i i think big sick does a good job yes big six yeah yeah i'm trying to think of anything else i like would i mean king of comedy gets it right and that most standard comedians are like crazy those now if it was made now he would have a podcast those are most the people you meet at open minds oh can i end the episode with my open mic story because i already teased it yeah

And then we'll end there. There's no box office game, obviously. This is coming out up against Avatar. I'm sure it's going to beat it. Yeah. They're predicting 200 Mildomastic. We're recording this a little bit. Tracking is fluctuating.

Laura Dern would be such a good Navi. She would. She'd be so fucking good. Marie, this episode might have to go on a little longer now because I don't know how soon I'll be able to stand up. Some very powerful imagery has this entered. my head. I kind of cross-section of things

that bewitch me. I ate all of my Hiroshima carp nuts. They're good. Congratulations. I'm so proud of you. Yeah, but I didn't do this. I didn't do this on Mike, but I gave everyone little presents from Japan. You got me, you got me my Samurai Woody.

Griffin, pull the string. He's so handsome. And they got Tom Hanks to do that. That's the craziest part. Not even gym. He said, let me do the Japanese one. Connie Shiwabah, Buzz. What was your question to him that was going to end the episode? He said worst open mic, right?

And I'm sure I could think of like a one-off of like a bad room I did at some point. But this is like the best bad open mic story. You know, there's just many times I bomb. Many times I would do okay. And then the five guys after me just got up and made gay jokes and everything was good. The early 2010s were great, really, really healthy. Time and now we fixed everything. And comedy is.

Set right, we've made them our thought leader. If you imagine now, like, open mics, people test out crowdwork on other comedians. I'm sure that's happening. It sounds like an absolute fucking nightmare. It's great. It's great. The Eastville mic was the main one I would do.

Eastville. Eastville, which would basically have mics, I want to say, four days a week. Yeah, I used to go to that room as well. A terribly depressing Mike. But was one that, like, you know, it was a very long sign-up list. You would see people, you know,

I was regularly seeing like Anthony DeVito, who's a really good comic, you know, and like Microsine, whoever, like people who have become successful. So there would be like bright spots in it, but it tended to be a list of like 30 plus names. And the people who get there first are lining up before noon to come back at three. So you have to structure your entire day around it. And if you're not getting in that early, you're like, oh, fuck, I'm probably waiting two to three hours before I do my bad five minutes. But I go, I guess they must have had a first. Friday mic too, but it was usually less attended because people were trying to get good bar shows on Friday night. And I went to the Friday mic one time and there were only like three other people there. And whoever it was who was hosting it was just like, yeah, it's just casual. We're all just like do our five minutes and leave. You know, let's just try to be like good energy supportive. And there was like one random guy there who wasn't performing that maybe someone brought as a friend, right? And like the host gets up, he does okay. Other guy gets up, does okay. I get up and I felt like I did really well all considering. And it was one of those moments where I felt kind of proud where I'm like, there are four people in this room.

If a joke gets like two hats, I know how to convert that. And I know how to like perform with the energy as if there's a real crowd here and not be like deflated by it and like take the notes I need of what I'm doing well and doing poorly. And it was a moment where I felt like I think I understand the machinery of how to get better at doing this. Right. And I walked off and this the one guy who was like not a comedian was like really laughing. And he was like, hey, man, that was really great. And I was like, thank you. I was like, really, really funny stuff.

I'm like, excited to see you, like, perform more. And I was like, oh, thanks. And then the final comic gets up. And this is a strict light at four minutes. You're off the stage at five, Mike, right? Even when there are only four people, they're like, let's stick to the time. Sure. This final guy gets up.

Never seen him before. Never see him again. Big burly guy and gets up and just basically starts exclusively doing material. girl about pussy juice and equating himself to Popeye and how he gulps it like spinach and his muscles pop out and he gets strong and the guy who had just been so kind to me is like yes he is laughing harder than anyone has finally someone says it i have never heard anyone laugh harder at anything he is losing his mind he is like raffle coptering on the floor no uh i think he was the host of the mic. I'm sorry. And then at like seven minutes, he goes like, what they want to remember

to like time me? I must have blown the light already. And that guy goes, keep going. Never stop. And I watched this guy do 20 straight minutes just about pussy juice to this dude basically like in real time calling up at the Kennedy Center and being like Mark Twain Prize now here. Were there any women in the room that night absolutely not very often uh it would be like two and it was it was a very very male dominated space that felt very it's gotten better since we did it i think the brooklyn sort of art scene opened up a lot more i did there was a joke that i did laugh at which is and i think it was a jordan bit and is this thing where she's talking about getting a bikini that is a good She folds the paper and the triangle gets smaller.

And I was like, oh, that's funny. That was a really clever use of a prop. It's weirdly in her special. Oh, it is. It's a real bit. I'm only familiar with her from this movie and being a turf on Stavis. Getting kind of shut down by Stavvy. A huge L on Stavvy's world, but she is a good comedian and it's frustrating and

it's a whole complicated discussion about the ecosystem that I don't want to get into. spoken that was just like her trying to be contrarian There's fucking herd mentality shit with this collection of five guys in Austin who are the kingmakers And what rocks is that Stavi's like not just like you know correcting her and talking to her in a way

Not correct me you know like you know Addressing what she's saying But then he's like you just her fucking Austin brain Right This comedy poison It's like you're a real fucking comedian with real material What are you doing here? There's like no punchline You're just being like ignorant you know

But she she has good material. Yeah. I thought that bit was quite funny. I think, like, it's another way in which mics have changed is I think that the common mics were very hostile environments for women, like, similar to the fucking, like, slurs guys would throw at me, like, despite being a straight male performing at these things, that women would basically notice stay away.

And if, like, someone like Ali Wong dropped in and just, like, a machine gun destroyed, you were like, oh, yeah, they know not to touch her, right? Yeah, and she's going to destroy them, too. And I think over time as like there was a comedy upswing that Ben and I were sort of like getting out of right before it got big

more women came to it and we're just like fuck this we're going to start our own mics and these like better mics that exist now where they like find a bar and they're like this is a warm room and we're actually trying to like be a good crowd and not be antagonistic assholes.

It sounds like woke bullshit and what I need is for people to be mean and racist David beat me to the conclusion of my story but go woke go bro comedy is ruined now. Well, I thought woke was back. That is actually true. Woke is back.

You better put those pronouns in bio. It's weird. Woke is back, but comedy is also legal again now? I'll tell you that Woke, I'll tell you one way Wok is back. Dasha just got dropped by her fucking agent for interviewing Nick Fuentes on her normal podcast. Yeah. Her getting dropped by her agent is a little bit.

Claude Rains going like, I'm shocked there's gambling. Well, thank you all for listening. Tune in next week for the new Part Chan Wook film. No other choice with our guest. Anarchist, Dachianna. Fueness. Fuck. Don't joke.

Guys, we denounced Nick Fuentes. I'm going to be on that episode. I really, I really liked that movie. Night and day

experience. I think it currently sits at my number three for the year. I fucking love this movie. I will say, Ben and I and I sat together in the back of the screening

room and someone ripped a fart in the middle of the movie. Multiple times. It was stinking. And we both were looking at each other. So the fart detective made an appearance, you're telling you.

What was the screening room? Which, which where did you see it? It was in, it was in Chelsea. Yeah. Yeah. Did you get candy? I did.

Oh, yeah. Raisinettes. I got raisinets and I got popcorn. And then I started reclining my chair, but it made a fart noise. Dude, when you recline your chair, post one, it's like, you're telling me, someone ripped a nasty fart, but also you kept making fart noises? Interesting. We can hash this out of another choice.

I've got to go home. Okay, I know. I'm sorry. But I'm just saying, like, it was a silent. but deadly fart. I didn't hear the fart. So it wasn't right. We just smelled it.

And this is a detective situation. Right. For sure. But I don't think I... Marie looks over a little mustache pipe cap already on. But I also like it was like one of those things where both Ben and I were looking at each other kind of like suspicious of each other. Like wasn't it wasn't me. And I was like I thought it was Ben.

And I wasn't going to say anything. Because it smelled like sour patch kids. Yeah. But then we, you know, we exchanged. and you look like, okay, it wasn't us. We need to find out who did this. It's kind of... It's like a 20-seat room.

I mean, how many people could have there been it? It's a twisted mystery out of a Park Chan-Wook film. Only from... Yeah, I can't wait to talk about that one. Next week, Park-Tenwook's no other choice. And then we're doing Lynn Ramsey. And we will start with her film, Ratcatcher. Ben, have you ever seen it?

No. Get them subtitles on, Ben, we tell you. You think that movie's in English? It is. It's written a form of English. It's real Scottish. I think you will like it. But Ben, I mean, just the title alone, what are you thinking?

I mean, I'm into it. Yeah. I'm into it. You know why? Because I'm like, is this a job? Yeah. It's a dark movie. It's a very good movie.

I haven't seen in years. I saw it when it came out, which is, that's wild. How old were you? I was 13 or 14. My mom interviewed her and, yeah, I saw it. That's cool. I'm excited to do the series. Yeah.

Over on the Patreon, we're in the midst of doing our commentary series. on the films of the Wizard of Oz getting ready to ease on down the road right in a week or so yeah we just kicked off the year with the Wizard of Oz obviously kind of low-key hyped to watch the Wizard of Oz I got to say do you know that movie rules so why aren't we going to the sphere Marie Marie Marie get the fuck in here yeah you guys have this thing on when are you recording these Oz episodes we'll loop you in yeah we'll loop you in we're doing some right before Thanksgiving I think oh well then I'm gone No, you might be here. But it's the wizard, the whiz. Is that the order? Return to Oz and the two wickets.

Yes, that's what we're doing. But the whiz is about a week out, so around the time that are part 10. I'm excited to listen to you, get excited about the whiz. I think that's an interesting, I think you have an interesting. One of my ten favorite movies. All the time. I think is cool. Up there amongst the films I've watched the most.

Who's who? Oh, tag yourself? Um, well, clearly I'm Dorothy. Yeah. David's the lion. David's the lion. The cowardly lion. You're the scarecrow and I'm the dune man.

Why are you the lion? You are the lion. You're big scaredy-puss? I'm not. Oh my God. Let's see what happens when you get on a plane. We'll figure it out. We're going to start lioning really hard.

We're going to start. I think fun of a phobia does not make me the lion. Just to stick up for myself a little bit. But you also are the most lion. Yeah. Like, look. I kind of think, yeah, but I don't have a bert-layer thing. I'm sorry, it's just not what I'm

a Ted Ross because I'm kind of goofy maybe. You're who are you? The lion? Because I'm goofy. Yeah, like. But here's the thing.

We have no tin man. I'm the tin man. You're the tin man? You're the scarecrow. No, Ben's the scarecrow. I'm the scarecrow. This is becoming a strange conversation. Why is Ben the scarecrow?

Ben's not the scarecrow. First of all, Ben is loyal as hell. I am loyal. Sure. But he's not like wily. You know? You're saying Ben can't be wily? Not in the way that you are.

You're like Mr. like, you know, rubber bones. Why are you the tin man? Broken heart. Oh, my God. You have a girlfriend. Yeah, I'm doing great. Jesus.

All right. Well, anyway, this is the end of our episode. Sad clown. You know what? It's probably not a very good tag yourself for some I'm realizing because you're also basically like, who's brainless? Who needs a brain?

Yeah. Sure. He needs a brain. Anyway, this episode was supposed to end four hours ago. About a half an hour ago. Yeah. But we did okay.

Two and a half hours? I got to go. It's so good. Everything's so good. All right, close us out, and then you'll hear a clip of me eating a sandwich at the end. And as always. And as always, I hope you all enjoy what David wanted to start the episode.

It was funny. A recording of Ben eating a sandwich and us fighting about it. No, it's him seeing. I wasn't hungry. They'll hear it right now. I'm not saying we need to. I'm just saying we might want one. Well, who?

What mama? Mama's out here doing it for themselves. Uh-huh. I'm just eating a chicken par before we get started. Ben, why didn't you do this? Yeah, it's the perfect timing. Who's this? You said I'm recording.

You're like, anyway, I'm ready to go. Produces a gigantic sentence. Well, because you guys thought for so long. You could have eaten my way we were talking about. I wasn't hungry. Let me just recap. Are we recording right now? Are we recording right now?

Or the mic's rolling right now? Can we put this at the end of the episode? I think we should put it at the start of the damn episode. No. This should go in the clip. The clip show. I really think this is the start of the episode. Why not?

This is funny. He can mute his audio. I'm just going to have a couple bites. It's not the start of the episode. It's not the start of the episode. Why? It's incredibly funny, unlike most of the things we'll be discussing this week. Also, it can also not be the start of the episode.

What are you talking about? What is this argument? I think Ben is allowed, like, his own moments of misophonia, because he's normally so good. Like, he's not, Ben is never the problem, in my opinion. Sorry. I say this is, yeah. I love it. I thought that was funny.

Ben is never the problem. Blank Check with Griffin and David is hosted by Griffin Newman and David Sims. Our executive producer is me, Ben Hossley. Our creative producer is Marie Barty Salinas. And our associate producer is AJ McKeon. This show is mixed and edited by A.J. McKean and Alan Smithy. Research by J.J. Birch. Our theme song is by Lane Montgomery in the Great American Novel, with additional music by

Alex Mitchell. Artwork by Joe Bowen, Ollie Moss, and Pat Reynolds. Our production assistant is Minick. Special thanks to David Cho, Jordan Fish, and Nate Patterson for their production help. Head over to blankcheckpod.com for links to all of the real nerdy shit. join our Patreon, Blank Check Special Features for exclusive franchise commentaries and bonus episodes. Follow us on social at Blank CheckPot. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Checkbook on Substack.

This podcast is created and produced by Blank Check Productions.