Blank Check with Griffin & David - National Lampoon's European Vacation with Jon Gabrus

Episode Date: May 11, 2025

Congratulations! You’ve won an all-expenses-paid vacation with Griffin, David, Ben, and Jon Gabrus to Europe! Only downside is…well, you have to watch this movie. From the strange cultural stereotypes to the unfortunate lack of jokes, Amy Heckerling’s sequel to National Lampoon’s Vacation isn’t the smoothest trip. But, it certainly gives us an excuse to talk about one of the most beloved franchises of the 1980s! Join us for Stonehenge stories, a deep dive into Beverly D’Angelo’s incredible biography, travel talk, and a whole lot of Chevy chat. Listen to Action Boyz and Staying Alive 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

Hey look kids, there's Big Ben. There's a podcast again. He's going in circles. He keeps having to point out the podcast. Here's the thing. This movie has a great kind of golden age of poster taglines tagline, but there was no way to do justice to it without using the exact words they use. So I want to just read the tagline.

Go ahead. We love a good multi-sentence tagline. I mean, I saw it and I was just like, this tagline is appropriate. It describes the film. It's not that funny. For over 2000 years, Europe has survived many great disasters. Now for the real test, Chevy Chase and his family are coming from America. Oh, you know, just electrify. And using Chevy and not Clark Griswold is of the time.

I do think that's a little rude. We noticed this as well on, spoiler alert, next week's episode. Next week's episode is about Look Who's Talking. That poster similarly has a tagline that name checks Travolta and kirstie alley Rather than putting them above the title as like star billing Not characters, but it's like this was an error. This is weirder because don't you think much weird isn't Clark? established as well You know what the tagline for the first vacation is every summer Chevy Chase takes his family on a little trip.

This year he went too far. So they're going with the same format. And the poster's very similar, let's say. It's a flipped mirror image of him in a sort of Conan the Barbarian. Right, him in the... For Zetta, sorry. Yes. My Frank Frazetta calendar that I have actually have.

Do you really? Perfect. Which they abandon it for Christmas vacation. They abandon the sort of... It's still a poster, but it's him being electrocuted. It's still a painting, I was gonna say. I can close my eyes and see all four, even Vegas. Right, and then Vegas is kind of riffing

on the Christmas one, where he's in a similar kind of exposition, right? A Christ pose, in a way. But on the roulette? On a roulette, yeah. And to me, but on the on the roulette on a roulette and To me actually the Vegas vacation poster is iconic because it looks so exciting. It does Like you know, you're like my god, what is this? He's in Vegas and doing this

Ah, there's money everywhere and yet you're like there's something missing. There's some weird absence. What's the void on this poster? Oh National Lampoon has removed their name from this movie In like 1998 seven that's that's a rough year for national Lampoon to be starting to go like we actually don't think this Is up to our standards? This might damage No, I agree with you like in a modern era right if like the first vacations ahead which it was and you're making vacation to The tagline would be now for the real test the Griswolds are coming from America and then right below that Chevy chase in the biggest fucking letters ever seen

Yeah And they're flexing like you now know both the name of our star and the name of the fictional family. Right. And the Griswolds is like, they say that shit. They say it so much. They're not the Johnsons, right? Like they get to be like, we are the definitive Griswolds in cinema history.

There's no mistaking them. The name is said constantly. It's a good name. It is. I'm throwing it on the fucking poster. Clark Griswold is a fucking amazing name. Yeah. It's a good name. It is. I'm throwing it on the fucking poster. Clark Griswold is a fucking amazing name. Yeah. I mean, why is it a winning name? Chevy Chase is an insane name. That's another thing. It's just like Chevy Chase for a fake movie star name. When was the first time you drove through Maryland as a kid and saw that there was Chevy

Chase Maryland and had a fucking meltdown? I definitely had that realization. And I was like, dad, dad, it's not. It's just Jimmy Chase, what the fuck is he doing? It's not named for him, right? No, no, I know, Griff, I know it's not named for him. But I mean, as a kid, I'm like, I know he was famous, but he wasn't getting big cities named after him. And then I was like, oh, was he named after the city?

And I had no fucking, and I was just like. I think the answer is yes and no Well the infamous it's sort of a joke right at the peak of his like immediate rocket ship fame right like five episodes into his name Is Cornelius Critches Cornelius Crane chase like the fourth the third I'm not seeing an addendum. That's a moneyed name. That's a Plymouth Rock name. He's from a real fucking Plymouth Rock, like Ivory Tower. Right.

His grandfather was Rear Admiral Miles Browning of the United States Navy. His family is the exact parody, the worst version of what you think. They call me the Rear Admiral, sweetheart. His nickname for his adoptive grandfather, Cornelius, while the nickname Chevy was bestowed by his grandmother from the medieval English ballad, The Ballad of Chevy Chase, which is an English ballad from long ago. So is the town named after the ballad? It must be.

I was gonna say. That's fucking awesome. Season one of SNL. I guess so. The Ballad of Chevy Chase, by the way, is the documentary about his downfall and that for sure. Yeah Yes, we are producing. Yes the affluent the affluent area in Maryland is indeed also named for this ballad Okay season one of the show when he's blowing up and I think there's like a very early time magazine cover That's like this is the new face of comedy. Understandably. Chevy Chase looking handsome as shit,

wearing a t-shirt that says, yes, it's my real name. And he was like, from the moment he got famous. And it isn't, we learned. Wait! From the moment he got famous, he was playing this bit of like, oh, I'm tired of answering this question. I know it's unbelievable, but yes, it's my real name,

which he maintained for like 15 years, which maybe tells us a lot about Chevy Chase. Here's my question So as you may or may not know a landmark decision of the Supreme Court in 1965 is called Griswold versus Connecticut Which protected the liberty of married people to use contraception? Interesting. It's a it's a classic right to privacy about birth control, you know a liberal Supreme Court decision 67 you said? 65. 65.

So are the Griswolds, is that a clever John Hughes-y joke? 100%. Right, you know, about that. That is absolutely the kind of thing Reynes and Hughes would do intentionally. Yes, okay. I couldn't, I can't find, but I bet you that's true. I think has to be, yeah.

Wow. We really covered a lot of ground about preppy New England II or Northeastern shit. Yeah, I'm actually trying to talk about one of these vacation movies without getting into Chevy I guess we don't we don't acknowledge him at all. We're like, yeah the actress good I don't know seems to have a handle on the role. We've talked Chevy a couple times on so we've talked about Chevy Chase Oh, who's our who's our who's the show and who's our this is blank check with Griffin and David I'm Griffin It's a podcast about filmography's directors who have massive success early on in their careers and given a series of blank checks To make whatever crazy passion projects they want sometimes those checks clear and sometimes they bounce to Europe, baby

This is a mini series on the show travelers checks sometimes travelers checks clear And sometimes they're actually part of some complicated heist Involving a guy in a trunk not not the cleanest Plot element of this film. Yes Ben if you want to just clip that we can drop that in about 25 more times when we talk about this movie There's so many plot elements I like that this movie just kind of feels like watching like four random three stooges shorts tied together.

That's... that's... yes! Like I've heard people throw this out as a complaint about this movie, and I actually think it's kind of the movie's secret sauce. It's like, it just doesn't even care about like, every 20 minutes we're gonna go to a different country and there'll be internal conflicts. Right. Eric Idle will be our three line, and apart from that... Even care about like every 20 minutes we're gonna go to a different country and there'll be internal conflicts Eric Idle will be our three line and apart from that and rusty being so fucking horny who's our well It's a mini series on the films of Amy heckerling. That's right called pod times at Ridgemont cast I love this today. We're talking about her third film Meant as sort of a rebound move after the failure of Johnny Dangerously, why don't I sign on to a big Hollywood sequel? This is can't miss proposition, but one could argue it actually kind of you can't enter career further

I think it stuck to her where they were like she's the person who fucked up the vacation franchise That was always the legacy I had heard Yeah, also she made a terrible mistake which was choosing to work with Chevy Chase for months oops something that always causes damage on people's psyches Today we're talking about national impugn Jesus Christ national Lampoon's

European vacation that's right with our dear friend returning to the show six time. Holy shit son gabris I count them off. I believe so. Sounds right. Heat. Heat. Full metal jacket. Ding. Oh yeah. Mad Max. I forget which one. Road Warrior. Road Warrior. Too fast. Too fast. Predator. And Predator. Wow, you've had a bit of a marine with us. This is new for you. It's such vibes. It's perfect. It is perfect. Yeah. But you've done five? That's what I'd grab from the Criterion closet. Those exact five.

Well, I wanted to give like a little front porch that so frequently, and you know, we've had a couple of very long episodes together, and you guys are, you guys are, well, Griffin most of all is a length queen. We know, he's constantly talking about how long his Doughboyz episodes are, and then we get Adam Perry in here fucking letting it rip

I like you guys and I but I heat of course you could talk about heat for four hours, right? Of course I could talk justifiably long. Yes, but this is the first time I ever felt like when you know, like David's like I have a hard out. I'm like, I think we'll be fine. I think we'll be fine It's not sort of like I think if we went if we'll see what happened But if we went long on this it still wouldn't be that long. I agree. Here's another thing that happened. There's only so much here.

You asked to push back, right? Yeah, like until a little later in the day. Right. David was like, I have a heart out. We're fine starting at two as long as we're done by this time, right? And then you responded, need time to talk about breasts. And David responded, Let's make it 130 The one push was we might need the extra half an hour for committing to it. I mean ten minutes per rack

It's one sequence. So to wait to follow Griff. Yes, we've discussed fletch Obviously a choice by Ben Benjamin Hosley our producer every once in a while the dude shows up with good taste It's nice. Yeah, we discussed the film memoirs the flesh. Every once in a while, the dude shows up with good taste. It's nice. 100%. We discussed the film, Memoirs of an Invisible Man. A low point for all. Sure. Not really, yeah, no one's covering themselves in glory. Aren't those the only two we've done? I believe that's it.

I feel like on that episode in particular, we talked a lot about, because Carpenter cites that as like a moment that kind of like killed his spirits. There is kind of a before and after in his career of like post memoirs. He seems a little heartbroken in a way that happens to a lot of popular artists, right? Like there's some failure or setback, the experience they never totally get over. And some of our very kind, very normal redditors I saw in the comments of that episode being like what is their source for this?

What is all this weird negativity? They're throwing a Chevy chase And I just want to say our source for this is everyone who has ever had any interaction with Chevy chase any written Reporting he is heavy chase a famous before and after person in people's careers when they work with him and he breaks people He does and we were talking about this David as we were prepping to do this episode a couple days ago, you were like, here's a question. Has anyone ever stepped away and gone, you know what? I actually had a really good experience with him.

Or who's the guy who has the anecdote? My point was like, of like, you know, when my daughter got married, Chevy called me and was like, I'm so happy to hear about it. You know what I mean? Like the guy who's like, you know, Chevy's always been a mensch to me and my counterpoint to you was in one of like a vodka fueled Harman Town seven-hour Run-ons where Dan Harmon played voicemails of Chevy saying the N-word

He also was like and by the way here are three very nice things that Chevy's done Right in the framework of it was genuinely nice, and it's hard for me to like make sense of that Yeah, it doesn't fit into the fucking but there's like no one in a way That's even like well who worked Bill Murray can be temperamental But like Wes Anderson Sophia Copeland know how to work with him and they're like he's always great with me There's no one who's like Chevy and I always get a little okay, so landis well landis John landis I hate to bring him up early, but he worked with him multiple times. Spies Like Us, Three Amigos, there might be more, right?

Right. I'm trying to think, like, who's worked with Chevy multiple, made multiple movies with Chevy? We can do some- Besides the entity of National Amp. Well, and Ramis did it twice, Ramis did it twice. But like, even shit like Vacation, four different directors. Caddyshack, the the sequel had a different director.

You know what I mean? Like Fletch Lives, different director. But even then, and we can do some digging here, and I invite our listeners to do some digging. I don't remember ever seeing a quote from Ramis or Lamis. Take it back. Fletch Lives had the same director. Okay. Ritchie? Ritchie did both. Did both? Yeah.

I don't remember ever seeing a quote from any director who's like, I know he's had trouble with other people, but we get on really well. Right. I get Chevy. I think the best case scenario is people being like I'm fairly good at handling him Well, also he like I'm good at like my house is storm-proofed He has like he ends up not being worth it either which you know what I mean? Like well, there are people who are equally pricky, but insane, you know levels above talented and so you're like fuck

All right strap, strap in, we're doing this. You know what, man? Richie worked with him three times. What's the third one? Cops and Robbersons with Jack Palance. Yeah. So maybe Richie's the guy who's like, I always had

a fine time with Chevy. Like, I get Chevy. But also maybe? Could be also a guy that Chevy dominates and gets hired. Possibly. But we'll also never know because he's dead. hired. Possibly. Well, I've also never met him because he's dead. Right. Down in the ground.

Well, I can tell you how. Okay, I just found a Guardian article that says that Sylvester Stallone and Chevy Chase are good friends. Oh, those two guys, those normal guys. I believe it. Small personalities. We call those small personalities. Little.

But in Philly, they opened a Rocky memorabilia shop and Chevy chase showed up for the opening with sly great Well sly is my ambassador to Hollywood so I'm able to deal with like I'm interacting with him a lot I'm really I gotta say I'm now disappointed that Chevy never made it into an expendables. I That would have been fun. That would have been fun. He's tall? He's very tall. He's good at falling down. Yeah. It's a bummer that he was such an asshole, because he really can carry a comedy. This is what we're going to talk about. Because this is... All right, so Fletch...

All right, okay. Number one question. I'm posing it to everybody. What is the best Chevy Chase movie? Is it Fletch? Is it Caddyshack? Is it Vacation? Christmas Vacation? To me, it's a toss-up. It's difficult to choose between Fletch, is it Caddyshack, is it vacation, Christmas vacation? To me it's a toss up, it's difficult to choose between Fletch and Christmas vacation.

Those are the two sides of Chevy, smarm versus affable. Bumble a bumble. Now I wanna unpack this a little bit right off the bat. I know, that's why I'm putting it out there. Cause in our Memoirs of Invisible Man episode, I talked about how he basically has this unbreakable persona of smartest guy in the room, like smarming circles around everyone, making the jokes

under his breath, kind of being gross with women, but everyone's sort of charmed by it, right? And then people responded like, you're excluding Clark Griswold, which is his kind of one low status role. It's his like hapless, this guy kind of gets made to look a fool over and over again I think he gets to play both sides as Clark as well Which is the best part is that he gets to be like a smarmy wise-ass total who then is the butt of the joke? And then is also randomly the heartfelt dad

It is the bound of my but sort of success who is like the biggest fan of the cinema of Chevy chase and has always talked That's a guy. I can't believe hasn't brought Chevy into a movie. Yeah, right, but even if he is that's the thing There's no psycho and I don't want to work with you savvy exactly He's savvy savvy, but Tarantino loves Chevy and has talked about him at length and is like the thing I love about Chevy movies and he'll go to bat by like Funny farm is a flat-out five-star masterpiece. I he's like the whole canon of Chevy through like 99. He's like all in the tank form, right? His big defense is like in that era of the sort of like postmodern version

of the Groucho Marx cool wise guy, like snob versus slob comedy that comes out of National End Poon and SNL and whatever, all the other guys needed to go soft at some point and Learn a lesson or show they really cared or that they were tender and like Chevy movies. He never stops being an asshole. Yeah, he was like Quentin Tarantino really stands for the commitment to the smarm from Chevy Whereas like the the vacation movies are the only ones where there's a bit of balance Like the the vacation movies are the only ones where there's a bit of balance without it feeling like he's selling out Which is an interesting tension. It is like just through quantity you have to say his definitive Movie character right? It is one franchise, but like outside of that every other Chevy performance is

This is Griswold without any balance right kind of winning more often This is Griswold without any balance, kind of winning more often. But Ben, is your answer Fletch? It was your OG pick. Yeah, and I love, I adore Fletch. It's so rewatchable. I feel like, though, I have such a soft spot for Christmas. Yes.

Which is just such a family classic for many, not for me. Not for me either. I had never seen it until this year. You mentioned this off mic earlier. What'd I say? You said you were Jewish I did say that and Gabris threatened to leave immediately. I said let's get that on mic. I asked Griffin before I came in here I'm like you don't have any Jewish people recording. You're like we actually have several. I have to make a confession Gabris No, no, I too am Jewish I'm trying to do comedy in New York and I'm finding all these Jewish guys.

He buttoning the wall. But obviously there are- All these movie fans and movie critics are all these intellectual, funny Jewish guys. There are many Jews who grew up with the beloved Christmas comedies. I mean, we- I just did not grow up with the vacation movies at all.

We were a big Christmas movie family despite being a Jewish New York family, and yet my parents had a real allergy to Chevy Chase. We were a Bill Murray household. That was the flavor of smarm that was accepted in our household. Were you watching Scrooge? Not as much.

Great movie. Great fucking movie. But we were like certainly, we were watching like Christmas story every year on TNT and shit. A movie I'd never seen famous. Yeah, very good film But yeah, I remember one year family friends gifting us a DVD of Christmas vacation and my parents being like really and

Their friends who were adults the woman was like yeah We watched it all the time when I was growing up and they were like really you watched this We had it in the house. And they were just kind of like, I kind of hate we have a Chevy movie on the shelf. Christmas vacation is enormous in my family. It looms insanely large. I have an uncle, Uncle Mike.

He has no idea how podcasts work at all, but he'll appreciate the shout out. He's one of the most generous laughers in my life and he always said, and he looks a little bit like Michael McDonald, he was a postal worker, he was a mailman, he had tinted glasses and gray long hair and he would always be like, I wanna be your sidekick when you're a talk show host,

cause I'll just cackle, cause he thought I was so funny. It would be like the summer, it would be a Fourth of July barbecue and we'd be standing around. It's the wrong Christmas occasion. No, he would say shit like, don't worry, the summer, it would be a Fourth of July barbecue, and we'd be standing around. Throwing Christmas eggs. Yeah, he would, no, he would say shit like, don't worry, just yakkin' on a bone, or like, got a little bit of that Mississippi leg hound

in him, you gotta let him finish. Like, he knew it, the whole movie by heart. Yeah. He was obsessed with it, he would laugh so hard just talking to us about it, he would have tears pouring down his face, just remembering scenes. My aunt instilled a rule that he wasn't allowed

to start watching Christmas Vacation until Thanksgiving. Because otherwise he'd be watching it every weekend. He'd watch it every fucking weekend. Yeah. And he was, he also famously, there's a famous family story that they almost had to, they threatened to turn a plane around. He was on because he was laughing so loud he was ruining everyone's time. Yeah. And when I said, Uncle Mike, why were you laughing so loud? He's like, my buddy was telling me about Monty Python's the Holy Grail I just think there's basically a like a grouping of like a Christmas story Christmas vacation Elf we're talking about cable classics, right?

But especially the first, you know, like it's just like cable TV is invented and they're like when what shall we put on it? They're like, well Christmas story and Christmas vacation, right right well. We know it a month that this will play well Movies in general I felt like we're on cable all the time yes They're they're just they're just what America wanted in the 80s this kind of like just ribald enough right like family-friendly But also like a little spicy Here's a confession that might surprise you gabris and David and I have been comparing notes on this I had seen National Lampoon's vacation and Christmas vacation. I I feel like Cloverfield style as I like to call it

Yeah, like you've been some pieces right like I in the last 36 hours watch both of them Intentionally sitting down from getting to end for the first time in my life. Whoa, but I was like, yeah I've seen every scene of this. Yes, but just in like jumping in popping in here and now or guy I probably kept up for the first few miles. Yes Did you go to pee and I basically I put on I was like, I don't think I've seen any of this Did you go to Vegas? Have I in my life? Oh, I haven't yet in my watch. I you did all five I did all of them I even watched the right there remake or

Continuation the continuation say the legacy. I've never seen that one. How is have you seen it? The John Francis Daly Jonathan Goldstein? Yeah, I haven't watched the first 20 minutes of it. You're like, this is cooking. This is funny And then I don't know it its biggest set pieces did nothing for me But also it has a little bit of stuff Goldstein and Daly right after that go on to do date night and Dungeons & Dragons So it's I'm sorry game night. They didn't do date night mercifully. Yeah. No, they did the better night They did game night and Dungeons & Dragons So you want to go back and be like was this a secret masterpiece because these guys seem to be on it But it's got a couple clever like things sure It's been okay. The era that it came out in is like,

I mean, it was the beginning of the dearth of comedies. And it's so of that peak, it's peak, like, the hangover era. It's so nasty and like, just kind of puerile and gross. In a way where you're kind of like, it's kind of funny, and then again, you just kind of get sick of it after. I have a very distinct memory of that movie, if not bombing at least significantly underperforming.

Sure. And thinking, feeling a shiver in my body and going, oh, fucking theatrical comedies might be a little doomed. Because I was like, well, it's gonna do well. Well, you were wrong. Right. Bigger and better than ever. I remember logic-ing out, that movie came out in August and like one or two other big

comedies had flopped already that year and I was like, that's gonna do well just because there has to be one comedy hit every summer. Right. Something, something's gotta give. And We're the Millers was kind of an example of like a couple other things that underperformed and then that weirdly overperformed in August because people are just like, I wanna laugh one time. Right. Your horrible bosses are doing well for this reason.

And it was like, vacation didn't do well, and I was like, huh, there were no comedy hits this year? What does that mean? Yeah, wait, what was the biggest comedy hit of 2015? I'm about to find out. I'm going. Daddy's Home. It's perfect too, doesn't count. Daddy's Home comes out that Christmas.

Oof. That's the one. Wait, you're saying Daddy's Home, that's 30th? We can't do better than that. Spy is above it. Do we count Spy? Yeah. Okay, so Spy did well. Spy is a comedy. Well, I like Spy. Yeah. Spy is good. Yeah, Spy is quite good. Yeah. Yeah. It looks like Spy is the top comedy on this list that isn't like a cartoon. And no one's talking about it. But it, I enjoyed it. It was good, but no one's like, oh, you know what, let's get, let's rip the bomb and throw on Spy? Trainwreck is above those movies. Okay, but Daddy's Home does come out in Christmas

Yeah, sure there have been comedy hits that year. I don't know the fuck I was talking about But certainly vacations didn't do well. And comedy's doing fine. Yeah, I'm sorry comedy's doing fine I mean the things that did badly that maybe you're thinking about is that comedy is legal again I admit but I made comedy legal again by the When they say they made comedy legal again. When they say they made comedy legal again, they mean they made it not funny at all? That seems to be what they mean. Yeah, they mean slurs are legal.

Ted... And slurs are comedy also. And some people are laughing. They're saying three things at once. Some very specific people are laughing in specific rooms. Ted too, pixels. Okay. You know, like there's movies on this.

Those are a couple big budget balls. Paul Blart, Mall Cop 2. All movies where... I defend pixels, but movies where it's like, what are we doing? I defend as well. I think it was also- I think it was also- I think it was also- I think it was also- I think it was also- I think it was also- I think it was also- I think it was also- I think it was also- I think it was also- I think it was also-

I think it was also- I think it was also- I think it was also- I think it was also- I think it was also- I think it was also- I think it was also- I think it was also-

I think it was also- I think it was also- I think it was also- I think it was also- I think it was also- I think it was also- I think it was also- I think it was also- I think it was also- I think it was also- What's wrong with doing Paul Blart Mall Cop 2? The first one did well. We might sequels to successful movies. But at the same time, I think America's like, guys, we gave you a pass on Paul Blart Mall Cop.

That was like a proto-meme where it's like, wouldn't it be funny if we just saw this movie? Exactly, sure. Fucking... But also, Paul Blart Mall Cop 2, in my memory, was a bit of another stakeout where I'm like, you waited six years to do this? Yeah, they waited a little too long. He hit the iron a couple times times had a couple other hits then bombs

Then was like I guess I got to go back to the safety net of blart and people were like, okay We miss blart stop doing MMA guys and guys who work in zoos. Yeah. Yeah, that was what it was It was Kevin James going like final so the king of Queens bought a zoo, right? Yes um I I'm going like, fine, I'll fucking do part two. So the King of Queens bought a zoo. Right. Yes. I had never seen any of these movies. Yeah, whoa. And when Heckerling got picked, I was like, all right, I'm gonna fucking watch them.

Good excuse. Are you a fan of vacation as a concept? You don't have like a lot of vacation vibes. This is a rich conversational thread. Thank you for opening this door. I'll say this. You don't like traveling as an act. Not right now, because I have all these children.

Yes. And there are some people who I know with young children who are just like, I don't give a shit. I have to do it. I gotta go. For some people, obviously, they gotta go see their family. Right. I get that very much.

But some people are just like, I gotta go on vacation. I'll just bring the kids. You tough out the hard parts. You do the easy part. Enjoy the good parts. Whatever. I'm just like, no, man, bringing kids on vacation is a huge hassle. You don't have any fun. So far, is my experience.

Yeah, and they get not much out of it. Right. And so I think we're getting close to now my daughter would probably enjoy a vacation, but now I have two extra kids. Sure. Great, great, great. I mean, famously... That's a great way to phrase that.

An anecdote I love to repeat. Buy one, get two free. That's what happened. An anecdote I love to repeat. I one get two free fun. That's what happened in early 2020 We were planning to go to Orlando to do an episode about galaxies edge when that was about to open and there were two windows where it made sense to do It February 2020 or June 2020 so worked up about and we were close to pulling the trigger on February And then I was like fuck the Ratatouille ride doesn't open until June let's wait for June and then the world ends right and David and his

wife have their first child and then like when things reopened we sort of like started the conversation again about like is it worth trying to talk about doing this and David's response was I can't go to Disney World now I have a child which is a very funny phrase because that's when you're supposed to go. Not when you have a zero year old obviously. No, wait for them. I'm just I'm not calling out. Disney fucking, I'm so sorry. I'm just not one of these guys. I fucking hate Disney. Yes! Someone says it! Disney, like almost everything else I like in life is ruined by the other people who like it.

Now when I go to Disney everyone there drives me fucking crazy. I don't disagree with this. Even this is what I hear from everyone where everyone who likes Disney World is like It's kind of getting ruined both by the super fans and by the evil company that runs it You know squeezing every last drop of money out of it, but I think a lot of your frustration with Traveling as a concept which has obviously gotten more complicated as you now have 1 million children Yeah, is the like hell is other people part of it like you don't like? Dealing with the systems and crowds. I don't know if that's true

You are in the weirdest postures. I've ever seen in my Gabris is pointing out how to explain I am double-jointed Yes, you know I can bend my arms behind my back in a really weird way. He created his own, I can describe it, he created his own gargoyle wings using his arms. That is right. I do it sometimes in an alarm speed, I'm sorry. But it helps you get out of handcuffs frequently. When I was nine years old we moved, yes, we moved to England. It's just a known fact on this podcast.

Been listening to the pod for a long time. I wish you guys did some bits about it as well. Yeah, my mom did not want to move to England. Okay. Like my dad got a job and it was you know, we had to move but my mom was very... But she was like look if we're gonna fucking move to Europe, we are going like on vacation to Europe, right? Like if I'm gonna be this close to it. Take advantage of being a train ride away from eleven countries. Exactly. And so we went on vacation like cheaply. And you're a train boy. We know that. You love trains. We have that in common that but your mom was kind of the Audrey Griswold of the family. Yes. She didn't want to get a Europe Wait, oh, I want to stay home kiss boyfriends and eat food. Oh, she's the daughter. Yeah, sorry I to me They're just dad mom daughter son

Beverly daughter son blank blank You can't name them by the actors because they're different every time. No, and we'll talk about it, but it's funny how much the ages change. They just morph. They morph. Anyway, by Vegas Vacation it's weird

because Chevy's getting a little old and they haven't really aged. But like Galecki is younger than Rusty in this. The following movie when Chase is like four years older. I don't know, you guys hear me out, Griffin hasn't seen it but Vegas Ethan Embry is funny in Vegas He's the best part. Yeah Papa George. He's really that's how loud is. Have you seen Vegas vacation? Oh, that's been seen Vegas. That was really funny. I was laughing. I got all funny David hate Vegas vacation. I was sort of surprised. I was like like this is confident. It's okay because it has a bad reputation

It's a third best So you think it's better than rank in yes Wow. I think I agree with the worst I think but I Yeah, I feel like that's a consensus Vegas vacation Just has this vibe of like the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce paid for a movie a little bit Yes, got the most like look at all this shit. You can do a little bit. It's got the most like, look at all this shit you can do in Las Vegas. Yeah, there's also a desert. Wayne Newton's here.

It's got a little bit more of that going on. But wait, when you lived in Britain, your family would do European. Like some of the happiest fucking shit I ever did was all those vacations. But you were rusty in that situation. The pressure wasn't on you. Pressure wasn't on me, but I mean,

I went backpacking in Europe with my friends. I was the clerk there. Well, that sounds like American Werewolf in London. And that was great. And I like vacation. I'm more of a let me go to a place and sit on a beat. I like to relax. Yeah, yeah, and we know that.

Whereas I feel like a lot of the vacations that went on when you're a kid, these is the kind of vacations you go on. It's like, all right, kids, we're going to to see this you see we're going every church we can find this movie This movie captures that pretty well. Yeah, that's what I like about this one. Yeah, I like like I it's good that I did that I need to watch Vegas and the Goldstein Daily Yeah, but much to my surprise knowing this movie's reputation This is kind of my favorite of the first three I would never argue it's the best and I think a lot of it that seems like Ben looks concerned my weird sensibility

But like I like how angry this movie is I like that this movie is like the most invested in the like the hell of the trip Yes, where it's like the Multi-leg that it's like kind of almost every character in this movie seems a little bit like Cosmically tortured and rotten well, I like that they're ugly Americans But that's what I like about the movie is that it's anti-american and anti-european at the same time I do think it finds that balance well right yeah everyone Everyone is a fool. Which I feel like to a lot of people, they're just like, this movie is just like kind of like toxic from the beginning. Like it just seems sort of mean in a way that's a little like extreme on the dial.

It's just a touch more boring than you want it to be. Sure. It's also, I mean, it's like highly episodic. Yes, it's like... It has like no drive. No, and you do not give a fuck about anything. No No, it's hard to care about anything in the movie. It is chaos and it feels more or less nihilistic. On this viewing the only thing I cared about was Rusty getting pussy for some reason like I got into it a little bit. I mean he cares a lot about that. He's such a strange looking actor. I'm so sorry to the kid. Do you know who he is?

No. He is Blake Lively's brother. What? Wow. They come from like an acting dynasty family. He's not bad at all. No, I think they're like eight kids and he's the oldest and she's the youngest. Jason Lively. Like there's a big gap between them in age.

Certainly he was born in 68 and Blake Lively was born in 87. But he's her straight teen-year age difference. Like, it's funny to think about this movie in 86. What year did this movie come out? This movie came out in 1985. 85, and then like 20 years later, his sister is playing a high schooler on TV. Oh, that's great. Right?

His sister. Um, can I say this about Chevy Chase in this movie? Yes, you can. When the business is good, like the situational, physical comedy stuff, when it's good, it's so good. When Chevy is good, he's so good that it's frustrating. Yes, this movie, it just falls so flat.

Yeah. Pretty much most of the movie. You only see like a flash of it, but you're like, you know he can do better. Totally. And he's just not given the opportunity. Also, and I'll go as far to say, why pack tubes? What's in tubes that you need to bring with you on vacation?

I do not understand. I get it. It's for the physical gag of hitting the guy in the nuts. But why is that in the car? What? They brought posters from America? Would they intend to bring home canvas art like like what do they have all those little tubes for? Is he doing architecture work like drafting like no, it's fucking crazy. Well, here's like

David's getting ready to clap his hands. I feel like we had a thing to say. No, you make a point and then I want to circle back to Your like what's the best Chevy right for me the revelation of Fletch and a movie that I've grown to thing to say. No, you make a point and then I want to- To circle back to your, like, what's the best Chevy, right? For me, The Revelation of Fletch, and a movie that I've grown to appreciate more and more on repeat viewings, being educated properly to its importance by Ben Hosley. Yeah. Right, I'd seen it once before.

Ben helped me place it in a context. I've revisited it now, I like it a lot. I think that's the only movie that gets at, that starts to gnaw at the core of Chevy Chase is clearly really unhappy, right? Yeah. There's some element of like the whole weird like Fletch just lives under the docks

and like hangs out with drug dealers, but it feels like that's where he's most comfortable. Fletch is one of the most aspirational movies in my life. Right. Like I watch Fletch and I'm like that. I want to be this suave. I want to be this suave. I want to live like this specifically because I love like the beach bum lifestyle

and all that shit. Speaking of which, beach bum, another aspirational movie. Shout out. When you guys do Harmony Corrine and I call dibs on that. I love that you're throwing that in the mix. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes When harmony Korean wins next year's March man, I want to say I want to building up the case with his recent out Yeah, I want to say you don't like you don't like how that looks they've got we got David Lowry doing I love to drift. I love to have a migraine. Well, there's the new one. Well, it was a baby

Baby invasion. Have you seen this one? It's like in a first-person shooter game, but the new one is it's like a first-person shooter game where everyone has like AI baby heads I can't wait. It's just follow-up. I haven't even seen aggro drift. No, I don't want to see an aggro drift I it's only playing that I'm playing at the body shop strip club on Sunset like you can I Think like the Michael Richie who was more of a, like, dramedy filmmaker, right? And made these films that had, like, an interesting mash of tones, and could capture some, like, actual darkness and pathos in a broader comedy. There's just, like, the subtle, like, some of the scenes, the way he captures just, like, Chevy walking through spaces, it's not, like like textually overstated, but you're like,

there's some darkness going on in this guy. Also, Chevy knows how to walk through a room and be funny, but not too much. Like he could just, he just makes funny physical choices the way he moves or looks or like reacts like, and that's like a superpower. Right, but there's like a little bit like, there's something behind this guy's defensive armor of like the witty

One line because he's funny and good-looking tan and rich He should be like happy right and he just can't be right and I feel like Fletch interrogates that a little bit right and then the first three vacation movies are kind of interesting prismatic views of like What is Chevy's power as a movie star? Because I was sort of watching the first one and trying to contextualize like, huh, it feels like National Lampoon's vacation is early for Chevy to try to make the I'm a dad.

Right. Switch, right? Like it feels like he was doing that. It's not a new dad comedy. It's like I'm a full blown family, I'm a suburban dad comedy. Totally, and I think there's now more of a pipeline of like that being a stage that like comedy stars need to have In their career at least when comedy movies still existed of like you make the family comedy switch really quickly Whereas back then I think it was like family comedies are like fucking like million dollar duck

Yeah, or you make like cool or rated transgressive comedies And Chevy's like straddling this line. What's interesting about the vacation franchise is that it's like kind of for grown-ups and kids at the same time They're weirdly horny and angry Yeah, it's the it's like the four con four quadrant movie of our child now They are now the four quadrant movies are like American Bollywood films more or less. It's like it's got a dance number. It's got a fight It's got romance. It's got a you know, it's got a song. It's IP It's like all this shit right and back then a four-quadra movie was like there's some stuff for kids And if I can quote the great Andy Daly a little something for daddy

He he was the oldest or he wasn't the oldest care most was the oldest But he was older going into SNL than a wasn't the oldest care more was the oldest But he was older going into SNL than a lot of the other guys were in the early 20s He is like in his late 30s by the time of the third of the first vacation Which like in the 1980s in America isn't you have a 12 year old that right? It's like totally possible. Maybe not Hollywood stars do right? Like it's not... A majority of Americans, yeah. Yes. But his persona had still so recently been, this guy is cool and gets chicks.

And I was astonished in watching the movie straight through for the first time. How much the first vacation plays like a proto-American beauty. Where it's like this guy having some early crisis of like, I have an incredibly comfortable middle middle class existence with a beautiful wife and children and I seem so fucking angry and unhappy and all I do is fantasize about fucking other women. That's lost in this movie. Totally. There's not, there's not, there's no, the Christine Brinkley role is not in this movie. So the first movie has like a lot of hapless dad stuff and it obviously builds to the idea of like he's gonna hit a breaking point and what we really want to see Is Chevy getting so angry that he's holding John candy at gunpoint, right?

But you also have this running thread of just like this guy seems frustrated with his like very idyllic little That's what so I yeah, it's a it's perfect like Reagan era movie. Yeah, it's so good for exactly the reason I was very impressed with it. So he misses a good director. I was like, thematically there's something interesting going on here in terms of what it's saying about the culture. The goal of the movie is nothing. Nothing. Right. His goal is to get his family to an amusement park. You know what I mean? Like, that's it. And it basically, the goal is him over and over again saying, we're going to have fun. Yes.

And the more he insists upon it, the more everyone has a terrible time. More difficult it is, yeah. And he's like, I want you to think back to your childhood fondly. I'm forcing good memories. Which this movie, European Vacation, has that too, I suppose. David, I've had it with this wacky weather. Oh no.

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I was gonna say, she is the one person who always talks fondly about working with him, still does like fucking conventions and screenings with him. That's a good point. Good for her. Ten years ago, ABC did a pilot for a new show with the two of them. Like she seems to have only ever had good experiences with Chevy. So I thought vacation was funny. The Randy Quaid stuff is...

is interesting. It's interesting. In Christmas? In both. In the first one. In Christmas, I think he's singing. Yeah, in Christmas, that's true, because they make him even more ridiculous. The more they dial him up, the less it's like,

let's make fun of this poor guy. Yeah, he's not just white trash. Vacation, right. He's just white trash in the vacation. Right, vacation, it's not that over the top. The first one, they also make the incest joke where you're like, now this is too dark. Right, right, like what's the gag here?

It's too dark for me to find this funny if he's actually doing shit with his daughter. Right. Versus the second one, he seems very well-intentioned and loves his kids and everything. Well, that's just a great writing, great casting in that second one, he seems very well-intentioned and loves his kids and everything. Well, that's just a great writing, great casting in that second one. When you put fuckin' a big bulging man in a leisure suit,

you know, like all those specifics and that characterization of like, and there's my brother, emptying his shit. You know, like all that stuff just fuckin' hits. It's good. And they make him get all these amazing big choices and you're so happy to have that character because you're trying not to hate Chevy Chase

watching Christmas Vacation, then Randy Quaid comes in and you love him, but then you can ride with Chevy in hating him. Yes. It's a classic, it's a great way to bond with people over here, we all hate this guy. But it's so funny that one of those SNL 50 documentaries on Peacock, the one about the weird year, where it was so strange that Randy Quaid is part of that cast

because he was already an Academy Award nominated actor. And for The Last Detail, where you're like, this guy was framed as like a serious actor. Like he was playing like funny-ish parts in like The Last Detail and Last Picture Show and like legit movies. And it was like, why was he part of this cast? And one of the talking heads just says,

Lauren just thought he was so good in vacation. Which is, I mean, good call. Wow, a flash of Lauren having good taste. You see it every once in a while. I mean, the thing that's interesting about season 11 of SNL that that thing points out is that Lauren's instincts on who he hired were broadly right. It's a very, very talented cast.

Right, they all worked out. But he learns the lesson of like, no, the way I do SNL kind of has to be, I create chemistry with a bunch of unknowns. Not ready for prime time players. Yes, because then they're all better together. Instead, I just had a bunch of guys who had no connection to each other,

so there's no chemistry, even if they're individually talented. And also had different backgrounds. Like, he was like, who are people who are funny? And it was like, that's different than doing sketch comedy every week. He's also so funny, which I did not know until I watched that, that in the final sketch

where they kill everyone, they pretend there's like a fire in everyone's... And then, and Lorne comes and takes Lovett's, and he's like, come with me, Lovett. Like, they acknowledge, like, Lovett's works, everyone else does and and then and Lord comes is like takes love It's he's like come with me like they acknowledge like love its works everyone else and then they got They cut to smigel and he's like I guess I didn't realize in the moment that the cast would be offended by that But all of them like just went to the table read and saw this sketch where it's like and he saves love It's and no one else from the fire

Table-read and saw this sketch where it's like and he saves love it's and no one else from the fire And you have to rehearse these final episode when they run the cast list at the end. They all It's a good Not in this movie what an asshole he's just the world's most insane man well he I would say he's an ass Maybe he put out a video of fucking a woman doggy style He did do that. He was fucking his wife wearing a Rupert Murdoch mask because he said he was being deprived of Independence Day residuals But he's also become a huge Trump supporter. Oh, yeah I'm saying it's not just that he called out the Hollywood Bushwhackers. Bushwhackers, right? It wasn't just that. Well, he also like was like maybe

Hansi as a theater like he ran a theater company with his- Well company That's fucking part of it too when he was playing Falstaff I mean, I think this is where the Starwhackers I met it and Falstaff would do that The Starwhackers had a Duff Protest Too Much thing, right? Where he's like there after he and I'm like after you for what? What exactly? Just like pedo hunters like why are you thinking about pedophiles so much? Right, he's always-

You go around the camera waiting for an excuse to punch people in the face and claim that you're on the right side of the law. Nobody is, like watching his sequence of the first vacation, I was like, this is one of those examples of like a performance that kind of breaks an actor. He's missed in this movie. He's missed in this, which you can tell. And then you can tell when they bring him back for Christmas. They know, they need him.

And then you're also like, this becomes his persona for the rest of time. Like he basically becomes riffs on cousin Eddie. Yeah. I wonder, how do you get him in this movie? Obviously you could just be like, they're on vacation. Yeah, they're also there. There's a way. But I guess I can see how they naturally were like,

well, there's not room for Randy Quaid here, but where... Well, you know what? I'm gonna open the dossier. Although the dossier begins with, well, this is gonna be a short one, folks. So I don't know how much there is on the genesis of this film, beyond, of course, that Vacation had been a hit. And so, Vacation 2 has to happen.

He's basically coming off of all hits at this point that the Benji movie wasn't a hit and over the rainbow or under the rainbow wasn't A hit but like foul play seems like old times caddyshack is obviously smaller part He was like pretty consistently hitting at the box office Yeah John Hughes has credit for the story and screenplay. Robert Klain, who wrote Weekend at Bernie's, then, gets the other credit. But Hughes says he had very nothing to do with this movie. He both wrote the original story for National Lampoon and actually wrote the first script,

but basically got a weirdly steroided story by and script credit on this, even though it was just for creating characters. I think because they pulled so much, but they pulled so much deletion from it. Yeah, and that they were not used in the first movie kind of bits and stuff like that. So I think that he, they just had to give it.

But basically didn't consciously do any work on this movie. No. Yes. Obviously. Yes, yes. It has a different tone. So, and Hughes of course does have a much more range of role in Christmas. Obviously. Yes, yes. It has a different tongue. So and Hughes of course does have a much more range of role in Christmas.

He comes back to sort of right the ship. Right, a lot of people thus see his influence as being crucial. And Christmas is based on a different unrelated National Lampoon story. Yeah. They were like, we gotta get back to the Hughes well. So like, oh, you wrote the story about a family Christmas. Let's retro fit that into the vacation for us. Now, you're at a point where you can just make

one of these movies a year, you know what I mean? And like, it's just like, pick a fucking location, bring them there, it's like, tin tin and blank, you know what I mean? Just fucking take the family wherever. It's, the idea of like vacation, European vacation, Christmas vacation, Vegas vacation, it's like unstoppable. It's almost as sounding they only made four.

That's, I guess that's kind of what I'm saying is that you would think that there'd be eight of those. Because of Chevy, probably. But like, I think the first one, Chevy's weirdly detailed Wikipedia about the ups and downs of his career that seems to have been written by maybe someone related to him.

But like, they said that like, the first vacation was his highest grossgrossing solo star movie at the time Then like Europeans down a little bit, but not a flop right? I still made for then Christmas vacation is his biggest movie. Yeah, so then like the third one's the biggest I would just be like Let's keep fucking pumping these. Where do you want him to go? I'm just saying it's I think that's a good question Yeah, you want it. You just I'm just saying. I think that's a good question. Yeah, you just gotta be like. Obviously they settled on Vegas,

but that really does have the energy of Vegas was like, hey, we paid you to make this movie, but where else could he go? I don't know. Because in Christmas vacation, they don't even go anywhere. It is, of course. They stay home. One's Christmas vacation, there's no school,

they don't travel. Yeah, I guess you got. They said it is fucking out. Maybe they made a mistake. You got your spring break where they go to like San Padre Island and don't realize that it's gonna be like that horny and rusty and-

There might have been a franchise mistake in biting off all of Europe in one go. Yeah, that's true. Right. And like- Australian vacation- Yeah, I don't want like an African safari. I was gonna say, no, I don't want the controls in Africa.

But an Australian vacation with how much we were obsessed with Australia in the 80s and 90s, that would have done both who bucks. Get Hogan on board. That's the move. As like Hogan is like the Australian grizzles. Hey, mate! I've never met you before. Now, of course, there is a strange little irony to the fact

that vacation was directed by Harold Ramis. This is directed by Amy Heckerling. Harold Ramis and Amy Heckerling had a child together in a secret affair. We're going to talk about that much more on our Look Who's Talking episode. A movie that's basically about that. Yes. And she was not that enthused about this project because of Ramis. Like, you know, like, what am I following him up? But she says she liked the concept of American idiots running around destroying Europe. It definitely feels like that's the part she's in on.

Yes. And Johnny Dangerously is clearly in trouble. It's testing poorly. So she has that sense of like, oh boy, I need something that's, you know, reliable. And she's made this very strong decision to not try to repeat fast times like I talked about that She immediately got 20 scripts like that She's at the tip of the spear of like the teen movie explosion of the 80s Do you remember when you first watched fast times? I have a distinct memory of like hearing about this legendary teen comedy and then watching it and being like was that funny?

We talked about it. It's a big part of our discussion Yeah, well great movie great discussion. Well, great movie. A wonderful movie. Don't know if it's an elite comedy. But when I was like 12, that really confused me. And when I watch it now, I'm like, this is a masterpiece. I can't believe it can hold both tones. Yes. Well, it's like, you forget,

like, I said this on the Full Metal Jacket episode, you forget that Arlie Ermey's only in it for like 15 minutes. And then the fast times about that is that Spicoli is a side character. But like it is funny that that movie has such a complicated balance of things that are able to coexist and then she follows it up with two movies that are just like this is silly chaos. Right like she's just making kind of like goofball madness movies. Yeah. goofball madness movies. Which I think part of that is her being like, I'm trying to avoid the pigeonholing that happens to women in their careers and they're Sophie female directors

and I don't wanna get stuck in one corridor and can I make boys movies, quote unquote. But the other part is that her influences are like, I love the Marx brothers and I love these things and can I try to expand this? She comes back hard after this with Clueless, correct? She does Look Who's Talking, which is so fucking successful. I love that movie as a kid. I I can't on a real I'm curious. I can't wait to listen to your episode

Yeah, but I am very curious on a rewatch how I'd feel about it. I very fun like to the Does look she does here's the alleys purple bra is like an image that I will never forget her hair We talk a lot about her hair. She's so hot She does look she does look. She doesn't direct look three. She does clueless. So she does three hits in a row that are like her totally birthing something. And clueless, recently Rogan said in an interview it's the best high school movie ever made. And it could easily be. Like that movie changed me. But Johnny Dangerously and European Vacation are both her coming on to

pre-existing developments. The difference is that Johnny Dangerously is her being like, I love fucking gangster movies. This is the kind of dream movie for me. And European Vacation is a little more like, I guess that's a career move that makes sense, right? Let me rinse this one out of my mouth. This might shock you, but Chevy Chase was not very kind about Amy Heckerling in the press after. In his biography, I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not,

he said, I had problems with the director Amy Heckerling, a lovely person, but I didn't think her direction smacked of energy and humor. He doesn't think the movie is funny. Beverly D'Angelo also doesn't think the movie is funny. She thinks it's not saucy enough. Like she was sort of like,

the script is a little too G-rated. No one has figured out what the formula was. She was angry that she didn't show her rack two times in this one. God bless that rack, great rack. I mean, a voice, the sexiest voice and an insane body. I, being a kid and just being like, I fuck Christy Brinkley.

Like I love when you're a kid and you're like siding like dude your wife is so hot don't blow it I do think that is a key part of the cultural stickiness of children who grew up watching these movies is like the weird Complications like but family-friendly. I mean the first one mom is really hot and she's sexualized in it If we're in these types of movies those sexual are like she's sexualized in it. In where these types of movies, those roles are like... She's a sexy lady. And she has agency and the relationship is like sexually charged. Versus, right, like this sort of so much boring American humor about like frigid wives who make you dinner and like whatever.

Where those characters are so... The stores close. Or the Rodney Dangerfield, God bless Rodney. I love him. Stereotype of like my wife is fucking everyone else in town, but me Is is Beverly is Audrey Griswold Wait, that's not her name. She's No, Audrey's a daughter. She's mom. She's mom Griswold Ellen Griswold

Is Ellen Griswold the fucking tabula rasa for milk porn. I I kind you know what John John Ben you want to leave John? I want to alien where laptop is open Ben just swung his monitor away from us Beverly D'Angelo just I think you're on to something. This is her biography I think she is the archetype that most of those videos are riffing on. Oh, no, I'm sorry. This is from the Chevy bag. Okay This is just a quote from her. I'm gonna read the quote and then I'm gonna talk about it Sure, I was living in Europe with my husband the Duke

So I'm glad the second one was in Europe, but I know Chevy missed being home John. Janie was pregnant It was cold. The script wasn't that funny. That was his wife, yeah. At one point, my husband had a birthday party for me, and Keith Richards was there. Everyone was singing all night, and Eric Idle was so hoarse that he had to ADR all his scenes in the movie. Now, I don't know about you guys.

That's a fucking movie I want to see made. I would like... 100%. Beverly D'Angelo was married to an Italian Duke. There you go. Where I was like, who's the Duke? So I looked that up, and that is of course Don, sorry, Don Lorenzo Salviati, one of the fucking, you know,

Dukes of Sicily or whatever the hell. She also, her romantic history, she dated Miloš Forman around when he was directing her in the movie Hair. Correct. Then she marries the Duke, she's with him for a good 15 years. She leaves him for Anton First. Leaves him for Anton First, the brilliant designer who created Batman's look.

Academy Award winning production designer, the first Batman. Who tragically died by suicide. But I believe they're together at the time of his death. Yes, and then she hitched her star to Al Pacino and had a kid with him. Which I also believe she left John Patrick Shanley for Pacino.

Basically, Beverly D'Angelo is like the queen of all babes, is what I'm saying. She had twins with Pacino in her late 40s. Dukes, Pacino, everyone's like, please, my love, what can I do? How do I get you? I get it. I totally get it.

She's like this weird Hollywood muse who's talented in her own right, but then she just dipped around to like... Do you know what else I saw? Like like she has one of those weird like oh I never considered acting and someone was like you should try this and then she was naturally good at it She worked as an animator. Yeah, she worked at Hannah Barbera She showed everything about it. She was fucking painting cells. She was also a backup singer for the Hawks Which were a rockabilly band that turned into the band. Oh shit. Isn't that crazy? Oh my god

Like some acting and she's like a fucking busty zealig And she invented milk porn unconsciously forest lumps She's still five comedy points. That was good She's still... Five comedy points. That was good. She's still with us. She is, thank God. She's still got it. Mostly it seems like, yeah, you know, some TV stuff. She hasn't been doing much in the last ten years. She's still riding high off Duke money. Isn't she in one of the Harold and Coon R movies? Am I wrong in thinking that she plays like a southern brothel madam? Yes, she's in Escape from Guantanamo Bay. Thank you.

To me, not the best. That's my favorite one. Harold and Kumar. Yeah. Oh, right. Although, but the Harold and Kumar franchise is also one in general where I'm like, how is that gonna work for me on rewatch? I really like the first one a lot.

Sure. And I've seen it many times. I'm a big Guantanamo Bay defender. That movie sucks. We're talking, sorry, we're talking about the movie Harold and Kumar. Oh, okay. Not the concept of the guy that you're using. I've seen it many times. I'm a big Guantanamo Bay defender. That movie sucks. Sorry, we're talking about the movie Harold and Kumar, not the concept of the guy that you're using. I've never seen the film. I like the place. I love America owning land in other countries that it uses to torture people.

Grig is a big enhanced interrogation guy. He even talks about vacation spots. So, Chevy and Bev both down on this movie. Anthony Michael Hall, of course, who plays the son in the first film, declines, doesn't want to come back. Why? Because... He's sick of playing kids. He's...

Oh, that's also true. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. He's doing Breakfast Club this year, probably. And I think Weird Science, both are in the same year maybe? That's what it is. But Jesus, you're a leading man now. Correct. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because there's some other movie he was gonna be in that he's- Full Metal Jacket, right?

Yes, that's- He was supposed to be the Modine role in Full Metal Jacket. That's what it is. But he was kind of like, he turned Kubrick off with like- I don't wanna play like a pencil neck again. Yeah, or he didn't read the script too for the movie. And then he became a Jimbrow. I think we talk about this on the Full Metal Jacket.

We definitely do. Dana, and so Dana Barron, who is the daughter in the first one, I think was down to come back, but Hecarlene was like, well, let's- If we have to lose one of the kids, let's hard reason. Right, let's just re-cast both. But you end up with Blake Lively's brother, and then Dana Hill is her name?

Yes. Who was an actress who had a series of health conditions. She died weirdly young. She died young, although I'm not sure. She had diabetes, and that was what she died of, but she also had conditions that made her small. Correct. So she's like 22 in this movie.

And then years after this, I thought she was, I thought she was the voice of Max Goof in Goof Troop. Oh shit. By the way, Goof Troops and slash a goofy movie. I, when I first saw PJ on screen, I was like, oh my God, that looks like me. Representation matters. I was like, oh my god, that looks like me. Representation matters.

I was like, that cartoon character, the most recent one for me was Spike in the new Mario Brothers movie. I was like, oh yeah, that's my new version with the fucking aviators. Can we talk about Bulkin's skull? Of course, David, we've been waiting years to talk about Bulkin's skull.

I recently, you know, I'm sitting at work, I need to be writing for the Atlantic, which is my job, and I'm like, it's like a half hour super cut of every single Mighty Morphin Power Rangers opening theme credits. Yeah, really burn them in the middle. You know what I mean? Like, gotta get cracking on that lead. Nothing big happening at the Atlantic.

Yeah, just deleting my Pete Hegseth text. It is hilarious to me that Jeff, like, as this was all like came by, like he's always like, and I was like, Jeff, what do you think about burrata on pizza? He stopped, he's like, as this came by, like, he's always, and I was like, Jeff, what do you think about burrata on pizza? And he stopped, he's like, what? And I was like, I just think it's bullshit. Like, don't put burrata on pizza. Like, it doesn't belong. Like, it's just, you know, you're just eating, like, it's separate. Does it make it too wet? Yeah, this was all these fucking new pizza places where they're like, and we put a big glob of burrata on top. And I'm like, that's just like putting a cookie on this the conversation

You're having with him He's like yeah, I mean I can see where you know like do you think Prince Street pizza is good I'm like no like you know it's not going off about that throws that question out to the signal group guys What do you think a brada on pizza? Peg sets a stracciatella fan anyway That peg sets a strachy a telethon anyway Balkan skull a similar, you know, yeah, what's the vibe? What's why please remind the listeners? So Power Rangers the the cast of Power Rangers are of course the five Power Rangers six once Tommy gets at it Right and their power there to their teens with attitude who can morph into martial artists who command dinosaur robots

We cut from a Japanese We don't need to get into I don't know. We're just talking about the text What I'm saying is that you're building a show off of this martial art using this action American kids But you'll have the villains are set already and the American producers Saban and co are like we need to add more proprietary elements What if we have like two dumb bullies that have nothing to do with the main plot line? But are kind of their friends? They're like in their mid-30s also maybe? Exactly!

And they, it's one of those things where they're like, they cycle through Power Rangers every couple seasons, right? We're gonna, let's get these kids out of here. They're asking for us to like pay them and shit. They gotta go. Let's get a bunch of new teens. Bulk and Skull, always involved. Like, these new kids always know Balkan skull

My nostalgia I'm like right to Balkan skull they're kind of like they're like bebop and rocksteady. They're bad guys something They just live in the town Town is the Power Rangers They're just there! They happen to live in the same town as the Power Rangers and dress crazy. They dress just crazy enough that they should be on a TV show. But this is why I'm bringing up the heritage because I'm like they can never overlap with the villains because they're inheriting villain footage that was shown in Japan 15 years earlier. They'll sometimes shoot secondary stuff with a different actor playing Rita Repulsa.

I know. Well, no, the Rick has Rita Repulsa and she becomes American. But like also they would have the kids fight the putty patrol in non- you know, it's weird what they would do. They would do both. It's just weird. What do you think of Balkanskull? I mean, I love that they're just basically personified fingerless gloves.

Exactly. You know? They are leather vests as people. But why doesn't like Tommy Oliver ever go like, hey, we're're gonna stop hanging out with you. We're like super here I'm gonna cut your fucking head off with a magical space sword. I command a musical instrument But meanwhile they're like don't give me a noogie But David in the later seasons because it sounds like what you're saying is they start to occupy a Jim's dad role,

which is like, what kind of connection do they have to the current cast? Why is Jason Biggs' dad still hanging out with different high schoolers? They don't like start to like, they don't buy the restaurant or anything, right? They just continue to hang around? I can't speak to that, and obviously fans weigh in. What do Balkanskull do later? Of course, I do love that Wikipedia specifies that they came with their own theme, a quote fat guy tuba sound like that is the classic bulk.

We've been calling your twin boys bebop and rock say, but sure. Start calling them Balkan skull. It's kind of kind of works for them a little bit. I will say one's a little bulkier. I mean, both all babies kind of are mostly skull But they're just it's just it's just crazy anyway, that's a non important What is important of course is that this film was shot in England at Twickenham Film Studios I like that they and they started off with Stonehenge. That was their first sequence I like it's a major feather in the calf for this movie, in my opinion.

You look at the end credits, different units. Paris, Rome, yeah. They actually went to the places. Obviously some of it's faked, but they made sure that they spent some time on the ground in four different countries. I've been thinking about stuff like this so much when I watch movies now.

Randomly, we watched an episode of 21 Jump Street for action boys, and that's all shot in Canada and shit. Obviously there's a one scene where they go to an ice skating rink in this episode we watched and I'm like no show would say we're not shooting one scene at an ice rink. We will stand behind glass and pretend like we're pointing at ice or whatever,

but we will put in post cold breath or something like that. And I was just like you used to just go to places. You used to make a case to want to go to places. Like here's just some microcosm, right? This movie has an establishing shot that they probably bought from some bulk footage lot of the Eiffel Tower. Then you have a sequence atop the Eiffel Tower

where they're clearly on a soundstaged Eiffel Tower balcony, right? And then I feel like the following scene after that, the Griswolds are eating outdoors at a cafe and the Eiffel Tower is in the background of the shot. And you can tell it is not rear projection or like a mapping. They stopped and shot a scene in Paris. Right. And I was just like, it's not even the central focus of this.

They are just sort of knowing it is actually worth the production value of having a shot where the Eiffel Tower looks real and Chevy Chase is also in the frame. Like if you pitched this movie now, they'd be like, we'll shoot it at Epcot. Right. Right. We'll shoot the entire thing in Bulgaria. It could just be Paris. It'll be Rome.

It'll be... I heard the reason that Bulgaria is one of the number one film locations is, because there's... it's... the permitting process to build structures is insanely easy. So you can just, like, slap up houses and castles or enemy bases, like, whatever you need. You could just put shit up. That's probably, like, high risk. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Well, same with Hungary. They'll let Laszlo Toth build anything there

They won't let him talk in his real accent. I have to bring the fucking computers and everything's computed He was way more Austrian. They had to hungary it up. Just little sliders off base Can we up to Hungarian lower the luffs? I? Played an engineer on for a podcast for 30 episodes and I still don't know anything about it. You don't know anything about lingo? I only know luffs and I'm not even positive what it means. I just am obsessed with that phrase. What's one of the all-time great characters? Um, Heckerling.

Heckerling. She hated making this movie. Great. I wonder why. I was extremely miserable working on it. I figured they'd market it and put money into it and try and make it do well. Here's another quote from her. Oh my God, I despise that movie. I felt like I never wanted to do it ever again.

Heckling, here's another quote from her. These are all different interviews. I feel like you're not supposed to badmouth your own stuff because you're the director. You should take the blame for everything. So I take the blame for Chevy Chase and everything else. Feels like she's a... Take the blame for Chevy Chase is a very...

That is one of the best Hollywood answers I've ever heard. Chase and everything else. Feels like she's a... Take the blame for Chevy Chase is a very... That is one of the best Hollywood answers I've ever heard. Look, I'm a director and I'm supposed to take the blame. So I take the blame for Chevy Chase, my lead who's a piece of shit. I'll take responsibility for, I don't know, how poorly Chevy Chase was raised or something. Final quote, it was a train wreck. It was impossible. Some of the people I had to work with were impossible.

I wonder who. Interesting. I called the studio head and said, I want to come home, you should find someone else to do this. A monkey could direct this better than I could. Before we dig into the meat of it, I just want to throw out as an anecdote. Christopher Columbus was hired to direct Christmas Vacation, right? He talked about this recently when he was doing interviews, I feel like for no reason.

Christopher Columbus, who is by the way, the most affable person in Hollywood. I feel like is basically commonly accepted as, there was no one more genuine than Chris Columbus, right? Like that is just a genuine, mensch, sweet, smart guy. And John Hughes was like one of his mentors along with Spielberg and was like, I'm coming back, I'm writing the next vacation movie. I think you should direct it.

Gets him hired for the job. He meets with Chevy Chase. He talks to him for like, this is his recounting recently for like 30 minutes through like his vision for the film of what he wants to do. Chevy just sits there silently and at the end of it goes, I don't get it. So you're like the director.

You're a great guy. And he calls up John Hughes and he's like, I know I'm torpedoing my career, but I need to quit this. I cannot explain the way he like looked through me with disdain. This guy's going to torture me. Who directed Christmas? Jeremiah? Check, check, check. Like they got some guy.

Like Columbus had been prepping it and everything. And he basically was like I'm sorry I know you put your neck out for me, but I just can't do this and John Hughes went Not only do I totally understand But I'm gonna write another movie for you to help you get over this and he gifts him home alone Jesus Christ, yeah, which to to be clear Columbus knocks out of the park It's not just like cuz like Because Home Alone is a script. I guess you said one really fucking bad one.

Columbus nailed that. That is a tight tonal thing of like, this movie's about this six-year-old fucking laying waste to Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern, but it has to evoke the lovely spirit of Christmas. It's got to make you feel warm and happy inside. But that's basically, we were just spitballing Christmas movies. Yes, it's in that too. At the beginning of the episode We didn't even bring up home alone. Yeah, that's like a perfect example of him being like, okay

I just want uncle box. Yeah, it's eight-year-olds on fire. I owe Columbus a movie. He's got a good take on Christmas Give me six hours. I'll shit out some fucking screenplay. Yeah What a bullet-dodge for Chris Columbus. That's so fucking awesome. Although, of course, maybe Christmas Vacation would have been a hit with him too. It was a hit for Jeremiah Chechik, who goes on to make Benny in June. Just sort of an interesting movie. And The Avengers with Sean Connery. Oh, that is it.

That's a real career film. The Avengers. Oh, with Iron Man. Oh, I don't see Iron Man's name on this one. Interesting. I like that this movie just starts right out with the game show which is so bizarre Pig in a poke pig in a poke hosted by John Aston playing like Richard Dawson from Family Feud Times a trillion John Aston Really funny really funny a little upsetting when he kisses. It's immediately. I'm like you feel better now that I know

He's an asshole the character you feel better once you know that the actor playing the daughters in her 20s Yes, but you're like right. This is a weird thing that was a culturally going on where everyone was like Yeah The host of Family Feud's a little handsy and loves kissing women Everyone watches this show and then this movie heightens in a way that feels menacing and it's the opening scene Yeah, you start with this weird cartoon them in these ridiculous costume. Well, and I just want to say gabris Thank you for being down with wearing the pig costume. I'm a little disappointed that Sims put it on.

I thought we were all going to have them on. It's fine. I get it. I'm glad Griffin's wearing the German leader hose in, but like, I thought we'd all be in the pig costume. Well, that was just because it's laundry day. So was Richard Dawson the handsy host? Richard Dawson would always kiss all the women on family. Kiss on the lips. Right, okay. Yeah, come on. little kiss for me here.

For me it was, I grew up watching this. You're gonna have to say it. Ray Combs. Family Fortunes. Oh. Which is the British version of Family Feud, which was hosted. Hosted by Jeffrey Epstein.

And he was kissing these kids. Hosted by the great Les Dennis, who's one of those guys where I'm like, any British person's like, yeah, I know Les Dennis, who's one of those guys where I'm like any British version's like, I know Les Dennis, no American has ever heard of him. Yeah, but also you had Jimmy Savile. Why are you saying you had Jimmy Savile? I'm not blaming you, I'm just saying there was like the ultimate creep on British television hosting panels.

I wasn't saying there were creeps on British television, what are you talking about? I was just talking about creepy guys. What the fuck, yes, we all know about it. Let's break down and talk about creeps in Hollywood. There's only a couple. Yeah, Ben, can you put five hours on this? Here's the thing about Family Feud that's just, I'm sorry that I'm taking us on tangents again.

It's fine. We're doing great. Steve Harvey just kind of took that show and turned it into something else. And now no one remembers like Louis Anderson or whatever. You know, right? Like everyone else is gone. We had Louis, you had Ray Com? Like everyone else is we had Louie

You had Ray Combs you had Didn't you have also what's his name from Seinfeld a John O'Hurley Yeah, you know Jay Peterman, right? And like that's the thing in that now everyone's just like no Family Feud has been hosted by Steve Harvey since 1900 What are you talking about? He made it his own. He bought a baby with a mustache in 1970. The answer is always like, badonkadonk. They've always engineered it.

They came over with a pepper grinder full of horniness and were just like, crank, crank, crank, crank, crank. And Steve Harvey's like, what thing do you want to put on your face at night? And it's like, my wife's pussy. And it's like, oh, man. That's crazy. They're always so cute up. He sells it that you what something men have in the morning and it's like

You are disgusting It takes about 30 seconds for him to say anything yeah, he just he does a little walk You'll do like a circle. Yep. He'll be like, I don't know what the world is coming to he does it so well every time He's a fucking machine. He is so awesome to watch as long as you know poppins, but it also feels like that show used to be like Top five answers thing you put in your coffee, right and they'd be like Richard I'm gonna say sugar and he'd be like okay, and how about you give me a tongue kiss? And now the show is like top five ways you love to eat ass

Steve Parmy's like here we love family Like this is this in this network It used to be like innocuous questions Horny host right right now It's horny as questions horny or answers and the host is like oh my goodness Like he just looks at the audience like I can't believe the question's are horny in a way that are pretending like Like you're a little kid and you're like right how you get away with but the music is shifted to Harvey being like I can't believe They're saying that it's not like Harvey's I wouldn't call him horny, but he respects a beautiful woman

You know, like he's got kind of that vibe to her So your beautiful woman comes home from work, you know, like he's that kind of guy. Right. I just, you know, when America finds people like this, they should- He calls women queen. Yeah, exactly. Right.

I know he wrote all the, I think like a man, whatever, books or whatever. That's how a queen serves a king. Exactly. I'm sure there's a couple things in them that are probably a little regressive, if I had to look. That's always the interesting thing for those guys who refer to women as queens It's like but I am the king Whenever a stand-up comedian is like I want to write like kind of a romance book and I'm like aren't you a club comedian?

Fuck do you know about like regular romance? Fuck do you know about like regular romance? Here's how you fuck women out of town. Right, right. His book wasn't even like, here's how you find a wife. It's like, here's how you keep a marriage fresh 40 years in. Women do what men like. That's his big take. Anyway, game show.

Funny, Aston I think has good menacing kind of sneery energy. The joke of them accidentally like beating the stupid Princeton family is the game. Tell was like one of the best. I love Paul. Marmite. I love him. Eating role.

One of my favorite movies. The game of the game show makes no sense. No, sir. You want to go not understand it. I didn't understand. Like they don't even know that the prize is European vacation, but they're willing to give up the motorcycle and something. And then they do that that and then it's like

And great will be bringing in the previous champions who haven't been on the show Yeah, you right now you want to say anything or a cash out? Yeah, it's very bizarre. I do I love that they all have glasses What a shorthand for like these are four smart people Yeah, it is my favorite running bit in the movie is Clark constantly saying to people we are We were the big champions on picking a poke that he starts using it when they're checking into hotels He starts doing it everywhere like he assumes in every country. They'll know them by reputation and then only moon Zappa does right? That's such a funny moment

But you're like it's such a good like ugly American show Yeah, where you're like they go to Europe thinking they're such hot shit because they won this big prize I mean the game is literally like do you want more money you greedy pigs and they're like oink oink Like a cartoon and then make sounds yeah, then any thoughts in the game show I just feel like these movies are so important to you. You don't want to breeze by anything. I mean, I don't think I have much more to add other than it's just, it's so unclear of how it works. Well, I'll throw something your way that you might.

I like, and movies used to have full blown animated opening credits. I'm happy that the in-movie game show has an animated opening credits. It's a way that you can snuck it in there. They leave Holiday Road for later in the movie because of this, right? Holiday Road comes over some car driving action.

Yes, I think so. Holiday Road, we like Holiday Road. An absolute fucking banger. The vacation song. Yes. Holiday Road. I love that. Yeah, that's good.

This movie has a couple of bangers because I love that song. And then like the weird America song at the end is like really fun. That's how it rules. And the end credits are really funny. Yeah, that's good. This movie has a couple of bangers because I love that song and then like the weird America song at the end Is like really fun. Yeah, that's really network. It's the French song when they're doing the Louvre really fast Yeah, that's a good one for me. I believe that yeah That's a great feels like heckling influence to cuz she's yeah, it's got She's got the jam on there and like fast times is one Fast Times is one of the best soundtracks in history. But I just would like to say, I'm not tuning in for the songs in this movie.

No, but I'm just saying, like, I watch... I throw on fucking National Lampoon's Vacation, and that song starts playing over the credits, and I'm like, oh, I know this song. Like, I've heard this song before. I didn't realize this is from this movie. Which it is. Right.

It was made for this movie. No, it's that Lindsay Buckingham just had it. And he was like, I got this song. And they were like, well that's, can we have that song? That's perfect. It was just like, rattling around. It was left over. A pile. I feel like Killgore, the crazy bloody musical we used to do at UCB, ended with that

song where we had our curtain call. The whole thing is so morbid and like gross and violent. And then at the end it's like, we take the curtain to a holiday, bruh. It's a Halloween weekend and shit gross and violent and then at the end it's like we take the curtain to a holiday Yeah Halloween weekend and shit when daily and Goldstein do the sequel thing Uh-huh the things they are like bringing in is like the car from the first movie. Yep Like Chevy Chase is like we've still got it and the fucking song. That's all I've got Well, that's what's also interesting is like the vacation franchise has spawned a bunch of like

unofficial remakes and sequels. Like, it's such a basic template that you're like, Little Miss Sunshine is like Fox Searchlight. Yeah, it's kind of indie vacation. Right. Then there's like the Cedric the Entertainer Johnson family vacation. Sure. Right. That very much feels like him walking into Fox and being like, I just want to do my own vacation.

Yeah, they wanted to call it National Lampoon's Black vacation, but they went with Johnson instead without a paddle like without Without a paddle is like vacation meets caddyshack, but I think like RV is like very much a vacation Yeah, we're the Miller's summer Miller's is had an RV like a five inch My favorite things to reference is in RV Josh Hutcherson as Robin Williams son who is of course a borrower Yes It's very sad that all the other kids make fun of her for being so short and Robin Williams tells me an endearing story about How he used to be short and then one year he had a five inch summer and when he came back to school They couldn't pick him on him anymore. And I'm like Rob Williams is five six on a good day

I that's yeah, he was Robin Williams isn't exactly towering over anymore. And I'm like, Rob Williams is five, six on a good day. That's all, yeah. He was a... Yeah, Rob Williams isn't exactly towering over anybody. It's a five inch summer? I had like a three and a half, four inch summer and it was the summer before freshman year of college. I got in between high school and college. Some kids grew up really, yeah.

I remember that. My dad was six, five. We'd actually be a six inch summer. My dad was six, five and his spurt, he said was when he was 19. And I was like, you know, I was like 5'9 or 5'10 in junior year high school. I'm like, I would love if I got...

And then all of a sudden I went away to fucking college and I was 6'2 and I was like, yes! I remember. And then I, so I went from like short and fat to tall and not fat. And then now I have the frame to just keep adding fat to it. I put on the freshman 15 every 15 every year for fucking 20 years. I'm like sorry I just googled it in in RV he claims that he had a nine inch. So I thought it

was even bigger than five. So I had on confess fletch with John Ham He got it out yeah, you're like come on John I hit a water buffalo on the ride over Great movie David yep, you like going out to eat love it. I really do your gourmand Mmm, and one of the best things about living in New York City. It's cultural melting pot You got global options Italian Thai Greek Japanese. That's true now Let me present to you a nightmarish Twilight Zone esque scenario

You got to pick one country and only get food from that one country You're screaming. Yes. I I don't like that idea. I like to be able to hop from world, you know, country to country. Yeah, we all want that. There's no reason to limit ourselves. And that's why it's so annoying using Netflix without VPN. Ah! Oh, it really grinds my gears.

Ah! It steams my goose. Oh, tasty. Yeah, but only you can get that kind of cuisine if you're unlimited in terms of your range of options. I don't know, I was trying to tie that together. Listen, we often live in a nightmarish hellscape in which you only get to stream the content available for one country on every streaming service. But with ExpressVPN, you know what that sound was?

No. A key unlocking a door. Door to great possibilities. Yeah, no, ExpressVPN is great. You can basically hop between countries very easily. They have servers in over a hundred so you can gain access to thousands of new shows. They're hiding stuff from you. They're playing hide and seek.

They're hiding things and ExpressVPN is just leapfrogging over that. Let you change your location so you can control where you want Netflix to think you're located, which also fun because it's kind of sneaky. It's fun to be an SB. You can fire up the app and click one button to change locations. It works in all your devices, phones, laptops, smart TVs, tablets, whatever. All the streaming services we're just focusing on Netflix because it's fun to pick on them. BBC, whatever.

And it's got blazing fast speeds. You can stream in HD with zero. It's truly a one-button click There's so many other reasons to use a VPN We like to focus on streaming because this is a podcast about watching stuff But it also helps to have security privacy in the internet what Alvin and the chipmunks? Mm-hmm is found in almost every country, but that's not America right now On what service what a great example you're talking about the first live-action film, right? The Tim Hill picture? Yeah, it's him country but that's not America right now. ExpressVPN opening up the door and now you can pick which country you want to pretend you're watching it in.

What? No, I'm just looking around. How did you land on that as the example? There's a I'm just looking around and I'm not allowed to say how. Okay. Like Godfather part two is on South African Netflix. This is fun. That's crazy. This is fun. This is like streaming tourism, you know? Right, exactly. Pulp Fiction is on Canadian Netflix. You get to feel like you're globe trotting. Fargo? Pulp Fiction is on Canadian Netflix only. VPN.com slash check to get an extra four months of ExpressVPN for free. Alvin! The first chunk of it is set in jolly London. Well, first we set up, of course, that Rusty is horny as hell. And the only thing he cares about is figuring out how to get laid in some capacity. And he kind of wants to be a pop star, but he doesn't wanna sing,

he just wants to like walk through a music video. He loves MTV. Meanwhile, Audrey's thing is that she has a boyfriend, so she wants to stay skinny for the boyfriend. It's pretty thin. And her boyfriend is the bully from Karate Kid. Yeah. Sure is.

Or the bully from Just One of the Guys. Or the bully from Cobra Kai. Yes. Or the redemptive bully from Cobra Kai. Like the preeminent bully of the 1980s in American cinema. Great fucking guy. Like just like a-

It's like a mensch, right? Yeah, he was a great person by all accounts. But at this time, he was such a good shorthand for like, cause he's just fucking toe head, kind of smarmy looking face. Yeah. Like he's gonna beat you up. He looks like the kind of guy you don't want your daughter kissing right dinner But I feel like a lot of guys like this would play this part one time and being like I refuse to play it again

And this guy was like look I'm in movies right you want to keep paying me to do this. I'll do this I'd look a specific way. You know I mean I get I look like a bad guy Yeah, and has had his like you know full arc now coming back with Cobra Kai But yes, all she wants to do is kiss She hates the idea of going to Europe and being away from the kiss and and everyone makes fun her for eating too much a very Sensitive plot line. Yeah, exactly. Very very the actor is like suffering from diabetes and they have to like force feeds Like she has a cake down her mouth. I know it's fucking weird. I do like this lighter fluid gag I think that's like this is like kind of it's not very funny

But it is exactly like Vegas vacation sorry vacation movie specifics. Oh, you're saying with the the grill Yeah, they don't realize that both of them have been putting it on the whole time like while he's looking at the instructions She's putting it on when she's not paying attention. He's spraying it on like it's little shit But I love the commitment to like Chevy having to remain on screen for five minutes with the ash But I love the commitment to like Chevy having to remain on screen for five minutes with the ash Outline around the goggles. Yeah, that's look I just like so this movie has four sections London Paris, Germany Rome right that goes to the four and It feels like they spent a good half hour on each figuring out what stereotypes they should

Like for sure an easy like 20 minutes on like, okay It's just interesting to me that for London they more pick up on like dirt bags Yes versus like it's not what you think maybe of like the most obvious stereotype of like oh like posh people drinking tea and shit They do a Queen bit. They do a Queen bit. They do a People in England are weirdly nice. That's the interesting... Zach! Yeah. Like, everything about it... You expect that they'll be big-timing the Griswolds and looking their nose down at them.

Right, and instead they're excessively polite. Like, none of them are not... You know, like, they are existent stereotypes. Sure. They're just not quite the ones you would have figured. Especially of the time. But it might be my favorite bit in the movie is him continually damaging people's cars

and them being like, Oh, damn! Yeah, right. Please, take this back to New York with you cars and then being like, oh, don't worry about it. Please, take this back to New York with you. I also... They give him the bumper, they put it in the car. Add it to the collection. And Mel Smith, who is a... Legendary sketch guy.

Brilliant British comedian. He died a while ago, but you know... Great look on him. Right. Very funny as the hotel manager, but right they're not doing the oh like, you know Did you do behave like far too fancy thing? No instead? He's this like cockney sort of doing the well I never write the most obvious thing to go to which I give them credit for doing I'm like they're doing not sensitive or

Most overplayed version of the bitch which is they walk in and they don't know how to hold the teacup and everyone's like, eww. Right. I don't want to be already jumping back, but the four dreams on the plane. Okay, actually I forgot about the dreams. What are the dreams? Okay, okay. They are very, like, it's a very,

it's a very funny, simple, ham-fisted way to just establish a character's interior. You notice, like, this is a runner in Hecarlin. She's really good at these dream sequences. You have Spicoli on the beach. Sure, right. You have Lucas talking has incredible dream sequences. Right, fantasy.

Her, like, projecting. Images, right, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then, so in this one, it's Beverly D'Angelo dreams of meeting the queen, but in her dream, Princess Di wants to fuck Jimmy J's dreams. And that's exciting to her. Such a funny, specific, and she's into it. In Rusty's dream, he's a pop star on the Rusty World Tour

and kind of just walking around like sexy dancers. And it's very, this also feels like Heckerling, because it's a very specific, it's almost like a ballroom. Kind of new wavey. Right, yes. It's very progressive, and then Audrey wants to be in the fucking Homer Simpson hell feeding machine kind of thing. And then what was Chevy's dream?

Oh, Chevy's dream is Sound of Music. Right. That he wants to go back to his German family. And he's in full lederhosen. Which is maybe a joke they need to hit more. Yes. It's a little under... I also think Chevy's dream should have a European woman in it.

Yes. Right, but he's not as horny in this. He's less horny. No! He's only horny and not to move backwards again. But for his wife. He fucking makes his wife do... Do a sex tape.

But what, she does Let's Misbehave? Yes. Right. And then he fucks her on camera. Yeah. And then it gets distributed in theaters. This is a plot of the film What I like about vacation is for her what I like about vacation is their relationship is genuinely sexual Yeah, she's hot and he's even Charlie Chase is hot. Yeah

You understand why they both with each other. Yeah, he still, yes, he still has the flirty fantasy. He has the dream of the dalliance with Christie Brinkley. He takes her to the Moulin Rouge. Right. Well, no, no, that's in this one. I'm just saying in the first movie. Right. But then like his wife takes him back without too much fuss.

There's just the stability to it that actually kind of feels realistic to me. She's like, you fucking asshole. Like it's sort of like, right. This one, it's sort of like, right. This one... It's a little off. I think it's truly, it's what Heckerling and Beverly D'Angelo, you know, in between, like, having dinner with the Duke or whatever, are saying of, like, no one figured out what the formula was.

They just had to do another one. And so obviously you have the general formula of, like, look, funny things will happen to them on vacation. But it's been downgraded from art of PG-13 and Everyone's lost a little bit of like what their bit But the first one is such a straight line up They're just trying to get to Wally world is a road trip to a to a theme park and the worst things get the more Insistent he is that they need to get there and have fun, right? Whereas this it's just like they try that with we want a trip

Which I like that it's like they're being given something, so you're not like how the fuck can they afford this? Well, it's also like they get to be poor. They get to be poor and they get to constantly be disappointed by their treatment for grand prize winners. Right, and that's kind of, that's a fun kind of inside baseball thing of mine. Totally. It's like a good set up of dynamics in my opinion, but it is a nasty one.

Yeah. Right? I just want to quickly call out a woman named Jeanette Charles, who is the actress who plays Queen Elizabeth in Beverly D'Angelo's fantasy sequence. Yes. She just left us last June at the age of 96. And I want to list some of her credits. She played the Queen a lot, right? In The Naked Gun from the Files of the Police Squad, she plays Queen Elizabeth the Second. A big role. In Austin Powers and Goldmember, she plays Queen Elizabeth II.

In Nancy Meyers, the parent trap, she played Queen Elizabeth II, deleted scene. She was often referred to as quote, the Queen's most famous lookalike. What a life. We have talked about in the past, I think especially doing the Indiana Jones episodes recently, certain character actors who have the misfortune of looking like Adolf Hitler.

And talk about a William Zabka analog. They're like, look, you can work forever. Yeah, here's your fucking monkey's paw. But your monkey's paw is, you're gonna be gluing on that mustache a lot. We, on Action Boys, we all stumble across a character actor that we're like, this guy is in everything. Let's look at his resume. And then when you read his IMDB, it's like he plays like big Dale beef chunk Bartuff Bouncer, you know, and it's just like this big heavy set guy who's in like got to be in 50 movies as assorted bikers You know, you're like hell of a career

What a fucking life Jeanette Charles got to have of just like jumping into comedies and being like And just like hitting them with the sword on the shoulder These are my favorite careers to like wrap my head around like when you find someone's like yeah I stand in for so-and-so in all their commercials and I make I make your residuals and you're like what you're like you make six figures a year without ever being seen on camera and you just have to have the same haircut as the The lady whose commercial it is. I work if you can get it. Yeah, you're fake flow. Yes, dude Your overflow faux flow full flow. So both good. We're both good. We both got there. It's good all we have options Ben you can use these in the edit however you need a little line-o-rama

Okay, so first proper stop, yes, is Jolly Old England. Is England, so right. So the gags are, as we said, there's the Queen gag, which they get in via fantasy. The hotel is shitty, which I'm sure in England in the 80s, by the way. Yes. Like I'm sure any like regular ass hotel would be so run down. Part of that fun gag is that the name is like the Westminster arms luxury suite resort or whatever and it's just like a hostel Yeah, where they have to share a fucking hallway bathroom and you get into full cartoon shit in Christmas vacation I feel which like starts to have like Looney Tunes logic of like who can survive what level of physical

Yeah, right And I think like the first one is a little more grounded in physicality. And this one, like Heckerling sort of building a bridge that maybe pays off better in Christmas vacation of like, Chevy getting into the bed and the bed immediately collapsing like he's in a Looney Tune. Yeah, very funny moment. I do like, I like Robbie Coltrane, RIP. Robbie Coltrane is great.

I mean, again, playing a big old galoot, you know, who's causing trouble. Walking in on Bev in the bath. Yeah. But the other gags are hard to get out of a roundabout. These feel like American impressions of England. Yeah, driving. Driving on the wrong side. Driving on the wrong side and then getting out of the roundabout.

It must have been to try to map the first movie on it so much. The fact that it's driving through Europe is like less of a vacation than you think to win a prize. Right. Like, and you get to rent a car and drive through Europe. You're like, wait, that's frustrating. They must have locked in like, this is one of the four cornerstones of the franchise. They have to be in a car. Yeah.

There are not a lot of shots of them in the car, though. It's weird. You would think you would have some of those, I love that in The Wally World one where it's like the direct on and Chevy's driving and it's like clearly he's just trying to hold it all together. We don't get any of that.

We establish Eric Idle in this as the guy who's. Yes, he's a good runner. I love him in this. Yeah, he's funny. He's like a biker they keep knocking over essentially. He says flesh wound You know, he quotes his own his own gag, which is always fun Eric Idle I think has always been the member Monty Python the most just kind of like you want me to do something

I'll fucking do it. Like he's pretty ego. Absolutely name drop time I went to a party at Drew Carey's house as a friend of a friend and Eric Idle was there and I was like man I thought Drew Carey was gonna be the most interesting famous person here at Drew Carey's house, and it's not Eric Eitel hanging by the bonfire Cracking like eight people up like just really just fucking yeah bidding I like this it is one of those things that's so fascinating within the structure of Monty Python When those guys talk about how they came together and they were like oh there were like a couple anti-python when those guys talk about how they came together and they were like oh there were like a couple overlapping circles of like two different University sketch groups and then this and that and then like the time we went in to pitch the show to the BBC

Was the first time we had ever presented ourselves as like that specific group Yeah, it's like we all Jones and Terry Jones and Michael Palin are one thing and and Graham Chapman, John Cleese, and Eric Idle are... No, but the fascinating thing is, yes, correct, but also when they talk about it, they're like, well, like, Palin and Jones would write together, and Chapman and Cleese would write together. Palin and Jones are Oxford, Chapman and Cleese are Cambridge, not to be... And Idle would just write by himself.

Yeah, although he was at Cambridge, too. I know this one basement psycho named Terry who I think should join us too. He's making fun of cutouts of feet that stomp on people. And we'll let him stay next to us sometimes. That shit's funny though, I'll say it. I love it. Rehanty Python, still pretty good.

Holy Grail is one of the funniest movies of all time. Even the later ones are bangers, but Holy Grail is, and I love Arthurian legend, so it's like one of the funniest movies of all time. Even the later ones are bangers, but Holy Grail is, and I love Arthurian Legends, so it's like one of the, yeah. I'm with you that I think Holy Grail is the best because I just like the more impure joke mode. I love Life of Brian, but I honestly don't need any plot. Sure, but Meaning of Life is like a sketch movie. Yeah, Meaning of Life is weird. I don't love that movie, but I love things in it.

I think I like the weirdness. It's also... I love it now for something completely different, which is a true sketch movie. Well, that's a pure... That's just fun Monty Python sketches. What could be wrong with that, really? But idols got... because you've already set up the bit of, oh, the British men are being weirdly polite and nice about their cars getting fucked up. So he's the third B to that. But then he's doing this really good job of like not being passive aggressive, but seeming not okay. Yeah, like he's bleeding out of his knees.

Like I'm fine. I'm fine. And when he picks his arm up and the blood comes gushing out, it's very fucking- Right, but there's something like a little damaged in him. Yes. Yes. The big sad piece is them knocking over Stonehenge, like dominoes. Yeah, it's obvious, but like...

It's right there. It's satisfying. Have any of you been to Stonehenge? I just went last year. Did you? Whoa. It was a little underwhelming. Stonehenge is one of those things that's a little underwhelming.

But here's the thing that was crazy, is that they, when I went it was It was barricaded. It was Ted Lashow's wedding, right? You when I so I still I went when you still could go near it, but That's why the effects the episode was dropped late because they had to comp Ben in at the last second truly though They used to just let people drive up to the fucking thing. That's what we did I mean like and like hang out and smoke cigarettes like underneath the fucking Stonehenge Griswold fucking back his car knock him down like fucking dominoes. I would love to fucking

candy flip at Stonehenge Just lie in the middle on a fucking heroic dose of mushrooms and fucking channel druidic powers As you know the fucking sun lines up. Dude, we should got time that with the peak. Let's go, let's go back. All right, fuck yeah. The thing with Stonehenge that you, I'm sure, realize is like, it's like an hour and a half from London.

It feels like it should be like, you know, you have to go through an ancient portal to get there. Instead you're like, oh, it's like in the suburbs. Just off the fucking highway. And so you go there. It's it's like in the suburbs. It's just off the fucking highway. Yeah. And so you go there. In England, they get Stonehenge here. We have the world's largest cow or whatever. I was going to say, it's basically the distance

from Times Square to medieval Times, New Jersey. You go there and you're like, look, I get it. These are very old. And it's crazy that they're here. And Lord knows what they were for. That's cool. But then you're kind of like, okay, so I looked at them, I think I'm done. Like, you feel like you're communing with nature.

Let's call out, they're very old, but I think they've had some work done. It's good work, it's classy work. Yeah, it's Wigovie. It's the Paul Rudd work, but it's a little touch up here and there. The one thing I did learn from going there that I had never heard before is that

what you're seeing on the surface There is so much more underground Whoa, yeah an iceberg But that just means that they're like that all adds layers of complication to how did they do that? Exactly, cuz they dragged it from fucking whales And so what you're seeing is actually almost twice as big. That's fucking crazy. Well, now there's like the new meme

that the pyramids go down like 1,000 meters below the surface now, too, people believe. Oh, this is just something people are saying. Yeah, like fucking people must be true. Yes, yeah. That's a good thing that will have to be debunked or someone will bring a gun to the pyramid and be like, where are the children?

I know, yeah, I have kids in here! Yes. God, basement of the pyramid shit. It's going to be so exhausting. Peewee finds out there is no basement in the pyramid. That's, that actually, I think we should encourage this. I think we should get the Pee-do hunters to go to the pyramids because they'll just

get like lost in there and die. Right? Like, this is good. No one's in there. Just put a funnel in there. This guy was buried with his child bride. Yes time Tootin common you are canceled right you had like 18 wives right was he himself a child? So are there other London things we need to address A lot of meat on these bones, okay?

Paris... Yeah. Begins with them losing... I like the small bit of them being like, no one helps us carry our bags and Mel Stuart just going like, mom! I also think all of... Sorry, there's the polite people in the scumbags, as you said, right? Every British scumbag in this section their

Accent is like when I do a British accent and you go. What is that? No one sounds like that when I do my like My BFG voice is a fuzzy whers? Now my favorite gag in Paris, well, hmm, that's a good question. I like the rude waiter. Again, route one, very obvious. But look, it's route one because everyone wants to stop there. Yeah, like subtitled insults to a, like Chevy going like, uh huh, smiling. That's funny. Is it England or here that has the horny couple that is kissing? That's Paris. That's funny. Is that, is it England or here that has the horny couple that is kissing?

That's Paris. Where Rusty is like, Sandra boobs, right? Like you're like that he's. Which is another kind of Parisian stereotype. Right. And Chevy's like, yeah, Sandra's are different here. He's gonna pork her. Yeah, he's not gonna pork her, Russ.

I like that bit of him being like, they're gonna go all the way here at the table. Chevy is always good when he's trying to even things out. Yes, yes. When he's trying to be like, well, that's just how they do it here. That's usually funny. One of my favorite Chevy line deliveries in the vacation movies that I think is kind of like

a archetype of his delivery is in Christmas vacation when the woman's like, and you see the line goes all the way up the stocking and he's like Salivating he's like you see the line goes all the way up the stocking Ross. Hi, Russ Like yeah, like he has like those two levels of awareness that you can play with Interesting relationship with rusty in terms of being like is it time for me to like teach my son how to be a man Yeah, where you have the like sharing a beer moment in the first one, right? We're rusty like downs the beer too fast And this one rusty's like I get it. I'm a grown-up. I have a job. Let me fuck

Yeah, and he's like cool it and then Galecki in Christmas seems like seven years younger. Yeah, he's like a child he is definitely younger than Hall and Lively, but also looks even younger than he is and is played like a little boy. And he's just like, dad, don't be horny around me. Again, in Vegas, the joke by Ethan Embry becomes mistaken for a Greek millionaire and basically has his own side movie where he's having adventures.

Because he uses a fake ID to gamble and then wins a jackpot and becomes like a whale, but then his name is Nick Papagiorgio. So like, Mr. Papagiorgio, the usual, and he's like, you got it, he's got like a yellow suit. By far the best shit in the movie. Like he's hanging with all old guys the whole time, they're getting back, it's all like they, he gets to have old timey Vegas. It is a bit I basically always find funny, which is like Guy gets too deep into a character he created circumsciently.

Into a bit, right. Yes, yes, exactly. That's always funny. But then Vegas Vacation also has Beverly D'Angelo is romance by Wayne Newton, which is deadly. So bad. It's so bad. I will give the Clint Howard dealer that absolutely ruins.

It's Wallace Shawn. Oh, Wallace Shawn. I get those two. And it is so funny. I flip those two guys so frequently. I'm so sorry to my bald little freaks. It's a difference between this and this. Yeah. Bingo, yeah. He'saks. It's a difference between this and this.

Bingo. He's like, there's a line in Vegas vacation where Walshaw says, why don't you just give me half your money, I'll take you out back, kick you in the nuts, and we'll call it a day. Because Chevy just keeps losing money to them. And they keep playing dumber and dumber games. That's kind of a good line. So, France, what else happens? The dog going off the Eiffel Tower is pretty funny.

Another, like, you know it's gonna happen, but it still hits. Ben seems a little dispirited, though. You're kinda like, yeah. The camp quarters, getting stolen. Gotta get that ball rolling. Yeah, I do like the, right, how slow the build is, unlike the French guy saying, like, take slow the build is on like,

the French guy saying like, take off your shoes, get in the fountain, and then running off. Oh, I wasn't in France. Right, waiting like 40 minutes until you pay it off with the poster of like, this thing is in theaters already. The wet woman or whatever. You have like Rusty getting like embarrassed by the embroidered beret.

Oh, yes, yes. I mean, anytime you would go on vacation with your parents, it was always that thing of when you hit that certain age, you're like, can I hook up with the girl on this trip? The PTR guys talk about this all the time and I relate to it so hard is like being awkward guys, right? And then going on a vacation with your family and being like no one knows me here What if I catch the glance of the most beautiful woman in the world and I'm starting from nothing? Yeah, there's no no nothing about me, and we just have some like doomed romance over two days

Like I do think it's like a good setup to havey on the movie where they're gonna be making the most stops Yes, to just be losing his fucking mind with horniness. It's hyper realistic total like it's just like, you know, I mean like That vibe is so real. Yes It doesn't happen as well for it happens better for rusty than it ever did for me Look, I've definitely been on like a family vacation where another family that my mom's friends with, they come and one of the daughters who's kind of like a cousin to me so we can never hook up, but she brings a friend from school.

I'm like, okay, okay, anything can fucking happen. And then I just spend six days standing near her in the pool, like not saying anything. And then going home and being like furiously masturbating while my parents are asleep in like the bathroom or something. Your mind is suddenly reeling with the possibilities of how you can fuck this up by doing nothing. The frequency in which I would be like I think I think I'm attracted to this girl I think she might even be into me. What I should do is absolutely nothing for the entire week. Say two words to her over the next five days and shake. Famously a gabber. Physically fibrous.

Yeah, I'm famously talkative, very funny, and I am even as a kid and I just, a woman will come over and I'm like... And just stand there, just pissing in the pool looking at her. But like, I like, first of all, like Beverly D'Angelo making the big plea to like, wouldn't it be nice if we just stayed in and Had like a private night and she was like no I got to show you a night out in the town Hard-cut to like Mulan Rouge show Oh this like bad flash dance riff and he's trying to frame it as like this is this country's legacy that it's art the worst

Modern strip tease and being like here. This is culturally important and then rusty in the corner Like being like I have money I important and then rusty in the corner like being like I have money I can pretend to be an American playboy. Yeah, there's that vacation vibe of like when you go someplace where the like when you're in your 20s you get wasted on every vacation. Sure. But then for me like I went to Munich and we'll get to this when we talk about Germany I went to Munich Oktoberfest for my bachelor party and now getting wasted is Is your participating in culture? It's like going to answer day like yeah, I love smoking weed It's like what went in Amsterdam, you know, you got to smoke when in Rome You gotta go to the red light get wasted as the Romans right exactly. You've literally also made a career. I guess like

You did a show that is that premise it is is true. Yeah, oh man. Great show. Thank you. Where is it now? Streaming on Max? Still on Max. We are not making a... We don't cost enough to get canceled. We haven't been Zazzed yet.

Okay, good, good, good. We can't get Zazzed yet. Let's get them successful enough that Zazz Live's like, get this off my fucking platform. Sell it to Ketchup. Dream come true. I got Ketchup Entertainment come through. It's streaming on Ketchup minus. Can I give you some CinemaCon news? Number one, this will depress you a little bit. Dream come true. I got ketchup entertainment come through. It's streaming on Ketchup minus.

Can I give you some CinemaCon news? Yeah. Number one, this will depress you a little bit. John Wick 5 confirmed. I've gotten seven texts about this. I can tell that's what people were responding to. Number two, Donnie Yen will be directing a spinoff about his character. Okay, that was previously announced, but he's now directing it.

I like that. I'm like, any excuse for Donnie Yen to get to make a big American movie? Yeah, like a Hong Kong-style American action movie. Number three, Now You See Me 3 has been officially titled Any excuse for Donnie Yen to get to make a big American like a Hong Kong style American action number three now You see me three has been officially titled now. You see me now You don't oh now you three me not now you they fucked this up exactly obviously who should have been now You don't they're scrambling to fix their mistake, but it's the same It's the same what other movie bad boys

But in in fucking up last time they're now correcting and missing a new opportunity That won't exist for the fourth one. You can't be now you three me. Yeah, they can't be now you for me. Oh Anything is possible anything. You know, you're right. I went to Italy to shoot the movie little hours that my friend RIP Jeff being directed and while there me P, and Nick Offerman had a day off. Bainer knew the area so well, because they were shooting there for so long. He's like, you gotta go to this little restaurant. It's like more or less a deli.

And it was like one of the best meals I've ever had. We were there for like three hours. We're eating. Guy comes up on, an 80 year old guy comes up on a Vespa with a prosciutto leg, takes it. The guy cuts it off and hands it to us. We're just eating out comes up on a, an 80 year old guy comes up on a Vespa with a prosciutto leg, takes it, the guy cuts it off and hands it to us. We're just eating out of his dirty hands. We're eating this prosciutto, it's so good.

But this guy, his favorite movie was Now You See Me 2. And Dave Franco is in The Little Hours. So this guy had been, and I was like, it's so funny. And he's like, my favorite American movie. And he's telling me, and he's in broken English talking about, now you see me, he's like, they are magicians and thieves, and I'm like, I do actually like these movies, and I go like, you know, Dave, this guy is, he's, because he's showing me clips from the movie on his iPad, like a child, like isn't this cool? I'm like, okay. Yeah. I go, you know this guy's in this movie,

he's like, I know, he came into the restaurant,. I brought it up to Dave He's like yeah, no, he's a big fan It's like that's such a funny thing to travel overseas is now you see me now you overseas me we should do that We we had a little We we did a blank check anniversary art show And we a bunch of the people work on the show with us We went out and got dinner and then we were like let's come back here to the office and like get some beer and like projection on the wall and watch music videos and do karaoke and whatever so we went to the bodega around the corner to get beer and One on yes. Yeah, and like a bunch of us walk in and the guy behind the counter is like are you guys like a family?

Or something because there was like our editors kids were with us but it was like a weird combination of people right all in sync And Marie was like this isn't a busy area at night to where we are Yeah, and Marie was like we we work together and he was like, oh all in the same office And she was like we do a podcast and he goes, oh, what's the podcast because it's about movies and he goes Oh, you know what movie you should do an episode on. Do you remember what the first two were Ben? No, I can't remember what they were but it was like a thing. This is the worst No, I'm telling you it's gonna pay off. Okay, it's like this Okay, he goes like you should do an episode on like Shawshank Redemption or something sure and what she was like

Oh, yeah, we might do that someday, you know And then he was like you should do an episode on like unforgiven and she was like, oh yeah, we might do that someday. And then he was like, you should do an episode on Unforgiven. And she was like, or he was like, have you done that? We were like, no. And he's like, come on, you haven't done Unforgiven, you haven't done Shoshank Redemption, you haven't done any movies. I think Usual Suspects.

Usual Suspects was one. And then one of them was something like Shoshank or whatever. And he was so frustrated. He was like, what movies have you done? And they turned around. He went, oh, I know which one you should do. Tokyo Godfathers.

Hey, the Satoshi Kon. And they turned around he went oh, I know which one you should do Tokyo Godfathers. Hey Toshi cone and we were like we have done Wow, he takes a fucking he goes alright. I miss these two over-the-plate pitches I mean fucking swing way the fuck out Did like three I'm to be top tens and he was like I don't understand what show could exist for this long and not cover Those two movies And then his third was Tokyo God. That's like being in a small Italian and the guy who carries the leg Now is like

Right duo. That's my number one Speaking of no, let's do Germany first. Yeah Oh, well, of course they go to the Mulan Rouge and there's lots of boobs. Right. Boob chat is the tables open for boo. I will say the aerobics aesthetic. I am of the age that that's for you. It still works. And whereas I, it feels dated to me. It feels like some vintage. Yeah. Ben's making the same face. But I like that throw. I love that. And what you would call it, the substance. I was like, I'm back. Yeah, I'm so back. Yes. It felt very substance-like.

The buns of steel imagery. Yes. Right. I was so into it when it came out, when that I was like, the movie is absolutely disgusting. And I was like, kind of hot, though, right? And everyone's like really? Yeah, me more and quality are beautiful women in this very fun aesthetic that I like So it's fun to see that at Moulin Rouge Also, it is funny cuz that feels so American like that exercise tape thing and that's like what they're doing in Moulin Rouge

Yes, and Rusty's in the back with fucking well, that's a good bit with a prostitute. That's what happens here And Rusty's in the back with fucking... Well, that's a good bit. That's just the guy with a prostitute. That's what happens here. That starts with like a seedy riff on like French can-can girls. And then it goes to something that is so clearly like tacky, 80s, modern American, and he's still trying to claim it's like culturally important. This is French theater, essentially. That's a good bit.

It's okay. It allows like seven or eight pairs of breasts to appear on screen. In a PG-13 movie. In a PG-13 movie. Yeah, I thought it was whatever. But in Germany, West Germany, the Berlin Wall has yet to fall. Oh my God. Just FYI.

I just got from Marie, the two other movies were Goodfellas and Eternal Sunshine. Oh, okay. So at least Eternal Sunshine is drifting towards India. It's a good pick, yeah. Yeah, it's a good pick. But then Tokyo Godfathers 3 was interesting. And you know what, we're never gonna fucking do

Eternal Sunshine, probably. Well, yeah, I mean. I don't think so. That's a good pick and Tokyo Godfathers 3 was interesting and you know what we're never gonna fucking do eternal sunshine Probably well, yeah, I mean I think so country's made too much like irrelevant Unreleasable doesn't help matters. Yeah, I mean it's just like the rare film to get zaz lav'd by someone other than zaz lav His Pharrell musical it's like they just thought they just made it and watched it and we're like, nevermind. Forget it. It's finished! And then we're like, are you writing off a tax purposes? We're just taking a loss. I love when Chevy shows up in the leaderhose and there's such an attention to detail that he has his clothes folded up and he gives him the Beverly D'Angelo and she puts him in a bag. I'm like, that is so unnecessary in this movie, which has zero continuity, zero thought,

and it's like they have to do this elaborate moment where he presses that. It's like, what? The kids aren't even the same from the first movie. We don't give a fuck about what happened to his outfit, you know, but... Yes. It's also a funny bit that he's so excited about,

like, connecting with his heritage and his family and everything, and they misread the door. This German family is just really fucking nice. We're looking for sex. Yes. Yeah. And then you just, he never connects with the real relatives that they clearly have been corresponding with. That gag is great. Cause what's, what does the lady say on the way out where he's like, who the hell are these people? And she's like, fucked if I know, but it's not fucked, but

it's something like that. It was that, that's funny. They just continue to have this conversation in languages that they don't understand To the states you have to stay with us Yeah, and then like Audrey's even like it's just so nice to have someone who can listen like a family member who will listen To me and it's like she's just nodding hands and off fucking phallic ass sauce Well, I was gonna say a really funny gag is when she sees the sausage. She's like, I miss my boyfriend huge albino curved sausage. Yeah.

It's like, it's so, it couldn't look more like Zopka's pale ass dick. Yeah. David. Mm. Ring, ring, ring, ring. You know what that is? The telephone? It's not me introducing an ad read character.

It's me doing an impression of my mother who true facts Called three times during the most recent episode record. Wait, your mom was calling too Yeah, my grandmother was calling as well Look, they all want me on the phone and sometimes I got a busy job grinding out these movie discussion Turning the crank my calloused. Our job is so hard. Now here's the thing, I love them. I love my mother and grandmother, but sometimes I'm too busy doing bits or guessing box office stats and I need another way to show them and tell them that I love them.

And it has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Who said that? Many people. But what about a picture frame, a digital picture frame that can cycle through images? We're talking hundreds of thousands of pictures! A thousand pictures! So many pictures! No, I mean, literally, rather than the one, you can have lots of pictures.

You might get to a million words. You might do it. What I'm saying is, this Mother's Day, give them a call. Do place the call, but also, maybe gift them an Aura picture frame for the moments when you're not able to pick up or a frame Or a frame was named the best digital photo frame by wire cutter. It's featured in 495 gift guides last year. That's a very specific and large number so close to five So the next time you need to call your mom you can also send her a new pic

That's what you can do. You could be like hey guess what I did I went to Machu Picchu, boink, and put it on her frame. Here's a good idea, because I did, the folks at Aura Frame were nice enough to send over a couple samples. I got one here on my desk, but I also gifted one to my grandmother. And the next time she calls during a record,

I should take a selfie of myself. Right, being like, this is what I'm doing. On microphone. Check this picture frame. Shop it right over, ship it right over to that Aura frame. Aura has a great deal for Mother's Day for a limited time. Listeners can save on the perfect gift by visiting AuraFrames.com to get a $35 off, plus free shipping on their best-selling Carver Mat frame.

The Carver Mat. Very nice. That's AURAFrames.com, promo code check. Support the show by mentioning us at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. code check. Support the show by mentioning us at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. I have a quick Oktoberfest story that involves breasts as well. So I think it fits perfectly. Because obviously young Rusty hooks up with a lady at Oktoberfest. Who opens her shirt, then he hears the German police raid sound.

And they go, someone's going to get hung. And he goes, oh no, dad. Right. Which he's correct about. Yeah, he's not wrong. Chevy has done a... He's caused a trouble at Oktoberfest. A traditional German dance so poorly.

Yes, he's knocking everything over. It got into like slapstick fist fight. And then it turns into like, I love them when a movie fight just escalates and it's like, we just got to punch someone else. It's got an arbitrary, someone stands up and decks someone in a crowd. Like, I love when a movie fight just escalates and it's like, we just gotta punch someone else. It's got an arbitrary someone stands up and deck someone in a crowd. Like I'm always here for that. I don't say this as a criticism. It is the number one element in this movie that feels like a Chevy pitch.

Yeah. Where he's like, here's my idea. I wear a leader hose and do like five minutes of comically bad dancing and then start fist fighting people. Yeah. And it's his pitch was probably for 11 minutes and they had to cut it down. It's so long.

It's very long. And it doesn't heighten in any interesting way. The game makes no sense too. Why would they invite a bystander to participate in a complicated- In a choreo, yeah, without teaching it to him or anything. And then kind of being mad that he's not good at it, it's like, no sense.

It makes no sense. And they're speaking English too. They're like, we need to volunteer from the crowd. It's like And they're speaking English too. They're like we need to volunteer from the crowd It's not like the bit is like oh he dances poorly and knocks over a fire pit and he sets their church on fire Yeah, that's why they're angry They're like you have done such disrespect to our culture by dancing poorly and I'm like maybe on you to invite a fucking newb on stage Yeah, right. You brought this upon yourself. I went to Munich Oktoberfest for my bachelor party.

Congrats, humble Rick. This was the first time me and my brothers ever went to Europe because my dad had died with only ever having gone to Germany where his stepfather was from and did a trip with him. So we were like, when our dad died, we were like, all of us have to leave the country for a bachelor party.

Shake on this right now. That'll be a thing that will at least have three brothers trips out of the country. And my younger brother, we did Amsterdam for his bachelor party. But we go to Munich Oktoberfest, day one, six guys by Liederhosen, by leather, I still have it like leather straight up,

real Liederhosen, you wear it every single day you're there. It's awesome. My youngest brother was like 26. He's like, I can't pay 200 euros for this. And me and my buddy, one of my other buddies were like, fuck it, you're not gonna be not in leaderhose. And so we just laid out like another 200 euros for him. Is it comfy?

It is a little comfy. It is a little comfy. It's airy to have like just the straps and shorts. And we go to, so you go to these tents and you party in these tents. You drink beer all day long. And not just like a little moat. No, you get a liter of beer, a full 40 ounces. That's like a little espresso cup. Yeah, exactly. You get a 40 ounce, that's a liter is about 36 ounces. You get a giant fucking stein. Now, Fest beer is a little lower alcohol content because they know people are fucking jamming them down. So like what in America we have Oktoberfest,

it's like Marzany, their fest beer is more like light, smashable, crushable beer. And the big thing you do in these tents is you stand up on a table with a full beer and hold it up and the entire crowd shuts down and looks at you while you go to chin a beer. And if you chin it, everyone is happy. If you fail, they freak out.

They throw pretzels, shoes. Like they boo you. They scream at you. So on day one, and each tent is- Because it's like you're wasting their time if you don't do it. You demanded our attention. Yes, and based on your guys' knowledge of me as a person,

do you think I might? I'm a consummate performer, an insane consumer. I think this is a person. Do you think I might? How'd you do? I'm a consummate performer and insane consumer. I think this is a space in which you would really excel. And I go, and so each tent is like a brewery's tent. So we're in like the Augustiner tent. I stand up and do this. I fucking chin a full beer.

It's 36 ounces. The crowd is going ape shit. I'm able to do it. I get off the table and my knees buckle. I'm like so, because there's so much fucking like adrenaline and alcohol at the same time. I was like, Oh no. And the cheering, the adoration. I'm like, this is better than improv.

I can't believe I found something better than improv. So that that's day one. And we're like the rest of the time, we're just fully participating in this thing. We go to the Hoffbrow tent, which is the crazy tent. That one has the most security, it's the one where people get the most fucked up. It's sort of for the younger, less cultural, more bachelor party, lots of Australians

who manage to travel wherever there's alcohol. And first up, a fucking, like a guy who looks like Jason Statham but with more blood vessels popped, stands up with two liters on the table and everyone's like, oh my fucking God, oh my fucking God, and he chins him back to back. That's like drinking a six pack of beer in like 11 seconds. The crowd goes fucking ape shit, I could not believe it,

it was insane. So I'm like, there's no way, no one to top that. Next thing you know, you start hearing quiet and people start clapping and you look over and two fat, bespectacled twins are standing up on a table with leaders and they are identical, chunky

twins with little glasses and they look like fucking Cenobites. They like, they like... They cheers each other and then fucking chin it and the crowd erupts. And then we're sitting at the table and every, you know, Justin Tyler is a good friend of mine, also a comedy nerd, we're like, what's the third beat? Right.

Right. How do you heighten this? How do you heighten this? Because it's heightened perfectly so far. Yeah. And then all of a sudden the crowd starts getting quiet and starts chanting and we look over and it's like a five foot ten beautiful blonde woman in a jindal like that things that hoist your titties up like to a shelf.

They're lady leader hosens. Yeah the lady leader hosens is called a jindal. She's St. Pauli girl is that famous and she stands up there with a liter of beer and everyone is like it's just heteronormativity is everyone's like text Avery cartoons like this is gonna be amazing. Wolf whistles. This is the third beat. She starts chugging it, the crowd starts going apeshit, but then she starts slowing down.

And we're like, will the crowd turn on a beautiful woman? Short answer, yes. Pretzels start fucking flying. Everyone is like, boo, you fucking. You know, like we look at you. Jesus Christ. Does she just like quit and put it down on the table? No, she wins.

She is slowing down. She powers through it. She pulls her tits out and pulls her top down, breasts out, that's why this iconic scene with Moon opening her shirt is like, I remembered this. She drops her wonderful big naturals out, the crowd goes all the way back, she finishes chinting the beer,

does the curtsy, and then puts her breasts away. And we're like, ah! The vibe shifted everywhere. This crowd is so rabid. Germany's no good, guys. They start pretzeling her when she's slowing down. Not when she was like, I quit, I'm sorry, I give up.

Yeah, no, when she might not do it. When she was on track to not finish, they started throwing food at her. The craziest thing I remember about this tent too is that the tables were for seven people. And to get a table is like ideal because then you can like have a server. So you got to get there super early. We were six people. One random Brazilian guy ends up at our table with us. And he shows up and he has like a tucked in shirt.

And we have a picture of the beginning and the end He has like a hat that's a huge fake keg with like a tap on it his eyes across He's shirt is ripped and he is like blood and food all over himself It's like this is what happens you hang out the gabers family for like your fucking seven hours And then anyone else you've ever met in your life is so obvious that the good European countries like where Italy France But you know where they like they just know how to drink Yeah, and then like all the bad ones like English and German people just like it and you're like, oh, I could have a hundred of these. And it's like, of course, mate.

Yeah, exactly. We're here from four to one a.m. The London thing of like almost all bars close at 10 p.m. But also, okay, I'm sorry, but also like please drink outside. Like a recipe for people to be like, I gotta keep like loading now because the cutoffs coming earlier than I wanted. And also I'm already in the streets stumbling around.

The thing about the economy of drinking in England is it's like, you like, see, right, you get off work, you go to the pub, you start chugging beers and like might be outside if you want to smoke, especially, right? You do that until closing time. Then you are, as the Brits would say, pissed. Yes. On the piss, man. You are fucking on the lash. And then you're like, let Brits would say, pissed. Yes. On the piss, man. You are fucking on the lash.

And then you're like, let's get a fucking kebab. You just stumble into the- Nannos! No, Nannos is closed. You stumble into the only businesses that are open, which are kebab shops. So you're like, pile meats into a bowl for me. But like 11.45 PM in London is like night of the living dead. It's so fucking awful.

Like suddenly the streets are overrun with people who've been kicked out of bars. Or you go to a club because clubs are allowed to be open and those, believe me, are not very cool. Like, trust me. Wait a second, but last night in Soho made them seem really nice and trendy. I went out drinking in Scotland by myself

on a Saturday night. Sounds fun. I was in Glasgow. Anyone call you a puff? No. I'm sorry, what? Carry on. I was in a bar and I've experienced, like, being in a bar with, like, a lot, a lot of drunk people.

But it's like, you know, like a trashy bar in midtown with a lot of underage people. I have never been in a crowded bar where every single person has been drinking since, like, fucking eight in the morning. Like, career drinking. I-I-I... From, like, six-foot-five fucking oak men to, like, five-foot-one women in, like, mega mini skirts are fucking, like, cross-eyed. Mega minis.

There had been... You know that sport, I think it's called hurling? Sure. They just basically whip a wood, like like lacrosse ball at each other. And they use like a cane, like it's not like they use like a... It's like drunk high ally for like, you know, Highlanders, you know, is what hurling. Scotland's a crazy fucking place for that shit. Like when I was in Glasgow, I went to go get drinks and I was like, this is fucking terrifying.

I truly was a little scared by the end of the night and had to get out of there. I'm referencing that I famously in Newcastle where I went to college, which is not Scotland, but it's the English city closest to the Scottish border, got called a poof, which is a slur for gay people, for wearing a coat. It was like 22 degrees Fahrenheit outside. It was not warm.

Let's make it clear. A guy I did not know was like, you know, hitting me on the shoulder. I'm like, what? He was like, you poof, you're wearing a coat. And I was like, you know, hitting me on the shoulder. I'm like, what? He was like, you poof, you're wearing a coat. And I was like, should I not? What is the plan here? I just want to clarify.

It is both a slur for gay people and the last name of a very respected long neck Jedi. Oh, of course. Rie Ariel Poof. The Phantom Menace. I'm glad we brought that up. But I maybe should not show this book. It just has two meanings. The word has two meanings.

My father was a working class Englishman. I was raised in South London. And his brother, his older brother, my father was the fourth, the third son, was such an Confederate alcoholic that his mail was delivered to the pub, which is the thing that was one of those things that I was told as a kid, and I was like,

that can't be, like, as a grownup, I checked, and I was told as a kid and I was like that can't be like a grown-up I checked and I was like, you know, I feel like I remember that uncle I have this bad memory this first memory. That's like not true. That's a family thing right? 100% they carved a mailbox. No, it's true. I think it was truly the postman was like why no where I'll find him Well, that's your fucking mail Yeah one thing I like I mean I like a lot of stuff about drinking culture and because I've played rugby my whole life in America, I hang out with a lot of Brits and Aussies and stuff, but I like the pub.

You like rugby. I love rugby and I love the pub culture of loyalty to our pub. Yes. That's what I like a lot too, is that it's like- Like a home team pub. You just make a fucking spot your public has and that's's where you go. And that's like, you're like, oh, I can go there alone and I'll probably run it. You know, it's like McManus was for like a decade, right?

Be like, okay, I'm getting out of something else. I bet you I know someone at McManus. Right, you know there's a community there. Yeah. Listeners might be noticing that we're avoiding talking about the Italy section of the movie, which becomes weirdly plotty. Yeah, the Italy section of the movie stinks.

I really, I was losing interest in the movie. I just like don't care about this movie trying to put actual stakes on it. This is where the sex tape thing becomes, like gets resolved too. Like, and there's a lot of, there's a lot of business with it. Seeing the poster, storming off, Clark getting stuck in the business end of this weird, complicated, travelers check scam that also involves a hostage in the trunk and then D'Angelo has to come back and save him.

The guy who plays the thief who like tries to flirt with Beverly, this guy is doing work. Victor Lanou. He is very enjoyable. He is. But I just, I could not give a fuck. I didn't, and again, I'm not this guy always, but like just like pig in a poke

What the fuck is this is what I say on action boys all the time if the if the robbery went well What was the plan? Why do they need that guy understand their scam? You don't understand you have the money and the guy and the guy they know who he is They could just leave with the money give the Grizzlies five cheese on the walkout and everything is fine Basically like robbing this travelers checks place while he walks in but have already said It's the perfect crime if we can figure out someone else to pin it on you're like pin what leave the guys tied up and instead They're like we're gonna give him too much money So it looks like he stole everything and then put the guy who works here tied up in his trunk And give him the car so that people blame him for the crime. I hate that we're talking about.

But then they get back they go back to try and get the car Yeah, the beetle or whatever it is Because why do the bad guys follow them? Because they're like go to the hotel and we'll get the car back from you because I guess they want the car back That they're just using it to help so he can transport the body, but then they fuck up by going shopping The outfits are great. It's all funny fucking incredible. Yeah, I love when she cuz Chevy has it on the plane ride home, too Yes, like that like weird. Oh, you know what? I like that bit too. I guess it's at the very end but You know what? I like that bit too. I guess it's at the very end, but the

Well that we'll talk about that yikes But the the sped up Chevy trying to have multiple meals on the plane and they keep on taking it away before he gets That's solid travel humor. Yeah, nothing wrong. Yeah, we skipped over in France, but the sped up Lou thing is a lot of fun and that like that's a semi-relatable human element that they're putting in which is this like notion of the dad like viewing Tourism as a competitive sport when he's like shitting on the young honeymooning couple Yeah, and he's sick. We saw like 40 things today. They haven't seen anything and Like I would love to just stay in this right there happy and we're exhausted. Yeah

Even even them there's that moment too when they're like, wow, dad, look, ancient ruins. He's like, keep moving. And it's like, the kids are even enjoying sightseeing and he won't let it happen. Right, he's like, check listing things over actually absorbing anything. What was I gonna say?

Vacation, these movies do not naturally have a way to end, right? No. Vacation kind of cleverly builds up to Wally world is closed Chevy has the nervous breakdown it goes on a little long in my opinion But it's a it's a you know it's a it's a clever sequence that movie It's helped by the fact that they're going to one place and they come up with a kind of funny twist on what happens

They get to that place Christmas has the big explosion and shit You know that that again like they do a good job figuring out a punchy ending. This movie doesn't know how to do that apart from Statue of Liberty getting knocked over. Yeah, I think that's what they thought their big moment was. Right, which you're like, okay. But it is such a wild moment. To clarify, at the very end of this film,

Clark is looking for the bathroom on the plane, he accidentally opens the door to the cockpit, gets tangled in the steering gear. Yes. And then... Caused the plane to nosedive right as it's flying over Ellis Island. Into the Statue of Liberty, which then like its arm gets turned upside down in the movie. Basically ends with Clark's going, oopsie.

Yeah, so and then I do think the montage of photos over the credits is very funny. This is the thing, like that ending is so insane because you're just like, well, wait a second. If that happens, he's getting dragged to Guantanamo Bay. Right, right. Right, like he's not getting out of this. You could just have the ending of like, Clark out the window going like, look, Statue of Liberty,

aren't you folks happy to be back in America again? And then cutting to images of like gross American shit. Yeah, which I thought was fun. Like tacky American shit, which is really funny. The Statue of Liberty thing happens so fast and is so extreme. And it's like, it feels frightening. It's out of reality with everything else. Yeah, even the gag itself doesn't look great. It doesn't also look that good. I just want to shout out that the my local my pub was the Lonsdale in in in Newcastle

hell yeah, and I just looked it up and Is this the fate of so many English pubs? It's something that the movie world's end world's end is about It's been bought by Green King Which is one of the many pub chains and I assume is still basically fine inside But they ruin these places by kind of The pub chain thing You were telling me about this Giving them this set menu And so unique to the UK

Like it's not really a thing here Of course not, but like in England it's like there are pubs everywhere Right You know, as there have been since like the 10th century or whatever Right And like, right, you know, like everything else is just getting like gobbled up We have all these like tacky corporate pubs in New York Yeah That are just called like the the point on the right or whatever

Oh, oh, Shauna sees right and you're like this isn't owned by like real Irish people But you're also like it's not part of a like a mick pub chain That is literally like a corporate logo stomped onto 40 locations. I want to look up my London local the pineapple Seems to be still be still doing fine. Oh, I might see you down at the Pineapple. The thing with the Pineapple and the Dartmouth Arms, which is my other favorite pub where I live near, is they got a little gastropubby because that's what happened in North London. It's like pubs started to have good food.

But there wasn't really anything wrong with that because you were like, well, the food's good. And they're still serving beer, and it's still a good vibe in here. It's just like they fucking hired a chef. They have. Yeah. I'm not going to bitch that the food got better here. Well, some people do. But yes. Well, in England, that would like, you know,

someone might have like a flavor that would fucking shut their body down. What is this, garlic? I once introduced Ben to Peter Kay's legendary garlic bread bit, which is one of the most famous comedy routines in England, which is him making fun of his family, his parents, his northern Bolton parents, eating garlic bread for the first time. You're like, garlic and bread, garlic bread!

If I do it, it's not funny at all, but everyone in Britain knows it. Britain only discovered garlic in like 1997 or something. Yeah, it's crazy. They were like going all over the world killing people for spice and never got garlic. Right, they just sold it to other people, I guess. Should we do the box office game? We should, yeah. I mean, we should say this movie did okay, but was definitely seen as like a disappointment.

Especially since it's going PG-13, you'd think they might be like growing their audience, instead they're losing it significantly. Now, sequels used to be more, kind of were expected to do worse. Right, but like Christmas Grows is the biggest of them. I do think it was seen as like, this succeeded based on love of the first one rather than anything Heckerling did. Well, it's also, it's July, it's July 26th, 1985, there's a comedy in theaters with Chevy

Chase. You're gonna get people to show up. But like, Chase comes out of this with another win under his belt. It's almost kind of held against Heckerling that like she misunderstood the assignment and the movie worked in spite of her. Which I just think all of it's interesting

in building up like the psychology of her going into Look Who's Talking, which is like, do I wanna make a talking baby movie? I do wanna make something that's a hit that I own that's undeniable. I'm going to dispute you on that. Now, Fletch is the same year, right? And so Fletch is kind of...

It's a solid hit, but also well received. So a month ago, Fletch has come out. Fletch is, in fact... Where is it in the box? It's 14, but you know, it's been out for a couple of months. Post this, Spies Like Us, which does pretty good, but like is not as well remembered as some. Three Amigos, which is now liked, but, like, is not as well remembered as some. Three Amigos, which is now liked, but was a bomb.

Yes. Funny Farm, you guys are sick enough for it, but also underperformed. I love all three of these movies. Right, but, like, you know, and then post that, it's Chevy starts to scramble. Caddyshack 2, which is a disaster. Although tiny part, but yes, disaster.

Fletch Lives, which is also a disaster. And then Christmas Vacation is the sequel he makes where it's like, well, that worked, that worked. Right, he's back on set. But that's also his last hit, probably like ever. Right, and it is one of those. His 90s output is obviously really terrible. I feel like for a guy who had such a bad reputation,

but a good number of hits, and had flops as well, like was up and down, even when I earlier said all of his movies were basically hits until vacation. He had flops. He had ups up and down even when I earlier said like all of his movies are basically hits until Look at it. Yeah, it ups and under the rainbow like right exactly He's like his average was strong enough that in this era of like he is a six million dollar movie star He doesn't command 20 million dollars He costs six to make a movie that cost 20 that makes 60 or right that's worth it That's like on base and maybe he's tough to deal with but who gives a shit I do feel like

when the talk show happens right and like people are watching the bubble is burst with the talk show everyone's like this is wild and there's something there's something about a guy who's an asshole that's the big who's always playing an asshole yes you can do is a little suspension of disbelief that wow Chevy's really good at playing an asshole you watch that when he plays himself in the Chevy chase show and you're like, oh no He's not acting at all This guy can't hide it. Yeah, and also and you're like, oh, I like fucking whatever is Ty Webb less, I like Clark Griswold less now. It's an interesting two-pronged thing of you're watching him without the distance of a character and being like, this isn't so charming if it's real.

Right, if a guy's an actual prick, it's not fun. The second part of it is part of the fun of Chevy Chase is so confidently going through these things. And watching the talk show, he's so quickly dying inside and unhappy that you're like, this isn't fun if he's not even having fun doing it right and it's starting to make him look pathetic Yeah But also the first episode is Goldie Hawn who he had done two movies with and it's like great pair him up his first guest a big comedy movie star who's one of his like scene partners and they just have no chemistry together and You're like, oh none of these people like him. None of the other people in Hollywood like him.

It's a forgotten thing about Conan. When everyone zooms in on how bad Conan did in the first year, not the show, but the ratings or whatever. One reason he survived was the Chevy Chase had bombed so hard that it was like, eh, maybe we need to give the youngsters a shot. And here's another thing that was quietly working for Conan. Guess he had on, who had hosted SNL,

where like, I remember you, you were great. I liked you when you were the writer in the background. The other thing Conan had going for him is he's like one of the great comic presences and is so funny. He's one of the funniest human beings alive. But it's this weird like imbalance of like. The best, he's the fucking best.

He's the best. I hate that he's doing a travel show that's on max. How dare he? That's really good. But him just like windmill dunking at the Oscars after like 30 years of like being available for that job is just like great. And him doing it at the point...

The Kennedy Center. Yeah, well he did that so perfectly. Genius. The way he like threaded the needle of like, how do I do this in what is probably? Last mark Twain award, right? I'm like I was you know before it goes to bat right for whatever John Voight So funny, he's so funny

On Twitter like he getting it for his tweets my like teen years I was like why won't they let Conan host the Oscars? Why why won't they let the weird guy host? It's so much better to have him host at the point in his life where he has nothing to prove and now also Seemingly might just be the de facto host for the next five years. Yeah, he might have accidentally did it like he nailed it It was fantastic. Yeah, but I just think there's an Oscar Presentation that the movies didn't fucking get me going Cone having cone in there was a fucking victory I just think it's an interesting flip that like you have Chevy and Conan at the same time and you're like

Oh my god, like ABC has hired a movie star for 20 years to host a talk show This is humongous and NBC responded with a fucking comedy writer Yeah The discrepancy is so great and then like any celebrity who has dealt with Conan prior to him getting the show through SNL is like I always liked you Yeah, and you're like, huh America doesn't know this guy but people with stature are approving him Meanwhile Chevy is interviewing people he starred in movies with and has zero chemistry and you're just like huh, he's kind of just tolerated so

This film opens number one 12 million dollars. I got very bad reviews to be clear. It makes 40 it ends up at a domestic total of 49 million dollars not bad Number to the box office is one of the big hits of the summer. We've covered it on this podcast in 1985 now for a month is it back to the future? There we go. It's the biggest hit of the big hits of the summer. We've covered it on this podcast. In 1985. It's been out for a month. Is it Back to the Future? There we go. It's the biggest hit of the year. Good movie. Yeah, excellent film. You like it? I haven't seen it. What about this kid? I've only seen three.

Yeah. I've only seen the Broadway show and three. Number three at the box office is a legendary flop, an animated film. Is it The Black Cauldron? Disney's The Black Cauldron. Wow. Have you ever seen it? I never have.

I'm almost, I'm, I gotta safely say I don't think I've ever even heard of it. It is probably the nadir of Disney, sort of like in terms of cultural impact. I think it's like inarguably, what's wild about it, Gabris, is it is like an adaptation of a fairly recent expansive fantasy novel series

Yes that Disney bought and we're sort of like we're gonna do our like Middle Earth And we're gonna like put the Disney spin on. And then we're gonna try to appeal to boys, which is always the Disney thing of like can we get boys? You know what was the book called though? It's called the book of three the whole group of it is called the Chronicles of Pridane. I remember... It's like young adult high fantasy. I remember seeing the movie when it came out, not when it came out, but watching on VHS when I was young, being like, this doesn't work.

And then years later, in my school library, finding the Book of Three, going this looks fun and 60 pages in being like, this is the Black Cauldron. That's so weird that it's based off of this I'm so embarrassed to say that I am such a fucking any port in the storm for high fantasy that I'm going to Watch this. I'm gonna see very curious to hear your wanted to watch it I've always heard that it's kind of also like weirdly scary, right? Like it's got kind of a little too intense for one of the famous anecdotes about it It's it's the movie that they're working on at Disney when Tim Burton gets hired out of CalArts and they're like perfect we got this weird creepy guy he can do some of the monsters and he submits the stuff

and they were like Tim fucking cool. Do you like what's it called I just read it last year because Sean Clements told me to read it the blade itself the first law book yes yeah Clements got me into those years ago too that trilogy by Joe Abercrombie and then the three that take place in the same world, so awesome. Standalone or whatever. And if you're an audiobook guy, the guy who reads those books, Steven Pacey, is fantastic.

The way he does Glotka, who has a speech impediment, because he has his teeth pulled, but then he also has internal thought that's better. He does like two different versions of it, and it's so fucking cool. I'm going to try to keep this quick. I went on a weird rabbit hole. The man who directed The Black Cauldron,

one of the two directors, I believe his name is literally Richie Rich. He is Richard Rich. And he brags about the first animation director to have no experience in animation. He was like a music guy who then became like a development executive at Disney who then they let direct and had never animated once in his life. And I think he co-directed that and Fox and the Hound which was sort of the nadir for Disney commercially. And then much like Don Bluth he like spun off and was like I don't need Disney I can make my own

thing. And he made like the Swan Princess for New Line which was kind of a mess. He has largely backed into doing like extensive biblical animated adaptations But I was going through his INDB and I found that he had made a movie about the prophet Muhammad And I'm like how the fuck did he do this without being? arrested and I found a review that our friend past and future guest Dana Stevens did of this movie, which I think came out in like 2003. He did an animated Prophet Muhammad movie that is animated from the perspective of the Prophet Muhammad who has no dialogue. It's an animated like fucking Nickel Boys where it's you seeing other characters talk

about Muhammad so that he can tell the story without showing him on screen. Right because using his image is like, yeah. Just one of the weirdest movies I've ever discovered existing. Put on your 3D Mohammed glasses right now. Kind of, and it's like animated like a shitty Disney movie. Number Fourth Box Office. He also did the King and I animated film.

Yes, which is also a cursed film. Number Fourth Box Office is a sequel to a film that John covered on our show. This is where LA is probably getting hot, huh? Is it Predator 2? No. But that is a fun, of course, movie in which, yes, the Predator comes to LA and gets in the middle of a gang war and Danny Glover's stressed out.

Is it Beyond Thunderdome? It's Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. I love that one. Very fun movie. The only movie that ever had the courage to go beyond Thunderdome? It's Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. I love that one. Very fun movie. The only movie that ever had the courage to go beyond Thunderdome. No one's done it since. Number five in the box office is a Western

that a lot of people really like. I saw it and was underwhelmed. Silverado. I just remember you being underwhelmed. Larry Kasdan's Silverado. I fired that up being like, I'm gonna have the best time. And I was like,

it'll be Hoot and Holler. Do you like Silverado? You ever seen it? I saw it when I was a kid and I think I liked it, but I think that up being like, I'm gonna have the best time. And I was like, it'll be Horton Holler. Do you like Silverado? You ever seen it? I saw it when I was a kid and I think I liked it, but I think I would want to, I'm on a Costner kick right now. We all are. We just did No Way Out on Action Boys. I just watched that after Hackman passed. I'd never seen it. A very not horny movie about very straightforward people.

And I'm listening to The Big Clock now, the book that No Way Out's based on. It's fucking very interesting Yeah, and it's been because the twist there was a previous movie adaptation as well Right to the twist an American French one is unique just to that version of the story Is that correct the twist that he's investigating himself? Yes, that's like the whole conceit of the movie is that he a guy. Oh, no I'm saying the very end twist on the very Hell. Oh, the very end of the twist. Which we won't spoil.

It's crazy. It's unearned, it's bananas, there's no teasing up. It's one of the most insane things I've seen a movie do in the last 90 seconds. It almost makes me like it. And again, I keep coming back to improv, but it really is reminds me of like the last beat of a Harold where you're like, we were in space the whole time. It's begging for a blackout. It's like, if I do something loud enough, will they have to black us out?

We just have to get out. The red light has been on for like eight minutes. The booth is not the booth is behind the wheel. Yeah, let's get the fuck out of here Yeah, oh, yeah, I'm on a crazy Costner kick. I loved Horizon and of course and so I want to rewatch Silverado You know what movie is good gabris Horizon chapter 2 I haven't seen it saw it at Santa Barbara They played in a fucking film festival. Oh! I made a trip out there. I'm so jealous. It was really good.

I'm so fucking jealous. I enjoyed the first one so much. I think this one's a lot better. No, that is, it has to be. Yeah. Because I will say this, a movie that is as slow and as long as Horizon that ends with To Be Continued is bonnet.

It's like fucking, what's the Miles Morales Spider-Man movie where I was like, when that ended with to be continued I heard kids in the crowd boo at AMC John don't worry They announced today that the next movie is coming out in only two years long strike delay. It's interesting It was just so funny when they're like, ah, the strike means we're delaying that Six months You're like you have a title page and nothing else.

Exactly. Spider-Man's gonna be in it. We know that. We know that. Also, the box office. Cocoon. Sure. Old guys. Rambo, First Blood, Part II. I'm sure you've never covered that. That's not what we're gonna be like, right? Not really.

Can we win this time? One question. Can we win this time? I love... I could talk for hours about First Blood and First Blood first blood part two being like the dichotomy of like American art where it's like the first movie is like PTSD, soldier coming home, anti-cop, high drama, like dealing with like soldiers coming home and bringing

the war home with them, all this intense heavy shit. And the second one's like, they still got soldiers in Vietnam, go there with a bow and arrow and kill everybody sly Wouldn't it be great if one of us was so yoked and could take care of all of their problems? He is so fucking diced in two. It's insane. The vein poppage Oh, he's vascular AF. He looks like grilled chicken. He's so fucked. His hair is bananas Like it's so crazy fires Fires an M60 at Sensei Kreese. I guess he looks more like rotisserie chicken

because he's bronze. He's pretty glazed up. Yeah, he's balsamic. Have you covered, I have to go in a second, this film, a film I really like, Clint Eastwood's Western, Pale Rider, which is sort of unforgiven before unforgiven like it's another clever anti-western It's just a little less seen. Is that the one where he is maybe the devil or that's something else

That's like the man in black or something. What's that? No, I know what you're going for Yeah, he basically is sort of deaf. Yes in that movie. Am I wrong in thinking? No, no, this doesn't make sense because is it out at the box office at this point in time? What? Why are you bringing a pale rider? It's number eight. Okay, that was my question. That's what I'm saying! In the end montage, in the end credits montage they play they show an image of some Clint Eastwood western poster.

I believe it is pale rider. It is. It looked like it to me. It did, right? I mean, although it could there's a lot of Clint Eastwood posters out there. And my C is Josie Walls. Yeah, no, because Josie has got the two good, I don't know. Number nine the box office St. Elmo's fire. That's a movie that's bad in my opinion. Joel Schumacher's St. Right, yeah. No, because Josie Wales has got the two. I don't know. Number nine, The Box Office, St. Elmo's Fire.

That's a movie that's bad in my opinion. Joel Schumacher, St. Elmo's Fire. That's a movie that's a bit of a gas leak movie. It has its fans. Yeah, I've never rewatched it. It's fucking stupid. I've never been inspired to. Number 10 is a movie I don't know.

It's a romantic comedy called The Heavenly Kid. Oh. Starring Louis Smith, best known for his role in The Heavenly Kid, Wikipedia tells me, about like a greaser who dies playing chicken and comes back as an angel. Is Teen Angel the ABC sitcom loosely adapted from The Heavenly Kid?

Why do I know the Heavenly Kid? I don't know. I feel like the Heavenly Kid was, it sounds so fucking, the premise sounds so, I mean I think it's, what's the, fuck, why can't I think of it, the Angel movie with. Heaven Can Wait. Yes, yeah.

It's kind of like, yeah, you're not gonna get to go to heaven till you help this other kid. Right, wrong. Jane Kesmerick. By being his guardian angel. Yeah, young Jane Kesmerick. Yeah, there was an ABC T to go to heaven till you help this other kid Right, wrong, Jane Kesmerick Five, being his guardian angel Yeah, young Jane Kesmerick Yeah, there was an ABC TGIF sitcom with a very similar premise that maybe was just unofficially riffing on this

Fair enough Called Teen Angel that I was a fan of That was an Al Jean Mike Rice show I believe Yeah Um, I don't think it was very good though, no offense Well, I disagree with you Fair enough I'm sure my opinion as a seven year old would hold up perfectly

Uh, looks like that one had the great Ron Glass though, I love him. He was the big floating head in the sky I believe sort of the Zordon Imagine but in the sky sure instead of a tube Yeah, have you ever seen the spring in a back the semi recent big budget American Power Rangers movie gabris, of course David I will talk to this a lot. Cranston is so fucking good as Zordon. It's so, it's such a better movie than I expected. I like that movie a lot, but like Cranston. I put it on as a bit.

Totally. And you know, I ate an edible and I'm like, this will be funny. And then by the end of it, I was like, I care a lot about this. I was like, this rocks and rolls. Yeah, 100%. But like Cranston, you're just like, oh my God,

he is playing Zordon with like gravity and grace. He's good, man. He's good. What did I just see him in that he really... Oh, the studio. The studio. Oh, he's having fun in the studio. I've only seen the first episode of the studio, but I enjoyed it. Me too.

I also love Han. She's so fucking funny, so hot. She's always good. And then she's doing this bit where she's a fully different style every time. Every time and walking in. She seems a little Pascal inspired perhaps. She's Pascal. a fully different style every time and walking in. She seems a little Pascal inspired perhaps. She's Pascal, I mean Cranston is like,

there's so many guys that Cranston's kind of doing. But I also just love, like Rogan knows, Marty's a good actor. You don't have to just have Marty do one scene where he's just like, I'm Marty. You can give him three moods over the course of an episode. When they reveal Marty is crying in the background is so fucking funny. I have said this many times.

He is you know perhaps our finest kind of like major film artist within the like the studio system right still getting to operate at that level right and he's getting up there in age and I want as many Marty movies as we can get while he's still around and in good form. I also don't want him slept on as an actor. I'm like, every time he's ever acted in something, he's so fucking good, and I'd love it if he could throw in, like, two more supporting performances. He's great in his fucking, like, daughter's TikTok.

He's always... He always gets the joke. Oh, yeah, he's always, like... What's the one, Guilty by Association, which is, yeah, he's always like what's the one guilty by association? Which is like a totally mediocre De Niro blacklist movie, okay in which he plays like a blacklisted filmmaker He by suspicion. Thank you. Yeah, I've never seen that so fucking he's amazing in quiz show I watch it come push. I watched a couple amazing a taxi driver Yeah, I know watch a couple of marbles stocks early, his early docs and he's in them so much.

He's good on camera. So like Italian American is really good. Yeah, he's amazing. And I forget the other one that's about- Journey to- No, the guy, his friend who's crazy. Oh, yes. I know, I know.

They're just interviewing him in his house. That one is fucking, I wish I could pull the name of it. It's fucking awesome. Yeah. Marty. Marty. Let's hang out with Marty. Let's have Marty on the show.

Yeah. Yeah, by the way- He's around. Next week on Blank Check, look who's talking with Martin on the show. Yeah. Yeah, by the way around next week on blank check Look who's talking with Martin Scorsese Look who's talking to has a joke that's burned into my head. I can't I hear is Damon Wayne's jr. Going Oh, that's mr. Toilet man. Eat your doodles in your peepees. I'm saying that I've been saying that for 35 John I am so excited for David to meet Mr. Toilet. Mr. Toilet.

Mr. Toilet, man. Yeah. With your do's and your bb's. Any scary. Well, I've successfully potty trained a child. Hell yeah. This movie might hit close to home. But I witnessed the stages of potty training,

if that makes sense. In my memory, a film I- Nobody told me that that's how it works. That it's sort of like, oh, they get good at one thing and then they get good at the film I have not seen in Probably 30 years if not more in my memory look who's talking to is almost a potty training thriller first and foremost Yeah, well then I'm then it won't be triggering for me because I'll kind of be like, okay

I didn't made it to the other side. I mean I'm gonna have to do it two more times. I'm whatever I rewatched Recently Martin Scorsese's American Express commercial where he's getting his photos developed And he's going through them and I just want to go back to that era of life. I'm sorry I want back there. We had it figured out. We did there's a moment in it where he's it's photos from his grandchild's birthday party I think is the better his son's birthday his nephew Whatever and he holds it up to the guy behind the counter at like a fucking 7-eleven and he goes see here He's the antagonist, but where's the or he goes see here? He's the protagonist. Where's the antagonist? He's missing from the frame All the whole commercial so funny his commercial was Anderson's commercial obviously is amazing too all those and my soul

But I just want to go back to an era of you had to walk around town to get all your shit done Yes I'm going to the foot you know to the photo place to get my photos from vacation. And then I'm going over to the dry cleaner. And then I'm going over to the baker because I got to get a loaf of bread. And then the butcher. You know, let's just do that again. And then, oh shit, I have to get a candle made.

Right. Where's my fucking candlestick baker? I watched a woman walk with a disposable camera in her hand to a Duane Reed Walgreens At the desk that says photo center above this and say do you guys develop this and the guy behind the counter goes? No, right. He's like you do you don't have like a USB drive for me or whatever That's so fucking that's so depressing and she was just like that's what I assumed thought it was worth a shot She's like I just I had to take the shot young people don't know about getting doubles Hey my pan makes his best

Three like it was such a routine in my life that my mom's like oh we gotta go to it was in Britain the chains Called snappy snaps. We gotta go snappy snaps. You go there. They'll be like, oh, we gotta go to, it was in Britain, the chain's called Snappy Snaps. We gotta go to Snappy Snaps. And you go there and they'll be like, yeah, here are your photos, see you later. What a boring, like, yeah. You gotta go twice. You gotta go twice, you gotta drop off and pick up. Yes! Look, what the hell?

And now we just look at these all day. Holding up my telephone. He's holding, he just pulled his tits out. Look at it, these beautiful tits of mine all day. We're all just holding these. Keep your eyes off of them! The Simsbee cunt! With his double-jointed, he's able to go around the back of his head and grab his tits in like a Janet Jackson level kind of poster. It's like the stranger except his hands are no...

I will never forget when I was about 11 years old doing this as I've been doing all my life, and the kid sitting next to me, Nick Nikki, I believe his name was, going, the fuck are you doing? And I was like, what? And he was like, people can't do what you're doing. When I just saw it, it was like unsettling. It was like watching when actors feel- Everyone can do this, and no one can do this. Ugh. This is what's crazy though. I've been sitting across from you for 10 years, until this moment I never considered, oh, you're doing it a weird way. I want you to do that. Over and over. To be clear, for the listener, I'm realizing

we should describe this. I put my arms behind my back with my arms behind my head. And I can move them to essentially below my shoulders. Yeah, and your elbows drop down like behind you. And as a caper, so it looks like little wings. And both of these are positions people can do, but they can't move between them. They would need to unclasp their hands and redo their we do there. You know, it's one smooth movement. Hey gaber. It's anything you want to plug

Yeah, actually several things if that's cool, of course for movie fans. I got the action boys podcast action boys up is yeah Free that action boys up is so you don't have to pay for patreon You just get a sniff and see if you get hooked I love the aforementioned the aforementioned ode to engineers of Gina Lombardo I did a 30 episode series of the genome a 310 episode series and I put it all on physical media that you could buy as a USB that looks like a cassette Oh, so you ended up I found it out. Yeah, I also helped me send me down a direction But I got a shout out Brett Morris and Josh Richmond the two guys who helped me produce things Josh kind of Was the impetus he goes?

Hey if this tariff shit hits getting these things from China is gonna cost you a fortune and order them now Yeah, so I was not prepared but now I got I got the product come get them I come and get them at Gino.Gabris.com. Gino my all-time favorite CBP care. Thank you He's one of my more my favorite things to do ever and he's 5% different than the real me. And finally, this episode is coming out late enough that I can announce Adam Pally and I are swinging the camera in the other direction or flipping the coin and we are hosting a wellness podcast called Staying Alive and it's about us interviewing wellness experts and other comedians and what they do to stay alive.

And it's directed by Sylvester Stallone. Yes, yeah, that's what I mean. He's got a whole lot on the title. Speaking of Travolta, yeah. Hey, can we win this time, pal? My daughter, Sistine,'s got a podcast, you gotta listen. I'm glad this time died well. We've been looking for a while to find a good episode.

Yeah, when we didn't this time. But schedule-wise, this worked out great for everyone. Movie-wise. But it was kind of a, hey, you wanna do European Vacation? You were like, sure, I've seen European Vacation. I'm a big fan of the vacation. I'm a Christmas vacation freak. And then, weirdly enough, the first time I really hooked up

with my now wife was during the movie Loser. Okay, go off. Well, wait a second. Yeah. We were in college. We were friends for a long time. You were a loser?

Yeah, I was a bit of a loser. Okay. We were friends for a really long time, and we both were single. One night we have this night where we watch Almost Famous, and it's a beautiful fucking evening. We are next to each other on her bed, and we're like just trying not to touch each other. Like Seymour Hoffman on the phone, you're getting emotional.

Yeah, it's so, and we're loving this movie and the movie's so rich, we do not hook up. We just kind of like- The mood's not right. But it's this powerful moment and the next night- Something unspoken happens. Yes, and the next night we put on Loser and hook up like fucking crazy.

You see bigs and you're like, let's go! And in hindsight, we were like, should we retcon this that we just tell the story is only almost famous? Because that's a beautiful touching thing, but no, of course we fucking fuck to Loser. Wow. Wow.

God bless. So Hackerling's been a big part of my life. And also, Alicia Silverstone saying Calvin Klein in Clueless gave me like a teenage erection that has yet to go away. Hey, we'll get to both of those things. Calvin Klein. I mean, yes, informative crush. We'll get to both of those and we'll get to Mr. Potty, but next week first we must interrogate

who is talking. We must look upon he who speaks. Yes. This is back when Bruce was doing consensual movie roles. It's gonna be fun. Poor Bruce. interrogate who is talking. We must look upon he who speaks. This is back when Bruce was doing consensual movie roles. It's going to be fun. Poor Bruce. Thank you all for listening. Please remember to rate, review, and subscribe.

Tune in next week for Look Who's Talking. And as always, I'm so sorry we have had Lindsay Buckingham here in the studio waiting to do a segment talking about the creation of Holiday Road and we just don't have time. SimsHead, a heart out. Our apologies to Lindsay Buckingham. What's up with that? I don't know. Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo 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 Bardy Salinas. And our associate producer is A.J.

McKeon. This show is mixed and edited by A.J. McKeon and Alan Smithy. Research by J.J. Bursch. Our theme song is by Lane Montgomery and the Great American Novel, with additional music by Alex Mitchell. Artwork by Joe Bowen, Olly 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. nerdy shit.