Newcomers: Scorsese, with Nicole Byer and Lauren Lapkus - Field of Dreams (w/ Paul F. Tompkins)

Episode Date: September 3, 2024

Lauren and Nicole take a trip to the Field of Dreams with very special guest Paul F. Tompkins (Threedom)! Together, the group gets into what hypothetical players they’d like to recruit for their own ghost team, the oddity of hearing voices telling you to build a baseball field, and take a slight detour to discuss a completely different film, The Whale. Follow Paul: Twitter, InstagramGet tickets for the upcoming Newcomers: Sports Fan Choice Finale Livestream with special guests Paul Scheer and Rob Huebel on 9/5 at 4PM PT here!Like the show? Rate Newcomers 5 stars on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Nicole and Lauren to read on the pod!Follow the podcast on Letterboxd.Advertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fmSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This is a Hedgum Original. I have just created something totally illogical. That's what I like about it. If you build it, he will come. If you build it, he will come. If you build what, who will come? You didn't say. I hate it when that happens.

Me too. Who's hearing voices? Ray is. I think I know what if you build it, he will come means. Who is your invoices? Ray is. I think I know what if you build it he will come means. Ooh, why do I not think this is such a good thing? Daddy, there's a man up there on your lawn. Are you a ghost? What do you think?

You look real to me. Hey, little Dave! Hey! Hi! You're gonna see it. This is really interesting. You believed in the magic. It happened. Isn't that enough? Annie, it's more than that.

I feel it as strongly as I've ever felt anything in my life. There's a reason. Go the distance. Did you hear the voice too? Did you hear it? Go the distance. Yes you hear the voice too? Did you hear it? Go the distance. Yes! Our Grave is dead.

He died in 1972. Are you Moonlight Graham? No one's called me Moonlight Graham in 50 years. Unbelievable. It's more than that. It's perfect. You build a baseball field in the middle of nowhere and you sit here and you stare at nothing!

This field, this game, it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us all that once was good. Hey, is this heaven? No. It's Iowa. Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta, Burt Lancaster. Sometimes, when you believe the impossible, the incredible comes true. Field of Dreams. Welcome to Newcomers! Playing for the home team, it's me, Nicole Byer! And me, Lauren Lapkus. And of course, we have coach Anya back with us to watch along from the sidelines.

This season, we're covering 10 of the greatest sports movies that we have been told absolutely hit it out of the park. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Today, we'll be talking about our second baseball movie of the season, 1989's Field of Dreams, which is not streaming free anywhere, but you can rent it. We'll be talking about our second baseball movie of the season, 1989's Field of Dreams, which is not streaming free anywhere, but you can rent it. What?

Peacock? If you have Peacock, if you're one of the six people that live Peacock. Tell me why I paid. I have Peacock. Okay, well I'm not happy right now. Tell me why I paid. But that means I can watch it again later for free. If you are lucky enough to live near a video store like our producer Anya is, you can rent

it there. Anya, of course, went back to Videots to grab the 40th anniversary edition for two bucks. Thanks, Videots. Oh, that's nice. That's really huge. And we have spoilers. We're going to spoil this. So if you don't want this movie spoiled, you should watch it.

And if you do want it spoiled, let's go for a ride. Playing for the visiting team today, please welcome Paul F. Tompkins. Paul F. Tompkins is a comedian, actor, and writer that you might know from his work on BoJack Horseman, Mr. Show, or from his many, many podcasts, including Freedom with Yours Truly,

and of course, his many, many appearances on this very show. Welcome back, Paul. We're so excited. Hi. Love you ladies. Good to see you again. Hi, Paul. It's so good to see you to talk about this film

because I know you're a baseball head. I am a baseball head. You're wearing a baseball hat. It's true. And it's for the Philadelphia Flyers. Phillies, but very close. Philadelphia flyers, the hockey team. Okay. Okay. Okay. Whatever you say. Fine. Sure. Sure. I'll agree with you. That makes you feel good. Then that's what it is. Okay. Um, did you play baseball

growing up? I played baseball on the, well, we played like wiffle ball in the backyard and then I played on my baseball, my school's baseball team in eighth grade. I'm proud to say that although I did not get a single hit and I don't remember if I ever even swung at a pitch, but I played right field and I had a perfect fielding record. I caught the one ball that was ever hit to me. Hey, that's pretty good. Golden glove, baby. That's great. You go see the Dodgers all the time. Yes. Although you know what? I have not been to a baseball game this year. I was going to say, I noticed that you haven't been recently because usually post on Instagram when you go., it's just been a busy time

You just don't have time because you're on tour with comedy bang bang. It's so true around the world the world You're going to be in the UK soon, right? That's very correct And also with my variety show varietopia. Yes, which is the best show. I love that I love that show a fun show I am like the biggest stan for your show. And I say everybody needs to go see it. You two have both done it. You had a wonderful time.

Everybody loved you. My favorite part was you did stand up about, I think, Dead Parents. And the audience was not on board. And I was cackling. Because I have a dead parent. I have two dead parents. So I was like, this is in my wheelhouse.

It's what they talk about. So funny. Paul, what's your relationship to the movie Field of Dreams? You know, I saw it, I think, when it came out. And I think I mostly liked it. The one thing I remembered as sticking out like a sore thumb was the PTA meeting where they're talking about banning books. It just felt really shoved in there and I didn't quite understand it.

Watching it again now, I was very surprised at the timing of the movie, the internal timing of the movie. I didn't remember it as being so kind of jarring how quickly it moves with big, big ideas. Oh, I mean, first two seconds we're getting, if you build it, he will come. I'm like, that's the one thing I knew about this movie and I thought it was gonna be about 30 to 40 minutes in.

So fast, yeah. Here we go, he's hearing it within the first minute. I'm like, what? Okay. And as I was watching it, I was, I was kind of remembering, oh, this was adapted from a book, right? Because it had that feel of they, they want to get everything from the book that people loved in there, but the structure of it just was very strange to me. But at the same time, structure of it just was very strange to me. But at the same time, there's a really... I don't want to skip to the end so much of the summation of the movie. There's a good story in here, but the structure of it is just so weird.'s the elements of it are really fun and interesting and emotional. But the way that it just kind of huge things get accepted so quickly.

It's wild. It's wild. I actually felt that it for sure. It feels like a book, but I thought it feels like a play. I was like, I tried to Google if it was a play. And then if you type in field of dreams play, it's like the play ball at the field of dreams. It's like, you can't.

And then I was like field of dreams theater. I couldn't find anything that said it was a play, but it did feel like a play to me. Especially with these guys, you know, like the sort of like immediate magical realism of it and like falling into that world. I had no idea this movie was like that. I just was like, what is going on?

I was so blown away. I wanna get into all of it in deep detail, but first I wanna do the shot clock, where each of us take 10 seconds on the clock to summarize the film. So Anya's gonna count us down on her phone, and then we're each gonna take 10 seconds. So who wants to go first?

I'll go first. I'll go first. Oh, okay. Oh, no. No, no, no. Go first. It's your show. No, no, no, no, Paul. It's your show. Paul, it's you. We want Paul to go first. Paul, I want you to go first. I'll go first. Oh, okay. Oh, no. No, no, no. It's your show. Paul, it's you. Paul, I want you to go first. All right. Okay, here we go. Ten seconds coming up. Go. The guy with daddy issues hears voices. He wrecks his farm to build a baseball field. He has to chase a bunch of people down because the voice tells him to it all works out great. It all works out great. Okay. Nicole. Okay. Um, go. Okay. Instead of going to therapy about his dead dad, he brings a bunch of dead ghosts back, builds a field in his cornfield and almost loses

his farm. But his wife's like, I believe in you, then he plays ball with his daddy. Oh! I liked the ending. Okay. All right, and you are good. A guy lives on a farm, but he's not a farmer. He makes a baseball field and all the ghosts come to play their game and the little girl gets pushed off of bleachers and nobody cares.

Everything's fine. He plays with his dad. That little girl fell off the bleachers. Everyone's like. She fell so hard and her lips were blue. I know, I was like. Her lips were blue. I was like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. And then they, then a hot dog comes out of her throat. Listen, we have to take a break or no,

we have to take a time out. And we'll be back with another inning of Feel the Dreams after a word from our sponsor. Everyone say, ready, break. Ready, break! Hungry Root is the easiest way to eat healthy. They send you fresh, high quality groceries, simple, delicious recipes, and essential supplements.

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and go to zocdoc.com slash newcomers to find and instantly book a top rated doctor today. That's Z-O-C-D-O-C.com slash newcomers. Zocdoc.com slash newcomers. So we're back. Field of Dreams was released May 5th, 1989. It was written and directed by Phil Alden Robinson based on the book Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella.

So he named his character after himself. based on the book Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella. So he named his character after himself. Unless, is W.P. a man? I don't want to assume. It is, yes. Okay, thank you. So let's jump in and anybody want to say anything they want? Anybody can say anything they want anytime you want, okay? Anytime.

This is an equal opportunity interruption podcast. Thank you for that freedom. Yeah. So Rankin Sella played by Kevin Costner, who is a handsome young man. You know, I haven't, I don't feel I've seen enough of him at this age. He's hot.

So I will say he, this is so 90s. I mean, he's guess it's 89, but this is so like, he is that. He and his wife, Annie played by Annie, Amy Madigan and their daughter, Karen, the wonderful Gabby Hoffman, who I'm such a fan of, live on a corn farm in a small town in Iowa. Troubled by his broken relationship

with his late father, John, a devoted baseball fan, Ray fears growing old without ever having done anything to achieve his dreams. One evening while walking through his cornfield, he hears a mysterious voice whispering, if you build it, he will come. He sees a vision of a baseball diamond in the cornfield and shoeless Joe Jackson, a real player for the Chicago White Sox who died in 1951,

played by Ray Liotta. Believing in him, Annie lets him plow part of their corn crop to build a baseball field, even though their farm is struggling financially. Yeah, this premise, wild. This child named Karen threw me for a loop. I know, but there have to be young K Karen threw me for a loop. I know, but there have to be young Karen's at a certain point. I guess so,

but I was like, we're really going to call this. Karen is a woman's name, but yeah. Um, I loved the opening sequence where he's narrating over. I, it actually made me feel really good inside. It was kind of like wonder years, like home videos mixed with found footage. And then they kind of pieced together some of Kevin Costner's real pictures, I think, which is, I always think is, you know,

that was done well on this one. Sometimes that can be really weird. Um, it looked really real and good. And it was just very nostalgic feeling. And when, and the season that they're in, in the countryside, it feels so like comforting to me. Did you feel a bit? Yes. Yeah.

I felt comforted. So, okay, overall, I don't know if I like this movie, but I also didn't dislike it. Yeah. So his wife, Annie, nice lady, but wow, devoted to this man. She's a little kooky though. Yes. She, he goes, I want to decimate some of our field

where we make money and we're not really making money. Can I do that? And she's like, yeah, I love you, of course. Go do it. She takes so little convincing. He basically says it twice. And on the second time she's like, all right. Like he says, he says, I heard a voice

that told me to do this. She's like, oh, I don't know about that. And then he goes, I think I really got to do it. She's like, if you got to do it, go ahead. But it was like, he's like, do you hear that voice? And she's like, nope. And then he's like, okay, you must've heard that one. She's like, nope, time for dinner.

I'm like, if you hear, if you're yelling to me from a cornfield and you hear someone talking to you, I'm scared. I think there's someone in there. I mean, there's gonna be a lot of feelings. Also, if you build it, it starts with, if you build it, he will come. Yes.

That was like so, so it immediately means baseball field to you. Like it was like kind of like a lot of leaps were happening. A lot of leaps. A lot of leaps. But I was on board and I was enjoying the story. So I will say, you know, some people get a little upset when we don't like things. I just

have to say there are times we like things. People get upset when you don't like... Look, people get upset when you don't like movies that they don't like, but it's everyone's prerogative to not like a movie. And if you have a personal relationship with a movie, you have to understand that, especially if you're coming to a movie, way, if somebody's coming to a movie way after you have seen it, they're entitled to look at it with the fresh eyes of modern times and say movies, this is, this is a very old fashioned kind of moviemaking that doesn't hold up anymore. You know, for somebody who's just seeing it for the Movies, this is a very old fashioned kind of movie making

that doesn't hold up anymore, you know? For somebody who's just seeing it for the first time. Movies are not in and of themselves hermetically sealed and good for all time just because they were good once. There's a lot of shit that doesn't hold up and everybody has a movie that is regarded as a classic that they see, you know, when they're an adult and it's not good to them. That's just the way that it

is. It's art. That's the way it is. Thank you so much. And that's just play at the top of every episode. But with that being said, I was enjoying this. I was, I was like, it's a little like slow, but in a sleepy way. Honestly felt kind of like a mild sedative. This movie was kind of like, I'm a little bit. Yes, it was a Xanax. Yeah, like I'm a little like stoned feeling and like it's sleepy, it's magical, it's weird,

it's time travel. I think that this movie really portrayed very well and made you feel summer in the Midwest. Yes. In a way that something I've never experienced, like I didn't grow up there, but you really, you really felt the summertime of it when you saw the, the, especially like the field at dusk at night, like you really, really, it made me feel like how I felt when I was a kid playing games at night with my cousins. That is how I felt.

You know, in the summertime. Yeah, it did such a great job of evoking that vibe. And I think that goes a long way. It's really, it is much more of a vibe movie than it is a storytelling movie. Yes. Yeah, I agree with you. Yeah, because his story is wild. Truly wild. And it's funny that his wife is never like,

do you want to see a doctor? No. Do you, like, do you need something? But then she starts seeing things and hearing things and she's not freaking out. Yeah. I would be freaking out if my, because it's her brother, right, who comes to the farm

and is like, what are you guys talking about? What baseball men? And they're like, you can't see it. That's crazy. I know it's so fine to everyone that like we, I can see a bunch of people behind you that you can't see. Okay. It's so wild. So, okay. Ray builds the field. He tells his daughter, Karen, about the 1919 black sock scandal where eight members of the White Sox were accused of throwing the World Series game for a mob payout,

which is really badass. I know, it tells her that... I think that's so funny to be like, all right, let's take the money and not win. Yeah. Um, he tells her that many people think shoeless Joe is innocent and that he was... he had always played to win. Several months pass until, just as Ray is beginning

to doubt himself, Shoeless Joe reappears on the diamond and returns, he also goes, can I come back tomorrow? It was just really funny. He felt like a little kid who was like, I really wanna play again. I really like this thing that we did. Can I bring my friends? And Ray Liotta is so moving.

I love him so much. He says so little. He moves me. Yes. Yes. He's so, I love Ray Liotta. He's so, he just really brings a weight to everything he does. And it's so, like, his eyes tell us such a story.

And he's so, like, he obviously is so handsome, but it's like, he, he, he just carries like so much with him. I just feel like that could be so stupid seeming and it didn't feel stupid. It felt like really like magical and cool and like, yeah, really in this is like the definition of magnetism. Like you can't, you can't not look at him and you can't, you can't not feel his presence every time he's on screen. Yeah. Yep. And I feel like I really miss the Ray Liotta train

because I've only seen him in this and Goodfellas. I know. And I'm like, Oh no, he's so good. I should have enjoyed him more. Wasn't he in, um, Karina, Karina? Yes, he was. Oh my God. I love it. I've never seen Karina. This was with Whoopi Goldberg, you have to see that.

Oh, I should watch it. Do they fall in love? It was one of my favorite movies growing up, but I haven't watched it since I was a kid. So we can listen to Paul's point that maybe it's terrible, but I did love it. I have not seen Karina, Karina. I just remember it from stocking the shelves at Tower Video.

Wow. Oh, you worked at Tower Video? I did indeed. I worked there for a couple years. I love the one that was in Times Square. Of course. That one was great. Is there anything more exciting

than going to a video store in Times Square, New York? Renting a movie. In Times Square with all the lights? The lights! Okay, so Shoeless Joe reappears on the diamond and returns with seven other Black Sox players. Ray, Annie, and Karen sit and watch the players practice on the diamond.

When Annie's brother, Mark, Timothy Busfield arrives, he cannot see the players and thinks Ray's crazy. Knowing the farm is struggling financially, he offers to buy the land. Ray meanwhile hears the voice again. And this blew me away because the voice goes, ease his pain. And I was like, so is he gonna kill somebody?

Is this voice telling him to murder? That would have been an interesting twist. Side note, Timothy Busfield plays the brother. He's great. Do you think, Timothy Busfield plays the brother, he's great. Do you think when he did interviews at the time, they made the headline Busfield of Dreams? Lauren, I'm gonna say no. I'm gonna also say, I don't think so.

I think I will. But I wish they did. If I wrote a magazine article about him, I would call it Busfield of Dreams, and then, yeah, that's what I would do. Okay. I like that plan. I wish that you were a journalist. I'm not gonna talk you out of it. That's what I would do.

That's what you would do? Hey, you do you. Okay. So ease the pain, yeah. And then he starts drawing it on stuff. And he's kind of like, he's getting a little like, you know, crazy with it now. It's getting a little like, it's-

When he was just writing it over and over again in different size fonts. Yes, Ease the Pain. Yes. It was kind of, I was like, oh no, this is, he's gonna kill somebody. I thought, or yeah, or he's having like, he's having a mental break

and I was getting worried about the character. I was starting to find him less appealing overall. I was like, something's really wrong here. And also, yeah, the mom kind of like offhandedly throws out that they're trying to ban books at the school. So now we're at this PTA meeting where Annie argues with the other parents who are trying to ban books at the school. So now we're at this PTA meeting where Annie argues with the other parents who are trying to ban the books by Terrence Mann.

So I guess we're just trying to introduce Terrence Mann as a character. James Earl Jones plays him. I Googled this plot a little bit and saw that originally it was supposed to be JD Salinger was the character. And he threatened to sue them. If he used, if they use his name.

And so they changed it, but that's interesting. So they really just shoehorn that in there just to get the point across that we need to get to this author and that the author is controversial. But you know what? And here's the thing. And this is, I'm sure this is going to bother people who love this movie.

You would make so much more room for pacing the story if you got rid of that character entirely. He did not need to be in there. It does feel random. It wasn't connected to baseball. He just liked baseball. He didn't need to be in there at all. And obviously it was the authors. If this character is in the book, it was obviously the authors acts to grind.

Like if that was happening as it periodically does happen in our stupid culture where people are trying to get books banned, that this was a time when they were trying to do that. And he had something to say about it. And if you, if you remove the James Earl Jones character, unfortunately you lose your only character of color, which is too bad, but you also could have had, if you remove him, you could have had maybe some players from the Negro leagues come to the cornfield and play ball because isn't that an interesting story as well? In addition to the Chicago black Sox, like, you know, that would have been, and

then now these players are playing with players of a different color for the first time ever. Um, you know, that were after the, cause these were players that didn't get to play, um, in this, in the integrated, uh, MLB, you know, so that there was maybe, if you want to have a commentary, that's maybe more of an interesting commentary, especially given the story of baseball, which is what this movie is all about.

But if you did that, Paul, you couldn't have your magical Negro who then goes into the cornfield who doesn't really exist in real life. And you're not celebrating a real person. You just made somebody up. Yeah, exactly. And that's more fun.

And you know what? As far as magical Negroes go, he didn't have a whole lot of magic in him. He really didn't. He just disappeared into the cornfield and was like, are you trying to kidnap me? Has that a gun? Yeah.

That's what bothered me. It's like Kevin Costner is his magical Negro, really. Well, because he kind of was almost just like a therapist. Like he kind of was like a mirror to Ray to be like, why are you doing this or something? Just kind of asking questions, maybe an exposition train. Like he kind of just like asked questions that got him to explain certain feelings that he was having.

But yeah, I agree that it wasn't really the best use of even James Earl Jones, who was fantastic and does. He was having. Yeah. But yeah, I agree that it wasn't really the best use of even James Earl Jones, who was fantastic and does. He was great. And of course, he makes it feel important. Yes. He also does a fun thing, like Ray Liotta in a different way, grounds things. And it's just like his face and his voice and his body.

Like he is just, he commands on the screen, which is what an insane thing to have, to be able to like on screen screen, which is, what an insane thing to have, to be able to like, on screen not do very much, but be very, very important. That's like, oh God, what is her name from Killers of the Flower Moon? Lily Gladstone? She, yes, Lily Gladstone is like a modern day version

of that, where she doesn't have to do very much, and I'm just, I'm here for it. I need to see what's going to happen. And he sold he sold so many lines and ideas that would be very hard to sell by a lesser actor. Yeah, he really he committed to that shit and he said it. You're like, all right, I'll buy it from you. Yeah, I agree.

So they're trying to be on the books that buy it from you. Yeah, I agree. So they're trying to be on the books that he wrote, his character's Terrence Mann. He was a controversial author and activist from the 1960s. And Ray is scribbling in a notebook during the meeting. And he realizes the voice must have been referring to Mann, who had named one of his characters John Kinsella, which is his last name, and had once professed a childhood

dream of playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Ray tries to convince Annie that he needs to drive to Boston to find man even though they are incredibly broke by this point. This is where it starts to get real. This is so funny to me. I love it. He's like, I got it. And she's like, why? And he's like, I got it. And then she's like, wait a minute, Fenway, is Fenway the baseball field that's like this? And he's like, yeah. What made you think of that? She's like, I had a dream. Was that on second base?

Yeah, you were. And I was like, what? Was this the hot dog thing or something? She's like, and you had a hot dog or something. Yeah. I would be like, we're sick. That's the thing is that they're treating these miraculous events very casually.

Like the fact that they both had that same dream, I feel like, look, on the one hand, there's something that's kind of fun about them treating these things like, oh yeah, I have the same dream. Okay, go ahead. I don't know, but it's like in a more overt comedy, maybe I would have been able to more gloss over that,

but in a sort of feel good, like capital H Hollywood sports movie, emotional movie, it just felt like that's, that's it. That's all you're going to say is like, Oh yeah, I had that same dream. You should go. Well, totally. Because it's like, if you saw her really react, oh my God, like when she sees the players, like, oh my God, it's real, like, you're not crazy.

Wow. And like, I almost got, I give myself chills just acting that out. Well, Lauren, it was very good. It was so good. But I also was like, whoa, she's seeing something. Because what if she was really like, like she's, if she was like, you're crazy. And then she went like, I see it too. And then it's like, we all are like in,

and then the brother doesn't see it. And then he does see it. Cause even when the brother sees it, eventually he's sort of like, yes, like, who are these people? Yeah. And it's like, what's our bigger response? Yeah. Yeah. And it's like, what, Sarah, we've been talking about it. I need a bigger response. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think it would have been better. I think if he said, I have to go find, you know, Terrence Mann, she goes, okay, I had a dream last night that you were with him at a baseball game, you know, whatever, you know what I mean? Not for, not for her to say, why do you have to go there? And then he goes, well, I had this dream. She goes, oh, I had the

same dream. Yeah, that's true. That is like kind of just weird writing. Oh, I forgot about it. You reminded me of this insane dream that I had. Yeah, I agree. I feel like there needed to be more stakes. The stakes are very high.

We're hearing things. We're letting our farm go under. And we're just like, what happened? Like even when he calls and she's like, yeah, the banks took the farm. He's like, oh, okay, well, I'm not coming home because I gotta go do something. James Earl Jones is like, no, we're going home.

He's like, oh, just kidding, I am coming home. I'm like, everything is so lackadaisical, but the stakes are so high. Yes. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. Yes. And that's why I love movies of like the 90s, because it's high stakes and everybody cares.

Kind of like, so I just saw a clue for the first time. The stakes are high, there's been a murder. We all need to figure it out and we all care about it. This is like, the stakes are high, ghosts are talking, and maybe we'll figure it out. Yeah. I feel like that's why it's sort of, it felt like a play that you would see.

And it's like, it's a very dark place where like, just a spotlight comes up on a baseball play every once in a while. And then like, there's kind of a lot of narration. It's just like a slow, sleepy, it's just very, it's not urgent. Like he has the feeling that it needs to happen, but he doesn't even present urgency really.

It's sort of like, he's kind of just like, I gotta do it, I gotta do it. I feel like it's more like a book, because a book you assign your own urgency to things, it's your imagination. So it feels like this book assigns just like a real flatline of like, I care about this.

Cause in a play, I feel like, like, have you seen the whale? The whale was a play adapted. No. You gotta see the whale. I've been wondering if I have to see that. Listen, there's a part at the end where his fat little feet jump off into the sand. Stop.

And I laughed for a full day about it. Paul, have you seen it? Oh yeah, I have seen it, they're cool. Them fat little feet, ooh. Does he masturbate in that movie? Sure he does, yeah, of course. Oh yeah, and then he eats so much that he throws up at one point,

and I was like, have they talked to a fat? Yeah. But anyway. The whale is really like, what if fat people had feelings? Yeah, and they have the most feelings. Yeah, exactly. And that to me is like, that is a play where it's like,

oh my God, everything is like so in your face and it could have been dialed back a little bit. Can you imagine seeing that live as a play? Sure could it, sure could it. I'd be so mad about it. Oh my God. Okay, now I guess I do have to watch that. Lauren, you have to see it. His daughter in it is so mean to him

in a way where you're like, well, nobody would accept this. As a child. I would let her go at that point. Yeah, I'd be like, you gotta get outta here. Message received. Oh. Okay, so Annie and Ray have their identical dreams and she tells him to go to Boston to

find to find the author. So man who has become a disenchanted recluse agrees to attend one game. There Ray hears the voice urging him to go the distance, seeing statistics on the scoreboard for Archie Moonlight Graham, played by Burt Lancaster, who played in one game for the New York Giants in 1922, but never got to bat. Though Mann initially wants nothing to do with Ray's crazy schemes, he ends up admitting to hearing the voice and seeing the scoreboard too.

But see, what's interesting there is that he's not really there. He's not real at the end. The author, because he goes into the cornfield. He was real? No, he was real. They invited him. Oh, I thought he wasn't real. I thought it was like when he goes and gets the doctor, the doctor was dead already.

Yeah. That's what I thought. And then I thought Terrence Mann was also dead too, because he gets to go in the cornfield. I don't think that he was dead because somebody knows where he lives. You know what I like about this? If you're listening to this and you haven't seen this movie, we make no sense. Like, wait, was he dead? No, he wasn't dead. But he did know him, but he was from then. But he wasn't from then. He was from a different. And then they were. He was from a different, but when he was from a different, when you know, he, uh, shoeless Joe invites him to the cornfield and raise like, why can't I go? And he goes, you weren't invited. That it's like, I took it to mean, is, is he dying now? Dying. Oh, but then he says like, I'm going to write about

this. Yeah. Well, no one's going to see that. I got a scoop on what happens in the cornfield heaven. In cornfield heaven. And when the baseball players would ask, like, is this heaven that made me feel really sad? Yeah. Yeah Yeah. Well, because they love baseball so much. They love it so much with them, but I'm like, what liminal space were you in before this? Oh, they were in purgatory. Oh my God, do you think our heaven's gonna be improv?

No, it's gonna be baseball, I'm gonna be so pissed. I actually was wondering that- It's the same for everyone goes to baseball heaven. I was gonna ask you guys a question. Whether you like it or not, you end up in baseball heaven. We gotta go to baseball heaven. I was gonna ask you guys a question. Whether you like it or not, you end up in baseball heaven. We gotta go to baseball heaven? Oh man.

I was gonna ask you about this because, so throughout the movie, so we know that Ray is obsessed with baseball and he ends up picking up these, you know, he accrues different baseball players and stuff and he's like very excited every time he gets a new one. And then I was thinking, what would that be for you guys? Like, Paul, would it be baseball or would it be like,

would it be improvisers? Just dead improvisers? That is a, that's hell, Lauren. That's actually hell. Like imagine curating a bunch of like, What's like John Belushi and like, you're like, oh, John Candy's hitchhiking over here. And like, you pick up all these comedians.

Like, I don't know. I don't think there's enough dead ones that I would want to be there. Yeah. I think it would truly be hell on earth. I could think of plenty of dead ones I would not want to be there, that it would be a drag. But you know what would be fun?

If you built like a Broadway theater in a cornfield, and then you would get like these legendary stage actors coming back, that would be incredible. That would be so cool. That would be fun. Or like a movie theater and like all the stars from like the golden age come back. Like I wanna meet Tallulah Bankhead,

she used to answer her door naked. Yeah. And that's funny to me. Okay, I like it, that would be fun like that would be fun. So Ray and man drive to Chisholm, Minnesota, and they learn that Graham, who became a physician, a physician, oh my God, a physician. Wait, someone say that word. Physician. Physician. Doctor. Oh, that's tough for me. A doctor had died years earlier. Ray researches Graham, who's obituary said

that he was a beloved and charitable doctor, but makes no mention of his baseball career. Ray suddenly finds himself in 1972 and meets an elderly Graham. That part confused me. I was like, wait, he time traveled? I rewound it to see what was going on. Yeah, it was confusing.

Who feels his true purpose in life is medicine, not sports, and declines to visit Ray's baseball field. But coincidentally on the drive back to Iowa, Ray and man pick up a young hitchhiker named Archie Graham, who was looking for a baseball team to join. That, this whole part confused me, and I didn't realize he was the doctor until he stepped off the diamond and was the doctor again.

And I was like, oh. Oh wow, okay. Okay, I did, I had read a bit of it at this point, looks like I was Googling to find out about the author. And so I had a clue that that was gonna be the doctor. So I don't know if I would have gotten it without that, but I loved that part. When the hitchhiker gets in

and then you realize that it's him, it's so sweet thinking that that I loved that part. When the hitchhiker gets in and then you realize that it's him, it's so sweet thinking that that man was that person. Like that made me feel like, oh, that was so, that's so cute and cool to be able to see what he was like when he was young and he was just like full of hope and dreams. And I just liked that.

When I realized it, Lauren, I had the opposite thing. I was like, that's scary. We're young and full of dreams. And then you get old. And then the dreams that you thought were important are no longer important to you. And you pick a profession where you make money to support your family, and then you die.

But he talked about it like he was really happy that he was a doctor for his whole life. He was like, that wasn't the thing that would have made me happy. I was happy doing this. Gaslighting yourself is a thing. You gaslight yourself into giving up your dreams and that this is the best thing for you. No, I'm glad I got fired. My thing was, why didn't he come through the cornfield? Right. But you know what? No, but no, it makes you think

that they're all coming from really different places. And it just so happens that he was gonna hitchhike his way to get to Iowa. But everybody else came through the cornfield. But they got to the cornfield. Who knows where they came from on the other side of the cornfield? Maybe they were in a car.

Maybe they hitchhiked their way to the other side of the cornfield. But maybe disappear in right at the beginning of the cornfield. Yeah. You do wonder where they go. I do. I do have a problem. I will admit. I do have a problem when a sort of fantastical universe, you're not given the rules, right? Yeah. Because I feel like it makes it harder to follow along and it makes it, it stops me. It takes me out of it to wonder like, Oh, then what, what are the rules?

Or are, I agree. Where is he? Where did he come from? If we know this man lived to be an old man, how is he coming as a young man on the side of this road miles and miles away from the magical cornfield? You know what I mean? And when I thought the same thing. Cause I was like, does this change his fate? If he says this experience, that girl falling from the thing, does that change? Cause it,

it implies that he was, he had the urge to be a doctor right then, because he runs toward her like he's going to save her. Then he becomes his current doctor self. But it's like, so did they change the past by, like it folds in on itself very quickly if you don't explain that. So he crosses over the line and he becomes the old doctor again.

Who is dead? Right. That's been established, obituary and everything. He's able to pat this girl on the back very hard to get the hot dog out. And then he, then he goes back and he's still old and he has to go in the cornfield. So it's like, it's confusing. Yeah. And I think the thing is also confusing that Ray suddenly is in 1972 with like no rhyme or reason. And so I'm like, so he can time travel? Cause like I can get behind the baseball field bringing everyone to it.

They are coming to this thing. Now suddenly you're in the past, you're doing this, that, and the other. It's just, it is a little, now you're driving across picking up a ghost. There are just like a lot of confusing rules. You know, I feel like what they were trying to do was like, he goes, I don't want to come to your baseball diamond

because I'm a doctor, that's me. And then, like, the universe was like, no, no, no. When you were young, you really wanted to play baseball, so then he's young, but then eventually, I guess you're supposed to be like, baseball isn't for him, and that's why he chooses to be like, his road chosen was the correct one. But I'm not sure, I don't know why we needed that.

Well, cause I kind of felt the same thing happened to him. Again, it's like he only played half a game in this dream world because he was so distracted by helping people. Yeah. But imagine being Karen, a child who swallows a dog, a bunless dog and a ghost dislodges it. Like, how do you ever tell another soul about that?

Not to mention your uncle is like, shut up, Karen, shut up. And then he like basically knocks her off the bench. I was like, you, that was crazy. Nobody's like yelling at the brother. I was like, no one goes like, what the fuck, man? Yeah, like why did you knock a child down? You caused my daughter to swallow a dog.

And to fall down like 10 feet or more. Yeah. And then it's like, go have a cold drink. I know this is overwhelming for you, but it's also like, you shook my child. Yeah, I got problems with you, buddy. Yeah, yeah. Again, nobody's reacting to things the way they should be. They don't react.

There's a lot of not reacting. It's all such shorthand, yeah. Yeah. Kevin Costner, at one point, he goes, wow, this is so interesting. And I was like, the line read on that is funny. What was he talking about? I can't remember, but he was like,

oh, this is so interesting. Let's say he had not yet come into his own as an actor and he was definitely not, you know, a big Kevin Costner acting style is no acting above the nose. He will give you mouth only and you get smile or you get frowned. I can see that. Yeah. But I could also see,

he's so charismatic. You certainly get nothing from the audience. I think he's charismatic. He is charismatic, yeah. I understand why he's had an illustrious career. I know, and I liked his outfits in this. Oh, me too. And his hair.

Classic 90s Midwest. Oh boy. Yeah, really good. Doing it for me. It worked. Ray later tells a man that his father dreamed of being a baseball player and tried to make Ray pick up the sport instead.

At 14, after reading one of man's books, Ray stopped playing catch with his father and they became estranged after he mocked him, saying he could never respect a man whose hero, meaning Shoeless Joe, was a criminal. Ray says, it's like people whose parents like Trump and they don't like that, you know. So just to catch up.

It's just like that. It's just like that. It's just like that. So Ray says that his greatest regret is that his father died before they could reconcile. As they continue the drive, Man and Ray acknowledge that the building of the field and bringing Joe back is Ray's penance for the estrangement with his father.

Arriving at the farm, they see various all-star players of the 1920s have arrived fielding a second team. They play a game and Graham finally gets his turn at bat. Is, was this the point where, um, James Earl Jones is like, they will come. Don't worry, they will come. Yeah.

I, the gravitas of that moment, and I was like, truly, a different actor, it would have been hokey. Like, just, they will come. It was, this movie is... No, he's so good. Yeah. He can say anything. I feel like... Also, Ray is always introducing himself as Ray Kinsella.

Like, his full name throughout the movie. So that ending, I just thought that ending point makes it a very clear connection when he says his name is whatever Kinsella. They didn't want you to have any questions about that. That's my dad. Yeah. I liked, I really did though, like how everything was like it's sort of origami

of like time folding and time travel. And I thought it was really cool. It was not at all what I expected this to be like. I thought it was going to be really boring. And I don't think I wouldn't describe it as boring. It's like a unique movie. It's fun. It's fantastical.

I, for whatever reason, thought dead kids were involved. That's not it. That makes sense. Yeah. Thank you. For whatever reason, I was like the Sam lot, but dead. And that's not- The dead lot.

So the next morning, Annie's brother, Mark returns, demanding that's not the deadline. So the next morning, Annie's brother, Mark returns demanding that Ray sell the farm or the bank will foreclose on him. I don't understand that, that logic. So like it's either sell to him or the bank. Like, why is it either or anyway, I didn't really get that either because I was like, he was saying you're gonna get foreclosed on yeah, explain how this this works, Paul. Yeah, he's got enough money to buy it before the bank does.

They don't have money. This is his sister. He says, I'm just looking out for my sister. So that's why I'm willing to buy this since you guys can't, you can't pay the bank off. And I'd rather that it stay in the family with me than the bank get it. Yeah.

Also, it was made to feel like he was the villain of this, but you explaining that means that he's just being really nice. Yeah. Oh yeah. Cause at one point he's like, you can just live in the house for free, right? Yes. Yeah. So why didn't they just let him have it?

Oh, I guess cause he would get rid of the field, put corn back in there. That would be, he did seem to have would get rid of the field. He would get rid of the field and put corn back in there. That would be... Also, he did seem to have still a bunch of corn left. He had a ton of corn. There was so much corn. There was so much corn. There was so much corn.

So much corn. So much corn. So much corn. So much corn. So much corn. So much corn. So much corn. There's still some corn.

There's definitely still enough corn, but also I think if I lived in the house and my brother covered up the field, I would be really sad all the time Because I'd be and also probably those voices would never stop. They'd be like you gotta get the feel back Reclaim your land make him have pain So Karen pipes up saying they won't need to sell the farm because people will come. Oh yeah. Come and watch the baseball, the ball games.

Man agrees and says, people will come from all over to relive their childhood innocence. Mark and Ray scuffle accidentally knocking Karen off the bleachers and she falls to the ground unconscious. This is nuts. She's blue. I couldn't believe how quickly this child was blue. The fall also, that was just, I have judgment over how that was portrayed.

It was very weird. Yes. It was. It was sort of like, she fell and then she's on the ground. Like it was like, they didn't show it happening. And your brain kind of goes, what? But then I go, well, everything's fake. So I guess it's fine. As everyone looks around for a doctor,

Graham walks over to the family. I really liked this part. So the young baseball player sees this happening and is compelled to walk towards the situation. And then he hesitates before he steps off the diamond. There's like a border on it. And he's like, should I? And then when he does, he transforms into the older

Doc Graham and revives Karen who had choked on a hot dog. He reassures Ray that he has no regrets. Did you see the hot dog in her hand? I didn't see it. Me either. And I was like, wait a minute, what? I didn't see it. I did not see it.

I thought she, I'm sure she had it. I didn't see it though. And I didn't understand. I thought she, I'm sure she had it. I didn't see it though and I didn't understand. It looked like when she fell, she was never eating it up there. It was- No, and where was the bun? This is why I'm like, I can't suspend my disbelief. While she fell, somehow that dog slid out of that bun

with no condiments. You believe every other thing that happened in this movie. Except that. I'm gonna go rewatch that part. Cause I actually don't. I also am gonna go rewatch that part. But yes. Okay. Lauren ghosts, voices, fantastical.

I'm on board, but a, a condomless dog sliding off a bun while she falls in condom cond condoment, condomentless, sorry. How do you eat your dogs? You don't protect your hot dogs? But also, but now, Nicole, are you saying that the piece that flies out of her mouth should have some bun around it? Yes.

Because how did it slide out of the bun down her throat? The perfect ending. Here's the thing. I think before she should have been shown holding the dog with condiments on because then I would believe it slid out of the bun, but a, just a dry dog sticks to the bun and then it has that sliding as she falls. We're going to have to revisit the tape for sure. We're going to have to. We do need to revisit. You know what you need? Instant replay.

Instant replay. We do need that. Just on the hot dog part. So he tells Ray he has no regrets about being a doctor and he walks back into the cornfield as the other players commend what he did. And Shoeless Joe yells after him, you were good. as the other players commend what he did. And Shoeless Joe yells after him, you were good. Doc Graham smiles, his eyes filled with tears,

and he disappears into the cornfield. And suddenly, Mark can also see the baseball players and urges Ray to keep the farm after all. Mark needed more from you in terms of shock and awe. Just a little bit more. All these people just appeared, and you're like, where'd all these people come from? And it also means your sister's not crazy.

Like, yeah. Yeah, yeah. No apology, nothing. Nothing. Mm-hmm. Nothing for Mark. So, Joe invites Man to enter the corn, asking him to write about what he sees, and Man agrees.

Ray's angry at not being invited, but Man tells him he has a family to take care of, so I guess he's dying? I didn't think, I thought Ray was immature at that moment. I'm like very immature. He's like, what do I get out of this? Yeah. It can't be that great if they don't want to stay there.

No. There's no food or bathroom. Yeah, also they're ghosts. So why? I mean, I don't know. There's no food or bathroom. Who's he going? to main things you need? Yeah.

So the idea that that man is going to write about this, what he sees there is like for whom, where does that go? Yeah. Are you banned? Is he going to come back and say, here's proof of the afterlife. Are you going to everybody read it or do you have to have a special spirit? Maybe he would be able to be can everybody read it? Or do you have to have a special spirit? Maybe he would.

A frame of mind to be able to read it. In the moment. He would talk to Ray like through the ghosting. He'd be like, here's what I see, Ray. Write it down. Okay, when Ray goes and meets the author in his apartment, doesn't he, doesn't man say to him, are you from the sixties?

Yeah. Yes. And what does that mean? I think it means he's been visited by other people. Because that would be time before. Okay. Oh. What's your theory? I'm just wondering when in the timeline this has happened, what does he mean are you from the sixties?

Does he mean are you time traveling or does he mean were you born in the sixties? I think he means- What does he mean, are you from the 60s? Does he mean, are you time traveling? Or does he mean, were you born in the 60s? I think he meant, are you one of these peace and love people from, you know, you're still holding on to this bullshit that I have renounced. Well, that's confusing because then he time travels. So I thought he was asking, are you a time traveler? I've been visited by other people who want me to do things

and I'm not doing it. Right, I thought it was, oh, were you a young person in the sixties? That makes more sense. Yes. Okay. That does make more sense. Thank you. Thank you. So Joe glances towards the catcher at home plate saying, if you build it, he will come. When the catcher removes his mask, Ray recognizes that it's his daddy, John played by Dwyer Brown as a young man. Ray introduces John to his wife and daughter without acknowledging who he is. Later as evening falls, John says, good night to Ray. And they shake hands as John is walking solemnly towards the cornfield. Ray calls out, Hey dad, you want to have a catch? And they throw the ball. What?

I think that broke me. I mean, I didn't cry, but I thought, wow. Yeah. I mean it is sweet. And they throw the ball back and forth as the camera pulls away and we see hundreds of cars are approaching from all directions towards the baseball field, which is also wild. Like imagine being like, I have to go to a baseball field in the middle of a corn field. And I also love, in the dead of night, and then nobody's there.

Also I love when- Yeah, it's just gonna be this guy and his dad having a catch. His dad who's younger than him. Yeah, which is so wild. But when James Earl Jones is like, people will pay $20, I was like- $20? Yeah. That's a lot of money back in the day. It was more

than a baseball game cost for sure. But I mean, you're, you're seeing legendary dead players. So I guess 20 bucks is pretty reasonable. And do you think they'll sell corn there? Cause that's smart. Yes. E Yes, just ears of corn, not cooked corn. Not ear of corn. Not popcorn, no. Well, yeah, and I thought that was a very sweet ending with the dad.

I just thought that was touching and kind of gives him a nice little button on his little daddy issue problems. It was nice. And the dad knows it's him in that moment. And that was meaningful too. Honestly, the, the cars driving in the headlights that takes away from that moment. It, I feel like this movie has to end with, Hey dad, you want to have a catch? They start throwing the ball. She turns the lights on fade out.

You know what I mean? That's it. You don't even know. Oh, they did come like, okay, I took that for granted. You know what I mean? Everything else came true. So I didn't need, I didn't need confirmation of that. Exactly. You could really assume it's going to go well from there. He's not going to be put into a loony bin. It's all good. Yeah. This is like the rat in departed. A lot of people said you don't need it. Yeah.

Look at me remembering movies. Oh God. Nicole, I made a reference to the Robert Pattinson Batman film during the live comedy, Bang Bang, that not a single person in the room understood. Really? Not a single audience member. Nobody knew what I was talking about. And by the way, I looked it up room full of people who should, someone should get this. There was somebody in the audience that confirmed it.

Okay, great. Oh, I saw Martin Sheen at the Delta Lounge, and I was like, oh my God, I'm gonna go to the Delta Lounge and I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go to the Delta Lounge and I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go to the Delta Lounge and I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go to the Delta Lounge and I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go to the Delta Lounge and I'm gonna go,

I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go, These nerds. Yes. There was somebody in the audience that confirmed it. God, that's so funny. Okay, great. Yeah. Oh, I saw Martin Sheen at the Delta Lounge. I was in the elevator with him. Wow. And he was very funny. He goes, do you know where we're going? And I was like, up, because that's the only way

you can go to go to the lounge. But I really wanted to be like, I loved you in the department. But then I was like, I don't, he's done more things and I simply don't know. Right, that's the thing, but that's still nice. Yeah, he wouldn't have minded that. Yeah. And then he was the belle of the ball on the plane.

Everyone was whispering about Martin Sheen. He looks so good. He was wearing little black New Balances. He had a cute little wife. And then I found out later he was going to DC to meet Biden. Wow. And Biden saluted him and I was like, did you think you were an extra on the West Wing?

Why are you saluting Martin Sheen? What if Biden was like, I loved you in the departed. Yeah, you were great. And then Martin Sheen's like, Nicole Byer had the same thought. Also, Will.i.am was on that same flight. It was a fun flight. That's a crazy one. Wait, who else was there?

Will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas. Will.i.am? Yeah. Yeah. Can you do your Biden one more time saying that departed? Listen, simple. Departed. Good movie.

Right at the end, you need it. This is America, you need to see the rat. You need to see the rat. You need to see the rat. It's true. God, that's funny. Ultimately, the rat has a place in our hearts. It does.

I like that rat. Rest in peace to the rat. One of the great movie rats up there with Ratatouille, Ben. Anya's not sure if the rat has passed. She seems incredulous. I think he's still with. I think he's the rat still alive. Yeah, he's with bubbles.

The old the old animals. No bubbles. Oh, that's what I mean. Bubbles is still alive. Bubbles is still alive because bubbles recently said that something about what did he say? Bubbles didn still alive. Because Bubbles recently said that he asked something about, what did he say? Bubbles didn't say anything. Bubbles is a monkey, right? Bubbles is a monkey?

Someone posited that Michael Jackson would be proud of Bubbles for still being alive. That's why I need you everywhere, because you're helping me stay on track. What did Bubbles the chimp say again? I thought he said MJ would be proud of him. Bubbles lives in Florida. Bubbles does not talk.

He does not sign. Bubbles is in his 40s, I think. That's too old. Wow. I'm concerned. He lives in the Center for Great Apes in Wachula, Florida. Oh, I'm happy he has such a nice life. OK, let's talk about the reception of field of dreams.

Field of dreams open to positive critical reviews. Roger Ebert gave it four stars at the time that checks out. It currently holds an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was nominated for three Academy Awards for best picture, best screenplay, and best original score. See, I get best picture. I don't know if I get best screenplay and I get best score. Wow. See, I get best picture. I don't know if I get best screenplay and I get best score. I get best score. The music did great. Take me there over and over again. Best screenplay is that's absurd. If you build it, he will come is

listed as number 39 on the American Film Institute's top 100 quotations in American cinema. And I've known that one forever. I just didn't know what it's about. Same. And I didn't know that they would say it every eight seconds. ALL LAUGHING Time for trivia! In the book, the writer Ray seeks out is the real-life recluse, author J.D. Salinger, who wrote Catcher in the Rye. When Salinger threatened the production with a lawsuit,

if his name was used, Robinson decided to rewrite the character as recluse Terrence Mann. He wrote it with James Earl Jones in mind because he thought it would be fun to see Ray trying to kidnap such a big man. That's funny because Ray doesn't actually try to kidnap him. There's no physicality. Puts a finger in his in his coat. And then James Earl Jones goes, are you trying to kidnap me?

And I was like, then try it. Try it. Try to drag that man out of his house. Yeah. I loved Sounder in high school, along with probably it, try it. Try to drag that man out of his house. Yeah, he was pretty willing, yeah. I loved Salinger in high school, along with probably many, many people. I read everything I could about him, including the memoir that his daughter wrote about him, which was not forgiving. And he, at the time, because I was like 17

and I loved his books, I was like in love with him. Like I thought like the character in Catcher in the Rift, I was like, this is like the best person that ever lived. Like, I just was like, I love everything Catcher in the Rift, I was like, this is, like, the best person that ever lived. Like, I just was like, I love everything about it. It was like a depressed teen, and I was like, I get it. And I read books about J.D. Salinger, where I learned that he dated 17-year-olds. And I was like, so I have a chance.

No. And, yeah. So I have a chance. And then it's, I later, I think there was a book written by one of his exes where he basically like, you know, completely, um, groomed her and then kept her in his home and she could. Yeah. I mean, it was like,

it's obviously a fucked up relationship when the age disparity is such that one person is a minor. Um, yeah, it was really crazy. But I, and I actually re started to reread Catcher in the Rise and Adult and I was like, what? Like it's true, you have to read it when you're 14. Like it's just- At 100%. Yeah.

I don't even remember what it's about. It's about Holden who's like calling people losers or something. Yeah, he just thinks everyone's a phony. Phony, obsessed with phonies. And he thinks the world is like super depressing and it is and then I don't remember what happens. He's always worried about his sister.

It captures that sort of bleak side of adolescence very well. When you're like, your body is fucking sabotaging you, and you're just so, you get so mad, or you get so sad out of nowhere. It captures that very well, but it's not for grownups to read. No, no, I really, I really spoke to me as a teenager

and I was like, wow, I can't believe I get to read this. And then, yeah, now I feel, I guess I've lost track of what that felt like. There was an actual Archibald Moonlight Graham. The stories the men shared were actual stories about Doc Graham. That's nice. That's cool. Oh. I didn't know that.

This is fun trivia. Then unknown, Ben Affleck, who is getting divorced and Matt Damon are among the thousands of uncredited extras in the Fenway Park scene. Over a decade later, when director Phil Alden Robinson welcomed Affleck on the set of Some of All Fears, Affleck said, nice to work with you again and had to explain to him

that they had worked together before. That's fun. I wouldn't call it working together, but I do think that's funny. That is funny to say. That's very funny and how cool and how crazy is all of the drama. I have to watch the documentary that J.Lo made.

Isn't it wild that she released a documentary about the greatest love, fully realized or whatever, and then is divorcing the man that it's about. You need to wait on that documentary for at least a few years of marriage. I would say. I do think their story, I was always really on board for how many years passed between the engagements. And I thought that was fascinating. But yeah, he never looked happy with her. I want Ben to be happy. He needs a Boston lady who's going to

get him Dunkin' Donuts every single day. He really doesn't look happy often. And I do feel concerned for him. I do feel like he's often looking very, very mad. I think I could make him happy. Okay. So that's the twist here. I imagine Ben Affleck hears this and he's like, huh, that lady does sound jolly and maybe she will go get me Dunkin Donuts every day. And then we like get married. Wouldn't that be incredible? Yeah, wild. I would love that. I would love it. Absolutely. Okay. Although shoeless Joe Jackson was a left handed hitter, producers decided to let

Ray Liotta bat from his natural right handed side. I'm glad Liotta often had people point out the inaccuracy to him, to which he would respond, none of the players ever came back to life either. Ray Liotta's my dude. That's my dude, I love him. Can you imagine Ray Liotta saying that to you? You'd be ashamed for the rest of your life.

Hey, he was actually left-handed, shut the fuck up. Shut the fuck up. You think I don't know that? Raleigh Oda. Oh, boy, oh, boy. Okay, we have to take another time out. We'll be back with more Field of Dreams after this. Ready, break.

Ready, break. Hi, Nicole Byer here, newcomers with Lauren Lapkus and Nicole Byers doing a live streamed fan choice episode for the finale of our season on iconic sports movies. That's right, you can finally tell us what we should watch and on September 5th at 4 p.m. Pacific Time we'll recap the winning movie and improvise a sequel with our friends Paul Scheer and Rob Hubel live. Head to my Instagram or head gums to vote on the movie and then head to moment.co, C-O slash newcomers to buy tickets. Again, tune in September 5th at 4 p.m. Pacific time.

If you can't watch it live, the video on demand replay will be available for 10 days. It's gonna be very fun. Don't miss it. Get your tickets at moment.co slash newcomers. Bye. ["Present Day Actors"] And we're back.

It's time for the newcomers draft. So if we are going to recast this movie with present day actors, who would we all pick? Ooh, that little man who's dating Zendaya. I think he could be Kevin Costner. Yes. Yeah. No.

He looks too old fashioned to me. I would cast him as Shoeless Joe before I'd cast him as. He would definitely play on the team. That's good. I feel like I need someone a little more rugged in the Kevin Costner role. Okay. Who is that today? I know.

Yeah, who's rugged today? It's all twinks now. It is. It is. Who is? I've got it. It's Glenn Powell. You're right.

That's honestly, that's who it would be. It would be Glenn Powell, but he's a big twink. You know, you don't have to say about him though. be Glenn Powell, but he's a big twink. You know, you don't have to say about him, though. He changes. He's a bit of a chameleon in his roles, I would say. I feel like he's not, I would expect him to be a certain way, and he's not.

And I like that. He's got some range, yeah, for sure. I think I've only seen him in that rom-com. Yeah, that's what I had seen, too. And then I was watching that other one where he is like a hitman sort of thing. Yeah, that's what he's called. I think it's called a hitman.

Hitman. Yeah. Yeah, on Netflix. It's good, he does a really good job. It's fun and he's a different character, it's good. Yeah. Oh, so he's an actor? I think he's really an actor, yeah.

We have to give him some credit. But I get what you mean. Sometimes you watch people in multiple things and you're like, you haven't changed really an actor. Yeah. We have to give him. But I get what you mean. Sometimes you watch people in multiple things and you're like, you haven't changed a single thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're just playing you. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And sometimes that's fine. Like, you know, but sometimes it's not. Who would we put for his wife? I throw Emma Stone in everything. I might put a Kate MacCoochie in there and give it a little quirk. Give it some quirk. That's fun.

Because the character is quirky and like kind of like. That's a good point. Yeah. Wait, let's put you in there, Lauren. Okay, fine. Lauren, let's put you in there. Kate, you're being recast. I understand you can't nominate yourself.

I did leave you guys there. I'm gonna put you in there and I will be Karen. Perfect. And we'll make you shrunk to like little kid size. Yeah, shrink me up and I'll choke on that dog. You shot far away. We'll do forced perspective. Yeah, the rooms are all built really weird.

So you're like, you look tiny. Like Lord of the Rings, your favorite. We love that. Oh boy, Lord of the Rings. Mike quizzed me yesterday on characters of Lord of the Rings trying to get me to name four. I was able to name three. Sarkar, is that one?

Sarkar. Golem, yeah Golem. Absolutely Golem. Gandalf. Absolutely Gandalf. Sam? Yeah, Samwise Gamgee, that's the one. So I got four.

You did good. The Sarkar character? Isn't that the dragon? Sarkar? No, Smog. Smog. Oh no. No, but Sauron is who I think you're thinking of.

No, I was thinking of the dragon. Smog. Smog. Oh, Smog. Who I think I was calling Snooki when we were recapping. Anyway. Kiss Cam, name the best smooch of the movie. Or if you wish you saw a smooch on the big screen,

I wish all those dead baseball players smooched. Me too, in a big pile. Yeah, just. In a big pile. It would have been nice to see a couple of them out there, like, oh yeah, we don't have to hide anymore. Yeah, we were always together. We're in baseball heaven, hooray.

Yeah. But also- I would have liked to see Ray and Annie. Ray and Annie. Ray and Annie's wife. Yeah, did they kiss Annie. I would have liked to see Ray and Annie. Kiss his wife. Yeah, did they kiss at all? No, they didn't really kiss, I don't think. Yeah, Ray and Annie should have kissed, I think, every time he was leaving the house to go do something.

To be like, I got to go solve my dream and fix the voices. And she's like, mwah, I hope you come back. Did they have a romantic scene? Maybe this is the last time we'll ever see each other. No, they did kiss. Oh, they did kiss in bed. In bed. But that wasn't sexy enough for me.

There was implied sex. There was implied sex. I felt that they were, I felt it was like a... It was just holding each other. I thought it was marriage sex where it was gonna lead to something. I thought it was emotional intimacy. That too.

It was a marriage sex. Ha ha ha ha! Which is, I guess, different sex. One day day maybe I'll experience it. It's also the sex of people who are hearing voices and seeing ghosts. They're nuts. Yeah. Well, then it should be, I think it should be better, better looking sex. It shouldn't just be like rolling over. You're like, Oh my God, build it. He will come. I'm building that dick for you. I will come.

Yeah. That's where I can't believe it took us so long to get there. Honestly. Okay. Time for the scoreboard, time for reviews. So once again, this season, we are reading reviews from Letterboxd. We are going to give the film a one sentence review ourselves and a star rating.

And if you don't know by now, Letterboxd is a social platform where people can write reviews of films and you can know by now, Letterbox is a social platform where people can write reviews of films and you can follow the show on Letterbox at Newcomers. Remember when I discovered that we were posting our reviews on, sometimes I'm astounded by how dumb I am. Paul, I didn't realize that the reviews we were giving were going on Letterbox.

You know what though? I didn't think about it at all. I think it was more just, I don't think we're dumb. I think we just kind of like go with each moment and we're just, we're moving on. It's like, we're not sitting here analyzing what we're doing. That's reframing. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Also, you are not the ones that are typing it out on letterbox, so why would you even think about it? Thank you. Oh God, thank you. So we have our amazing producers. You don't have the muscle memory. We don't need to have it. We have Anya. No muscle over here.

This letterboxed review is a two and a half star review from Christian Torres and they say, adorable and stupid, I think a dog wrote the script. Well, excuse me. You! Christian! Whoa! Oh my God. Whoa. Oh my God.

Wild. Absolutely outrageous. Absolutely crazy. Couldn't believe. Okay, so what's a one sentence review you would give the film? Paul, Nicole, you wanna go first? And also give it stars.

Nicole, please. Okay, I think I'm gonna give it three and a half stars. I liked it, but I didn't like it, which was very confusing for me. It felt like a warm hug on a summer day. And I need to see a dog replay because that girl choked on that dog in the wildest way possible. And why were her lips blue?

Thank you. Who's next? I'll go. I would give this movie, I'm gonna give this movie four stars. I, this movie made me nostalgic for things I've never experienced and don't want to experience. I really enjoyed how it felt.

I could totally put this movie on if I want to be transported to a Midwest summer, which I do love. So there we go. There we go. There we go. I'm going to say three stars, and I'm going to say not to be watched from a storytelling perspective, positive vibes only. Shut that brain off and enjoy the feelings.

Yes. Anya? I mean, I have to say that all of your reviews are swaying my review that I already decided on earlier because I kind of, I didn't do that. My review was going to be two and a half stars. I don't buy it. But what you're saying is that I need to shut my brain off and then I need to try again. I like when people have different answers.

Yeah, I like it too. You guys are right that it could be like, I think I was trying too hard to make it all make sense. Yeah. And you have to let go. Yeah, you gotta let go. I did, like within two minutes I Googled, is Field of Dreams magical realism? And then it was like, yes.

And I was like, then I'm just having fun. No, we're just having fun. Okay. Paul, is there a few- May I recommend, oh sorry. I wanna recommend two baseball movies that I love way more than this movie. Eight Men Out, which is about the Chicago Black Sox and that scandal. Oh, OK. Oh. And the natural.

The natural is almost magical realism, but not really. It is just a it's an old fashioned movie. Like you feel like it was made in the, in the thirties or something. Robert Redford plays a baseball player. Is he young? Brimley is the coach. He's not young, young. He is like, this movie was made in the, in the late eighties, maybe is what was it the, the same time as indecent proposal? It was before indecent proposalosal.

Okay, I'm in. Yeah. He looks, he's super hot in it. He looks like a baseball player. It's fucking great. And Eight Men Out is like a great drama about this particular scandal that happened in baseball, but they're both really good as stories and also baseball vibes. Like, do you get a lot of, I love this game,

this game is important. It's like the romance of baseball is present in both of those movies. I highly recommend them both. I think they work as movies apart from just being baseball movies. Thank you. You're welcome.

Okay. Do you have anything you would like to plug? I do! If you're in the UK and Ireland and Scotland come see us on the Comedy Bang Bang tour We're gonna be in Glasgow, then London, then Bristol, then Dublin, then Manchester My final varietopia on the road of the year will be Saturday, November 23rd in

Charleston, South Carolina. So please do come see that. Please go see those shows. That's going to be fun. It'll be so fun. Thank you so much, Paul. It was so fun having you here. It was a delight.

So good to have you again. Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. So please everyone, go write a review for newcomers on Apple Podcasts and rate the podcast on Spotify. And I have a big announcement. We are going to be back on September 5th at four o'clock Pacific time for our very exciting live stream finale.

Paul Scheer and Rob Hubel are joining us to watch and recap the movie of your choice. And then we're going to improvise a sequel to the movie. It's going to be very, very fun. So what movie do you want us to watch? You can head to our Instagram to vote and then make sure you go to moment.co slash newcomers to buy tickets. And we'll also have the video on demand

up to 10 days afterwards if you can't catch us live. So we will see you then. Let's all say newcomers on three. One, two, three. Newcomers! Let's all say Newcomers on three. One, two, three. Newcomers! Newcomers is a HeadGum Original hosted by us, Nicole Byer and Lauren Lapkus.

Our executive producer is Anya Konevskaia. Our producer is Ali Khan. Our theme music, editing, sound mixing, and mastering is done by Faris Manchi. Listen to new episodes wherever you get your podcasts every Tuesday. That was a Hidgum Original.