The Press Box - Ep. 185: ‘Jam Session’ With Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins

Episode Date: September 22, 2016

Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins come to grips with the Brangelina bombshell, discuss Angelina's divorce attorney Laura Wasser (19:30), and dive into 'Bridget Jones's Baby' (38:08). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it's Bill Simmons. Today's episode of Channel 33 is brought to you by Seekek, the presenting sponsor for my podcast, as well as the only fan-friendly app for buying and selling tickets for sports and music. With just two taps on your phone, you can instantly buy Seekkeek tickets to an event, and you can enter that event just using your phone, no paper tickets. Drop your old ticket app.

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And finally, don't forget about my new television show, any given Wednesday, which runs every Wednesday night at 10 p.m. on HBO. And reruns on HBO Now, HBO Go, and HBO on. demand. Welcome to Jam Session. I'm Juliet Lippin. I'm Amanda Dobbins. Probably the biggest news we'll ever have. Emergency jam session. Because Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are going to divorce. I still can't believe it. I'm shocked. I really am shocked. I thought it was like fake at first. Where were you? I was at home. Okay. I was trying to rush to get to work. Sure. Felt like I was running late. Me too, actually. And we were on separate coast. It was the worst time to be apart. Worst time ever.

I flew back just to be with you for this moment. Yeah, I was shocked. And then my mom was traveling and I wanted to call her to talk to her about it. That's sweet. Yeah, I mean, it's like big news. So my mom's like a, like, I wouldn't say she's a national inquirer supporter, but she's sort of like always beating the drum of like actually the National Enquirer is frequently correct. John Edwards.

John Edwards. Never forget. Monica Lewinsky. Oh, yeah. O.J. Simpson. It's true. Brad Pitt, Angeline, and Jolie. They've been talking about this for a while.

They were there. They were there. Yeah. Where were you, Amanda? I was also, well, I was in an Airbnb in New York because I was in New York. And I was about to leave for our New York office. And then I was at my computer for three hours emotionally working through this and also, you know, doing various stories that are on the ringer.com, which you should read. We really explored a lot of feelings yesterday on The Ringer. A question for you. Yes. You said you're working through a lot of feelings. Yeah. So are you upset? No, I mean, it's not, you know, I was thinking about it. The one I've been dreading, and I guess this is a moot point now, but Beyonce and Jay-Z, I would like, honestly, I would be sad. Even though we know that it's been complicated and there's a lot going on there, I would just be like, if they can't make it work, who can? Who can?

That would just, like, I would actually feel physical pain. This one I'm just, like, incredibly shocked by it. I have so many questions. I kind of had to come to come to a personal piece and like believed in them as a couple. I was like, oh, that's nice. Like they care about their kids. They stay out of L.A. Like they just do their own thing.

Cool, cool, cool. And when she wrote that piece for the New York Times and then got the Della Massectomy, I was like, that's like pretty amazing. More women need to talk about that. Good for her. And he was very supportive during the whole thing. Yeah. And so I came to really accept them. You know, it had been 12 years since the whole Love Triangle drama.

They got married two years ago. Did you like that? dress with her kids. No, not at all. I really didn't. She has actually terrible style. Embroarries, kids doodles are for the refrigerator, not for a multi-thousand-dollar dress. Except for the, you know, there are a couple great red carpet moments for her, including the tucks.

And there was a green dress, but otherwise she has like a truly terrible style. And she's so beautiful that it doesn't matter. Anyway, didn't like the dress. Don't care. It was very cute that her kids walked her down the aisle. They seemed nice. It was at Chateau Miroval, which makes delicious rosé. I, which I hope is not affected by this turn of events.

You never know, cookie. But, you know, it seemed like they had definitely after 12 years transcended. It was like five years of intense drama and speculation and shaming. They made it through. They made it through. I really admired both of her op-eds in the New York Times about her double mastectomy. And then she also had a hysterectomy, I believe. Yeah.

She also has a pretty, you know, she's a humanitarian. And yeah. Say what you will about her, but she gives, she at least gives money to the causes she believes in. And she's, you know, becoming a director. She's not always a great director, but I admire the ambition. It just, it seems like they were becoming serious people. Yeah, I have no idea. I was thinking about this. I have no idea if she's smart because I listen to like very few interviews with her,

but she like aspires to be a person of substance. And I applaud that. Like, that's great. Absolutely. So, you know, it seemed like there was no drama left with them. They had taken a very long time. Yeah. And they had moved past kind of the tumultuous beginning.

and they were just kind of a normal A-list celebrity couple. So I was just blindsided. I didn't know this was coming. I was so shocked. And like my rumors websites were not even really talking about. I was just the inquirer. No, it's true. So, all right, let's talk about this.

It's been over, it's been about 36 hours now. Right. Let's talk about where we are at the situation. Okay. We're in the situation room. We're in the, okay. Well, I just want to say I was immediately shocked and also my first instinct was like what did he do?

Yeah. Because it was very sudden. As many people have pointed out, the timing of the announcement is not like a Friday afternoon news dump or, you know, they could have done it over Labor Day, et cetera. They did it like Tuesday morning prime time. Yeah. It was like an offensive. Yes.

And it was very clear from the way that the documents were leaked to TMZ. And the fact that Angelina Jolie is using celebrity divorceal or Laura Wasser who will come back to. Diso Queen. Anyway, it's clear that they were leaking to TMZ. Like they were taking, it was a press offensive. If it's not a security camera, footage tape or whatever, TMZ is like likely has a source on the inside. Totally. At this point. And they also, they pay for information. Yeah. And you know, I think that they usually have all celebrity divorce filings because they are public record. Yeah. And the general theory is that there's someone at like the particular, the various Los Angeles like court

rooms who will just alert TMZ. But that sounds like a really good like Showtime show. Yeah, it does. I would watch that. Me too. But anyway, you know, maybe TMZ just got it from their source. But there's no way that Laura Wasser didn't know that filing went in the way that they did. They knew that they were getting this exact amount of attention.

Right. And I think they were like looking for it. which means that they're pissed as fuck at Brad Pitt and what did he do also the terms of the filing she wants full legal custody very harsh really really harsh which again indicate he did something really wrong or she's punishing him yeah or that they want us to think that he did something really wrong right so you know then I have just been like what did he do yeah I have there's some theories so we go through them yeah let's let's start with most plausible least plausible to most plausible Okay, so the least plausible one to me is one that actually was floated in Us Weekly, like in June.

National Enquirer has been on this. Us Weekly actually should get a little credit. Yeah, back in June they had a story. There have been like rumors of like little cracks here and there, you know. But Us Weekly did report back in June that they were fighting because Angelina wanted to sell Chatea Merval, which is their estate. in France where they make the rosé, to like, and also possibly sell any other residences that were not in England

so that she could become a taxpaying British citizen so she could join the House of Lords. Right, which is incredible. I mean, that's like straight up Victorian shit. Like, let's write a George Elliott novel about Angelian Jolie. I would like to join the House of Lords. Like, what on earth?

That's a great idea. If you have all the money in the world, why not? Buy your way into the only like that's what the House of Lords is. So good idea. I don't know. I guess I choose not to cast aspersions on her humanitarian stuff.

It seems born out of like genuine concern and a connection to her children. But I suppose like you could be skeptical. And that is definitely what I'd feel to your skepticism that she just like wants to buy into the House of Lords. This is also connected with a room. I think she has a British political advisor who is encouraging her to join the House of Lords

according to this rumor. And this dude keeps coming up in various tabloid reports. Yeah, there's been some suggestions like maybe they're having an affair or something like that. So that is like slightly more plausible than they got in a fight because Angelina Jolie wants to wear like a weird powdered wig. Real estate fight too.

Yeah. Yeah, that one that doesn't fully check out for me. But then again, she did wear her. own brother's blood around her neck. So, or no, it was Billy Bob's blood around her neck? Yeah. I mean, she's definitely eccentric. Yeah. She's a weirdo. But that seems too stuffy for her. So I think that's the least plausible. Also, terrible time to be getting into English politics. Like, just simply terrible. It's a mess over there. Doesn't she know what the Brexit? It's really true. It's really true. Okay. So there are two more plausible theories. I'm actually interested to hear

which you think is less plausible of the two. Where are you right now? with what's happening. So the New York Post had a story that came out quickly after the TMZ one saying that, uh, Angelian Joliet hired a private investigator and Kat caught Brad Pitt cheating on her with his co-star Marion Cotillard as well as some Russian hookers. Right. That's a quote. The Russian hookers are right there in the lead. Like shout out to the New York Post. Um, that one seems pretty plausible to me. I mean, that's what I immediately thought. Yeah. And again, there had been rumors, you know, they were like in Star Magazine and Hollywood Life, which, you know, as long-term listeners of Jam Session will know, those are the less reliable of the tabloids.

So you should always be wary. But nevertheless, they were there. Also, Marin Cotillard is beautiful. She is. He's also definitely something very alluring about her. I just associate her so closely with her inception character. Oh, interesting. That's how I think of her.

and that character to me was very, like, enchanting and crazy. I really enjoyed LeVian Rose. I think she also had one of the great all-time Oscar speeches. Yeah. You know, and her charming little French accent, it is true that there are angels in the city. Yeah, shout out to Marian Cotillard. Some tricky, and she's also her partner,

I don't think they're married, Guillem Kenei. So it's extremely handsome Frenchman, just really, really handsome. It's tricky that she's also sort of a 9-11 truth. her that's a tough one. Her Twitter feeds is interesting. Yeah. So, you know, there are both sides there. But as soon as I heard

the news, I was like, oh, it must be the Cotillard thing. I don't know whether that makes me a bad person. I don't think it does because how did he meet Angeline and Julie? They were co-stars. He was and he was married and then he was not married and then now we are 12 years later. Yeah. So I don't think it makes you a bad person. I think it's like

the logical thing to think given his history. And then pretty soon I found myself like Googling like French tabloids, which by the way, like I took French about 15 years ago, but I'm by no means fluent. And for about five minutes, I definitely was like, oh, it seems like Marion Cotillard is pregnant. Holy shit. But then it turned out that French tabloids are as mean as U.S. tabloids when it comes to analyzing a photograph of a woman in like an oversized dress and being like, oh, that's a baby bump. But then again today, maybe there are rumors again. Yeah, there you go. So. I think it is the coat yard, even though it's pretty much TMZ, Us Weekly, Laney Gossip, which has been doing Heroes work on this and should be credited, are all pretty insistent that it's not another woman. Yeah, so the other theory is that he, like, there was an quote unquote incident in the implication from her not wanting to give him joint custody and other rumors in the press. is she was concerned about his parenting and like his alcohol and potentially drug consumption.

That's like completely that's completely unconfirmed. But that's like kind of like a swirling rumor that's like if you don't believe the Cotillard thing, like maybe you believe that. And that seems less believable to me based on very little information, just the fact that like so many people drink and or like smoke some weed and it doesn't like impair them from being parents. Also, I mean, Brad Pitt has been a stoner for literally as long as he's been in the public eye. We all know that. So, I mean, it's possible that the problems have gotten worse. Yeah. With teenagers, Maddox is 15 now.

So who knows? So the incident I want to go back to because everyone is like, all the sources say there was something that was sort of unforgivable, but no one is willing to name what it was. They say that it happened within the past 10 days. Right. And that's why it was sudden. Exactly. Because she only made the decision. to file within the last 10 days, which is crazy.

And it has like a, I don't know if you saw like the moving trucks showed up at the Hollywood house today to get all this stuff. It has a real almost Katie Holmes, like making her exit from Scientology, like with the burner phones. Like they coordinated a whole thing just to get him out of the picture immediately. Right. She's in New York right now. Yeah. And it was perfectly coordinated.

They knew exactly what they were doing and they were like, we're just trying to get out of this ASAP and blindside him. It's very scandal. It really is. But so something honestly insane must have happened. I know. Like I don't know what it is, but I don't know. It must is obviously like just like a seismic event in their life.

Which is why I keep, you know, I suppose that he could have just like had some sort of bender and had like a really bad event in front of the children. Yeah. That seems possible. But it, you know, and I think that we have learned that Angelina Jolie does. like press in her own way and courts it and courts this sort of weird drama. But it does seem to me like if it were some sort of event that was jeopardizing the children, you wouldn't do it in this dramatic public way. Right.

Who knows? I mean, I guess so, but it seems like there are actually better ways to get him away from the kids. Yeah. I guess it's just, yeah. The filing part is so tricky because it's like basically impossible for them to, keep it a secret, you know? Yeah. So it was going to come out. So then it's about like, how do you control it? Yeah, I suppose so. Like, can you, if you get married in France, do you have, and then you live in America? Do you have to file in America? Can you file in France? I don't know,

but they, I need to get Laura Wasser diso queen on the line. Yeah, that's true. Let's talk about Laura Wasser for a second. But first, let me tell you about one of our sponsors. Please do. Meundies. Have you heard of it? I have. Well, Amanda, you wear under every day, or at least I hope you do. It's time to try something better. Miandis has created the world's most comfortable underwear with a blend of fabric that is three times softer than cotton. When you feel awesome from inside out, you look awesome from the outside in.

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and I could listen to it. There's also, I just Googled the full Kate Atkinson library, my favorite living novelist. I know I'm going to read another of her Jackson Brody books after I finish the biography. But anyway, all on audible.com. And just for listeners, audible.com is offering a free 30-day trial membership. go to audible.com slash jam today to start your free trial. Again, show your support for Channel 33 jam session. That's us, make us look good, and get a free 30-day trial at audible.com slash jam.

All right, now we're ready to talk about Laura Wasser. Let's do it. Jazabel compiled a very long list of everyone. Not everyone, but of many of the people she has represented in their divorces. It includes Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon. It includes Jennifer Garner. Jennifer Garner. Johnny Depp recently, which is a really tough one.

So Laura Wasser, like, doesn't fuck around. Yeah. She means business. Did she represent Depp or heard? I think it was Depp. Damn. She also represented, uh, she was involved in the Spike Jones, Sophia Coppola divorce. Yeah, she was Spike Jones's lawyer on that one.

That one's hard for you. Yeah. I like that she represents men and women. A lot of divorce lawyers, like, only represent one of the other, particularly women lawyers. It's true. She represented Brittany during, um, the, troubles. Yeah. And apparently Brittany was the only person who was like so demanding that they actually had to take a break. And like Laura Wasser like fired Britney Spears for a while and then

took her back on, which is really tough. Damn. Laura is a legend. I mean, her name is so familiar. It's like as familiar as like us weekly. She is representing Chloe Kardashian. So she's the one that went in like, ran in was like, the divorce is off. The divorce is off after Lamar Odom like had his health problem. She represented Kim from her Chris Humphrey's. Yeah. So she is like the true. She's the diso queen. The dissolution of marriage and she's just also who celebrities hire when they want to win. If you have her, you will win. And also she obviously is very deft controlling the message. So it's not just like legal, but also like PR. Exactly. But when you're hiring her, you're also suiting up for battle. Yeah. Which is really interesting. You know it's not going to be a friendly divorce. Yeah. Or. Or. Or. Or. Or. You're. You're. You know. It's not going to be a friendly divorce. Yeah. Or like a fast one probably. Although if I were Brad Pitt, even if Angelina Jolie was trying to screw me over so badly, I don't think I'd want this to drag out.

I guess if you're fighting for your kids, you're like not going to give up. But I don't know. I would just never want to be embroiled in like a long public legal battle of any kind. I completely agree. I'm still sort of, I'm trying to figure out why Angelina Jolie would make this, this public, unless she's really fucking pissed off. Yes, she's so angry. Which is, again, which drives me back to Cotillard.

Yeah. It seems like a lot of this is, like, angered, motivated. Because, again, like, if you're trying to protect your kids, you probably wouldn't make it as public. Right. But who knows? She's, she's eccentric, as you said. Yeah. I have a question for you.

Yes. Do you think that she's, like, like, a successful actress? Not star, but, like, actress. Because I can't think of many, like, bona fide hits of hers. Well, are you talking? was like pretty successful. Are you talking, is she a talented actress or is she a successful movie star? Is she? Because those are different things. Is she bankable? Yeah. Is she? Like what are, like what are her best movies? Well, I mean, as you just said, Maleficent and Kung Fu Panda, which

I forgot about Kung Fu Panda. Yeah. She and Moisework is great work. If I was, if I was a famous actress, I would like hit a certain age, have kids, and be like, I'm only doing voice work. I'll come in my pajamas. I'll give you my voice. I'll do the press and that's it. I think literally really every Hollywood actor agrees with you, and that's how we only have animated movies now. I mean, it seems like a great life. It's true. Your kids can see it. I'm looking.

Okay. Salt. Okay. Gross to $100 million. Wanted. Gross over $100 million. I guess she does really well internationally, right? Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

The thing is, is that she basically stopped making movies around 2010. Right. Except for voice work and by the sea, her weird pre-chronicle of her divorce. Right. Which is an interesting one. Because she's so committed to her kids. that's true or something or maybe because movies are dead and there was or she wanted to direct she's been directing let's get this gal on tv let's get a six-part miniseries with her like a BBC honorable woman kind of thing

I think she will literally never do television I think she's the only one she doesn't see the prestige in it so I don't think she gives a shit what if the honorable woman had starred angeline jolly and not maggie jillin-hall uh worse yeah worse that's a great show I love that show I really enjoyed that show too but as I said earlier Angelina O'Julie is actually bad at wearing clothes. And, well, she's not bad at wearing clothes, but she doesn't have good taste. Sure. But the style was so important in Honorable Woman. Also, I don't know, Angelina Jolie does, like, action movies.

Yeah, she's like an action star. Was honorable woman that, like, actiony? There was a fair amount of running on the part of Maggie Gillen Hall. That's true. I get, like, what's, like, your favorite Angelina Jolie movie? Like, what's her iconic role other than being Billy Bob Thornton's crazy ex? Yeah, that's a great question. I think for me it's probably girl interrupted.

I was going to say that also. I think she's in gone 60 seconds, isn't she? Yes. But girl interrupted or I think Mr. Mrs. Smith will always be a certain... Well, it's certainly part of her narrative. Exactly. Because I just, it's amazing that she's as famous as she is

with like so little production. Like compared to like Scarlett Johansson, who's not as famous and is in all these Marvel movies, including that weird Marvel get out of the vote commercial today. Well, yeah, I mean, that's sort of the trajectory of movie stars, which is kind of one thing that I think the Brandenina divorce signals is like, this is the true end of movie stars. It's over. Interesting. Tell me more about that, Amanda. I like that theory. Well, they are sort of, they are two of the last movie stars who do exist independently as celebrities as opposed to their work. Off the top of your head, like, who else is on that level? Like George Clooney.

George Clooney, though he's now just honestly like a mall's sidepiece. When was the last time he was like opening a movie and doing really important? No, yeah. Not for a while. All right. Tom Hanks. Okay. But like Tom Hanks is grandfathered in at this point.

I think you got to put Tom Cruise in there as well. Totally. Yeah. But also grandfathered in. There's no farm team here is what I'm saying. All you got is Jennifer Lawrence, who's Hunger Games famous. And honestly, we'll see how Passengers does. we'll see how her post Hunger Games,

like I'm best friends with Amy Schumer. Yeah. Life goes. I think it might be tough for her. I think the tide is turning there. As far as the David O. Russell ladies go, more into Amy Adams, personally. Interesting.

I think I just realized that I don't care for David O. Russell's tastes in women. Or men. I like the fighter. I like that movie. Oh, she was great in the fighter. That was fun. And I had a nice time at Silver Linings Playbook

in spite of myself. Sure. me too but mostly because it has allowed me to make like garbage bag jokes about eagles fans which is useful in my personal life it's also a really great bradley cooper performance it is and he gave it once and he's been trying to do it ever since and i don't want to see it anymore yeah it's true there's not like a second tier you know and there we talk a lot about this right because it's a real problem for movies yeah and it's a problem for young actors because basically you get stuck in a franchise as you said like avengers or you know han solo or whatever

and you're tied up for 10 years. You can't do other movies. People don't really want to see you past your franchise role. You know, you're stuck as Black Widow or Captain America or whoever. But you don't get to kind of create that bigger movie star persona outside of the franchise that allows you to then go carry movies on your own. There's no one who can carry a movie anymore besides. I mean, I guess Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt both stopped trying, but I think they could.

Yeah. I think this is just like another, like an example of like the internet killed something. Like internet killed super fame because to get to like cultivate a big following, you now have to do like the opposite of what Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie do. Exactly. Which is like expose yourself a lot and like be vulnerable and like Chris Pratt is like the internet's favorite actor. And that's because he seems like a total goof who's like very approachable and like just like us. And, like, there is nothing similar between me and Angelina Jolie or, like, I don't know, any men like Brad Pitt. Like, they're exceptional, but that doesn't, like, sell anymore.

Like, that kind of, like, mystique is not what people are looking for, it seems like. Yeah, and glamour and kind of escapism as opposed to they're just like us. Yeah. It is the stars. They're just like us generation. Totally. And, like, even on TV, like, to sell that kind of mystique, it has to be, like, a period piece. Yes.

Like, current contemporary shows are. are not populated with like kind of the characters of Brad, like a Brad Pitt would play. No, the character is supposed to be relatable and supposed to represent you. Yeah. And even if you look at the ringer piece that we did yesterday that was about so who's the new power couple,

no movie stars on that list. No actors are a couple TV stars. But it was all reality TV, musicians, athletes. Yeah. I mean, we just, movie stars aren't famous anymore. Our president. Like, yeah. If you're putting your president in power couple, it's like what is what a celebrity really mean?

Yeah. And I feel like this was the last we invested in this couple as kind of like the big powerful movie star couple. Yeah. I mean, they were when you said power couple like Brantelina or TK and now it's over. And I think that's just kind of that's it. There's no one. There's no one from the world of movies who's going to replace them.

Right. And it gets back again to this like internet problem for celebrities, which is like Angelina Jolie cultivated her persona through doing press appearances and appearing in the red carpet. And there's no one else who really does that. Like Jennifer Lawrence, like you said, it's kind of like the air here. And she's more known known for like farting and having like charming videos. Doing a dumb valent, fallon segment. Yeah.

Or like being with her friends at Sir, the restaurant from Vanderpump Rules. Like that's what's kind of like fixated on now, not the sort of eccentricities of Angeline Jolie. Yeah. They don't make them like that. anymore. They really don't. And now it's over. 2004 to 2016. Farewell superstars. Did you see the cover of the New York Post this morning? Yes, I did. Yeah. Let's talk about that for a second. Brangelo exit. Oh, I saw just the picture of Jennifer Anniston. Of Jennifer Anniston. You're right. My bad. So the cover of the New York Post was just a picture of Jennifer Anderson laughing like a full page. And then a very small type at the top, Brandelina 2004 to 2016.

It's pretty wild. I saw the cover of the post and I was like, all right, you know, sure. For the post, that's pretty good. I don't want anything to do with Jennifer Aniston in this narrative. I don't care. I feel like people kept like sending us gifts of being like, woo, Jennifer Aniston. And I was like, you know what? I was never Team Aniston.

Like she is married now. She has her own life. It seems like she's happy. It seems, you know, she's doing a Vino commercials. She has smart water. She's fine. But I, there was all this tabloid coverage of like, like how did Jennifer Anderson respond?

And they're like, Chelsea Handler's weighing in being like, Angelina Jolie is a fucking psycho and she got Chelsea Handler being a friend of Jennifer Anderson. Like, this is not about that at all for me. I agree with you. I really don't like cheaters. Like, I really, really, really don't like cheaters. I was talking to the movie Drinking Buddies recently.

And I was like, yeah, it was just hard for me because I don't like cheaters. So it was like hard for me to get into that. Okay. So I, for a long time, really, did not accept Brought and Angelina into my heart. Interesting. Yes. like I said, shoot, they won me over because I was like, oh, these people are committed to each other. It's not their fault that he made a mistake and married the wrong person.

Right. And so I was like, okay, I accept this after a few years. So I kind of like always felt for Jennifer Anderson, but over the years as Angelian Jolie has done more to curry favor and like be a humanitarian and like a charitable human, Jennifer Anderson has done very little, which is fine. She's a private person. She can do whatever she wants. But I just don't feel like she's really worthy of much sympathy. So I'm just like, okay.

And also do we have to revisit this? Right. I think I should be honest. It's not like, my disinterest is not like leave Jen alone. Let her be her own woman. Like, I don't really care. I like honestly just like, I don't really want to hear about her. She's actually quite boring.

She's super boring. And this is why I was always sort of, your point about Cheers is good and right and like support families. But I was always Team Jolie. Yeah. Because it's sort of like, I mean, this is ridiculous. But it is similar to the Jenny Slate, Chris Evans situation where it's like you feel bad that a marriage. like maybe didn't work out, although I don't know about the timeline. I'm not an expert. But like, you understand, like you pick, you pick Captain America. Yeah.

Like, you pick Angelina Jolie. That's just the way the world works. And I don't, I don't feel threatened by that. I'm just kind of like, well, there are some people who are just kind of extremely, like, beautiful and captivating. And that's how humanity works. And if I can accept that, maybe I'll be more comfortable in this world that we live in. So what you're saying is you're pro exceptionalism. Yes. 100%. No shots to Aniston. I liked friends. But like, you know, of course, of course, Angelina-O-Joleneau won that. I didn't think at the time the discrepancy was so great. It wasn't really like a Jenny Slate's ex-husband versus Captain America. I feel really bad that we've dragged them back

into this, but I just just the first thought that came to mine. I don't know. I had a hard time with it. I just really, really, I have a hard time with it. It's like if I were, Angelina Jolie, I'd probably do the same thing. I'd be so furious. Trust is all we have, you know? Yeah, it's true. If you don't have trust, you're just screwed. I just, it's always been hard for me, and it's definitely, like, I love the Ocean's Eleven's

movies, like, are the oceans movies with, sure, George Clooney and Co. But it just always was really hard for me with Brad Pitt. I'm just like, dude, I don't know. Really? Yeah. It really bothered me. I think those movies are just very charming. Who cares? I mean, I love them, too.

Also, he's great. I mean, he's, those are my, that's my favorite Brad Pitt when he's rusty. Although I also really like him in the big short. He was great in the big short. Yeah, I mean, no Gosling, but still. He attaches himself to good projects. He must have smart people around him. I'm not willing to give him the credit for the projects he picks.

Okay. But Plan B productions has done a lot of good movies. That's true. I also, every time I see Plan B, I think of Jennifer Aniston. I'm like, ah, yeah, that was theirs together. Yeah. I would read, if I was married, started a company with my husband, and then we got divorced, and I got to keep the company, I would rename it.

100%. Yeah, that just seems like good manners. But as Jennifer taught us, he's missing a sensitivity chip. Yeah. I mean, I guess he is. He probably is. Yeah. It's disappointing.

I also liked the rumors about how he's having like a crazy midlife crisis. I actually don't believe that. Like, he's probably just like a horny man or just like selfish or like many other things that are common of humans. I think we've learned he's selfish. Yeah. I mean, I think also like all movie stars are probably selfish. When you get to that level of fame, you get used to a certain level of self-belance. You have to be so self-centered.

Are you at a point where you can place blame yet? On Brad and Angelina? No. I think I need a little more information. I'm inclined to blame him, but I'm torn. I am too, which is really interesting, right? I think it's because she's not, even though she's demonstrated that she is a sympathetic, empathic person. I find it hard.

She doesn't really like show that on her person, you know? So I find it's hard to sort of like be like, yes, I'm, I'm with her, her being Angelina Jolie. Right. But also Hillary Clinton. But also Hillary Clinton. I would agree. I think I probably have a more cynical view, which is just that I sense that there is a lot of calculating going on here.

Yeah. Well, she certainly is. Yeah. You know, Angelina Jolie famously does not have a publicist and has always run the ship herself. That's pretty cool. which means that she's very good at press because look at you know we talked about the rehabilitation from being a home record to being like a world-class humanitarian who's going to join the house of lords apparently so i mean that's she did that by herself like that's an amazing amount of

media savvy which as we know is something that i have a lot of respect for um but it also makes me very aware that like everything here is not just is is not easy like there's a lot of maneuvering going on. And I don't trust the extent, like, it happened so quickly and so publicly that I just can't believe that she's 100% in the right. Yeah, I agree with you. And also, like, what relationship is that cut and dry, you know? Very true. So even if he did massively fuck up, there's no way that over the course of the relationship, she has zero culpability. Yeah. This is truly shocking. I wish it had not come during the election season. Tell me more. about that yesterday i was just like i was like really deep in like a reading about politics and then i saw

this news break is that healthy for you reading that much about politics right so for me i'm just like great let's talk about something else so that we do not have to pay attention to this fucking shit show that just makes me anxious i know yeah i know but i was just like oh man couldn't this happen in january would have been a great winter pick me up i would have been sadder heading into the oscars yeah could oh that would have been dramatic i mean this is interesting though it is happening a month and a half before Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard's movie is released. Yes. Which is just like, I mean, I think Brad Pitt is probably famous enough that he and has

enough power in Hollywood that he can just ditch out and whatever publicity obligations he has. Yeah. That movie looks good. I'm looking forward to seeing it. I am also, I really love a period piece, you know? They're wearing like cool old coats. Yeah. I'm excited.

Did you see light between the oceans yet? No, I'm going. Maybe tomorrow. There's just so many great sweaters and knit tights for us to discuss. You know, I was thinking when we were doing the Who is the Next Power Couple. I would really, I thought about nominating Fastbender and Vacander. But again, actors. Too weird.

Yeah, but just actors don't have that juice anymore. Like, who cares? I think Alicia Vacander might be the best actress of the current generation. She's very good in this movie. She was also very good in Jason Bourne. Just FYI. I didn't see that, but I believe you. It wasn't very good.

but she was really captivating, and she had to wear a butterfly clip. She's good at an ex-Machina. She's good at everything. She's good at everything. She was great in the Guy Ritchie movie that was just all like mod dresses. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I didn't see the Danish girl, but I heard she was good in that too. She won an Oscar for it. Yeah. Someone somewhere thought so. On the topic of movies and non-Americans, let's talk about British Jones, which you wrote about in such a lovely way

last week for our website. Thank you very much. After much concern, I'm pleased to say that I loved this movie and look forward to seeing it a second time. Can we go this weekend? Sure. I had a great time.

I did too. I've been listening to hold my hand by Jess Glynn ever since. Okay. I have not, but that's okay. Listen, this is a third installment in like a movie based on Pride and Prejudice. So, you know, it's not fucking Citizen Kane. Let's just, let's be real. Sure.

I don't need people writing me about, you know, the style of filmmaking or whatever. I don't care. It was really enjoyable. And you and I both walked out of that movie and we had a great time. Relieved that it was good. And we had fun. We were laughing a lot. And we were just like, that was a nice, it was probably 100 minutes that we spent in the movie theater and they don't make movies like that anymore. And that's really frustrating because you just, there are movies that you just feel like a warm blanket. And you want to watch them and they're funny and you don't have to think about it. And then you move on with your life. I realized that I just really like linear narratives. I'm like over formal reinvention. Like, just give me a story and do it well. And that's what a rom-com is.

I mean, that's the thing. Yes, absolutely. And also a rom-com is so familiar. And I just think there are different levels of entertainment. Sure. Like, great to everyone who loves prestige television, congratulations that you're just watching people with skin diseases for 10 hours. Like a year. I did like the night of. No, I know. And it was very good and very well done and an example of like formal television done correctly. And I think there's, we're living in an age where there's plenty of room for and that's great. But I think that there is still room. There's certainly still room in my life for TV and film that is just enjoyable to watch. It's not challenging. You're not reinventing the medium. You're not asking like the important questions about like art and life and truth.

You're just fucking making something that's comforting to watch. Yeah. Just love and have a good time. Escapeism. Exactly. And we're sort of doing a whole series about that on the ringer this week. Yeah, man. I wrote about suits today. That's true. It's a great one. You guys should catch up if you haven't watched it. Yeah, it's a whole series called airing in plain sight, which is about good TV that we don't talk about. Yes.

I wanted to do Keeping Over with the Kardashians, but we talk about that a lot. A lot. Quite often. Quite often. Anyway. Me, Kardashians. So Bridget Jones Baby was not the most technically impressive movie of the year. No.

But what a delight. Yeah. And I would also say way better than the second film in the series, Bridgettie Jones. Jones the edge of reason. It's also, it's just really hard to do a sequel that, um, pleases people who like the original. That's true. Especially if there's not some kind of like source material like canon to work with, like in the case of the Star Wars movies. Yes. And so in that regard, it was pretty impressive to me. It also was really true to, um, many of the themes of the Bridget Jones world while also like being pretty 21st century. Yes. It did a good job at updating. I, as I kind of wrote

about they didn't do a perfect job at updating there were some bullshit things it's really hard to it's really and this is not i don't want to make about renazell we're but like part of british jones is that she's chubby like that's a big part of her character and part of her awkwardness in the world is being uncomfortable with her body and of course women of all all sizes are uncomfortable with her bodies but this version of british jones as played by renezel wicker was like very fit and taught and thin and that was definitely jarring and it's not even just that she was just like totally magically thin, which she was. By the way, she looks great.

And like, honestly, fuck you. If you think anything else about how Renee Zell Weger looks, I don't want to hear it. But, you know, that was a part of the character was that it was like an essential struggle. However silly, that struggle, maybe it's very real. And they just solved it and didn't explain it and didn't go back to it. That was the biggest problem. Just because so much of Bridget's character in the book is about her weight.

Like, that's part of all the diary entries and her granny panties. Right. It's just like one way of communicating her extreme anxiety about being in the world, which is, I think, the most relatable aspect of the character. And it makes sure, like, falling off the bike funnier when she's working out. Now she's just, like, good at SoulCycle. What did they call SoulCycle in the movie? Strobe Cycle. Oh, yeah.

But that was, Tom, her friend, is now a Strobe Cycle instructor, which was very cute. I liked it. Yeah, it was great. It was well updated. I mean, I don't want to spoil things, but if you don't know how it ends, then you are not, like, really viving with the Bridget Jones experience. And I was happy that it ended that way. Me too. I will also say that I was so wrapped up in the movie that for a minute, I'm just going to, spoiler alert, turn it off of you, don't want to know.

There was a moment where I was like, she's not going to end up with Darcy. And I'm so upset. I thought that the baby was going to be Jacks, but she'd end up with Darcy. Yeah, that was actually probably like too simple of a conclusion. But I mean, whatever, I was really happy. I love Patrick Dempsey. I think that I, like, and Alison Davis kind of rude about this. I don't think I like Patrick Dempsey, the man.

but I love all the characters that he plays. Like the way that he's typecast really works for me. I am so excited to watch Grey's Anatomy. I'm just like even thinking about it, it makes me think about Derek Shepherd even though he's gone. I love Patrick Dempsey's characters. He also looks phenomenal. I was just about to say the man can wear a sweater or like a little,

like when he's in London, I think he has an instrument of raincoats that are quite impressive. Like usually when like a middle-aged man dressed like a teenager or like a 22-year-old and just like get a grip, like, wanting to go shopping. He was, Patrick Dempsey's like 50, and he was dressed like any 25-year-old who, like, has, like, an office job or like Calenac sweaters. No, it has like an internet entrepreneur office job, by the way, because that's the new rom-com. Like, yeah, it's like he worked at Google or something.

Instead of an architect, he's now, he's actually an inventor of like Tinder, but yes. Internet dude with sweaters and like well-cuffed jeans. Yeah, but he looked great. Fantastic. It really worked for him. It was like, I don't know. It was just a great time. I really recommend Bridget Jones.

If you're feeling sad about love after this Brangeline's situation, there's Bridget Jones waiting for you. Yeah. And just go and enjoy it and don't feel guilty about getting exactly what you want. Because that is what movies are for, or wish fulfillment and to give us the things that don't happen in real life, like true love. Like fucking Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Yeah.

Thank you, Amanda, for indulging this conversation this week. It's been a pleasure on my part. Thank you for working through this with me. I don't think we're done talking about this. Oh, no. I don't think anyone in the world's done talking about it. Thank you to audible.com. Thank you to me, Undies, and we'll be back soon.

Good luck, Marian Cotillard.