The Big Picture · Review · Discussion
June 21, 2022/ 80 min/ Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins
Sean and Amanda review the lone new movie in theaters, then work through a week's worth of films dumped to streaming and what it says about the business.
8 films across 2 segments.
AI-generated This episode was transcribed and analyzed with AI models. The matches aren't perfect — expect the occasional misheard title or a link to the wrong film.
‘Lightyear’in theaters
The Chris Evans-voiced origin story of the movie Andy loved, not the toy. Sean rates it C-tier Pixar: a boy-centric, time-travel plot too complex and too scary for the four-year-olds it's aimed at. Opened to $51M against a projected $70M. Sox the robot cat rated fun.
Five Signs of the Streaming Movie Apocalypsea week of films that skipped theaters
On Apple TV+. Cooper Raiff's follow-up to Shithouse; Apple paid $15M at Sundance. Dakota Johnson as a divorced New Jersey mom. 'Sundance Mad Libs': the Raiff character charms, everyone around him is undercooked. Manohla Dargis used it in the Times to indict indie cinema.
On HBO Max, directed by Gary Alazraki. A Cuban-Mexican remake with Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan as parents heading for divorce. Amanda will watch every version; both agree the divorce subplot and Chloe Fineman's influencer wedding planner keep it from being funny.
On Hulu via Searchlight. Emma Thompson as a widow who hires a young sex worker (Daryl McCormack). A two-hander chamber piece, very COVID. Thompson is very good; the ideas get stated rather than argued. A rules change makes her Oscar-ineligible.
On Hulu. Andrew Ahn directs, Joel Kim Booster writes and stars: a Pride and Prejudice transposed one-for-one onto gay Fire Island. Amanda's favorite of the batch; Sean was taken with Conrad Ricamora as the Darcy. 'A modern spin on an old story,' like Clueless.
On Shudder. Phil Tippett (Star Wars, RoboCop, Jurassic Park) animated it largely alone across 30-plus years. Stop-motion, not for kids: 'Coraline gone to hell.' Sean's pick of the week; explicitly not for Amanda.
On Paramount+, directed by David Frankel. Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening as retirees working a lottery loophole. Pleasant, forgettable: Sean's example of two geniuses shelved into 'the cupboard of content.'
On Netflix. The Jennifer Lopez documentary tracking the Hustlers awards run and Super Bowl prep. A-Rod and Ben Affleck almost entirely excised. Both are riveted by the Golden Globe-loss scene, a rare document of how badly a star wants the award she was denied.
Also mentioned raised along the way
What's actually working at the box office Top Gun MaverickJurassic World DominionDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Recent Pixar Turning RedLucaSoulOnwardToy StoryUp
Also in the conversation HustlersSpiderheadCODANannyShithouseJojo RabbitThe Old Man and the Gun
Phil Tippett's résumé Star WarsRoboCopJurassic ParkRangoCoraline
Talky-movie touchstones TapeWho's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?CluelessThe Devil Wears PradaNanny McPhee
Odds and ends Father of the Bride Part IIThe ThingCinderellaThe Jungle BookScreamJackass ForeverElvisWalk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV The Old ManSeveranceGame of Thrones
Ads The Dave Chang ShowBoar's HeadFIFA World Cup Launch EditionAmerican Express Business PlatinumLululemon GolfPepsi Zero Sugar