Oct. 5, 2026
Tom Cruise Movie ‘Digger’ Bombs So Badly, It May Go Down In History… So Of Course We Had To See It!
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RSS Feed The headlines are brutal for Tom Cruise’s new movie ‘Digger’ with major news outlets saying the film is set to lose $150 million dollars after opening to a shocking $8 million dollar debut. The satirical black comedy actually received a decent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, with fans giving it a 71%, but critics calling it everything from an “unintentionally bad movie” to “insufferably sanctimonious." Cruise took to social media over the weekend to defend the film that he says he was proud and honored to help create. We went to the theaters expecting the worst, and were shocked…. At how much we loved it, and its exceptionally talented cast.
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00:00:02
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks. It is Monday, October 5th. A movie so poorly reviewed that we had to go see it. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. Surely you've heard about this Tom Cruise movie called Digger. The reviews weren't just bad. People had really, really nasty things to say about this movie that stood out to us, Robes. The reviews got so bad, we had to go see it. And now it turns out this movie is not just poorly reviewed. It might go down in history.
00:00:33
Speaker 2: Yes, well, it just goes to show, I would imagine, how important reviews are. So when you've got critic after critic after critic lambasting this film, calling it indulgent, saying they wanted to walk out of the movie theater, so dramatic. But of course, to us, that's music to our ears.
00:00:54
Speaker 1: Really?
00:00:54
Speaker 3: It's so bad you wanted to walk out. Now I have to go see it.
00:00:58
Speaker 1: We had zero intention of seeing this movie.
00:01:00
Speaker 3: Zero intention.
00:01:01
Speaker 1: At all. I was curious. Tom Cruise is unrecognizable, has on a fat suit, prosthetics on his face. He's this out of control character. Yes, I would like to see him do something besides save the world as a secret agent.
00:01:13
Speaker 2: Cool.
00:01:14
Speaker 1: It sounded fun, but we only go to horror movies or big blockbusters or to see the Odyssey, you know, big events. We said, okay, we'll catch this one later. Robes, they talked us into seeing this movie.
00:01:25
Speaker 3: And you know what? I don't regret a second of it.
00:01:29
Speaker 2: I actually, and we can get into the details of it, but I, you, look, you are a, you're a tough critic in that you actually respect comedic timing, comedic, scripts and you don't laugh if it isn't warranted.
00:01:45
Speaker 3: You laughed out loud multiple times during this film.
00:01:49
Speaker 1: Bro, the first 20 or 30 minutes, I was cackling. Bro, it was so over the top and ridiculous. I was having a blast and I was blown away based on What we had read about the movie going at Robes, and we're going to share with you all some of these reviews, and you'll get a better idea. They are scathing. Not just, this is a poor film. They could have done better with music. It was a poor performance. No, no, no, no, no. This was like, who are these two assholes that somebody didn't tell to stop making this movie? The reviews are awful.
00:02:19
Speaker 3: They're terrible.
00:02:20
Speaker 2: So when we start watching it, and we immediately started enjoying it, and.
00:02:24
Speaker 3: Sure, it gets.
00:02:26
Speaker 2: A little strange and a little kooky, but I thought in a justifiably artistic way.
00:02:31
Speaker 1: You know what, we didn't, and this is, you know what, we'll let you all see behind the, this is true and happening in real time. We didn't discuss ahead of time whether or not we were going to give any spoilers. You're right. This is important. OK, because there are twists and turns and things that if you knew ahead of time, you might not enjoy the movie as much. We haven't discussed. Should we say anything? Or maybe we can leave a section at the end where we say, all right, here are the spoilers. Turn it off. Either way, when they first put this movie out, Robes, they were telling some or letting people see it. It included notes, like don't spoil it for people. Don't give any hints to what happens at the end. It's a pretty big twist.
00:03:10
Speaker 3: Yes, and so you know what?
00:03:11
Speaker 2: I actually think for anyone who started listening to it who doesn't want to hear a spoiler, we won't do it.
00:03:16
Speaker 3: We'll give you plenty of.
00:03:18
Speaker 1: Time to turn it off.
00:03:20
Speaker 2: I don't think we're going to because I wouldn't want to spoil anyone's experience. And the point is, I actually think, I've always thought this, going into a film or going into a movie theater with low expectations, almost always surprising people surprises me in all the good ways so i was expecting to either hate it or just not like it or be kind of creeped out or weirded out by it i enjoyed it from start to finish i thought it was a fantastic film i thought it was brilliantly acted and i thought the script and the writing was.
00:03:52
Speaker 1: Really good this this is original it's bizarre it's kooky as hell It's ridiculous. It makes you question the director. It makes you question Tom Cruise. And you question them in that, man, how did y'all come up with this? I'm impressed that somebody comes up with stuff like this.
00:04:10
Speaker 3: Yeah, and babe, you know what it made me question? The critics.
00:04:13
Speaker 2: I actually thought, do they have it out for Tom Cruise? Are they just annoyed with his success? Do they not like the fact that he's a Scientologist?
00:04:22
Speaker 3: Do they not like.
00:04:23
Speaker 2: Some of the unbelievable actors, Oscar-winning actors in here, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman.
00:04:29
Speaker 1: Okay, those two are stanzas. Jesse Plemons. Riz Ahmed, if they want to give him an Oscar nomination for this one, I will support it.
00:04:37
Speaker 3: Yeah, everyone is phenomenal in this.
00:04:40
Speaker 1: John Goodman, you can't take your eyes off of him the whole time.
00:04:41
Speaker 3: No, Jesse Plemons is a hilarious part of this.
00:04:44
Speaker 1: And not there long enough. No, I agree. We don't see him enough.
00:04:47
Speaker 2: It left you wanting more, but I always thought that was a good thing. And then let's talk about the director. I hope I don't butcher his name, Alejandro Iñárritu, but he is known for his Academy Award winning projects as well.
00:05:01
Speaker 3: Like, oh, I don't know. Have you heard of Birdman?
00:05:04
Speaker 4: Best director, best picture, The Revenant, best Best Director, Best Picture nominations. This is an award-winning and well-respected director.
00:05:18
Speaker 1: Okay, so you put him together with Tom Cruise, right?
00:05:29
Speaker 3: What could go wrong?
00:05:30
Speaker 1: It should be a good time. They got $ 125 million reportedly initially for this budget that then ballooned actually, Rose, because... They had production delays, including John Goodman had an accident on set and they had to shut down production for a little while. So they're saying $ 150 to $ 160 million is what this thing ultimately cost. That's before your marketing. But if you got $ 150 million film robes and you make $ 8 million in opening weekend, you are in trouble. That's a big deal. And it is worth noting. And it is worth talking about. And it is worth talking about what went wrong here. But I don't know. We talk about Tom Cruise. We talk about people, the reviews. Even before reviews, I was confused about what this movie was. Some of the marketing didn't make, it was only about Tom Cruise as unrecognizable. I didn't know much more.
00:06:22
Speaker 2: Yeah, and I think that that didn't draw people in. It didn't make people want to go see it. As in, ooh, what's this film about? There was no mystery.
00:06:30
Speaker 3: There was no intrigue. It was just kind of weird, and it didn't make a lot of sense.
00:06:34
Speaker 1: And Tom Cruise is not in a cockpit or flying across the world doing stunts. That's how we're used to seeing Tom Cruise. We'll show up all day for that. What, Top Gun 3? When's it coming?
00:06:45
Speaker 2: But Tom Cruise in a fat suit looking far older than he actually is. Yeah.
00:06:51
Speaker 1: You know what? Is that a spoiler or not? Much of a spoiler here. Robes, we don't see him look anything other than as this character. He never shows up as regular Tom Cruise in this movie.
00:07:01
Speaker 3: No, he does not. And look, I kind of liked it.
00:07:05
Speaker 2: When female actors do this, who are known for their good looks and their big blockbuster, when they get ugly, I hate to say it, but get ugly or they gain weight.
00:07:15
Speaker 3: For a role, they win Oscars. When Tom Cruise does it.
00:07:19
Speaker 1: His are prosthetics, so he didn't gain this.
00:07:21
Speaker 3: That is true.
00:07:22
Speaker 2: That is true.
00:07:22
Speaker 1: It's a little different.
00:07:23
Speaker 3: That is true. That's a good point.
00:07:25
Speaker 1: So what the hell is this movie about? The synopsis, they actually don't tell you much in a lot of the write-ups, but this was officially from the Warner Brothers website, the Digger website. Website, this is what the movie's about.
00:07:37
Speaker 2: Okay, it says Academy Award winning filmmaker Alejandro Iñárritu returns with his original film, Digger, starring Tom Cruise in the title role. The most powerful man in the world embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity's savior before the disaster he's unleashed destroys everything. Cruise stars alongside Oscar winner Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Oscar nominee Sandra Huller, Michael Stolberg, and Oscar nominee Jesse Plemons. Now, I think what's lacking is the disaster he's unleashed, they could have gotten into some more description because I actually think it's a pretty unbelievable premise.
00:08:16
Speaker 3: You've got.
00:08:17
Speaker 1: I love it.
00:08:18
Speaker 3: Yeah, you've got.
00:08:19
Speaker 2: It's okay to give a larger idea of what the synopsis is about.
00:08:23
Speaker 1: And the trailer goes in this. You're not giving anything away.
00:08:25
Speaker 2: And it actually is just interesting on its face here that the film is talking about some billionaire oil tycoon who drilling in Greenland basically.
00:08:37
Speaker 3: It has the shelf of a, is.
00:08:41
Speaker 2: It an iceberg when it's like three times the size or six times the size of Boston? But anyway, an ice shelf falls off of the mainland of Greenland and it starts hurling its way towards Europe. which is going to cause a tsunami and kill millions and millions of people. And so there were all these ideas about what to do to stop this iceberg from hitting Europe's mainland.
00:09:06
Speaker 3: And then another ice shelf falls off.
00:09:08
Speaker 2: So they had funny names like Judy and Kimberly, I believe, are the names of these icebergs.
00:09:13
Speaker 1: But the Kimberly one he renames because it was Russian is hilarious. You remember that?
00:09:17
Speaker 3: What's the name of it? It is hilarious.
00:09:19
Speaker 2: They changed Kimberly into a Russian-sounding name and they kept... But it was just, it was, it's obviously, this is a black, this is a dark comedy.
00:09:26
Speaker 3: This is a satire.
00:09:28
Speaker 2: And I actually thought it was brilliant and funny and interesting. And yes, it's over the top, but that's the whole point. And I, you and I laughed at different times, but throughout and just, it was well done. If not bizarre, still well done.
00:09:46
Speaker 1: So that's what we think. But right now, the critics only giving it 51% on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience, 71%. That's a pretty good score. That means the audience is enjoying this movie.
00:09:57
Speaker 3: I have said this from the beginning. When the critics find.
00:10:00
Speaker 2: I will listen to them, obviously they know much more about what makes something like art and cinematography and all of these things that I don't really understand.
00:10:09
Speaker 3: So, I mean, yes, I'll take that into... some sort of guidance.
00:10:13
Speaker 2: But when I see the audience score is really, really high, or if there's a big disparity and the audience likes it way more than the critics, that even makes me want to go more because I figure we know, we're just talking about entertainment value here when it's audience score usually, and I'm up for being entertained.
00:10:28
Speaker 1: So not a lot of people are going to see it, obviously. It made $ 8 million, you all, at the box office. That's the lowest he's had in some 20 years as far as an opening for a Tom Cruise movie. $ 8 million. $ 8 million. A lot of people didn't go see it, but 71% means that those who did go see it are enjoying it. But we'll tell you now the reviews that kind of got us going. We just kind of did a little bit of a synopsis here from various places. But you're not going to believe the things that professional outlets and professional movie critics are saying about this movie. These are the reviews, folks, that made us run to the theaters.
00:11:07
Speaker 3: Yes, the Hollywood Reporter.
00:11:08
Speaker 2: Digger is basically what happens when you put two outsized egos together with nobody holding the reins to keep their most self-indulgent impulses in check.
00:11:18
Speaker 3: So meta that you watch.
00:11:20
Speaker 2: In excruciating weariness as the film disappears up its own ass. And then realize to your dismay that there's another eardrum-shattering hour.
00:11:30
Speaker 3: Left to endure.
00:11:32
Speaker 1: Obviously, we have to go see this.
00:11:34
Speaker 2: And also, by the way, it's two hours and nine minutes, I believe, is the run time. We don't usually go see a movie that A, isn't a horror movie, or B, is more than an hour and 40 minutes.
00:11:43
Speaker 3: Like, that's our tops. So for us to go to a.
00:11:45
Speaker 2: Movie that isn't a horror movie and more than two hours, there had to be some pretty outrageous reviews.
00:11:52
Speaker 1: And so the rap put it this way, Digger. It's what happens when you give the week's worst Saturday Night Live sketch an inexplicably large budget and delusions of grandeur. In Digger, Tom Cruise also plays a villainous foghorn leghorn, but his version is a seductive, intriguing enigma that takes center stage. It's the kind of movie about evil billionaires that evil billionaires would enjoy, which makes it the worst kind of movie about evil billionaires.
00:12:18
Speaker 2: I don't even understand that review. I actually, like, it's so funny, and trying to be so clever is... in criticizing the film for it for being an enigma it then got too clever with itself in the review and now i don't understand the review i understood the movie better than what the rap had to say about it that's.
00:12:36
Speaker 1: The truth i get it they're doing their jobs here and putting in their spin on it but that's what they thought look we're reading these a few days ago and said, we've got to go see this movie.
00:12:46
Speaker 3: Absolutely.
00:12:46
Speaker 2: The LA times weighed in with Digger is a bizarre stunt made on a big studio budget, but the horrible hijinks in Digger are so close to reality that exiting the film, I was less sure than ever that humanity will still be around. There's no hope in Digger, only a seductive, mischievous malevolence that by design feels empty as soon as the end credits. While I don't entirely love this strange comedy, I'm giddy that it's lurched into existence.
00:13:18
Speaker 3: I don't understand that review either.
00:13:19
Speaker 1: You can understand the next one though, can't you, from the Austin Chronicle?
00:13:22
Speaker 3: Ever heard that old saying, this meeting could have been in an email?
00:13:25
Speaker 1: Wow.
00:13:27
Speaker 2: Similarly, rather than being a film, Digger could have been a burning bag of dog poop delivered to Adam McKay's doorstep, a seeming broadside at heavy-handed Hollywood advocacy flops that don't look up.
00:13:40
Speaker 3: It's a scathing patiche.
00:13:42
Speaker 2: Of everything that makes such movies insufferably sanctimonious, yet Birdman director Alejandro Iñárritu' s obvious technical genius as a filmmaker cannot overcome the plain fact that Digger is both insufferable and sanctimonious.
00:13:58
Speaker 3: My goodness.
00:14:00
Speaker 1: These seem like not just a technical aspect sometimes of criticizing a film. They're criticizing message, they're criticizing mindset. Yeah, they're criticizing, or I guess... What these guys seem to stand for, stand on, or some message they're trying to get out. And maybe they are. We just like movies and we like to be entertained. You are not going to be bored in this movie. The suggestion that people wanted to walk out, okay, people have it differently. Slant put it this way, a film of ideas. A rambunctious gathering of mostly talented people doing the worst work of their careers. Digger is Iñárritu' s purported cri de corps against our wealth and resources hoovering overlords. But somehow it still manages to be a shameless Tom Cruise ego stroke. The actor shrieks.
00:14:49
Speaker 4: Wow.
00:14:49
Speaker 1: I mean, it's just cruel. Some of that, I mean... That 10 minute monologue they're talking about. I loved it. It's over the top.
00:15:18
Speaker 3: I thought it was amazing.
00:15:19
Speaker 1: You can't take your eyes off of it. It's gross at times. It's violent at times. It's shocking at times.
00:15:24
Speaker 3: It's true at times.
00:15:26
Speaker 1: And Robes, it's rhythmic even at times as the audience gets. Robes, I thought that scene was crazy.
00:15:32
Speaker 3: Do you know what?
00:15:33
Speaker 2: I actually think that for me watching this film, if I hadn't read any critics reviews, I would have thought this might be an Oscar film.
00:15:41
Speaker 3: Like this would be Oscar worthy.
00:15:43
Speaker 2: That's how far off the mark I am from what critics receive or how they received it.
00:15:47
Speaker 1: How can this is an original? I don't know how it doesn't get original screenplay. I don't know how it doesn't get cinematography that we haven't talked about that yet. We'll put that as a part of our review in a second. But Robes, this isn't. How is this not? Is no one going to give Tom Cruise any love for this character he pulled out? Who knows? The last one here from Variety we can share with you saying the movie costs north of 125 million to make. And that figure is not only too big to probably justify it, it's a testament to the arrogance of the filmmakers to the assumption that we'll turn out in droves for this ponderous, absurdist lecture.
00:16:23
Speaker 3: I didn't think it was a lecture. I thought it was, yes, of course they're making a commentary.
00:16:28
Speaker 1: Yes.
00:16:29
Speaker 2: Obviously on fracking and all of the things that we're doing to Mother Earth to try and elicit fossil fuels and oil so that we can all live the lives we live.
00:16:40
Speaker 3: But I didn't feel like.
00:16:42
Speaker 2: I felt like because it was done so satirically and it was such a black comedy, I didn't feel like I was being force-fed some sanctimonious BS.
00:16:51
Speaker 3: So I guess I just felt like I ate a different dish than these critics did.
00:16:56
Speaker 1: Well, stay with us, folks. We will give our actual... Review. There are some parts of it, sure, we took issue with, but we'll give a breakdown of Tom Cruise's performance, John Goodman's, Riz Ahmed, and everything else going on here, including there was a special and unexpected appearance by an actress from a horror movie that we love, and she was fantastic as well. Stay here.
00:17:27
Speaker 3: Welcome back, everyone, to Amy and TJ.
00:17:30
Speaker 2: We are talking about what may end up being a historic flop for Tom Cruise, for many of the Academy Award-winning stars and director attached to the film Digger. The reviews are so scathing, we just read several of them for you, and there are more if you'd like to find them, that drove us to go to the theaters to see what everyone was talking about. And look, even Tom Cruise himself himself felt the need to jump onto social media over the weekend to defend the film and to defend what he thinks of the film. So he put this out there. He said, Digger is officially in theaters and I am so honored to have had the opportunity to create this film alongside such talented artists. Thank you to the entire cast and crew for your dedication, hard work, and joy. The experience was truly unforgettable and I'm so proud of what we created. And look, they even leaned into some of the bad press with the marketing for this film. They showed, it is true, many, many European critics liked the film, had good things to say about it. Conversely, we just read aloud to you what most American film critics had to say about it. And they actually used both of them promoting the film over the weekend in marketing saying, you decide, basically.
00:18:45
Speaker 1: But they were using clips from, that was brilliantly put together. And they were kind of flipping some of the American critics' words onto the European critics' words. Like somebody saying it's disgusting and somebody saying it's brilliant. Bro, this was great. And using some of the clips like perfectly said Like Digger, I think they used, like, who gives a fuck what people say? Like from the actual movie. It was cool. Look, to the point. Can this work?
00:19:11
Speaker 3: I mean, I think it should. I'm so confused.
00:19:14
Speaker 2: I thought this actually was a brilliant piece of art. And art gets people talking. Art pisses people off. It encourages people. It makes some people laugh. It makes other people cry.
00:19:25
Speaker 3: I actually thought this.
00:19:26
Speaker 2: Film did all of those things, and just by the response itself, that it evoked from so many people in varying ways, I actually feel like it is a brilliant piece of art.
00:19:35
Speaker 1: Job well done. Robe, seriously, you're not going to walk out of here, out of that movie theater, not feeling something one way or another. It's not just love or hate. You just, you get, Robes, they poke you. This movie is, because there are times I looked over at you and said, is that for real? There were times I looked over at Sabine on the other side and said, what is that supposed to mean?
00:19:54
Speaker 2: Well, you said to me, you're like, what's happening right now?
00:19:57
Speaker 3: You're like, is this reality? Or is this not reality?
00:20:01
Speaker 2: I was... But that's... I think what kind of movie where you're laughing and entertained and totally into it and then all of a sudden there's a record scratch moment a couple of times and you're like, wait, what... Is what I just saw, did that all actually happen? Or is this, I appreciate a movie that can do that in the middle.
00:20:23
Speaker 3: Of the movie.
00:20:23
Speaker 1: And I was just thinking, Rob, so yeah, there's confusion and it's wacky and this and that. I'm like, did it make you feel something? Actually, yes. There is a really poignant moment at the end, Robes, where it kind of brings everything home. I know you'll know what I'm talking about. I'm not going to say too much, but there is a moment where you still actually feel some humanity. You feel people's loss. You feel their pain. You feel them trying to get through it, through laughter. This is a cool freaking movie. I was going to ask you, do you think the bad weekend it just had and all the reviews, is there any chance people are going to be talking about this enough that maybe they pick up a little steam?
00:21:02
Speaker 3: It's possible, but I also worry, and you... made this note as well.
00:21:07
Speaker 2: Once theaters see that people aren't coming to their establishments to watch said movie, they limit the times, they limit where it's being shown, and so not as many people have access to it. Actually, given all the bad reviews, I was surprised as many people were in the theater as they were when we walked in yesterday. We went to a 1240 showing. And it was on the weekend, Sunday. But I thought with all the bad reviews, there'd be nobody in the theater. And there were actually more people than I thought. And not only were we laughing, we heard plenty of laughter in the theater at several moments. I will say you walked out to go get popcorn at a time where it was probably my favorite scene. I didn't want to lay that on you, but it really was a brilliant scene. where they are literally watching the disaster that they were afraid was.
00:21:53
Speaker 3: Going to happen, happening in real time.
00:21:55
Speaker 2: And they were just, it was obviously a dark comedy, as we pointed out, but their reaction to watching people die in mass was actually funny. And you were kind of embarrassed that you were laughing at it. You didn't see the destruction, because that would make it awful. You couldn't laugh at that. You just got to see this room full of people who were responsible for this mass tragedy happening.
00:22:17
Speaker 3: Seeing the tragedy unfold. And it was funny.
00:22:20
Speaker 1: They were taking it in.
00:22:21
Speaker 3: They're like, oh no, is that a stroller? Why aren't they running faster? Like that kind of thing. You couldn't help but start laughing.
00:22:28
Speaker 1: It's funny. When I came back, I didn't tell you this. I didn't remember until this moment. I came back from bringing stuff to y'all. I sat in between you and Sabine. I asked Sabine first, what did I miss? She said, man, I don't even know. That was her response. And then you had to explain to me. This thing that just happened. Yes, it is wacky. You get lost, but it's awesome. Robes, first, I guess, let's just start with Tom Cruise. Robes, you don't see him like this often. But what do you think about him that he's being criticized by some is just over the top and he's yelling and spitting, but. This was something.
00:23:06
Speaker 3: But that was his character. The character and the entire movie was over the top.
00:23:10
Speaker 2: If he didn't lead the way with that, I don't even know that it would have felt like it was thematically pulled together.
00:23:17
Speaker 3: I thought he was amazing.
00:23:18
Speaker 2: I thought as an actor, what he had to pull off, that 10-minute monologue everyone wants to try and say was righteous and indulgent, I thought was... remarkable and the amount of work that must have taken to be able to just memorize all of those lines, first of all. But second, I just thought he was, I thought it was some of the best acting I've ever seen him pull off.
00:23:40
Speaker 1: Rose, that scene, that monologue scene, it's so over the top. It is just awesome. Even the setting, how they set it up in a little- And the coloring. It's so awesome. So to Tom Cruise's I don't think a lot of, you know one of my favorite movies, comedies, Tropic Thunder. He plays a studio head. If you've never seen Tropic Thunder, you've maybe never seen him as an over-the-top character like this. He was over-the-top, bodysuit, balding. He did a whole dance routine at the end to a ludicrous song. You're not used to seeing Tom Cruise like that. I like seeing him let loose like this. He just unleashed.
00:24:20
Speaker 3: How do you think his acting was?
00:24:21
Speaker 1: Oh, he was fantastic. I'd vote for him. Give that man an Oscar nomination for this.
00:24:27
Speaker 2: And he has never actually, he's gotten an honorary Oscar, but he's never actually gotten an Academy Award. And a lot of people thought he believed this role might land him one. And after watching it, I think he deserves the nomination.
00:24:41
Speaker 1: Robes, I really hope they give him some love. This character was tough to pull off. And his rank going back and forth in row, yes, give him something for that scene, that monologue that people hated. Some of these critics, I was almost on the edge of my seat, my jaw dropped, my eyes got big because I couldn't believe they kept shocking me with word after word and how he's moving around the crowd. Rose, that scene was nuts. He was climbing up, he was being vulgar at times. That scene was crazy.
00:25:22
Speaker 3: I thought it was... I am still... I have to say this. I am genuinely shocked by how much critics hated this movie. I am genuinely shocked.
00:25:29
Speaker 2: I actually thought this was something that was unique, original, well-acted, well-written. Yes, a bit maybe fantastical, but I don't mind... I didn't mind any of it. And then, yes, John Goodman.
00:25:43
Speaker 3: Let's talk about him.
00:25:44
Speaker 1: He was remarkable. Also over the top in his character, even over the top in his illness... That he has. It's over the top.
00:25:52
Speaker 3: Can we say he has ass cancer? That's kind of what he was talking about. So there was some comedy.
00:25:56
Speaker 2: There's cancer comedy in there.
00:25:58
Speaker 1: Yes.
00:25:59
Speaker 2: There's casualty comedy. Like, yes, they took on subjects that normally you cannot laugh at.
00:26:05
Speaker 1: John Goodman, in the first meeting they have with the cabinet at Digger's house, Robes, as they're going around the table, Robes, that scene was hilarious. And the guy that plays the vice president, he's hilarious. I don't even know his name.
00:26:19
Speaker 3: I would watch it again.
00:26:20
Speaker 1: I would absolutely watch it again and study it in a different way. The other big star robe that's going to confuse people, and some reviews are out there about it, there's a cat that's in the movie.
00:26:31
Speaker 3: Okay, the cat plays a central role.
00:26:33
Speaker 1: Yes.
00:26:34
Speaker 2: At least in the first... 20, 30 minutes. And we were puzzled by it. Is that a real cat? Is that a robotic cat?
00:26:41
Speaker 1: We knew it wasn't a real cat.
00:26:43
Speaker 3: Obviously, no. But was it supposed to kind of be a real cat? It was confusing.
00:26:47
Speaker 1: We didn't know to take it seriously. We didn't know what was that. But they were using in the movie what is clearly a fake cat. And you know good and hell well, Rose, you can get a real cat, you can get all kinds of CGI. Why were they doing this? Is this the gag? It is clearly a mechanical cat that's his pet.
00:27:06
Speaker 3: It's hilarious.
00:27:07
Speaker 2: And yet you feel wrong laughing at it because it's in pain, it's dying, and you're just like, what am I looking at right now? But I didn't mind it. It started off weird like that, and it continued. And so I was okay with it. It set the tone that I then... I got put into a, am I in reality or not reality mode from the beginning? And then I just went on the ride and I was fine with it.
00:27:32
Speaker 1: I started to laugh. I'm just remembering the moment where the guy told him about the coming disaster and he got off the phone with him. And then his assistants walked in a few minutes later. He said, wait a minute, he's dead? The guy I just talked to two minutes ago. Like the movie is hilarious. The shovel- Bit worked.
00:27:51
Speaker 3: Oh my goodness.
00:27:52
Speaker 2: Yeah, there was some Three Stooges-like comedy in there as well. There was a little bit of comedy for everybody. If you like physical comedy, if you like outrageous comedy, if you like dark comedy, if you're like, should I be laughing at that comedy?
00:28:05
Speaker 3: Yes, it was all in there.
00:28:07
Speaker 1: I cannot believe we are this strongly endorsing this film. You know what?
00:28:11
Speaker 2: I expected to maybe disagree with the critics. I didn't expect to disagree with them this much. And then a fun surprise... cast member, Sophie Wilde. You might not know her name. It might not be a household name for many folks, but if you ever saw the incredible movie, horror movie, Talk to Me, she is the lead actor. She plays the role of Mia. And after we saw Talk to Me, that was a 2024 film, correct? We said she should be nominated for an Academy Award.
00:28:39
Speaker 1: So don't listen to us.
00:28:41
Speaker 2: There were so many actors, though, in this film that have already been nominated. nominated, have won an Academy Award, who we think should have won.
00:28:49
Speaker 3: It was just a stellar cast.
00:28:51
Speaker 2: And I just don't understand why people hated it so much.
00:28:54
Speaker 1: I don't understand. Some folks do go into it to be critical of it. You have to look at it through a critical lens. We go in there for what?
00:29:01
Speaker 2: Entertainment.
00:29:02
Speaker 1: We want to sit down and be entertained. And if that's all you want from the movie, you will get it. You will absolutely get it. So I would actually recommend it.
00:29:12
Speaker 3: So it's two thumbs up from us, and we would recommend go seeing it.
00:29:16
Speaker 1: I don't think we can say that. I think somebody else has the.
00:29:18
Speaker 2: Rights to the two thumbs up thing. Well, we have two middle fingers up to the critics.
00:29:22
Speaker 1: Oh, I can't do that. Stop.
00:29:24
Speaker 3: Okay.
00:29:25
Speaker 1: Everybody, she's just joking. Amy Rodak does not speak for TJ Holmes. Oh, my God. They're just doing their job.
00:29:35
Speaker 2: They are.
00:29:36
Speaker 3: They are. I was just teasing.
00:29:38
Speaker 1: I'll disagree on this one. All right, folks, we appreciate it. And yeah, I can't believe it. But yes, go see the worst reviewed movie of the year and possibly what is going to be one of the biggest flops, if you will. I hate saying that because it is disrespectful to what this movie is. We didn't mention the other thing. Cinematography. This movie is beautiful.
00:30:00
Speaker 3: It's gorgeous. It's gorgeous.
00:30:03
Speaker 2: And it's actually perfect. I am going to be so interested in seeing if this film gets any Oscar nods, given the horrible reviews. That would be just such a beautiful, perfect way to, I guess, for this movie to have felt some love from someone.
00:30:22
Speaker 3: I just feel like other actors.
00:30:24
Speaker 2: Other directors, the Academy, the people who vote, wouldn't they recognize what this movie actually represents and what it took to make?
00:30:31
Speaker 3: I would hope so.
00:30:33
Speaker 1: Check it out. It is Digger in theaters now. I'm TJ. That's Robes. We'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks. It is Monday, October 5th. A movie so poorly reviewed that we had to go see it. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. Surely you've heard about this Tom Cruise movie called Digger. The reviews weren't just bad. People had really, really nasty things to say about this movie that stood out to us, Robes. The reviews got so bad, we had to go see it. And now it turns out this movie is not just poorly reviewed. It might go down in history.
00:00:33
Speaker 2: Yes, well, it just goes to show, I would imagine, how important reviews are. So when you've got critic after critic after critic lambasting this film, calling it indulgent, saying they wanted to walk out of the movie theater, so dramatic. But of course, to us, that's music to our ears.
00:00:54
Speaker 1: Really?
00:00:54
Speaker 3: It's so bad you wanted to walk out. Now I have to go see it.
00:00:58
Speaker 1: We had zero intention of seeing this movie.
00:01:00
Speaker 3: Zero intention.
00:01:01
Speaker 1: At all. I was curious. Tom Cruise is unrecognizable, has on a fat suit, prosthetics on his face. He's this out of control character. Yes, I would like to see him do something besides save the world as a secret agent.
00:01:13
Speaker 2: Cool.
00:01:14
Speaker 1: It sounded fun, but we only go to horror movies or big blockbusters or to see the Odyssey, you know, big events. We said, okay, we'll catch this one later. Robes, they talked us into seeing this movie.
00:01:25
Speaker 3: And you know what? I don't regret a second of it.
00:01:29
Speaker 2: I actually, and we can get into the details of it, but I, you, look, you are a, you're a tough critic in that you actually respect comedic timing, comedic, scripts and you don't laugh if it isn't warranted.
00:01:45
Speaker 3: You laughed out loud multiple times during this film.
00:01:49
Speaker 1: Bro, the first 20 or 30 minutes, I was cackling. Bro, it was so over the top and ridiculous. I was having a blast and I was blown away based on What we had read about the movie going at Robes, and we're going to share with you all some of these reviews, and you'll get a better idea. They are scathing. Not just, this is a poor film. They could have done better with music. It was a poor performance. No, no, no, no, no. This was like, who are these two assholes that somebody didn't tell to stop making this movie? The reviews are awful.
00:02:19
Speaker 3: They're terrible.
00:02:20
Speaker 2: So when we start watching it, and we immediately started enjoying it, and.
00:02:24
Speaker 3: Sure, it gets.
00:02:26
Speaker 2: A little strange and a little kooky, but I thought in a justifiably artistic way.
00:02:31
Speaker 1: You know what, we didn't, and this is, you know what, we'll let you all see behind the, this is true and happening in real time. We didn't discuss ahead of time whether or not we were going to give any spoilers. You're right. This is important. OK, because there are twists and turns and things that if you knew ahead of time, you might not enjoy the movie as much. We haven't discussed. Should we say anything? Or maybe we can leave a section at the end where we say, all right, here are the spoilers. Turn it off. Either way, when they first put this movie out, Robes, they were telling some or letting people see it. It included notes, like don't spoil it for people. Don't give any hints to what happens at the end. It's a pretty big twist.
00:03:10
Speaker 3: Yes, and so you know what?
00:03:11
Speaker 2: I actually think for anyone who started listening to it who doesn't want to hear a spoiler, we won't do it.
00:03:16
Speaker 3: We'll give you plenty of.
00:03:18
Speaker 1: Time to turn it off.
00:03:20
Speaker 2: I don't think we're going to because I wouldn't want to spoil anyone's experience. And the point is, I actually think, I've always thought this, going into a film or going into a movie theater with low expectations, almost always surprising people surprises me in all the good ways so i was expecting to either hate it or just not like it or be kind of creeped out or weirded out by it i enjoyed it from start to finish i thought it was a fantastic film i thought it was brilliantly acted and i thought the script and the writing was.
00:03:52
Speaker 1: Really good this this is original it's bizarre it's kooky as hell It's ridiculous. It makes you question the director. It makes you question Tom Cruise. And you question them in that, man, how did y'all come up with this? I'm impressed that somebody comes up with stuff like this.
00:04:10
Speaker 3: Yeah, and babe, you know what it made me question? The critics.
00:04:13
Speaker 2: I actually thought, do they have it out for Tom Cruise? Are they just annoyed with his success? Do they not like the fact that he's a Scientologist?
00:04:22
Speaker 3: Do they not like.
00:04:23
Speaker 2: Some of the unbelievable actors, Oscar-winning actors in here, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman.
00:04:29
Speaker 1: Okay, those two are stanzas. Jesse Plemons. Riz Ahmed, if they want to give him an Oscar nomination for this one, I will support it.
00:04:37
Speaker 3: Yeah, everyone is phenomenal in this.
00:04:40
Speaker 1: John Goodman, you can't take your eyes off of him the whole time.
00:04:41
Speaker 3: No, Jesse Plemons is a hilarious part of this.
00:04:44
Speaker 1: And not there long enough. No, I agree. We don't see him enough.
00:04:47
Speaker 2: It left you wanting more, but I always thought that was a good thing. And then let's talk about the director. I hope I don't butcher his name, Alejandro Iñárritu, but he is known for his Academy Award winning projects as well.
00:05:01
Speaker 3: Like, oh, I don't know. Have you heard of Birdman?
00:05:04
Speaker 4: Best director, best picture, The Revenant, best Best Director, Best Picture nominations. This is an award-winning and well-respected director.
00:05:18
Speaker 1: Okay, so you put him together with Tom Cruise, right?
00:05:29
Speaker 3: What could go wrong?
00:05:30
Speaker 1: It should be a good time. They got $ 125 million reportedly initially for this budget that then ballooned actually, Rose, because... They had production delays, including John Goodman had an accident on set and they had to shut down production for a little while. So they're saying $ 150 to $ 160 million is what this thing ultimately cost. That's before your marketing. But if you got $ 150 million film robes and you make $ 8 million in opening weekend, you are in trouble. That's a big deal. And it is worth noting. And it is worth talking about. And it is worth talking about what went wrong here. But I don't know. We talk about Tom Cruise. We talk about people, the reviews. Even before reviews, I was confused about what this movie was. Some of the marketing didn't make, it was only about Tom Cruise as unrecognizable. I didn't know much more.
00:06:22
Speaker 2: Yeah, and I think that that didn't draw people in. It didn't make people want to go see it. As in, ooh, what's this film about? There was no mystery.
00:06:30
Speaker 3: There was no intrigue. It was just kind of weird, and it didn't make a lot of sense.
00:06:34
Speaker 1: And Tom Cruise is not in a cockpit or flying across the world doing stunts. That's how we're used to seeing Tom Cruise. We'll show up all day for that. What, Top Gun 3? When's it coming?
00:06:45
Speaker 2: But Tom Cruise in a fat suit looking far older than he actually is. Yeah.
00:06:51
Speaker 1: You know what? Is that a spoiler or not? Much of a spoiler here. Robes, we don't see him look anything other than as this character. He never shows up as regular Tom Cruise in this movie.
00:07:01
Speaker 3: No, he does not. And look, I kind of liked it.
00:07:05
Speaker 2: When female actors do this, who are known for their good looks and their big blockbuster, when they get ugly, I hate to say it, but get ugly or they gain weight.
00:07:15
Speaker 3: For a role, they win Oscars. When Tom Cruise does it.
00:07:19
Speaker 1: His are prosthetics, so he didn't gain this.
00:07:21
Speaker 3: That is true.
00:07:22
Speaker 2: That is true.
00:07:22
Speaker 1: It's a little different.
00:07:23
Speaker 3: That is true. That's a good point.
00:07:25
Speaker 1: So what the hell is this movie about? The synopsis, they actually don't tell you much in a lot of the write-ups, but this was officially from the Warner Brothers website, the Digger website. Website, this is what the movie's about.
00:07:37
Speaker 2: Okay, it says Academy Award winning filmmaker Alejandro Iñárritu returns with his original film, Digger, starring Tom Cruise in the title role. The most powerful man in the world embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity's savior before the disaster he's unleashed destroys everything. Cruise stars alongside Oscar winner Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Oscar nominee Sandra Huller, Michael Stolberg, and Oscar nominee Jesse Plemons. Now, I think what's lacking is the disaster he's unleashed, they could have gotten into some more description because I actually think it's a pretty unbelievable premise.
00:08:16
Speaker 3: You've got.
00:08:17
Speaker 1: I love it.
00:08:18
Speaker 3: Yeah, you've got.
00:08:19
Speaker 2: It's okay to give a larger idea of what the synopsis is about.
00:08:23
Speaker 1: And the trailer goes in this. You're not giving anything away.
00:08:25
Speaker 2: And it actually is just interesting on its face here that the film is talking about some billionaire oil tycoon who drilling in Greenland basically.
00:08:37
Speaker 3: It has the shelf of a, is.
00:08:41
Speaker 2: It an iceberg when it's like three times the size or six times the size of Boston? But anyway, an ice shelf falls off of the mainland of Greenland and it starts hurling its way towards Europe. which is going to cause a tsunami and kill millions and millions of people. And so there were all these ideas about what to do to stop this iceberg from hitting Europe's mainland.
00:09:06
Speaker 3: And then another ice shelf falls off.
00:09:08
Speaker 2: So they had funny names like Judy and Kimberly, I believe, are the names of these icebergs.
00:09:13
Speaker 1: But the Kimberly one he renames because it was Russian is hilarious. You remember that?
00:09:17
Speaker 3: What's the name of it? It is hilarious.
00:09:19
Speaker 2: They changed Kimberly into a Russian-sounding name and they kept... But it was just, it was, it's obviously, this is a black, this is a dark comedy.
00:09:26
Speaker 3: This is a satire.
00:09:28
Speaker 2: And I actually thought it was brilliant and funny and interesting. And yes, it's over the top, but that's the whole point. And I, you and I laughed at different times, but throughout and just, it was well done. If not bizarre, still well done.
00:09:46
Speaker 1: So that's what we think. But right now, the critics only giving it 51% on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience, 71%. That's a pretty good score. That means the audience is enjoying this movie.
00:09:57
Speaker 3: I have said this from the beginning. When the critics find.
00:10:00
Speaker 2: I will listen to them, obviously they know much more about what makes something like art and cinematography and all of these things that I don't really understand.
00:10:09
Speaker 3: So, I mean, yes, I'll take that into... some sort of guidance.
00:10:13
Speaker 2: But when I see the audience score is really, really high, or if there's a big disparity and the audience likes it way more than the critics, that even makes me want to go more because I figure we know, we're just talking about entertainment value here when it's audience score usually, and I'm up for being entertained.
00:10:28
Speaker 1: So not a lot of people are going to see it, obviously. It made $ 8 million, you all, at the box office. That's the lowest he's had in some 20 years as far as an opening for a Tom Cruise movie. $ 8 million. $ 8 million. A lot of people didn't go see it, but 71% means that those who did go see it are enjoying it. But we'll tell you now the reviews that kind of got us going. We just kind of did a little bit of a synopsis here from various places. But you're not going to believe the things that professional outlets and professional movie critics are saying about this movie. These are the reviews, folks, that made us run to the theaters.
00:11:07
Speaker 3: Yes, the Hollywood Reporter.
00:11:08
Speaker 2: Digger is basically what happens when you put two outsized egos together with nobody holding the reins to keep their most self-indulgent impulses in check.
00:11:18
Speaker 3: So meta that you watch.
00:11:20
Speaker 2: In excruciating weariness as the film disappears up its own ass. And then realize to your dismay that there's another eardrum-shattering hour.
00:11:30
Speaker 3: Left to endure.
00:11:32
Speaker 1: Obviously, we have to go see this.
00:11:34
Speaker 2: And also, by the way, it's two hours and nine minutes, I believe, is the run time. We don't usually go see a movie that A, isn't a horror movie, or B, is more than an hour and 40 minutes.
00:11:43
Speaker 3: Like, that's our tops. So for us to go to a.
00:11:45
Speaker 2: Movie that isn't a horror movie and more than two hours, there had to be some pretty outrageous reviews.
00:11:52
Speaker 1: And so the rap put it this way, Digger. It's what happens when you give the week's worst Saturday Night Live sketch an inexplicably large budget and delusions of grandeur. In Digger, Tom Cruise also plays a villainous foghorn leghorn, but his version is a seductive, intriguing enigma that takes center stage. It's the kind of movie about evil billionaires that evil billionaires would enjoy, which makes it the worst kind of movie about evil billionaires.
00:12:18
Speaker 2: I don't even understand that review. I actually, like, it's so funny, and trying to be so clever is... in criticizing the film for it for being an enigma it then got too clever with itself in the review and now i don't understand the review i understood the movie better than what the rap had to say about it that's.
00:12:36
Speaker 1: The truth i get it they're doing their jobs here and putting in their spin on it but that's what they thought look we're reading these a few days ago and said, we've got to go see this movie.
00:12:46
Speaker 3: Absolutely.
00:12:46
Speaker 2: The LA times weighed in with Digger is a bizarre stunt made on a big studio budget, but the horrible hijinks in Digger are so close to reality that exiting the film, I was less sure than ever that humanity will still be around. There's no hope in Digger, only a seductive, mischievous malevolence that by design feels empty as soon as the end credits. While I don't entirely love this strange comedy, I'm giddy that it's lurched into existence.
00:13:18
Speaker 3: I don't understand that review either.
00:13:19
Speaker 1: You can understand the next one though, can't you, from the Austin Chronicle?
00:13:22
Speaker 3: Ever heard that old saying, this meeting could have been in an email?
00:13:25
Speaker 1: Wow.
00:13:27
Speaker 2: Similarly, rather than being a film, Digger could have been a burning bag of dog poop delivered to Adam McKay's doorstep, a seeming broadside at heavy-handed Hollywood advocacy flops that don't look up.
00:13:40
Speaker 3: It's a scathing patiche.
00:13:42
Speaker 2: Of everything that makes such movies insufferably sanctimonious, yet Birdman director Alejandro Iñárritu' s obvious technical genius as a filmmaker cannot overcome the plain fact that Digger is both insufferable and sanctimonious.
00:13:58
Speaker 3: My goodness.
00:14:00
Speaker 1: These seem like not just a technical aspect sometimes of criticizing a film. They're criticizing message, they're criticizing mindset. Yeah, they're criticizing, or I guess... What these guys seem to stand for, stand on, or some message they're trying to get out. And maybe they are. We just like movies and we like to be entertained. You are not going to be bored in this movie. The suggestion that people wanted to walk out, okay, people have it differently. Slant put it this way, a film of ideas. A rambunctious gathering of mostly talented people doing the worst work of their careers. Digger is Iñárritu' s purported cri de corps against our wealth and resources hoovering overlords. But somehow it still manages to be a shameless Tom Cruise ego stroke. The actor shrieks.
00:14:49
Speaker 4: Wow.
00:14:49
Speaker 1: I mean, it's just cruel. Some of that, I mean... That 10 minute monologue they're talking about. I loved it. It's over the top.
00:15:18
Speaker 3: I thought it was amazing.
00:15:19
Speaker 1: You can't take your eyes off of it. It's gross at times. It's violent at times. It's shocking at times.
00:15:24
Speaker 3: It's true at times.
00:15:26
Speaker 1: And Robes, it's rhythmic even at times as the audience gets. Robes, I thought that scene was crazy.
00:15:32
Speaker 3: Do you know what?
00:15:33
Speaker 2: I actually think that for me watching this film, if I hadn't read any critics reviews, I would have thought this might be an Oscar film.
00:15:41
Speaker 3: Like this would be Oscar worthy.
00:15:43
Speaker 2: That's how far off the mark I am from what critics receive or how they received it.
00:15:47
Speaker 1: How can this is an original? I don't know how it doesn't get original screenplay. I don't know how it doesn't get cinematography that we haven't talked about that yet. We'll put that as a part of our review in a second. But Robes, this isn't. How is this not? Is no one going to give Tom Cruise any love for this character he pulled out? Who knows? The last one here from Variety we can share with you saying the movie costs north of 125 million to make. And that figure is not only too big to probably justify it, it's a testament to the arrogance of the filmmakers to the assumption that we'll turn out in droves for this ponderous, absurdist lecture.
00:16:23
Speaker 3: I didn't think it was a lecture. I thought it was, yes, of course they're making a commentary.
00:16:28
Speaker 1: Yes.
00:16:29
Speaker 2: Obviously on fracking and all of the things that we're doing to Mother Earth to try and elicit fossil fuels and oil so that we can all live the lives we live.
00:16:40
Speaker 3: But I didn't feel like.
00:16:42
Speaker 2: I felt like because it was done so satirically and it was such a black comedy, I didn't feel like I was being force-fed some sanctimonious BS.
00:16:51
Speaker 3: So I guess I just felt like I ate a different dish than these critics did.
00:16:56
Speaker 1: Well, stay with us, folks. We will give our actual... Review. There are some parts of it, sure, we took issue with, but we'll give a breakdown of Tom Cruise's performance, John Goodman's, Riz Ahmed, and everything else going on here, including there was a special and unexpected appearance by an actress from a horror movie that we love, and she was fantastic as well. Stay here.
00:17:27
Speaker 3: Welcome back, everyone, to Amy and TJ.
00:17:30
Speaker 2: We are talking about what may end up being a historic flop for Tom Cruise, for many of the Academy Award-winning stars and director attached to the film Digger. The reviews are so scathing, we just read several of them for you, and there are more if you'd like to find them, that drove us to go to the theaters to see what everyone was talking about. And look, even Tom Cruise himself himself felt the need to jump onto social media over the weekend to defend the film and to defend what he thinks of the film. So he put this out there. He said, Digger is officially in theaters and I am so honored to have had the opportunity to create this film alongside such talented artists. Thank you to the entire cast and crew for your dedication, hard work, and joy. The experience was truly unforgettable and I'm so proud of what we created. And look, they even leaned into some of the bad press with the marketing for this film. They showed, it is true, many, many European critics liked the film, had good things to say about it. Conversely, we just read aloud to you what most American film critics had to say about it. And they actually used both of them promoting the film over the weekend in marketing saying, you decide, basically.
00:18:45
Speaker 1: But they were using clips from, that was brilliantly put together. And they were kind of flipping some of the American critics' words onto the European critics' words. Like somebody saying it's disgusting and somebody saying it's brilliant. Bro, this was great. And using some of the clips like perfectly said Like Digger, I think they used, like, who gives a fuck what people say? Like from the actual movie. It was cool. Look, to the point. Can this work?
00:19:11
Speaker 3: I mean, I think it should. I'm so confused.
00:19:14
Speaker 2: I thought this actually was a brilliant piece of art. And art gets people talking. Art pisses people off. It encourages people. It makes some people laugh. It makes other people cry.
00:19:25
Speaker 3: I actually thought this.
00:19:26
Speaker 2: Film did all of those things, and just by the response itself, that it evoked from so many people in varying ways, I actually feel like it is a brilliant piece of art.
00:19:35
Speaker 1: Job well done. Robe, seriously, you're not going to walk out of here, out of that movie theater, not feeling something one way or another. It's not just love or hate. You just, you get, Robes, they poke you. This movie is, because there are times I looked over at you and said, is that for real? There were times I looked over at Sabine on the other side and said, what is that supposed to mean?
00:19:54
Speaker 2: Well, you said to me, you're like, what's happening right now?
00:19:57
Speaker 3: You're like, is this reality? Or is this not reality?
00:20:01
Speaker 2: I was... But that's... I think what kind of movie where you're laughing and entertained and totally into it and then all of a sudden there's a record scratch moment a couple of times and you're like, wait, what... Is what I just saw, did that all actually happen? Or is this, I appreciate a movie that can do that in the middle.
00:20:23
Speaker 3: Of the movie.
00:20:23
Speaker 1: And I was just thinking, Rob, so yeah, there's confusion and it's wacky and this and that. I'm like, did it make you feel something? Actually, yes. There is a really poignant moment at the end, Robes, where it kind of brings everything home. I know you'll know what I'm talking about. I'm not going to say too much, but there is a moment where you still actually feel some humanity. You feel people's loss. You feel their pain. You feel them trying to get through it, through laughter. This is a cool freaking movie. I was going to ask you, do you think the bad weekend it just had and all the reviews, is there any chance people are going to be talking about this enough that maybe they pick up a little steam?
00:21:02
Speaker 3: It's possible, but I also worry, and you... made this note as well.
00:21:07
Speaker 2: Once theaters see that people aren't coming to their establishments to watch said movie, they limit the times, they limit where it's being shown, and so not as many people have access to it. Actually, given all the bad reviews, I was surprised as many people were in the theater as they were when we walked in yesterday. We went to a 1240 showing. And it was on the weekend, Sunday. But I thought with all the bad reviews, there'd be nobody in the theater. And there were actually more people than I thought. And not only were we laughing, we heard plenty of laughter in the theater at several moments. I will say you walked out to go get popcorn at a time where it was probably my favorite scene. I didn't want to lay that on you, but it really was a brilliant scene. where they are literally watching the disaster that they were afraid was.
00:21:53
Speaker 3: Going to happen, happening in real time.
00:21:55
Speaker 2: And they were just, it was obviously a dark comedy, as we pointed out, but their reaction to watching people die in mass was actually funny. And you were kind of embarrassed that you were laughing at it. You didn't see the destruction, because that would make it awful. You couldn't laugh at that. You just got to see this room full of people who were responsible for this mass tragedy happening.
00:22:17
Speaker 3: Seeing the tragedy unfold. And it was funny.
00:22:20
Speaker 1: They were taking it in.
00:22:21
Speaker 3: They're like, oh no, is that a stroller? Why aren't they running faster? Like that kind of thing. You couldn't help but start laughing.
00:22:28
Speaker 1: It's funny. When I came back, I didn't tell you this. I didn't remember until this moment. I came back from bringing stuff to y'all. I sat in between you and Sabine. I asked Sabine first, what did I miss? She said, man, I don't even know. That was her response. And then you had to explain to me. This thing that just happened. Yes, it is wacky. You get lost, but it's awesome. Robes, first, I guess, let's just start with Tom Cruise. Robes, you don't see him like this often. But what do you think about him that he's being criticized by some is just over the top and he's yelling and spitting, but. This was something.
00:23:06
Speaker 3: But that was his character. The character and the entire movie was over the top.
00:23:10
Speaker 2: If he didn't lead the way with that, I don't even know that it would have felt like it was thematically pulled together.
00:23:17
Speaker 3: I thought he was amazing.
00:23:18
Speaker 2: I thought as an actor, what he had to pull off, that 10-minute monologue everyone wants to try and say was righteous and indulgent, I thought was... remarkable and the amount of work that must have taken to be able to just memorize all of those lines, first of all. But second, I just thought he was, I thought it was some of the best acting I've ever seen him pull off.
00:23:40
Speaker 1: Rose, that scene, that monologue scene, it's so over the top. It is just awesome. Even the setting, how they set it up in a little- And the coloring. It's so awesome. So to Tom Cruise's I don't think a lot of, you know one of my favorite movies, comedies, Tropic Thunder. He plays a studio head. If you've never seen Tropic Thunder, you've maybe never seen him as an over-the-top character like this. He was over-the-top, bodysuit, balding. He did a whole dance routine at the end to a ludicrous song. You're not used to seeing Tom Cruise like that. I like seeing him let loose like this. He just unleashed.
00:24:20
Speaker 3: How do you think his acting was?
00:24:21
Speaker 1: Oh, he was fantastic. I'd vote for him. Give that man an Oscar nomination for this.
00:24:27
Speaker 2: And he has never actually, he's gotten an honorary Oscar, but he's never actually gotten an Academy Award. And a lot of people thought he believed this role might land him one. And after watching it, I think he deserves the nomination.
00:24:41
Speaker 1: Robes, I really hope they give him some love. This character was tough to pull off. And his rank going back and forth in row, yes, give him something for that scene, that monologue that people hated. Some of these critics, I was almost on the edge of my seat, my jaw dropped, my eyes got big because I couldn't believe they kept shocking me with word after word and how he's moving around the crowd. Rose, that scene was nuts. He was climbing up, he was being vulgar at times. That scene was crazy.
00:25:22
Speaker 3: I thought it was... I am still... I have to say this. I am genuinely shocked by how much critics hated this movie. I am genuinely shocked.
00:25:29
Speaker 2: I actually thought this was something that was unique, original, well-acted, well-written. Yes, a bit maybe fantastical, but I don't mind... I didn't mind any of it. And then, yes, John Goodman.
00:25:43
Speaker 3: Let's talk about him.
00:25:44
Speaker 1: He was remarkable. Also over the top in his character, even over the top in his illness... That he has. It's over the top.
00:25:52
Speaker 3: Can we say he has ass cancer? That's kind of what he was talking about. So there was some comedy.
00:25:56
Speaker 2: There's cancer comedy in there.
00:25:58
Speaker 1: Yes.
00:25:59
Speaker 2: There's casualty comedy. Like, yes, they took on subjects that normally you cannot laugh at.
00:26:05
Speaker 1: John Goodman, in the first meeting they have with the cabinet at Digger's house, Robes, as they're going around the table, Robes, that scene was hilarious. And the guy that plays the vice president, he's hilarious. I don't even know his name.
00:26:19
Speaker 3: I would watch it again.
00:26:20
Speaker 1: I would absolutely watch it again and study it in a different way. The other big star robe that's going to confuse people, and some reviews are out there about it, there's a cat that's in the movie.
00:26:31
Speaker 3: Okay, the cat plays a central role.
00:26:33
Speaker 1: Yes.
00:26:34
Speaker 2: At least in the first... 20, 30 minutes. And we were puzzled by it. Is that a real cat? Is that a robotic cat?
00:26:41
Speaker 1: We knew it wasn't a real cat.
00:26:43
Speaker 3: Obviously, no. But was it supposed to kind of be a real cat? It was confusing.
00:26:47
Speaker 1: We didn't know to take it seriously. We didn't know what was that. But they were using in the movie what is clearly a fake cat. And you know good and hell well, Rose, you can get a real cat, you can get all kinds of CGI. Why were they doing this? Is this the gag? It is clearly a mechanical cat that's his pet.
00:27:06
Speaker 3: It's hilarious.
00:27:07
Speaker 2: And yet you feel wrong laughing at it because it's in pain, it's dying, and you're just like, what am I looking at right now? But I didn't mind it. It started off weird like that, and it continued. And so I was okay with it. It set the tone that I then... I got put into a, am I in reality or not reality mode from the beginning? And then I just went on the ride and I was fine with it.
00:27:32
Speaker 1: I started to laugh. I'm just remembering the moment where the guy told him about the coming disaster and he got off the phone with him. And then his assistants walked in a few minutes later. He said, wait a minute, he's dead? The guy I just talked to two minutes ago. Like the movie is hilarious. The shovel- Bit worked.
00:27:51
Speaker 3: Oh my goodness.
00:27:52
Speaker 2: Yeah, there was some Three Stooges-like comedy in there as well. There was a little bit of comedy for everybody. If you like physical comedy, if you like outrageous comedy, if you like dark comedy, if you're like, should I be laughing at that comedy?
00:28:05
Speaker 3: Yes, it was all in there.
00:28:07
Speaker 1: I cannot believe we are this strongly endorsing this film. You know what?
00:28:11
Speaker 2: I expected to maybe disagree with the critics. I didn't expect to disagree with them this much. And then a fun surprise... cast member, Sophie Wilde. You might not know her name. It might not be a household name for many folks, but if you ever saw the incredible movie, horror movie, Talk to Me, she is the lead actor. She plays the role of Mia. And after we saw Talk to Me, that was a 2024 film, correct? We said she should be nominated for an Academy Award.
00:28:39
Speaker 1: So don't listen to us.
00:28:41
Speaker 2: There were so many actors, though, in this film that have already been nominated. nominated, have won an Academy Award, who we think should have won.
00:28:49
Speaker 3: It was just a stellar cast.
00:28:51
Speaker 2: And I just don't understand why people hated it so much.
00:28:54
Speaker 1: I don't understand. Some folks do go into it to be critical of it. You have to look at it through a critical lens. We go in there for what?
00:29:01
Speaker 2: Entertainment.
00:29:02
Speaker 1: We want to sit down and be entertained. And if that's all you want from the movie, you will get it. You will absolutely get it. So I would actually recommend it.
00:29:12
Speaker 3: So it's two thumbs up from us, and we would recommend go seeing it.
00:29:16
Speaker 1: I don't think we can say that. I think somebody else has the.
00:29:18
Speaker 2: Rights to the two thumbs up thing. Well, we have two middle fingers up to the critics.
00:29:22
Speaker 1: Oh, I can't do that. Stop.
00:29:24
Speaker 3: Okay.
00:29:25
Speaker 1: Everybody, she's just joking. Amy Rodak does not speak for TJ Holmes. Oh, my God. They're just doing their job.
00:29:35
Speaker 2: They are.
00:29:36
Speaker 3: They are. I was just teasing.
00:29:38
Speaker 1: I'll disagree on this one. All right, folks, we appreciate it. And yeah, I can't believe it. But yes, go see the worst reviewed movie of the year and possibly what is going to be one of the biggest flops, if you will. I hate saying that because it is disrespectful to what this movie is. We didn't mention the other thing. Cinematography. This movie is beautiful.
00:30:00
Speaker 3: It's gorgeous. It's gorgeous.
00:30:03
Speaker 2: And it's actually perfect. I am going to be so interested in seeing if this film gets any Oscar nods, given the horrible reviews. That would be just such a beautiful, perfect way to, I guess, for this movie to have felt some love from someone.
00:30:22
Speaker 3: I just feel like other actors.
00:30:24
Speaker 2: Other directors, the Academy, the people who vote, wouldn't they recognize what this movie actually represents and what it took to make?
00:30:31
Speaker 3: I would hope so.
00:30:33
Speaker 1: Check it out. It is Digger in theaters now. I'm TJ. That's Robes. We'll talk to you soon.