Episodes

Well, we got no class and we got no principals. We ain't got no innocence. We can't even think of a word that rhymes. School's out for summer. We talk Dazed and Confused with Sean Nelson. Sean's record Nelson Sings Nilsson is the greatest.

A bride without a head! A wolf without a foot! We laugh and cry and sing and love Howard Ashman (and, of course, Jerry Orbach). We talk Beauty and the Beast [1991] with the splendiferous Dana Schwartz. You can find Dana here: Twitter and on the Inform...

American Gangster goes deep on power, racism, organized crime, geopolitics and—of course—dads and we get into all that and more with the fabulous Sin á Tes Souhaits. We also have a fun update regarding our Pretty in Pink episode!

Is Ducky a comedy writer these days? Is Iona the Daddy? What literal genius thought to put Harry Dean Stanton in a teen comedy? We get into the weeds of Pretty in Pink with the incomparable Julie Klausner. You can find Julie on Twitter and Instagram.

We unpack the big feelings that fuel Blue Valentine—which is not Blue Velvet (though it is at once similarly and differently heavy)—with Esmé Weijun Wang. You can find Esmé on Twitter and Instagram. You can find Esmé online here!

Inspired by our conversation about The Shining, we talked Kubrickian conspiracy theories and Room 237 with our pal Patrick McGinty. This was originally a Patreon bonus episode, but since we took last week off we figured we'd treat y'all to it.

We're taking this week off, but here's a quick hello from Sarah! We'll be back next week! In the meantime you can find us on Twitter, Instagram and Patreon.

Heartwarming hilarity ensues when a quirky sex-worker helps a corporate raider get over his daddy issues. Join us and special guest Maggie Rose in conversation about Pretty Woman. You can find Maggie on Twitter and Instagram.

We discuss all things Rain Man—from the plentitude of dad issues to the many things it got wrong about autism—with journalist Eric Michael Garcia. Bonus: We also love on Oliver Sacks super, super hard. Eric's book We Are Not Broken: Changing the Conve...

We take a close look at The Shining—both the Stephen King classic and the Stanley Kubrick classic—and discuss Jack Torrance's multiple shortcomings in the fatherhood department. We made a playlist to accompany this episode!

It is about good dads and bad dads; present dads and absent dads; biological dads and adoptive dads. Join us as we discuss Marvel dads and daddies, space losers, mediocre white dude heroes, and Guardians of the Galaxy with Fangirl Jeanne!

Clarice Starling was a revelation while the portrayal of "Buffalo Bill" became a bane for many trans people coming of age. The impeccably constructed film is the gold standard of copaganda. We unpack The Silence of the Lambs' complicated legacy with Ha...

A few Halfling hippies assemble an eclectic fellowship and go on the adventure of a lifetime. Dads and daddies abound. We talk Hobbits, fan fiction, thirsting for Viggo, and The Lord of the Rings with our pal Talia Lavin.

One time in the 1990s a scary litigator melted the hearts of millions of kids by reminding his daughter that "you divorce wives, not kids." We discuss Mel Horowitz—the loveliest shouty dad in popular cinema—Cher, Josh, Tai, Murray,

It's a movie about a big, messy sweetie who can't get out of his own way and all of the folks who suffer as a result. We talk The Wrestler, alcoholic dads, and more with the wonderful Gaby Dunn. You can Gaby on Instagram and on TikTok!

An effervescent dark comedy that addresses the crushing nature of patriarchy while also paying tribute to ABBA on a number of levels? We gushed about Muriel's Wedding with the endlessly marvelous Laura Lippman. You can find Laura's books here,

A bunch of men have competing views on how best to parent their city, though they all agree the task of dadding around is a thankless, back-breaking, and secretive operation. A lovable anarchist literally tells the Bat Dad that they complete each other.

We're putting last week's episode of Shootin' the Shit w. Why Are Dads [our Patreon bonus series] over here on the main feed because it sounds like a lot of y'all are dealing with some of that heavy-heavy and a few folks said it was helpful for them to...

10 Things I Hate About You is Shakespeare seen through a 90s teen comedy lens and it remains such a treat. Along with special guest Sanpriti Ireland, we talk about Kat, her over-protective dad, Heath Ledger,

A group of men have some feelings, don't know what to do with them, and get everyone around them into a big mess. Sound familiar? We discuss Fargo, what me mean by "straight men", and the great Marge Gunderson with Clementine Ford.

Is it possible that sometimes folks get so carried away in representing their causes that they overlook the humanity of the people about whom they purport to care? We discuss the criminally underrated Citizen Ruth, the abortion debate,

A series about a broken, sad man who expects way way more from everyone around him? Who lives by a convoluted code? The Sawniverse is about a perpetually disappointed dad and all of the kids who break themselves trying to please him.

We are joined by Emma Copley Eisenberg for a discussion about intersections of fate, Aimee Mann, the enduring beauty of Philip Seymour Hoffman, and one of the most sprawling movies about unpacking dad relationships of all time!

We meant to take this week off but then a thing happened. Musician, podcaster and public personality John Roderick struck a collective nerve by telling a story about his daughter, beans, and a can opener. In doing so he became known to many as "Bean Da...