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I have a difficult relationship with my Dad right now and this podcast helped a lot, thanks so much you guys you are loved and appreciated more than you know ❤️❤️
A truly amazing podcast- perfect for anyone who enjoys media analysis and discussions about gender. For your consideration: take a look at The West Wing, particularly “Ellie,” an episode that regularly makes me feel lots of Dad-related feelings. President Bartlet is my high-key problematic-fave TV-Dad and y’all are one of the few shows that I’d trust to talk about him. Thank you for all of your time and energy producing and facilitating incredible conversations each week.
I feel like I found people who consume media the same way I do, and I could listen to them talk about it for hours. Everything about this podcast is fantastic: smart and funny media commentary, amazing guests, and I’ve never walked away from an episode without a new list of movie or show recommendations.
What a little gem of a show. Sarah and Alex have great chemistry, their genuine friendship really shines through alongside insightful commentary of some great movies. I also love the music!
an insightful and empathetic weekly analysis of dads (and dads-adjacent) found within movies. really made me look at a handful of very familiar films in a new way. the hosts obviously are really fond of each other - the foundation of their long standing friendship as well as talking about their relationships with their own fathers really adds a lot to this podcast.
This is quite literally my favorite podcast. I love the movie choices and most of all the hosts. They have great guests too. I like they never shy away from exploring their own emotional attachments to “dad-dom” as well as just plain ole wearing their hearts on their sleeves. It’s not too heavy to make you feel it’s not enjoyable but it’s more or less the convos I wanna have with my friends real, raw, hilarious and not holding back. Thanks to both of you for this creation. 😽
That’s really all. I’m so glad this podcast exists. It’s extremely cozy and generally feels like nice therapy session centered around some great films.
Sarah and The Guy (Alex 😁) and easily one of the best things that have happened over the last year. This podcast is full of empathy, joy, wit, and beautiful music. Thank you!!
Love this pod and anything Sarah Marshall does. Unflinchingly honest and funny. Great company to spend time with
Love everything about this. A side note, purely practical, I love it because I don’t have to guess who’s speaking at any given time. I like that.
Love this and would follow Sarah to any corner of the internet. I want to second the reviewer who suggested sound of music. That is a dad stuff BONANZA.
If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with having a dad, you may be entitled to financial compensation, in the form of this wonderful podcast. Alex Steed and Sarah Marshall, two of the most delightful humans you'll ever find, analyze films through a dad lens. What does Kevin Costner teach his son about violence in The War? Why is Gene Wilder's Dr. Fronkensteen a better father than his ancestor, Dr. Frankenstein? Why was the dad in Dirty Dancing so disappointed when Baby got drilled by a member of the proletariat? Find the answers to these questions, a lot of laughs, and a new perspective on some of your favorite films in this absolute joy of a podcast.
As an adult with a dad and other dad like figures in my life I am really in love with this podcast. Thank you for making it
I adore this podcast! I subscribed episode 1!! In the last month I shockingly lost my dad who I was extremely close to. A movie that I tie closely to him and memories of him is “The Sound of Music” and I am hoping this is seen by one of the hosts and discussed for a topic. Keep up the great work y’all! Brooke
What a great topic that can be looked at it in many different ways! Love the hosts! A tough topic, but with such joy!
I didn’t think this podcast premise was necessary. I was wrong. I enjoy it, even look forward to it, and I haven’t even seen all the movies. Weird zoom out... I got the audible of “Jaws” and WOW 70’s time warp. Thanks, Sarah, for reminding me the book is always better (and that’s fine).
If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with having a dad, you may be entitled to financial compensation, in the form of this wonderful podcast. Alex Steed and Sarah Marshall, two of the most delightful humans you'll ever find, analyze films through a dad lens. What does Kevin Costner teach his son about violence in The War? Why is Gene Wilder's Dr. Fronkensteen a better father than his ancestor, Dr. Frankenstein? Why was the dad in Dirty Dancing so disappointed when Baby got drilled by a member of the proletariat? Find the answers to these questions, a lot of laughs, and a new perspective on some of your favorite films in this absolute joy of a podcast.
The brilliant hosts Sarah and Alex take us on such a lovely journey every week, exploring fatherhood and masculinity via the beloved films of our collective childhood & adolescence. The conversations are funny, touching, and get deep into the heart of what it means to be or have a dad. I hope they keep doing this podcast forever!
Why Are Dads is a deeply empathetic and unflinching look into the face of all of our dads through the lense of pop-culture and specifically movies. I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, I’ve gone “oh my gosh that’s so true!” No matter what your relationship is with your father-figure is like, there’s something here for you.
I think it’s really fascinating the way they see father themes where I haven’t. They see depth where I couldn’t imagine it and it’s super interesting.
When I first listened to Why Are Dads? I actually cried. I didn’t realize how badly I needed to hear other people talk about the challenges of having a difficult family. The vulnerability and empathy shown by both the hosts through their anecdotes and film analysis has helped me to feel a little more at home in the world. The beauty of the show is that each new guest brings their own unique experience of family life. You get to hear about mob dads and Vietnam dads and old dads and good dads and all the dads in between. Listening to this podcast reminds me of taking english with the cool teacher in high school who would let you talk about Lindsay Lohan and The Scarlet Letter interchangeably. I love this show so much. It’s been getting me through the tough days of this pandemic and I can’t recommend it enough.
Alex and Sarah are great hosts to this movie podcast about discussing films through the lens of our relationships to our dads. They are hilarious and poignant! Love the custom musical cues every episode, too.
This podcast is fun and thoughtful. My dad died in 2005, and I had a wonderful relationship with him, but there's plenty here that helps me understand him better. It's one if this Librarains favorite podcasts.
If you haven’t listened to Why are Dads yet do yourself a favor and do it now (and if you have no intention of listening, do everyone else a favor and don’t leave a “review” saying you can’t relate because you allegedly have a good relationship with your dad). Sarah and Alex are intelligent, thoughtful, and sincere in their intentions to examine the phenomenon of dads through a pop culture lens. I was slightly dubious at first because I’m not a “movie person” (I’d never even heard of looping or ADR before) but the magic of the show is in the discussion and the insights Sarah and Alex and their delightful guests have when talking about the movie of the week. Their ability and willingness to examine both social and personal issues, with the goal of being able to better understand themselves and the world, are interesting and deeply relatable, even if you haven’t seen the specific movie in question (like me and all my fellow chickens who still haven’t watched A Nightmare on Elm Street). However the best part is the generous and inclusive humor that pervades every episode, so that even when going into the heaviest topics you’re still left with a sense of perspective and hope, and who doesn’t need more of that? Plus the music, created by the show’s producer Carolyn Kendrick, is stunning and will leave you humming happily to yourself for weeks after. Science (and Sarah and Alex) may never be able to answer the question “Why are Dads?” but YOU can answer the question of if you’ll find a new favorite way to spend an enjoyable hour each week. Be the Daddy you want to see in world and listen now! PS The Top Gun episode is the BEST (and will remind even the most sedate of us of our love of fast things)
Why Are Dads? is the show I didn’t know I needed. Even as someone with a great relationship with their father, I leave every week feeling warm and fuzzy and filled with nostalgia...and a bigger heart than when I came.
I love everything Sarah Marshall does, and this is a lovely new iteration of her “mulling media with friends”-shtick. I will admit that I often like the episodes with just her and Alex Steed better than the guest episodes, but that really might be just a factor of the show still being in its first few dozen episodes and there not yet being a rhythm or formula for introducing a third voice into discussions. Regardless, this is an all round great listen for thinking through the emotional intricacies of family! I don’t even have a father, but I know plenty of dysfunctional dudes and dysfunctional relatives. Its also fun to watch the movies they’ve discussed the day after an episode drops.
Despite no episodes that discuss dads in terms that specifically relate my own relationship with my father, this show is still enjoyable. I’m able to get enjoy the show, laugh with the hosts and guests, and still find meaningful insights to paternal relationships even though it’s not literally about me. Snark aside, I love Sarah and Alex for creating this and sharing it with all of us. Even in the more difficult moments, they remain light, friendly, and accessible in a way that doesn’t always come with this level of insight.