Episode 231 - FREDDY GOT FINGERED

One of the most anarchic studio comedies of all time, Freddy Got Fingered represented both the peak of Tom Green's comedic powers and the end of his mainstream relevance. But does the movie deserve its infamy, or did it just arrive too early in the comedy landscape? Better throw on your backwards suit and start dealing with your daddy issues, because we're committed to the bit of mining this critical flop for precious jewels.

Freddy Got Fingered (2001)
Directed by Tom Green
Written by Tom Green and Derek Harvie
Starring Tom Green, Rip Torn, Marisa Coughlan, Julie Hagerty, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Harland Williams, Anthony Michael Hall, Drew Barrymore, and Shaquille O’Neal

Episode 151 - LITTLE NICKY

The lesson of Little Nicky: even the Sandman has limits. This big budget, high-concept comedy busted Adam Sandler's streak of box office success, and the legacy of this daring and wildly unsuccessful risk helped define the boundaries of a comfort zone he's inhabited in the years since (with a few notable exceptions).

The Summer of Sandler takes a detour on the highway to hell as we find the good, the bad, and the butt-ugly in this bewildering story of a bashful Beezlebub. We deserve this!

 

Little Nicky (2000)

Directed by Steven Brill

Produced by Jack Giarraputo and Robert Simonds

Written by Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler, and Steven Brill

Starring Adam Sandler, Harvey Keitel, Patricia Arquette, Reese Witherspoon, Rhys Ifans, Thomas "Tiny" Lister Jr., Robert Smigel, Kevin Nealon, Allen Covert, Peter Dante, Jonathan Loughran, and Rodney Dangerfield

Episode 52 - WILD WILD WEST

In this episode we go way, way back--not just back to an alternate-history version of the American West, but also back to the retrograde masculinity and offensive sophomoric humor of pop culture in...well, in almost any time, sadly.

An unholy alliance of ego-stroking and trend-chasing can explain much of Wild Wild West, the film that finally gave Jon Peters the giant spider he always wanted. But is the movie the right kind of dumb juvenile fun?

We peel back the layers of Wild Wild West's steampunk aesthetic and latent homoeroticism in a scintillating debate, including a bonus discussion of the music video for Will Smith's iconic contribution to the film's soundtrack. So swallow your pride, don't let your lip react, and enjoy this wild, wild What Were We Watching!

Wild Wild West (1999)
Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld
Produced by Jon Peters and Barry Sonnenfeld
Written by S.S. Wilson & Brent Maddock and Jeffrey Price & Peter S. Seaman
Based on "The Wild Wild West" created by Michael Garrison
Starring Will Smith, Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh, Salma Hayek, M. Emmet Walsh, Bai Ling, and Ted Levine

Episode 15 - BATTLEFIELD EARTH

Filmmaking is all about making the right choices, and few recent movies illustrate the importance of this more than Battlefield Earth.  John Travolta's intergalactic passion project - based on L. Ron Hubbard's 1982 novel about Earthlings rebelling against their cruel alien conquerors - is a keen reminder that the slippage of time can ravage the best-laid plans of any creative project.

Yet, in a way, Battlefield Earth's reputation as a monumentally misguided flop gives it a notoriety that this tardy Spartacus-meets-Star Wars epic might not have achieved otherwise.  Like any pop culture punching bag, this one is more interesting than it looks...

Battlefield Earth (2000)
Directed by Roger Christian
Produced by Jonathan Krane, Elie Samaha, and John Travolta
Written by Corey Mandell and J.D. Shapiro
Based on Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 by L. Ron Hubbard
Starring John Travolta, Barry Pepper, Forest Whitaker, and Kim Coates