Episode 1

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Published on:

1st Sep 2025

The Princess Bride - How Has Anyone Not Seen This Fairytale Masterpiece?

In fact, two of the three off us had not seen The Princess Bride yet! Robby, who uses The Princess Bride as part of his Storytelling 101 class, walks us through how and why it's a perfect fairytale, but Jaclynn had not seen The Princess Bride before because baby Jaclynn thought it was too scary, while Cole was certain he'd seen it many times but quickly realized that was not true. 

Transcript
Speaker:

You know, people always say like they wish

they could go back

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and see something for the first time.

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You're in that position.

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It was fun.

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I felt like, says I'm Inigo Montoya.

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You know the line.

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You killed my father. Prepared to die.

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You killed your father before.

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My name is Inigo Montoya.

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You killed my father.

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Prepare to die.

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When you're talking

about the odd couple and the.

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What was missing from it was the callback

of the flight attendants.

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I feel like one of the things that works

the most about the princess Bride.

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Not the most.

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One of the things that really works

of The Princess Bride is the callbacks.

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It does callbacks really well.

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Repeatedly, like everything it talks

about, it brings back.

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There's a lot of things that it seeds,

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and then it tells you it's going to do it

and it does it.

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It's really it's like comedy 101.

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The thing that like as I was watching it

last night, it was the kissing.

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Like every time the kissing comes up, you,

you automatically go back into it

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to the boy.

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And the first time he mentions it,

it's like, hold on, hold on, hold on.

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Is this a kissing book?

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And then the second time I think,

I think it's the grandfather who does it.

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And he's like,

wait a minute, there's some kissing here.

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And then.

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And then the third time, like,

it's about to end and he's like,

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yeah, it's just kissing.

And another voice like, I don't mind.

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I'm like, there's so much planted in that.

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So yeah, it's really great.

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Well, it's like a full character arc,

even for the kid.

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Really sweet.

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Yeah. And another time,

I thought it came up.

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I mean, it came up a couple of times.

Callbacks. The one.

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I'm sorry. I'm two views into this.

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Okay. So I would invest a lot.

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So feel free to correct me because I feel

like this is a lifelong love of yours.

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Yes. But.

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So when he says I'm Ingo Montoya.

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And Nico.

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Nico. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

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He says I'm Inigo Montoya.

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You know the line. You killed my father.

Prepare to die.

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You killed your father. Prepare to die.

It's like he says it.

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Then he says it. That he says that.

He says that. He says it.

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Yeah.

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And so, you know, like the six

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finger guy is coming back, like,

that's brought up really early on.

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And then.

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You know, rewarded in the end.

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And then he gets to say all of that.

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Oh it just hit the at the top

when they're,

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they're climbing up the cliffs of more,

which is what they're really called.

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But I don't think

they're that in the movie.

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But they're at the cliffs.

The cliffs of insanity.

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The cliffs of insanity.

Like it's a second viewing.

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I took notes. Yeah.

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That's great.

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On the Cliffs of Insanity.

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And, Montoya goes right, I'm left handed

and then they fight left handed him,

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and they're in this duel,

and he's like, What you don't know

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is that I'm fighting left handed.

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Just like they plant stuff.

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And then they immediately,

sometimes immediately call it back.

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Other times they call back later.

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And I think they do that

really successfully.

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And the way they ramp it up

is also really nice too,

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because this isn't

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isn't the same the first time they do it

to the second times to the third,

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like it really

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ratchets up the tension in the scenes

and makes it like not repetitive

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and not boring.

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And that's why it's like

such a nice combo of action and comedy.

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Because it is. You have so much tension.

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But then that that's like good comedy,

right, is to release that tension.

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Yeah.

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That build of it.

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And then it's a callback and then you're

like, oh, I knew that was coming.

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Or they said that was going to happen.

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I'm like people, we love that.

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I think it's humans.

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Yeah, I just so I actually I want to like,

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had you seen this before,

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you said you were two viewing,

so you had never seen it before.

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I was very easily scared as a kid.

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So I think the, rodents of unusual size.

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Yes. Yeah.

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Which is amazing. Viewing it now

because they're just.

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They're so funny.

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Yeah.

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But. So, no, I'd never seen it,

and I don't know how I got away with it.

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I really don't know how I, I hadn't,

I hadn't seen it until Thursday.

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So what was your like when you first

when you like on Thursday when you saw it.

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What was your.

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I have a problem of

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deciding on something before I've seen it,

so I didn't like it

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the first time I watched it. Okay.

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Because I was like, I knew it

and knew I wasn't going to like it.

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And I almost texted Cole to be like, yeah,

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I don't know what I'm going to tell Robbie

when I get there.

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So I made myself watch it again because

I knew that I would feel very differently,

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and I really enjoyed it

on the second watch. Oh, cool.

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Do you remember it?

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Do you remember what you didn't

like about it the first time?

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Like, it. Just makes it. It's funny.

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It's like a weird childhood thing.

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Like it made me feel uncomfortable.

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I can't really describe it.

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It's like, I don't know, I've never known.

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It was like.

It was like I was a little kid again.

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And so I don't

I take things very seriously.

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So I think I was like,

oh, this is scary and sad.

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And then like, being like,

no, it's not, it's none of those things.

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Like, it's a really funny fairy tale.

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And it it's doing a really smart thing

where it's like combining fairy tales

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and comedy

and so viewing it like much more as like

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in process

and as a maker, it was much more fun.

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But as, like a person

who was just going to watch a movie,

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I don't know that I'd write.

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I don't know why.

And I don't have the nostalgia.

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I think there's a big there's a.

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Huge nostalgia because you saw.

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It in the theaters.

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Yeah, yeah, I saw it in the theaters

when I was, I think, yeah, it was 16

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the first time I saw it.

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I didn't know what I was watching, like

it was this.

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It was the thing

where there are two stories going on and

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and it was like a fairy tale,

but it wasn't a fairy tale, and it was

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a kissing like it was a kissing movie,

but it wasn't a kiss.

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Like I had a really difficult time,

like processing what it was.

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And I didn't laugh at it

until Count Virgin

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knocks Wesley unconscious

and the screen goes black.

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And the friend

and I, who I saw it with both,

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thought it was the most hilarious thing

we've ever seen.

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It's pretty much the reason I went back

the second night.

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The night after was because I was like,

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I'd experienced it

once before with pee Wee's Big Adventure.

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Like.

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Like I saw pee wee's Big Adventure

for the first time, and I was like, no,

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I do not like this.

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This is ridiculous.

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But I went back like a couple days later.

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No, no, a couple of years later

and watched it on videotape.

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I like on video, which ages me definitely.

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Yeah.

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And and thought it was

the funniest thing I'd ever seen.

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The nostalgia factor is huge

with The Princess Bride, because everyone.

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I don't remember a lot of people

laughing in the movie theater, right?

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But I do like it was something different.

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And like, I think I want to say,

I don't know if it's if it

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if it's for sure,

but I want to say that my mind

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was like trying to process

exactly what it is that.

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I actually think that's it for me, too.

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It's it was something new and different.

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And even today, even in today's society,

it was new and different.

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And I didn't know because what I was going

to text call was, I just don't get it.

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I don't get it.

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Which is like in light of maturity,

that has happened

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a lot like I was, I

yeah, I actually much more enjoy it.

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Almost everything upon a second or third

viewing like.

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Yeah.

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And I think we're going to talk about

the style

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coming up in a different episode,

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but the studio with similar, you know,

like I didn't like the first episode.

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I was like, this isn't for me.

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This is dudes.

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Well, the first episode was bad.

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Yeah.

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Okay, great.

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That's different.

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Okay, I'll just say that out loud.

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I liked it more, but.

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I mean, I forget Seth Rogen.

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I know I working on this, and I get it.

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We can't. We can't admit. That.

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It reminded me of, in college

when I was like,

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I saw gone With the wind for,

like, film study class.

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I. Was like, this is so derivative.

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I've seen this so many times.

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And my teacher was like, yeah,

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because everything that came after

it was inspired by this.

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And that's how watching this felt

like I caught myself much faster.

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But it was like,

this has been done 100 times.

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It's like, right,

because they did it first.

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It's a very sophisticated movie,

even even.

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And it's so simple.

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But even now, it's like I was

I was watching it and it just feels very

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it feels very fresh to me.

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And I hate using that word

like like that.

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But like,

I think I've seen the movie 30 times.

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I was wondering, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Like once you you're on 30.

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When was the last time you saw it?

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Before this week.

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Maybe a year ago.

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We tried to, We tried O'Connor.

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We tried to show

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kind of kind of wasn't into it, and I was

a little bit upset with him for that.

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I blamed him, which is.

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Which is. Right.

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Yeah. And and fired my kid.

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And then I have to remember, like,

I didn't like it the first time I. I

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so. Yeah.

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So it was like a couple of years ago.

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And so afterwards I was like, well,

what's wrong with it?

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And, and there's nothing.

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The people that I know

that I've ever mentioned

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this to

or that who ever mentioned it to me,

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they all would fire me

as their yeah, friends, ex, etc.

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if I did not like

it. You can't even be my ex.

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Yeah yeah yeah yeah.

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Which is I mean, so I have lied

about having seen it for a very long time.

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I did too, by the way.

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I've lied for you like literally

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a whole bunch of my friends were like,

what do you mean you've never seen it?

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What? Like, oh, yeah.

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Sorry. Yeah, it's very interesting.

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Okay. Yeah.

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I quote Pulp Fiction

a lot, and Reservoir Dogs,

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I used to, and I have never seen them.

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Really. Quarter pounder,

what is it? Royale.

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Which is very I which is.

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Wow. Well, I just, cut that part.

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It's.

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I mean, you know, in, in,

in, in one sense, you're missing a, like,

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like it is these really great movies,

but in the other, yeah.

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You know, people always say like,

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they wish they could go back

and see something.

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For the first time.

I saw you're in that position. It was fun.

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I felt like I was really doing

something yesterday.

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Push and play,

being like, yeah, it's my first time.

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And I will say

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on second view, those,

the rodents were so fun.

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And then I looked it up and perhaps

everybody knows this, but I did not.

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There's stunt guys in rat costumes.

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Yeah, I don't know what else

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I would have thought they were,

but like the idea of them

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just being these, like, little dudes in

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ridiculous rat costumes, right?

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It was really, really joyful.

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And I also had the voice.

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The or the sounds they make is Rob Reiner.

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Rob Reiner. Yeah, yeah, yeah,

which is really impressive.

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So good.

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Yeah, but what about the

are you SS rodents of unusual size?

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I don't think they exist. Oh.

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I do.

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Who doesn't want that credit

if you're the director, right.

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And also rat voices.

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I'm very bad.

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Cole can attest to voice acting.

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So that would maybe not be the job I'd do.

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You should be good.

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Should be. Great. Voice.

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I don't know.

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What happens when I try to use it.

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I just

I leave my whole body and just start.

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I can't, I can't because for method I,

we had to say one word.

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It's hinged.

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The whole film is hinged on me

saying, shit, I just don't like shit.

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I feel like turned southern shit.

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Yeah, like I couldn't act

like I never spoke before.

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How did you get her to get it?

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We hired the most expensive sound

production house in the world.

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Right.

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Okay. Like, you know, was like.

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We didn't it?

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We did. It.

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We fixed it in post. Post.

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Okay. Yeah,

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yeah. It's wild.

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So the second time you saw it, was there

something that plugged you into it?

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I'm a person who.

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I think the best surprise

is a ruined surprise.

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So I like to know what's ahead.

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And so I loved like, oh my God, the end.

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As you wish.

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With the grandfather. Yeah, yeah.

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It's me. Absolutely.

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So all sins are forgiven

when that happened.

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And I have, like, a real thing

with my grandpa.

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He's like my favorite human

who's ever existed.

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And, like, it just killed me.

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And, like, watching

Fred Savage's character

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go through his little character arc

and be so sweet.

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It just it was like all sins were erased.

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So going in already, knowing that

and then seeing I love,

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you know, watching things get planted

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and then knowing that they're going

to come back in really smart way.

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So it just was like I by the time I got

to the end, I realized how smart it was.

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Like, I think I had felt like,

what is this?

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And it's very dumb.

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And the second viewing,

I was like, it's actually really smart.

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It's like the Muppets, right?

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Like they're taking it really serious,

but they're also very much in on the joke.

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And they know it's silly and they know

it's fun and there's all these sort of

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like little goofs and continuity issues,

but like, it's fine.

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You know, I think it's.

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It was like, oh, this is like joyful.

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Everybody's having fun doing it

and it's smart

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and they take it seriously, but also like,

not in a pretentious way.

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And so I just was like

much more like ready for the ride

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and got to be like,

oh, look at how funny those rats are.

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Or like, oh, it's so silly

and make this love story isn't stupid.

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It's like really.

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Sweet. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

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A word that I love

teasing about the earnest.

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The joke behind

that is that everybody who knows

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me knows that I'm a very earnest person.

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No, you're not an earnest person.

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They don't know what

the nobody much like in this.

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Oh, man, I don't think

you know what that word means is literally

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what I've said to you.

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People call me earnest

all the time. It doesn't make sense.

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He's not earnest.

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They don't. Nobody knows.

Go like I know. Go. Rabbit.

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Do you know that call is not earnest?

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I don't actually he's not okay.

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I don't think you know what that word

means. To quote a great.

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Inconceivable that I'm not.

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Inconceivable.

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Inconceivable.

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I remember that first, as you wish,

from from Peter Falk, the grandfather.

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At the end, I wanted to cry.

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And I was so shocked by my response

to it.

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I did cry.

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And then I forgot,

like it was a long time between

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and when I got it on videotape and like,

I forgotten about it.

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And then we're getting to the end point

and I was like,

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oh my God, something's going to happen

here.

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What's going to happen here?

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And then I was like,

oh my God. And then he said it.

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And then I was like, this is the sweet.

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And I love the closeups on his face.

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And this like, you know, he's is like

his face is so his hair is wide

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and he's got the wrinkles

and it's got so much personality

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like the angle that it gets.

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And that just amazing.

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Like just so touching.

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It did it. That got me the first watch.

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So it was,

it was really like, yeah, I mean I cried.

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This.

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Is it really I love, I love a sentimental,

I love, I just love a sweet callback.

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I fall for it.

I like I think it's a bit of a trick.

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Yeah.

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I had check,

you know, like a book end in a callback.

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All in one to me is sort of a magic

trick of story.

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Yeah, yeah.

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You fall for it, you know, for me, too.

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I mean, there's certain types

of manipulations that are great that are.

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Yeah, I. Yeah,

I. Love a little heartstring pull.

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The as you wish is to at the beginning,

I was like, the first time

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you meet Buttercup

and the first time you meet

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Wesley is just like he just says,

as you wish.

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And and she just kind of walks away

and then there's the second one where he's

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looking at her, and the camera slows down

a little bit and she notices something.

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And then the third time is just like him

reaching up to grab.

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I don't even know if he says it.

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I love,

I love that progression, and I also love

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that small section is

then stretched out for the whole movie.

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And also the thing about the relationship

changing between the grandfather

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and the grandson, Fred Savage

does this really small thing

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where like, he's about to leave

with the grandfather's about to leave,

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and Fred Savage

does this thing where he reaches

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for his grandfather and is like,

you know, if you want, you can come back.

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And it's just this like,

very sweet and vulnerable,

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like it adds to the like to the change

in their relationship from like,

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the grabbing like and the grabbing

of the cheek and rolling his eyes and then

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and then just wanting his grandfather

there the next day is like

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is incredibly sweet.

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At my first viewing,

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I also had to get past some of the like,

oh my god, baby Fred Savage.

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Yeah oh my got big little love.

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Oh yeah.

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And I was like, Is Mandy Patinkin Yeah.

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And yes yeah yeah yeah. It's hot.

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And and then there's the teacher

from clueless.

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And like, once I could get past all of.

Those things.

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I can better enjoy.

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I didn't know who Mandy

Patinkin was the first time I saw it.

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I didn't know who Robin Wright was.

I didn't know who anyone knows.

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Gorgeous in that movie. Just. Yeah, yeah.

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The only person I knew was Andre

the Giant fan.

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Yeah, yeah, yeah, because he had.

A real career in the 80s, right?

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Yeah. Yeah. Huge career.

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Yeah.

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Well, the wrestling career,

my dad was really into wrestling.

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So my dad looks like Hulk Hogan.

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Guys. Does he have the.

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Yeah. Yeah.

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White, white big old handlebar mustache.

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He looks like

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if, Hulk Hogan didn't go into wrestling

and he owned a ranch instead.

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So bring

it back to what you were talking about.

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I thought that I had seen it was certain

I had seen it.

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Can quote most of the first.

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Third of it.

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And the moment I realized,

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oh, I have not seen this was the.

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As you wish as the man in black

is rolling down the hill.

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Yeah.

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I was going. To say that

that it comes back there to.

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Yeah, that was beautiful.

406

:

I was glad because I was like,

we're supposed to know

407

:

that Man in Black is Wesley, right?

408

:

Yeah.

409

:

I was just, like,

wanting him to ask you guys a

410

:

when were when were we supposed to know

as an audience that that is Wesley.

411

:

I was wondering that, too.

412

:

If you were paying attention.

413

:

The only difference in the face is like

the little mustache he has, actually.

414

:

Yeah, it's eyes are the same. Yeah.

415

:

So I was like,

we're supposed to know, right?

416

:

And so I was a little bit like,

417

:

how long are we going to pretend

that this mask is enough?

418

:

I don't know if it was meant to or not.

419

:

I don't think they really cared, though.

420

:

It wasn't like they tried to hide. It

because it could have been a huge reveal.

421

:

He could have been, like in a whole suit

422

:

and like,

we didn't know for the whole movie.

423

:

Like it wasn't a big reveal kind of movie

or like.

424

:

Yes. Plot twist.

425

:

Right? It was it was like, yeah,

I don't think they cared.

426

:

It's like, if you didn't notice, great.

427

:

If you did notice, I was glad she noticed.

428

:

Soon. Yeah, I needed that to happen.

429

:

It reminded me

a lot of like improv class. Right.

430

:

And it was always like,

just get to the thing, like,

431

:

stop talking about the thing, since

doesn't always work along those lines.

432

:

Like, I do wonder if the information

you're giving about about someone

433

:

kind of makes

you look past certain things.

434

:

She thinks he's dead

so she doesn't notice.

435

:

I wonder if that works for us as well.

436

:

Like we think he's dead

and so we don't really notice.

437

:

Or I have watched movies with people

before who who seek those things out,

438

:

you know, and they want to know

before everyone else does.

439

:

It's like, oh, that's Wesley.

440

:

And and I know those people

always ruin movies for me sometimes.

441

:

Yeah. I'm, I'm that douchebag.

442

:

Yeah.

443

:

That's me. I'm, I'm so I.

444

:

And I pride myself on it.

445

:

Yeah.

446

:

I'll call up call and be like,

when did you know?

447

:

Because I knew. Right?

I knew before the movie started.

448

:

I knew before they wrote the movie

that they were going to do that.

449

:

I'm exactly. That. That person. Yeah.

450

:

I also think the way

that you obviously the way you take in

451

:

this movie is very much of like,

452

:

depends on who you are as a human being

and how your mind works.

453

:

And I'm always just like,

what's next? What's next for sex?

454

:

And there are movies that I've seen before

where like,

455

:

I've seen it the first time

and then I'll go through it again.

456

:

You know, there'll be a big twist

at the end. Sixth Sense.

457

:

And the first time I was like, whoa, like,

what a great, like, what a great twist.

458

:

Like, I didn't know that.

459

:

I'm not going to say it

because I don't want to ruin it

460

:

for anyone who hasn't seen it.

461

:

But,

but then the second time I went through it

462

:

and I looked for everything,

463

:

and I thought it was like

I thought it was kind of cheap.

464

:

Yeah, it's it's just a little cheap to me.

465

:

And that's not to say

that it wasn't skillful

466

:

or it wasn't a good movie

or wasn't effective.

467

:

It was just like it was just like,

oh, God.

468

:

Like it didn't appeal to me,

but that's just me.

469

:

Like, I'm not, you know, I'm

470

:

not one to call it, Night

Shyamalan and say, let's call him.

471

:

This is no, I don't know.

472

:

I imagine you're like this and call

probably you as well, which is I watch

473

:

I have different viewing experiences,

like I make myself do different things.

474

:

So sometimes I just want to enjoy it.

475

:

And then sometimes

I want to watch for certain things.

476

:

So sometimes I want to find the twist

the fastest.

477

:

Sometimes I want to rewatch

and see when it when I really do learn it.

478

:

Other times, or, you know,

I want to focus on camera angles or what

479

:

like and sometimes it's like,

just enjoy it, right?

480

:

Like I do.

481

:

So I enjoy some really ridiculous things

because sometimes I can just enjoy it.

482

:

Like what? Hobbs and Shaw.

483

:

Oh, okay. I'll just shut.

I just kept going.

484

:

Oh, I like that.

485

:

Yeah. Movie.

Yeah. We should talk about it.

486

:

In this

487

:

context, is Hobbs and Shaw a great story?

488

:

I'll have to.

489

:

Because those are.

490

:

I don't know if those are different.

491

:

If they are different,

I felt I found it again.

492

:

That was Hobbs.

493

:

And Shaw was very much

also a viewing experience that I enjoyed.

494

:

So it's, I'll always love it

because I watched it like on my first

495

:

the first birthday, I was

sober and I had the best milkshake that

496

:

I've ever tasted in my life on like an air

conditioned day at Alamo Drafthouse.

497

:

And like it was,

I thought it would be bad.

498

:

And it turned out it was so fun,

you know, like, you're just fun.

499

:

And I feel similar about Top Gun Maverick.

500

:

Like, very similar. Like,

I went to the wrong theater.

501

:

I was supposed to meet Cole.

He was like, in Brooklyn.

502

:

I was like, in my head, whatever.

503

:

We were like it totally different places.

504

:

And I didn't have time to get to the movie

we were supposed to see.

505

:

And it was hot and I was angry

and I was overwhelmed.

506

:

And then like, I had an iced tea

and I was like an air conditioning,

507

:

and I went to see this movie

that I thought I'd hate, and I loved it.

508

:

So I don't know,

but I think we should watch and find out

509

:

because I doubt it's a good story.

510

:

I really, but I think it does

some heartwarming things that I love.

511

:

I fall for heartwarming.

512

:

Things,

In a way that I think great. Cole does.

513

:

Not in a way that you might, Robbie,

but Cole does not.

514

:

Do you.

515

:

When they've given me every excuse to fall

for them?

516

:

Yes. Big time. Yeah.

517

:

Like sloppy tears.

518

:

The end of the Princess Bride.

519

:

Yeah. Right. Yeah. Yeah.

520

:

They really earned that one.

521

:

Sometimes I just want to be entertained.

522

:

So I don't know that it's a good story

but I was entertained.

523

:

Top Gun Maverick great story.

524

:

I have not seen it.

525

:

And we'll disagree right now.

526

:

I mean I've seen it

and I didn't understand it at all

527

:

really I really didn't. Yeah. Yeah.

528

:

Like I was a lot of people that I respect

and whose opinions I respect for like

529

:

this is a great movie.

530

:

And when I watched it I was like,

this makes.

531

:

And it actually, part of my part of that

532

:

probably has to do with my relationship

with Tom cruise.

533

:

I understand how skillful he can be.

534

:

And so and so I was just like, so was this

movie made just to congratulate?

535

:

But the Mission Impossible movies I love.

536

:

I feel like I need to say with Top Gun

Maverick.

537

:

Cause like, we got to go back.

538

:

Because I've seen

539

:

all the beats of Top Gun, I've seen like,

every standout scene of it.

540

:

Was basically going

to make an uninformed decision

541

:

while trying to make the case

that it's informed.

542

:

Well, go.

543

:

Each of those things

544

:

individually

makes me want to cry like happy tears.

545

:

Oh my goodness, this is so perfect.

546

:

Yeah, but with The Princess Bride,

547

:

my reaction is like,

this is pretty terrible.

548

:

He made.

549

:

But yes, it's making me cry

and laugh at every moment

550

:

because the story within

it is just boom, boom boom boom, turn.

551

:

Voice, airplane.

552

:

What do you mean? Terribly made?

553

:

Robbie.

554

:

No. I'm curious.

555

:

People name when.

556

:

You. Go back and watch it.

557

:

No, no, seriously. What what what?

558

:

Because, it's go ahead.

559

:

No, no, no, I love to. Well.

560

:

Do you want to take.

I'm sorry. You should take it.

561

:

I have a I have an easy out for you.

562

:

I want to hear your easy out.

563

:

Even just, budget.

564

:

I mean, the Top Gun Maverick movie

is, like, bazillions of dollars,

565

:

the highest possible production

value, right?

566

:

And there's no way that you would argue

the same.

567

:

It's not the highest production

value movie.

568

:

They had the Princess Bride.

569

:

Yeah, yeah.

570

:

No no. No no. No it's not.

571

:

Yes. Yeah, yeah.

572

:

You're but I thought oh that was like,

I mean, what I love about that

573

:

is, is that it feels intentional,

like it's a storybook.

574

:

Like it really takes that.

575

:

So it's it isn't trying to be like, it's

it isn't trying to be of this world.

576

:

It's trying to be of its own world.

And so one of the reasons.

577

:

I really me,

it isn't exactly what you meant,

578

:

but it's it's it feels like Mister Rogers

Neighborhood feature length.

579

:

Like it, like it had a low budget.

580

:

And there's a lot of, like,

continuity stuff.

581

:

There's a lot of like, you see production

stuff happening, like you see hands in.

582

:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

583

:

A lot of the.

584

:

Yeah, a lot of the production

elements are things that we three

585

:

could pull off just outside of the studio

on the street and be like,

586

:

oh, that's the shot of somebody falling,

which is just a GI Joe.

587

:

Yeah.

588

:

Felt, oh.

589

:

My God, there are so many points

where you could tell it was a dummy.

590

:

It was so funny.

591

:

Like, it would be like

I was supposed to believe this.

592

:

It was like a high. School

production of it.

593

:

Again,

those are things that I'm like, I think

594

:

because I'm so involved in the movie

and like, they're going into.

595

:

Cliffs of Insanity when it goes to the,

like long shots, the wide shots, it's

596

:

it's like so clearly they just

they just strap dummies out of.

597

:

And so it's like so clueless

three dolls on him crawling up the thing.

598

:

And then it cuts back to the close shots

and it's like the people.

599

:

And then it goes far.

600

:

And then when he becomes,

they send in that

601

:

like Helen of Troy, sort of Trojan horse.

602

:

Audrey the giant is dressed in black.

603

:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

604

:

It's it's like I had to rewind it

605

:

like three times because it's so obviously

a dummy that they set on fire.

606

:

But it's supposed to be like Andre

the Giant talking right?

607

:

So just like little moments like that.

608

:

And I think that that they did that.

609

:

Like they do it with love.

610

:

And that's what makes it better

than in a lot of ways, Top Gun Maverick,

611

:

because it is actually like more fun

612

:

and more joyful

when they didn't have 80 million.

613

:

So yeah, like poorly, maybe it wasn't like

they were doing something really fun

614

:

and intentional and it's

well made, but also.

615

:

Right, right. I see what you mean.

616

:

Yeah.

617

:

I would argue that this the love

and the story behind it.

618

:

Story behind it.

619

:

Yeah.

620

:

Makes you forget about almost all of it.

621

:

Like my reactions

to the things where I was like,

622

:

oh, this is quote unquote poorly made.

623

:

It was still I mean, I'm into it.

624

:

Okay. Okay. Cool. Yeah. Yeah.

625

:

No, that makes this.

626

:

You're I do think that's

627

:

a great point is like a worst

told story or worst written story.

628

:

You'd be less inclined to.

629

:

Yeah, it would just be like,

this is just a bad movie right there.

630

:

And there's a lot of examples of that.

I think in the world.

631

:

That was my, my.

632

:

And the point with Top Gun of

I won't buy a Top Gun story,

633

:

even with all the production

value in the world.

634

:

I do buy The Princess Bride there.

635

:

Yeah.

636

:

And I think Top Gun Maverick for me

is like 101.

637

:

Like if you

638

:

if you put a movie into a laboratory

and grew a perfect parts

639

:

and put them all together,

it's like food science, right?

640

:

Like like what's the perfect crunch?

641

:

What's the perfect salt?

That's what Top Gun Maverick is.

642

:

It's like,

what is the ultimate movie experience?

643

:

They took all those elements and then like

Lego did them together and it worked.

644

:

It did work for me.

645

:

Okay?

646

:

I was like, that's it's actually,

I think impressive to learn from

647

:

because I do think it's like,

what is the A+ way to make a film, right?

648

:

Does it just say that it's

649

:

the only way, the best way

or the way everyone should do it.

650

:

But I think there's a lot to learn from

651

:

that.

652

:

It's like pop music.

653

:

It's like Britney Spears in a movie. Yeah.

654

:

Do you and I love Britney Spears?

655

:

It's you, it's you.

656

:

I, I will definitely come back to that.

657

:

But I have this question about that.

658

:

Do you feel like it's a blockbuster

659

:

or just like when you say like,

it's like a what?

660

:

You just say like the like

it's a movie. Like, what is it?

661

:

It's not a film.

662

:

It's not for pansexual mixologists

in Bed-Stuy.

663

:

Right?

664

:

It's a it's a movie for normal America.

665

:

It's for normal Americans who like movies.

666

:

Yeah, it's a movie. I do. Yeah, yeah.

667

:

I mean, I give it to me and I give it.

668

:

You probably blockbuster,

but I think there is.

669

:

I think anything it does

670

:

the magic

671

:

tricks so well

that I think anybody could learn from it.

672

:

But again,

you don't want to make a Top Gun Maverick.

673

:

I want to make

I'd rather make a Princess Bride.

674

:

And I think Princess Bride

actually takes some blockbuster

675

:

lessons and turns it into this funny thing

with it's like action and it's romance.

676

:

Like, it does a lot of things.

677

:

And then like kind of Athens,

it turns it inside out

678

:

and sort of makes fun of it,

but while also not.

679

:

There's also a love for it, like

especially the the sword fighting scene.

680

:

It's such good swordplay, really.

681

:

It's so much fun. And they did it.

682

:

They did have.

Yeah they did. They learned it. Yeah.

683

:

The only the only thing that he didn't do

was the flip around

684

:

the like the whatever the, the bar

where we flip something to his feet,

685

:

you know, it's a, it's a storybook.

686

:

So like, it's, it's sort of a fairy

tale of the heroes.

687

:

All the people that you really like,

like, Wesley and Buttercup and, and

688

:

and are very honest and very forthright

and very, very into each other.

689

:

Very friendly. Like.

690

:

Yeah.

691

:

The conversation they have

before the sword fight about an egos

692

:

father and, and,

you seem a decent fellow.

693

:

I hate to kill you.

694

:

Yeah. You know, is is all really great.

695

:

And all the other villains are

are are duplicitous.

696

:

Good.

697

:

Very good. Arms.

698

:

He didn't fall.

699

:

Inconceivable.

700

:

You keep his in the heart.

701

:

I don't think it means

what you think it means.

702

:

But there is something about count again.

703

:

That's very like.

704

:

He is my favorite villain

because he, he and Humperdinck are, like,

705

:

have a genuine relationship.

706

:

It isn't based on love,

it's based on opportunity.

707

:

And it's based on, like, Humperdinck

allows me to torture people

708

:

and and and unfettered by any,

any limitations.

709

:

And and the Humperdinck is like,

I really like this guy.

710

:

I trust him,

and he just lets me do what I want to do.

711

:

And he's and they're very honest.

712

:

But Carrigan is also a little bit warm.

713

:

Yeah. And so you like.

714

:

I like I'm drawn.

715

:

I mean, it's Christopher Guest,

so he's kind of.

716

:

He's the best. It's best.

717

:

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, I felt very distracted.

718

:

I was the other thing

when I was like, baby Fred Savage.

719

:

I was like, Christopher Guest.

720

:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

721

:

Actually I'm not like Christopher Guest.

722

:

But you like him a little bit.

723

:

Even though I was like,

I was awful. Him exactly.

724

:

I was like.

725

:

Yeah, I like him, I love that.

726

:

But it is very fairytale.

727

:

You're right.

728

:

It's very like the good guys are good

guys are the bad guys are bad guys.

729

:

And you mentioned the undermining.

730

:

Like everyone's not perfect.

731

:

Everyone has these like wants

that aren't being fulfilled.

732

:

Or when an ego is chasing ruin to

the halls and can't ruin goes through the.

733

:

And he can't get through the door and

he can't, you know, he gets over there.

734

:

He's like yelling at him like,

I need you to do this, I need you.

735

:

It's it's like such a human.

736

:

Like it's

a, it's such a boy tantrum type of.

737

:

And it was like they needed to get Wesley

to, like, you know, to save Buttercup.

738

:

But he was like, I know, I know you're

busy, but, like, I really need you to.

739

:

Get this right. Yeah. Yeah.

740

:

It was pretty fantastic.

741

:

Yeah, yeah, that was sweet.

742

:

There

743

:

are some

parts there's that are so obviously

744

:

like, when kids make films,

that's how they shoot them.

745

:

When Inigo is chasing count again

and they go down the stairs.

746

:

It is just so basic.

747

:

Yeah. You know, there's no frills, there's

no anything.

748

:

And it absolutely works for me.

749

:

Like, that's, it's just like,

okay, this is going to happen now.

750

:

This is going to happen.

No, this is going to happen.

751

:

No, this is going to happen.

752

:

And then boom, you're going

to get a knife in the gut and then

753

:

and then

and then everything is going to continue.

754

:

When you said that

it wasn't sophisticated or you.

755

:

No, it wasn't good filmmaking,

756

:

I got a little defensive

because I was like, yeah, you're right.

757

:

You're like, I don't love it.

758

:

Yeah, yeah.

759

:

It's kind of it's like just.

760

:

It it's perfect in its way. Yeah.

761

:

Right.

762

:

Like that's

the thing is it's it's like not good.

763

:

But that's what's good about it. Yeah.

764

:

Yeah I think tackles point

because the story works.

765

:

Because yeah that's

why I'm in love with this as a first story

766

:

to talk about the story.

767

:

For me it just carries everything for it.

768

:

At many points

I could close my eyes and just listen

769

:

and know exactly what was going to happen

next and see it in my head

770

:

because, like, the story wouldn't

let you see anything else.

771

:

Yeah, yeah.

772

:

Yeah.

773

:

I was like rooting for them.

774

:

Like the actors and the filmmakers.

Yeah, yeah.

775

:

I made like a little film in high school.

776

:

And I remember

we had like a little Matchbox car.

777

:

He tried to kill the prom queen.

778

:

And so we like, ruined her brakes.

779

:

And we drove her

car off the side of a cliff

780

:

and, like, so my friend had a car

and we had a matchbox car that matched it.

781

:

And so we took the matchbook car and,

like, threw it into grass and then, like,

782

:

lit it on fire and used hairspray

to, like, make it blow up.

783

:

And it was just so dumb.

784

:

But that's how this felt.

785

:

But it was like, you get what's happening.

786

:

I was like, it's like.

787

:

Well, we have budget for.

788

:

And that's kind of felt

789

:

like I felt that with this,

but it was like I was rooting for them.

790

:

I was like, I'm in.

791

:

Yeah, yeah, yeah,

you strap dummies to Andre the Giant.

792

:

And then you pulled him up a rope

with like,

793

:

a green screen of the cliff

some more behind him. And I'm in.

794

:

I do have one

795

:

quote that I really like that

I also think is the mantra of:

796

:

which is, you're trying to kidnap

797

:

what I've rightfully stolen.

798

:

It's so well written in that regard.

799

:

I also like they're going into the fire

800

:

swamp and buttercups

like we'll never survive. Wesley goes.

801

:

Nonsense.

802

:

You're just saying that

because no one ever has.

803

:

Oh, I feel like.

804

:

That's like, advice Cole gives me.

805

:

Yeah,

806

:

I really like the.

807

:

You mean Humperdinck? Wayne's.

808

:

Jesus, where did you read me

this thing for?

809

:

Like, it's like it's.

810

:

It was.

811

:

So I was with him.

812

:

Yeah, I totally understand.

813

:

I thought it was cute how, like,

grandpa stopped in the evil thing.

814

:

Like the little meta moments where. Yes,

like I did.

815

:

I was curious of your thoughts

about the narrative structure,

816

:

about having this narrator

reading the story.

817

:

And I know, I guess it's a book.

You have the book sitting here.

818

:

You've read the book I have not.

819

:

When I'm looking at any story,

there's always like two things going on.

820

:

There's like the story that's being told,

and then there's the story

821

:

underneath it, and the story

that's being told us.

822

:

Like, I broke up with my partner

823

:

and I'm going to I'm going to climb

Mount Kilimanjaro.

824

:

Like, you know,

that's the thing I'm going to do because,

825

:

you know, I want to get over my girlfriend

or boyfriend or whoever.

826

:

And then there's this other thing,

which is the story that goes underneath

827

:

it, which is like

there's like a wound that has to heal,

828

:

that has nothing to do with Mount

Kilimanjaro, has nothing to do with the

829

:

with the breakup of the relationship,

830

:

but has everything to do with the person

who's telling the story.

831

:

And with this one, like it's mind blowing

because you have two overarching stories

832

:

that are happening at once, of

which is you want

833

:

Princess

Buttercup and Wesley to get together,

834

:

and then you have this other one

835

:

where there's this kid

who's just getting over being sick,

836

:

and his grandfather is coming over

to read to him, and the grandfather

837

:

is just going to read him a book,

and the kid doesn't want to.

838

:

And what was so skillful and so nice

839

:

and so fun and seamless

is that there's a rhythm to a movie.

840

:

The first 30 minutes,

the second 30 minutes

841

:

in the third, 30 minutes

when it's broken down into its basics.

842

:

And these two stories are working together

843

:

to get you to the point

where everything is resolved.

844

:

And I thought that the rhythm of it,

which is like

845

:

there are two separate things

at the beginning, there's like

846

:

the grandfather and the grandchild,

and then there's Wesley and Buttercup,

847

:

and the movie keeps pretty consistent,

like we're going to tell this story,

848

:

we're going to tell this story,

and this is happening now and then.

849

:

This is happening now, and then this

and then and then as the movie

850

:

goes along, it's more the fairy tale.

851

:

But every once in a while, the grandfather

and the and the kid chime in.

852

:

It does it so skillfully

that you don't know that it's happening.

853

:

And that's it.

854

:

And I love that.

855

:

Like, as the fairy tale goes along,

you also see the grandfather

856

:

and the grandchild getting closer

and the grandson buying into the story

857

:

and being affected by the story,

then fighting about the story

858

:

like it's so great

and as you said, it can go.

859

:

There's so many ways

860

:

that that can go wrong or

or it can break the rhythm of the movie.

861

:

And in this case, like, it's

just it's seamless.

862

:

Because it doesn't it doesn't distract.

863

:

Like I think the, the grandfather

and the grandkid could really distract

864

:

or it could just get dropped, like

it could just sort of show up as a book.

865

:

And at the beginning of the end,

866

:

for a while, I thought that the grandpa

was going to end up being Wesley.

867

:

And I'm glad that that's.

868

:

Not the case.

869

:

Like, I was glad that there wasn't

like another reveal.

870

:

It could be too much exposition where it's

sort of like the grandpa was like, well,

871

:

and that doesn't happen at all.

Like it's very light.

872

:

And the thing I didn't do is time.

873

:

How much,

how long? Fred Savage and Columbo

874

:

are on are on screen.

875

:

But I would say it's

probably like seven minutes.

876

:

Tops, right?

877

:

Like it's a. Very small amount.

878

:

And they still have this full character

arc that successfully

879

:

makes most of us,

all of us, me and Cole for sure, cry.

880

:

And yeah, that to me is amazing.

881

:

Like, it was so efficiently done

and it was the perfect ending.

882

:

What's so nice about it

is that that's what stories do.

883

:

You know?

884

:

Like you share stories with people,

you know,

885

:

like when you go through something

with someone.

886

:

A very specific example

I can come up with.

887

:

I used to have this baseball camp

888

:

and my first year there,

889

:

there was this kid and I

who really did not like each other at all.

890

:

His name is Robbie as well,

891

:

but we both went to this camp

for the same number of years,

892

:

normally in the same session,

and we never planned it because we

893

:

because we didn't like each other.

894

:

And then in the last year

that I was there,

895

:

we were in the same cabin, and it's

two weeks where we're in the same cabin.

896

:

You're playing baseball,

you're doing all these sports

897

:

together, you're going camping together.

898

:

And both of us were very resistant

to, to each other.

899

:

But as the first week went along,

like we went on this camping trip

900

:

and we were dealing with the same people

and, and and then we started talking

901

:

and then we were at this,

like at this campfire.

902

:

And he's like, you know,

I didn't like you a lot,

903

:

and now I like you a little bit.

904

:

And I was like, yeah, I feel the same

way. Like, I didn't like you at all.

905

:

And and then the second week of camp

was really great.

906

:

And I think about him now

a lot as I'm going through my life because

907

:

like, our relationship sort of evolved

over the course of seven years.

908

:

I mean, you're looking at books,

I mean, you're looking at movies.

909

:

And when you're looking at plays,

when you're looking at podcasts

910

:

or you're looking at anything, it's a sort

of thing, but it's a shared experience.

911

:

And if you go through it together

and you're arguing about it

912

:

or you're talking about it,

it brings you closer.

913

:

A good book or a good story provides

you the

914

:

the scaffolding to build a relationship on

915

:

an even if it's like a,

even if it's a longer term relationship

916

:

or even like you and I spent two hours

together watching this movie.

917

:

We laughed

and we showed this experience like,

918

:

those are the experiences

that bring us together as human beings.

919

:

Those are incredibly important things

for human beings to have.

920

:

I'm sure you know,

Connor doesn't want to, like,

921

:

watch The Princess Bride now,

but maybe he'll be in college

922

:

and one of his college friends

will go, hey, let's watch this.

923

:

And then he'll watch it and he'll say,

oh God, I totally

924

:

missed the boat on that one.

925

:

And then I'll come back to me

or he'll say, you know what?

926

:

I still don't get why like it?

927

:

And then we can argue about it

and talk about it and.

928

:

What happens there.

929

:

And like in my experience too,

is he'll probably love it

930

:

because of you and the experience there.

931

:

Right.

932

:

So it's like, even if he doesn't like it,

933

:

he'll always love it

because of the engagement you had.

934

:

And like, you guys fighting over it.

Yeah, yeah.

935

:

These are also stories that like

bring people together, if not immediately.

936

:

Then over time.

937

:

Like my grandpa used to say,

got any salt every meal?

938

:

And what that meant was, I'm

not going to fucking get up and get it.

939

:

But you can.

940

:

And it was so irritating.

941

:

It was like, grandpa, you know, we have

to stand up, walk over and get it.

942

:

And now it's like my favorite thing

about my grandpa, right?

943

:

It was just like, that's my grandpa.

944

:

I just whenever I think about him,

I'm like, we got this old.

945

:

Yeah. And so similar.

946

:

It's like it's the moment

947

:

and the shared experience

and the passing it down on generations.

948

:

Yeah.

949

:

Used to be a, like, oral tradition

and that like it does it in this movie.

950

:

Right where he was like,

I read this to your dad

951

:

and now I'm reading it to you and.

952

:

Yeah, yeah, I think that's why for me,

anyway, that's why

953

:

that that part of the movie

954

:

with the grandfather and the grandson

is so affecting, like affecting,

955

:

because it was obvious at the beginning

that the grandfather liked,

956

:

like the grandkid,

but the grandkid was like, oh my God, he's

957

:

going to pinch my cheek again

and just rolling his eyes.

958

:

And he brought in the book. Yeah, yeah.

959

:

And but but over the course of that thing,

960

:

that's what they build the relationship on

and they become closer because of it.

961

:

But I feel I felt like that watching it

now, like I was a little

962

:

because I can get very like,

963

:

oh, if it's popular,

I don't want to be a part of it, you know.

964

:

And so I think it was like there

965

:

hit like a threshold

where I'd never watch Princess Bride.

966

:

So I was never going to.

967

:

And then watching it

now I saw a little bit like,

968

:

why didn't I let myself have like,

all of that shared

969

:

community and experience, you know, like

that would have actually been fun.

970

:

Yeah.

971

:

And like,

I didn't have to deny myself this thing.

972

:

Yeah, yeah.

973

:

Because it does.

974

:

It has like a real decades

long loving community and shared thing.

975

:

And like,

I wouldn't have cared about that at all.

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About the Podcast

the arc.fm
Storytellers talking about stories!
Join us, three very different types of storytellers with three very different types of personalities, as we bring each other stories of all kinds to break apart and celebrate. In every episode, we're having the best time exploring what makes a story work, why it moves us, and why we can't stop talking about it. It's not analysis. It's not review. And it's something more than just a conversation about one of the things that makes life worth living... stories.