103: My Son Hunter (with Dave Weigel)

Washington Post political reporter Dave Weigel returns to the show for a look at the new conservative political satire My Son Hunter, directed by the actor Robert Davi, his first directorial feature in 15 years.  The story of the chaotic lifestyle of Hunter Biden, his business dealings and the salacious details of the contents of his recovered laptop has frustrated the right ever since it failed to change the outcome of the 2020 election. Davi’s movie about the affair, distributed online directly through Breitbart and toplined by “cancelled” actors Laurence Fox and Gina Carano, was designed to blow up the political discourse but comes across as a conservative attempt to emulate Adam McKay’s approach to left-leaning political satire. The filmmakers insist the news about My Son Hunter is being suppressed by the liberal media and Big Tech, so Dave and I were happy to watch this movie for Junk Filter listeners. As a political reporter, Dave knows perhaps a little too much about the Hunter Biden saga and acts as a helpful interpreter to explain the conservative talking points this movie is trying to make to the uninitiated. We speak about the filmmakers, the decision to film this patriotic project in Serbia, and the film’s ultimate lack of nerve in depicting the events. Follow Dave Weigel on Twitter and subscribe to his Washington Post newsletter The Trailer. Patrons of the Junk Filter podcast can access additional exclusive episodes every month: previous guests include Jared Yates Sexton, David Roth, Alex Shephard, Bryan Quinby and Sooz Kempner. More to come! Sign up at https://www.patreon.com/junkfilter Trailer for My Son Hunter (Davi, 2022)