Movie Time! Oh, $#!*, There Goes The Planet: Spaceballs (1987) The Movie

It’s Calcopia’s Movie Time! Podcast! Listen as movie nerds Ethan Brehm and Nate Evans deep dive into their favorite films and cinematic scenes for your listening delight. On deck in 1987’s Spaceballs, comedy icon Mel Brooks’ loving homage to Star Wars, Star Trek, The Wizard of Oz, but mostly Star Wars. With an unforgettable cast of beloved comedy legends like Rick Moranis, John Candy, Dom DeLuise, and a double-helping of Mel Brooks himself, it’s gone from box-office disappointment to bona fide classic, especially for fans born into a world that couldn’t imagine a world without George Lucas’ space opera. There’s even a sequel planned to release sometime in 2027, a mere 40 years after the original. What could possibly go wrong? Listen as Ethan and Nate gush over Brooks’ unmatched catalog of comedy classics, the joys of Jewish humor, why John Candy (RIP) remains so beloved, what makes a joke funny (spoiler: it’s the delivery, stupid), and how Brooks would set the standard for future comedy crafters like the Zuckers (Airplane!, The Naked Gun!), the Farrelly brothers (Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary), and even Judd Apatow (Freaks and Geeks, The 40-Year-Old Virgin). Or you could just skip the podcast and watch the movie instead. We’d totally understand.