96 Greers

Another entry in our Temperature-Agnostic Teen Summer, another movie that Patrick aptly describes as "a clump of indie dramedy gestures."  GRINGA is the story of a bulimic teenager and her completely frictionless journey to repair her relationship with her absentee dad/screenwriter self-insert in a cozy beach town populated with Mexican stereotypes.  It's enough to make you want to speed-run the same complaints we always have about under-baked low-budget indie movies and spend most of the episode talking about the eating disorder melodrama that you're actually interested in...  Tip us on Ko-Fi!

We recorded this second installment of the miniseries we are NOT calling H*t T**n S*mm*r on the United States' Semiquincentennial, talking about Measure of a Man, which takes place during the United States' Bicentennial.  But the movie was made in 2016.  So this is podcast is celebrating the semicentennial of the events of the movie, but the decicentennial of the production of the movie.  Also these anniversaries aren't the measurements that the movie is about, it's about a fat kid who learns how to stand up to a gay Vietnam veteran bully. And Judy Greer is his mom.  The fat kid's, not the Vietnam veteran.  During the United States Bicentennial.   Check out Barry's (writing as Tessa Racked) blog about fat characters in film, Consistent Panda Bear Shape Tip us at Ko-Fi 

Pride 2026, kicking off Teen Summer (or whatever we're calling it) with Three Months, an indie dramedy about a gay teen navigating a health dilemma in sunny Florida.  Join us for a public health perspective on film criticism, praise for the cast's geriatric MVPs, and an oldie-but-goodie Other Segment!   Tip us on Ko-Fi!

For the Summer of Greer we talked about a film adaptation of a Marvel superhero comic with Ant-Man, and again last year with Ant-Man & the Wasp. Now, on the spring that precedes the Summer of the Name We Haven't Come Up With,  we're talking about an adaptation of an alternative comic:  Daniel Clowes' Wilson.  Both of us are fond of Ghost World, so this movie about a solipsistic loser with no filter played by Woody Harrelson for some reason should be... well, it's also a movie.     Liked the episode?  Let us know with happy funtime capitalism points!

Back at it again at the Music Box Theatre!  Long time listeners may remember in 2023 when Barry and Patrick saw a screening of ERIC LARUE at the Music Box as part of the Chicago International Film Festival and their minds were blown.  This year, the Chicago Critics' Film Festival displayed some excellent taste and included CHILI FINGER as part of their program, which is a small town caper starring John Goodman, Bryan Cranston, Sean Astin and Judy Motherfuckin' Greer.  Can a movie that begs comparisons to the Coen Brothers stand on its own?  Whose finger was in the chili?  And, most important of all, who showed up for the post-screening Q&A?  Only one way to find out, since Chili Finger is still making the rounds at film festivals as of this episode's release.   Liked the episode?  Let us know with happy funtime capitalism points!