John Hughes - She's Having a Baby

0:00 You know, Brad, I was thinking, we we're in our fourth season, we have talked about some of our favorite directors, and recently I was thinking, how have we not covered John Hues at this point? Well, I mean we've touched on him a little bit with Ferris Builardy off, but granted that was a nineteen eighty six episode. Yeah, well, I think I think it's time to do do do do the man some justice. You want to talk about you want to talk about him? Yeah, I mean I think considering that right now, I am in my in laws and next door to me, my son is asleep. I think we should talk about a film by John Hughes, his nineteen eighty eight romantic coming of age comedy She's having a Baby. Hello everybody, and welcome back to a film by I'm Jeff Johnson. I am Brad Kozo, Brad we I'm I'm excited, man. We are finally getting to talk about John Hughes. As you mentioned, you know, we we kind of talked about him on our nineteen eighty sixth episode for Ferris Spieler's Day Off, but uh, yeah, but not

1:32 you know deep like you know analysis film. I this is a perfect timing too. I mean, you are you're a new father. You know you've been at it for for just a little bit. Yeah, I've been at it for a little over a year now. Yeah, and uh, I gotta I gotta imagine a movie like She's having a baby, because I know you saw this a long time ago like I did. But I imagine this has got to hit a little bit different for you nowadays now right. I think it does for any um person going into adulthood really. I mean, whether it's once you hit that, it the movie kind of changes. I enjoyed the film before a lot, actually, and I was excited to talk about it. I was like, but now I look at it in a different way, and I definitely understand where Jake is coming from. Yeah, as I say, you probably identify a lot more with Kevin Bacon nowadays.

2:23 Oh yeah, yeah, I've just seen this film. Well that's that's awesome. Well look for the listeners that don't that haven't seen this movie, or maybe it's it's never been on the radar. What is what give us? Bread Kozo's rendition of what this film's all about? Okay, young wanna be writer Jake Briggs or Briggsy and his newlywed wife, Christie are about to become adults. When the reality of balancing college, work, a mortgage, and a happy marriage doesn't seem enough, they decide to have a baby. The whole process of having a baby is laid out in front of Jake, and he is surrounded by pressure from his parents, his wife, his sperm count, his co workers, and his best friend Davis, who plays like a devil on Jake's shoulder. Will Jake take the plunge into being a responsible family man by balancing a writing career simultaneously funny and heartwarming at the same time.

3:14 Genuinely underrated film A film by John Hughes. She's having a baby. Thank you, Brad. That's it's fantastic. I'm ready to watch it again. After after hearing that, speaking of ready to watch it again, I gotta ask you what what's going on in the late eighties, because I kind of feel like the baby genre kind of kicked things off, or it became its own thing. Because you got in eighty seven, I think you got you got baby boom with Diana Keaton. You got three men in a baby, which we we've all seen and loved John the mu the Hughes Muse herself, Molly Ringwald, she does for Keeps in nineteen eighty eight and then, uh, look who's talking. I think it's either eighty nine or ninety. Yeah, I say, yeah, there was a big baby. Babies are funny, you know type of thing or um career woman or career person, bachelor stuck with a child and must you know, turn it all around. Yeah, that was a big That was a big thing for the eighties, the baby. The baby. Like in the nineties when every action movie pitch was it's die Hard in a blank or die Hard on a blank. I kind of feel like this, like in the There was the Baby thing was like, well, it's like you said, it's it's the career woman with a baby. It's yeah, bachelor's with a baby. It's so they're they're just trying to figure out how to have a baby, like right, and it weird thore that kind of it kind of tapers off though, like yeah, I mean, I know we got a couple of sequels to look Who's talking, but that kind of skipped you know, by the end of that movie that Genres they're talking, the dogs are talking. But yeah, well you

4:45 can only do so much with babies, and that's the thing. It's like they can only do only do so much. Yeah, well, I guess I guess that's I guess it was a short lived It had to be a short lived subgenre. Oh yeah, it was. Well, let's talk a little bit about this cast, Brad, because there there's uh, there's some great people involved in this one, obviously. You know, stars Kevin Bacon who uh you know eighties royalty at this point, right, yeah, and definitely goes from playing cool guy to uh, every day you know, nervous, you know, fearful guy you know very well too. You know, he's he's really versatile in this Yeah, he is no longer the the cool hip Ran McCormick fighting the system right right right, He's he's trying to make a earn a paycheck and provide for He's a little skinnier, yeah, you know, and stuff like that. You know, he's a little bit more, a lot more dorky. You're absolutely right, and I gotta I gotta hand it to him in this one because we know that his character is a little neurotic, has has some anxiety and really doesn't feel one hundred percent happy about his situation, being married and doing all the stuff he's doing. You know, he's got a little bit of Peter Pan syndrome. Kevin Bacon plays that so well with his face in this movie. I think, yeah, yeah, I mean it's and it's just looking his just kind of stare into nothingness, like when there's there's a couple of scenes where he's just kind of

6:17 staring off and thinking. I'm like, you really do know what he's thinking? Yeah, what'd you think about Elizabeth McGovern on this one? I mean, I think she's very good in it. I feel the only thing that is kind of maybe hurting the movie is she's not given enough to do and it could come off to audiences as a little bit of a nag, like like, for instance, my wife. It's not that she doesn't like this movie. She does. She has a problem with Eliza McGovern's character, and I think to some audience it feels like she is a little pushy in times. But I don't feel like that was the intention at all, and I don't think it was the actress's fault. It just it seemed that way.

7:03 You know, you make a good point too, because you know this is the this is late eighties, it's really easy for that trope to be like the crazy wife, you know, the pregnant ladies going through all her hormones, and she's she's crazy. I think you're onto something there, like what you're talking with the missus, not really like in her character. I don't think it's intentional, but she does come off a little sometimes a little icy and sometimes a little unlikable, but she's adorable. Yeah, And you don't really get to see the kind of the cuteness of them being a couple until that montage with the kit Bler's song at the end. Then you see these really kind of funny moments with her, which I wish would have been incorporated a little bit into scenes and I think would have had her character come out a little bit more liked. All right, well, we gotta talk about we gotta talk about that montage. I got a note about that for later on. Um. Speaking of characters that you that you like, Alec Baldwin as Davis McDonald, Oh god, he's great. Yeah, Okay, he's great, but you know, watching this, you know, watching this years later, I'm like, man, he's he's he's a scumbag, Like this is he's your best friend, but this is not the best friend that I think he want. Right Um, in this situation, you kind of do need that best friend because he is he is Jake's inner thoughts. You know,

8:33 he says a lot of stuff that that Jake sometimes feel and he knows that he feels it, and he kind of tells him. And you know, you can even maybe take in the consideration that a lot of those conversations or maybe not even existing because it seems like he has the fight with the girlfriend and then he takes he goes upstairs, and then he goes downstairs to have drinks with Jake and then goes back up. So yeah, but I think he's great in it because you do need that person telling you you could live like me. But then when you finally see how empty Davis is, it, Yeah, so he needsing to grow up and to kind of outgrow him. That's a good point. I mean, I love the Your Your Angel on the Shoulder analogy there, because like at the beginning of the movie, when you know it's it's the day of the wedding and he's he's running, he's late because he's sitting in Davis's car and Davis is like, hey, you say the word and we're out of here, man quick you know?

9:33 Is that Ferris is Ferrari Cameron's dad Ferrari? You know what I looked, you know, to to confirm it. I could not confirm it, but I'm not confirm it guarantee. That's that's that's that is Uh, that's mister Fries Uh nineteen sixty nine Ferrari to fifty GT. California. It's gotta be man like, yeah, I guess it got rebuild. Well, you gotta keep in mind though, you know, and I'll you know, quickly, I'll say this, but uh, you know, he was in pre production on this movie while he's finishing Ferris and he's shooting he's got uh, I think he's got great outdoors and planes, trains and almobiles. All these are happening at the exact same time. Which blows my mind, how because I know he didn't direct all of them, obviously, but the idea that he could be involved in that many major projects at the same time, because there's some crossover with the cast. You know, Um, some of the people that you see in this movie you see in planes and planes, trains and almobiles. You see him, you know, you see him in uh in the Great Outdoors. So I think it's I think it's the Ferrari.

10:39 I think it's gotta be. Yeah, I think it is good good call though. Uh yeah, back to Jake's Jake and Davis in the car. Yeah yeah, but you know he's you're right. He tells him like, you know, he does the best friend thing where it's like, look, man, you say the word more out of here. But he also does the best friend thing where he's like, look, you know you gotta do this. This is you fell in love, you've been with You've been in love with your whole life. And but I appreciate Davis in that scene, and he's funny when he comes to visit with that that coked up model. Yeah, you know, who's just a who's just the worst. But when he shows up, uh later on in the film after his father passes away, and this is like, you know, you're you're kind of led to believe like this is my chance, this is your chance to see a tender side of Jake or i'm sorry, tender side of of Davis. And you know the wall's coming down, but he makes a move on Kevin Bacon's wife.

11:35 Yeah, that's that's that's a that's a that's a bad play man. That's that's a scumback move. And I have a feeling with his father passing, he lost his meal ticket at point because you know, I believe he worked for his father. You know, they she met. Christie mentions it like, you know, into things. She's like for his father's company, and he might have gotten like one of those kids that got left out of the wheel or something, and he has nothing. He's just and that's what he sees. After that, they're like, he's become nothing. You know, all this stuff was for was basically for nothing, and now he's lost because he lost his father. All I know is you do not You do not ask your best friend's wife to give you a kiss a night, even and even when he gives like the reason, like the reason why he wants it, it's so heartfelt, and you for a quick second you buy into it. You're like, you know what that's he's he's he's got a good point. You know, he's just looking for that that that human connection.

12:33 But then he makes the move and you know, and Christy, you know Elizabeth mcgovernan. She's got to stop him. She's like, not not in this lifetime, you know. Speaking of Elizabeth mcgovernor, back to her real quick. Did you realize this is not this is the first movie she does with Kevin Bacon, but it was. It's it's not the first opportunity she had. Did you realize that she in Friday the Thirteenth or something? Oh? I wish, uh no, but she actually she and Eineen eighty four, she had She was up for the role of Ariel in Footloose. She actually turned it down to do another movie. I don't think that would have worked, not wild enough. I wouldn't believe a preachers preacher's daughter. Yeah, Elizabeth, you can played one of the friends, but not Ariel.

13:22 I kind of wondered, you know, because she she's one of these these uh these nineteen eighties sweethearts. I always thought, like, whatever happened to her? I don't remember seeing or anything. Um, I don't watch the show. I don't think you do either, but I guess she's like a major player on Downton Abbey. Yeah I did know that. Oh, okay, Well, when you watch award shows, you're always seeing clips for Downton Abbey. So there it always is. It's always popping up on our thing. I heard it's great though. One of these days maybe I'll get to it. You know, John Favreau's character in the MCU, he loves Downton Abbey. So if Hogan, if Happy likes it, it's gotta be speaking to people that love. This movie. One of Kevin Smith's favorite films.

14:03 And I believe this was an inspiration for Jersey Girl. You're kidding me. No, he loves she is having a baby, wow, and very vocal about that. I don't know if I used that. Yeah, he said the Jersey Girl. This movie was a huge influence on Jersey Girl. Now that you're saying that, I can kind of connect the dots. I can kind of see a little bit. You know Ben Affleck's character needing to grow up and needing to you know, take take responsibility kind of how Kevin Bacon does in this movie. That makes perfect sense. Yeah, now you got me one and watch Jersey Girl. I was just at I was just at his store in Jersey We were just in red Bank, just in Red Bank.

14:45 So yeah, sadly Smartcastle was closed that day that we were there. So we could not we could not check out his theater, but did get to stop into the secret stash and and and talk with him, and it's always a pleasure there. But I don't know who else you want to talk about, Brad, but I gotta I gotta say William Wyndham, who plays uh Elizabeth mcgoffern's dad, Russ Bainbridge. He might be my favorite character in the whole movie. I'm just gonna go. He is a scene stealer. He is definitely a scene stealer. I mean, from the beginning of the movie of you know, where is that little so yeah, I mean, to the rolling of the eyes in the church, to you know, to the way he is with his wife in a way he treats his do, I mean, and he's just just just craps on Jake's so bad, you know, and but you know some of those things that like, I really like that scene right after he kind of like gives him attitude and he's like when he said, like, you know, three can't live on what you make. Two can't live on with you make And he's like no, and he's actually not wrong. Oh, he's he's busting balls at that dinner scene and but he's he's you know, he's it's it's the tough love talk, you know. Yeah, you know that that apa has to give a child and yeah with a John Us twist. Yeah, I like that. Speaking of John Used twist, I feel like once you hit mid eighties, you gotta start looking for the Easter eggs, right because I you know, I'm sure you picked up on when they when they buy their first house, it's

16:17 it's Schermer Realty, Schermer Realty. Yeah, we know we are in the universe of the fictional world of Schrmer Illinois. Um. I also noticed the remember you do you remember when we had the conversation about license plates in fair Speeler's day Off? Yeah, did you catch the one on this one? Yeah? I had read about it and then caught it this time. I I seen it when this last watch, I seen Kevin Bacon's license plate shab and I was like, that means something, you know. All of a sudden, I'm like, wait, and then that's a it's a quick one though, it's easy. It's yeah, she's having a baby. So I love that. I absolutely love that. Uh, Brad, we gotta talk about about some of these these moments, there's so many. I mean, it's a John Used movie, so there's so many funny scenes. Right, Let's let's talk about some funny scenes like you know, what what what's one that? What do you have a go to on? This one? Um?

17:11 The first um scene of the neighborhood barbecue, you know, where he's talking to John Ashton and Larry Hankin, and Larry Hankin is so funny all the time. He's great and plain strains all of those He's great in this. He's great and happy Gilmore, he's always fun. But the way they prioritize lawn vehicles, tubing hoses for your you know, it's ays. It's a talk that does exists. And Jake realize that he's in this world now, you know, it's like, holy, he goes, I'm a part of this, I'm in this community. I'm in the suburb home, you know, and Christie's over there and the women are doing the back and forth talking that is full on mom. You know, the way they talk to their kids, the way they talk to their husband. It's very relatable.

18:07 At this one of my first funny scenes because they're both just like what the hell did we do? We bought this house with these people? These people are crazy. I love that moment because Ashton is just unrefined. He's like, you know, two things I like about you, Briggsy, your wife and your mower, and without skipping up beat Hankins like I've seen your wife? What kind of mower you gout? You know? And then they get into this big thing about that. You're right that exists, like the debate over brands for power tools and for mowers. Like I love that scene that it's hilarious. Uh, you're and you're right, you know, on the flip side, Christie's sitting there and you know they're talking about the PTA and you know, the kids and this and that it had such a funny scene.

18:52 Yeah, And you can really identify with or at least I do with Jacob. Do I belong here? You know? Do I long? You know, I don't feel like I'm one of them, but now I'm one of them. You know, I feel like a straight out of college, you know, rider gonna write some Jack Cure, Ac Hunter S Thompson type of stuff, and instead I'm writing ads for you know, baby food and stuff like that. But you know, like he said, he goes, but at least always being paid to write. So I definitely identify with that of that you come into age, you're like, when did this happen? When did I grow up? You know, when did I become you know, all these responsibilities. So it really plays well in that scene. I think one scene that obviously they play it up on the on the on the ridiculous side, but it's still there's a lot of truth to it is the uh getting ready for bed when they're gonna have sex, yeah, and Kevin Bacon's like, can we you know, can we have sex? He's like psyching him up, you know himself up, can we have sex? We're gonna have sex? Do you wanna have you know? And he's doing like the the spacial thing, spraying the cologne around on the pillows and down down his briefs and you know that scene. And when she comes in and she's, oh yeah, blowing all the stuff away, you're just cracking up.

20:14 But back to Russ Bainbridge. The thing that makes me that cracks me up about this movie, or about this scene, I should say, is when he picked you know, he's got the photo a little four by six photo of her day. Ye picks it up. He's like, Russ, the things I'm gonna do to your daughter? And then like you cut back and he's Russ has got like a shocked face. I crack up every time I see that photo. Man, it's it makes me, It makes me laugh. What else you got, Brad? Yeah, I know, I know, I know there's gotta be a nice scene. I I mean, I think it's a funny scene. But and I think this is a scene that hurts the Christy character when um, he was having trouble, you know, when they're having trouble conceiving, and she goes my father's or my mother said, my father had to say, and she's when he's told your mother, you told your mother and he does like, you know, the the John Hughes kind of montage and like why don't we have them come coach us?

21:07 And they show that kind of stuff. I'm like, that is funny. But I can imagine what Jake is feeling right out because he doesn't even feel like a you know, a man, you know, and and all this stuff, and he's got a low sperm count and now as in laws, no and just or Jake I felt so bad for him there. But that's still a funny as hell scene, you know, the scene you talked about where where Russ tells him you know, three can't live on what you make, two can't make two can make it. I think that might be one one of my favorite funny moments. Uh. And it's again it's back to the comedic timing of William Wyndham when you know, he's talking about how he wants a picture. You know, it's like, I got a picture of her on my desk, I want a picture of a grandchild and yeah, and his wife is kind of like in her own little world talking about how difficult you know, and it's it's a's just interesting because is it kind of sets up the ending of this movie. But she's talking about how difficult it was for her to conceive, you know, to to deliver Christy and all this, and when he stops and he's like, you are all right now?

22:14 Yeah he said him too. Because we've seen married couples or uncles and aunts and stuff that you know, been married for thirty something years or more. They talk like that to each other. They do yeah, like yeah they tritaking. You're taking his grilling abilities you know, yeah, you know, are awful. His grilling abilities are awful. He only yeah, yeah, how down't you get it? Burnt to a Christma once side in blood? Is this dirt is? Oh man, he's He's fantastic. I absolutely love him in this role. Um. Now, what did you think of the scenes featuring the girl? Okay, so this is something I'm glad you asked because I want to talk about I want to talk about that real quick, because correct me if I'm wrong, you know, And I know we'll get to his filmography here in a little in a little bit, but this is kind of the first time where John Us takes a little bit of a creative turn, because this movie has, um, what do you want to call him like these these fantasy elements, like these like dream sequences if you will. Yeah, um, you know, the the fantasy girl, the model whatever you want to call her, the disco girl. She she plays into that. I get that they had to, you know, give him some kind of um temptation, you know. And that that actress, she's

23:45 she's gorgeous, you know her. That French accent is amazing. Um. It's kind of weird though, you know, because like he sees her. Then he sees her, he sees her at the at the nightclub, then he Caesar he dreams about her, and it's like, which is a funny moment, you know how Christy interrupts the dream and then you know Caesar at the ad agency. I don't know. I kind of wonder whether or not this movie would have done better without the fantasy elements. What do you think? Um, I don't know. I kind of I like that Jake is basically creating these, you know, scenarios for himself because they don't start to laughter. Davis and that girl show up and he sees he's got this like hot young girlfriend. You know him and Davis is the same age. And then he tries to take Christy to a nightclub and that that's the first time he sees this girl. And I feel like it's more of I'm imagining this, what if that girl came in here right now? You know, this is imagining what I would say. I think he's I think he's playing off of it in his head. Okay, good point, But speaking of it, he does have to have that struggle, you know, that's a struggle that everybody goes through, you know, and it's hold onto that last part of youth and you know, being single, or do you do you move on and you go all the way with baby wife. You know, it's like you gotta make a choice, and he obviously makes the right choice.

25:14 Speaking of fantasy UH sequences, imagine if you will a quick second, the original people in mind to play uh, Kevin Bacon and Alec Baldwin's roles. We almost we We originally were looking at John Travolta in the lead role. Too old at that point, too old at that point, yeah he had he had aged out, but more so strange, Curtis Armstrong was originally in line for the Davis role that Alec Baldwin took. Curtis arms You're you're you're looking puzzled. How about I use his his most famous name, booger Ohurtis Armstrong, you know Revenge of the Nerds and Better Off Dead. Yeah, I could see him being the the you know, the fun wild zany friend that's that's trying to pull you back to to your childhood and trying to keep you from growing up. But he could I don't think he needed like I think Davis needed to be kind of a yuppie scumbag you know. Yeah, yeah, so he needed he needed to show the good life. I could have seen, um, so John Travolta for the part of Alec Baldwan's character or for Jake. No, for for Jake. You know what, I think Cusack Cusack could have done it. Cus Cusack could have definitely done it.

26:38 If Bacon wasn't available, I think Cusack could have done it. Yeah, the studio said absolutely not when John Travolta was mentioned. But to your point, if Kevin Bacon is not available, I could easily see John Cusack and Curtis Armstrong because they had great chemistry and better off dead. Yeah, I could see that one working as a as a what if as a possibility that that would have been cool, that one, That one would have been kind of cool. You keep you do? You keep Elizabeth McGovern in the mix? Are are you gonna? Yeah? Yeah? All right, Well we're gonna take a quick break, but first you're gonna hear from our friends over at surely you can't be serious podcast. And when we get back, what we're talking about director writer John Hughes. Okay, Jason's test of our friendship, which is better Van Halen or Van Hagar Man. Honestly, I think Van Hagar has better music. Oh no, no, no, no, it's Van You're wrong. What about Michael Jackson's bad album versus Michael Jackson's thriller out Thriller obviously best seller ever? No, no, see, people tricked themselves and believe that it's actually bad. Okay, Trading Places versus Coming to America. Trade Places is the funnier movie out of this this down.

27:41 No. Coming to America is the funniest movie of all time. So if you find yourself backing one of us or the other of us, you need to be listening to the Shirley You can't be serious podcasts. That's right. We have a friendly discussion. D and I are best buddies, and we take a deep dive and look at the behind the scenes stuff, the history and the fun facts of all these wonderful movies and music from our youth. It's really just an opportunity for us to geek out about the things that we really loved growing up. For example, do you know the actor that was in Star Wars, Batman eighty nine and Raiders of the Lost Arkris Harrison Ford. Harrison Ford Batman. Oh yeah, Billy D Williams. Billy D Williams was not in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Who was it? Well, you've got to tune in to the Surely you Can't Be Serious podcast when we discussed Raiders of the Lost Dark Presses back to the future to find out the answer. Welcome back to a film buy. As we talk about director, writer, producer John Hughes, I mean, a world without John Hughes, it is sometimes kind of boring, you know. I would say it's been boring since since we've lost him, you know, and at least at least in the film world. I mean, who would have Who would have known what we have gotten if he just kept going? But I mean what a body of work. And like you said, I mean with great outdoors and furs, bueller and there was It seemed to be every year of the eighties and even a few up into the nineties, something was associated with John.

29:03 He was doing something every every year. Well, you're absolutely right, And uh, if you'd like, I can tell you a little bit about the origin, like where where did where did he come from? And how did he get started? Hit me up? Surprisingly, he grew up in gross Point, Michigan as a big fan of the Detroit Red Rings. So I know you had. We had talked about Ferris Spieler earlier. The reason I never understood why a Cameron wore a Gordy Howe Red Wings jersey right because they were in Chicago. Because they were in Chicago. Why why wasn't he a Blackhawks fan? Well, that's because John Hughes is a Red Wings fan.

29:45 And that that jersey that Cameron's wearing, that was actually a gift from the actual Gordy how So how about how about that? At any rate? Uh, he was a self described quiet kid. He cited Bob Dylan, the Beatles, and Picasso as his heroes, mainly because they never let themselves get comfortable in their respective Media's quite a quite an eclectic group, wouldn't you say? Yeah. Nineteen sixty three, here's where inspiration begins. The family moves to the Chicago suburbs. He attends Glenbrook North High which will be his his main inspiration for several of his movies when he grows up. So every time you see a high school setting, we have Glenbrook North to thank for that.

30:34 Okay, after school though, he uh, he goes, he goes, he goes to college. He drops out of the University of Arizona. And here's what I can't figure out, Brad. He starts selling jokes to comedians like Rodney Dangerfield and Joan Rivers. How is that even possible? I gotta ask you, because I know you're in the business, but you're you're writing monologues. You know, when those guys are popping up on those circuit shows, those variety shows, you know, they get six seven minutes. You know, it's like, help me come up with six seven minutes of material, you know. And he was, you know, he's you know, he's what's I mean? Obviously he knew what was funny and it's probably a good get his name out there. Yeah, well he does know what's funny, because in nineteen seventy he goes to work as an advertising copywriter in Chicago. His work on the Virginia Slims account takes him to New York City quite often, where he gets the opportunity to stop into the offices of National Lampoon's magazine. Quickly, he becomes a regular contributor, offering up comedic stories about family trips and the trials and tribulations of teenage life, obviously one of his most famous ones. An early story with the with the magazine called Vacation fifty eight. I think you know what that would what movie that would come to right, be vacation. I mean sometimes you forget he did all these two. Yeah, it would be vacation. Speaking of vacation, Brad, I gotta, I gotta quickly, Uh, I gotta, I gotta.

32:05 I gotta shout out our friends again at the Shirtley You Can't Be Serious podcast today, as our listeners are hearing hearing us talk about John Us, she's having a baby, they are doing one of their famous matchups. They're actually talking about National Lampoon's vacation versus the Great Outdoors. Really, you know that's gonna be an amazing episode. Uh, And listeners, I would tell you um for for a deeper dive of John Us and to two other incredibly funny movies. You gotta check out the Shirley Can't Be Serious podcasts because we're all we're all on the John Us trip right now now. After an extensive run with the National Lampoon's magazine, Brad his first screenplay National Lampoons Class Reunion comes out, does not do good. Okay, I've heard of it, I've never seen it. I've never seen it. I really would like to see it, but it's not It's noteworthy that this is the second Move movie that has failed, following their massive success in seventy eight for National Lampoon's Animal House.

33:07 Okay, yeah, yeah, which you know, our good friends Dave and Scott covered for us on a film at forty five. But yeah, so I think after following following Animal House, you get Movie Madness in eighty two, then you get Classroom Union eighty three, So or might maybe eighty you know, I might, I might be off of my years on that, but I know Jason Deal probably of course correct us there. But he's not discouraged because in eighty three he breaks out with not one but two amazing screenplays. He does Vacation and he does Mister Mom and those movies obviously, yet he did Mister Mom. He wrote Mister Mom. Yeah, yeah, I mean we we could have done a whole episode just on his writing, you know. Yeah. After the success Mister Mom in Vacation, Universal gives him a three picture deal and we are off to the races. Yeah, just you, and you forget some of the stuff that you you weren't even sure that he was a part of, like um Home Alone, you forgot you know, oh yeah he has been Home Alone or Uncle Buck or you know, things that he wrote the screenplay for The Miracle on thirty fourth Street, the remake. You know, just he was still working like in the nineties, but on beloved films, but kind of keeping his name a little under the radar. Well, it's I think what it is is a even even if it's a screenplay by John Ues, the movie feels like a John Used movie. Yeah, it's it's it's just how it is. But before

34:38 we talk about his stuff in the nineties, because you're right, he was still he was still he was still out there. He's still getting some stuff done. Let's let's go over his philmography, Brad, because we're only we're only talking about eight movies, which again directing, Yeah, which is amazing when you think about John Hughes, because I always consider him like when you're when you're thinking of comedy directors in the eighties, he's the king. He's got to be the king. And only eight movies, Yeah, starting off in starting off in nineteen eighty four with sixteen Candles. I mean, what hasn't been said about that movie. I mean, it's it's hilarious. It's it's like it gets fun and out of control when it needs to be.

35:20 But it's just pure fun, you know. And it's sure there's some things in there that maybe don't mix well today, but it's just you know, it's just a coming of age thing and it's it's all good fun. I think the great thing about sixteen Candles, and again we're talking about John Hughes, who is the king of of teen angst in film. I think the thing that sets it off apart, sets it apart from you know, everything that came before it. Before before sixteen Candles, you had stuff like Porky's right, it was the zany goofy, you know, it was it was it wasn't like a closer look at the insecure that kids have. Yeah it was. Yeah, it was usually a male character, usually trying to lose their virginity or something sexual in nature, you know, going to that you know, some kind of resort or you know, something like that. But yeah, they had focused more on men. Were these were a little bit of balance. Yeah, this is Molly Ringwald takes center stage. She's the star of the movie, and and not you know, I have to believe it appeals to a lot of a lot of female audience members, but it appealed to it appealed to us too, like, yeah, you were you were there with Molly Ringwald. You felt your heartbroke for because they did her whole family does forget her birthday and she's dealing with all this crap at school, and you know, and you wanted to get what she wants. You know. Yeah, we were lucky enough to not be sixteen yet, so

36:51 we're like, yeah, that would that would suck, That would be terrible. I agree with you, though, that movie, as as amazing as it is, as funny as it is, you could not make sixty Candles today. No, no, you You could do a watered down version that's PG rated, but no, one wouldn't want to watch that. Let's talk about what might I say, might Brad what might be his greatest achievement nineteen eighty five is the Breakfast Club. I think it's his most personal as far as teenage angst goes um. Sixteen Candles was kind of the opening act, and then this one was like, let's get red, you know, this was the real real world. Well, yeah, because this, I mean, it's it's it's hilarious, but it's also you're getting like when they're doing like when when they're all kind of getting getting lit, you know, in the library and they kind of start getting real and you know, like Anthony Michael Hall's character breaks down and then you start to see like, you know, even even the popular kids, the the you know, yeah, every one of them happy, everyone had, everyone has, everyone has problems, right, Yeah, it's I don't know, I love it. Cannot say enough good things about it. I definitely cannot say enough good things about his second directorial effort of nineteen eighty five, talking about Weird Science. It's so great and it's so bad. I mean, he kind of went that way of those comedies we were talking about beforehand, but but making his characters be that way and be so nerdy and what they're dealing with and just to give

38:24 them that moment of being cool and having one night of you know, having a great party, just and that's at the end, that's really all they get. But it's still a hilarious movie. Man. I wish I wish we could do an episode on that movie, because I could, I could talk a while about one of my eighties crushes, Judy Aaronson. Who you know who's in the movie. Uh, the yeah, no, the brunette. Okay, yeah, I remember her. She's in front. She's in what Friday the thirteenth, second, one, third one? It's in She's also in Friday Thirteenth, the Final Chapter. She's also in American Ninja.

39:05 She's also Yeah, great age movies. But I'll tell you what a movie that came out last year on the Paramount Plus network, thirteen Fanboy, which is awesome. She's in that. She has a prominent role in that. Her D Wallace and several other prominent Friday Thirteenth doctors and actresses alumni, if you will, Yeah, absolutely, dude, It's it's one to check out. But check that out. Let's move on to nineteen eighty seven. So we talked about, you know, she's having a baby is kind of being shot and filmed the same time as planes, trains, and automobiles. I got a question for you. Yeah, because Kevin Bacon, there's a lot of cross pollination here in these movies. Kevin Bacon plays the guy in New York City. That's that's competing with Steve Martin for the cast. We know that that Jake is an ad exact right. Is it possible in a huge multiverse, is it possible that we the stranger that Steve Martin is going up against. Is it possible that that's that that's Jake? Yes, I believe it is. You believe Jake. Okay, just talked about this when we did the Plane Trains and Autobile's episode. I think we came to the conclusion that it was briggsy I I want to believe it's it's Jake Briggs, Yeah, because that would just make it so much better. Uh, absolutely, you know, and that's I think. Is this the first one that he does uh with John Candy? Because I know they are they they become very

40:37 close friends. And he's he shows up obviously he's in the Great Outdoors. Yeah. Um, I mean I'm sure that he had worked with him on you know, Vacation and oh that's right, he was Vacation, right, Yeah, you're right, and then Great Outdoors too, So I mean yeah, absolutely. Um. Eighty nine, now you know eighty eight is she's having a baby. Eighty nine think about this this string that he's on, man, Yeah, five eighty six, eighty seven? Is that is that your baby? Is that you already crying? Baby? Audience? Oh boy, if he's if he's trying, If he's crying, that may that might mean we're we got to wrap it up here soon. But close, We're close, We're up to This is just such a successful run. Nineteen eighty nine, Uncle Buck, you know we're talking about John Candy again, Like this is where you know she's having a baby. Kind of well, yeah, I guess you can make the argument for planes, trains and ambie bills as well, but we've kind of he's kind of moved on past the teen comedy life. Now it's now it's you know, she's having a baby.

41:36 It's all about being a young adult and all this, and it starts segue into family right with plane strings and ambibills. She's having a baby and Uncle Buck thoughts on Uncle Buck, Brad, I like it. I mean I like all of them. I've actually like every one of his directing efforts. Sorry there's so few, but you know, even our last one that we'll talk about it, I think is if I remember correctly, you know, I ever really like, but Uncle Buck's Greet, you know, and it's one of those movies that only works for John Candy. It only works for him. I I was thinking about this because I know we had a conversation about that. I can't think of one person that could have played uh Buck the way the way Candy did. I think you're right, that's that's that's John Candy's movie. Absolutely, So he takes nineteen ninety off, or was?

42:22 I mean I think he was. I think he's probably writing home alone at that point, right, probably, yeah, probably, Yeah, I know, I know we don't have time to get into all his amazing writings, fifty three writings, credits, Oh gosh, we'd be here for a while. But let's talk about nineteen ninety ones, Curly Sue. You know what. I haven't seen it in a long time, but I remember when I saw it. I thought it was funny. I thought it was good. I thought it was kind of a heartwarming story. But it's a long time, so I don't know how it would be now. I can tell you, um it had. It had been probably about ten years for me, and I wanted to check it out because I was like, you know, I remember it being cute and funny and kind of heartwarming, and I thought, well, let me let me go back. You know, how's how how does it hold up? I gotta tell you, you know, Jim Belushi is just as funny you know, now as he is then as he was then. Alison Porter, who played Curly Sue, that girl is, she's adorable. She is she she carries the movie I think in a big way. Um. Yeah, I would definitely I would put that back on your on your rewatch list because it is. It's fantastic, man, It's it's so good. Now we know Curly Sue is his his last directorial effort. Um. And then actually it was nineteen ninety four, Um, he kind of retired from the public eye, you know, and he moved back to Chicago. Um around that time, he really wasn't given a whole lot of interviews. I know he I know they got him back in nineteen ninety nine to do an audio commentary for Ferres Spieler's Day Off really but other than that, yeah, the the the last edition, the last DVD edition

43:53 of Ferre Spieler has his audio commentary. So that's something I definitely want to try to watch. I want to hear that. Yeah, I just want to hear and here him on because I've never heard a John Hues audio. I don't know about you. I didn't think they would existed. Well, I know, we'd like to talk about what we'd like to see next from from our our directors that we talked about you know, true, you know, we know we can't talk about that. But Brad, you pitched a sequel to this movie to me a couple weeks ago that I just thought, oh my gosh, could we please have that? You want you want to tell us a little bit about that. So I think what would be great to see is some of the stuff that was kind of gone through very quick through the montage in the hospital. I would like to see Jake dealing with trying to babyproof the house, build a crib um, you know all those things, install a car seat, deal with like that, you know that kind of stuff and this and seeing him is frustrate as he is of dealing with her just getting up to having the baby. He would be just as bad during the beginning process of it. So I think the sequels should be called She had the Baby, and we get to see Jake and at least the first six months or first couple of months of the baby being there.

45:14 I kind of feel like you need to write it only because I've had so many conversations with you the past twelve months. You live that life, and yeah, boy, was it comedic some of the stuff you had for me. I thinking of the character of Jake, and I'm like, he would have such a hard time with some of this stuff, because yeah, it's some of it's really difficult. Well, I'm gonna throw something at you, Brad. You know we talked about the you know you mentioned at the beginning. Think about what we what we missed out on because we lost him at such a young age. I've got a list of unproduced screenplays that John Hughes wrote. Oh boy, now I'm going to pitch three of them, and you tell me which one you would like to see the most. Okay?

45:59 Is that fair? Okay? All right? And I think Jason and d would have loved this because, uh, this first one and the second one are a versus type of situation. All right, So motor heads versus sportos. This was gonna be John uses suburban west side story like a Romeo and Juliet but in the suburbs of Chicago, you know, and we know motor heads, we know sportos. That's that's a fairish bueler, you know. Yeah. Term, So there's there's one that that sadly went unproduced. This one I think would have been hilarious. Uh. In nineteen ninety one, he wrote Bartholomeule versus Neff. This was about neighbors feuding neighbors, and it was gonna star Sylvester Stallone and John Candy. Okay, I like that.

46:47 That's another second versus one. Now here's where we go in a whole new direction. Um nineteen eighty three, Warner Brothers had acquired the rights to Charlie Brown and he was looking at doing a live action Peanuts movie, and you know, he was going to write it, direct it, produce it. So you know, and Brett, I'm I'm cherry picking here. There's like twenty there's like twenty of them. But uh, you know, and if obviously, yeah, I would say the Stallone Candy living next to each other thing. Yeah, Bartholomeo versus Nef. Yes, I think I think that's the good choice there, because you know, I mean, all three would have been would have been awesome to see, but yeah, I don't know, man Um. I will also point out that he pitched a film version of How the Grinstol Christmas to several studios long before the two thousand John Hughes How the Grinstol Christmas. You gotta wonder who he would have who he would have got to play the Grinch though, That would have been a tough one to figure out. Yeah, that would have been tough. Yeah, well, I'll tell you what's not tough is recommending She's having a baby to anyone who has not seen it before. Brad, what's your thoughts on this one?

48:06 Do you recommend seeing this one? I think out of all those eight films that we just talked about, that is definitely his underrated masterpiece. I mean, it's it's very personal to him, you know, it was about him, and it can feel personal to a lot of people because everybody goes I mean, this is something that most people are going to go through through their lives and seeing the realistic version of it, but also seeing the hum mur because some of this stuff is kind of funny, some of us kind of gross, you know. But I think this is definitely a go to a film if you like John Hughes type of humor, and you've just said, oh, I've heard that one bombed, and you know it didn't.

48:51 It doesn't really have any like big It doesn't have like planes, transmen, automobiles, the you know, the f bomb sequence. You know, it doesn't have those type of scenes. But it's got great realistic humor. And especially if you were coming of age in that eighties time, you recognize all these trips. Some of that lawnmower stuff might not play to some money in this today, but it may still though I think I think it would. And uh, you know you're talking about some some of these great scenes that are in this movie. You mentioned when we started, you talked about the montage that kind of reveals the tender moments with Christy and her softer side.

49:34 I gotta pull I gotta point that out. I think used it's something that we had. You know, we don't. You don't get to see a whole lot because anytime you get a movie montage, it takes a left turn quick. It does. It does in a good way. But I kind of feel like most montages you get, the director will just recycle scenes that we've already seen in the movie. I love the fact that that that entire montage when Christi is having complications with the delivery and he's upset and we're you get that Kate Bush song, which yeah, you told me like, yea, let's Kate Bush. Was like, no, what's I was like, that's Kate Bush. Oh my god. Yeah, you're right. But what makes that montage so great is that you see all the stuff that we didn't get to see, you know, you get you get to see the relationship.

50:21 And I think in that moment, if you weren't a fan of Christie, you become a big fan of her at that point. Yeah, and I know it's silly, but while Jake is going through his montage, listen to the words of the song. Kate Bush wrote it specifically for to go through what the man's thinking. Oh really, yeah, So listen to the words, and some of the scenes kind of go together of what she's saying in the lyric. So yeah, listen to the words, but keep your tissues handy. It's a sad moment, but you get a little sap. He could get a little sad, And this is a movie. Do not do not turn off until the end last end credit is on. I'm so happy that you said that because for years I've watched this movie and foolishly turned it off before the credits got going, and recently watching it, you know, I was getting up and then I heard something. What's going on, Brad? This has one of the greatest after credit or mid credit sequences, I guess, because it's one of those things where it's it's going while the credits are going screen yeah, yeah, split soon yeah yeah. So when it when it, when it ends, you'll see some titles come up and some black give it a minute, and then this great montage of celebrities picking baby names will come up. Just just wait. And I don't know if you're watching it on Prime or something that, but you know how, as soon as something ends, the window will pop up and say coming up next.

51:49 Just click on the same window and you can watch the credits. But yeah, I stick with the credits. Okay, So I went ahead. I got a list here, Brad, because it blew. Yeah, of all the baby name what I didn't I didn't write down the baby names. But everyone's supplying, everyone's supplying baby names. I don't even think I caught them all. But here's here's who I saw. You tell me, you tell me if I missed somebody, because it happens so fast. But I saw Annie Potts, I saw Christie Alley. Yep, Bill Murray in costume from Scrooged, right. I saw Casey the guy who's the guy that places Casey Jones and teenage Ninja Turtles, Elias Quotillas. There you go, saw him? Uh Dan Ackroid in costume from the Great Outdoors. Yes, he shows up a couple of times. He does him and John Candy's names or the best. Yeah, they come up with some funny ones. Belinda Carlyle shows up. You got Paul Gleeson, who had a little cameo in this movie, you know as one of his bosses. Penny Marshall, who we talked about a couple months ago, she shows up. Joanna Cassidy, the mom from Pains, is in there. Both of Ferris Bieler's parents in costume show up. Ferris himself, Matthew Broderick. He gives a weird name and it's He's He's yet Jim. It's not a weird name, which is the way he says it. Just like you haven't thought of it. Yeah, and he's in costume as Ferris. You got Woody Harrelson, uh and Ted

53:22 Danson. I get there's like a Cheers reunion happening there. Uh. Roy Orbison of all people shows up because I think he I think he Uh he suggests Roy as a as a good name from not if I'm yeah, Michael Keaton, Ali Shedy and Diane Cannon. Oh that's right, Magic Johnson. Yeah. See, I knew you were going to pick up on a couple of people that I was gonna miss. But it's just only John Hughes could get that many people involved and something just say hey can you give it? Give us a baby name? And you gotta think like going onto the sets and getting these people while they're in character. Yeah, I got to say a few things, but yeah, it's it's a great sequence. So yeah, definitely don't skip that. Yeah, it's a fun one to It's a fun one to watch. Brad. Where did you watch this one? Um?

54:10 You know it for a while it was on Max and then they just switched it over, so um, I had to rent it on Prime two forty nine. You know, it's like not much at all. I've got my old tried and true original DVD copy of it that's holding up. So yeah, I would say definitely, whether you rent it, whether you I'm sure you can still purchase the DVD, It's probably gonna cost you like ten bucks. But this is this is one if you're a John Used fan, I would I would absolutely have this in your collection. Yeah, and especially if you're you know you're about to be you know, parents, or even if you already are, or even if you aren't, you you're still going to enjoy it. But you get to look at the movie in a couple of different ways. Well, Brad, I guess that'll do it for us.

54:57 Uh I guess your little one has decided that I'll do it for us because I can. I can hear him in the background. I gotta get my uh, I gotta get my Davis tank top on and push out my chest hair. I've got to get the grill running and just cook one side of the steak and then and then and then see how dinner goes. Um. But yeah, I thought this would be interesting to have this episode shot here just to see how it was. But it was. It was fun to do it like that, Yeah, Brad, Clozo live on on location at his inlaws house, talking about she's having a baby. Listeners, I bring the real experience to you. You certainly do. And uh, Brad, looking forward to next time when you're when you're back in your normal surroundings, and uh, until then, all right, take care of everyone.

56:04 Change, she's a bad change, she's d