Nora Ephron - Mixed Nuts Redux

0:00 Season's greetings everybody. I'm Jeff Johnson and from everybody at a Film by a Podcast to all of you, we wish you a very merry Christmas. In the happiest of holidays. We're taking this week off, but we are bringing you one of our favorite Christmas episodes where we cover Nora Ephron's Mixed Nuts and if you want to check out the movie, it is currently streaming on to Be or Peacock and we'll be back next week with Jason Colvin on our limited series nineteen seventy six. When we talk Logan's Run, Brad, can you believe that it has been a year since we were discussing our first Christmas episode we did Richard Donner's Scrooged. It's already been a year. God, it feels like we just did that one. It does. I don't know when you listened to it the last time you listened to it, But talk about a couple of young, young kids excited about finishing their season with seven whole episodes for the year seven. I mean we've done like fifty something yea, this season. We definitely just kind of more than doubled. We definitely doubled down. Oh, yeah, we here. Well we we did tell people that we had a lot in store for him, uh in twenty twenty one, and we did we uh we we brought uh, we brought the limited

1:34 series nineteen eighty six that started up. We got halfway through that. We brought it to you weekly. Yeah, it came weekly. We went from monthly, we too weekly. That's uh. That was h that took some doing, I think, so. Yeah, and we're not even done with nineteen eighty six. Oh no, we got we got plenty more of that. Uh. You know, we we had some fun on that episode though, that scrooged episode, and then we talked out are we did a top five traditional non traditional Christmas movies. I have a question for you now, if you had to pick your favorite non traditional Santa Claus in a in a Christmas movie, who would who would you go with? Because this is this is tough. I would I really enjoy watching Billy Bob Thornton is bad Santa.

2:29 Obviously, that is about as hardcore as it gets. Yeah, that's about the most non traditional Christmas Santa you can you can get to. I uh, I think I have one. I wasn't expecting, you know, when I was thinking about this, asking you I was gonna go with the mall Santa in a Christmas story, you know, the Oh that guy's terrifying. Yeah, they had to climb that mountain to get to him. And yeah he doesn't even give you know what I mean, you shoot your right out kid. You understand why the kid screams. Yeah, he's he's terrible. But have you seen this? Uh? I guess it came out last year Fat Man with Mel Gibson. I have not, but I was gonna assume that was gonna maybe be your pick. You know what. I won't say anything because I don't want to. I don't want to spoil it for you. It's on Hulu right now. Uh, you gotta give it a try. Mel Gibson as a as a bitter, disenfranchised Santa Claus who has an affinity for for weapons and defending the North Pole. No, no, this is this is a holiday film. Yes it is. I mean, but you know, uh. Walton Goggins is a hit man who is contrapt.

3:50 He's this kid gets basically, this kid gets a lump of coal for Christmas, and so he puts a hoodout on Santa Claus and it's it is not what you think it'd be, so you might want to check that one out. But that's about That'd be my go to non traditional Santa Claus. But Billy Bob Thornton definitely, that's a great one. Do you also remember talking about a film called Ginger dead Man? I remember that you said it had the glorious Gary Busey in it. No, no, you said it. You brought this up on the episode. You were excited about a Gary Busey starring Ginger dead Man where he is a serial killer that comes back to life in a gingerbread cookie of all things ridiculous, and you were like, yeah, we gotta check this out. Now, I'm gonna I'm gonna call you out here because we talked about that and you said, yeah, you gotta watch it, you gotta watch it. I watched this movie, and then when I was excited to talk to you about it, you you're like, I haven't watched that. Yeah, drop the ball. You totally sucker punched me. Man. That's uh. I'm assuming you still haven't seen it.

5:09 Still haven't seen it? Now, I think you owe both me and our listeners. You owe us. You need to see it. And then let us know what you thought about it, because uh, there's no there's no point in me talking about what a a dumpster fire that movie is and how terrible it is if you're like, oh, yeah, yeah, no, I think you need to watch it so we can at least address it and yeah, and put the ginger Man back in the oven. Well, as you know, when you ask me a question and give me a choice, I make sure to work my way around that question. Just I will just the same way I will work my way around seeing gingerbread dead Man. You're awful. Uh. Well, you know, aside from that you you made, you made some good picks on your non traditional Christmas movies. I'd like to talk about one of them specifically. Uh, I want to talk about a film by Nora efron Her nineteen ninety four, dark Christmas comedy Mixed Nuts. Hello everybody, and welcome to the Film by podcast. Merry Christmas,

6:47 Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukah. I am Jeff Johnson and I am Brad Kozo. Happy holidays everyone. Brad, you know, is it what's the weather like out there in Californian It's cold to me, but it wouldn't be to you. Yeah, it's well, you know, we actually were we we've only seen snow once on on the East Coast and it's been pretty nice so far. So I don't know if we'll get a white Christmas or not, but what we will get is a conversation about another Christmas movie, and we had a chance to talk about Nora E Fron. Uh. Yeah, so this film Mixed Nuts. I don't know if you remember, but as we were, you know, working in the video store. When holiday season came along, we got a plethora of holiday films and usually things like you know how the grinste Christmas, many Birdens of a Christmas Carol, Christmas Vacation.

7:41 We had received multiple, multiple copies of most of these films, seventy to eighty percent of these films, and always there was this one movie and we only always got one copy of this movie Mixed Nuts. And I always wanted to know why we would always get one copy of it, but it always got sent to us only during Christmas. Do you do you remember that about that it would always get just one copy. I do. Yeah, you know, you had like your holiday picks, your your holiday movies for limited time, and yeah, there was only a couple of copies sent, and it just looked I didn't know what to think about it because you know, yeah, the cover has that that that big close up with Steve Martin wearing a Santa Claus hat. Yeah, it just looks upset. Yeah, And I just so I never saw it back then, but I remember everybody that did see it did rave about it. And I saw it a couple of years ago. Now this was you just saw it recently, right, I watched this yesterday. Okay, first, so I had seen it and I had told a little bit about my opinion about it last year. Now what did you think of the film? You know, I I went into it assuming romanticmedy because it's Nora Ephron right, and boy was I wrong.

9:03 I mean it has it has that romantic storyline. This is this definitely is a dark comedy and it's yeah, talk about some some shenanigans, a bit of a train wreck. I would say I enjoyed it. The there's some things that I know we'll get into likes and dislikes here in a little bit. There's the things I was like, come on, that's that doesn't I don't get it. But those things are not even close enough to detract me from wanting to see it because of the performances by this cast. This is one of the best casts I've ever seen playing off each other, and it almost the way she directs it, it's almost like a stage play. Yeah.

9:48 I was gonna mention that was like, don't you feel like it's very stage play? Ask? Yeah, I mean, I know it's talking. It's a book and it's a remake of a French film, but I you assume after watching it it is something like a play, but it's not. But it's definitely shot like a play. Yeah. Was it the book? And I'm not even gonna try and speak here, Yeah, I mean it French film Santa Pierre Newel s noon Ordre from nineteen eighty two. Yeah, rough rough translation. I think Santa is a stinker or something sting like that. Yeah. Yeah, I'll let you speak the French. So, you know, I just watched this for the first time. I'm guessing I'm guessing there's probably a lot of other people that maybe haven't seen it. Brad, do you want to give a rundown of the plot of this movie? Yeah?

10:37 So it's it's Christmas Eve in Venice, Beach, California, where Philip played by the glorious Steve Martin, owns and manages one of those crisis hotline centers. But his business isn't making any money and his landlord played by Gary Shanling, who is killing it in this movie, is evicting him. And after he gets that news, his girlfriend decides that she's gonna dumping, and then Philip is faced with having to tell his two employees, Catherine played by Real Wilson being quite hilarious in this movie, and she's adorable in this movie. She's adorable, missus Munchnik played by Madeline Kahn, but he's got to tell him they have no jobs. And I mean, and as soon as that happens, which is in the first, you know, very beginning of the film, it's just hijinks from that of just like but it's but it is a I don't want to know if it's very a stand up hilarious film, but it's it's very clever, and it's very cute, you know, and just like you said, adorable, Yeah, well it's not the it's not the slap your slap your knee, laugh out loud type of funny.

11:50 It's the the the curl of your smile, like when you see stuff that you shouldn't be laughing at, you're laughing at. Uh yeah, it's a little there's a few laugh out loud scenes. Well yeah, okay, yeah, you're right, there are, but uh, it's it's more like I don't know, just I'm watching it and I'm like, man, these some of these people are terrible in this movie. And oh, yeah, you know, but you talked about the cast. You talk about Steve Martin's uh who's working with him? Yeah, at Rita Wilson, who usually plays like the the friend who gives good advice. You know. I love that she's playing the adorable, innocent girl that wants to get the guy in this because you don't get she doesn't get to do that often, and she's she's fantastic in this. And speaking of fantastic, Madeline Con in this how first off, how happy am I? Because I wasn't. I didn't know that she was in this movie. So we last week on eighty six, we're talking about American Taiale and we're talking about Madeline Con And a week later, I'm still talking about Madeline Con because she's in this missus munch Is it munching missus munchkin munch nick. Yeah, she's her dead's her dead husband's family. But she's trying to go to she's trying to go to Christmas to her dead husband's family. How awful would that Christmas make? I mean she she gets stopped lots of times trying to go to this dinner. But why would you want

13:20 to go to that dinner? Why would you want to invite her to that dinner? Yes, I can only as say that they're just as terrible as she is, and that's that she's a bad person. It's just she's just you know, if if there was a Scrooge character in this movie, it has to be her, right, Yeah, because she she goes to the well. I mean, they all kind of go through an arc, but you know there she's the one that they kind of have to turn over because you know, Steve Martin and Rita Wilson are more optimistic. Yeah, you know, they're more optimistic about it. You know, she's Rita. Rita Wilson is very optimistic, where Steve Martin is to mystic, but he's sort of lied to himself. Melon CON's like this place isn't doing anything. No, like Life Savers kind of a crummy crisis hotline to call. Let's just talk about how long it takes for him to answer the phone. Somebody calls.

14:16 You are just like on your toes being like answer the phone and the phone, answer the phone. He's got to write down the let me get the log out and get that ready, see what time it's line, which, Oh my god, he's terrible. I mean they're all I mean, they're all terrible at their job. But this is what Steve Martin does best. Yeah, you know this this type of you know guy, you know, he's he's perfect for this kind of antic Yeah, good ensemble cast here, right, I mean you mentioned Gary Shanling. Who is He's just rotten. He's awful. He's unscrewing the light bulbs. Every other light bulb has unscrewing to save money. Yeah, he's evicting everybody on Christmas Eve. He's he he's the worst. Juliette Lewis, Julia Lewis, h you get an Anthony Depaulia. Yeah, it's sort of a non traditional Santa if you think about it. And yeah, he's wearing all the time. Yeah, of the Christmas Tree, Rollerbladers, Parker Posey, and John Stewart. Yeah, and you really got to look for them, because you know, they of this movie lays out the cast and you're like, I didn't know this person.

15:28 You really got to look for at least John Stewart in there. Yeah. But can we go, oh yes, let's please talk about let's talk about the best character, can we Well, well, I don't know. You gotta a toss up between the best characters. I mean, leave Schreiber in his first ever role. Wait a minute, hold on, this is his first role. First? Are you sure? Yes? It is his first ever role? Is this movie right here? Oh my god, you're right because I always remember him. What was it ninety six when Scream came out? Yeah? Nine, Yeah, this is ninety four, so he okay, I'll just say it. He's my favorite character in this whole movie. Yeah, because because of the character. He's Chris. Yeah, Chris is off the rails. It's so entertaining and I cannot believe this is his his breakout role, this is his first role. Yeah, I mean he definitely makes a statement. Oh ye, yeah, But how glad were you to see Adam Sandler in full on early Adam Sandler form. Oh, let's be honest, he's he's absolutely playing Billy Madison of this. Yeah, but this is this is SNL. Sandler. The rhymes, the rhymes and thet the falsetto singing, and he does it through the whole thing. And you know, you would think that would get old quick, or you'd get tired of the of the gag, but you don't know. It was like it was like a breath of fresh air. Like it was like going like, oh remember that that was clever. Yeah, it's this movie. It has

17:03 some dark moments, but it also it balances it well with just just ridiculous stuff. And every moment Adam Sandler's on the screen with that little ukulele, yeah it's a moment where you have to start cracking up. And yeah, I didn't get tired of it. I especially loved it at the end. You got people popping in here and there. I mean Stephen Wright that wants to kill himself. That is the best cameo of this whole movie. I didn't know that he was in it. And again this how terrible they are at their jobs. You know, I get him some static on the line. Can you just can you just click it. He's got he's holding a gun. Yeah, and then you know he obviously he offers himself. So if it's serious, they'll call back. Yeah, if it's serious, they'll come back. They they stare intently at the phone. Ah. Man, I I just I just the cast is great. I can't say that, do you do you have a favorite character, like anyone who stands out as far as like, I mean, it definitely leave Schreiber's character is the most fun to watch. But I mean, but Adam Sandler's Louis, But I mean, all of them are really fun to watch. And I will say, with the objection of Juliette Lewis, I was not really sold on her.

18:22 I thought she was really overdoing it in this movie. Yeah. It felt very plastic, it felt very forced. She was kind of annoying. I started to realize, and I was like, she's kind of annoying. And I really didn't get Felix in hers relationship. And I don't know, I almost feel like you could you should have written them out or it maybe just cast somebodils, because those are the only two I didn't find very interesting. Well, I mean, and that's the thing. You can't really write her out because of the ending. I mean, yeah, yeah, the big climactic moment at the end when she gives birth. But I don't know, Anthony, is it Lapallia? Yeah, yeah, I don't know that.

19:07 I don't know that he was right for this. No. I mean I like him, I like No, I like he's a good actor. I you know, I do like him. I just didn't like him in this Like I almost feel like, uh, for any anyone that was a fan of Frasier when he played when he played Simon On there, who was drunk all the time and just like a loser type slacker, this is like young Simon in a way. Ye know. I just I got tired of him a little quickly, and I just didn't the chemistry between him and Juliet Lewis. Yeah, I didn't. I didn't see it. But I don't know. I don't know. I don't how old is I mean, well, I don't it doesn't matter. But I just maybe he even looked or felt older, too old for her in a way, I don't know.

19:48 I could almost see like John Stewart being in that role instead of the Rollerblader. Yeah, yeah, you know, with the Christmas Tree. But it this is a fun movie to see me because from that very beginning, you know, Steve Martin's character works at a crisis hotline, you know, where he's supposed to be helping people, and it's Christmas Eve and he sees these two people, you know, Parker Posey and Juliette Lewis and John Stewart arguing. You know, he's trying to explain to him it's Christmas and they're just all so bitter and everybody was bitter and angry at that time, and he's just trying to find some hope and he just keeps getting knocked down, you know, every step of the way. He sees that, and then he goes in and then Chandling's want of a victim, and then you know, his girlfriend dumps him. But then yeah, it's just how can he stay positive? And then he finally you know, breaks in front of Leeb Schreiber, you know, because he deals with nuts like him all day. Can we can we talk a little bit about leave? So you know, he he calls, he's very upset on the phone and he just wants to come and see him, and they don't do that. This is a hotline.

21:00 But Steve Martin's character, you know, he breaks the rules. He gives them the address, and you know, because we find out that, you know, Lee's family, you know, Chris uh family doesn't accept them. Mhm. And we quickly understand why when we when we cut the leave, who is in full wig, hair, makeup, dress, heels, Yeah, I mean full on and and I gotta be honest, looks looks fantastic, right, as as fantastic as Lee Shreiver can look as a woman. You know. Uh, we're just like you're you're sittinger going like this guy eventually becomes ray Donnovant, you know, yeah, but it's it's it's really cruel how his how his family treats him. Oh yeah, you know when they're they're calling him Arnold Schwarzenegger and oh yeah, you know, he's like, I don't want to be called that. You know. The whole family just like shuns him. Yeah, they were, they were going after this, but you know, they were touching these issues, you know, long ago ninety four. Well, and correct me if I'm wrong. Do they ever explain his situation? I don't think you need to, you know, and they never really get the diagnosis of what it is. I mean, it's obviously his family hates his Yeah, he's unhappy with his family. Yeah, not accepting him. But yeah, I mean he's gotta go through all he does. He the nuts that he deals with. I mean, Chris

22:30 is the only uh you know, patient I guess, or a caller that he really deals with. Everybody else is people in his life, you know, but he's the one pointing the finger at him. But like reader, Wilson will eventually tell him, you know, you're only good on the phone. You can't deal with real life situations, you know. And like I said, that's a character. I mean, you watched only Murders in the Building. You know that's very Oh yeah, that's cater to Steve Martin's you know, best qualities of he knows how to do that. Well, let's talk. Let's talk about some of the fun stuff of this movie. You got, you got stuff that really stands out to you that you just you really like about it. Can I talk to a woman that guy's awful?

23:19 Sorry, a woman he just up? Yeah, the call that just keeps wanting to talk dirty to to a girl that that guy's terrible I'll tell you what I like is when when Leif Schreiber shows up and how taken aback Steve Martin is, and then they talk about dancing. I like how they play it to where how you could tell that Steve Martin is very uncomfortable, yes, dancing, but then a moment later they are cutting it up and they are dancing amazing together, you know, and Steve Martin is full on into it. I think that scene is hilarious. I love I love how accept I think Steve Martin is of leave Shreiver at that moment in the story, and it's just hilarious. I think it's fun to see those guys really really jump into the role like that. Yeah, yeah, anything buggy about it?

24:12 Anything you're like, I don't know why, I wait, I know we talked about, you know, Juliet Lewis and Anthony Oaplia, But as far as the story goes or anything, it'sikes for you, Brad. Yeah, there are some things that maybe don't match or a little too you know, oh that wouldn't happen so quickly. But you are watching like a sitcom, you know, it's yeah, absolutely very sitcom. Ask and you know you just you have to accept the ridiculous at all. Yeah, I think you're right when you say it's like watching a long sitcom episode, because just when you think they can't do something more deranged or more you know, just absurd, Yeah, they do it, you know, and and it does.

25:07 It does like the beats of this movie, they happen fast. You know, Madeline Cohn hooking up with the neighbor that she hates. Just I mean, look at it. Look at her day. I mean, oh yeah, her day is so awful that she's just like, I'm going for it. And but it's because it's a Christmas movie. You you root for at that point. Yeah, you know you like it. Steve Martin and Rita Wilson when they get together, I got admit, uh, starts off kind of creepy. Yeah, but then you know ends, you know, they end up together. But you know still, you know, not so sure about that that moment. But I don't know. I'll tell you one thing, if I have something that I don't like, and you're you're gonna be I know, this is such a weird thing that, like, it was difficult for me to watch this all the way through. Seeing Steve Martin with with dark hair. With dark hair, yeah, it just felt wrong.

26:12 I can get behind Christmas in Santa Monica or Venice Beach, whatever it was. I can get behind some of the nonsense that's going on for whatever reason. I just had a lot of trouble with Steve Martin with dark hair. I need I need that white haired Steve Martin. It's it. But it wasn't like he had like long, you know, hair like John Chiabolton pulp fiction. You know, it was. It was Steve Martin hair, but just a different color. Yeah, he's wearing his signature haircut. It's just it's dark brown. It just but the thing is too though, with something like that, you're saying, well, this isn't your house sitter or your Father of the Bride film. This one's gonna be a little bit of a different one, a little bit darker one, you know, because it's, like I said, not a big movie when it came out, you know, for being the follow up to Sleepless in Seattle. Not a big movie. Yeah, well let's let's you mentioned Sleepless in Seattle. Let's let's talk a little bit about Nora Ephron. Now there isn't a whole lot really known about her. She was a very very private person. I mean, the most of that A lot of people knew about her. She was a male girl at Newsweek, and she basically went from, you know, a screenwriter to a director. She was pulled out by this publisher in nineteen sixty two fresh out of Wellsley College to contribute to the New York Post satire,

27:44 you know, and she just started writing, and she ended up getting the attention of Mike Nichols, and she ended up writing Silkwood with Meryl Streep. I think I've never seen Silkwood, which is shit because Kurt Russell's in it and Meryl Streep. Why I never seen it. I recommend it, Yeah, and then Heartburn with another Mike Nichols movie with I believe it is Meryl Streep again and Jack Nicholson. Yeah. I saw that when I was too young to understand it, so I don't know if it'd be good now. I don't know if I could have had it on cable one time. But you know, But I mean, she had a stellar career and she was not just really an influencer to women drugs, but just to directors, and the thing that she did with romantic comedies. The thing she does so well is the thing that Hallmark Channel has been trying to do for decades and they just can't do it like she did it. No, I mean it just she knew how to show you from the very beginning. She does it with this movie too. You know, from the very beginning, whether you're watching slips of Seattle, when Harry met Sally, this film here, you want that that couple to get together because right away she has written to it, these two should get together, but they're not going to do it right away.

29:07 And especially in Sea. Listen Seattle, and when Harry met Sally, you are clawing at the screen, screaming, will you two just get together? You want the stars to align for them. And she holds it and makes you just wait for it and wait for it. And and that's that's something that's really hard to do, and she was, she was fantastic at it. Yeah. Well, she she creates these characters that have to fight to get together, they have to fight for each other. Yeah, and you, as the audience member, you're fighting for them to get together. So you're absolutely right. I think it's eighty nine when when she writes Harry when Harry met Sally. Yeah, I kind of feel like, right there, she just takes the crown as the queen of these types of films.

29:55 Oh yeah, I mean she basically is. I mean she always. I mean it sounds like she was brilliant from the very beginning. You know, she had attracted people. You know, she was married to Carl Bernstein for years. Yeah, and there's a rumor, I don't know if it's true or not, that she did contribute to some of the writing on segments of All the President's Men Book. I mean, she was with him at the time, and then she divorces him and she marries Nicholas Poleggi, who wrote Casino and Goodfellas with Scorsese. So she loves her writers, you know. I mean, maybe she's doing a little bit of ghostwriting on some of those projects. Yeah, I mean I wouldn't. I wouldn't put it past anybody.

30:37 But so let's talk about her. I mean, I'm talking about some amazing work as a director, and she only does eight features. Yeah, Sleepless in Seattle in ninety three, which again solidifies her as she's the queen of the rom com Yeah, or not even the rom com the you know, like the romantic movie, right, Yeah, I mean it's usually romantic light comedy. You know, it's usually very endearing in a way. So, you know, she gets Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan together ninety three. Obviously we're talking about Mixed Nuts, which comes out in ninety four, takes a couple of years off. Did you ever see Michael? I didn't see Michael, And it's an enjoyable film, a very enjoyable film. Yeah, does that in ninety six, a couple years later, she's back. She gets the band back together, right with Hanks and Meg Ryan. You've Got Mail in ninety eight, which I love. I don't know, have you Did you ever see that one? I never saw it, but I mean it was huge, it was huge. But like I said, she makes these very simple movies. To do a film that's a romantic comedy about You've Got Mail right when that kind of boom you know, was taking place, and to really nab it before she took over the world. Yeah, she's doing She's she's taking a classic movie, you know, shop around the Corner with Spencer Tracy, and she's injecting something new that was happening, you know, the Internet, was kind of still new in ninety eight. Yeah,

32:09 you know, and yeah, the whole you've got male thing with AOL. So yeah it and again you're like, what's funny is this time? Like because you want to see Hanks and Ryan together, but this is a great story where they're kind of enemies at the beginning. They don't they don't care for each other. Yeah, she did not write like one sided. No, you know, not not one sided. You know, both characters were, you know, male and female were ridiculously flawed. They're never perfect. She's like, oh, the guy just needs to remember that I'm the princess. No, no, no, she she makes it very hard on both both parties. Yeah, well she writes. I mean, her writing is very well balanced. I think you know, whether she's writing for the male lead or the female lead leave it. See. And here's the thing that's very hard to do that a lot of male writers have a problem with is writing for women. Most guys can't nor Ephron can seem to write for both men and women. So usually it's not usually it's not that hard for women to write for men, but writing for women is really hard, and she's able to just float them. So nicely. Yeah, uh, you know, after you got mail, I know, she has a couple of movie, a couple more movies. She gets back together with Travolta for Lucky Numbers.

33:34 Yeah, I didn't see it. I don't know. Yeah, I mean these last couple. I didn't see Bewitched with the with Nicole Kidman. Yeah, and I didn't see that either, hype. Yeah, it just didn't really hit. Yeah, it just you know, and you mentioned, uh, you mentioned what she passed away. I think it was in twenty twelve. Yeah, but Julie and Julia was her and that was that was a Oh that was her. Yeah, okay, that was that was good. Yeah, that was pretty I never all. You got to see it. I did. I did watch it. A friend of mine, who for whatever reason was a big fan of Julia Child's, recommended it. And when she recommends something I I typically like, Okay, I'm gonna check it out. Even if I and I looked at that movie going not my cup of tea. But it it was good. And again she's she's teaming up with Meryl Streep for what the third time, I think the first time then, so uh yeah, she does uh, she does good with I like that she has like her group of actors and actresses that she she goes back to the well too, Yeah, to team up with because they had a lot of good stuff. Yeah. I mean she always worked with talented people.

34:52 I mean, I mean, like you said, this cast, you know, we we may have not liked not everyone's performance in it, but these are all talented people. You know, they've done great work. You know, well with you talking about the talent that she works with, you know, obviously, sadly we were not going to get another Nora Efron film, but I would ask you this, if we were going to get another one, you know, think about think about this. She worked with Meryl Streep several times, Meg Ryan several times, Tom Hanks, Nicholson. She worked with Steve Martin twice because she wrote My Blue Heaven. Also that was a Steve Mark Russell, Kurt Russell. So, if you were going to get another Nora Efron film, is there a particular leading man or leading lady that you would want to see her team up with one more time? I'd say it would have to be somebody like a veteran I would have liked to have seen her maybe do something with Harrison Ford. You know, I think he would have been a great Nora Efron male lead for her, kind of like his Sabrina remake. Yeah, I don't know what about you. I mean you had to pick somebody. I mean, I mean we didn't say a female either, though. Well, I'll tell you what you gave us.

36:20 You gave us the lead actor. I'll give you the lead actress again. I know, I said, she usually does like the side role, you know, of the trusted friend. But give me another Rita Wilson. Give me some more Rita Wilson. Yeah, another Rita Wilson, maybe upfront and center. I mean, you know, romantic comedy is hard to do, you know, very very hard to do. I mean good. I mean how many times do we see trailers to romantic comedies and we go, h, I don't want to do it. But you know, the Nora Efron made romantic comedies that did make guys like me and you maybe not want to watch them right away, but when we were forced to watch them, we were very glad that we did. I'll I'll tell you right now.

37:01 Sleepless in Seattle and You've got Mail are in my collection because they're fantastic films. So any any any final thoughts about this one, brad Well, I mean, now you know what it's like. Now you know what it's like for Christmas in Venice Beach, California. You know what it looks like. And I don't know about you, but it looks like he lives just a few buildings down from marrying Koe Bretty. I don't know if you notice that or not. I mean, well you said because you would know he's this is Venice where they're at, right, Yeah, And this is another thing about Venice. Venice is never that not crowded. Ever, I don't know what they did if they parted the seas to get just a few people on the Barwrock. You know what. I don't know if it was that light back in nineteen ninety four, but I can't imagine that it was that light in foot traffic on the boardwalk that close to the to the to the each more black app And yeah, his his his place does look reminiscent of maryon COBRETTI hes right, but it was Cobra was that he was? That was Venice Beach also, Yeah, it was Venice Beach as well. Yeah, I feel like even like the shot like of like the cars by the beach and like I always feel like that's the exact same shot. Well that's for Dayton Johnson. The best Yeah, the best thing I'm thinking right now somewhere Dayton Johnson from documents from listen. He's been, he's been, he's been enjoying this episode right up until this moment. And now he's shaking his head to discuss because we have found a way to talk about Cobra yes again,

38:35 which which I'm shaking my head. I can't believe we're still doing it. But uh, listen, Brad. I want to thank you for pointing this movie out last year and I was happy to put this in my rotation. Uh. I actually I saw it on the Peacock app streaming free with commercials on Peacock right now. Yeah, this was a lot of fun. Though. I enjoyed this though, you know, I was. I was very excited when I all I got pushed on Peacock and I was like, Oh, we're gonna be doing our our mixed nuts episode, like people can actually see it. Yeah. So, uh, for those of you, whether you have the you're paying for Peacock or you you've just got the free version doesn't matter because I you know it's there and it's it's streaming for free.

39:17 So if you have watched a Christmas Story or you know Christmas Vacationion like six times already this holiday season, you want to mix it up a little bit, maybe go with mixed nuts, right, Brad, Yeah, that's exactly right. Yeah, well listen, Uh, it's time for us to wrap it up. And uh, for those of you that like what you hear, please like, subscribe, follow, share, do all that good stuff. You can always find us on www dot a film by podcast dot com. You can always reach out to us if you've got comments or you've got suggestions. You can do that by dropping us an email at a film by Podcast at gmail dot com or messaging sending us a message on Twitter or Facebook at a film buy Brad, I'll go ahead and say, I know we might have mentioned this an episode of two ago. We had someone do just that. Who who contacted us on Facebook I believe it was, and gave us some great suggestions for a movie we're going to cover next month. If I'm not mistaken. If I'm not, you know, I don't have the schedule for me, but I'm pretty sure we're talking about a Kevin Reynolds film next month based on suggestion by one of our listeners, and not the first time it's happened for us, and then probably won't be the last. And we want to say happy Holidays to all of our listeners and your family extended and friends. I hope everyone is safe, and please keep listening, and

40:52 we'll keep pumping them out as much as we can. Merry Christmas, Brad, Happy Out Lady is much too early in the game. Oh, but I thought i'd ask you just the same. What are you to mean? You? You wonder