Biopic: A Podcast Story

Episode 49: Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Starring John C. Reilly

Rena and Sara dive into this unflinching look at the life and times of the singular Dewey Cox, one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. 
We discuss: What if Nate Cox had survived? Why didn’t Don MacLean include Dewey in “American Pie”? How important are blankets in recovery from addiction? Is twelve too young to get married? What is the “Short Power” movement, anyway? … And so much more as we unpack Jake Kasdan’s seminal vision and John C. Reilly’s powerful performance. 
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story is directed by Jake Kasdan and stars John C. Reilly as Dewey Cox, Jenna Fischer as Darlene Madison, David Krumholtz as Schwartzberg, Tim Meadows as Sam, Raymond J. Barry as Pa Cox, the amazing Margo Martindale as Ma Cox, Kristen Wiig as Edith, Craig Robinson as Bobby Shand, and countless others. 
Sources include: 
Dewey Cox Ain’t Dead: An Oral History of ‘Walk Hard’
https://www.theringer.com/2019/05/29/movies/walk-hard-dewey-cox-oral-history-john-c-reilly-music-biopic-jake-kasdan-judd-apatow
 
Cinemablend interview with John C. Reilly: 
https://www.cinemablend.com/new/Interview-John-C-Reilly-7260.html#
 
Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it.
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Episode 48: The Agony and the Ecstasy, Guest Starring Fry and Bry from Pontifacts

Have you ever wanted to watch a movie about paint drying? You’re in luck. Sara and Rena are joined by Fry and Bry from Pontifacts to discuss the “will he or won’t he” tale of Michelangelo’s painting of the Sistine Chapel starring the NRA’s Charlton Heston and alleged murder and confirmed monster Rex Harrison as Michelangelo and Pope Julius II, respectively.
And that’s it. That’s the plot. Will he finish the painting? 
We discuss why the movie opens with a 15-minute long art lecture, warrior popes, Charlton Heston’s bummer political journey, leeches, awkwardly inserted hetero love stories, and so much more in this delightful discussion about a truly boring movie. 
The Agony and the Ecstasy is directed by Carol Reed, stars Charlton Heston as Michelangelo, Rex Harrison as Pope Julius II, Diane Cilento as Contessina de’Medici, and Harry Andrews as Bramante.
Sources mentioned in this episode include: 
Michaelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling, by Ross King 
And of course, Pontifacts, a brilliant podcast that can be found here: https://pontifacts.podbean.com/ 
Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it. 
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Episode 47: Star 80, Bob Fosse's Last Movie

It’s a special week of watching Sara’s absolute favorite biopic, Bob Fosse’s masterpiece Star 80 (Note: All Fosse movies are masterpieces). Star 80 tells the story of Dorothy Stratten, a lovely young woman who would become Playboy’s Playmate of the Year in 1980 and had a massive future ahead of her, and how Paul Snider, her despicable partner, murdered her in a jealous rage spiral. Toxic masculinity, our society’s obsession with young, beautiful women, and the entertainment industry meat-grinder are all on display in this ahead-of-its-time film that features astonishing performances from Eric Roberts, Mariel Hemingway, and Carroll Baker. 
We discuss: Eric Roberts’s 700+ IMDB film credits and Rena having seen but two of them (Star 80 and the Doctor Who TV movie), the brilliance of editor by Alan Heim, just how much Peter Bogdanovich hated this movie (and never should have screwed over Polly Platt), that Spiderman meme and how all of the men in this movie are in it, and so much more. 
Star 80 is directed by Bob Fosse, stars Mariel Hemingway as Dorothy Stratten, Eric Roberts as Paul Snider, Cliff Robertson as Hugh Hefner, Carroll Baker as Dorothy’s Mother, and Roger Rees as Aram. 
Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it.
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Episode 46: Walk the Line, Starring Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash

It’s the movie that, along with Ray, spawned a hundred other movies that follow this precise template, Walk the Line. James Mangold’s film about the addict-y and self-destructive parts of Johnny Cash’s life has earned some mockery over the years for its one-way ticket to Clichéistan, but is that criticism warranted? Well…sometimes. 
We discuss the unbelievable charm of Reese Witherspoon, how James Mangold engages in the most stunning act of self-plagiarism since 1985’s Fogarty vs. Fantasy, Inc., Johnny Cash’s hobgobblin-ishness as compared to annoying addict-rock star Jim Morrison, what happens to you when you become Waylon Jennings’s roommate, the misery of being the first wife of a self-destructive artist, hot goss from the set of this film, and the brilliant Dallas Roberts’s one-and-done scene as producer Sam Phillips.
Important questions: Is it metaphysically possible to take a member of the Jennings family emotionally hostage? Should one take medical advice from Elvis? (No. Duh.) Does Sara qualify as an “expert” on the dangers of table saws?  How on earth did Crash win Best Picture? 
Walk the Line is directed by James Mangold, written by Mangold and Gil Dennis, and stars Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash, Reese Witherspoon as June Carter Cash, Ginnifer Goodwin as Vivian Cash, Robert Patrick as Ray Cash, Dallas Roberts as Sam Phillips, and Shooter Jennings as Waylon Jennings. 
Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it.
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Episode 45: Lisztomania with Special Guest Elana Levin from the Graphic Policy Podcast

Happy birthday to Rena and Roger Daltrey! We’re delighted to be joined by the brilliant Elana Levin from the Graphic Policy podcast (https://graphicpolicy.com/radio/, on Bluesky @Levin) for the completely bananas, wildly original Lisztomania, Ken Russell’s 1970s musical biopic on the first rock star, Franz Lizst. 
In this super-sized episode, we’re talking about birthday boy Roger Daltrey, a Roger Daltrey voodoo doll, phallus-laden musical numbers, Ringo Starr as the pope, neglected children, a room filled with butt sconces, a gold-dipped Frankenstein, a Richard Wagner-Hitler-vampire hybrid, a gorgeous score by prog rock el divo Rick Wakeman, and the most beautifully literal Deus Ex Machina in the history of the world. And that’s only scratching the surface.
Naturally, there are corpse capers, because why wouldn’t there be? 
Buckle up: You haven’t seen one like this before. 
Lisztomania is directed by Ken Russell and scored by Rick Wakeman, and stars Roger Daltrey as Franz Liszt, Paul Nicholas as Richard Wagner, Sara Kestelman as Princess Carolyn, Ringo Starr as the Pope, Veronica Quilligan as Cosima, Fiona Lewis as Marie, and Nell Campbell as Olga Janina. 
Sources: 
Franz Liszt: Musician, Celebrity, Superstar, by Oliver Hilmes.
Being Wagner: The Story of the Most Provocative Composer Who Ever Lived, by Simon Callow.
The Biographers podcast six episode series on Franz Liszt.
 
Find Elana here: https://graphicpolicy.com/radio/ 
Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it.
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Episode 44: Shirley, Starring Regina King as Shirley Chisholm!

We buckle up for the inspiring but also totally depressing story of Shirley Chisolm, the fearless Brooklynite who became the first major-party female candidate for President. Shirley is inspiring because she has class, style, incredible smarts, and is a preternaturally gifted politician. Shirley totally bummed us out because [gestures around at the trash-fire trainwreck that is 2025, and Americans’ racism and misogyny and how they got us to said trash-fire trainwreck]. Outside of the lamentable place in time in which we exist, we are nevertheless inspired by Shirley Chisholm, the trails she blazed, and the spaces she made at the table for the women who followed.
Other topics of discussion: The halcyon days of Richard Nixon’s genteel corruption, John Ridley and Regina King’s casual brilliance, how Shirley Chisholm used her powers to change George Wallace, and how men will always protect each other from a woman leader.
We introduce two new segments, “Greenbook Greenlight,” and “Sara Managed to Wedge in Jonestown, Somehow.”
 
References: 
Slate.com
Smithsonian Magazine Unbought and Unbossed, by Shirley Chisholm
Unbought and Unbossed, the documentary about Shirley Chisholm
“227” Theme Song 
 
Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it.
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Episode 43: Straight Outta Compton, the Story of N.W.A.

Responsible for this podcast’s existence and our term “Eazy-E Crying,” Straight Outta Compton is a straight-up delight — a biopic about the seminal rap group NWA whose excellence defies “and-then-i-ness,” that gets inside the joy of the creative process and manages to do non-cloying fan service. While the film is not without flaws (glossing over some pretty intense misogyny and some pretty serious abuse allegations), it’s pretty great. 
Between unpacking a set of star-making performances and outstanding direction, we discuss whether an under-the-influence-of-Ambien Tipper Gore is writing all of the film’s negative reviews on IMDB, why you should never start a rap beef with Ice Cube, how neither of us know anything about the strength of street knowledge, whether Paul Giamatti is playing history’s greatest monster, and Sara’s fear of pool parties.  
Straight Outta Compton is directed by F. Gary Gray and stars O’Shea Jackson as Ice Cube, Corey Hawkins as Dr. Dre, Jason Mitchell as Eazy-E, Neil Brown Jr. as DJ Yella, Aldis Hodge as MC Ren, Marlon Yates as D.O.C., R. Marcus Taylor as Suge Knight, and Paul Giamatti as Jerry Heller. 
Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it.
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Episode 42: 42, Starring Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson

Description: Black History Month continues, and numerical kismet isn’t the only thing we love this week: We LOVE 42, the 2013 biopic about Jackie Robinson’s first year as the first Black Major League Baseball player. The late, great Chadwick Boseman is, of course, brilliant, but so is Harrison Ford as sportsball manager Branch Rickey, a man committed to desegregating MLB. Which, spoiler alert, is what happens as Jackie Robinson joins the Brooklyn Dodgers and changes the game forever.
There are roadblocks, mainly a number of white men whose use of the n-word is, shall we say, Quentin Tarantino film-level liberal in this movie. We also discover Chris Meloni is too sexy for the managerial work of pro baseball, Alan Tudyk sure can let the evil fly when he feels like it, and Hamish Linklater is a dreamboat as the legendary ballplayer and product-of-prolific-parents Ralph Branca. 
And sad warning: We know nothing about baseball. 
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Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it.
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