Suggestible - Don't Rain On My Parade
Episode Date: July 9, 2020Suggestible things to watch, read and listen to. Hosted by James Clement @mrsundaymovies and Claire Tonti @clairetonti.Visit https://bigsandwich.co/ for a bonus weekly show, a monthly commentary, earl...y stuff and an ad free podcast feed for $9 per month.Ronny Chieng: Asian Comedian Destroys AmericaDon’t Rain On My ParadeNew York, New YorkLove LifeLeslie ManvilleThe King of Staten IslandJudd Apatow MoviesUnder the Skin with Judd ApatowUnlocking Us with Judd ApatowUnlocking Us with Glennon DoyleUntamed by Glennon DoyleNetlfix’s 13thSend your recommendations to suggestiblepod@gmail.com, we’d love to hear them.You can also follow the show on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook @suggestiblepod and join our ‘Planet Broadcasting Great Mates OFFICIAL’ Facebook Group. So many things. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Hello, it's Suggestible Pod.
It's the time that you get to listen to things to be suggested.
You dragged me back into this hellscape.
Why have you done this to me?
I'm very excited to be here for Suggestible Pod.
You don't sound excited.
Get upbeat.
Get happy.
I love podcasts.
Come on.
Get on.
Get happy.
You've got to chase your fears away.
I've got no fear.
I don't know the words to this song.
I love it.
I do know the words to this song.
Yeah.
Do you know what my other favorite song is?
No.
Don't Rain On My Parade.
I love it.
It's so good. Maybe Collins could play a little part of it here. Barbra Streisand sings it. Yeah. Do you know what my other favourite song is? No. Don't Rain On My Parade. I love it. It's so good.
Maybe Collins could play a little part of it here.
Barbra Streisand sings it.
Yeah.
At the top of the show.
Yeah.
So for new listeners, they're getting like a bunch.
I guess it's a more entertaining piece of media.
That does make sense to put that in.
Don't tell me not to live, just sit and putter.
Life's candy and the sun's a ball of butter.
Don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade.
Such a great song.
We suggest things.
Do I kick things off this week, Claire?
Yeah, we're called Suggestion Push.
We have a newborn baby.
This is tough.
At Suggestible, we are Suggestible Pod.
Suggestion.
And we recommend things to you to watch, read and listen to.
I'm James.
I'm Claire. You're James. We're married. Off you go. And we recommend things to you to watch, read, and listen to. I'm James. I'm Claire.
You're James.
We're married.
Off you go.
You're James and Claire and you're married.
Right.
So I'm going to start with Ronnie Cheng, Asian Comedian Destroys America.
That is a stand-up special on Netflix, came out last year, which I started,
and then I realized that I didn't finish it.
So I only recently finished it, and it's fucking hilarious.
So people don't know, Ronnie Ching was born in Malaysia.
He then moved to Australia, Melbourne specifically,
and now he's currently in New York.
You might know him from this Netflix special.
New York, New York.
Put in the song, colleagues.
Start spreading the news.
Put in the song.
And I'm singing.
I'm leaving today.
Sorry.
Crazy Rich Asians, he's in that.
He works on The Daily Show.
He's going to be appearing in Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings,
which is an upcoming Marvel film.
Correct.
I didn't know he was going to be in a Marvel film, but then unsurprising,
everybody is.
He's a big deal.
He's gone places.
He's in the big time.
He's hit the big time.
He really has.
He's hit the big fun time.
I've told this story before on my more successful podcast,
The Weekly Planet, but about 10 years ago I went to a comedy night
and he came up and he was just starting.
I think it was in early to mid-20s and he just had people like fire
Asian stereotypes at him and then he like shouted them down like
on the fly on stage, which was really great.
It was like a massive highlight of the night.
Luke McGregor was also there, who's also now an incredibly famous comedian.
Who was also good.
They were both highlights is what I'm saying.
What is happening?
Get back to it.
Well, it's funny though because they're the two that I remember.
Like I don't remember anybody else but I remember those two specifically.
Anyway, this comedy special covers a bunch of things.
It's kind of mostly a takedown of like Western culture
or American culture in particular and also here because there's not that many differences between here and the US.
But he talks about how something I can really relate to, when you're watching something,
you've got like eight screens going at any one time.
So for me, I've got my laptop, I've got my phone up, and then you've got a TV playing
in the background while the podcast is going at the same time.
So he kind of gets into that, gets onto Amazon delivery.
He talks a lot about immigration
and the role of that in society, and particular then a large portion of it is the role of Asians
in the society and what they kind of bring to a culture. And a lot of the time he says it boils
down to things like their indifference to things that are going on in the world, which would make
the best impartial judges because they don't care about anyone else, like race, whatever you are.
It's just, they just want people,
they just want things to be like efficient and work.
The kind of, the whole thing kind of culminates
where he tells this story about how he had to catch a flight
to be home to Melbourne for his wedding in 2016
and whatever it was.
And his fiance rings and she's like, oh, why, how's, you know,
are you at the airport?
And he's like, I'm not there yet.
My flight doesn't leave, you know, until tonight. She goes, no, how's you at the airport? And he's like, I'm not there yet. My flight doesn't leave until tonight.
And she goes, no, it leaves in like two hours.
So it's about him then getting to the airport.
It's just amazing.
He's a really terrific comedian and a good guy by all accounts.
Mason knows him better than I do.
And it's well worth it.
People might have checked it out already,
seeing as it did come out last year.
But yeah, Ronny Chieng, Asian comedian,
destroys America.
It's really hilarious.
Excellent.
Really cutting observations.
Yes, I loved it. Really funny and angry, which I enjoyed.
Yeah, I like the one where he talks about trash, because I feel the same way, and packaging.
Yeah, he does. Did you watch this?
Yeah, I have. I loved it. Yeah, I thought it was so funny. I watched it at the time,
because I'm up to date with my cultural references.
Well, look at you.
Actually, I'm not up to date, but I did watch that at the time.
I loved it.
But, yeah, I feel like that about packaging.
He talks about how people seem on the streets of New York
to just not see all the packaging everywhere, and that's how I feel.
We're just like drowning in bloody excess packaging and paper and plastic,
and it freaks me out.
Yeah, it really does.
I mean, obviously I've moved on from my freakouts
because there are larger things in the world to freak out to,
but it's one of the things. One of the things you can freak out about. One of the things I really enjoy him, and I've moved on from my freak outs because there are larger things in the world to freak out to. But it's one of the things.
One of the things you can freak out about.
One of the things.
I really enjoy him.
And I love a comedy special.
It's really nice.
I feel like I'm watching more comedy specials now.
Well, there's more available.
There's so many more.
And they're great.
Really good quality.
I mean, there's still some pretty average stuff.
Oh, yeah.
But you normally can tell in the first few minutes of what's.
Totally.
It's good because it used to be like you'd have to get like a special on HBO or whatever.
That was like the thing to do.
Yeah.
Or it was you'd get like two minutes of stand up on Conan or whatever.
And that was what they used to do.
But now there's all these different avenues where you can release them or you can even
release them for free on YouTube.
So, you know, there's.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Like Dave Chappelle.
Yeah.
I love the idea behind what you can do now.
Me too.
You're not beholden to like a media company to save you, you know.
Yeah.
I mean, you are, Netflix or whatever, but you don't have to be, you know.
No, no.
That's really exciting.
Yeah, it is really exciting.
I do, I have missed though this year not going to the Melbourne Comedy Festival.
Yeah, yeah.
I do love that time of year and there is something.
Is it coming back this year?
Next year.
It's not coming back at all this year, is it?
Not this year, no.
So that was initially delayed, wasn't it? Yeah, it was it was just i just don't think i don't think so as far as i'm aware
it's just too hard it's just there's too many venues the international travel alone because
we get so many incredible international acts so i really just don't think it's possible
yeah it breaks my heart because it's just such a vibrant and incredible time of year but also
the comedians put so much work into it.
Such a large chunk of their revenue for the year as well,
like ticket sales account for so much.
And there's something incredible, exactly, and there's something,
and I've really missed this actually, particularly because we've just had
a rise in cases again in Melbourne this year, this month, this week, today.
Whenever it is.
Anyway, whatever time frame.
And I don't know, I just miss being in a room with a whole lot of other people. I know you don't. I do, today. Whenever it is. Anyway, whatever time frame. And I don't know, I just miss being in a room with a whole lot
of other people.
I know you don't.
I do, yeah.
And being relaxed and not being like, was that a cough?
Was that a sneeze?
Are you wearing a mask?
It bleeds into like real life because I'm not real life,
like things I'm watching because I was watching Knocked Up.
Whoa, that is so telling that you were like real life, my life online.
I mean television.
That is your dream to one day be integrated with technology. that is so telling that you were like real life my life online i'm like that is integrated doctors waiting room and there's like kids crawling everywhere people sit next to each
other i'm like this is a nightmare like if i walk into that now i'd be like i can't be in here like
i can't sit in this room yeah it's i know obviously it was like 2007 or whatever that
movie came out it wasn't a real problem but But, yeah, things have definitely changed. It does make you really think, doesn't it? It makes me really sad.
I had a moment yesterday where I felt really, really sad about it.
And we're lucky, you know, we've got very few cases really
compared to a lot of places in the world.
But I miss that idea that we're all in this together physically.
I mean, my mum is a GP and she was talking to, this is wild actually,
she was talking to some of her patients who lived through World War II
and they were saying that this is worse, this is the worst thing
they've been through, which is just a crazy statement to make.
But then I also think it's a little bit justified in how people are feeling
because one of the things that gets you through is like, not you,
you love being alone, but like is the togetherness, you know,
and people getting to go to church and sing together and, you love being alone, but like, is the togetherness, you know, and people getting
to go to church and sing together and I don't know, go to theater shows and, you know, on the
streets, hug. Yeah. Seriously. I know you're like hug, but seriously hug, you know, and you suddenly
are, it's just a whole different world. And that's a real loss. Like I really keenly aware of just
how different our lives are. And it really struck me
today. Did you see the thing about the arts, Luke McGregor? I did. Yeah. We'll do it in a nutshell,
but basically he talks about how funding to the arts is like the first thing that gets cut in
Australia, but the contributions that the arts made in comparison to say air travel. Oh my God.
It's like hundreds of billions compared to like 11 billion or whatever.
I don't know the exact number.
I think it was like $8 billion versus $185 billion.
And look, we're probably biased.
We are in the arts.
I guess technically we are.
Like it doesn't feel like we are, but I guess technically we are.
But, yeah, I mean, I just think like it does contribute to the comedy.
Like I know it does contribute to society monetarily.
Like it's not just you can have a laugh and escapism,
which I also think is hugely important.
But the idea that there's also monetary value in this.
It's a huge industry.
It's a boost to the economy.
What are you doing?
Yeah, I know.
But it's like suddenly because it's the-
It's the perceived value more than the actual value.
Correct.
Yeah, exactly.
And I think that's the issue, particularly with the government
we have at the moment, or that they don't see it as an essential service,
even though how do you think everyone's getting through?
They put in a few million recently.
It was $100 million or whatever it was.
I can't remember.
But it was like it looks good on the surface,
but it's a paltry amount compared to what the billions
that they're giving to other industries,
which don't contribute nearly as much.
Yeah.
But again, it doesn't affect me because we're not reliant on that money.
No.
But it is really interesting and also really depressing.
Yeah.
Just about.
Anyway, so support the arts, guys, because the arts.
Or support BigSandwich.co.
We can get a bonus podcast from Planet Broadcasting in addition to an ad-free feed.
Oh, that was such a great ad.
It was so full of enthusiasm.
Thanks, I pre-recorded it.
Anyway, all right, so enough of me banging on about how I want to go
and hug strangers and I can't.
Don't hug strangers.
That would be the worst.
I don't want that even without a pandemic.
Yeah, I know, but I like being hugged.
I like people.
I'm a hugger.
I'll give you a virtual hug out there if you need one.
That's the sound I make when I hug people.
Anyway, let's move on to something that will cheer everybody up.
Cheer you up, cheer your boobs.
I'm ready.
Okay, I want to talk about Love Live.
I watch Love Live.
Love Life, you got to love your life.
Love it.
You don't have to love it.
No. Well, I do. I don't know. Anyway, it stars Anna your life. Love it. You don't have to love it. No.
Well, I do.
I don't know.
Anyway, it stars Anna Kendrick.
It's so great.
Zoe Chow plays her best friend.
It is kind of like an anthology.
It follows the lead character, Anna Kendrick.
She plays Darby Carter.
And Zoe Chow plays Sarah Yang, her roommate and best friend,
and it follows her relationships basically over time.
And so it jumps ahead through her life from when she's a teenager
to when she's sort of in her, I'd say, late 20s, early 30s,
and kind of her career.
And it's set in New York.
It's fun.
I think it's really fresh.
I think the chemistry between the characters is really, really great.
It's just another really interesting examination
of different types of relationships.
And some of the characters, like the guys she dates,
I love because I recognise them.
Oh, yeah, you see them everywhere.
Yeah, like friends of mine.
Oh, my God.
There's one in particular, Magnus Lund, who is played by Nick Thun,
Oh, my God, there's one in particular, Magnus Lund,
who is played by Nick Thun, and he's like a chef guy who I've just seen so many of that type of guy where like initially he's like all
so charismatic and like he's always talking about big dreams
and like buying a farm in the valley and having babies and, you know,
making organic wine and all of this stuff.
And then it turns out that actually he's just an asshole who sits around all day
and his undies leeching off her and has a lot of debts.
But she kind of got swept up in the romance of him and they end up, you know.
Anyway, I won't spoil it, but it's just I've seen friends date that exact type of guy.
Yeah.
I have friends that are probably that guy.
Yeah.
No. No.
No, you don't.
I don't think you do.
What I think it does, because it kind of does really well,
it does kind of different archetypes.
And it's not just men.
It's women as well.
Oh, yeah, totally.
And the different kind of relationships you have,
whether it be like your first heartbreak,
it's your pet race relationship with your parents or siblings.
It's bad breakups.
Yeah, that's huge.
It's flings.
It's a bunch of stuff that it kind of focuses on every episode.
He's getting a second season, which I don't think they should.
Well, no, because it's not focusing.
So Anna Kendrick's isn't going to be in it.
Oh, it's going to be a different person.
Oh, great.
Yeah, because I don't think you can.
I didn't know that.
Yeah, yeah.
No, because it's done.
It's definitively like.
Correct, exactly, because it's written and directed by,
well, it's directed by or produced by Sam Boyd.
Sam what?
Oh, Sam.
What is it?
No, I thought it was Sam Boyd.
No, Sam Boyd it is.
Yeah, Sam.
Get your fuck straight over there, friend.
Yeah, by Sam Boyd.
He has some female writers, though, on the writing staff,
which I think you can really tell.
I should hope so.
No, but it does make a difference because the dialogue.
It feels real, yeah.
Feels really real.
It's narrated by Leslie Manville and I like her narration.
Who's she from?
She's a British person.
Yeah.
I looked her up and I'm like, what's she from?
I know because she just sounds so familiar.
Like her voice and her vocals sound really, really familiar.
I'm just looking her up now.
Yeah, because I've done this before.
I've looked her up before and go, oh, yeah,
there's definitively nothing that I kind of know her from.
No, but I feel like I've heard her voiceover before.
She's in Maleficent and Phantom Thread and a bunch of other stuff.
Well, she just does a really comforting kind of voiceover.
It sounds like someone reading kind of a storybook.
Yeah.
But it's really good.
It's also about how you never really figure it out.
Like, you know, you're constantly kind of like, I mean,
it's always changing and evolving and then you're like,
oh, am I doing that well because this person's doing better than me?
You're like, but I'm doing better than that person.
Yeah, yeah.
And also a lot of it's to do with friendships as well.
That's what I really liked actually and I liked the story arc
of the friends that you have in your 20s and then how that changes
as you all get older and change and
breakups happen. And so she kind of has this cohesive unit of mates who all live together.
And then things happen to those relationships. Some of the relationships split up, some of them
stay together and then you grow and change and you might drift because it's hard, I think,
once people start having kids as well, it's hard to kind of stay friends with those people,
but they have been such a pivotal part of your life.
And I think that's really interesting to explore too and how now,
like for instance, I was reflecting recently,
one of my really good friends is getting married, which is so exciting,
and I was thinking back to the fact that we've now been friends
for almost 20 years.
Yeah, right.
And that number, you know, you have friends like that.
You've been friends for longer than 20 years and that's crazy
and how those friendships change over time and what you're there for
and what you sit through and then also kind of the resentments
and stuff that you can have or like things that have happened
where you've offended the other person or you've missed something
or they've been offended
by something you've said.
You definitely lose people along the way.
Yeah.
And it's not just because, say, someone has kids and then you don't see them
because I have friends who don't have kids and, you know,
we're still friends.
Yeah.
But there is, you just kind of, you drift apart sometimes.
Yeah, for different reasons, yeah.
And there's that whole saying that friends are there for a reason
or a season or something else.
And I think that's true.
Like just because someone might just be friends with you
for a particular point in your life, like through uni or, you know,
and then there are friends that are there for life or.
They'll never leave you.
Never leave.
Anyway, I just found that really great.
Also, Zoe Chow is bloody hilarious.
Yeah, she's great.
She's awesome.
She's got a really good episode revolving around, or a couple,
around addiction because it starts off and she's like this fun kind of,
she's a party girl and whatever, and then as she just gets older,
it suddenly becomes like there's a subtle shift to like,
this is actually a problem now.
Like it was, it's adorable, whatever, when you're like 23 or
whatever, but then suddenly, you know, when you're mid thirties, it's like, you're actually
harming yourself and others. Like it's. Yeah. And the progression of that too. And I think,
cause, and that's actually something really interesting to reflect on, isn't it? Because
the behavior that like you can enter into when you're in your early 20s and you're drinking, like if you're drinking heavily or partying a lot,
that same behaviour 10 years on, yeah,
it starts to become really problematic when I guess maybe
because the responsibilities in your life increase so dramatically as well.
Yeah.
So if you've, that kind of stuff you can get away with while you're studying
at uni or something or if you're, you know, working in a part-time job.
But if you've got to show up every morning on Monday
and you have people that rely on you and how that can sneak up on you.
Yeah, and then also how they support each other through that.
And, yeah, it's really interesting.
Anyway, Love Life.
It's good.
I thought it's got like mixed-dish reviews, but I don't know.
I think it's better than that.
I think it's – Yeah, I do too. It's good. I think it's got like mixed-ish reviews, but I don't know. I think it's better than that. I think it's –
Yeah, I do too.
I think it's good.
I think it's really good.
Yeah, and funny.
I was surprised.
I didn't look at the reviews until after.
I'd be like, what's the consensus on this?
And it's not bad.
Like it's more positive than negative, but I just want to have a quick look again
now to see where it's at.
But, yeah, it just kind of surprised me that it was – yeah, 60% Rotten Tomatoes.
Yeah, well, that's like – I read about last week we reviewed plus one and I just I loved it and then I went and read the
reviews and they were like mediocre but I wonder though why like who are the reviewers too well
there is like there is like a lot of like guys like my age that are reviewers or older which
I'm not saying that that doesn't mean your opinion isn't valid, but I'm just means like it's can skew a certain way.
And that's what I thought when I read, when I read a couple of reviews that were written
about plus one and then also about love life and they were written by blokes.
And I thought, yeah, there's some things in there that maybe you've missed because these,
these type of shows that are coming out now I feel more reflect my genuine experiences.
Yeah, and don't get me wrong, like there's negative reviews here
from women obviously.
But, yeah, there's definitely some things that you might not connect
with because it's not necessarily for you.
I like watching shows that aren't, not always, sometimes I hate it,
but like aren't for me because it's like a different perspective.
Yeah, me too.
That's because you're a woke man.
No, I'm not.
No, you're mostly asleep.
Yes, I'm done.
Fuck.
Anyway.
No, you're great.
Yeah, but anyway, I'd recommend that.
Love Life on Stan?
It's on Stan?
I'd say, but I think it's HBO Max overseas, I believe.
It's real good.
Yeah.
It's good.
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Cool. All right. Your turn.
I've actually been on a bit of a Judd Apatow kick,
and I'll tell you why in a minute.
But I've gone through, knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall,
Get Him to the Greek, This Is 40.
I like a lot of his work, like Superbad.
A lot of these things he might not necessarily direct or write himself,
but he's involved in them, getting them going.
So I've just got a baby here in one hand just trying to get this happening.
But the most recent work he did, which is something that he directed,
is The King of Staten Island, and it stars Pete Davidson, who people might know from Saturday Night
Live, and probably more famously, as he mentions in his stand-up special, dating Ariana Grande for
a bit. He talks about how she made him famous. Marisa Tomei, people would know as well, Bill
Burr, comedian. And it's loosely based on Pete Davidson's real life. He's a guy in his mid-20s,
but he got into comedy at a young age.
And then when he was like late teens, early 20s, he got cast,
he got discovered and he went on Saturday Night Live.
So he's kind of, that's the role that he's, that's what's happened to him.
But this is about how what kind of wouldn't happen,
would have happened to him maybe if he hadn't have found comedy,
because what happened to him when he was younger,
his dad actually was a firefighter
who died in 9-11.
So it doesn't say the 9-11 thing specifically.
It talks about his dad in the movie dies in a fire.
Not that it really matters when it happens but it's about how he's lost
his dad and he's got this crazy ideas in his head of what the kind
of person that he is because his whole life he's thought about how his dad was this hero and it kind of kind of fucks him up because he's kind of
he knew him and he was this awesome guy and to him but you kind of find out later that he was
just a guy like he was kind of a lunatic he wasn't a bad guy but like he was a guy like like anyone
yeah yeah that's what you discover like about your parents naturally as you get older because you
you see them age and you kind of see their flaws and, you know. Yeah. And you start to realize that they're just human beings.
Yeah, not in a bad way.
I think it's a good thing.
I do too, yeah.
Yeah.
So it's kind of an alternate history of his life where he's kind of stuck and his little
sister's going off to college, which is played by one of Judd Apatow's kids, the oldest one,
I can't remember her name.
I should look it up.
Who's great as well because she's in This Is 40 and knocked up as well when she was
younger.
But she's kind of been able to move past Dore because she never knew him
and he kind of resents that because she didn't know him
so she'd never had that connection the way that he did.
So he wasn't seemingly not as affected by it.
Does that make sense?
Yeah, it does make sense, yeah.
So he's got these like insane ideas like he wants to start a restaurant
slash tattoo parlour and people are like no one wants to eat a steak
while getting tattooed or watching people get tattooed.
And he eventually forms a relationship with his mother,
Mr. Tremay's new boyfriend, who's played by Bill Burr,
who's really, for me, like a huge highlight of this movie.
I think it falls down when he's kind of not around.
I think he's a big drawcard for it.
I enjoy his comedy, but also he's in Ephesus for Family.
Mason and I talked about recently, it's a comedy show on Netflix netflix a cartoon so they form a relationship and he starts hanging out the
fire station all those kinds of things and that's how he kind of gets to know his father
through these other people and the kind of life that his father lived and talks about how he has
conversation with like if you're a firefighter you shouldn't have kids because you what happens
if you die and then you leave your kids you know know, it's selfish to have a family. And, yeah, so it talks about things like that.
And it's not hilarious, but there's very funny moments in it.
If you go in thinking, like, this is going to be, like,
knocked up or whatever, it's more kind of – it's more serious
and talking about depression and things like that.
But, yeah, I really enjoyed it, yeah.
Yeah, I can't wait to watch that.
It's on my to-watch list.
I just still haven't got there. It didn't, like, blow me away, but I just more, yeah. Yeah, I can't wait to watch that. It's on my to watch list. I just still haven't got there.
It didn't like blow me away but I just really enjoyed it.
You know what I'm saying? Yeah, I recently listened to Judd Apatow with obviously my fave,
Brene Brown on Herpogus Unlocking Us and he talks about vulnerability
and laughter.
It is Maud Apatow, his daughter.
He's got two eyes.
Oh, Maud.
There you go.
Yeah, and so I just really feel like I like him a lot as a person,
like a human.
I think he's really interesting and their conversation is great.
He also has a great conversation with Russell Brander
on his podcast, Under the Skin.
Right, right.
Both of those conversations are so fascinating because he talks a lot
about why he creates what he creates because he makes some
of my favourite stuff or he's involved in that kind of line
where it tugs at your heartstrings and makes you,
pulls you into really human moments but also makes you laugh
out loud at exactly the same time.
And Freaks and Geeks is one of my favourites.
Yes.
That was kind of his first thing that he made that was really famous.
Yeah, well, he worked on like Larry Sanders show and things like that.
But, yeah, that was like a big break.
A big breakout, yeah.
And just the kind of moments that he manages to find and pull out,
and they're not like big, grandiose kind
of like slapstick comedy moments.
They're like moments that you've experienced or remind you of moments
in your own life that you've experienced that make you laugh.
Yeah.
And I just think he's so great and hilarious.
And because he's a child of divorce, he kind of talks with Brene
and also with Russell Brand about being a child of divorce,
being a child of parents who didn't grow up with any religion
even though he's Jewish.
Yeah.
And then him kind of seeking out meaning in life and where he can find meaning
because he didn't grow up with like a spiritual context to put everything in.
I really love that.
So he's really drawn to sort of Eckhart Tolle who's a writer
that I really love and he does a lot of spiritual kind of reading about life
and humanity and he's a lot, yeah, runs quite deep with him,
that kind of stuff.
And he said part of the reason being a child of divorce means
that you are constantly trying to figure out how you're going to survive
and stand on your own two feet and work out the world yourself.
And you're also constantly trying to make people laugh
and make things okay when things aren't okay,
when your parents are arguing all the time and it's really difficult.
And so you can kind of see that in his comedy.
And that's also where his drive comes from for creating as much as he does
and making things work and being a really good producer
because he was constantly aware that he had to stand on his own because of coming from this kind of fractured
family and trying to make everything work and make everyone feel okay. I just thought it was
really, it's a really interesting conversation about why he makes what he makes. But yeah,
he just makes my face like he does. Like it's so hilarious and slapstick, even forgetting Sarah
Marshall. Yeah. I literally just finished watching that. Like it's so hilarious and slapstick, even forgetting Sarah Marshall.
Yeah, I literally just finished watching that. Yeah, and there's so much.
It's hilarious.
And there's a difference between that and like This Is 40 and Superbad.
Like they're all.
They're all different.
They're all different, yeah.
But they all have something, moments in them where you're laughing
but then they get you.
I don't think there's a bad one.
Like there's ones that I don't like as much as others, obviously.
Like I never loved like Funny People with Adam Sandler,
though I should watch it again.
Maybe I'd enjoy it more.
But I also like Leslie Mann who they're married in real life.
Oh, she's awesome.
Because it's a recurring character from Knocked Up to This Is 40
and her and Paul Rudd's relationship.
And just the dynamic between those two is so great.
And it's interesting because you talked about finding slice of life moments
that he like puts into his movies.
I saw, I was watching a wide autocorrect interview with him and he talks
about how that at the time the posters, and this is in the movie for This
Is 40, Paul Rudd is on an iPad in the toilet because he's just kind
of taking a moment to like escape.
And he talks about how like that hadn't really been done.
People hadn't seen that before because that was a relatively new concept,
the iPad.
And I didn't think like I having watched it recently,
I didn't literally your whole life,
but like,
I never think,
I didn't think about that being like a new thing.
Yeah.
He was like someone who kind of noticed that and pointed it out.
I'm sure other people had noticed it,
but you see that reflected back.
I think that's really that I just think that movie is so good.
I know people talk about this is 40 years over long and whatever
but I've always found it so good even when I watched it in my 20s
when it came out now that I'm closer to definitely 40 than I am by 20s.
But, yeah, I think I like it even more as I kind of get older.
Yeah, yeah.
I do too.
Yeah, and I think that's the joy of the stuff that he makes,
that you see yourself reflected back and it's hilarious but it gets you.
It gets you.
And your old heartbeens.
Yeah.
And all the things.
Yeah, so cool.
I want to watch that, King of Staten Island.
Yep.
Where can you get it?
Because it's not out in cinema release, is it?
I did it a few weeks back.
Obviously, because there's no cinemas open.
I can't remember whether I rented it or bought it.
Yeah, I think. But I've got it somewhere or I'll show you how to get it.
Yeah.
I think you can buy it, I saw, too,
because they obviously wanted people to watch it from home.
Yeah.
Which is really generous, too, I think.
Yeah.
So also I wanted to talk again very briefly about Brene Brown's podcast,
Unlocking Us.
I know I'm just like banging on about it.
But she does a great chat with Glennon Doyle,
which is really fantastic, about her book Untamed, which I love. And if you haven't read Untamed,
you should. It's brilliant. And there's also an episode, Brene Brown just talks about a concept
I hadn't heard before called over-functioning and under-functioning. And I just wanted to talk
about it really, really briefly because I thought it was really interesting. She just sort of goes
on like a little chat about how people cope are coping with life this is a
concept around what happens when you're going through like a lot of turmoil or something really
massive and like terrifying happens or hard or say you lose she uses an example of like losing a
parent and how some people head into over-functioning mode when they're dealing in a crisis.
So over-functioning means that they take on everything themselves,
they organise everything, they're the ones that make the lists and write the things.
They do?
Yeah, that's one of the reasons.
It just like really resonated with me.
Yeah, they write the list, they send the flowers,
they organise the friends, they make the food, you know,
they do all the things and over-function so they don't have to process.
Yes.
And then there's another one called under-functioning
where instead of going into hyperdrive, people go almost into hypersleep.
So they withdraw and shut down and that means that they are often seen
as the one that, like, is, you know, flaky or, you know,
not pulling their weight or withdrawn or.
Would it also be that like people think it's affecting them more even?
Yeah.
And yeah.
Because they're not doing, they're not out there and doing stuff.
Yeah, exactly.
So then they kind of fall into this passive role of everyone having
to look after them.
Yeah.
And so they become that kind of, they step into that role
where everyone's not only dealing
with the crisis at hand, but also having to cope with this person as well.
And then kind of, yeah, making it harder for people in some ways or just shutting down
and then people thinking maybe they don't care that much.
Yeah.
I think I'm probably more that side than the other.
Like in a crisis.
I don't know.
I think you-
Depending on the crisis.
You help though. Oh yeah. I'm not like a- Yeah, My inner crisis. I don't know. I think you – Depending on the crisis. You help though.
Oh, yeah.
I'm not like a –
Yeah, you're great.
I've never had something really truly horrendously awful happen to me yet.
There's always time.
There's always time.
Oh, no, it will.
It's inevitability.
No, but I think you're great in a crisis because you're quite surprisingly calm.
I do think if things are heightened emotion, you go to sleep.
Yeah, that's true.
My brain's like, nah.
Nah, too many emotions, sleep. Yeah. So maybe that's a tendency. I just thought that was
interesting because she sort of says either one is a way of avoiding having to process things.
Yes.
And it's just nice to be aware and also trying to understand other people's reactions. Like in a
family, the over-functioner can get really cross
and frustrated with the under-functioner, you know, that kind of dynamic.
And trying to understand that both of you just have a natural way
of processing or trying to deal with stuff and instead sitting
with your emotions and trying to come to a medium ground.
Yeah.
Anyway, it just really resonated with me and I thought
that was really interesting.
That's cool.
Particularly in light of all the events that are happening in the world currently.
I'm sure people are experiencing like, because I know there's people like,
I feel guilty because I didn't write that screenplay or whatever.
Yeah, exactly.
And other people are like, I've just learned French while cooking crepes,
while, you know, practicing my singing.
If you're surviving, that's good.
Yeah, it's just about finding that middle ground and being kind to yourself.
Yeah, I think like if you are getting through like day to day, that's great.
Genuinely, I think it is.
No, I don't.
It's a lot.
It's a lot at the moment.
It's a lot.
And just finding, yeah, if you can just find space in your day
to take some deep breaths.
That square breathing I talked about still really helping me, mate.
The forward, forward, the forward.
Yeah, just breathing in, holding, breathing out.
Yeah.
For every time.
For every time.
Yeah, Brene Brown talks about that too.
Bloody love her.
Anyway, so I think she's got some great strategies.
Does Brene Brown, does she review podcasts?
Review podcasts?
I don't know.
I'm sure some people out there might think about reviewing this podcast,
for example, and you can actually do it in-app.
I totally didn't even see where you were going with that.
You open up your app, do it in-app, iTunes or whatever it is.
Five stars if you could, but obviously it's up to you.
This is from A.L.
Vine says, five stars, entertaining banter and good wrecks.
Discovered suggestibles.
He wrote suggestibles, or she, through James' other podcast,
The Weekly Planet.
Was skeptical at first.
James and Claire's chemistries are very different than James
and Nick Mason's.
True, but every bit is entertaining and fun to listen to.
It's pure delight to hear the old couple, an old couple,
but clearly won't be together much longer,
bicker back and forth while recommending new and interesting
TV shows, movies and music, and hear their marriage slowly crumble
before our very ears.
With the glut of content available these days,
it's nice to have Claire and James point me in the right direction.
With their walking sticks.
Yeah.
Thanks, mate.
If I ever see this guy, I'm going to twist his ear, Claire.
I'm going to twist his ear.
You would twist his ear.
All right.
What have you got?
Some recos from people?
I have got some recos.
Here we go.
This is from Joe Hoffman.
I love Joe Hoffman.
Joe Hoffman. Hi, James Hoffman. Joe Hoffman.
Hi, James and Claire.
Been a huge fan of the pod from the start.
Oh, we're awesome.
Thanks, mate.
That's so nice.
Thanks.
Thanks, thanks, thanks.
So he's writing from the States and much like the rest of the world,
we're in a bit of a mess right now with the whole, well, everything really.
I couldn't agree more, Joe.
So true.
Seems a little tough.
So true.
Yeah.
So he's recommending an excellent documentary on Netflix about the United States' 13th
amendment to the Constitution that ostensibly ended slavery, but really just offered a loophole.
Did you watch this?
I did.
Yeah, I watched this.
Super depressing.
It is super depressing, but really important, I think.
It's expertly directed by Ava DuVernay.
DuVernay, yeah, she's great.
DuVernay.
Oh, she's so great.
Really good friends with Oprah.
Bonnie loves that.
She's also doing like a new DC movie that I'm really looking forward to.
Oh, she's so fantastic.
She's director of Selma and A Wrinkle in Time.
Yeah, I haven't seen Wrinkle in Time.
I've heard Wrinkle in Time's not great.
Yeah.
But yeah, New Gods I'm really looking forward to.
It's about a whole bunch of characters that I really like.
Anyway, sorry, go on.
Yeah.
Yeah.
He just said, if you pause,ames will mention she's supposed to be
directing the upcoming dc film the new god you think you know me well i guess you do well mate
i guess you do know me correct um it's incredibly engaging doco one which you cannot look away from
and which i think everyone should watch harrowing but essential yep joe you're spot on, mate. I agree. It's great. Also,
I hope the whole family is healthy and safe and May so
too. Tell him that I hope he's healthy and safe when
he comes by to record an episode of your other podcast
that must be about equally successful
at this point. Sure. We can only
dream. Is that the one that also
talks about how they're moving towards house arrests and
ankle bracelets? That's that one, right? Correct.
Yeah, yeah. It's terrifying. It really is.
Yeah, and I just think it's such an interesting compelling documentary.
It's a couple of years old, but I was surprised that it was a couple of years.
It might have been 2016 or 2017.
I was surprised that it was because it feels like it just came out.
Yeah, I know.
I feel like it must be essential viewing.
Definitely.
Thank you, Joe.
What a great recommendation.
What a great recommendation. What a great recommendation.
And that's on Netflix.
It is.
All right.
That's it.
Next week.
Whatever.
Next week-o.
Other things.
Other things.
So long.
So long.
Bye.
Bye.
Oh, yeah.
That's it, isn't it?
Yeah.
Great.
Great.
This podcast is part of the Planet Broadcasting Network.
Visit planetbroadcasting.com for more podcasts from our great mates.
I mean, if you want.
It's up to you.
Hi, I'm Jessie Cruikshank from the number one comedy podcast, Phone a Friend,
which I strongly advise you listen to.
You know what else I suggest you look into?
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