The Bechdel Cast - Ghost with Nicole Byer
Episode Date: July 20, 2017On this episode, Caitlin and Jamie have passed away, but they're sticking around because they have some unfinished business to tend to, mainly talking about the movie Ghost with their wonderful guest ...Nicole Byer!(This episode contains spoilers)Follow @nicolebyer on Twitter! While you're there, you should also follow @BechdelCast, @caitlindurante and @hamburgerphone  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Hi, welcome to the Bechdel cast. My name's Jamie.
My name's Caitlin.
Welcome to a very spooky episode of the Bechdel cast.
I wanted the confidence to open with a spooky noise, but I did not.
Welcome to the Bechdelcast.
This is our podcast where we talk about the role of women in movies.
Hey, why is it called the Bechdelcast?
Because it's inspired by the Bechdel test.
By Mr. Jerry Bechdel.
Jerry Tyrone Bechdel.
My man.
Just kidding.
Alison Bechdel developed a test whereby two women in a movie have to talk to each other they have to have names first of all they have to talk to each other their conversation
has to be about something other than a man is this too much to ask of any movie usually
yes you wouldn't think so but you think it would just be really easy to write two women into your
story and have them talk about a fucking sandwich or something yeah hey nice sandwich thank you
my name's carrie my name's carrie done two women named carrie talking about a sandwich
that passes one of them one of them spells it c-a-r-y the other one spells it c-a-R-Y. The other one spells it C-A-R-R-I-E.
Yeah.
But still, this never happened.
I don't know why I'm so angry so far, but I have a Mike's Hard Lemonade this episode.
You never have a Mike's Hard Lemonade.
I know.
We both have one.
For the record, I love when people who listen to the podcast tweet pictures of them drinking Mike's Hard Lemonade to us just to check in and be like, hey, we're supporting the brand that you've never received
any financial support from. You just happen
to be a fan of their product.
And to you guys, I say, hey, thank you.
Keep enjoying the Mike's brand. I know I will.
Keep tweeting at us with your photos. We love it.
Hey, Mike's Hard Lemonade, answer our
tweets. Please. Send us a case.
Enable us.
Anyways, we got a nice, cold Mike's Hard Lemonade
in hand. strawberry lemonade baby
aristotle was giving us a hard time about it because he was like isn't that the bad flavor
and it's like well isn't every flavor the bad flavor of mike's heart lemonade so true
tastes like my problematic past speaking of problem. Hey, let's introduce our guest.
Hey, I'm excited to talk about today's movie, and it'll explain the spooky, the failed spooky motif.
We did a great job.
But hey, before we talk about that, let's introduce our guest.
We've got a terrific comedian, very funny lady.
You know her from Girl Code on MTV.
And she's got cute dogs.
Cute dogs.
Nicole Byer.
It's me.
It's you.
I love how the original segue was,
speaking of problematic,
we have a guest here.
I know, it didn't make any sense.
I was like, this is a dumb transition.
No, I liked it.
And I wish you had an abandonment.
I wish you had doubled down and like, this woman's a real. No, I liked it. And I wish you had an abandonment. I wish you had doubled down.
I'm like, this woman is a real problem.
She got here five minutes late.
She's bad.
She's not drinking a Mike's Hard lemonade.
She is a bad potato.
Only because we didn't offer you one.
We're the bad one.
No, it's okay.
I'm going to go to the gym after this.
Oh, you're a better woman than we are.
We're literally going to get another mic.
That's the plan.
So we're talking about the movie Ghost.
When did you first see the movie?
I don't remember how old I was, but I assume maybe like eight, maybe seven, maybe six.
I was very young.
A lot of the things went over my head,
but I just loved Whoopi Goldberg.
I thought she was so funny in it.
And then I loved Patrick Swayze.
I was like, oh man, he makes my downstairs quiver.
And then I just watched that movie so many times.
Would you say, is it one of your favorites?
It's my favorite movie. Your favorite movie of all time.
Oh, that's the best.
Hell yeah.
I love it.
I had seen it, I think probably for the first time in college.
Remembered the very famous pottery fuck scene.
Of course.
Didn't remember much else about it.
Many years passed and then I rewatched it again for this episode.
And I was like, oh shit, this is a good movie.
It's a great movie that would never get made today.
Right.
Yeah.
It is so, it's funny.
It's scary.
It's sweet.
I love it.
It holds up.
It does.
I was a little nervous because I watched it with my mom, I think, when I was like a young
teen, maybe 13 or 14.
And I remember loving it and being like maybe i was just a bait but i
was like i was a little bit afraid of it but i was also a little bit turned on by it like it has
everything it has everything you could possibly want but rest assured it like it holds up at a
pretty major i was like so pleasantly surprised at how much fun it was to watch yeah and if you
just analyze it from like storytelling, screenwriting standpoint,
it's really well-crafted.
You mentioned this movie would never be made today,
which, yes, it would not.
But also, a movie just came out
called A Ghost Story,
starring Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck.
Speaking of problematic.
Speaking of problematic.
Jesus Christ.
The logline is,
in this singular exploration of legacy,
love, loss, and the enormity of existence,
a recently deceased white-sheeted ghost
returns to his suburban home
to try to reconnect with his bereft wife.
Define white-sheeted ghost.
Like an old school...
That's the movie poster.
Oh no.
And I bet you it's
not a comedy and it should be.
Like a woman
turns around in her bedroom and she's like, oh
a child ghost trick or
treating in my bedroom?
Yeah, look up the
Is the movie Casey Affleck
covered in a sheet for may what is it because
that's not the worst I've ever heard I mean I'm all for covering Casey Affleck in a sheet
wherever he may be right wait what is it called a ghost story a ghost story
oh man that's bananas hilarious yeah it came out july 7th okay it has 87 on rotten tomatoes oh
i just should we go see it honestly maybe we should go see it but roger ebert gave it four
out of four i don't buy it he's not even alive wait really yeah it was his website probably
i thought siskel was dead.
Are they both dead?
They're both dead now.
Oh, no.
Who's reviewing movies?
No one.
Who's the other guy?
We are.
Who's the guy?
Roper.
Oh.
Roper.
Al?
No.
Al Roker.
Oh, fuck.
I really confused the two people.
Who's Roper?
Roper.
He replaced Siskel when Siskel died.
Oh.
So who replaced Ebert
no one
oh
you can't replace Ebert
I wonder if they're like
arguing in heaven
like
how come I got replaced
and you didn't
I'm irreplaceable
but he sings it like
that song
to the left
to the left
I'm irreplaceable
dude
irreplaceable
every time I hear irreplaceable it reminds me of my freshman in high school history teacher
because that was when that song came out.
She would try to connect with us by asking us to pass all our homework to the left, to the left,
and then would turn the song on while we would pass our homework.
What an awful job.
What a terrible job.
You have to try to, like, she sat at home and was like, how can I get through to, Beyonce!
Beyonce will help me teach the love of science!
Now I just need to develop a lesson plan that involves the left!
Oh, how sad.
Shout out to Miss McCray.
You did your best.
She did her best.
Anyway, Jamie, when did you first see this movie?
I saw it when I was probably around the miss
mccray era my mom sometimes would just choose a summer night to show us one of her weird horny
movies this was one of them that she'd had on cassette and then she's like jamie i think that
because she knew that i had a thing for patrick swayze and she for some reason was like that's
good because you and patrickwayze have the same birthday.
And my mom believes, fun fact about my mom, she thinks everyone who has the same birthday shares a part of each other's soul.
Yes!
So she believed, because Patrick Swayze was alive at the time, she believed that Patrick Swayze and I had an August 18th connection and that I should see the movie.
And I saw it and I loved it.
So me and Michael Jackson have a connection.
We were both born on August 29th.
Yeah.
Both of your birthdays are coming up pretty soon.
Are you a Leo or a Virgo?
I'm a Leo.
Oh, I'm a Virgo.
I've been wronged by Virgos in the past.
Uh-oh.
Well, I'll push you down the stairs.
Don't worry.
Let's keep the trend going.
On my way out, I'm just like your leg will
splinter out of
your body
just like in
The Beguiled
just like
oof god
I haven't seen
The Beguiled
that doesn't pass
the Bechdel test
does it
um
I don't remember
it was such a
terrible movie
that I've blocked
it from memory
it's a wild movie
right
it's like set
during the Civil War
and there's no black people yep the's yep yeah the sofia coppola the sofia coppola in the original
version it's just like way more interesting and better and it's not all white people well it
shouldn't be the silver war era was like in virginia pretty heavily black i mean granted
we were in the background picking up things but like just, just put us in there. Yeah, no, Sofia Coppola's like,
I don't know how, so it's
only gonna be white blondes. Yeah,
Sofia Coppola gave us all the shrug,
and she was like, we don't know. Wait, did she really?
Was she, like, asked about it?
Yeah, I mean, she very intentionally wrote out
the only black character in the original version.
Whoa! Yeah, she's on notice.
She's on notice. Wow! Yep.
So she, like, had a, a like a thought in her brain and
she was like oh i'll just get rid of that problem her i mean her excuse was like well i don't know
how to write a black character it's like well then talk to someone do your job but also dummy
all you have to do if they're not speaking in like the language of the time you just cast a
black person in that part.
Do you know what I'm saying?
If she didn't know how to write slave talk,
and if nobody else is speaking the way they spoke back then,
you just write that character the way you write the white people and then cast a black person.
That's like when people are like, I don't know how to write women.
Just write a man
and then change his name from Jason to Allison
and then you have a woman.
You did it. Congratulations.
Very easy.
Everyone is horny
and tortured regardless.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah,
Sofia Coppola is on notice.
She's on notice.
Oh, boy.
But let's talk about
the movie Ghost instead
because Ghost is a fun movie
that doesn't suck
the way The Beguiled does.
Yeah.
So,
I'll do the recap
of Ghost.
Molly.
Molly Jensen. Molly Jensen.
Molly Jensen.
Is married to Sam Wheat.
They're not married yet.
Oh, sorry.
Oh, yeah.
They never get married.
They never get married.
Spoiler.
Oh, no.
Because he dies first.
Because he ghosts on her.
Yeah, he ghosted her.
The ultimate ghosting.
The ultimate ghosted her.
But then, like, hung around.
Yeah.
He's like every fucking man
of now
right like I don't
want to be together
but I'm gonna stare
at you and I'm gonna
follow your every move
I'm just gonna watch you
I'm gonna gaslight you
and if another man
comes in your house
I'm gonna scare him
away and follow him
home
I'm gonna learn
how to kick a can
I'm a man
I'm mad
I think we pretty
much already
recapped it
love the kick a can
scene
the whole montage where he learns how to be a better ghost I think we pretty much already recapped it. Love the kick a can scene.
The whole montage where he learns how to be a better ghost.
Oh, I love it. Such a great montage.
Honestly, if someone knows how to do this,
please put that whole sequence together with Mulan's Make a Man, that song.
I'll make a man out of you.
I would really love it.
There's also just like, okay, i know that we didn't even get
one sentence into the recap but there's so many fun one scene character actors in this movie
the hospital ghost who presumably hangs out and waits for other ghosts no he's waiting for his
wife to die yeah oh does he is that what he meant by that okay because then he just watches a man die
on the surgery table and it's like yeah that's gonna happen you're just like thank you so much
and then there's the scary subway ghost oh my god that guy is incredible what a face what a face on
that one flew over the cuckoo's nest he's perfect yes he is you I jumped? You don't believe me? They pushed me!
Which I guess...
Oh, the thing where he goes,
I'd do anything for a drag.
Oh, and just one more drag.
Who are you?
Who sent you?
Who sent you?
It's my...
I love it.
And then he commits suicide again!
Jumps right onto that train.
But this time he's dead.
Ugh, I love it.
Oh, he...
Oh, wait, do you want to do the dead. I love it. Oh, wait.
Do you want to do the...
I'm so sorry.
No, I'll do it really fast.
So Molly and Sam are together.
They live in this nice new huge fucking apartment in New York City.
How do they afford it?
Well, he's a rich banker.
Fine.
They're out one night and they get mugged and he gets murdered and they think it's just
like a random killing.
And his spirit stays behind.
He's a ghost now,
but Molly can't see him.
So he goes to a psychic,
Otome Brown,
played by Whoopi Goldberg,
and he starts to figure out
that this murder was actually like an intentional.
But first, Whoopi is a psychic
who's faking it the whole time.
Right.
So then Patrick Swayze, Samhuit, is giving audio commentary like,
give me a break.
And then she's like, who is that?
Huh?
And her sisters are like, what's happening?
And then he's like, say my name, Samhuit.
Say my name, Samhuit.
And then she's like, ah.
And then she runs into a closet.
She goes, Samhuit.
And then she goes, Samhuit.
And then her sisters go some wheat
her sisters they're so funny they're so oh no she's talking to a white man again we gotta call
the doctor it's so funny it's great so he goes to her to try to because it turns out that she can
actually like communicate with the dead the spirits who have walked the earth.
She has a crazy backstory.
The more you learn about Otome, you're just like, this woman has lived a very interesting life.
Yeah.
So he goes to her to be like, can you communicate to Molly for me?
Because I got to warn her that she's in danger because he starts to figure out that he was set up and he was murdered intentionally
because his friend, Carl.
Ooh, Carl was so hot.
Carl?
Oof.
Carl?
I suppose.
He takes his shirt off.
He's shirtless a lot in this movie.
I love Tony Goldwyn.
I had my sexual awakening watching this movie.
But then Otome Brown goes to Molly
after Molly doesn't answer
and then she's talking
to Molly and then Sam's like,
tell her she's in danger. And she's like, I'll tell her in my
own way. She goes, Molly, you
in danger, girl. It's another
favorite line reading of mine.
It's so good.
It took me a while. It took me like till
midway in the movie. I'm like, oh my god, it's Fitz
from Scandal.
And then I got horny.
Wait, he plays the president.
Yes, he's the president
on Scandal. Tony Gowen
knows how to age. Tony Gowen is a
badass, beautiful man.
He knows how to age.
I saw him once in the airport and I almost
died. I don't get starstruck
and I don't think I was. I was just like,
I don't want to open my pussy on your dick. I don't get starstruck. And I don't think I was. I was just like, I don't want to open my pussy on your
dick. I just
love him.
Oh, God. He was great.
You do get to see him shirtless, which
I forgot if you did
in this movie. And I was like, well, thank God.
You do, because he spills the coffee on himself.
Because I think he's trying to seduce
Molly, but I don't understand why
he's trying to seduce Molly. Oh, no't understand why he's trying to seduce Molly.
Oh, no, that is diabolical.
No, it's to get her on his side.
It's villain shit. So if Odomay says anything,
she's already slept with him,
so she feels an allegiance to him.
That's so fucked up.
And I can't believe I've watched that movie a hundred times
and just now understand that.
I feel very dumb.
No, I mean, it's not super explicit
perfect thank you I feel better
he's a manipulative
that's what it is to me
but turns out he is a bad guy
he's trying to
he hired Willie Lopez
to not murder Sam Wheat
just steal his bank book
with like codes in it cause he's
laundering money.
But then Willie Lopez couldn't get it, so Willie Lopez accidentally kills him.
So then they're having a conversation.
He's like, you murdered a man.
He's like, I did you one for free.
Well, because, yeah, and at first I was feeling for Willie Lopez,
but then at the end you find out when you see Willie Lopez go to hell,
all the blood rises from the floor, and it's like, oh, this man has killed.
And that's why he's got that bear claw tattoo.
It's like a teardrop tattoo taken to the next level. Fun fact, Willie Lopez, I cannot remember his actual, his like real life name, but he's
a comic.
He was a stand up comedian.
Rick Gavillas?
Yes.
Whoa.
Yeah, he was a stand up and he was like pretty funny.
I watched a couple of clips.
Hell yeah.
Good for Willie.
Interesting.
His Wikipedia. But he did. Oh yeah, he died a stand-up, and he was pretty funny. I watched a couple clips. Hell yeah. Good for Willie. But he did.
Oh, yeah, he died in 95.
His Wikipedia picture is just a picture of him from Ghost.
Is it?
Yeah, it's literally like Rick Avila's, but also Willie Lopez.
Oh, that looks like the picture from when he's looking in the mirror
when Sam Wheat makes it all foggy and writes boo.
I literally have seen this movie so many times.
That was one of the things that stood out to me.
That scene when like Willie is like basically going through a series of rooms
before he's hit by three cars at once.
But they're like the practical effects in this movie are really good.
They're really great.
Like shit flying off the walls and the boo.
And you're just like, fuck, this is like really,
this is a well done ass movie
it was scary
I remember like
that freaked me out
when I was little
the beginning scares me
when they
cause they're in
the new apartment
they're renovating it
and it's Carl
Molly
and Sam
and they're like
hitting through this thing
and then like
as like light happens
a big noise happens
and I
still I'm like
oh
and it's not the scariest part of the movie.
No, but I get it.
It's like, and it's kind of like foreshadowing too.
Yeah.
So he goes to Otome.
Otome is like your dead boyfriend.
Sam Weed is communicating to you through me and here's everything he's saying.
And at first she doesn't believe Otome.
And then she starts to come around.
She's like, hey, maybe.
But then meanwhile, Carl is manipulating her
into being like, actually, no, you're crazy.
You're not here.
Like, ghosts aren't real.
And then they start to just piece more and more things together.
And she goes to the police.
She goes to the police.
They don't believe her.
They don't believe her.
And that woman said, honey, if ghosts are watching me every day,
I'd never take a shower again.
And then walks away, and I was like, You cunt.
You are so rude.
Which is technically a scene that, by our rules, passes the Bechdel test.
Well, she doesn't have a name.
Yeah, she's just an officer.
You're right.
She's not given a name.
Well, we'll get there later.
One of the coolest things about this movie for me was the fact that, like,
in most movies, it's very hard to identify what everyone's motivation is at every point in the movie.
But for this, like, every main character is super motivated in a way that makes a ton of sense.
Like, down to the fact that Patrick Swayze low-key kind of blackmails Whoopi Goldberg into continuing to work with him.
And she has stuff at stake.
And Demi Moore has stuff at stake and demi more has stuff
at stake because she i mean everyone around her is saying something different and it would be so
easy to just write her character as like this lady's grieving and she thinks ghosts are real
but like she's taking in all the information and doing the best she can she's being gaslighted by
tony freaking goldwyn and like It's just, every character has
a very specific, it's so well done.
Each scene is like a sketch because
each character has a game
and everyone plays
their game and it's like, if this is true
what else is true?
All of Otome Brown's scenes, to me
are sketches. They heighten perfectly
and you blow out the world
and you get out and then like the next scene
heightens what she's doing.
So like when I learned
how to write sketches,
I would watch Ghost a lot
because I was like,
these are perfect.
Like especially when
they're in the bank
and Sam Weed is whispering
to Odomay
and she's like,
why are you whispering?
That is such a funny specific
because like she remembers
she is talking to a ghost
and has to do like X, Y.
It's my favorite movie.
No, you're right, though.
Like if you just isolate every scene, it's just like every scene serves a purpose.
Yeah.
It heightens.
Well, yeah, everything is just a very well crafted story.
I'm kind of upset with myself that I didn't like revisit it sooner and pay more attention to it.
It works on every level.
Mm-hmm.
And the romance is really good and I get it.
And I love that Demi Moore sort of, I mean, for the most part, immediately before he dies, granted, but basically proposes to Patrick Swayze.
And it's like, hey, I don't have any jewelry on me, but I think we should get married. You know, and that's like...
I want to talk about that scene.
Oh, okay, cool.
Yeah, yeah.
I think the recap is done.
He's a ghost.
He's a ghost.
He gets murdered in a billowy burgundy shirt
that he has to wear for the rest of his life.
How many shirts?
Tucked into his pants.
Yeah, what happens to the world if he untucks?
I don't know.
It would explode.
Or maybe he untucks and then it magically goes back in.
That's the way he died.
Like in the Santa Claus where he shaves off his beard and his white beard grows right back.
I love that the schizophrenic subway ghost is like, your shirt's not real.
Your body is not real.
But he references the shirt specifically.
And it's like, thank you.
I've been thinking about this shirt a lot.
I mean, what a great outfit to dye in.
For sure.
Yeah.
He wore it to the play.
They went to go see Macbeth.
Macbeth.
Another great.
Yeah, and he fell asleep and he was snoring.
But anyway, so yeah, he finally convinces Otome to help Molly talk to the thing,
and they figure all the thing out and the mystery the murder gets
solved and then all the bad guys die and then uh finally Sam's spirit can ascend Molly it's amazing
the love inside you get to take it with you and then he goes up to heaven I was weeping
it's really touching it really is and there was and and this was while I was weeping. It's really touching. It really is.
And this was while I was watching the movie, because I love Swayze.
We, after all, share each other's soul in a way, in an August 18th sense.
But I did pause it at one point because every time I watch the scene between Patrick Swayze and Whoopi Goldberg, I'm like, oh, for sure they were real life friends.
Like, you can just.
Yes, that's how she got the job.
Patrick Swayze was like, I won't do this movie unless Whoopi Goldberg does this movie.
Yeah.
Then I read some article that Tina Turner was like one of the original choices.
And then they referenced Tina Turner in the movie.
But I don't know how true that is.
I didn't get that.
I started reading.
I looked up and this is like slightly morbid.
I'm like, I bet Whoopi goldberg had a great
tearful public appearance after patrick swayze's death and i watched what she said several days
after on the view and it was check it out youtube.com youtube.com i've never been to that
website uh it's a new cool thing there's some up-and-comers on it just short clips of your
favorite song history and time.
I better get on it.
It's pretty cool.
It's pretty cool.
Whoopi Goldberg basically credits quite a bit of her success to Patrick Swayze's vouching for her.
Yeah, she won a fucking Oscar for it.
Right, right.
And then became a legitimate movie star.
And I can't think of another bankable black movie star like that.
I mean, she's she's one
of a kind in every but i didn't realize the role swayze had and man and she also said fun fact
that swayze loves to moon his co-stars oh no i missed out oh no she's like whenever she was
saying like she cited a specific scene where it's her and Swayze,
and the shots are back and forth between a tight shot on her and a tight shot on him.
And she's like, whenever it was a shot on just me, Swayze was off on the side,
mooning me, making me laugh.
What a goofball.
What a warrior.
Rest in paradise.
And you're just like, fuck.
They were good friends.
That's all.
I love it.
That makes me so happy.
Me too. Because they have such a great chemistry friends. That's all. I love it. That makes me so happy. Me too.
Because they have such a great chemistry together.
It's so good.
It's so much fun to watch them together.
I don't know.
It makes me feel like a kid to be like, oh, man, I hope they're really friends in real life.
But it made me so happy that they were really friends in real life.
But, okay, I wanted to talk about that scene where she effectively proposes to him.
It's right before he gets murdered, which is just more great writing.
Tight storytelling.
I never get a chance to get married.
But she's like, I want to marry you.
I've been thinking about it a lot, and I think we should just do it.
And he's like, well, you never wanted to talk about it.
So the implication is that maybe he proposed or maybe he was just like hey are we gonna get
married like what's going on and she's like well no like which i like because so often in movies
and just society in general this idea is put forth that if you're in a hetero relationship
women are just like i can't wait to get married i want to get married so much and i can't wait
till it happens i just want to i have to sit around and wait till he asks me and i can't wait to get married i want to get married so much and i can't wait till it happens i just want to uh i have to sit around and wait till he asks me and i can't wait for
that day because it's gonna be the best day of my life and just so i like that she was the one who
was like actually i don't want to talk about it it's not important to me right now and then finally
it was on her terms where she's like okay she's like i thought about it and i'm ready yeah yeah
i think molly is you can like write her off as like just like this whiny,
sad widowed woman,
but like she's pretty complex.
She's got short hair,
which is like-
The baldest woman is in charge.
The loftiest rule.
And then she has her own business.
She's like a pretty successful sculptor.
She wears masculine clothing.
She wears like overalls and stuff,
but then she has like a soft feminine side
and then she proposes to her boyfriend yeah like i i like her character i like that she and
then like the fact that she did go to the police to talk about a ghost takes a lot of balls to be
like well i mean i don't know this shit seems true let me fucking figure this out and she was like
totally aware of how crazy she sounded she's like like, I know this sounds so stupid, but like, you've got to hear me out.
And it was also the way that the scenes between her and Otome and we'll get to also Patrick Spacey play out was also believable in that she does not respond to Otome the first time because that was probably scary and confusing. But then eventually, I mean,
that seemed like a realistic betrayal of grief of like,
okay, there's been enough specifics
and like, what do I have to lose
by just listening to this person a little bit?
And that sort of is like,
and even down to like the shirtless Tony Goldwyn,
the deceiver, that's a very common,
and that was something that,
and not to get personal,
but like that was something that and not to get personal but like that was something
that resonated with me specifically of like the deceased man's best friend trying to look out for
not quite the widow but basically the widow of his best friend i feel like that's sort of a
normalized thing of like well if his friend can't take care of her then you know he'll take care of
her and i think that that's a creepy thing.
And the reason that my Uncle Butch is in my life,
and I hate Uncle Butch.
But he's the Tony Goldwyn,
except a liar and not hot.
Oh, no.
But anyways,
but it was even realistic
how those scenes played out
between the two of them of like,
you know that Demi Moore's character
has really isolated herself from people.
And Tony Goldwyn's one of the only people she really trusts
and has a connection with because she knew.
And so even the fact that they might have hooked up
if Patrick Swayze hadn't deployed his ghost powers.
Knocked over a picture of himself.
Right.
Remember me!
Oh, and then also, Carl is pushing molly so hard to like get over it i feel like
that happens a lot when a loved one passes away the people around you are like you have to move
on it's like well and i like that she like slapped him at one point and she was like no carl and it
was like yeah carl let her fucking grieve even though though I know that you murdered her boyfriend. But if you hadn't, let her grieve.
You'd still be wrong, even if you were a murderer.
Yeah.
Oh, I'd like to propose a new movie rule that I noticed in this movie.
The man in the loosest khakis is up to something.
Because Patrick Swayze, who in their right mind would put a pair of loose khakis on Patrick Swayze?
He's got the butt.
The best butt.
The butt of the century.
So he's in tight pants the whole time.
Oh.
But Tony Goldwyn, they like to put him in looser khakis.
Oh, did they?
Yeah.
I guess I got to go back and pay attention to that.
You know what scene I really love?
The elevator scene in the beginning.
It's like towards the beginning.
They're like in the elevator.
They talk about how Carl needs to pay off his Mustang.
They get in the elevator and then he starts coughing and he's like,
the doctor says it's contagious.
And I do that often.
Really?
In elevators?
I won't do sickness,
but when I'm in an elevator with my roommate,
I'll look at him and I'll go,
why won't you just have a baby with me? And he goes, now is not the time. And I'm in an elevator with my roommate, I'll look at him and I'll go, why won't you just have a baby with me?
And he goes, now is not the time.
And I'm like, please, when is the time to talk?
John, I love you.
And then he always feeds into exactly what I want,
even though he doesn't mean to.
He'll be like, I'm never taking an elevator with you again.
And I'm like, why are we fighting?
And he's like stop it and then
people are always like oh no oh my god that's very funny that's a great scene because it's basically
it's like it uses a diversion so that we won't suspect yes carl is this evil malicious they're
showing how close they are the movie is really well written and very well executed.
Yeah.
It's a great movie.
I was blown at how many different points I'm like, wow, I forgot that part happened.
And that's so smart.
Right.
Because every scene has a purpose.
That never happens.
Right.
Never.
Well, it's so famous for the pottery fuck scene, which actually makes me furious.
But it's so horny.
It's so horny.
She's sculpting a vase,
if you will,
out of clay,
and he puts his hand into it
and fucks it up,
and she's just like,
ha ha ha, it's okay.
He does say,
I hope that wasn't a masterpiece.
But I feel like she did a good job
of being like,
huh, well, it's not now.
Yeah.
Because she does get a little terse with him, and I was like, oh, well it's not now. Because she does get a little
terse with him and I was like, oh, I like that.
That's like a real relationship.
I would have like elbowed him in the face and been
like, fuck you, you ruined
But then you wouldn't get to fuck.
When I was little, I was like, why aren't their
hands dirty? How did they, did they
clean? Did they wash off? Well, that's what makes me furious.
So they get all, they get all, I know.
I know, but I just,
well, no one wants to see a tense scene of Patrick
Swayze and Jimmy Moore washing their hands.
And they're like, we're gonna fuck soon!
Alright. Even before that, when they're
like getting their hands all dirty, I just, and it's supposed
to be very hot because they're running their hands
on each other and getting each other more
clayed up. To me, that's
so gross. I think sex should be
in a sterile environment, in a white room. Oh, Kaylee. To me, that's so gross. I think sex should be in a sterile environment
in a white room.
Oh.
Kaylee, we're not all
going to fucking pods.
Come on.
Unchained melody
playing while their
little fingies are touching.
Their little fingies.
In fact, I think
no part of two people's bodies
should touch during sex
except for their genitals.
I think people should just be
far apart.
Just arms out and just thrusting and receiving.
Yes, that is how I think sex should be.
So this scene depicts really gross sex.
I asked my old roommate Evan to take my virginity,
and he said, okay, and he's gay.
And I was like, okay, but I don't want you to touch me
because that might change our relationship.
So I was like, I will wear a crotchless leotard or like a snap crotch leotard.
And you can enter me that way.
But do not touch my titties and do not touch my face and don't kiss me.
We didn't end up having sex because I had too many rules.
He was like, I can't just like do my thing.
And I was like, no absolutely not you were for the
best there yes yes it was definitely for the best it would have been fun for either one of us you'd
been like I wish you were a man I'd be like I wish you were a straight man who loved me
well uh anyway everyone has their rules
that that uh the the part where The part where he says,
I hope that wasn't a masterpiece,
did make me laugh,
because I was trying to, in my head,
I'm like, what if she was an oil painter,
and he just was like,
I hope it wasn't a masterpiece.
Would you like to fuck me?
I mean, that's with any creative job.
Imagine she was doing a stand-up show,
and he walked on stage and was like,
I hope you weren't
trying to have a good set.
Yeah.
Or if she was a surgeon.
He just came in and just stuck his hand
in a body.
Hope this wasn't a casualty.
He heckled her pottery.
But, okay, here's a plot hole
that does bother me.
He passes away.
It seems like he's pretty well off.
He's doing well in his profession.
There's a promotion on the table, etc.
They just move into this really nice apartment.
Are we to expect Anna Potter's salary?
She can afford this apartment by herself.
Life insurance.
And then they do packages when people die.
They give you a bunch of money to loved ones when you have a good job.
And then if they had like sold any assets,
so like if they each owned a home and sold it or whatever,
she would get the money from his house.
So it could work.
Yes, absolutely.
Okay, cool.
Yeah, dead people with good jobs usually take care of you.
Okay, because I was like, I didn't want her to move,
but I was just like, how valuable is this pottery?
That's a great apartment.
They live in New York and she has a studio.
Also, remember, it's the 80s.
Or the early 90s.
Early 90s, I think.
92?
90.
And he works in finance in some way,
so we're to believe he has money.
He has money.
Okay, that brings up a point I wanted to talk about.
He never offers to nor pays Whoopi Goldberg's character for all of her services.
No.
He should be like, can you...
But aren't they on a mutual kind...
I mean, no, a ghost can't pay you.
But he could have been like, hey, Molly, throw her a bone.
But I think she's going to be fine because she can hear ghosts and she can charge more.
I suppose.
Because remember when he goes back and she was like, I got ghosts from New Jersey coming in.
Yeah.
And then that woman was just like, where's the money?
And then that man jumps in her body.
What did you do to your hair?
Do you like it?
It's autumn sunrise.
That was so good.
I wrote that one down. It's very funny. That was so good. I wrote that one down.
It's very funny.
But I think she, because he did help her.
He showed her that she can speak to dead people.
So then she will always be busy.
And she can charge so much money.
Sure.
I think that he should have offered to pay.
Especially because he kind of teases her with like, you're going to get $4 million.
He doesn't tease her.
He didn't know how much money he was murdered for.
He just knew it was money.
So then when, that's why when the guy goes,
oh, you're taking out four million dollars,
and she goes, four million dollars?
Say yes, say yes.
How would you like that?
Tears in 20s.
Excuse me?
A cashier's check. I think a Cassius check is best.
I love it. Also her outfit that whole scene
is like ah. It's perfect.
She's like you don't like my outfit. He's like no I love it.
It's great. Don't change. Nicole I want to see your one woman show
where you just reenact the entire movie of Ghost.
I mean, if they ever do a remake and I am not cast in it,
I will literally end my life.
I love it so much.
I just got overwhelmed.
Well, I mean, and also we haven't talked about
Odomi's first outfit with the fun when her sister opens,
oh, no one's in the door.
And then they open,
and Whoopi is in a metallic robe.
An orange metallic thingy.
Or no, is it bronze?
Or is it like...
Or maybe the closet is orange.
Maybe.
But she's in a metallic,
like golden, orangish robe.
And then does this amazing...
Oh, God.
And then Patrick Swayze, as most scenes in the movie, lurking.
Patrick Swayze really mastered a resting expression in this movie.
Resting lurk face.
Yeah, but in a way that was very, you're like, you know, he really is listening.
He really is listening in that beautiful burgundy shirt.
Billowing. Very bill shirt. Billowing.
Very billowing.
Billowing.
So we talked a lot about Molly being a pretty complex character.
She's a little boring, especially when you compare her to Oda Mae.
She is to everybody else in the movie.
She's working with a lot.
Growing up, I'd be like, ugh, Molly.
But then as I got older, i was like oh no she was literally dealing with the love of her life dying and trying to figure out this woman who says she can hear him and then a best friend who's like
it's okay come on touch my body and you know it's a lot and she's got a new house it's a lot she's
dealing with so much true And she continues working.
Also, they renovated it.
It was just like an empty space.
So I'm sure they got it very cheaply.
Great time to die, Swayze.
Renovating is stressful.
Yeah, I was not particularly impressed by her.
Because everything she does in the context of
what happens in the story makes sense and her reactions pretty much universally make sense to
me but things are usually happening to her versus her doing things like she goes to the police but
that doesn't really yield anything it's mostly we i feel like most scenes we see with her she's
receiving information right so it's like how you
know which makes sense because she's not really sam wheat's the protagonist of this story
it makes sense that he's the one driving the story so the fact that she does pretty much
anything that influences anything is sure good because often women in a story are just there as a set piece, really.
Just, oh, I look hot and I'm here to look at.
And that's all I have to contribute to this story.
The women in this movie are treated well, I think.
I think so, too.
I think they're well-written and they serve a purpose.
Like, even that cop being so nasty sets the tone
of how Oda Mae is going to be treated in that scene.
Because then the other cop is like, we have her file.
And it's like, oh, oh no.
And then it makes the audience even start to...
Well, not even doubt because we know what's happening.
But then you're like, oh shit, this may not work out because Odomay has a record and Willie Lopez is clean.
We understand why Molly then might start
to question her own reality
of what's happening. So it's like
fuck. So it's like really
a great victory when she starts to believe
Odomay again.
Because we see she used to fake ID
she's a con artist. Everything makes sense.
We're so horny for this movie.
It's such a good movie
I can't remember
who I just watched it with
but they were like
yup holds up
yeah
it does
I have some
some fun
behind the scenes
facts about ghosts
ooh tell me
I wonder if I know them
so
in terms of
possible casting
Demi Moore's character
could have been
Julia Roberts
no
right
which would have made sense
for the time
but thank God.
Harrison Ford was the original pick.
No.
But then, and this really brings the view in
and brings Whoopi back, you know,
but I guess the director, or the writer,
I forget exactly which,
saw an interview with Patrick Swayze
where he openly cried about the death of his father
and they were like, wow, what a hot man being sad in public.
We've got to have him as Sam Wheat.
And so that's how Patrick Swayze got the part.
And then Patrick Swayze, I guess Oprah was the original pick for Odomay.
And they really wanted her.
But Patrick Swayze was like, you've got to cast Whoopi.
And then Whoopi had this amazing career.
Oprah would have been just so different.
I don't know if that role would have been funny.
Right.
I don't think so.
And that's the thing is,
I did not realize,
because I just didn't have like,
I didn't recognize the name,
but the,
I feel like the reason that Whoopi works so well in this movie
and is like directed so well,
and that this movie has so many funny moments,
is because it's the same director as Airplane and the gun oh so i didn't know there's like just like a
bunch of famous older comedy movies yeah um what a versatile director that guy who directed it uh
jerry oh jerry zucker jerry zucker yes yeah and then robert zemeckis i think was a producer on it
he was involved and he did a back to Future, which is another favorite movie of mine.
Mine too.
It's a wild movie.
It's my all-time favorite movie.
I just watched it last night.
Really?
I watched that.
There's like five movies that I will watch forever.
I can do what you're able to do with Ghost,
basically reciting the entire script all the dialogue i
can do that with back to the future such a great movie another very well-crafted story
is it it's a wild story well the first one like there's so much plant and payoff in that story
and just like every little detail gets paid off later on like Like it's so. I like the third one better than the second one.
Honestly,
the second one kind of sucks.
I like the second half of the second.
The second half of the second one is good because when he goes back to 1950 and
then the wild,
wild last,
that's fun.
I like it.
That was,
that was a fun little romp.
Yeah,
I go,
it goes one,
three,
two for me.
Fair.
I've got another fact about Ghost.
Please, please tell us.
This is fun and sort of speaks to what we were talking about earlier of just write a female character.
Originally, Odomay was written as a white male psychic character.
Yuck!
The first draft of this movie.
Why?
Right, right.
Ew!
I don't think I've ever met oh no that's a lie well no
he read my tarot cards but like he was really i don't i've never had a straight guy read my cards
weird yeah in new orleans it was very strange that is yeah how did he fall into that it was
very bad i handed him all the tarot cards upside down somehow because he was like hand them to me
any way you want so i twisted a bunch of them around and he went huh i don't know what that means and i was like you're bad at this you're
very bad at your job they're straight men should not be allowed to read cards no first of all they
just shouldn't honestly you shouldn't be allowed to do anything in society they're on notice let's
ban them from goodbye apparently otome was written as a white male character,
and then the writers of Stand By Me,
for some reason, there was some sort of conversation.
You mean that movie was almost exclusively straight white men?
You know, suggestions come from strange places sometimes.
But they suggested, hey, that's an interesting character.
What if it was a woman?
And then the writer wrote Otomeome and the world was better off.
So it's really not that difficult.
And in fact, usually your output will benefit from another good female character.
Do you think Molly and Otome Brown retain a friendship and go, remember that ghost?
Okay.
Do you remember when your fiancé haunted us?
The Molly Odomay scene that we as an audience don't get to see.
Oh, man.
Where is that?
I would love to watch that.
You mean the one where Odomay lets Sam use her body and then they like dance and I think kiss, right?
No.
Almost. I mean, right? No. Almost.
But they're, I mean, it's intimate.
It's very intimate.
It's very intimate.
But you get the beginning with Oda Mei's red fingernails as they like intertwine.
So you know that this is the deal.
Like it's not just like they're closing their eyes.
Like they're making physical contact and then cut to,
and the scene that I like very clearly remembered was
like you know like swayze into me reuniting and it's beautiful and you're crying but you just
gotta know that's really whoopi goldberg that whoopi is the one and then you see at the end
of that scene there's a very quick shot of them you know because then tony goldwyn's like hey i'm
about to die and and then you see them, like, physically separate.
So you're like, oh, that all happened.
Yeah.
Why not just intercut some of it for us?
Right.
And I was like, oh, yeah, Whoopi and Demi are the same height.
How did it work?
How did she nestle her sweet little head?
You got to just suspend that disbelief.
Oh, I want to see it.
I did want to see that, though.
Well, that brings up another point where
men are always trying
to control women's bodies.
They're always trying
to enter you.
And the scene,
she gives him consent.
She gives him consent.
She does, but earlier
she did not give consent.
Orlando did not get consent.
That, no.
Orlando!
Do you like my hair?
Oh, God, I forgot
his name was Orlando. Orlando, you can't hair oh god I forgot his name was Orlando
Orlando
you can't be jumping
into bodies
you know that
wipes you out
I love that's a rule
that this movie
establishes
yeah when they follow it
and it pays off
later on
cause then Sam's like
I'm too tired
to go and fight
and then those girls
get in trouble
but then
you hear
and he like pushes Carl up.
And then all the ghosts.
I liked in that big scene where,
where suddenly Odomay is an actual psychic.
And now she's,
there's like a million people in her room.
All the ghosts are friends.
And they all know each other.
But then there's weird,
like,
it's just like the regular world where there's like
the scary schizophrenic guy
who hangs out at the tracks.
But there's also
a community
that you can hang out in.
Like, there's all sorts
of people.
Here's a question,
and I don't know
the answer.
It's not a trick.
Are there any female ghosts
in the movie?
Oh.
I mean, we see a lot
of dead husbands.
Dead husbands, yeah.
Yeah, I, yes.
It's kind of hard to tell in that scene which ones.
Yes, because at Sam Wheat's funeral,
he sees a ghost who walks through the grave.
Right, right, right.
And then when she tells all the ghosts to get out,
I believe I saw someone in a skirt walk through the wall.
That's, yes.
But there are no real female ghosts
who have a effect on the movie. they don't have lines they don't get
they don't get orlando moments i mean i'm glad orlando because that was like one of my that
made me laugh really hard when well i was annoyed that he like without whoopi's permission enters
her body which is like can we call it rape maybe but not ghost but ghost roles are confusing which i always wanted
are confusing the i loved that i love the first time that patrick swayze someone like walks through
him with his with their guts and you're like no patrick swayze can see poorly rendered 1990s
body animation what a curse i forgot that happened and I love that he was so scared
to go through
he'd be like
oh no
oh no
and then he leaps
through the door
and he's like
and he like
looks back at the door
and he's like
yeah dude
you're a fucking ghost
what don't you get
and then
when he goes
to the turnstile
for the first time
and he like
stops and like
looks back
and he's like
you're a ghost
keep going
he's new
he doesn't know
the rules
it's so funny
he lives with wonder every single time or yeah whenever he sticks his head through something he's new he doesn't know the rules so funny every single time or yeah whenever
he sticks his head through something he's like is it safe yeah and he's like you're a goddamn ghost
you are fine you're fine there's a lot of great swayze reaction shots in this there when he finds
oh when he finds out carl is betraying him the first time. I thought you were my friend. Right. But first that long shot of just Swayze's eyes watering.
But I thought friendship was forever.
It was so beautiful.
Oh, this movie is so fun.
I love Willie Lopez.
Some woman knows where you live.
A lot of women know where I live.
Can we talk about the climactic sequence at the end whenever carl's like banging on the door
he breaks in sam is all weak because he's just been inside of otome and then molly and otome
are kind of like left to fend for themselves for a few minutes and they go up to the roof
and there's a moment where Molly tackles Carl when
yeah like Carl's
kind of attacking
Otome
Molly attacks him
kind of
Otome gets away
but then he holds
a gun to Molly's head
then Sam
needs to save her
it always bugs me
when a man
needs to save a woman
because it's a trope
that happens again
and again
yes
but I do think
those women were smart enough
that they could have saved themselves,
if given enough time.
Yeah, I think so.
I think so, too.
I think they could have figured something out
because I do think they were strong women.
But yes, then Sam comes and he flicks the gun away
and then he pushes Carl.
And then, I mean, Carl kind of kills himself.
He does because he flings that thing. He fl flings that hook, and it hits the window,
and then the glass falls down and impales him.
And then his little fingy wipes down the window,
and he's like, ugh.
His death is, like, hilariously gruesome.
It's very gruesome.
That was what most scared me the first time I saw it.
Like, Carl's, I remember having dreams about it,
because it was so, it's, I remember having dreams about it, because it was so...
It's weird with this movie,
because they do, like, get a shit and a fuck in there
every once in a while that they don't need to,
and they don't need to impale him like that,
but I'm so glad that they do.
No, but I'm glad they did.
Yeah.
And then when he, like, comes up from his dead body,
and he's like, hey, Sam.
And it's like, what?
You can't...
No, you know what just happened right
we're not cool no you guys can't be friends now you're both dead and he's like oh carl and then
the little demon the little dementors yeah those things scared me when i was little i was like i
hope they don't get me in my bed yeah Yeah, yeah. They're just little dementors.
Yeah.
Then they make that noise.
Yeah.
And my favorite part
is when
Willie Lopez
gets hit by three cars
and then
they like show him dead
and then you hear
in the background,
that dude is dead.
And it's obviously an extra who is just like, someone needs to say it.
I'm going to say it.
I'll say it.
And he probably said it every take.
And someone probably was like, hey, man, don't say that again.
But then they saw the dailies and were like, oh, no, that's great.
We have to keep it in.
You know what?
This guy's getting his SAG card today.
I was just going to say, you probably got your SAG card from that.
That dude is dead.
He went from being a featured extra to a fucking speaking role.
Yeah.
It's good for him.
Perfect.
Can we talk about how...
Okay, so it's implied in the movie that cats can see or sense ghosts.
Because Sam Wheat figures it out, and then he uses it to his advantage to scare off
Willie Lopez.
So I would just like to
for the record just remind everyone that
cats do have eight nipples
and they can see ghosts.
This has been cat facts
with Caitlin. Eight nipples
see ghosts.
Wait.
You didn't realize how many nipples you've grazed
in terms of it was a boy cat do boy cats have that was your question all was that my question
yeah you're like stand by it all mammal male female gender non-binary animals and people
all mammals have nipples because all embryos start out as female and grow little nipples.
And then a certain hormone is introduced in the womb to determine whether or not it ends
up being biologically male or female.
It's probably like a litter of kittens thing.
Like cats tend to have so many babies at once that they need more nipples.
Right. There's a direct correlation to like how many offspring a mammal has at a time to how many nipples they have.
So we're only twins.
Two little nippies?
Yeah.
You should be double fisting.
Honestly, humans should only have one boob.
Imagine.
Because we only have usually one baby at a time.
Interesting.
I'm going to campaign for a one boob
movement. A one boob movement.
Well, then I should have no titties. I don't want
babies. Me either. They really upset me.
I want to pull my boobs and have one good
one. One great
tit. I want to have one D cup.
Instead of two little midgets.
Listen, it's fine.
It's manageable in the heat. I accept it.
I mean, yeah, big old titties in the heat, that
can't be fun. Right. I want
big old titties in the winter,
but this time of year,
I'm grateful. This time of year,
I count my blessings.
Yeah. Well, this has been a very enlightening discussion about abuse.
Nip talk.
Nip talk.
Nip talk.
Nip talk.
Nip slash talk.
Well, that's the new name of this podcast.
There we go.
Hey, let's talk about whether or not ghost passes the Bechdel test.
See, I've been holding this back, but I think it does.
I think it technically does.
Okay.
Argue your point, please.
Well, I wrote down a few different places.
You're right.
I didn't think that the police scene doesn't pass
because the officer doesn't have a name.
Do we ever find out Otome's sister's names?
Because there's an exchange they have.
Oh, yes.
I do not think that we...
They do have names.
They do have names?
Yes.
By the time it occurred to me that I should have known their names, it was too late.
You are right, because they have a conversation about Arsenio Hall.
Oh, wait, that's a man.
By our rules, there has to be two lines of dialogue where they talk about something other than a man.
Yeah, and they talk about Otome, and they talk about, like, I don't have the quote in front of me,
but they're like, oh, you know know she finally got the power or whatever and
then there's a response that also has to do with otome and uh i wish i had written down the exact
exchange oh i think i have because i detailed all of these they technically don't have names
they don't they are credited on imdb as otome's sister and Otome's sister. So those scenes where there are women interacting, it starts off with Otome and Mrs. Santiago, who does have a name, but they talk only about Mrs. Santiago's dead husband.
So that does not pass.
Then we've got Otome and her sisters during the scene where Sam is all like, I'm a ghost and you can hear me.
And now you have the gift that you didn't think you had.
Her sisters are like, oh, she's talking crazy.
She hit her head harder than we thought.
The other one's like, she was talking to nobody before she even hit her head.
So that would pass the test if we knew their names, but we don't.
Right.
Then we've got Otome calling Molly on the phone to be like, I'm a spiritual reader and I have a message from your friend Sam.
Doesn't pass.
Talking about Sam.
Then the scene where Otome goes to Molly's apartment,
same thing, doesn't pass because they only talk about Sam
and all the things, like, because she's trying to convince her,
I've got your dead boyfriend here.
Yeah.
Then we've got the cop who is the woman who is all like,
I'm never going to take my clothes off again if there's
ghosts everywhere no name we don't know her name does not pass and then we've got otome in the
psychic shop talking to another lady who's trying to communicate with her dead husband
they either only talk about a man either way that woman is not named i have i have like a sneaking
feeling that there is and i wasn't doing the close enough
notes that that i should have been doing but i do think that there is an exchange in this movie
somewhere that likely technically passes but i don't think that that you mean between like
otome and molly yes probably but i think it happens they always talk about sam but if i mean but
even if there's like an exchange of lines between them of like do you believe yes or no like that is
a the type of exchange that would pass right it would be but it would be so fleeting right right
it's like yeah it's one of those if it it's barely. Right. I think this does pretty right by its female characters.
I think they're both well-developed,
and because, like, Otome is just such a dynamic character.
She's so fun and fun to watch,
and Molly's also, again, she's dealing with a lot of shit,
but she's serving the story.
So I think the movie treats its female characters well,
but I don't think it passes the Bechdel test
because every conversation where women are talking,
they're either not named or they're talking about Sam.
So that is my stance.
But as we've...
If only Swayze weren't such a lurker.
Right.
Or if we just got maybe like a scene of aftermath after sam goes to heaven and then otome is like
well it was nice meeting you do you want to get some ice cream you owe me money i did a lot of
work for sam and please give me a hundred dollars that could pass the test and also she would get
the money i feel she's entitled to and i don't think that demi would be
stingy about it no she'd be like she'd be like and also here's a weird piece of pottery i made
i mean she helped save her life demi was gonna get murdered by willie lopez otherwise so or carl
or car yeah one or the other but as we've mentioned, the Bechdel test isn't necessarily,
it's not the end-all, be-all.
If this movie does pass the test,
it's great to women,
and if it doesn't, it's bad.
There's a lot of shitty movies
that pass the Bechdel test.
True.
Like what?
The Beguiled!
But aren't they,
oh, I guess they're not constantly
talking about Colin Farrell.
There's like three scenes
where they're like,
let's talk about our French lessons.
I'm going to.
Here's a fun one that passes sister act.
Yes.
And I love that.
That it's a,
there's a real Whoopi Goldberg career foreshadowing ghost where they're like,
give the money to the nuns.
And she's like,
no,
none suck.
Or some variation on that.
Nicole probably knows the exact line.
Give money to a bunch of nuns.
They can't even,
I don't remember.
They can't even buy panties
or bras.
I'm telling you that, yeah.
No, that was a great
like ending line to a scene.
Always end on a button.
I'm trying to think
of my other favorite movies
and if they pass,
chances are,
probably not.
To Wong Fu passes.
Thanks for everything.
Julie Newmar.
Whoa.
See My Cousin Vinny does not pass.
I wouldn't think so.
I haven't seen it in a long time.
I think Marissa Tomei is the only female character who speaks.
I don't think there's another woman for her.
I've not seen it, but that sounds about right.
Eddie passes.
Another Whoopi Goldberg movie, Eddie.
That passes. Because she has a friend, and they talk about basketball. it but that sounds about right eddie passes another whoopee goldberg movie eddie that passes
because she has a friend and they talk about basketball a nice white lady i like how this
movie i mean there's not a whole lot of like tackling race in this movie but there's a few
different lines where uh otome will be like you're a white guy aren't you like and then and then she
sees a picture of sam and she's like oh you're cute cute for a white guy but white yeah and then oh yeah the line where she's basically
like uh wait i wrote down when whoopi gilbert is like you know are you are you white and then she
says like literally like a white guy why me it's like well i't, it doesn't truly tackle race, but it does tackle that.
Like she lives in a bad area and a murderer lives in her neighborhood.
And this white guy is very concerned about his white fiance who lives in a good area.
So I think, I don't, it doesn't tackle race at all, but like I, it does tackle like, she's
like, oh shit shit like there's bad
shit happening in my neighborhood and i'm helping out this white man like you're dead
i think let's rate the movie we rate each movie on our nipple scale okay nipple scale of one to eight
we should adjust it for cats for any movie with a cat in it, we should. No, but we do on a scale of one to five nipples.
No animals have only five nipples,
unless maybe they started out with six or eight
and some of them were surgically removed.
And then someone sliced them off.
Ooh, boy, I would hate having my nipples removed.
I give it five little nippies.
It's literally my favorite movie in the whole wide world.
Well, we rate it on its portrayal of female characters.
Yeah, I stand by it.
Five little nippies.
I think the women are great in the movie.
I'm going to give it four.
It gets some marks off.
I don't like that the women have to be saved by Sam at the end.
That's a trope that's always going to bug me.
It's still sam driving
the story it is he's the protagonist so that makes sense but i feel like maybe i don't know molly
could maybe have a little more to do or because she is kind of passive there's also a scene where
willie lopez is like watching her undress which i guess like sure that's to communicate to the
audience she's in danger this is scary but then otome tells her yeah he watched you undress which i guess like sure that's to communicate to the audience she's in danger
this is scary but then otome tells her yeah he watched you undress and whatever
but that scene like didn't really need to happen like we don't why do we have to see like a
voyeuristic naked lady scene she's not she she's i also think it paints how gross Willie is. Yeah. And then he gets scratched by a cat, which does have eight nipples.
So everything's fine.
So in a way, it's an eight out of eight.
But yeah, I think that Molly and especially Otome are just really interesting,
multi-dimensional characters that are enjoyable to watch and there wasn't any moment
where i was just like i don't like this there are opportunities where it could pass the bechdel test
right but they're the whole thing is about a man their relationship otome and molly's relationship
is completely contextualized by this man so if if they talked about other stuff, would it make sense for the movie?
Maybe not.
But I don't know.
Just throw a line in there.
Oh, did you watch Oprah yesterday?
Yeah, I loved it.
How about you?
Too bad she didn't get this part.
That's going to happen.
Yeah, I'll give it a four to based on, I mean, the two main female characters are both, and I wouldn't have said this for Molly the last time I saw it, but after seeing her this time through are both really well developed and have very clear, strong motivations.
And their storylines, although they are propelled forward by men, they seem like two independent women with heads on
their shoulders and and deal with problems in a way that makes sense yeah yeah i mean basically
just uh the one nip off based on missed opportunities and less so having to do with
otome and molly because i feel like it would be disingenuous to the story if they like
ended up being best friends like that That would not happen in real life.
But missed opportunities more in terms of it would have been very easy to give Odomay's sisters names.
It would have been very easy to not have almost all male ghosts.
It would have been very easy to flip one of Odomay's clients
into a man trying to talk to his wife.
They're just little stuff like that.
Four nipples, I'm going to give two to both
of Otome's unnamed sisters.
I do like that
of the women with speaking roles
in this movie, they
are almost all women of color.
Because it's
Otome, her sisters, Mrs.
Santiago, Molly's
kind of the only white woman in the movie. Yeah, and you don't see very much of her sisters, Mrs. Santiago, Molly's kind of the only white woman.
Yeah, and you don't see very much of her world,
which is interesting.
You get that Sam's a Wall Street broker or whatever,
but then they spent a lot of time in Brooklyn,
in Prospect Park, I think is where it would be,
which was not gentrified.
So everybody on the street is a person of color.
On the subway, too? of color on the subway too
I think they did a great job of
depicting New York in 1990
cause so many movies
will be in New York and they'll be like in
Brooklyn and it's like filled with white people
I'm like I don't know where you are
but now I do now it's any part of Brooklyn
very gentrified
Sophia Coppola take some fucking notes
yeah
how dare you have a Civil War movie Brooklyn. Very gentrifying. Sophia Coppola, take some fucking notes. Yeah.
Oh, Sophia.
How dare you have a Civil War movie
without somebody being like,
here's your tea.
Like, come on now.
Crazy.
Nicole,
thank you so much
for being here.
Hey, thanks for having me.
It's been a blast.
Where can people
find you online?
Listen,
on Twitter
and Instagram
at Nicole Byer
for both
I have a Facebook page
because
I had a show
on MTV
called Lucy Exactly Nicole
that got cancelled
but is being resurrected
by Facebook
so you can look
for that soon
and you can look
at my fan page
and I'll
I guess update it
great
there's only two pictures up
I don't know how to do it
but yeah
cool that's where you can find me oh and I perform all over LA I usually tweet about it Great. There's only two pictures up. I don't know how to do it. But yeah.
Cool.
That's where you can find me.
Wonderful.
And I perform all over LA.
I usually tweet about it.
And I tour.
So look for them tweets.
Look for those tweets.
Hey, speaking of tweets, you can follow us on Twitter at Bechdelcast.
You can email us at thebechdelcast at gmail.com.
Anytime you're drinking a Mike's Heart, let us know.
Let us know.
Also, you can donate money to us.
We have some production costs.
Oh.
And we gotta,
we gotta survive.
We gotta keep going. We got PayPal.
Hit us up on PayPal.
Donate a dollar,
two dollars,
three dollars,
three thousand dollars.
Thanks to your generosity,
I was able to
pay my student loans
this month.
Really?
To be clear,
they did not pay
my student loans, but because we didn't need to absorb the cost of the podcast this month, I could pay my student loans this month. Really? To be clear, they did not pay my student loans,
but because we didn't need to absorb the cost of the podcast this month,
I could pay my student loans.
Oh, yeah, keep giving them money.
So go to paypal.me backslash Bechtelcast,
and you can throw us a few dollars.
That would be great.
We'd so appreciate it.
Again, Nicole, thanks for being here.
It's been a blast.
Thanks for having me.
Have a great time.
And men, don't ghost on women.
No, don't.
Call us back.
Call us back.
Please.
But also feel free to die.
Yeah, just die as long as you're going to leave us some money.
All right, bye.
Bye.
Daphne Caruana Galizia was a Maltese investigative journalist
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Crooks Everywhere unearthed the plot to murder a one-woman WikiLeaks.
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