Episodes

Nov. 18, 2020

Big Fish w. Louisa Smith

Tim Burton's Big Fish is about a man who hopes to get a better sense of who is yarn-spinning father is. Are there larger truths in our parents’ self-constructed myths? In their “amusing lies”? Who were our parents before we …

Episode page
Nov. 11, 2020

The Royal Tenenbaums w. Rachel Varona Cote

We usually tease the episode with some pithy switcheroo about how the movie is about one thing, but is it possible that there are some dad issues to unpack? But this is a movie that refers to an entire family …

Episode page
Nov. 4, 2020

Invisibility AND masculinity in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids is about a dad who shrinks his kids, sure, but is it possible there are some issues to unpack in a movie in which dad can't see or hear his children? Sarah and Alex discuss …

Episode page
Oct. 28, 2020

Robot Daddies and Terminator 2 [with Michael Hobbes!]

Terminator 2 is about a boy, his mom, and a killer robot, sure, but is it possible that a movie about a surrogate cyborg father has some daddy issues to unpack? Join Sarah, Alex and Michael Hobbes as we discuss …

Episode page
Oct. 21, 2020

Plague, abandonment and Roy Cohn in Angels in America

Angels in America is about plague in the Reagan 80s but could it be possible that there are some daddy issues to dissect in a work about a people abandoned by God? Join Sarah, Alex and Emma as they talk …

Episode page
Oct. 14, 2020

Absentee dads, legacy, Frankenstein and Young Frankenstein

Frankenstein [1931] and Young Frankenstein are about mad scientists who have to come to terms with their creations, sure, but is it possible that movies about men who create monsters have daddy issues to dissect? Frankenstein...

Episode page
Oct. 7, 2020

Self-Absorption, Dad and The Squid and the Whale

It’s a cult classic about 1980s Brooklyn intellectuals falling apart at the seams, sure, but Sarah and Alex sort through The Squid and the Whale’s many dad themes and issues. What happens when mom and dad decide to go their …

Episode page
Sept. 30, 2020

Manhood and Friday

It's a classic 90s stoner comedy, sure, but Sarah and Alex sort through Friday' s many dad themes and issues. What happens when, confronted with bullies and vengeful drug dealers, you feel compelled to stand your ground? Frid...

Episode page
Sept. 23, 2020

Top Gun w. Clementine Ford

It's about a handful of guys competing against each other at a top tier Navy flight school, sure, but Sarah, Alex and special guest Clementine Ford unpack Top Gun's dad themes and there is plenty to sort through.

Episode page
Sept. 16, 2020

Deescalation with Dad... and Kevin Costner

What if dads taught their kids to deescalate rather than to retaliate? To prioritize love over conflict? What if men learned from their trauma, and shared their lessons with their families? The War is an under-appreciated cla...

Episode page
Sept. 9, 2020

Surviving Dad and A Nightmare on Elm Street

It’s about a lascivious dream demon, sure, but Sarah and Alex unpack Nightmare on Elm Street’s Dad themes and there is plenty to sort through. What happens when you realize that your parents' self-serving attempts at keeping ...

Episode page
Sept. 2, 2020

Disappointing Dad and Dirty Dancing

It’s about dancing, sure, but Sarah and Alex unpack Dirty Dancing’s dad themes and there is plenty to sort through. What happens when you disappoint your father by putting his own ethical code into action? A young woman gets ...

Episode page
Aug. 26, 2020

Emotional Intimacy and Jaws

It is about a shark, sure, but Sarah and Alex unpack Jaws' Big Dad Energy by looking at its larger themes in the context of their own experiences with fathers and dads. Jaws, of course, is Steven Spielberg’s wildly popular …

Episode page
Aug. 17, 2020

Hey! This is the trailer.

Sarah Marshall [You're Wrong About] and Alex Steed [Nashville Demystified] attempt to understand what the hell it means to be the grown children of dads and other dad-like figures. And, as they do with all difficult subject matter,

Episode page