From Naughty to Nice: Themes of Redemption in 'Fred Claus'
Join our community on X!
A place for fans of the podcast Fellowship Of The Reel to come together and talk about the show and all things cinema.
Fellowship Of The Reel Community
Got thoughts? Leave us a voicemail on our SpeakPipe.
Send a voice message to fellowshipofthereel
On Facebook? So are we.
This podcast episode meticulously delves into the cinematic exploration of familial relationships and personal growth as depicted in the film "Fred Claus." The central theme revolves around the transformative journey of Fred Claus, portrayed by Vince Vaughn, who grapples with his shortcomings and the shadow cast by his saintly brother, Santa Claus. Throughout our discussion, we analyze the various narrative elements that contribute to Fred's character development, including the contrasting dynamics within his family and the societal expectations placed upon him. We further scrutinize the film's comedic aspects, juxtaposed with poignant moments that evoke deeper emotional responses, ultimately culminating in Fred's realization that true fulfillment arises from giving rather than receiving. As we traverse through the movie's structure, we reflect on its reception and the implications of its mixed reviews, providing a comprehensive critique that underscores the film's merits and shortcomings.
The podcast episode presents an insightful exploration of the film 'Fred Claus', highlighting its thematic depth and character development. The conversation delves into the contrasting relationship between Fred Claus, portrayed by Vince Vaughn, and his brother Nicholas, played by Paul Giamatti. The dialogue reveals the complexities of familial bonds, particularly focusing on themes of resentment, acceptance, and the quest for personal redemption. The hosts dissect the narrative structure and character arcs, emphasizing the transformative journey of Fred as he navigates his feelings of inadequacy and strives to find his place within the Claus family legacy. As the episode unfolds, listeners are encouraged to reflect on the broader implications of the film's message about the importance of understanding and supporting each other during the holiday season, regardless of past grievances.
Takeaways:
- The podcast emphasizes the importance of studying a film at a mechanical level to gain deeper insights into its narrative and thematic structure.
- Listeners are reminded that every child deserves a present, a statement that serves as a central theme throughout the film discussed.
- Vince Vaughn's character experiences significant personal growth, ultimately realizing that change must come from within rather than expecting changes in others.
- The film critiques the commercialization of Christmas while highlighting the value of family and connection amidst materialism.
- The discussion reflects on how the audience's perception of a film can be influenced by emotional engagement and personal experiences.
- The episode concludes with a consensus on the film's ability to evoke nostalgia and familial warmth, despite its mixed critical reception.
Mentioned in this episode:
Community On X
The Fellowship Of The Reel is on X! https://x.com/i/communities/1868133033414734163
Transcript
Are you recording this?
Speaker B:Studying a movie in the mechanical level I think can really bring some revelation.
Speaker C:I believe that no one says that to make a bad movie, with the exception of.
Speaker D:On paper, this should work.
Speaker D:I just don't like it.
Speaker A:That's your own fault if you haven't seen it.
Speaker B:Way over budget.
Speaker B:Start cutting scenes.
Speaker B:Even the actors don't know what that movie is about.
Speaker B:Shit, I wish I wrote that.
Speaker C:Which I love the title, but that movie's trash.
Speaker B:Well, it's oatmeal, man.
Speaker B:It's good for you.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:Fellowship of the Real Four Friends of the Movie.
Speaker B:This is another holiday pick.
Speaker B:Christmas movie for Christmas.
Speaker B:We did Halloween.
Speaker B:We got one for Thanksgiving.
Speaker B:This is Christmas.
Speaker B:And this will.
Speaker B:Sherry reminded me this will close out what we're calling the first season.
Speaker B:So we're going to take a break.
Speaker B:So if you're listening to these in order or if you see that there's a big gap, it's because nobody wants to do this during the holidays.
Speaker B:So starting the new year will pick up.
Speaker B:And we're actually recording the first show or the first movie of the new season, so to speak, today.
Speaker B:But it, like I said, it won't drop till after the new year.
Speaker B:So this is our Christmas and we'll mark the end of this first season, which.
Speaker B:What is about 16 movies, I think that's right.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:16.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So it should have come out.
Speaker B:We got four each.
Speaker B:I'll check.
Speaker B:I'm pretty sure that's right.
Speaker C:Yeah, I think that's.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:What we just wondered why we decided to stop on this one was because it was time wise for the year.
Speaker C:But also it worked out nice where it was even right now.
Speaker B:This is your pick, Chris, right?
Speaker C:It is.
Speaker C:It's not James's pick.
Speaker B:So apparently.
Speaker B:And it's.
Speaker D:I've never seen it.
Speaker B:It's not a lot of people's picks, apparently, which surprised me.
Speaker B:We'll get into a second.
Speaker C:Yeah, I.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Get into it.
Speaker C:But I was.
Speaker C:I went back and forth on picking this one or not.
Speaker D:I.
Speaker D:I literally said to my girlfriend at dinner last night before this recording, I was like, I think Chris picked this to fuck with us.
Speaker D:And then Philip said he liked it.
Speaker D:And I was like, maybe I'm the odd man out here.
Speaker D:Maybe everybody else likes it.
Speaker D:But I thought you did.
Speaker D:Like you did with the mist of.
Speaker D:Here's something a little more controversial, maybe.
Speaker C:Fills in on the.
Speaker C:The with you.
Speaker B:Sherry and I both liked it because I was watching it last because I fell asleep during the.
Speaker B:During the first time.
Speaker B:But that's not because of the movie.
Speaker B:Because I was just.
Speaker B:See what.
Speaker B:We watched it late, but she liked it.
Speaker B:And then like, okay.
Speaker B:And so I was in there watching it, making my notes, and I'm like, all right.
Speaker B:Because I like Vince Vaughn.
Speaker B:I like his fast talk.
Speaker B:I like his.
Speaker A:That's the thing I don't like.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:I was worried about Shrek.
Speaker C:I remember you said that.
Speaker A:You didn't swan, but I loved this movie.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Are you a Vince Vaughn fan, James?
Speaker D:In doses in the right and small doses.
Speaker D:Like, what was it?
Speaker D:Wedding Crashers.
Speaker D:Great.
Speaker D:The other one with Will Ferrell.
Speaker D:Old school.
Speaker D:No, he wasn't in old school.
Speaker C:He wasn't old school.
Speaker C:Yep.
Speaker D:Yeah, he was.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:So, like, stuff like that.
Speaker D:You.
Speaker B:Yeah, the.
Speaker C:The rings with the cigarette hanging up.
Speaker B:I just.
Speaker B:I like his.
Speaker B:His snark in his, you know, in your face and his fast.
Speaker C:His quick wit just.
Speaker A:He talks fast.
Speaker B:That's what I'm saying.
Speaker D:Th.
Speaker D:This movie being a family movie.
Speaker D:I know that.
Speaker D:I read in some of the comments that fans of Vince Vaughn were like, yes, finally, a family movie.
Speaker D:We can take our family to and see Vince Von.
Speaker D:My favorite guy.
Speaker D:I think this is like the Sam Jackson not being able to cuss in another movie.
Speaker D:It's like Vince Vaughn needs to be able to just rattle it off, cuss, be nasty, be dirty.
Speaker D:And he couldn't do it in this movie because it's a family movie.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker B:Well, it was almost borderline Bad center or Bad Grandpa, though, because it.
Speaker B:It was family.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Because it's Christmas.
Speaker B:But it was.
Speaker B:It treaded the line in a couple places, I thought.
Speaker D:Yeah, I think that was what it was meant to be because it came out after Edgy, came out after Elf, came out after Bad Santa.
Speaker D:Like, it.
Speaker D:It felt like a amalgamation of all these other Christmas movies that had come out and previously, like Jingle all the Way with the.
Speaker D:The Santa stuff.
Speaker C:Do you really.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:Well, see, when you.
Speaker B:When you said Fred, it's equally ridiculous.
Speaker C:Is this one.
Speaker D:Totally.
Speaker D:It's.
Speaker D:And I will get into that why?
Speaker D:With my notes.
Speaker D:All right.
Speaker D:I think I know why.
Speaker A:Who's in that one?
Speaker D:Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Speaker B:You said Fred Claus.
Speaker B:And I was immediately thinking, what?
Speaker C:That's the Turbo Mando.
Speaker C:Sorry.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:I was thinking that's the Tim Allen movie.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And then when I pulled it up, I said, wait a minute.
Speaker B:That.
Speaker B:What is.
Speaker B:That's the Santa Claus.
Speaker C:Santa Claus.
Speaker D:Good Santa Claus.
Speaker D:Elf.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:It's like this movie is just all of them put into one.
Speaker C:I don't like Santa Claus 2 and 3.
Speaker C:Very much.
Speaker C:2's okay.
Speaker D:3 was really bad with Martin Short.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:And he's like Jack Frost or whatever.
Speaker C:But the first one's good.
Speaker C:Second one, and then apparently Disney plus is, like, not rebooting it because it's Tim Allen, but, like, it's going to be like a show now, but he's coming back to play Santa Claus, so I think that's kind of cool.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:If they do it right.
Speaker B:Oh, and speaking of that, you know, Buzz Lightyear without Tim Allen.
Speaker B:Disney.
Speaker C:So weird.
Speaker C:Dude, have you.
Speaker C:Did you watch it?
Speaker B:No, I won't watch it.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Bonehead move, Disney.
Speaker B:You screwed the pooch.
Speaker A:Yeah, but it's supposed to be like, Tim Allen is.
Speaker A:Is the character, but this is the actor portraying.
Speaker B:Okay, but if you bought a toy of, say, Schwarzenegger, guess what voice that toy is going to have.
Speaker B:Schwarzenegger's voice.
Speaker C:Well, it's going to have a guy that sounds like trying to do Schwarzenegger.
Speaker D:Unless they paid him.
Speaker B:Okay, but.
Speaker C:Yeah, unless they paid him.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:No, I mean, because I was with you.
Speaker B:Nobody wants to see Buzz Lightyear without Tim Allen.
Speaker C:And I think there's an argument for that because the movie bombed.
Speaker C:But I knew that same way you did.
Speaker C:But then someone who was explaining it like Sherry did like, that Buzz Lightyear.
Speaker C:Tim Allen is the toy based off this.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And Disney said, we don't want to confuse the audience.
Speaker B:Okay, well, you didn't confuse them.
Speaker B:You just.
Speaker C:No, you confused him because the movie didn't do well.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:You saved him nine bucks.
Speaker C:Don't think it was the.
Speaker C:The.
Speaker C:The lesbian kiss or whatever supposedly in it.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Or the woke.
Speaker B:I don't think.
Speaker C:No, no.
Speaker C:I don't think any of that mattered.
Speaker B:I'm going to see Buzz Lightyear.
Speaker B:I'm seeing Tim Allen.
Speaker B:You don't have Tim Allen.
Speaker B:You don't have my money.
Speaker C:I thought that was a miss as well.
Speaker C:Like, I like Chris Evans, but.
Speaker B:Yeah, my God.
Speaker B:And if I'm Chris Evans, I'm like, you got the wrong guy.
Speaker B:What do you.
Speaker B:I wouldn't even have a little integrity.
Speaker B:Dude, this is not your character.
Speaker B:Nobody wants to hear your voice coming out of that guy.
Speaker C:I don't know what his reasons were, but, like, let's say if they keep adding zeros, you're gonna say no.
Speaker C:I don't know.
Speaker C:They have enough.
Speaker C:I'll do my best to my own impression.
Speaker C:Here we go.
Speaker D:Chris Evans doing a lot for his reputation after Captain America, he's trying to do more things.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:Knives out was amazing.
Speaker D:You know, it was amazing in that.
Speaker C:Yeah, I liked him.
Speaker B:That coming out with a new one.
Speaker B:There's at least two more out there.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:So.
Speaker D:But Chris Evans, you know, taking a swing to be Buzz Lightyear was a miss, but I don't, I feel like.
Speaker C:It'S more Disney than Evans.
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:They should have kept Tim Allen.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:So that Knives out or whatever it's on, it's.
Speaker C:Netflix picked it up, so it's gonna be on Netflix.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker C:I think it's coming out in the theater for like, I don't know, like a day or a week or something.
Speaker C:That's 100% to me, that's to make.
Speaker B:Scorsese and Spielberg happy.
Speaker C:You know, I think it's for an Oscar, like, because any movie that's nominated has to be in theatrical run.
Speaker C:And I've forgotten that the first Knives out was nominated for a couple of things.
Speaker C:I think it was initially just supposed to be.
Speaker C:Netflix paid like a shit ton of money for it and yeah, they got two more coming.
Speaker B:I'm looking forward to that.
Speaker B:But that's, that's, that's.
Speaker B:Well, that's politics.
Speaker B:Entering it because an Oscar winning performance is, is good on a small screen or a big screen.
Speaker B:I don't, I don't understand.
Speaker B:I don't know, Phil.
Speaker C:No, just playing.
Speaker C:Yeah, agreed.
Speaker C:No, that's the old school rules.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:Maybe they'll change the rules.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:It's people protecting their money, which I, you know, I understand about the theaters and all that, but anyway.
Speaker B:All right, so as we're getting into this movie, I was rants, I was perplexed about the genre of this movie and I settled on one that you probably like, you probably have it picked.
Speaker B:And I, I'm like, I think it may be this.
Speaker B:All right, so, yeah, I, I kind of feel like that Fred Claus is a rite of passage.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:So you had, I guess you text that earlier, but that wasn't my gut instinct at all.
Speaker C:And like when you said.
Speaker C:I was like, really?
Speaker C:So I looked at it and, and I looked at.
Speaker C:I was thinking more of dude with a problem.
Speaker B:Yes, that's what I thought.
Speaker C:But it, I agree with you.
Speaker C:It fits rite of passage better than doing a problem.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker C:We should talk about the differences and that way why we feel the, you know.
Speaker B:Yeah, I'm gonna get to that.
Speaker B:But that's bad news.
Speaker B:There's nothing good on that page anyway, so.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker C:Of referring to James's notes, by the way.
Speaker B:No, I'm referring to.
Speaker C:No, I know.
Speaker C:What you're referring.
Speaker B:Anyway, so rite of passage involves a.
Speaker C:Life problem which is in this case, Santa Claus's brother.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:He hates his brother.
Speaker C:No.
Speaker B:And, and, and frankly, his parents seem to love.
Speaker C:Favor the brother.
Speaker B:Favor the brother, which has created some problems.
Speaker C:Brother's a saint.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:I mean, how.
Speaker C:How do you deal with that?
Speaker C:But anyhow.
Speaker B:Well, yeah.
Speaker B:Anyway.
Speaker B:And then there's a wrong way to attack the problem, but obviously he has become completely dysfunctional.
Speaker B:And that is.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Running away from the problem.
Speaker B:Turning into absolute hater of Christmas.
Speaker B:And then a solution that involves acceptance of a hard truth.
Speaker B:The hero has been fighting.
Speaker B:Obviously that happens.
Speaker B:And the knowledge that it's the hero that must change, not the world around him.
Speaker B:And, and Vince Vaughn, Fred says you were given some bad advice.
Speaker B:The world, you know, I can't remember the quote.
Speaker B:The world is what it is, but you look out for yourself.
Speaker B:That's the advice.
Speaker C:You can't count on anybody.
Speaker C:Look out for yourself.
Speaker B:That's the original.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And then he says.
Speaker C:Which I think is the theme too, but sure.
Speaker B:He says, disregard that because you can make the world what you want by making yourself what you want to be or whatever.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:So it's.
Speaker B:He.
Speaker B:At the end of the movie, Vince Vaughn acknowledges, Fred acknowledges that you have to change, not the world.
Speaker B:And that's, that's the realization that a rite of passage character has to come to.
Speaker C:You want to go, you want to talk about.
Speaker C:Dude, do with the problem real quick because.
Speaker C:Yeah, I agree with you.
Speaker C:I think it's right.
Speaker C:Of passage.
Speaker B:But yeah, so that, that, that, that kind of surprised me.
Speaker D:What's another rite of passage type movie?
Speaker B:Let's see.
Speaker C:There's something in there.
Speaker C:Kramer versus Kramer.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Never saw that one.
Speaker B:It might actually be in the table of contents.
Speaker B:Let's see again, we can delete page.
Speaker B:Turns out Rite of Passage.
Speaker B:A lot of these are older movies.
Speaker B:10 with Dudley Moore.
Speaker B:I remember when that came out.
Speaker C:That was ordinary people was one.
Speaker B:Ordinary people.
Speaker B:Kramer versus Kramer.
Speaker B:28 days.
Speaker B:A zombie movie, right?
Speaker C:Yeah, 28 days, 20 days.
Speaker D:Sandra Bullock.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:That's where she's.
Speaker C:Oh, rehab.
Speaker B:Got 28 days.
Speaker B:28 days.
Speaker C:28 days later.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker B:Wasn't there a sequel?
Speaker D:28 days later, 28 weeks later, they're working on a series.
Speaker D:28 years, 28 months later, I think is the next.
Speaker B:And then Napoleon Dynamite, which I guess I can see.
Speaker C:I don't know.
Speaker B:I'd have to look at that.
Speaker D:Napoleon Dynamite's a rite of passage movie.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:He breaks it down and saves Anyway, but because it's life problem and then a wrong way of dealing with it and then accepting it.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:So, I mean, and that is kind of a broad thing.
Speaker C:Right?
Speaker C:You could, you could put a lot of movies in that.
Speaker C:But a lot of times it's like, you know, it's life.
Speaker C:Wrong.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:So it's midlife crisis or it's a divorce or it's a death and, or, you know, that kind of thing.
Speaker D:Okay.
Speaker B:The dude with the problem is an innocent hero.
Speaker B:No, our guy is not an innocent hero.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:I mean, of course.
Speaker C:No, I was thinking more.
Speaker C:Yes, he is just playing.
Speaker C:I was thinking it like at the beginning when he's.
Speaker C:Then when.
Speaker B:The prologue.
Speaker C:Yes, the prologue.
Speaker C:When, when Santa is born or whatever.
Speaker C:When Nick is born.
Speaker C:Like Fred's just minding his own business and here comes this and he promises.
Speaker B:To be the best brothers.
Speaker B:I mean, right, I, I will talk about that because that to me is not the opening image anyway.
Speaker B:It doesn't matter.
Speaker C:Agree.
Speaker C:That's not the opening image.
Speaker C:So again, I think that's where that speaks to it not being a deal with the problem.
Speaker B:A sudden event thrust our innocent into the world of hurt that comes without warning.
Speaker B:Maybe, but the life or death battle is at stake and the continued existence of the individual family, group or society which.
Speaker C:The stakes were high, but it was not life or death.
Speaker B:I mean, it is the continued existence of say, North Pole Enterprises or whatever you want to call it.
Speaker B:But I, I just.
Speaker D:Yeah, we'll get into that.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:There were, there was.
Speaker B:Anyway.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So I, I, because of that sting.
Speaker C:A bit, we're going to start operating at the South Pole.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:Now, I guess I don't care what people think about this Kevin Spacey.
Speaker B:He was found not guilty of whatever.
Speaker B:And I, you know, did something happen?
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker C:I missed that.
Speaker C:So he was.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Thrown out.
Speaker A:It was not.
Speaker A:Well, it's not responsible.
Speaker A:What is.
Speaker B:Whatever.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:Not not guilty, but it's, it was.
Speaker B:A civil trial or something.
Speaker B:So anyway, not responsible or whatever.
Speaker D:It was cleared up.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So hold on.
Speaker C:I was glad we're talking about him being accused of.
Speaker B:He said he, he made advances on this, this young actor guy back in the day, and I found it speculative to begin with, especially because for their while there was every third actor and it does happen.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:But regardless of that, legally he is not responsible and so liable.
Speaker B:Not liable.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:So, yeah, hopefully.
Speaker B:Because I've always loved Kevin Spacey and I want to continue to love Kevin Spacey and I Realized how much I missed him in this movie.
Speaker A:I do too.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So I'm hoping that.
Speaker B:That it is true that he didn't do any of that and that he can get back in the saddle because he is real contributor to some really good material anyway, so.
Speaker B:Yeah, I think.
Speaker B:I think it's a rite of passage problem.
Speaker B:A wrong way and a solution that involves it.
Speaker C:My gut thinking about it was.
Speaker C:Was the other one do with the problem.
Speaker C:But yeah, if it's rite of passage.
Speaker D:Much more so this would be our first rite of passage.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Correct that through me too.
Speaker B:We've done like, I counted them six of our 16 movies so far.
Speaker B:It was like six or 15 have been monster in the house.
Speaker B:Like six movies.
Speaker C:Well, but that's four of them.
Speaker C:Had to be.
Speaker C:Yeah, four of them.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:So scary movie.
Speaker C:So.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:But yeah, I like that we should keep.
Speaker C:I hadn't even thought over that.
Speaker C:We should 100% stay.
Speaker C:Like, keep a running tally well and then look at it for next year and see, you know, what, you know, how it plays out.
Speaker B:What I do.
Speaker D:Golden Fleece or Interesting to see if.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:One make sure we do them all like you're saying.
Speaker C:But I guess I'm curious to see, like if we like one genre more than another, you know.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Well, this would be a good place.
Speaker B:Like if we were being sponsored, this would be an excellent place to plug Captivate FM for your podcast needs, because that's what I use.
Speaker B:But in Captivate you can make what they call collections.
Speaker B:So you can actually take episodes and take the RSS feed and add it to a list.
Speaker C:And then it generates genre.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And it generates a webpage.
Speaker B:So you can actually click on that link and it will only bring up.
Speaker B:And that's why I do it.
Speaker B:So like, James, if you wanted to have your girlfriend listen to only your picks, you could click your link, which is in the Show Notes.
Speaker B:It's in the Show Notes, click your link and it'll bring up all of your choices.
Speaker D:All three.
Speaker D:Four of my choices.
Speaker B:All four.
Speaker B:Well, yes, but in 35 years there'll be a thousand of your.
Speaker C:Can you also do that with like passes and recommends and stuff?
Speaker B:I could.
Speaker C:I have not set up that way.
Speaker B:But we all I do is create a list called pass and then add the ones that we passed on.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:You could generate.
Speaker C:Really in tune with, you know, with, you know, one of us for some reason.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:Like, then they could, you know, look at all or passes as well.
Speaker C:I don't want to watch that.
Speaker B:Three or four of those guys are assholes.
Speaker B:But that's Sherry, boy.
Speaker B:She knows what's going on.
Speaker C:Exactly what I'm saying.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So I broke.
Speaker B:I've gotten really crazy about this.
Speaker B:I've got like, Like, I don't know, 60 lists.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:So every.
Speaker B:So this will go under.
Speaker B:What year was this?
Speaker B: This is, what,: Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B: ready, I create a list called: Speaker B:And so at some point.
Speaker B:So every, Every year that a movie comes out, I've made a list for that year and added that movie to it.
Speaker D:Nice.
Speaker B:Cool.
Speaker B:So I have like 50 lists.
Speaker C:Yeah, because you got like, Vince, fun movies.
Speaker C:You got genre.
Speaker C:Yeah, nice.
Speaker B:You know.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Kevin Costner will have a list.
Speaker B:The writer will have a list.
Speaker B:So like I said, I usually go writer, director, the top two or three major actors the year, the guy who picked it, whatever else comes to mind.
Speaker B:But there's like 50 lists, and each one of those will have a link.
Speaker B:No, we're not going to publish all 50 of those links.
Speaker B:But, but say, say it's Vince Vaughn's birthday and we have six movies by Vince Vaughn.
Speaker B:We could, we could say on the podcast, hey, we've, you know, celebrate Vince Vaughn's birthday.
Speaker D:Click this link.
Speaker B:Click this link.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:Yeah, that kind of thing.
Speaker D:Put it on Facebook, put it on Twitter.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So the only ones I've included are our lists, but we could do anything.
Speaker C:Anyway, so the bad news on the page.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:Money, critics.
Speaker B:Money, critics, fans.
Speaker B:Yeah, I was like, we all these random.
Speaker B:Forgot what we were doing.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So rite of passage, first one.
Speaker B:I think it fits.
Speaker B:So that'll go on a new list anyway.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Money, critics, fans.
Speaker B:I am a sucker for the feels, as Chris said.
Speaker B:So there's the saying that your movie can suck for the first hour and a half, but if the last 20 minutes are good, you've got them.
Speaker B:And I think, well, I enjoyed the whole movie.
Speaker B:I liked Vince Vaughn, but James and a lot of other people did not.
Speaker B:And I was kind of surprised at how low these scores were.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So this came out.
Speaker D:I wasn't surprised at all.
Speaker B:No, I understand that.
Speaker B:21% of the critics gave this three stars and 40.
Speaker B:Only 45% of the fans.
Speaker B:So over half the fans and essentially 3/4 of the critics hated this movie.
Speaker B:You know, I, I, that surprised me.
Speaker D:And that, that's why when you said you liked it so much, I had to make my notes because I had to pinpoint why I didn't like it.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker D:And I think I've narrowed it down.
Speaker D:Why.
Speaker D:But we'll get into that as we break down the story and.
Speaker D:Yeah, I think.
Speaker D:I think I figured it out.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker D:I don't like it specifically now, this.
Speaker B:Movie cost $100 million.
Speaker B:That's surprising.
Speaker C:Yeah, that's high.
Speaker C:But.
Speaker C:And like.
Speaker C:And I was thinking that too, like.
Speaker C:Like, I was like, man, that's really high for what was in the movie.
Speaker C:Also, I guess I think the.
Speaker C:Be willing to bet it's who was in the movie.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:Oh, you got.
Speaker B:Oh, my gosh.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:The Amani.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Vince Vaughn.
Speaker C:And then Kathy Bates.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker C:And then Rachel Wise.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:That is your style.
Speaker C:Because she'd already done Mummy at this point, so she could, you know.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:And yes.
Speaker C:Like, all these had.
Speaker C:Had already done.
Speaker C:All these actors had done, like, it's like this is her first movie.
Speaker C:They'd already done stuff so they could demand a higher paycheck.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:I think that's probably where the money went.
Speaker B:$100 million, and it fell shy of making that back.
Speaker B:So 72 million domestic, 25 million international, for a total worldwide of 97,838.
Speaker B:$349.
Speaker B:So they lost 3 million on this now.
Speaker B:So people hated it.
Speaker B:And it didn't make any money.
Speaker C:They got my money.
Speaker C:I'm almost positive, I think that, like.
Speaker B:Yeah, they got $3 more last night or the night before.
Speaker B:So you will say something.
Speaker A:Well, before you start talking about the movie, I think we should just discuss.
Speaker A:What is that called?
Speaker B:It's called the Internet.
Speaker C:That's a phone cherry.
Speaker B:What is?
Speaker A:Not even the synopsis.
Speaker B:Oh, the synopsis.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Because I had never seen the movie.
Speaker A:I had no clue what it was about.
Speaker B:I thought it was completely like when he.
Speaker B:When Chris said Fred Claus, I'm like, oh, yeah, Tim Allen movie.
Speaker B:And it's not.
Speaker B:When I pulled this up, I'm like, what is it?
Speaker C:Despite the 100 million budget, there's no Tim Allen in this movie.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker C:Or Chris Evans, for that matter.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So I completely thought it was a different movie.
Speaker B:I don't even know if I ever even heard of this.
Speaker A:I had not.
Speaker B:Well, I don't know how this fell off my radar.
Speaker A:If, like I said, if I saw previews to it when I saw Vince Vaughn, I probably just tuned it out.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:I think I remember seeing ads for it and stuff.
Speaker D:I was like, Santa Claus, brother, Vince Vaughn.
Speaker B:Well, I think the concept is.
Speaker B:Is interesting.
Speaker B:I mean.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker A:Anyway, do you want me to read it or.
Speaker B:Yeah, if you got it, I Do.
Speaker C:Not have it, even though it's my pick.
Speaker C:So please.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Well, it says of the two Claus brothers, Fred, who is played by Vince Vaughn, is the troublemaker and polar opposite of his saintly sibling Nicholas, played by Paul Giamani.
Speaker A:When Fred's criminal ways finally land him in big trouble, Nicholas bails him out and brings him to the North Pole to work off the debt by making toys.
Speaker A:The headaches mount for St.
Speaker A:Nick, who not only must deal with his troublemaking brother, but.
Speaker A:But also an officious and an efficiency expert who has come to evaluate Santa's operation.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:And I thought.
Speaker B:We'll just say it right now.
Speaker B:I thought that was the weakest part of this movie because who in the hell is the board?
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:And who is this efficiency expert working for that they have authority over Santa.
Speaker D:And the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy to one tooth of kids.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:We're dumping the Easter Bunny.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:Just doesn't.
Speaker B:Rabbits, eggs, one tooth policy for the.
Speaker D:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:You lose a tooth and then move on with your life.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:I don't know.
Speaker C:Yeah, you're right.
Speaker C:They never explained that.
Speaker B:And in movies, sometimes they'll be like, okay, this is why, let's move on.
Speaker B:And I'm fine with that generally.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:But you don't really.
Speaker C:We even got that.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker D:It.
Speaker D:It took me, like, at the beginning, the prologue, with the.
Speaker D:The birth of the brother and all that stuff.
Speaker D:And then it said, once you become a saint, you and your family are now immortal.
Speaker B:That was a shoe in.
Speaker D:It was.
Speaker D:It was ridiculous.
Speaker D:But like you were saying, I'm in.
Speaker D:You told me what it is.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker D:I'm here for it.
Speaker D:Okay.
Speaker B:Once you establish the rule.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:That's the rule.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Then we're off.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:They needed to do that, obviously, to get Vince Vaughn and Santa alive at the modern time, you know.
Speaker C:Sure.
Speaker D:But with the efficiency expert of.
Speaker D:You could have told me, you know, it's.
Speaker D:The Board of Holidays have been like.
Speaker D:Okay, like, like.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker D:The board of people that oversee the holidays.
Speaker D:Sure.
Speaker D:That's who's in charge.
Speaker D:But they never even say that.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:It was just.
Speaker B:Just accept the fact that there's an efficiency expert who's going to review Santa.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:But it.
Speaker B:That.
Speaker B:That's the one thing that was like.
Speaker B:That's weird.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:Anyway.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So anything else on preliminaries?
Speaker B:That's like I said, 100 million.
Speaker B:Nobody liked it.
Speaker B:You know, whatever.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:This movie, I.
Speaker D:I said before the microphones went on, but this movie I watched twice.
Speaker D:Normally in all the other episodes, you hear me?
Speaker D:I've talked.
Speaker D:I watched it six times, seven times.
Speaker D:Whatever.
Speaker B:Couldn't.
Speaker B:Couldn't bring yourself.
Speaker D:I watched it once.
Speaker D:No, thanks.
Speaker D:And then I watched it twice.
Speaker D:Just to make notes.
Speaker B:Yeah, Just to make sure that.
Speaker D:Just to make sure of why.
Speaker D:To pinpoint why.
Speaker B:Why does this stick in the eye hurt so bad?
Speaker B:Oh, yeah, that's why.
Speaker B:Now, that being said, I thought it was structured pretty good.
Speaker C:Same.
Speaker B:I thought it was very well structured.
Speaker B:I was very surprised that it was two hours, which maybe that it never felt bloated to me.
Speaker B:But two hours, an hour and 58 minutes.
Speaker B:That's a long Christmas movie, you know.
Speaker D:All right, second watch.
Speaker D:That's kind of what I'm putting my finger towards is it could have been trimmed to a tight 90.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker D:If it was a tight 90 minutes, this might have been great.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker D:There was just so much like the, the phone conversation between Fred and Nicholas was a five minute conversation over the phone about money and bail and.
Speaker D:Let me get you this, let me get you that five minutes.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:If you.
Speaker D:That's a.
Speaker D:Eternity.
Speaker B:If you trim that.
Speaker B:Because.
Speaker B:Because.
Speaker B:And see, and now James is saying these things.
Speaker B:I, I liked the movie, but I like Vince Vaughn.
Speaker B:I like his fast talk.
Speaker B:I like his aggressive in your face nature.
Speaker C:You know, none of those things that you just mentioned made you cry, sir.
Speaker B:Right, right.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker C:But so there's more to it than just.
Speaker B:It was.
Speaker B:Listen, there are.
Speaker B:There are known emotional buttons, right?
Speaker B:I mean, it's just, you know, two brothers who are at war start to love each.
Speaker B:I mean, it doesn't matter.
Speaker B:You're gonna.
Speaker B:It hit the emotion buttons with exactly what it needed to.
Speaker B:To get you to feel a certain way.
Speaker C:And if you can make everybody though, right.
Speaker C:It's like James, I don't think felt that.
Speaker D:Nope.
Speaker C:Well, yeah, it didn't hit his button.
Speaker C:So either his buttons are broke or he doesn't have them or it just completely missed his button.
Speaker D:Any of those are possible.
Speaker C:But obviously it missed hitting his button.
Speaker B:Well, to quote John Candy, I could be a cold hearted, callous cynic like.
Speaker C:You, but anyway, I like red claws.
Speaker C:My wife likes red claws.
Speaker D:We watch Fred Claus at night together.
Speaker B:Okay, so I guess we'll get into this to find out.
Speaker C:Yeah, let's.
Speaker B:Let's get into what the discrepancy is.
Speaker B:All right, so there is this prologue.
Speaker B:And the prologue is, to me, is not the opening image.
Speaker B:It is not the before scene necessarily of Fred Claus because he's an adult.
Speaker C:Most of the, like, most of the movie.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:With the exception of the prologue.
Speaker C:So I think his opening image needs to be as him as an adult.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Now, there is this opening statement that I initially thought was the theme.
Speaker B:I'd have to.
Speaker B:I can't remember if I nailed down a theme.
Speaker B:Chris, you said you did.
Speaker B:See, we probably did.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Just what he tells Slam, tells the kid, you know, you can't count on anyone.
Speaker C:You look out for yourself because he changed once he changes.
Speaker C:He.
Speaker C:Yeah, we were talking about a minute ago.
Speaker C:You got some bad advice a while back.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:The dramatic question is, is that true?
Speaker B:Do you need to only look out for yourself?
Speaker B:And the answer is no.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:There is a provocative statement, though sometimes it's easier to make a promise than it is to keep one.
Speaker B:I wrote down possible theme, but I don't think so.
Speaker B:So I think I'm going with what you're saying.
Speaker B:That's a good statement.
Speaker B:And it occurs almost about the right time.
Speaker B:But I don't think it.
Speaker C:I think it's.
Speaker C:If we go with mine, I think it.
Speaker C:I mean, it's technically, it's late.
Speaker C:It's not five minutes, and it's definitely later.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker C:Oh, yeah.
Speaker C:I don't know.
Speaker C:That's interesting.
Speaker C:I hadn't thought about the promising because that comes back at the end too, because he, you know, after everything's done, Nick tells Fred, you're the best big brother anybody could have.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:And that was his promise.
Speaker C:I'll be the best big brother.
Speaker B:So that is true.
Speaker B:That is true.
Speaker C:And that is kind of his, in a way.
Speaker C:His struggle the whole time is he cares.
Speaker C:He wants to be a brother.
Speaker C:But then brother ends up being a saint and all the.
Speaker C:That comes with that.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:And then the, the wish you were more like your, your brother Fred.
Speaker C:It just eats away at him.
Speaker C:And so he ends up becoming the worst brother.
Speaker B:Most the parents, I think, are culpable to his.
Speaker C:Oh, 100.
Speaker C:100%.
Speaker C:Kathy Bates can eat a dick.
Speaker B:Right, Exactly.
Speaker B:So, so the, the dramatic question at that point could be, you know, what does it mean to be the best big brother in the world?
Speaker B:Or is it easy, you know, to say you're gonna do something and then.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:To keep a promise?
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Anyway, so, yeah.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:Opening image.
Speaker B:I, I.
Speaker B:And again, I think, I think they're solid on the beats.
Speaker B:Opening image is Nicholas is the saint.
Speaker B:He's Santa Claus.
Speaker B:He gives gifts.
Speaker B:Well, Fred is a repo man.
Speaker C:Taking from people.
Speaker C:It's excellent.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I thought that was brilliant.
Speaker C:And I've seen a Thousand times.
Speaker C:Didn't even catch it till watching it this time with the beats in mind, I'm like, oh, he's a repo man.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:I was so in my million times.
Speaker C:Didn't even think about.
Speaker B:I saw it.
Speaker B:I was like, oh, my God, that's brilliant.
Speaker B:Right now we'll jump right to the kids.
Speaker C:I'll mean the kids, which is the opposite of Santa Claus.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:You're gonna.
Speaker C:She kicks him.
Speaker B:But you're gonna be a.
Speaker C:You nuts?
Speaker B:A semi.
Speaker B:What is a mid level student.
Speaker B:You're gonna be an athlete.
Speaker B:You're have a kid.
Speaker B:You're gonna have that kid in your life.
Speaker B:Pregnant.
Speaker C:With child.
Speaker B:Yeah, with child.
Speaker B:You're gonna have that kid in your life.
Speaker B:Do you love your husband?
Speaker B:Who cares?
Speaker B:You're gonna have that blessing.
Speaker B:And a fast talk.
Speaker B:Just, you know, one of the things about.
Speaker B:About Fred, everything, all the problems that he causes is really for your benefit, man.
Speaker B:This is gonna help you constantly.
Speaker B:With a girlfriend, with his brother, with this kid.
Speaker B:I thought that.
Speaker B:I thought that was.
Speaker B:Anyway, yeah, Fred runs a repo company.
Speaker B:Fred takes.
Speaker B:He is snarky and nasty and he still hates his brother and Christmas, you know, Right now.
Speaker C:All right, guys, wrap up that plasma.
Speaker C:Plasma to my house.
Speaker B:No scratches, right?
Speaker C:No scratches.
Speaker B:Now we can jump right to the closing image, because we'll get there, but we might as well say it.
Speaker B:The closing image.
Speaker B:What is Fred doing?
Speaker B:He is breaking his back to give, give, give to the whole world, right?
Speaker B:Every kid deserves a gift.
Speaker B:There are no bad kids, you know, And I thought that now, you know, say what you all.
Speaker B:I thought that was like, at that point, that was an emotional feel for me, you know, There are no bad kids.
Speaker B:And, you know, this kind of.
Speaker C:Every kid deserves open.
Speaker C:Yeah, no, that one hits me in the fields too.
Speaker B:That's what I'm saying, right?
Speaker B:So I may be looking at this through glasses that are not clear.
Speaker D:So I'm broken is what you're saying.
Speaker D:I have no feelings.
Speaker B:No feel.
Speaker B:You hate kittens.
Speaker B:Why do you hate kids and kittens?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker D:Well.
Speaker B:All puppies must die, Right?
Speaker B:Okay, so now his girlfriend.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:So that's the opening image, obviously, the setup.
Speaker B:And I thought this was interesting.
Speaker B:Like, so he has a girlfriend.
Speaker B:She's a freaking traffic cop.
Speaker B:She's given people tickets.
Speaker C:Oh, nice parking.
Speaker B:Nobody likes a traffic cop, you know, but that's who his girlfriend is in some way.
Speaker B:Also somebody who's going to bring you bad news and take from you.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Oh, you were here extra five minutes.
Speaker B:That'll be $30 or whatever, you know.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker B:There's never a scene with a traffic cop where some guy isn't saying, oh, I'm about to go, I'm about to go, you know.
Speaker B:No, no, no, here's your ticket.
Speaker D:You know, that's what Jeffrey Dean Morgan does when she's spying.
Speaker D:He's spying on him.
Speaker D:Here's, you know, here's.
Speaker D:I got my quarter.
Speaker D:I'm only a couple minutes.
Speaker B:And she's like, no, no, no.
Speaker C:So both must make you mad, people arguing you all day.
Speaker C:Right?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And so Fred is not going to find a girlfriend who is a nurse or find a girlfriend who's a kindergarten teacher.
Speaker C:No, that's true.
Speaker B:You know, in some level he's attracted to this energy that she brings through her job.
Speaker D:I'm thinking I'd be attracted to Rachel Vice's energy any day.
Speaker B:Any day.
Speaker C:That's true.
Speaker C:She could be a nurse, she could be whatever.
Speaker C:She could be serial killer.
Speaker C:It's fine.
Speaker C:Good point, James.
Speaker C:Although I just thought about something and so he's.
Speaker C:He's eternal.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:You know, he's.
Speaker C:So maybe in, you know, back in The, I don't know, 60s or something.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:Because he was an adult theoretically that time.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:50s, 40s maybe he tried nurses and other things and eventually found like.
Speaker C:That doesn't work.
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:Yes, right, right.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:I don't think what that to us.
Speaker D:Now, but yeah, it doesn't really give a timeline on when they became eternal and.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:When Santa was born.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker C:Because I almost look like medieval type times or something.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:Because I would think it's like you with a vampire type of thing of you've lived through all these ages, you are successful because.
Speaker C:Yeah, that's what I meant.
Speaker C:I said 70s age, but I meant like.
Speaker C: Yeah, way back, like: Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker D:So, you know, he would have been market by then, theoretically.
Speaker D:Fred should have been a gajillionaire because he was.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:He wants to open a casino.
Speaker B:That's what he.
Speaker D:It was a betting place against.
Speaker D:Across the street from the stock exchange.
Speaker D:Exchange.
Speaker C:And I thought like all of his interest, almost like, you know, you know, gambling, you know, is legal in places, but it's.
Speaker C:A lot of people view it as a sin.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:And so like to me it was like opposite of saint.
Speaker C:Saintly from his brother.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:I mean all of his stuff is he's conning people, he's a liar.
Speaker C:Like it's all this, you know, sin stuff versus, you know, saint, like his brother.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker C:So Ansai Palace.
Speaker D:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:Now, still in the setup, the next scene is he's eating the cereal and the kid comes in the window.
Speaker B:Whatever.
Speaker B:But I.
Speaker B:I thought that the.
Speaker C:Don't come in here jumping around with the.
Speaker C:The music videos and put your music on.
Speaker B:He's watching the Charlie Brown Christmas.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:And.
Speaker C:And only you.
Speaker C:Charlie Brown.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:And then the.
Speaker B:The one quote we get from that.
Speaker B:You're the only person I know who can take a wonderful season like Christmas and turn it into a problem Charlie Brown.
Speaker B:I'm like, yeah, they come comb the archives for that quote.
Speaker B:Fred Claus, baby.
Speaker B:So I thought that was kind of.
Speaker B:Yeah, So I thought.
Speaker B:I thought they were.
Speaker B:They were hitting on beats and.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And things that, like.
Speaker B:Okay, there was some thought put into this, you know.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:And Slam is his save the cat.
Speaker C:Like Fred's.
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:Because he's a bit of a jerk.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:But here he is being nice to this kid, you know, so you got to give him a save the cat moment.
Speaker C:Otherwise he's just, you know, I don't replay him at all.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:To generate.
Speaker C:I don't remember.
Speaker C:I can't pinpoint.
Speaker C:But be willing to bet bad Santa's got one too.
Speaker C:You know, even though he's a douchebag, he's probably got some sort of save the cat.
Speaker C:Well, the whole kid.
Speaker C:The.
Speaker C:The whole.
Speaker C:The whole story.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker C:The kids being bullied.
Speaker C:Whatever.
Speaker C:Anyhow, the.
Speaker B:The.
Speaker B:The comedy guy who wrote that book, I had referenced it before.
Speaker B:He uses Groundhog Day as an example.
Speaker B:But it's almost the same beat as Save the Cat.
Speaker B:He says it just doesn't.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's almost the same beat to save the cat.
Speaker B:He says if you have a hero that is unlikable and they're.
Speaker B:And they need to change at some point in the movie, you show what that change could look like for just a second, and then you have them go right back to the mean guy they were so that the audience can know that.
Speaker B:That this is.
Speaker B:The change is possible and this guy is what he could become.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And I do see that.
Speaker B:I think I saw it in Plain Strange.
Speaker B:That beat is in there.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Nice.
Speaker C:You know, they do it here with Slam because he's.
Speaker C:He's nice to him and.
Speaker C:Do you want the milk?
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:So he gives him some milk.
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker C:And.
Speaker C:And.
Speaker C:But then he immediately after giving him this kid milk, goes into the whole thing about, no, don't drink the Kool Aid with Santa.
Speaker C:And he's a famed junkie and completely.
Speaker B:A fame don't drink Kool Aid is what I wrote.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:No, he immediately, he is, I like Kool Aid.
Speaker C:I like Kool Aid.
Speaker C:No, not this Kool Aid.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker C:I don't know why the wife and I cracks up two hands on the milk.
Speaker C:Like he says, two hands on the milk, please.
Speaker C:And then slam.
Speaker C:He.
Speaker C:Because he has the one hand with the milk.
Speaker C:He drinks it.
Speaker C:And then when he says, two hands on the milk.
Speaker C:Two.
Speaker C:Two hands on the book.
Speaker C:And then he.
Speaker C:He takes another sip.
Speaker C:The kid does with.
Speaker C:With two hands on the milk.
Speaker C:It's just.
Speaker C:I don't know why it makes me laugh every time I see it.
Speaker C:I wonder if that was, like, scripted or if the kid just did that.
Speaker C:I don't know.
Speaker C:It makes me laugh.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Get another sip of milk.
Speaker C:Two hands.
Speaker C:Two hands on the milk.
Speaker B:They.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:They start talking about Christmas and you.
Speaker B:He wants a puppy.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And so Fred is saying, name of macaroni.
Speaker B:Name macaroni.
Speaker B:Fred says, I don't need.
Speaker B:I don't need charity.
Speaker B:I don't need Santa.
Speaker B:What I want, I get.
Speaker B:I get what I want, you know, or whatever he needs.
Speaker B:50k he calls Santa.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:That kind of goes into the theme.
Speaker C:If we go with you depend on yourself.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:The.
Speaker C:I don't need Santa.
Speaker C:I.
Speaker C:You know.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:This is the.
Speaker C:No, they sell more Santas and they.
Speaker C:Than they do Buddhas.
Speaker C:Buddhas.
Speaker C:Is that the big fat dude that.
Speaker C:I see that kid in my head every time Makes me laugh.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:No, the rants and the streams of dialogue from Vince Vaughn.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:I always love that.
Speaker B:Anyway, he needs $50,000 by the 22nd to open a casino.
Speaker B:So this is our.
Speaker B:I think there are two.
Speaker C:22Nd, 23rd.
Speaker B:22Nd, 23rd, 24th.
Speaker B:No, no, no.
Speaker B:Yeah, 23rd.
Speaker B:Definitely by the 23rd.
Speaker B:You know, just.
Speaker B:I love it.
Speaker D:Again, stuff that could have been trimmed just a bit was the.
Speaker D:Yeah, 22nd.
Speaker D:No, no, 23rd.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:Definitely by the 24.
Speaker D:It's like, okay, bring that down.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker D:And.
Speaker D:And I'm getting it now that I'm looking at my notes.
Speaker D:The way you're describing it, it's like, well, you can't cut the repo part.
Speaker D:You can't cut the bedding thing part.
Speaker D:You can't cut the kid out.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker D:You can't cut the girlfriend out.
Speaker D:So I'm seeing where the editors and the directors had a problem of trimming this down to 90 minutes.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And when you put the camera on Vince Vaughn, Right.
Speaker B:He's gonna.
Speaker B:He's like, Anyway, this movie just felt.
Speaker D:So, so much longer than it needed to be.
Speaker D:And it's little parts like that of.
Speaker D:Well, no, no.
Speaker D:Oh, this.
Speaker D:Oh, wait, maybe this, maybe this.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:That down.
Speaker D:But then again, it's Vince Vaughn doing what he does.
Speaker B:Well, if you have somebody else beside Vince Vaughn doing this role, I think it can become.
Speaker B:We.
Speaker B:Way back, we talked about Blind Date and that opening scene of Bruce Willis that just felt like it dragged on forever.
Speaker B:Him.
Speaker B:Him being late for work and finding.
Speaker B:And that's not a slam on Bruce Willis, but that scene was.
Speaker B:It felt like he was walking through mud because the energy was not there.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:This is a longer scene, but Vince Vaughn is like nitro.
Speaker B:Okay, sure.
Speaker B:He is like, you know, and so.
Speaker C:He'S delivering was like more like napalm.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:But he is delivering with a pace and rapidity and energy that is.
Speaker B:That is burning the paint off the walls.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And so I think that saves this scene.
Speaker B:That could have been even more laborious than maybe James felt it was.
Speaker B:It could have been a lot worse.
Speaker D:If you had another actor just playing it straight.
Speaker D:Yeah, it may have been better.
Speaker D:Yeah, that's what I'm saying.
Speaker D:Like you could have fit it into 90 minutes.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker D:If you had somebody like, oh, geez, I don't know.
Speaker D:Owen Wilson playing it.
Speaker D:Just somebody that's quick.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:The other side of Vince Vaughn.
Speaker D:Not as lengthy as Vince Vaughn tends to go in.
Speaker B:You know, he's.
Speaker C:I'm telling you, Slam.
Speaker C:Don't drink the Kool Aid.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker C:That was terrible, Wilson, but you gotta.
Speaker D:Break your nose over.
Speaker B:It's just the outer part of the koolaid.
Speaker B:We're not even in.
Speaker C:That's right.
Speaker B:Anyway, yeah.
Speaker C:So Santa's coming into his own right now.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:All right.
Speaker C:Sorry.
Speaker C:Wow.
Speaker C:Wow.
Speaker B:We're probably going to trim this podcast.
Speaker C:That's true, that's true.
Speaker C:All right, go ahead.
Speaker B:We've been spawned this.
Speaker B:Okay, so he needs.
Speaker B:So this is the.
Speaker B:I think there's two ticking clocks.
Speaker B:This is the first one.
Speaker B:He needs 50k by the 22nd.
Speaker B:Opus.
Speaker B:Open a casino.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:A fast talking cheat and a disappointment to everyone around him.
Speaker B:This kind of concludes my setup.
Speaker B:So I think at this scene we've sort of got a picture of his world, who his people are in his world, what he needs and.
Speaker B:And his goal and the ticking clock and all that.
Speaker B:The catalyst.
Speaker B:I picked a catalyst and at first I thought it was a little weak, but I.
Speaker B:But I think it works.
Speaker B:Chris something.
Speaker B:James, you can see if you agree.
Speaker C:I don't think James thinks any part of this movie works, but.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker D:I do.
Speaker D:I really do think this.
Speaker D:It works.
Speaker D:It just needed to be trimmed of.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker D:Fat.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker D:And I can't put where fat is.
Speaker B:So did Santa.
Speaker B:He was.
Speaker B:So did Santa.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:About.
Speaker C:Say, you picking on Paul G.
Speaker C:That's messed up, man.
Speaker C:I like his fat suit, though.
Speaker C:His hands were so.
Speaker D:His hands were good.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker C:They were so fat.
Speaker B:The catalyst, he gets arrested and needs bail money.
Speaker B:Nick agrees.
Speaker C:Oh, just giving people help the people.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Well, yes, that is true.
Speaker C:Ripping off the Salvation army, like, that's good stuff.
Speaker C:That's again, speaks to.
Speaker C:To his character and just.
Speaker C:I don't know.
Speaker C:I love that bit.
Speaker C:The.
Speaker D:You look online, people helping people.
Speaker D:You see a picture.
Speaker C:Picture of me.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:There's this whole.
Speaker C:What are you doing here?
Speaker C:Don't crowd my action.
Speaker B:Yeah, I'll get to you in a minute.
Speaker D:And then again, this is one of those scenes that bring me your action.
Speaker D:You know, this scene goes on for way too long, you know, So I.
Speaker C:Was about to agree with James and I hate it.
Speaker C:I agree with you, sir.
Speaker C:As much as I like to help people.
Speaker C:People help people.
Speaker C:And then the Santa Claus is chasing them.
Speaker C:That whole bit.
Speaker C:And it's funny, it is very long.
Speaker B:Well, he had to get arrested.
Speaker C:And he did one thing I did notice again, for the first time I've ever seen this a thousand times.
Speaker C:So he's.
Speaker C:His whole thing is running away from his problems.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:And who?
Speaker C:His brother, Santa Claus.
Speaker C:In the scene, he's literally running from Santa's.
Speaker B:That is true.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:That is good.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Nice.
Speaker C:I like it.
Speaker B:I'll take that.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Even though it's too long, but.
Speaker B:Yeah, but see, I was never bored by that.
Speaker B:Like, I'm.
Speaker B:I'm enjoying Vince Vaughn.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:You know, and maybe like I said, if it's somebody else, like how he.
Speaker C:Was personal with the people instead of just, hey, couldn't you change?
Speaker C:Or whatever.
Speaker C:He's, you know, he's listening to one guy's music and.
Speaker D:Yes, yes, again, that could have all been trimmed tremendously.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:You're probably right.
Speaker C:He got with Vince Vaughn.
Speaker D:I should have gone back.
Speaker D:As the movie went on, I started taking notes on the minute markers.
Speaker D:So, like, at 19 minutes, this happens.
Speaker D:23 minutes.
Speaker D:I didn't do it up until the conversation with Santa Claus here in a minute.
Speaker D:But I should have timed how long that Salvation Army.
Speaker B:It was probably long because it was a chase and then a fight.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker C:Before the him, you know, getting all the people to come over here, you know, Once you bring some of that action down here.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Army can't bring you salvation.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker B:I've got.
Speaker D:I've got a few people can.
Speaker D:According to most of my notes here, most of the things that I felt were too long were like three and four minutes long.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:That's law.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Because two and a half should be, I think is the recommendation for, For a scene.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Unless it's some big, you know, action set piece or.
Speaker C:Or something like it's.
Speaker C:It's special.
Speaker C:Most of your scenes are too.
Speaker B:But even a dialogue scene that's two minutes, it would.
Speaker B:Has got to be long.
Speaker B:I mean.
Speaker D:Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Speaker D:And that' the phone call with.
Speaker D:The phone call with Santa Claus being five minutes, it's like, oh, my gosh.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:But if you're a screenwriter and you're writing a two and a half minute dialogue, you know.
Speaker A:Yep.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker B:Call.
Speaker A:I'm the, the thought that ran through my mom was, is that cop really going to let him sit there and talk to his brother for that long?
Speaker B:Well, he said it was Christmas.
Speaker B:You know, everybody's charitable.
Speaker B:Except Vince Vaughn.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Except Fred.
Speaker A:You know, that's.
Speaker A:That was the thought that ran through my mind.
Speaker B:But yeah.
Speaker C:So I thought about the, the phone call with Santa is they set up multiple things.
Speaker C:They set up.
Speaker D:Oh, absolutely.
Speaker C:What's going on with him and.
Speaker C:Him and his brother.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:And then him trying to manipulate Santa Claus.
Speaker C:But also they set up Santa and his wife.
Speaker C:Mrs.
Speaker C:Claus.
Speaker D:Sure.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:And his problem.
Speaker C:So I feel like they.
Speaker C:I don't know.
Speaker C:It didn't feel long to me.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:There was never a point where I was.
Speaker B:I thought this movie was dragging.
Speaker B:But like I said, I may be looking at Through Color Glass Road because they're colored glasses because of Vince Vaughn and because of the feels later and.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker B:You know, I.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker C:But this for some y' all.
Speaker C:For everybody but me.
Speaker C:This first time.
Speaker C:Y' all all seen this, right?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:I'd never seen it before.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:So can you have rose colored glasses like the first time?
Speaker B:Well, Vince Vaughn.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:Yeah, I just like, if you like somebody enough.
Speaker C:Yeah, okay.
Speaker B:Yeah, I, I like, like, like Vince Vaughn is like, there's.
Speaker B:I have like.
Speaker B:Okay, so my personality is, is made up of like, if I was to break it down, it'd probably be like 80 the dude, you know, 15, you know, but there's got to be like a half a percent of Vince Vaughn in me somewhere because I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah, come over here.
Speaker B:The fast talk, the snark the.
Speaker B:You know, and I don't know.
Speaker B:Anyway, I have to get counseling about that and figure out what's going on.
Speaker D:2% movie host, 5% Vince Vaughn.
Speaker D:What people are talking about.
Speaker D:Your percentages are all off.
Speaker B:60 this and 80 that.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:If he wants the 50k, he will have to work with his brother.
Speaker C:So this is the Cassandra pays the bill.
Speaker C:The five grand.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Pays his bill.
Speaker C:Get him out of Joe.
Speaker B:But then, buddy.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:I'm practicing tough love on you, buddy.
Speaker D:How he just said, you know, I need $5,000 for bail.
Speaker D:And then that been it.
Speaker D:He'd have got the money and that would have been.
Speaker B:Yeah, but he wouldn't have the 50k by the 20.
Speaker C:We wouldn't have the movie.
Speaker D:Well, as soon as he got the yes from Santa, we'll just go ahead and make it 50.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I'll tell you what I'm saying.
Speaker C:I don't understand why you won't just give me 50 so I can blow it up in 60 and give you.
Speaker B:I'm going to give you $5,000.
Speaker C:$5,000.
Speaker C:Merry Christmas to you.
Speaker B:Let me.
Speaker B:Let me do this.
Speaker B:Let me do this.
Speaker B:People like to give gifts.
Speaker B:Let me.
Speaker B:So everything that he does, be open to receiving gifts.
Speaker C:Nick too.
Speaker B:Nick, it's for your benefit.
Speaker C:That's right.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker C:100.
Speaker C:Meanwhile, Wanda is stuck at Bonsai Palace.
Speaker B:Oh yeah.
Speaker C:Because he's in jail.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:That was his first phone call.
Speaker C:And cheated on Nancy.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:The match cut of.
Speaker B:Or the scene of her sitting under the sign.
Speaker B:That sounds familiar, right?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Oh, it's a hot new spot.
Speaker B:Hot new spot.
Speaker C:You know, so seats suck too.
Speaker C:Like, so the, the cage is behind them where the guys are fighting.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:And Juan just sitting with her back to the cage.
Speaker C:And then I like how they reveal like she's at a table with a whole bunch of other people.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:And all of them are getting to see the.
Speaker C:The, the fight or whatever.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:Where you know her.
Speaker C:So even the.
Speaker C:The last minute.
Speaker C:Obviously it was last minute.
Speaker C:The last minute seats he got weren't great.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:Of course.
Speaker B:Anyhow, there is a debate.
Speaker B:He hems and halls, but there's never a significant.
Speaker B:No, I'm not going to do that.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:But he does try to resist this.
Speaker B:So I thought the debate was there.
Speaker B:He needs a heart out by the 22nd.
Speaker B:You know?
Speaker B:You know.
Speaker B:Okay, I'm gonna do this, but I need to heart out by the 22nd.
Speaker B:Yeah, no problem.
Speaker C:You never been to visit, not even once.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker B:And then.
Speaker B:So at this point his girlfriend Banzai was the last straw, I guess, for her.
Speaker B:His girlfriend breaks up with him.
Speaker B:His kid friend, Slam, gets taken into child custody.
Speaker B:At this point, we get the.
Speaker B:You can't count on anyone.
Speaker B:You always got to look out for yourself.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker B:As he's on his way out of town.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, that.
Speaker D:And then he's packing his bag.
Speaker D:Kid goes.
Speaker D:And then Santa sends Willie.
Speaker B:Willie.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:A miniature.
Speaker B:I can't remember that actor's name.
Speaker A:His name is John Michael Higgins.
Speaker A:I love this guy.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker A:If I had known he was in this, in, you know, when it came out, I probably.
Speaker A:Well, yeah, when the movie came out, I probably would have watched it.
Speaker B:His body size, they did trim.
Speaker B:James.
Speaker D:Jeez, that was.
Speaker D:That's hard to watch.
Speaker D:I know.
Speaker D:The technology wasn't exactly there.
Speaker B:It's like a big head on a little baby or something.
Speaker D:Yeah, that and ludicrous is the DJ like, they had little people playing everybody else but them.
Speaker D:Yeah, the.
Speaker D:The capture.
Speaker D:The imaging capture, whatever they used just.
Speaker D:It bugged me.
Speaker D:Fight scene.
Speaker D:The fight scene's another one that we can cut.
Speaker B:Yeah, sure.
Speaker C:DJ but so James is like.
Speaker C:So speaking of, like, you know, final straws, like, so he's into.
Speaker C:At this point in the movie, he's like, oh, my God, this is so long.
Speaker C:This is.
Speaker B:They could cut.
Speaker C:All right, now we got elves that aren't even played by real little people.
Speaker C:This is.
Speaker B:Oh, my God.
Speaker D:Well, they did it so well.
Speaker D:They did it so well in Elf.
Speaker D:They really did.
Speaker D:Now, they missed it four or five years later on this one.
Speaker C:Well, there wasn't.
Speaker D:I don't know.
Speaker C:The budget was already bloated because of all the talent they had.
Speaker C:I guess they didn't have.
Speaker C:They didn't leave much money for the CGI budget, apparently.
Speaker D:I guess.
Speaker B:I mean, it didn't seem glitchy to me, but it did seem.
Speaker C:I think they probably thought, oh, that's a kids movie.
Speaker C:It's a, you know, a family movie.
Speaker C:It's sure.
Speaker C:Like, it doesn't have to be exact, you know.
Speaker C:Yeah, it didn't bother.
Speaker C:I don't know.
Speaker C:I thought that was funny.
Speaker C:Like, the fact that it looks slightly off.
Speaker C:Made it.
Speaker C:Made it, you know, funny to me, really.
Speaker C:Trying to pick up the bag.
Speaker C:I would have got it if you'd give me one more chance.
Speaker D:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:Anyway, so.
Speaker B:The sleigh ride.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker C:Fred.
Speaker C:For some id.
Speaker C:Which I thought was funny.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Yeah, the sleigh ride.
Speaker B:I'm calling the sleigh ride.
Speaker B:Into the second act.
Speaker B:Break into two.
Speaker D:Hey, I got it, I got it.
Speaker D:28 minutes, they land at the North Pole.
Speaker D:That's the second.
Speaker B:Okay, what's it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So right, right at 25.
Speaker C:25.
Speaker B:Yeah, 25.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:And it's a two hour movie.
Speaker C:So three minutes of that phone call, James, we would have been right on track.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Santa chases.
Speaker B:You know, I did enjoy him trying to scam his brother though.
Speaker B:I mean.
Speaker C:Yeah, I wouldn't have wrong with that.
Speaker C:Trying to scam Santa Claus of all people.
Speaker D:Maybe if they would have trimmed the Santa fight.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker D:You know, some of that.
Speaker D:Maybe they could.
Speaker B:Yeah, the, the.
Speaker B:When they went into the toy store, they probably could have cut that.
Speaker B:I think the chase and everything.
Speaker B:Yeah, I think, I think you ended with them tackling on the street and then he's in jail.
Speaker B:So you could cut that whole.
Speaker B:Yeah, so, so I'll grant that.
Speaker B:But you know, I'm telling you, who's.
Speaker C:Going to win this fight?
Speaker C:It's gonna be the big dude with the big yellow things in his hands.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:Oh my God.
Speaker B:All right, so now obviously, fun and games.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:If you want to see toy store Christmas time fight scenes in action.
Speaker C:I guess.
Speaker C:Better.
Speaker C:Like I would probably have to go Jingle all the way.
Speaker C:Yeah, those are better.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker D:Paul White, the Big show.
Speaker D:Wwf.
Speaker D:He's one of them.
Speaker C:I'm a deck your halls, bub.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker D:Vern Troyer, Mini Me is the exact opposite.
Speaker D:And they're together now.
Speaker C:Good stuff.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker C:We'll get to this Against Arnold.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker C:All right.
Speaker C:I'm totally picking that.
Speaker B:Next year there's another bit of brilliance we'll get to later.
Speaker B:But I, I thought.
Speaker B:Anyway, we'll get to it in a second.
Speaker B:Fun and games.
Speaker B:The Upside down world of Santa's Village or the North Pole Ninja Elves.
Speaker B:Ninja Elves.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So you got the slight ride to North Pole.
Speaker B:Main Street, North Pole, the hockey stop.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And then Charlene, Santa's little helper.
Speaker B:Yeah, right.
Speaker B:The Santa.
Speaker C:Secret Service as Elizabeth Banks, by the way.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker D:I.
Speaker D:There's a thing and I'll just go ahead and say it now because you.
Speaker C:Have a thing for Elizabeth Banks.
Speaker C:Wonderful.
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker D:But I think Charlene's the problem in the North Pole.
Speaker D:I think that's why the efficiency expert was sent because she's using like 15 different calculators and maybe, maybe, maybe at the end they're on computers, they're on emails.
Speaker D:I think she's the problem in the North.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:But nobody she.
Speaker C:In the end or did they fire and they didn't tell us she's in the end, right?
Speaker D:Yeah, she's in the end.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Her and Willie hook up.
Speaker C:I was.
Speaker C:Oh yeah, that's right.
Speaker C:I was going to laugh if she wasn't in there.
Speaker C:I'm like, James is Rose.
Speaker C:He just figured it out and they fired her off screen.
Speaker C:That's terrible.
Speaker D:Maybe now she's like demoted and.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker D:I don't know.
Speaker C:I don't think there's any way she could be the problem, sir.
Speaker C:No, no, no, I see what you're.
Speaker B:Saying, but yeah, yeah, but the, the.
Speaker C:On that note, Elizabeth Banks and the other guy, Willie.
Speaker C:What's his name again?
Speaker B:Higgins.
Speaker C:Higgins.
Speaker C:Yeah, they are.
Speaker C:They're on Pitch Perfect.
Speaker C:They're co host in the Pitch Perfect series.
Speaker C:And, and the way they play off each other is excellent stuff.
Speaker C:It's very, very nice.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I thought the Santa Secret Service was very cool bunking with Willie.
Speaker B:Sight gag, you know.
Speaker D:Yeah, I have that as elf security hijinks.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:That's nuts.
Speaker D:But that's again, another thing that could have been cut.
Speaker D:I know it was for fun or whatever, but Santa knew that Fred was coming.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker D:Security details.
Speaker C:It's in there.
Speaker C:I agreed it's in there just to be funny.
Speaker C:But yeah.
Speaker C:Logic can.
Speaker D:The little person would delete the voice.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker C:He's got a gut.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker D:And it was 30, 30 minutes when Santa comes out.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:At the 30 minute mark, Santa comes out and Fred.
Speaker D:And they officially.
Speaker D:They're there.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:I felt like some of it and maybe I'm reaching, maybe this is my, you know, rose colored glasses coming in.
Speaker C:But.
Speaker C:And I agree with you, it could have been shorter and yeah.
Speaker C:Logic.
Speaker C:They should have, they should have known.
Speaker C:But I feel like Frank gets beat up a lot and a lot of things happen to him.
Speaker C:Like all of this is his punishment for being a douchebag about his Santa Claus brother.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker C:Right, right.
Speaker C:You know, I really don't like flights and you know, heights and then he has to, you know, deal with the, the sleigh and all that stuff and then he gets beat up by some elves because he's a dick.
Speaker C:Yeah, it's.
Speaker D:And I think, I think the first, the first big check mark I have here is the uncomfortable family moment when Santa and Fred meet.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker D:That felt a little dark.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:For me.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:I think, I think it treaded edginess.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:It could have been lighter, it could have been fluffier.
Speaker C:So you think his.
Speaker C:Was it because of his.
Speaker C:Fred's reaction?
Speaker C:Like he was going to like too mad Too mean.
Speaker C:Because, like, he just got beat up by the else.
Speaker C:He's like, that's nuts.
Speaker C:You know, and he's going all, you know, is that like pushes it over or.
Speaker D:I don't know.
Speaker D:I just.
Speaker D:My notes in here just say uncomfortable family moment.
Speaker D:So I think it was Mrs.
Speaker D:Claus that come up and.
Speaker B:Yeah, it was like, nobody is.
Speaker C:Yeah, but they don't like each other.
Speaker C:Like, that's.
Speaker D:Yeah, that's what I mean.
Speaker C:Like they don't like each other.
Speaker D:They don't like each other.
Speaker C:But she knows Fred's a douchebag.
Speaker D:The tone that.
Speaker D:That has, and it was portrayed through the movie felt too dark for the family movie.
Speaker C:Yeah, I know.
Speaker C:That was a lot of the.
Speaker C:The feedback in the.
Speaker C:On the critics and the reviews and stuff.
Speaker C:I was reading that is.
Speaker C:It tried to, you know, thread this line and it didn't do it well for a lot of people.
Speaker C:I mean, I didn't.
Speaker C:I guess I don't think I thought about it ever that much, but.
Speaker C:Because yeah, maybe again, you know, Vince Vaughn and Spacy and then the hitting me in the field.
Speaker C:So I'm on board, you know.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Even though it's.
Speaker C:It is very, very silly.
Speaker B:It is a fine line because you have to create that angst with him and his family to justify who he is.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker B:And yeah.
Speaker B:So, yeah, I mean, it is a fine line to tread.
Speaker B:That's what I'm saying.
Speaker B:I think it wanted to go right up to edginess without crossing over too much.
Speaker C:I think it works though, with the wife, with Mrs.
Speaker C:Claus, because she knows Fred's douchebag, she doesn't like him.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:And then later on when he gets everything things he wants and she goes, oh, and he wants you to have this.
Speaker C:Merry Christmas, Fred.
Speaker C:She gives him the present later on when she's standing outside the door and he has his heart to heart with his brother and he says the line about, you know, yeah, one little things been bugging me or whatever about the naughty.
Speaker C:Nice list.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:She hears all that.
Speaker C:Like, you see it on her face.
Speaker C:Like she sells it.
Speaker B:Like, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:You know, shit, Fred's not.
Speaker C:Maybe he's not the douchebag.
Speaker C:And you know that.
Speaker C:I thought he was.
Speaker B:Right, right.
Speaker C:Because he's just.
Speaker C:He's not naughty either.
Speaker C:He's just misunderstood.
Speaker C:Just like, what's these kids.
Speaker B:He's the fulfillment of his own.
Speaker B:And maybe it's what he's feeling there.
Speaker B:There are no naughty kids or just kids who don't feel listened to or someone's proof Never got a gift or.
Speaker B:Yeah, yes.
Speaker B:So I think he's.
Speaker C:He's those kids grown up.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:He's.
Speaker B:He's talking about himself and, and, and is reaching that conclusion.
Speaker B:Not immediately.
Speaker B:I think it's part of his growth or whatever.
Speaker B:Anyway.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:The naughty nice department I thought was very cool.
Speaker B:The blue folders.
Speaker B:The efficiency expert.
Speaker B:And this is like we had talked about the board and I have that in quotes because it's like, where did this come from?
Speaker B:Is considering shutting Santa down and moving operations to the South Pole.
Speaker B:Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny also on the block.
Speaker C:Easter Bunny's been chopped.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:And we're jumping Easter Bunny.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:And the Tooth Fairy is down to one tooth.
Speaker B:One tooth policy.
Speaker B:Yes, yes, yes.
Speaker C:Get it.
Speaker C:Get a buck.
Speaker C:Move on.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Spacey sells that.
Speaker C:Like as ridiculous as these concepts are.
Speaker C:No, no.
Speaker C:Spacey sells the shit out of that.
Speaker B:Glenn Carey.
Speaker B:Good Ross.
Speaker B:You know, closures, coffee is for closers.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker D:That wasn't him, though.
Speaker D:That was Alec Baldwin that said that.
Speaker C:But.
Speaker B:Well, Spacey wasn't in that movie.
Speaker C:No, he is.
Speaker C:But the speech that you referenced is.
Speaker B:James is right.
Speaker C:It is Alec Baldwin who's space.
Speaker B:Because he was mean in that movie.
Speaker B:Was.
Speaker D:He's one of the sales people.
Speaker D:But Alec Baldwin was the big guy that came in.
Speaker D:Who were you?
Speaker A:You.
Speaker D:That's my name.
Speaker D:I drive a $100,000 car.
Speaker C:Closers.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:Now.
Speaker B:Now we'll get to it.
Speaker B:But I.
Speaker B:I thought the sibling support group was some of the.
Speaker B:That was that.
Speaker B:I love that.
Speaker C:Because it wouldn't work without the real people.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So I'm saying all of a sudden I'm like.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:I was.
Speaker B:I might have said to share.
Speaker B:I said way best.
Speaker B:Frank Stallone.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker B:Oh, my God.
Speaker B:That's brilliant.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I recognized him first, but I didn't recognize.
Speaker B:And then Baldwin.
Speaker B:Baldwin, you know.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:He's not Alex.
Speaker B:He's not Alex on Alec.
Speaker B:It's not Alec.
Speaker B:That's.
Speaker B:That's not.
Speaker D:What's the other one?
Speaker A:I like Steve.
Speaker D:Frank Stallone.
Speaker D:Roger.
Speaker D:Roger Clinton and Steve.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yes, yes.
Speaker B:I thought.
Speaker C:Then I saw the state address.
Speaker C: I thought: Speaker D:I thought that should have been cut completely.
Speaker A:No, I like the end of it though.
Speaker D:Where.
Speaker D:Where I could have brought the house down.
Speaker D:Where Fred has his revelation.
Speaker D:Yeah, okay.
Speaker D:I get it.
Speaker D:Like that has to be there because this is where Fred turns his corner ahead of ourselves.
Speaker C:We are.
Speaker B:I just wanted to.
Speaker B:I was sort of.
Speaker D:That 100 million dollar budget probably went to the Clintons and the Baldwins and.
Speaker C:The Stallones and Rocky came out.
Speaker C:Yeah, Yeah.
Speaker B:I thought that was.
Speaker C:You got rock and then you're fighting Rocky and Rainbow.
Speaker C:Yeah, it's good stuff.
Speaker D:No, no, it's so I have starting.
Speaker B:To wonder who Frank Stallone Santa Claus is my brother.
Speaker B:This is serious, man.
Speaker B:You know?
Speaker C:Is this funny to you?
Speaker C:Because this is not funny to all of us.
Speaker C:I'm Stephen, by the way.
Speaker C:Maybe to him his brother is Santa Claus.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker C:No, no, I'm my brother Santa Claus because my brother really is Santa Claus.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker C:All right.
Speaker B:That's it.
Speaker C:It's good stuff.
Speaker C:That's a funny scene, James.
Speaker D:I've in a two hours.
Speaker B:Unconvinced.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker D:Two hour Christmas movie.
Speaker D:They're supposed to be high and tight.
Speaker D:Get it done right.
Speaker D:Get on to the so I can get it to my next Christmas movie.
Speaker C:You said 90 minutes earlier.
Speaker C:I think what you really meant was 88.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:88 minutes in that have been even better.
Speaker C:Oh my God.
Speaker C:So 88 minutes is the minimum number?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:If your movie is 88 minutes, then.
Speaker C:You have studio has stripped it down to the bare minimum just so they could release it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:You got a stinker.
Speaker C:I don't remember where Phil and I.
Speaker D:Learned that, but this, this movie should have had that.
Speaker D:I mean, I think Jingle all the way is a tight 90 tight 88 in it.
Speaker D:I watch it every year.
Speaker B:Yeah, sure.
Speaker D:Because it doesn't seem like such a chore and a burden and emotional.
Speaker C:Well, I watch both of these every year.
Speaker C:All the way in this one.
Speaker B:Yeah, sure.
Speaker C:But I like it.
Speaker D:Yeah, sure, you like what you like and that's awesome.
Speaker D:I'm so glad that people have Christmas movies.
Speaker B:Sorry, you have no taste.
Speaker C:That's what I heard.
Speaker D:I wish.
Speaker D:Because I watch literally Christmas Story, Jingle all the Way, Mickey's Christmas.
Speaker D:I think that's.
Speaker D:And Christmas Vacation.
Speaker B:Just Lethal Weapon and Die Hard.
Speaker D:Well then of course those.
Speaker B:Yeah, sure.
Speaker A:I have to put on a Christmas vacation when I'm decorating or either sit down and watch it.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker A:And I like Elf.
Speaker C:Oh, and Elf's good one.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker D:Oh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:And.
Speaker A:And Home alone.
Speaker A:Home alone 2.
Speaker A:I like that one a lot better than Home Alone.
Speaker B:One more time.
Speaker D:I'll do.
Speaker C:I like them both.
Speaker D:On Thanksgiving Eve, Thanksgiving night I will watch Die Hard and we celebrate the Christmas season with the dropping of the Hans.
Speaker D:So when Hans drops.
Speaker B:That's good.
Speaker D:That's when Hans drops.
Speaker D:It is now Christmas season and that is Thanksgiving night.
Speaker B:Awesome.
Speaker D:You please join with me out there?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:So fun and games.
Speaker B:He's Looking in on his girlfriend, the workload and the effing Christmas music.
Speaker B:Which I was completely sympathetic too.
Speaker B:It's the same song.
Speaker B:You're playing the same song.
Speaker B:For sure.
Speaker C:For sure.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And then change.
Speaker B:Changing the station locking.
Speaker B:Ludicrous.
Speaker B:And the locker.
Speaker B:Changing the station in the dance party.
Speaker C:It's an old reference because it was.
Speaker C:It was of the times, but it still makes me laugh.
Speaker C:You know, I'm gonna do I'm super nanny you.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:Did the super nanny reference how he picks him up because he's like a small child.
Speaker D:Oh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:And I'm gonna put you in the.
Speaker C:In the naughty cabinet or whatever.
Speaker C:But.
Speaker D:And.
Speaker D:And here's another nanny reference.
Speaker D:At 41 minutes, he puts on his song and they jam out.
Speaker D:They're doing the thing that's your blood pumping.
Speaker D:That's two minutes until strike one.
Speaker D:So they walk in.
Speaker D:Northcut walks in with Santa.
Speaker D:They're dancing their party.
Speaker D:That is a two minute.
Speaker C:No elf discipline.
Speaker A:I'm singing and dancing.
Speaker B:I love watching Vince Vaughn dance.
Speaker B:I love for sure again.
Speaker C:He's throwing freaking elves into the crowd.
Speaker C:Like a crowd serving room.
Speaker C:It's very funny.
Speaker D:I think that's a hate crime.
Speaker C: Not in: Speaker C:You know, it is now the North Pole when nobody else can sit in their mind.
Speaker C:It's terrible.
Speaker B:Anyway.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Oh, back to the.
Speaker C:The snow globe thing when they're spying on people.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Just also, you know.
Speaker C:Anyhow, he talks about the.
Speaker C:I don't remember the name of the kid should wrote it down.
Speaker C:The.
Speaker C:The.
Speaker C:He's like, you got a naughty nice list or whatever or top naughty list.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:And the kid at the top, Santa Claus tells Fred that, oh yeah, he bit his.
Speaker C:Bit his mother or his dad or something and his dentist.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker C:Fred's response, I think is very telling about the whole.
Speaker C:The whole theme and the naughty.
Speaker C:Well, why do you bite him?
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:And Santa Claus doesn't even entertain it.
Speaker C:I don't know.
Speaker C:You bit somebody.
Speaker C:You're a bad kid.
Speaker C:Where Fred's looking from the other side maybe.
Speaker C:Because I think all he says is.
Speaker C:I think he got his two.
Speaker C:His hands too close to the mouth.
Speaker C:Yeah, that's exactly.
Speaker D:They got their hands too close.
Speaker C:It was a legit question from Fred.
Speaker C:Why is this kid biting?
Speaker C:What happened?
Speaker C:And then when they.
Speaker C:They show the Johnny or whatever, he comes in with a bat and like beats up his sister's room or whatever.
Speaker C:Well, and Santa goes, well, that's pretty cut and dry.
Speaker C:And Fred's like, why is it cutting?
Speaker C:You know what I Mean, he wants to know more about what happened.
Speaker C:Like, what did the sister do to the.
Speaker C:I don't know.
Speaker C:I just thought that was interesting little moments that.
Speaker B:Yes, I.
Speaker B:I thought that was.
Speaker C:Sorry.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Okay, so we're moving through these.
Speaker D:Family dinner now.
Speaker D:Another ticking first strike.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:So the whole ticking clock thing is, again, a.
Speaker B:The whole three strikes thing is a ticking clock as we're moving closer and closer to disaster.
Speaker B:Strike one, strike two, strike three, dinner with the family and the efficiency expert.
Speaker B:And then.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And then.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:So Fred gets.
Speaker C:I can't think of the right word all of a sudden.
Speaker D:Ambushed.
Speaker C:Thank you.
Speaker C:Ambush.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:With the dinner.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Because he even asked him earlier, hey, Mom's not going to be there.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:And all, you know, and then he.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Bites him to dinner.
Speaker C:Santa does.
Speaker C:And then his parents are there.
Speaker B:A million houses in one night of breaking and.
Speaker D:North Cut.
Speaker C:North Cut.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:North Pole.
Speaker B:North Cut.
Speaker B:I don't know if that.
Speaker C:I just get jacked thinking about all those breaking and enterings and all those crimes being committed.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:A million.
Speaker B:A million houses in one night of breaking and entering.
Speaker B:That's how he's.
Speaker B:He goes to Frosty's Tavern, Willie and Charlene.
Speaker B:And Charlene.
Speaker C:He walks out on the dinner.
Speaker C:He gets mad.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:He's like, I think I'll be more comfortable, Beckett, you know, in my house, you know, in my dorm with, you.
Speaker B:Know, Hot Pockets, Smurfoot or whatever.
Speaker C:Smurfoot.
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:We didn't talk about that either.
Speaker C:The.
Speaker C:It was a nice visual with the bed.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:He's bunking with Willie and he's.
Speaker C:You know what?
Speaker B:You sure you don't want the bottom.
Speaker C:Or whatever he is.
Speaker B:I don't think it would make it a matter.
Speaker C:Willie, 6 foot 5, sleeping in an elf bed.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:Again, same beat.
Speaker D:That was an elf.
Speaker D:Like, it feels like a rehashing of what else.
Speaker D:An elf did it better.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker D:My opinion.
Speaker C:Shots, fire.
Speaker D:My opinion.
Speaker B:Willie's Tavern.
Speaker B:Willie and Charlene and I wrote.
Speaker B:And Charlene's cleavage.
Speaker B:Willie loves Charlene.
Speaker D:Don't forget her legs, man.
Speaker C:And teaching.
Speaker C:Oh, yes.
Speaker C:Yeah, Nice legs.
Speaker B:And teaching Willie to dance.
Speaker B:Now, I thought this was also thematic because I think it speaks to his perspective on kids.
Speaker B:Fred's.
Speaker B:He says when.
Speaker B:When.
Speaker B:When Willie is doubting himself.
Speaker C:After he falls on his face, you mean?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Yeah, I think I know.
Speaker B:You got more Blitzen in you than you realize.
Speaker B:I thought that was.
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:He tells him the whole story that the, you know, Blitzen fell on his face first Time he tried to fly and he's like, what?
Speaker C:Fred?
Speaker C:Everybody knows that story.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Now, it's interesting to me.
Speaker C:Like, did Fred make that up or is that really a story?
Speaker B:Because I think he made it up.
Speaker C:I think he made it up because Fred's never been there.
Speaker C:He's never visited nothing.
Speaker C:Not even once.
Speaker B:It's a fast talk sales pitch that he's come up with.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker C:But it works.
Speaker B:Willie is the.
Speaker B:Is.
Speaker B:Is the.
Speaker B:He's saving the cat.
Speaker B:I think you got more.
Speaker B:More blitzing in you than you will.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:You.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So I thought that was like, okay, that's cool.
Speaker B:That is good that, you know, that's who Fred could be, given the chance.
Speaker B:No bad kids, you know, whatever.
Speaker B:The efficiency expert, Mr.
Speaker B:Northcott sabotages.
Speaker B:So he's burning or shredding the.
Speaker D:Shredding.
Speaker C:Shredding the letters.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Strike two.
Speaker B:Fred is accused of the sabotage.
Speaker B:Northcutt sows doubt about Fred to Santa.
Speaker C:Not so much sabotage at this point.
Speaker C:They just, like.
Speaker C:They accuse him of misplacing the letters or whatever.
Speaker B:Yeah, well, Northcutt has burned them and now.
Speaker C:But they think Fred, like, misplaced them.
Speaker C:Not that he did anything with them or whatever.
Speaker B:No, no.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker B:But he's getting blamed for.
Speaker C:Oh, for sure.
Speaker C:For what Northcott did.
Speaker B:North Ka.
Speaker C:Did.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:The secret backup system.
Speaker C:That's straight to.
Speaker B:Yes, Northcut.
Speaker B:So's doubt about Fred.
Speaker B:The Secret Service attacks Fred.
Speaker B:And I knew we were headed right for a midpoint at this.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And so I have it as a.
Speaker D:Midpoint at 59 minutes.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:But it's two hour movie, so it's right where it needs to be.
Speaker D:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:Do you see what I'm saying?
Speaker B:Like.
Speaker C:Like when I looked at this, like this, James.
Speaker C:Like, this one should be 59 minutes, but.
Speaker B:But the midpoint is.
Speaker B:Is it 60 or 59 minutes of a two hour?
Speaker B:I'm like, okay, they're nailing it at this point.
Speaker B:I'm like, okay, Fred is called on the carpet.
Speaker B:And then they have this intervention.
Speaker C:And he did learn from his first time with the ninja elves because he ducks the first one that flies at his face.
Speaker C:And that guy goes out the window.
Speaker C:We're about to get jacked right now.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:It's good stuff.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:So I'm calling that ridiculous.
Speaker C:Fighting ninja elves.
Speaker C:But it's funny.
Speaker B:A midpoint false defeat.
Speaker B:Is that what.
Speaker C:That's what I have, yes.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:Okay.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Because then he's literally like kidnapped and forced into a family intervention, which is the last thing this guy wants.
Speaker C:To do is sit around and talk about his feelings, right.
Speaker B:The parents, Dr.
Speaker B:Goldfarb, his girlfriend, Santa's wife.
Speaker B:North Cut sows, betrayal.
Speaker B:The little.
Speaker B:So now he's.
Speaker B:He's sort of sown bad seeds against Fred.
Speaker B:Now he's sowing bad seeds against Santa.
Speaker B:The little tree that refuses to grow, Right.
Speaker B:That little tree in the shadow of the big tree, you know, certainly just.
Speaker C:Cut down that big tree.
Speaker C:That little.
Speaker C:To that little tree gets some light.
Speaker B:Now, now, this is kind of silly.
Speaker C:Speech, but I like it.
Speaker B:No, no, no.
Speaker B:This.
Speaker B:This is why I really hope that Spacey is innocent.
Speaker B:And the court says he is.
Speaker B:So I'm not going down that road anymore.
Speaker B:But Spacey is.
Speaker B:He is.
Speaker B:He.
Speaker B:He can sell and do anything.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:When he's given this speech, the speech about cutting down.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:Anger and venom.
Speaker B:I mean, like Spacey without even.
Speaker C:They all love that one.
Speaker C:They kick the crap out of that one.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:Spacey.
Speaker B:Spacey, you know, he's just.
Speaker B:He is like nitro, man, I tell you, I love to see this guy act.
Speaker B:I really hope that he gets back into the game, man.
Speaker D:For more of a love letter to Kevin Spacey, tune into Phillips personal Twitter channel.
Speaker A:Well, that was one of the first comments I made after I turned off the movie.
Speaker A:I was like, I sure do miss Kevin Spacey.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:But you don't want to like this guy if he did those things.
Speaker C:There's 37 episodes to the Kevin Spacey love letter.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:And only 16 to our podcast.
Speaker D:Is that right?
Speaker D:Something like that.
Speaker D:Well, he's been doing it a while.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Sorry, go ahead.
Speaker D:No, Kevin Spacey is a fantastic guy.
Speaker D:He is fantastic.
Speaker D:And I hated hearing his name brought up in any of that stuff.
Speaker D:Whether it's true or not, I don't know.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:I am willing at this point.
Speaker B:I don't know the facts, but the court listened to the facts.
Speaker C:Nope.
Speaker B:That's.
Speaker D:You know, he's.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:Great actor.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So I'm having this.
Speaker B:As the bad guys close in the.
Speaker B:The intervention.
Speaker B:Parents, Goldfarb, girlfriend, Santa's wife, Northcutt, certainly his kid friend.
Speaker B:Slam is number one.
Speaker B:Takes over the number one.
Speaker C:Quoting him.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Quoting.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Santa's not gonna bring you all family.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Echoes Fred's words.
Speaker B:Kool Aid, fools.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Echoes Fred's words is what I have.
Speaker B:So, yes, at this point, Fred is angry.
Speaker B:Every kid gets a nice stamp.
Speaker B:And, and, and, and, and he's selling it, man.
Speaker B:His facial.
Speaker B:Bam, bam, bam.
Speaker B:Like, he's just angry.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Because he goes and finds Slam's file First gives him nice.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Even though he's at the top of the.
Speaker C:The board.
Speaker C:And then.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:He does it with the rest of the kids.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Now there are too many kids and not enough gifts.
Speaker B:This is.
Speaker B:Things starting to close in.
Speaker B:Bad guys closing in.
Speaker B:I'm still in there.
Speaker B:The brothers fight.
Speaker B:And then I thought this was like, this was.
Speaker B:I could almost feel the hurt both in.
Speaker B:In Fred and in Santa when he says, I don't hate you, Nick.
Speaker B:I just wish you were never born.
Speaker C:Which is good.
Speaker B:I don't know if James said it.
Speaker B:Somebody said it.
Speaker B:What is worse than hatred?
Speaker B:It's indifference.
Speaker B:If you hate somebody, at least you have a stance.
Speaker B:But if you just don't give a flying F if they live or die.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker B:You, you're nothing.
Speaker B:You're not even worth the thought.
Speaker B:To me.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker B:That's worse.
Speaker B:And this.
Speaker B:So I think this really hits.
Speaker B:We're starting to move into the dark part of the script.
Speaker B:And that is pretty dark.
Speaker B:I just wish you were never born.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:But they balance it with this, you know, crazy ass snowball fight.
Speaker C:You don't.
Speaker C:You don't bring a snowblower to a snowmobile to a snowball fight.
Speaker C:Run them over and he's throwing snow.
Speaker B:I couldn't hit it.
Speaker C:I couldn't miss.
Speaker C:If I.
Speaker C:If I tried.
Speaker B:Nick.
Speaker B:Yeah, right.
Speaker B:Fred gets the news that his brother is one strike while Giamatti jumping up.
Speaker C:And down when he's mad like as Santa Claus in a fat.
Speaker B:Yeah, Giamatti is another one that like if you have Spacey and Giamatti.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:They nail their parts.
Speaker B:They're as ridiculous as they are Giamatti.
Speaker B:I never, never been disappointed by anything I've agreed.
Speaker C:Agree.
Speaker D:Nothing at all I can think of.
Speaker C:Yeah, his beard disappointed me in this movie.
Speaker C:Like it bugged me.
Speaker C:Like they wish they had.
Speaker B:It's going all white.
Speaker B:Oh, you know, this is a surprise.
Speaker C:His beard annoyed me.
Speaker C:They should have.
Speaker C:They probably again back to the budget.
Speaker C:Didn't have.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Beard budget, but a beard budget.
Speaker B:All right, so Fred gets the news that his brother.
Speaker B:So the all is lost.
Speaker B:I'm obviously asked to be a false victory.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:And he gets everything he thinks he wants.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:He's a deal.
Speaker C:Charlene.
Speaker C:Just give him.
Speaker C:Not Charlene, but the wife's and just give him my money.
Speaker B:Gets his.
Speaker B:Gets his money and a gift from his brother.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker B:Then as he's leaving.
Speaker B:So now he's got his 50k, he can open his casino.
Speaker B:He gets everything.
Speaker B:Like you said that he thinks he wants false victory.
Speaker B:Fred leaves, gets his money.
Speaker B:Dark knight of the soul.
Speaker B:The evidence that Fred doctored the naughty files.
Speaker B:Strike three, Santa is fired.
Speaker B:You know, gets his walking papers.
Speaker C:Yep.
Speaker B:Fred has what he wants.
Speaker B:Then he opens this gift.
Speaker B:I'm sorry I cut down your tree.
Speaker B:The rebuilt birdhouse.
Speaker B:I thought that.
Speaker B:That kind of got me, like.
Speaker B:I'm a sucker for this.
Speaker B:So I don't know if it was done well or I'm just on board emotionally because I'm a sucker for other.
Speaker C:Things in the movie.
Speaker C:Get me?
Speaker C:That one doesn't like.
Speaker C:I like it.
Speaker C:Like, I think it's good beat, but it doesn't.
Speaker C:It didn't like, made me tear up or anything.
Speaker B:It wasn't as strong as some of the others, but.
Speaker D:But had they spent three or four minutes on the bird and the birdhouse before?
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker D:Well, they spent three and four.
Speaker B:When he cut down the tree the first time.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:The bird flies away.
Speaker C:The narrator, Chirp Chirp, never returns.
Speaker D:That's what I'm saying.
Speaker D:If they would have spent three or four minutes with Chirp Chirp.
Speaker C:Like a relationship, like everything else.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker D:In this.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker C:Three or four established kid, but more like Vince Vaughn and having a rapport.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:But if.
Speaker B:If you show a kid with a pet and the pet flies away or goes away, I mean.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:No, it's really bad.
Speaker C:Yeah, that's true.
Speaker C:If he has a pet and then you get the feels, and then trip Chirp never returned.
Speaker C:Oh, damn this movie.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:Yeah, that's true.
Speaker B:That's what I'm saying.
Speaker C:Hold the other.
Speaker D:And.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:Bad.
Speaker C:They hate Santa Claus.
Speaker B:It's an automatic feel is what I'm saying.
Speaker B:So they knew.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:If we take a pet away from a kid, you cannot have.
Speaker B:Not have.
Speaker B:I think that's part of the magic of John Wick, which almost sent me hating John Wick.
Speaker B:You killed the fucking dog.
Speaker B:I can't watch this movie.
Speaker B:But guess what?
Speaker B:John Wick is going to make them pay for killing that dog.
Speaker B:And so you're.
Speaker B:You are so invested.
Speaker B:Kill him.
Speaker B:Kill.
Speaker B:Yeah, get that guy next.
Speaker B:You know.
Speaker B:You know, anyway.
Speaker C:Shoot him again.
Speaker C:I know you already shot him eight times, but shoot him again.
Speaker C:Thank you.
Speaker B:And then in the sequel, you had to kill his dog.
Speaker C:All this for a puppy.
Speaker C:It wasn't just a puppy.
Speaker C:I'm excited for John Wick 4.
Speaker B:I can't wait.
Speaker B:John Wick.
Speaker B:I love John Wick.
Speaker C:You see John Wick 4.
Speaker C:Definitely.
Speaker B:Yes, definitely.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I'm sorry I cut down your tree.
Speaker B:The rebuilt.
Speaker B:Rebuilt birdhouse, which I, you know, okay, so they're hitting.
Speaker C:I have to ask the wife, because when they reveal the, you know, I'm sorry, cut down your tree and they reveal the birdhouse, the wife goes, that's cool looking birdhouse.
Speaker C:And I agree.
Speaker C:But, like, is that, like, is that indifferent or she, like, was it hitting her in the fields because she made a comment about the, the birdhouse?
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker C:Like, I feel like that's maybe didn't hit her in the feels and she just appreciated the birdhouse.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Then we move into this.
Speaker C:Your favorite scene.
Speaker B:This was awesome.
Speaker B:You know, the Frank Stallone hating on his brother Roger, the brother of Bill Clinton.
Speaker B:Steve Baldwin.
Speaker B:That's not Alec.
Speaker B:For the love of my brother, love of my family name, I could have.
Speaker C:Brought down the house.
Speaker B:Bill Clinton, his brother, you know, But I did what I did for the love.
Speaker B:And I thought, okay, they're.
Speaker B:They're hitting on theme.
Speaker B:This is where Vince Vaughn is going to turn it, turn it around and.
Speaker B:Right, Right on time.
Speaker B:For the love of my brother and the love of my family name, I did what I did.
Speaker B:Or whatever.
Speaker C:It also shows, even though it's a funny bit.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:And you don't see him.
Speaker C:Like, you see the scene with the sarca down your, you know, your tree with the, the birdhouse, and then you.
Speaker C:They immediately cut to the sibling.
Speaker C:Anonymous.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:But it's him.
Speaker C:He went from being forced to family intervention.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:And the last thing this guy wants to do is talk about his family, too.
Speaker C:He sought this out.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:He goes to, like, we don't see it.
Speaker C:We just cut to Fred right in the, you know, right in the, the, the counseling or whatever.
Speaker C:But my point is, Fred's trying to deal with his problems.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker B:And, and one of his complaints is there are no bad kids, just kids who don't feel listened to and they don't want to listen to him at this meeting.
Speaker B:Like, this guy, he cannot catch a break.
Speaker B:Every, Everybody wouldn't his turn though, either.
Speaker C:Because he's a douche.
Speaker B:Yes, but, but he, but he was desperate.
Speaker B:If I'm.
Speaker B:If you're a counselor in a meeting and there's somebody with that kind of need.
Speaker B:Yeah, you better address it.
Speaker B:Well, this guy.
Speaker C:I see what you're saying, but they didn't get to Roger last week.
Speaker C:The guy says that, you know, it's Roger Stern.
Speaker C:He could do last week.
Speaker C:Roger's been tested for a while now, too.
Speaker B:And what is, what, what's his name?
Speaker B:Apologize for Matt Damon.
Speaker B:We had to.
Speaker D:Jimmy Kimmel.
Speaker B:Jimmy Kimmel is Always.
Speaker B:Matt Damon is never there.
Speaker B:But it's the running joke of we always had to bump Matt Damon.
Speaker B:So we apologize to Matt Damon.
Speaker B:We get him next week.
Speaker B:That's not Alec.
Speaker B:So Fred now.
Speaker B:So Fred is having his turnaround.
Speaker C:Yep.
Speaker B:We're headed for the break into three.
Speaker B:Fred takes his 50k and I wrote Planes, Boats and sled Dogs his way to the third act.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Instead of using it on the, the, the investment.
Speaker C:The casino.
Speaker B:Because he gets the phone call.
Speaker C:Today's your day, buddy.
Speaker C:22nd.
Speaker B:Yeah, let's do this thing.
Speaker C:But he spends the 50k to get back to the North Pole.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Which is cool.
Speaker B:Break into three.
Speaker B:Ticking.
Speaker B:I thought it was like three days.
Speaker B:But he gets there and the ticking clock.
Speaker B:10 hours.
Speaker B:They have 10 hours.
Speaker B:So now the clock is set.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:I think this is the second ticking clock.
Speaker D:You have the third act starting there.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:The.
Speaker D:The rallying of the elves.
Speaker D:When he.
Speaker B:Yeah, well, well, him there are him.
Speaker C:Calling, saying, I'm going to the North Pole.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:His whole movement.
Speaker B:So the movement into the second act was on a sleigh.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Being taken by Willie.
Speaker B:The movement into the third act.
Speaker B:So it's an unwilling sleigh ride.
Speaker B:Now it's a willing sleigh ride.
Speaker B:Willing sled dogs, boats.
Speaker B:He's doing what?
Speaker B:He's on a ice breaking ship.
Speaker B:At some point, very quickly, you see.
Speaker C:The same him making the phone call.
Speaker C:You want to get to North Pole tonight?
Speaker C:I got 50 cases.
Speaker C:I'm serious.
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker B:Like that is his, his declaration.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:That is him actually going into the third act.
Speaker B:But the movement into the third act, the whole dislike.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Where did you have it, James?
Speaker D:I.
Speaker D:I had it right around there, but I had it when, after he said, every kid deserves a present.
Speaker D:There's no naughty.
Speaker D:That's when third act starts.
Speaker D:He gets suited up and boom.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Yeah, I thought about that at one point.
Speaker B:I think that's.
Speaker C:That is the finale and the, the, the tower.
Speaker C:And then I think that's encountering the problems and stuff.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker C:Thank you.
Speaker C:Storming the council.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker B:You make your decision to get into the third act.
Speaker B:You move into the third act.
Speaker B:You got to gather the team.
Speaker B:You got it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:At one point I thought, oh, shit.
Speaker C:When, when we're jumping ahead, but when Santa can't do deliver the president because of his back, I'm like, oh, is that an all is lost?
Speaker C:And then because I was with you, I thought, well, maybe it is when he actually suits up.
Speaker C:But after thinking about it more.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:It's got to be.
Speaker C:It's the civil change.
Speaker B:You're right.
Speaker B:You're.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker D:Pretty close.
Speaker B:Within the circle of the third act, all that is.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker D:That makes sense, though, Fred.
Speaker D:Going back to the North Pole would be the third act, I think, like you said.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:So rallying the elves and, and coming up with the, the hula hoop and the two toys, you can basically.
Speaker C:What two toys?
Speaker C:You can, can, you can make or whatever.
Speaker B:Yeah, very quickly.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Because you're right, Joe James, because even if he gets to the North Pole and hasn't made a decision, he could, he could be in the third act and be in the North Pole and be the same he was and not do anything.
Speaker B:So him suiting up is the solidified.
Speaker B:We're doing this thing, you know, in the third.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:Because Santa can't drive.
Speaker D:He's got his back hurt.
Speaker C:Do you think that is the break in the three?
Speaker B:No, no.
Speaker D:Well, it's around there.
Speaker B:I think it's like right after the break.
Speaker C:Gotcha.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker B:Yes, I, I, I, I always look for doors and windows, movement across thresholds.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker B:And I'm thrilled to death when I find them.
Speaker B:So I see him moving on these various transportation devices to get to the third pole.
Speaker B:The North Pole as the third pole.
Speaker B:The third pole.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:It's a different movie.
Speaker B:It's my kickstand.
Speaker B:Anyway, so, yeah, getting into the third.
Speaker D:Because that's what I thought is when he says every kid deserves a present.
Speaker D:There's no naughty.
Speaker D:He opens the door and, and leaves.
Speaker D:And the wife is right.
Speaker B:There you go, you see?
Speaker B:You got me with the door, man.
Speaker D:But then again, the sled into the North Pole, like it's, it's around there.
Speaker C:Because if he hadn't changed, he's not spending his 50k to go to the North Pole to begin with.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:One thing that he wanted the whole movie, now he's gonna use for something else.
Speaker C:It's almost like a double bump.
Speaker C:We don't talk about that a whole lot.
Speaker C:Like, there's double bumps going into this second act, but there's not a lot in the, in the third.
Speaker C:And I don't know if that's a, A thing or not, but, like, it's.
Speaker B:How much they have.
Speaker C:It's almost like a double bump because It's.
Speaker C:He spends 50k he got there.
Speaker C:But you got to do more than that, Fred.
Speaker C:You can't just go and try to save.
Speaker C:Santa's laid up.
Speaker C:You have to fucking deliver.
Speaker B:The 50k is not going to save anybody.
Speaker C:Correct.
Speaker C:You know, Wayne's gone because he's spending all on sled dogs and shit, you know.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:The money's gone.
Speaker B:So he.
Speaker B:When he gets there, it's only him.
Speaker B:Ticking clock.
Speaker B:10 hours.
Speaker B:And then a couple of thematic statements.
Speaker B:One gift for every kid.
Speaker B:Baseball bats and Hulu.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Someone out there thinking about them.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So that's what he says.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Because the elves push back.
Speaker B:Fred.
Speaker C:That's not what the kids asked for.
Speaker C:And he's like, that doesn't matter.
Speaker C:Every kid, you know, deserves to open something.
Speaker C:It's just that.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker C:That they have something open on Christmas morning.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yes and no.
Speaker C:And that's right.
Speaker C:In the fields.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Because now I think there is some acumen here on the part of the writer or whatever.
Speaker B:Because everything that Fred is doing is coming from his own seed of hurt.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Nobody was thinking of Fred.
Speaker B:His parents weren't.
Speaker B:Why can't you be more like your brother?
Speaker C:Right?
Speaker C:Saintly thing.
Speaker C:He does just right.
Speaker C:Fuck you, Mom.
Speaker B:So he.
Speaker B:He has empathy for all the kids who.
Speaker B:Who feel like no one is thinking of them.
Speaker B:So I thought this is where I became invested just throughout this movie.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker B:You know, so maybe.
Speaker B:Maybe I, you know, I bought a lemon, but it's a pretty good taste in lemon to me.
Speaker C:I'm with you.
Speaker C:I like the way this lemon tastes right here.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Baseball hats and Hulu.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Anyway, Santa down for the count.
Speaker B:There is a rule.
Speaker B:And again, I thought this was.
Speaker B:Again, they sort of introduced these rules to cover up what they need to do.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker D:Really can drive the sleigh.
Speaker D:No, I can't.
Speaker D:I gotta.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Not on Christmas night.
Speaker B:There's a rule.
Speaker B:Only a clause can deliver the presents.
Speaker C:Only a clause can deliver the presents.
Speaker C:And that is a clause.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And then I thought the exchange between Giamatti and.
Speaker B:Between Santa and Fred was good here, Right?
Speaker B:Santa is going to let Fred off the hook.
Speaker C:Oh, yeah.
Speaker C:You know I can't do that.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It's ridiculous for anybody to expect that kind of thing.
Speaker B:Fred.
Speaker C:Too much.
Speaker C:Trust me, I know.
Speaker B:It's all.
Speaker B:It's all right there, you know, that's good stuff.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Now saying Christian's room for everybody at this point.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:And I thought again, I thought this.
Speaker B:We've talked about it.
Speaker B:There's no naughty kids.
Speaker B:There's only scared kids.
Speaker B:Don't feel listened to.
Speaker B:Kids.
Speaker B:Tough breaks.
Speaker B:Every kid deserves a break at Christmas.
Speaker B:And who can't cry at that, man?
Speaker B:Come on.
Speaker B:The Kleenex is there.
Speaker D:No, no, no.
Speaker B:I got me Cold hearted cynic like you.
Speaker B:Nope, not buying it.
Speaker B:Fred suits up, literally filling his brother's shoes.
Speaker B:Yeah, there you go.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:See, 85 minutes is where I have that.
Speaker B:James is like.
Speaker C:That's right.
Speaker C:According to catboy, breaking the three is right at 85.
Speaker D:According to James, this movie should have been fucking five more minutes.
Speaker B:Yeah, right, right, James.
Speaker C:Five less minutes, you mean?
Speaker C:Oh, five more after the 85.
Speaker C:Gotcha.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Fred is up.
Speaker C:Dang.
Speaker B:Storming the castle, crunching the numbers, making the gifts.
Speaker B:The team, Charlene, the elves and Willie North.
Speaker B:Cut.
Speaker B:Not happy.
Speaker B:Fred flies, delivering the presents.
Speaker B:Control.
Speaker C:I, I thought the control Northcut singing on his way out of town and he sees all the lights are.
Speaker B:Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:What that storm.
Speaker B:I, I, I thought the control tower, the whole flight control with was very cool.
Speaker B:You know, flight operations, chimneys and cookies.
Speaker B:He delivers the puppy to slam.
Speaker D:Well, that, that was the rule before he goes into the first house was going down the chimney.
Speaker D:It's not going to feel good.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:It's not going to hurt it.
Speaker C:I'm not going to lie to you, friend.
Speaker C:It's not going to tickle.
Speaker D:And then you got to eat all the cookies.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker D:Otherwise they get offended.
Speaker D:So there's a, you know, stumbling off roofs and all that of eating cookies and flan montage.
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:We get like a second fun and games here in the third act.
Speaker C:Yeah, a lot of fun.
Speaker C:Again, that flan, though.
Speaker C:Oh, it makes me gag every time, man.
Speaker C:Because he picks the whole thing up.
Speaker C:Just shoves it in his mouth.
Speaker C:Gets me every time.
Speaker D:He went to the Jewish house.
Speaker D:And yeah.
Speaker D:He's like, obviously this is the wrong house.
Speaker C:What is this?
Speaker C:He doesn't say shalom or something.
Speaker C:He doesn't even say it right.
Speaker C:Like I don't remember what he says, but he's messing with him.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Is that a knish or whatever?
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Who can't turn to, who can, who can turn down a knish?
Speaker B:Whatever.
Speaker C:I think the guy offers him a bite, he takes the whole damn thing off the plate.
Speaker C:Sure.
Speaker D:But that just, it seemed like me of don't forget to eat all the cookies.
Speaker D:Okay.
Speaker D:And then wacky music plays and he's shoving cookies in his face.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:Could have lost it, but that's just me.
Speaker C:All right, hold on now.
Speaker C:So when he's flying through the neighborhood and he takes out that car and Fred's like, we'll come back to this neighborhood later.
Speaker C:That's funny, man.
Speaker D:Sure.
Speaker D:Okay, okay.
Speaker C:He kicks somebody's damn Santa like their snowman off the off the roof one.
Speaker C:When he get out of here, it's in the way or whatever.
Speaker C:That's because he's still Fred.
Speaker C:Like, he's not.
Speaker C:Like he became a saint all of a sudden.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:So it's funny shit.
Speaker B:When he delivers the puppy, this is where I think the theme.
Speaker C:Macaroni.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:The world is what you make it, but it starts with you and what you make of yourself.
Speaker B:So I thought, bam, there it is.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:You know, this is the.
Speaker B:The book.
Speaker B:This is the transition.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:I mean, you got some bad advice.
Speaker D:Well, I.
Speaker D:I didn't notice this until the second time I watched it, but he was hiding his face.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:From him.
Speaker D:So.
Speaker C:Still felt like Sam should have recognized his voice as much as he listened to Vince Vaughn Fire off 4,000 million words.
Speaker C:But.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker C:Whatever.
Speaker C:It works for the movie.
Speaker D:Yeah, I was like.
Speaker D:I was like, this is stupid.
Speaker D:Why are they.
Speaker D:And then I watched it the second time, actually trying to disguise himself.
Speaker B:Yeah, no, I thought.
Speaker B:I thought that worked.
Speaker C:And in case you missed it, on the.
Speaker C:The whole, you know, stating the theme or whatever.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:And the growth.
Speaker C:You see that with slam.
Speaker C:Oh, Santa, here's your wallet.
Speaker B:Well, yeah, that was a good beat.
Speaker B:I thought that was a good beat.
Speaker B:You know, I was like, that's.
Speaker B:I mean, yeah, that's a good start.
Speaker C:Let's build some real minimum with that.
Speaker B:Yes, that's right.
Speaker B:I just love it.
Speaker B:All right, so now we have the high tower surprise.
Speaker B:So we storm in the castle, and you always have a high tower surprise setback.
Speaker B:North Cut fires the elves and shuts down.
Speaker B:So they pull the plug.
Speaker B:And now I think we're flying dark up here.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker B:You know, I thought that was.
Speaker D:I can't believe it.
Speaker D:I actually have that as the hightower surprise, baby.
Speaker D:North cut cuts the power to the north.
Speaker B:Yeah, north cut.
Speaker B:Cutting the north, you know.
Speaker C:Oh, I didn't even catch that.
Speaker C:Very nice.
Speaker B:About halfway through.
Speaker B:Very nice, nice.
Speaker C:And then he's cutting the North Pole off.
Speaker C:Oh, yeah, that's excellent.
Speaker D:He tells all the elves.
Speaker D:Go back to Elfistan or wherever you're from.
Speaker C: Funny man again,: Speaker C:Not now, but yeah, that's funny.
Speaker C:Me?
Speaker B:Well, she.
Speaker B:She was just watching something on YouTube before we started this.
Speaker B:Some guy was being interviewed.
Speaker B:The guy who did Airplane, the movie Airplane, whatever.
Speaker B:Why Hollywood can't take a joke anymore.
Speaker B:Yeah, you know, whatever.
Speaker C:Ridiculous.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's a whole nother podcast.
Speaker B:So the.
Speaker B:The dig deep down after the high tower surprise.
Speaker B:You have a dig deep down.
Speaker B:We're Flying bright blind up here.
Speaker B:Santa knows north Cut.
Speaker B:Made the naughty list in 68.
Speaker B:So you have this whole sequence of.
Speaker B:I I made a mistake.
Speaker B:You know.
Speaker B:You wanted a cake misguided.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:You asked me for a Superman cake.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Four Eyed Clyde is probably what they called you and you wanted to be Superman.
Speaker B:I wanted to be Clark Kent.
Speaker C:You know that scene gets me.
Speaker B:Oh I love that.
Speaker C:That one gets me.
Speaker C:As far as the tears were just the this ridiculous movie but these two actors selling it like they're in an academy award winning movie.
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:The way they just nail it with Giamatti and Spacy.
Speaker B:You're not going to get mailing it in.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Oh I got a role.
Speaker B:I got three lines.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Those three lines are.
Speaker B:He's going to invest 100.
Speaker B:That's professionals man.
Speaker B:That's.
Speaker C:I just love you would need those darn glasses anymore.
Speaker C:But you.
Speaker C:What do you say you decided to make you didn't get the cape and you decided to be remain for eyed cloudy more only cuz Kirk can't wear glasses.
Speaker C:Like gets me every time.
Speaker C:I love it.
Speaker C:Absolutely making fun of me.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:I was getting teary eyed over there.
Speaker C:I'm like you shut your face woman.
Speaker C:I'm watching this just.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:I'm my.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Now Spacey put it on.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Spacey just having been angry.
Speaker B:He.
Speaker B:I don't.
Speaker B:He acts like he doesn't even know he does it.
Speaker B:He tells him to put on the cape and he says he calls him Mr.
Speaker B:Claus.
Speaker C:Oh nice.
Speaker C:I didn't catch that.
Speaker B:You see?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Because.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:He says Mr.
Speaker C:Claus I'm a 44 year old man or whatever.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:I didn't realize it was Mr.
Speaker C:Claus.
Speaker B:All of a sudden.
Speaker B:It's the awe and respect.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:The whole time.
Speaker C:It's good stuff.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:So nothing.
Speaker C:Nothing James in that scene.
Speaker C:Nothing.
Speaker C:You're like why is the scene in here should have been cut.
Speaker B:At this point?
Speaker B:James was out.
Speaker B:I was.
Speaker B:I was pulled in by the feels and yeah.
Speaker B:And James was.
Speaker D:You know it's a great sing well acted the whole thing.
Speaker B:It was in color.
Speaker C:It's just focus this movie.
Speaker D:This movie varied in tones so drastically.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:It had tried to walk a line.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And did it wobble?
Speaker B:Maybe.
Speaker D:But yeah.
Speaker D:This is a great scene.
Speaker C:Sure.
Speaker D:Just I don't know the one that.
Speaker C:Every kid deserves a You know.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Those are two my two favorite scenes in like the whole movie.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:I could see.
Speaker B:Nobody could see it.
Speaker B:Nobody can see it in our viewing audience.
Speaker B:But James has A black hat on.
Speaker B:And I think.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker C:Wearing all black.
Speaker B:You wear all black.
Speaker D:It's different shades of gray.
Speaker B:Gold hearted city.
Speaker B:I'm teasing.
Speaker A:Anyway, well, I'll just say.
Speaker A:When he put that cape on, I.
Speaker B:Was like, oh, right, of course.
Speaker C:You know, I kind of wanted the music like the older Reeve.
Speaker C:Superman music.
Speaker C:Because he goes over there, puts his hands on his hips, and when he turns it up.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I thought that was.
Speaker B:I would hope that would be scripted, but if.
Speaker B:If not spacey.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Sold it.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker D:I don't.
Speaker D:I don't know if you noticed this, but when they're having the fam.
Speaker D:The uncomfortable family dinner that North Cut goes to.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker D:When mom is just praising on Nick.
Speaker B:Yeah, sure.
Speaker D:You know, flying around like Superman.
Speaker D:He does the Superman pose.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker D:North cut.
Speaker D:Sitting right there going, okay, this guy.
Speaker D:Yeah, he's Superman.
Speaker D:I wanted to be Superman.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Nice.
Speaker D:You know, it's a little bit more.
Speaker C:Yeah, that's good.
Speaker B:That's good.
Speaker C:I did notice the Superman pose, but I didn't think about how North Cut would feel about it.
Speaker B:Yeah, I didn't either.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's.
Speaker B:That's brilliant.
Speaker C:This.
Speaker D:See, I'm bringing something to it.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:No, you love this movie.
Speaker D:I really watched it.
Speaker D:I really tried to try it.
Speaker B:No, no, that's fine.
Speaker C:As soon as you said that earlier about.
Speaker C:You made all these notes about why it sucked, I was very curious.
Speaker C:I wanted to hear what you had to say about why it sucked.
Speaker D:Oh, no, no.
Speaker D:I just.
Speaker C:I wrote I like it way more than it deserves.
Speaker C:I mean, it is a silly movie, but I like it a lot.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:I basically just wrote standard notes with the timestamps on there.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:Where could you lose some of this?
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:It seemed like it was too long and it's.
Speaker D:I get it now with.
Speaker D:With how much you guys like it and all that.
Speaker D:I know we haven't even finished it yet, but it's like, what can you cut?
Speaker D:Right, Right.
Speaker D:Not much.
Speaker B:So he puts on the cape and it's Mr.
Speaker B:Claw.
Speaker B:Like I said, he calls him Mr.
Speaker B:Claus, which I thought.
Speaker C:That is nice.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:The new plan.
Speaker C:So.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Take the glasses off.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:The hightower surprise to dig deep down.
Speaker B:And the execution of the new plan.
Speaker B:As part of this five stage storming the castle, breaking the three thing.
Speaker B:Superman turns the power back on.
Speaker B:Give him his shot because he's not a naughty kid either.
Speaker B:But the.
Speaker B:The power is on, but it doesn't solve the problem.
Speaker B:There's the power fails.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker D:At that point, what's that called if.
Speaker D:If the.
Speaker D:If the Hightower surprise was north cut.
Speaker D:Cutting the power.
Speaker D:And then Superman, you know, quote unquote, Superman turns it back on.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:And then it fails.
Speaker D:Is that another Hightower surprise?
Speaker B:Well, it's.
Speaker B:It's the execution of the new plan.
Speaker B:And that's not going to be the new plan.
Speaker B:The new plan.
Speaker C:Because Fred still has to do it himself.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:It can't be bailed out by Norsecut.
Speaker B:Yes, there is.
Speaker B:It's all.
Speaker B:To me.
Speaker B:It works.
Speaker B:And it's delivered in one line.
Speaker B:Fred and Willie are in the sled and down.
Speaker B:Now they are flying blind.
Speaker B:They're gonna have to do it themselves.
Speaker B:And so there's a scene where they're zipping around like lightning fast and the sun is rising behind them.
Speaker B:And to me, it really worked as a scene.
Speaker B:It got me again.
Speaker B:Willie says, Fred.
Speaker B:Fred.
Speaker B:And he says, I know, Willie.
Speaker B:I know.
Speaker B:And he's faster.
Speaker B:Faster.
Speaker B:To me that.
Speaker B:That.
Speaker B:That one little exchange again feels were right there.
Speaker D:Because they had to have it done by certain time.
Speaker B:Has to be done by sunrise.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:5:30 north time or whatever.
Speaker B:Or they do not fulfill and efficiency expert can shut them down.
Speaker D:Which.
Speaker D:What time zone is the North Pole in?
Speaker D:In winter, does the sun rise at all?
Speaker D:Especially around Christmas.
Speaker B:The international date line is in like some little town in England.
Speaker B:It actually has a line down the center of the street.
Speaker B:But it.
Speaker B:The.
Speaker B:The.
Speaker B:Where they set all the other times.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:Is.
Speaker B:Is actually.
Speaker B:And it.
Speaker B:And the line runs down a street in.
Speaker B:In this little town in England.
Speaker B:And so they've got like a brass rail or something running down the center of the street.
Speaker B:Like it's a physical location.
Speaker C:Cool.
Speaker D:But in the North Pole, there is no sunrise in the dead of winter.
Speaker B:Yeah, I don't.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:That's what I.
Speaker B:Well, he's funny.
Speaker A:That too.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:North Pole time.
Speaker A:It didn't seem like he was going to around the world.
Speaker A:It was like he was going.
Speaker B:You know, even a male route will have the most efficient.
Speaker C:Fred.
Speaker C:Fred doing it though.
Speaker B:It's Fred, right?
Speaker B:I know, Willie.
Speaker B:I know.
Speaker B:I thought.
Speaker B:I thought it sold Sunrise.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:I have this section.
Speaker B:As the boys are back in town, Willie enters the bar, kisses the girl.
Speaker B:And now she remembers his name.
Speaker B:You know, I thought.
Speaker B:And then Fred comes in.
Speaker B:We did it to the snow globe.
Speaker B:Christmas joy, blah, blah, blah.
Speaker B:You know, everybody's cheering and I'm.
Speaker B:I'm crying.
Speaker B:And James is shaking his head saying this thing.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:How much more time is left in this movie?
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:So closing image.
Speaker B:Satisfaction at giving rather than taking.
Speaker B:We already talked about this.
Speaker B:You are the best big brother anybody could ever ask for.
Speaker B:So all these loose ends are now tied up, reunited, and it feels so good.
Speaker B:Him and his girlfriend get back together.
Speaker B:At least we.
Speaker B:I wrote down at least we had Paris.
Speaker B:It's a quote from, you know, whatever.
Speaker B:They go to Paris Northcutt, on the job as a consultant, wears his cape underneath his sweater.
Speaker B:Willie and Charlene are together.
Speaker B:Fred and Slam.
Speaker C:His comment about the Paris, though, is this okay.
Speaker C:They were doing that.
Speaker C:It's a perks of job.
Speaker B:It's company vehicle.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker C:Nice.
Speaker B:I thought it was good.
Speaker B:Willie and Charlene are together.
Speaker B:Fred and Slam.
Speaker B:Slam gets a family of his own.
Speaker B:Fred's family is back together.
Speaker B:His mother is still being his mother.
Speaker C:But he's a little bit better.
Speaker C:But main.
Speaker B:But he's.
Speaker B:He's okay.
Speaker C:Only pick her eyes out, man.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:But he hugs her.
Speaker B:I know mine, you know, whatever, you know, all loose ends tied up.
Speaker B:The return of Chirp Chirp.
Speaker B:I almost cheered.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So even Chirp Chirp comes back.
Speaker C:So the narrator is a fucking liar.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Well, Chirp never returned.
Speaker C:But he did.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:All loose ends tied up.
Speaker B:Return of trip trips.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:And.
Speaker D:And that's when I thought Charlene was the problem because now they're updated with computers, emails, Internet.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:And Charlene has no calculators in her hand anymore.
Speaker D:She's just running around with Willie.
Speaker D:So I think she was a problem at the North Pole.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Man, talk about modern day.
Speaker B:This is me being a cynic.
Speaker B:I didn't really think this, but Willie walks up and just grabs Charlene and kisses her.
Speaker B:I'm like, that's inappropriate touching.
Speaker B:You didn't get her permission to kiss her.
Speaker B:You can't just walk up to a co worker and kiss him.
Speaker B:You know, in my mind, I'm being sarcastic, of course, but of course, you know, workplace North Pole rules, baby.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker D:Over in Alpha Stan, they have different.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Wherever the hell you're from, that is Fred Claus.
Speaker B:Red Claus.
Speaker D:And, well, I think I made my.
Speaker D:My feelings on it pretty clear.
Speaker D:I.
Speaker D:Help me figure out why I didn't.
Speaker B:Well, you're going to love this, James.
Speaker B:So this podcast used to be an hour.
Speaker B:We tried to make it.
Speaker B:We set out with the idea that we're going to make this an hour 88 minutes.
Speaker B:Then it was like an hour and five.
Speaker B:Hour and ten.
Speaker B:If you look at our episodes, they get progressively longer.
Speaker C:We're at 88 minutes.
Speaker B:88 minutes.
Speaker C:I'm guessing we are at one hour.
Speaker B:And 30 minutes, sir.
Speaker D:90 minutes.
Speaker C:There was a lot of a n.
Speaker C:Tight holiday.
Speaker B:We're as long as the movie.
Speaker B:Yeah, we talked about this movie.
Speaker B:As long as the movie is.
Speaker D:And we were way more entertaining.
Speaker B:We hope so.
Speaker B:There was a lot of.
Speaker C:We did not have Elizabeth Banks, you.
Speaker D:Know, so that's true.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:We, we.
Speaker B:We did have some talk at the beginning that you know.
Speaker B:But yeah, this is.
Speaker C:Yeah, you'll trim it up and you know.
Speaker C:Well, yeah, cut out all our inappropriate stuff and.
Speaker C:No.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:If we get right to the pocket.
Speaker B:But I always like that banter that we have.
Speaker D:If you cut out all of my stuff, it'll be a tight, tight hour.
Speaker B:Oh my God.
Speaker D:And I would get it.
Speaker B:No, understand.
Speaker B:It will drop from there because I truncate silence where I take out any pause that's longer than half a second.
Speaker C:You got anything to.
Speaker C:To add?
Speaker A:Despite the more you talk about that, though, you're gonna have to cut this.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:Yeah, let's cut this out.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:So pass.
Speaker B:Consider.
Speaker B:Recommend.
Speaker B:I recommend it.
Speaker B:I love this movie.
Speaker B:But apparently I am in the minority with even the critics and the fans and James.
Speaker B:But I'm a sucker.
Speaker B:I'm a sucker for the feels.
Speaker B:If you get me with the feels, I'm entirely forgiving.
Speaker D:Okay, that's awesome.
Speaker D:I'm going to pass.
Speaker D:And I think this could have been better.
Speaker D:Like it just right if it was edited.
Speaker D:Story wise.
Speaker D:This, like we say in the trailer or like I say in the trailer, it works on paper.
Speaker D:I just don't like it.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:This is a good example.
Speaker B:There you go.
Speaker C:Yeah, it's a.
Speaker C:It's a recommend.
Speaker C:Yeah, it's a silly little Christmas movie, but.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:I don't know.
Speaker C:I guess a lot of what Phil said, I guess it hits me in the feels.
Speaker C:And you know, I just like that you got these a, you know, a list, you know, high caliber actors, you know, selling it, you know, in this silly little movie.
Speaker D:Sure.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:I highly recommend.
Speaker A:This was the first time, like I said, the first time I ever saw it.
Speaker A:When I watched the trailer, I was drawn in by all the actors that were in it.
Speaker A:Kathy Bates, Kevin Spacey, of course, and, and you were talking about feel good or something.
Speaker A:That really got to you.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker A:What actually got to me was the scene when they go to the globe and you talked about it so fast I didn't get a chance to say my piece about it.
Speaker B:Sorry.
Speaker A:When they go and run to the.
Speaker A:What is it?
Speaker A:The snow globe to watch the Kids open their presents.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:I immediately went back to when I was a child.
Speaker A:That's exactly what I just sat there and you know about.
Speaker A:Get teary eyed how remembering Christmas when I was.
Speaker B:Sure, sure.
Speaker A:And it just, you know.
Speaker B:Well, and I think that was.
Speaker B:They.
Speaker B:They wanted you to be united with kids who weren't listened to.
Speaker B:I mean, who would not feel for an orphan or a misunderstood person, you know?
Speaker B:And so.
Speaker B:So, so the movie may not be as good as we're saying, but they knew to poke us in the places that are going to make us feel.
Speaker B:And so now we love our feelings and we're transferring that to the movie.
Speaker B:And I guarantee that's what they wanted.
Speaker D:A lot of that has to do with the soundtrack score.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker D:Music bringing up at the right moment.
Speaker D:They manipulate your feelings tremendously.
Speaker B:And minor key will make you cry.
Speaker D:I.
Speaker D:I think I'm immune to that.
Speaker B:Yeah, sure.
Speaker D:Because I listen to so much music and I do so much music.
Speaker B:I'm not.
Speaker D:Tricks.
Speaker D:That's how they get you.
Speaker A:When I was watching it, I.
Speaker A:I didn't notice until like, I don't know, over halfway through, I'm sitting there smiling the whole time.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker A:And you know, like you said earlier, I started it on a late Friday night watching it, thinking, okay, I might fall asleep.
Speaker A:I can finish it tomorrow.
Speaker A:Oh, I was wide awake the whole time.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And then of course, after I finished it and you woke up and I said, that was really good.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:I really enjoyed it.
Speaker B:Well, we are, we are, we are sheep.
Speaker B:Apparently subject to the manipulations of the.
Speaker B:Of the cinema machine.
Speaker B:And James.
Speaker B:James wants to be our.
Speaker B:The guy that rescues us from the.
Speaker D:That's right.
Speaker B:The pitfalls of.
Speaker D:Listen to me.
Speaker D:You'll be all right.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Go through.
Speaker B:Go through logic.
Speaker B:Not your emotion anyway.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:Anything.
Speaker C:We just need the Superman cape, man.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:Hey, you know, I did ask for my Superman cape was a drum set.
Speaker D:I always wanted a drum set.
Speaker C:You didn't get it.
Speaker D:I never got a drum set because they were too loud.
Speaker D:You couldn't turn them down.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker D:So my parents got me a guitar.
Speaker D:You could turn a guitar down.
Speaker D:And now that I'm almost 40, guess what I have drums, guitars, everything.
Speaker D:So I get what I want.
Speaker B:I don't need charity.
Speaker B:I don't need.
Speaker B:Yeah, no, you're.
Speaker C:You're like Fred Claus and North cut.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:I just.
Speaker D:I relied on myself.
Speaker D:I took Fred's advice.
Speaker D:Can't count on anybody.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:So maybe that's it.
Speaker D:Maybe I.
Speaker D:Maybe I'm due this year for a Christmas Carols type situation where I'm to review my life.
Speaker C:All right, nice.
Speaker D:Get a heart.
Speaker C:Grinch.
Speaker C:You know?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:That's all I'm feeling.
Speaker C:What is happening to me?
Speaker B:Poor James.
Speaker C:I'm leaking.
Speaker C:All right.
Speaker B:You know anything else?
Speaker B:No.
Speaker C:No.
Speaker C:Merry Christmas.
Speaker D:Merry Christmas.
Speaker B:I hope people will enjoy this podcast as much as we do.
Speaker C:Yeah, be like.
Speaker C:Be like the three of us.
Speaker C:Not like James.
Speaker C:Hope you enjoy it.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker C:If you don't like Fred Claus, maybe you should skip this podcast.
Speaker C:Not the whole thing, just this one.
Speaker D:Yeah, well, too late.
Speaker D:They already listened to it.
Speaker C:That's true.
Speaker C:If you're hearing this part, you messed up.
Speaker B:There's time.
Speaker B:You're never getting back, people.
Speaker C:That's right.
Speaker B:All right, that's Fred Claus.
Speaker B:And we are out.
Speaker D:I was like, I think Chris picked this to with us.
Speaker B:Have a little integrity, dude.
Speaker B:But that's bad news.
Speaker B:There's nothing good on that page anyway.
Speaker D:Okay.
Speaker B:The dude with the problem is an innocent hero.
Speaker D:No, I wasn't surprised at all.
Speaker B:No, I understand that.
Speaker D:I watched it once.
Speaker D:No, thanks.
Speaker D:So I'm broken is what you're saying.
Speaker C:Two hands.
Speaker B:Two hands on the rock, Charlene, Santa's little helper.
Speaker D:Because it doesn't seem like such a chore and a burden, an emotional well, I'm feeling.
Speaker C:What is happening to me.
