Screen Cares Season 2, Episode Father’s Day Transcript

Originally Aired Father's Day June 18, 2023

Intro

(music) This is Screen Cares. I'm Jennie and I'm Sarah. And we welcome you to our place to connect beyond the screen and watch better together.

Sarah: Have you ever felt like dads just get zero credit? Because I'm, I've been living in that a little bit. What about you?

Jennie: You know, I kind of feel like they get credit for some things, but I think by and large, like the movies and the ads and kind of culture as a whole definitely is like, “Ugh, dads. Moms have to explain everything,” and I don't think that's fair. I think they're just doing stuff that we don't all necessarily see or understand. It's like those acts of kindness, love, language.

Sarah: I mean, we just had Mother's Day, a whole shebang you know, we did two episodes on Screen Cares. And then we were just planning for our season to be done then my dad was like, “are you going to be talking about fathers?” and it was like…pregnant pause. I hadn't thought about it.

Jennie: You know, I think that kind of speaks to something too, I do a lot of times is I won't even realize that my husband or my dad might also like, have feelings about stuff like that. Cuz they usually are kinda…

Sarah: They do have feelings, men.

Jennie: They do. I know it. It's one of those things where I don't even think about it and I don't even realize that I'm not like honoring their feelings and their experience as much as I would like any woman or friend or whatever. So I'm so glad your dad kind of spoke up and called us on it.

Sarah: I'm glad we're doing this. It's interesting. I was, just trying to get like actual stats and I didn't get them. I kept seeing generalized stats about how different the amount of money Americans spend on Mother's Day versus Father's Day. The only answer that I came up with this, you know, bright and shiny morning, is that it's a lot more for Mother's Day.

Jennie: A lot more. You mean dads aren't getting bouquets of carnations on, on Sunday.

Sarah: I know. And they have to grill their own stuff for their own barbecue.

Jennie: Yeah. Well to be fair, my husband's, uh, my husband's ask for Father's Day was, can we just get some stuff done around the house and not spend too much money?

Sarah: You know, that's probably Alex. His perspective too. Awkwardly, I don't think we even talked about what are we doing? Like I have a present for him. I'm so excited about his present. But yeah, we didn't talk about the eating and that's like, you know, that's like our love language in this house is like the, the meal, right?

Jennie: Right. Oh, absolutely. So we are doing a very special bonus Father's Day episode today for Screen Cares and to make it extra super-duper special we are moving beyond our normal Screen Shares Ratings, and creating a special rating just for you dads out there. We're creating a Dad Screen Rating today, Sarah, and we are going to share some movies we think are great to watch with dad, as well as some super special movies that we really enjoy watching with our dad, and we're going to share one of our favorite movie dads. Each of us has our own, and it's one of the double feature, you know, things where we're surprising each other. So you know more if you've read the title of this episode than I know right now about what Sarah's gonna pick.

Sarah: Okay, so is that like a lead in for me to go first? Is that what we're doing?

Jennie: I think so. So you know it's not Work Screen, it's not Little Screen, it's not Family Screen, it's not Love Screen. It's not Buddy Screen, it's not Solo Screen, it's Dad's Screen. So do you wanna start us off, Sarah, with some Dad's Screen movies that you wanna share?

Sarah: I thought a lot about this because, I have a lot of father figures in my life. You know, my actual dad. And then I have two father-in-laws, and then of course my husband, who is the father of my kids, and I asked them all for their favorite movies and will go into that later. But when I did that, I realized how broadly different dads are and yes, as you were, you and I were talking about dads do like the Bond films they do like, that sort of thing.

But I wanted to try to think a little bit outside of the box. I will give you a few movies that I came up with that I think are really great Dad screen movies. Number one is Hustle. Super love this movie. It's like really entertaining. There's a great dad character who's really, struggling with working so much. He has to travel a lot for his job. There is the sports in that movie. I don't know too much about it, but it looked great when I watched it. It would definitely be a good movie to watch with a father figure in your life.

Minari, just because any movie that features the actor that played Glenn in Walking Dead is a movie that's good in my book. Also a dad who's trying to do the best by his kids, really living outside of his comfort zone, being in a new country, deciding to be a farmer, even though he's from Korea and now living in rural, I believe middle America.

Logan because, you know, that is, I mean, Wolverine, I, all I need to say is Wolverine. And then also finds out, he kind of is probably the dad of, kind of spoiler alert, of a major character in that movie.

And then I will add, I will add two more. One is Moonlight, again, because I think that not every father in everybody's life is a good one. But this sort of father figure plays a pivotal role in another person's life in their sort of, understanding of who they are. And there's great music and the acting is great, and it's just really fun to watch. I think it would stretch some dads out of their comfort zone.

The last one that I'm gonna add is because I refuse to add a James Bond movie on my list. Like I know they like them, they're great. Sure, sure, sure, sure. But what I would like to actually add to add in some, uh, adventure would be The Kingsman. I know that not everybody likes them, but they do a lot of what is great about Bond movies. it's funny, it doesn't take itself seriously and it's got Colin Firth in action and they're pretty ladies and explosions and bloody scenes. I think it deserves to be on a list.

Jennie: I love this list. Sarah, this is great. So just to be clear, this is the list that you created and that not necessarily the ones that your dad or father figures shared with you, right? Oh, no. Okay, great. None of these are on their lists.

Great. Yeah. Yeah. It probably wouldn't be. Well, so yeah, when I told my husband, I was like, okay, so we wanna pick a movie that we wanna watch with our dads, but it's also about relationships between children and dads. He's like, I don't know if you have created a list that's possible. He was like, James Bond, James Bond, James Bond, Top Gun. And so, right. I was like, okay, well maybe you're right. So, my list of, Dad Screen movies is really, really, really long. And I'm not gonna do all of them, but I will put them on the show notes so that you can still read them in case you need some good flavor, some choices for different people.

And I'm gonna start strong with my very first Dad movie, which is The Little Mermaid. I don't know how old the kids are, you're gonna be watching these movies with, but when I was little, I loved a Little Mermaid, and I remember my dad taking me in theaters to see it and I thought that the dad just didn't understand Ariel.

And so whether it's the animated one or the new one, the new Little Mermaid, I think it's a really fun pick because you know, Ariel learns that yes, her dad was being overprotective, but it's because having legs is dangerous and it's, it's just, that's why that was the main point of the movie. So I say, and boys. Boys too, boys. Ugh. Fish, boys, people, boys trouble. The Little Mermaid, I think is a really, really, really great pick.

One that my kids wanted on the list because they absolutely love this movie. It's one of those movies we have in our car, so they watch it. If, if ever they're waiting for someone is the movie, Hook where Peter Pan grows up. Oh, and he himself has kids then and he's forgotten what it's like to be a kid. And the evil Captain Hook tries to take his children and convince them that he's a better dad. Robin Williams' character Peter Pan, has to win his kids back by connecting with his inner childhood.

So like, winner, winner. Good job kids. I thought that was a really great pick that I didn't see on any dad's day list because I know we said at Screen Cares, we don't do lists, but special occasions require special things.

Okay my husband's pick was Talladega Nights. He, he, he was like, why don't you Talladega Nights? I'm like, well, he's a terrible dad. And he was like, well, yeah. And so I think, like you said, not all dads are great, but I think Talladega Nights is fun. So we're getting some range here, some different, things that you could watch.

And then, this is a great, great, great movie that I think I've recommended you watch before, and it's Mitchells Versus the Machines. I really, oh, I love that so much. I love this movie and I think that the dad is really standup in it. I think that the family dynamics are awesome and also a shout out to our previous episodes Captain Fantastic. Sarah had that in season one. I recommend that as well. Circle back, listen to our episode, watch the movie. Really great stuff.

Sarah: Oh, love that. That's such a great list and I like that you rounded it out because as I was sharing my list, I realized, huh, not all of these would be great for people to watch, but they're like father figures if they are not in their twenties or late teens.

Right. So I'm really glad that she brought like a good range. So I think combine Jennie's list and my list, and I think you'll have a really great, well-rounded selection there. You alluded to this, so I need to know Justin's favorite movies or your dad's favorite movies. Like, I need to know, what cinematic world are they coming from that, has maybe influenced my good friend Jennie. Like, I need to know what are their favorite movies.

Jennie: Well, I think, as you know, if you've listened to other episodes, I was having a hard time coming up with a unique movie to discuss today because I've already talked about a lot of movies that I've watched with my dad, that being The Shining and The Birds and myriad other movies that I watched before I was a teenager that maybe most people haven't.

And so that was definitely in line whenever I asked Justin, he was like, He likes a lot of movies. He, he enjoys everything we ever watch on Screen Cares. He has diverse taste, but if he's gonna get to just veg out and watch stuff, it's gonna be all the James Bond. It's going to be kind of Top Gun, Die Hard- esque type things.

And I get that. My dad's choices when I texted him, Hey dad, like, what are your three favorite movies? Again, in keeping with Justin's point about these not being warm, fuzzy feelingsy Father's Day movies. These are the three movies that my dad sent me, which I remember watching every single one of these with him, and that is One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. So warm and fuzzy. Pillow talk. Pillow talk.

Sarah: Oh no.

Jennie: I dunno if you've seen that. It's too soon. Number two was a I'm sorry. I'm such a bad person. Um, you're not. It's because I watched it before I was a teenager. Like, what can I do? Apocalypse Now. Which nice. Good movies. I mean, these are good movies.

Jennie: And then the left, cheerful, cheerful, cheerful, cheerful, yes. Sunday afternoon movies and then the last one is Silence of the Lambs, which oh my God.

Sarah: Another cheerful movies. There's a dad figure, there's like a father ish figure there.

Jennie: Are you saying Hannibal left? That is a father’s figure?

Sarah: Yeah. I mean, well not Buffalo Bill.

Jennie: No, no, no, no. But yeah, so, oh, and then the other movie my dad said, he's like, Well, we always used to watch Nightmare on Elm Street together, and I was like, yeah, I know we did. And he was like, what he said was, well, you know, you always snuggled extra close whenever we watched those. And I was like, that's really sweet.

I can understand the appeal of watching scary movies with your kids. But also I re-watched the trailer for Nightmare on Elm Street yesterday, and I was like, as someone whose main goal every day is just to get my kids to go to sleep. A movie made on the premise, if you sleep, someone will murder you, is like, I, my mind boggles as a parent now to think like, why would you do that to yourself?

Like, right. Why? So this is my day and then like 47 of them. I know, I know, I know. So this is, this is my dad's, this is my dad's list. I love it and I love it. And they're all fun. And, these are his movies. I'm fascinated to know, could your dad and my dad like jive on movie taste, or what are your dad's favorite selection?

Sarah: So first I have to say I love your dad's picks. Like it is very evident that this is a person who knows good movies. Mm-hmm. Who wants like an engaging story that's gonna get you. And I feel like there's, even in the shining, there's kind of heart in it. Yeah. Or else like, we wouldn't be scared, we wouldn't feel the way that we feel if there weren't.

You know, positive feelings there too. So, I don't know. I, I really like your dad's list and I mean, I will support anything that has, like a Francis Ford Coppola who, you know, he chose good movies, so like he did, he really did. Props to your dad's list. I like it a lot. My dad, I'm trying to think how to put this.

And I don't know how, so I'm just gonna give you my dad's list. It's an unusual list, and I'm not actually joking when I tell you that these are his favorite movies. That was my question. What are your favorite movies? And this is what my father said to me. Das Boot, which is an extremely long movie. Not cheerful either. What About Bob? And The Man Who Would Be King. For What about Bob to be the most recent of the movies, you can tell that my dad likes classic movies. He likes weird, quirky stories. And the reason why he liked these cuz I was like, huh?

What, what was it that you liked about those? He said it was the interplay between Bob and Dr. Marvin in What about Bob? For Das Boot, it was the realism and the cinematography. And this sounds so much like my dad. I was like, why do you like The Man Who Would be King? And Alex pointed out, well, you know, it was referenced in, all of the X-Men movies.

So I guess that's a little cool factor, but that is not why my dad said it. My dad said “it is a rollicking action adventure yarn. And I like the scenery.”

Jennie: So, I absolutely love this and also this really like I'm seeing such a strong thread between his movies and. The movies that my, my dear friend Sarah picks like this completely tracks, not that you've ever picked Doss Boot for us, but that really thoughtful, kind of attention to both, like the form of the movie as well as like the actual characters in it.

And there's a, that's a diverse range. What About Bob is definitely the like fun Sunday movie of that. I love that list. Have you talked to him about it or just texted.

Sarah: We were just texting back and forth because I felt like I needed to also, because I knew that his picks would be on the more unusual side. I also wanted to hear about the other dad's figures in my life too, to see what they would say. And like before I tell you my, did Justin share his, did he have like a list of three to share with you?

Jennie: He did not give me a list of three, although I did say, what movies did you like watching with your dad and, they, they always watch things very much. Like, What about Bob? And then I love this, one of Justin's dad's favorite movies is Legally Blonde and That's adorable. It's the best. It's just, is it cause of Reece Witherspoon? It's because he just, Likes it. Like he, he has a really, his family has pretty quirky taste. They like those things that are like, kind of funny, like gotcha humor kind of movies. So that was definitely, his vibe on it. and he, he really enjoys watching. Justin enjoys watching action films with the kids. So this is, you know, it makes sense. So what about your other list? What did, did Alex give you a list?

Sarah: He did. So Alex's three favorite movies of all time. This, these weren't movies that he wanted to necessarily watch with the kids, but they were Lord of the Rings. He put all of them together in one. Yep. Fifth Element and The Jerk. Alex's dad, interestingly, also chose Lord of the Rings. He didn't know Alex's list, I don't think. Groundhog's Day. So we have two Bill Murray movies on all these lists.

And then Dr. Strangelove, which I'm like, dang it, I was gonna cover that movie next season. And then Alex's stepdad has very different tastes from. My dad or Alex's dad and his three movies are Enter the Dragon, Dirty Harry and Above the Law.

Jennie: These are great lists. I, I think these are real. I love Enter the Dragon. 

Sarah: Um, I do too. Yeah. Actually I like Dirty Harry. Yeah. And Above the Law is ridiculous and fun.

Jennie: Yeah. Oh yeah. Another movie that I know Justin likes watching with his dad is, they, they watched Charlie And The Chocolate Factory was one that Justin and his sister would watch when they were younger, but also Blazing Saddles.

Sarah: Oh yes. Oh totally. Oh, that's so funny. It's so funny.

Jennie: So, okay, looking at all of these lists, I'm first off very, very thankful to all the dads who shared their lists. I think this is just fun, but I also think it really highlights the fact that dads are not a singularity. Dads are not just one thing, just like moms are not one thing. They have all sorts of different interests and loves and passions, and they value different things in movies and. I think that that's just a really important thing to remember that dads have unique feelings and thoughts and experience with movies because every one of those movies we just listed has a special story about the first time they watched it.

I know, I remember my dad talking about watching One Flew Over a Cuckoo's Nest with his brother. That was something that they used to like to go watch movies together and it makes it, you know, kind of a. A family connection, a memory that you can share by, you know, even if it's a movie that's violent or scary or whatever, watching it through the generations connects you guys with those stories. And I think it's really special.

Sarah: Yeah, no, it really does. And I think something that I've really enjoyed about your picks actually this season, um, is how you've really. I think done a really great job of reminding us that these movie, watching experiences that we have that might feel really casual at the time, it's just like, hey, like, you know, let's pick a movie.

Or, even maybe slightly less casual, but not formal, you know, and I'm talking about like, Hey, it's your birthday. Like let's watch a movie together. Let's watch The Birds. I think in all of those experiences, you have reminded us that that's still like a memory making experience. You are creating, comfort with your family members or your loved ones.

When you're watching a movie together. You are creating conversation when you're getting to talk about it, not only about what you think about the movie. Did you like it? Did you not, you know, what are your thoughts about it? But also in just like, why are you choosing the movies that you choose? And I think that I've really appreciated that about your picks this season because you have reminded us that there are great conversations that happen.

I, I mean, I'm just thinking about when you were talking about even like your grandmother's china that gets referenced. Like all of these things that you know are things that might not necessarily come up in a normal everyday conversation or a normal everyday dinner. So I think basically what I'm saying is Let's keep watching movies with our dads.

Let's keep watching movies with our father figures and with everybody in our life and keep talking about them because, oh my gosh, this is actually an opportunity for substance. I think that we forget that sometimes.

Jennie: Oh, Sarah, that's so well put. Because it doesn't actually matter what the movie is. It matters who you're watching it with, which is why we have our Screen Shares Rating. It’s why we have Dad Screen this, episode. And so to highlight dads that we really like in film, we also gave ourselves the assignment of picking out a movie dad that maybe we're not gonna talk about the whole movie, but who is a movie dad that you would wanna watch movies with or a movie dad that kind of maybe remind you of your dad or, a movie dad, movie dad of the day for Sarah era.

Sarah: So I tried really hard not to pick. Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird because it's on all the annoying lists. But I love that movie so much. I love the book. I really wanna choose Atticus Finch, but instead of being a thoughtful person today, I'm going to be sillier.

My choice is, the elf dad from Elf. Oh, I love it. And. I think, you know, we don't see him that much in the movie. And I'm not talking about like the bio dad, and he's great too. But I'm talking about, the adopted el dad that adopts this giant Will Ferrell and lets him go on his journey, supports him through everything.

And when I think about my dad, I think that, Hey, we are not completely alike. We think about things very differently. And I've made choices that I know that he doesn't always like and appreciate and some that might be really hard for him. But yet through all of that, my dad has always been there and I've never worried is my dad going to love me?

I've never worried. Is he going to, judge my choices? And. You know, stop wanting to spend time with me and no, just like, Elf's adopted dad. Even if I go on an adventure on my own or make some crazy choices, my dad will be there at the very end and he'll wanna be spending time with my kids.

And I think he has given me a very good understanding of what I want. How I wanted my children to be parented. And when I saw that movie, Elf, of course it's hilarious and sweet, but I was just like, that's my dad right there. Also, they kind of talk alike sometimes. So like I think there is sort of that, huh? He slightly remind me of my dad kind of thing.

Jennie: Oh my gosh. I love that. And another thing I remember from that movie, and tell me if this at all mirrors your relationship with your dad. I like how even though, Will Ferrell is a human and, and his dad is an elf, they still have kind of the same mannerisms and they still like, are similar and they're still interested in, you know, the machinery together and they connect over those comment experiences.

Sarah: Definitely, definitely. I think that Elf is an underrated movie. I know that like, yes, we watch it at holidays, but I feel like sometimes it might be fun to just break it out in the middle of the summer. You know, maybe it'll help you feel a little less hot and sweaty from, the summer heat by watching a movie that's, you know, takes place in winter.

And, Look at all the different kinds of dadhood. There are, because his actual bio dad, also very interesting relationship. That's not necessarily a wrong way to parent. I think he's a very different personality and he kind of comes around at the end too, and also learns to love this grown man that loves sugar and is a little bit childlike and, sort of is an affront to his New York sensibilities.

I think dadhood can look very different and still be great and still be meaningful. Oh, I love that so much. Okay Jennie, what's yours? So

Jennie: My movie Dad is a dad that also reminds me of my dad. And this is going back to season one again, and it is Frank Rossi from the movie Coda played by Troy Kotsur.

When you had me watch that movie last season, I was in all the tears. I was absolutely a mess. But that scene in particular where, and if you don't remember this, um, episode or you haven't watched the movie, Ruby is a hearing child of a deaf family. And so, Frank Rossi, her dad's character played by Troy Kotzur Can't hear, and Ruby loves singing and so he doesn't understand her completely, but he loves her and he wants to understand her.

And he goes out of his way to try to connect with her and the scene when they're sitting on the back of his truck and he, puts his hand to her throat so that, he can feel her singing the vibrations of her voice. And he wants to know what the words mean. And he tears up just because he, connecting with her, both over the words and the vibrations, but also the fact that they're like physically connecting.

And it just gave me kind of a, a throwback to whenever I used to ride around in my dad's truck, going to different home repair jobs. He owned a home repair business. And he also was really, A skilled builder and craftsman. And so that like hardworking dad going and teaching his daughter the skills, but also still trying to connect with me over whatever music I liked of the day.

Or, you know, taking my mom and I to art museums and connecting with me on my things. So Troy Kotzur played, playing Frank in the movie CODA.

Sarah: Oh my gosh, I love that choice so much. And you know what, I actually thought that that might be your choice, because I remember when you were talking about watching that movie and that scene and there was just something about the way that you were describing that scene and your dad that made me think that you're gonna pick this one.

And I'm really glad that you did because I think, gosh, it just highlights something really beautiful and special. And, I have actually seen some of that in your parenting of your boys, which is really kind of neat. The meeting your kid where they are kind of thing. Like I know that like, for instance, like maybe Minecraft might not be something that you, without your children being around thought, well, you know, let me look into this game.

This looks fun. Mm-hmm. Like, that's probably not something that you're going to. Run out and do on your own, but you try, you're interested, you wanna engage with them, and there's lots of things that your boys do where I see you trying to like, reach out and understand them, understand what it is that they love about that. And I'm guessing that it's because you, you know, had such a wonderful dad who did that with you.

Jennie: Well, I mean, same to you. I've like loved hearing some of the conversations you've shared that you have with your dad. You guys seem to have a really good, like, intellectual connection and I think that because of that, I hear you having really thoughtful respectful conversations with your kids as well. Like you always assume that they can handle whatever kind of depth of conversation. And I would guess that your dad probably did the same.

Sarah: Oh, there were lots of conversations. I mean, he was a preacher. Okay. So he was getting paid to talk, so, right. Yeah. And then he went to be social work, so like, this guy likes to talk. Oh, I absolutely love that. So I need to know about your dad, though. Does he have the, uh, the potty mouth of Troy Kotzur? If so, that makes me like him more.

Jennie: Um, my dad will swear he doesn't quite have that, that that level of, um, of swearing. Although he likes himself an inappropriate joke. He, you know what, I take that back. He absolutely, the number of times I've had him on like speaker phone in the car, I mean, like the kids are listening, like with whatever response. He said, and he's like, oh, oh, oh, sorry, sorry, sorry. So yeah, there's definitely that also, like my dad likes loud music and Troy Kotsur’s character had the, like, the rap blaring. Yes. My dad's not listening to rap, but I mean, definitely there's some like, turn it up, in the truck.

Sarah: Well, at least when you, I mean, you don't know, like you're not always with him. Don't know when he's driving around.

Jennie: You don't know. Maybe it's gangster rap. I don't know what he does. Oh my gosh. So we also gave ourselves the assignment of picking a very special movie. So we have our list of movies, we have our movie dad, but I'm interested to know, Sarah, what single movie did you pick out as the extra special movie? You either like watching with your dad or would like to watch with your dad.

Sarah: One of my favorite movie watching experiences with my dad, was to watch O’ Brother Where Art Thou. And I love that movie. I know we both love that movie cuz we've kind of talked about it offline before. It's a great movie. It's funny, it's a light movie. And what I wanted to do when I picked the movie was to pick something that I. I didn't want to try to make my dad stretch. I wanted to pick a movie where he was comfortable in the movie watching world that was created by the filmmakers. And he is a Coen Brothers fan through and through.

And I also just wanted to pick something where I'm not trying to sound patronizing cuz I'm afraid this might sound patronizing, but you know, like with our kids, when we tried to set up an environment where they're going to succeed, whether it's like for school or social stuff, whatever it is, like we're trying to do the things behind the scenes so that they have a good time.

I kind of felt like that's what I wanted to do. I could have picked a war movie cuz he loves war movies, he loves history like, but. You know, I didn't want him to feel sad. I didn't want him to be mired down in that, he was an English major in college, so he loves the literature.

I just wanted him to watch something where he felt like the expert that he is in something. Like he gets all the jokes that are in that movie because of his literature stuff. And he also gets a joke because they're funny. And so that's my choice. Something light, something funny, something. So my dad, something quirky, something smart if you want it to be, or silly if you want it to be. And that's kind of my dad in a nutshell.

Jennie: Oh, O’ Brother, Where Art Thou? I love that pig. What did he think of it? What did he think of that movie? Did you watch it yet?

Sarah: We have watched it together already, and I know he's watched it before on his own. We actually, when people had CDs, had the soundtrack on cd and he and my mom and I would listen to it in the car. And for some reason that was like one of the less embarrassing music choices that they would put on because, you know, when you're in high school, everything is like super mortifying.

Mm-hmm. Um, maybe I was in college, I'm not sure. But yeah, we've already seen it together and I remember that was one of the few movies that my dad didn't have an issue with, you know, cuz he is like, I'm snobby, but he is picky about movies. So like, we'll sit there and what we will get if he doesn't like a thing, which always happens is <clears throat>.And what I did just now for people who are listening to our audio podcast, I cleared my throat and awkwardly and in a very long way, took a very long look at my watch, and then he'll start just kind of looking around. He'll literally look around as if something may be more interesting is happening on the ceiling, and then he'll get up and then start walking around the house. Now that did not happen with this movie. There's a handful, a very, a tiny hand, a tiny handful of movies that he has not done this with, and this is one of them.

Jennie: Okay. I'm interested in this. So why do you think he is engaged with this movie when not others? Like what care characteristics or qualities does it have that helps him to connect with it more,

Sarah: It's got the kind of scrappy feel, like the characters are not all polished. There's humor that plays on lots of different levels. It's smart and it's stupid at the same time. There's fun music and you're rooting for the characters. I think my dad, one thing I've noticed is that, He does tend to like movies where there is some sort of ridiculousness that is to be rooted for like in What About Bob?

You know, Bill Murray's character ridiculous acting, crazy, doing r you know, insane things clinically and like figuratively insane things, but you're still rooting for him. You like him, you want him to. Do whatever it is that he's trying to do. You want him to take his baby steps and stop being so anxious, you know?

And the same thing in, O’ Brother, Where Art Thou? There's just that level of ridiculousness. And I think he also really, there's something about the way it looks too, you know, the Coen brothers do a very good visual storytelling. And I think that that's something that would really speak to him as well.

Jennie: I think that makes a lot of sense. And it overlaps with the list that you shared that he liked, where there's that formal quality, there's the kind of artistic touch to it, but also, that very humanistic approach to loving maybe, I don't know if loving everyone is quite the right phrase, but appreciating the absurd in life and rooting for the underdog, which it sounds like that's something that in life your dad might do too, if he chose to be a preacher and a social worker.

Sarah: Yes. That's very, very true. That's very true.

Jennie: And I think I see his daughter Sarah do that too. I think that there's definitely the root for the underdog. Celebrate the odd, um, you know, push yourself and I think that's great. Yeah.

Sarah: Okay, so. I need to know, have you chosen a horror movie for your pick?

Jennie: Well, I did go back and watch a lot of previews for horror movies just to remind myself how scary were they? But similar to your pick, I also wanted to have like nice feelings at the end of the day. I wanted to have a warm, fuzzy ex. Which you're not gonna get watching Silence of the Lambs, and although sometimes maybe during Screen Scares month in October, I'll dig back into scary movies and we can clinging together and be scared.

But for Father's Day, I just wanted something lighter and more fun. And so I did not pick a scary movie. I would like to share a couple of other movies my dad said he liked watching with me when I was little, and in addition to Nightmare on Elm Street, he liked Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the old Flubber. And Die Hard.

Sarah: Flubber. Yeah. Oh my gosh. I forgot about that movie. That's also a varied list. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Flubber and Die Hard. Correct. Oh my gosh. I know like those things don't go together, but. Yet They do. I love that.

Jennie: I know, I know. So, but the movie I picked is a movie that I feel like if I was still younger and living at home with my dad, we absolutely would've gone to the theaters and seen this movie. And I made the decision that with my movie pick, I didn't wanna just pick a movie. I also wanted to do what you described earlier in the episode and create a movie memory. So right now in the other room, my children are watching the movie that I picked, and my dad is currently watching the movie at this very second at his house, and it is Guardians of the Galaxy Volume Two specifically because that's whenever we find out who Peter Quill's dad is.

It's not David Hasselhoff as he lied to his young schoolmates whenever he was younger. It was not David Hasselhoff. It's Kurt Russell. Spoiler alert. Yeah, it's Kurt Russell playing ego. And and then you've also got Yondu, his kind of adopted father again. And I think the movie just lifts up. All sorts of different types of dads, and it also is just a fun movie.

Jennie: I also thought there was fun parallel between, I picked The Scarlet Witch for my movie mom, and then I also picked another Marvel movie for this. Don't want to over-Marvel, but I'm not gonna get to talk about these Marvel movies as full episodes ever, because they're very plot driven. There's not a lot like, like, oh, like gold people need him to steal something back. And in the doing, he finds his dad who's a mega jerk and then done like, that's kind of,

Sarah: actually, when you just said that, I was thinking that actually describes about like 90% of. All big blockbuster movies and like, it kind of also sounds like Transformers, there's like a lot of things that it also a little bit sounds like Lord of the Rings, you know, they have to like get that ring, you know? Yeah. Gotta get it, you know. And Star Wars,

Jennie: Oh, 100%. Yeah. I mean, it's all there. So by creating a movie memory, my kids are watching Volume Two right now. My dad is watching Volume Two right now. And as soon as we stop recording this podcast, and then my kids have some schoolwork to do later this afternoon, we're gonna go see Guardians of the Galaxy Volume Three with my dad for Father's Day.

Sarah: Gosh. You could be the friend that picks Iron Man and wants to make all the comments of like, “I love you 3000.” Like cool, but like that's boring. I love that you picked a movie that highlights different experiences of being a dad or a kid or a person trying to figure out who they are. But like even beyond that, it's just a really fun movie that I think if people wanted to actually analyze Guardians of the Galaxy and figure out why do I like this movie with a talking tree that says his name repeatedly over and over and over again, and some sort of furry woodland thing that is not a raccoon.

Why is it that we like it and you know, it's because of the relationships. Mm-hmm. And there's great action. It's not really the story because the story like we were just talking about, it's like every other, you know, kind of like big blockbuster thing. Fun to watch, but not that unique, but it's the story between all of the characters that makes it amazing. And so I think that, I'm guessing that you guys are gonna have some really fun conversations after you watch it.

Jennie: We are. And Sarah, can I show you what I'm wearing today?

Sarah: Yes. Oh my gosh. You have the coolest Guardians of the Galaxy T-shirt. I was thinking, I was like, I haven't seen that shirt before. Cause, but I couldn't see the bottom of it. Mm-hmm. It is so cute. It is like very retro looking too. Like, it doesn't look like, oh, I just bought this set. Target, you know? Mm-hmm. It's a very cute shirt. I love it.

Jennie: Thanks. I got it at Disney. Whenever we went and did the Guardians of the Galaxy Ride and the thing that used to be the Hotel of Terror Drop and we didn't know that it was terrifying and we took our kids on it and it was the scariest ride ever. And we really loved it. And I think to that point of why do we analyze Guardians of the Galaxy, I think it's the kind of movie that. My dad and I will like, I haven't watched it with him. He's, he, you know, so we'll find out. But I know that there's some stuff there that's pretty strong connection. For example, I'm not sure if you remember this, but at the beginning of the movie it says that it gives like the location for where they're at, and it is Missouri, Earth, 1980, which I was born in Missouri, Earth, 1985 and so, oh my gosh. And so I kind of connected it on that level and also the like amazing music is something my dad and I have always connected over. I, he gave over his entire record collection to me whenever I was pretty young. And that was also another really cool thing to connect on and probably also why I liked the CO of dad also just connecting over music.

And he would always listen to whatever I was listening. Listening to and give it a chance. My mom did too. My love of records is because of my dad and so he didn't give me a that's such a huge part of you, right? It is. And I think, you know, the same way that, Peter Quill, Star Lord’s mom gave him the cassette player. My dad gave me his record player and his record collection and my kids love records now and I think that it's just super special and I know that we'll enjoy listening to the music when we watch it together. I know that we'll like rooting for all of the people and just to list all the dads in it.

You've got Drax who lost his family, so sometimes dads don't have their families anymore. There's a lot of movies about this. That like Taken and Gladiator and all sorts of movies where, where dads are dads who don't have their families anymore, but there's always dads, just like we talked about in the mom episode, always dads.

Always a mom. Mm-hmm. You've also got Thanos, who is a terrible dad. He adopted Gomorrah and her sister and was terrible. And, you know, they're trying to overcome the wrongs. Well-meaning No, you know, no meaning. Yeah. Yes. You know, Thanos is a somewhat sympathetic villain. I mean, he, little bit, well, he just, But also terrible.

And then you have Rocket who's trying to raise up baby Groot, which I thought was so sweet. And he has all these funny little, you know, moments where he is trying to teach him. And then Yondu, who adopted Peter Quill whenever, when find out at the end that ego did not have good intentions. Whenever he had Yondu go pick him up.

And I loved that relationship, that central relationship of we may not understand our dad. And we may not see their true intentions when we're younger. But I would say, at least in my experience, my dad always had the best intentions. You know, he always, there's that song “Daddy's Hands, “it's like an old country song, and it talks about how like “there's always love in your dad's hands.”

And I think Yondu didn't know how to show love necessarily, but the same way we mentioned that we forgot about, you know, dads might want their own episode too. You know and Guardians of the Galaxy ends up giving his life to help save Peter. And he gets the sendoff he deserves.

And I just think, I'm glad that your dad mentioned that we didn't, hadn't thought about doing a Father's Day episode because the dads aren't always speaking up and begging for the love and the flowers, but, they're people and I'm raising two boys who I know they need lots and lots of love, and they're just, someday they might be dads and I hope that they're still loved and hugged and cherished on at least one day a year.

Sarah: I love that. I want to hear what you and your dad and your boys. Is Justin coming too?

Jennie: No, we're going to the afternoon. I've actually already seen the movie with Justin. We're gonna go see it again,

Sarah: so, okay. Okay. So Justin has, yeah, I saw it like, so part of me was like, I thought that we talked about this. Okay.

Jennie: Okay. We already saw it. I, I have already seen it. My dad hasn't seen it, but Justin has already. Okay. So you know the things. Yes, I know all the things in it. The thing.

Sarah: Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. I was just gonna say like, just make sure you get some extra napkins for your popcorn. Yeah. In case it's extra salty.

Jennie: I know. Oh my gosh. It's a good movie. Guardians of the Galaxy Three. Oh, it's so good. Good. It's good. So good. I think that it does get to the heart and soul of it. And you know what, maybe let's get a little more meta maybe. Maybe Marvel movies have the ability to be kind of like a dad in the sense that they seem like it's all just flash and bang and glory, but there's some heart, not in all of them. Some Marvel movies are not great, but things like Guardians of the Galaxy, I think there's a real heart there.

Sarah: There's real heart there. And, I think, I hope that everybody, as they go and enjoy Father's Day, whether you have your dad in your life or I'm actually, I've been thinking a lot about, a friend who I know does not have their dad anymore, and I.

I know that these kinds of holidays can be hard for lots of different reasons, whether you're just not as close as you'd like to be or whether you didn't have a good relationship or if you did have a good relationship and you don't get to physically be there cuz like I know that I would love to get to celebrate this with my dad in person, or if your dad has passed away.

But I think the thing that maybe we can take. Through this weekend and into the next week as we talk about Father's Day is just thinking about creating memories on your own with the intention and the love that. I think that even if it hasn't always been there, I like to believe that in some way, shape, or form that, that, that has been present.

And even if you didn't experience that, I think that there is something about creating that on your own. That's really powerful. Even if it's difficult. So I hope that people make their own movie memories this weekend and watch something light if that's what will make you feel great. Watch something serious. If you wanna do some thinking, watch some things blow up because like why not? Like those are the best kind of movies.

Jennie: That's so well said Sarah. And I'm glad that you made the point about maybe you don't have your dad with you to celebrate. Maybe you've never had a strong connection with your dad. But looking at all the different fathers in these movies had me thinking, what is the common factor? Cuz they are so different cuz they're people, all these people who are fathers are different. But the one feeling that the idea of Dad gives me is the feeling of being safe. Even if you're watching something scary and, or feeling safe to laugh or be silly or explore new things.

Before we close out, I just would like to say how grateful I am that I have my dad this year. I, um, realized that a year ago today I was sitting in a hospital room holding his hand and that's all I could do for Father's Day with him because he was on a ventilator. He was having some really bad respiratory things happen and heart things happen.

I had gone up to Missouri to be there with him because, like you said, I wasn't able to be with him all the time cause I didn't live nearby and. All I had wanted when I was sitting in that hospital room was to just watch one more stupid movie with him.

And, um, I just wanted to watch a movie, you know, or have a phone call or shoot him a silly text or something. And I'm just so grateful that I'm still able to, and if you're not still able to do that with your dad, maybe just try to lift up that feeling of feeling safe. Maybe one of these movies or one of these dads we've talked about can bring that feeling back for you.

The feeling of being loved and safe and seen by a dad, even if it's a movie dad. But I'm excited to go share some popcorn and get some extra napkins to you know, pat some tears away this evening, with my dad and my kids, because you don't know how long it's gonna be for, but I'm gonna go make those movie memories and I'm so glad we got to share these together today with each other and with you, our listeners in the special bonus Father's Day episode.

Outro

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