March 25, 2026 • 42 mins
On this Whimsical Wednesday, we revisit a formative film from Samantha's childhood, the 1995 coming of age film Circle of Friends that follows a group of teenagers in the 1950s Ireland as they navigate friendships and relationships. We chat about crushes, religion, sex, family pressure and insecurity. Bonus points for numerous cameos.
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey, this is Anny and Samantha. I'm welcome to stuff.
I never told your production of iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
And for this month's movie pick, I'm calling it Whimsical
Wednesday because that's when it's being released. Just in case
you need to know. There has been a bit of
a delay because it was supposed to actually be recorded
last week Today's three twenty six, but because of the
squeaky raspy voice, which is still happening. But it's still better,
about five times better than what it was last week.
(00:40):
Y'all it was. It was rough. Yeah, listen to past
episodes because y'all have pollen. Here is no joke. I
was telling Annie that when I drove my car, the
amount of pollen yellow dust that sprayed back onto my
car again was like a windstorm, a sandstorm, and everything
(01:02):
has been in a yellow haze. That ridiculous cold Play
song is in my head. It was all yellow.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Yeah, it's intense. It's also impacted the other show I'm
on Saver, so I am fortunate to knock on wood.
No allergies for me.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Well, pray for us in the South. We ain't okay,
we hain'te okay anyway. But with all of that also,
because this is one of those movies that was one
of my teenage classic favorites. I love, love, love to
watch it repeatedly, read the book, love everything about it.
(01:48):
Was so excited to watch it again. Realized I may
have just been running on teenage hormones for this movie specifically.
But yes, we are talking about in nineteen ninety five
classic suckle Offerends, and not to be confused with the
one on Prime right now, which is a completely different film,
(02:09):
right Annie.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Oh yes, I almost made this mistake. And I'm glad
I checked in with Samantha because I have watched the
wrong thing before for this segment, and you had told
me about this movie which I never heard of, and
I was reading the description of what I found, and
(02:32):
I just thought, this doesn't sound like the teenage Irish
rump that's promised me it was. I had like murder, death,
all of this stuff. So I'm very glad I checked
because that would have been unfortunate that it would have
(02:52):
been a comical if I had come in with watching
that and not knowing I'd watched the wrong thing. But
we tried to run a smoother ship than that.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Here I was really glad. I was really glad you ask,
because when I clicked on, I was like, what what
is this?
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Yeah, so don't make that mistake, listener.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Don't watch it on Prime. Weirdly, I was able to
just to google it and it was up on YouTube
for free. Because it's not anywhere. You can't even buy
it on Amazon. I discovered that you can buy it
on Apple Play.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Huh not.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Apple TV No, sorry, so not sponsors obviously, but interestingly, yeah,
it is that old. I guess no one cares about
as much as I do.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
That old.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
I don't think it's old. But you see this?
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Where did you originally see this?
Speaker 2 (03:44):
I think I'll rented it? Okay, okay, back in the
VHS rental days, I was trying to somewhere.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Like the A Green Gable situation of like a the
BBC not the BBC, CBC. I thought that that maybe
was the case.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Interesting Okay, No, it's definitely not all PBS, which is
why I watched Gables because they played a lot of
you know.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Now that you say that, I think it's the subject
matter that makes sense.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
No, this is not a lighthearted childhood film. It is
PG thirteen. Oh, but it is PG.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Thirteen, I see give it that.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Yeah. So this was is an adaptation of May Benchi's book,
which again I read and I loved. I actually do
appreciate her version more, even though she did help write
the screenplay. So this is her screenplay. She approved all
of all the things, but in it and just to
get to give a heads up like she doesn't. She
(04:44):
doesn't have a tightly knit bow at the end of it.
She doesn't give it like forgiveness that the movie does,
which I appreciated because some things are not okay. Betrayal
is not okay. Anyway back to yeah, so this has
my childhood crush. I definitely had a crush on both
(05:05):
Chris o'donald and Mini Driver. Who are these stars in
this movie. They were a big developmental moment for me,
I think in general because Mini Driver this is the
first time I'd ever seen her in anything. This was
before Goodwill Hunting, which was kind of like her breakthrough
(05:25):
American film, and in it, she's so fun and like,
you know, very down to earth, also very skinny, and
during the time of the nineties, if you know anything
about the nineties, it was all about being like that
rail model thin look and she kind of pushed back
against that. In this this movie. Of course, we're going
(05:48):
to talk about a lot of like body insecurities and
all that because it is mentioned, but the fact that
she just looked genuinely happy and she was the main
focus in the love story as being quote unquote a
bigger girl, bigger gal made me love her. I loved
Mini driver she was. I wanted to be her best friend.
(06:10):
I was very like, like, I wanted that. And then
Chris o'donald, he has had my heart from the beginning.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Uh huh, Well we talked about this because I had
a crush on him too, but mine is from the
Batman and Robin.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
And then they's a little sad. I watched Batman and
Robin because he was in it, but he that was
I was like, no, no, not mine, not my Crystal o'donald.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Yeah, it's no good. I went through a crushes hard
and fast when I.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Was young, so oh I kept them.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
I kept some of them, obviously, but a lot of
them were like beyond here, today, gone tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Cryst o'donald was my love because of a circle of friends.
I also watched him and he was in a movie
with Brendan Fraser school Ties, which is also interesting George,
because he's not a good guy in school Ties if
I remember correctly. I don't think he's the worst guy,
(07:14):
but he's not a good guy in school Ties. Have
you ever seen that movie? Nope, this was one of
his Uh this he being Brendan Fraser's big like dramatic movies.
He plays a Jewish student m h in the nineteenth
sixties I believe fifties, sixties maybe forties, So you go
(07:35):
with that as yeah, yeah, Scent of a Woman Fried
Green Tomatoes. He was also in that.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
We watched that, didn't we.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Yeah, we did. He was only in it for a second, remember,
Ohky because he was buddy and then he gets front
number by train oh man, but he has to die
in order for the two women to like, you know,
beat again. Yeah Ish anyway, but yes, he was a
man that I truly adored growing up. I thought he
(08:07):
was amazing, madly in love with him. I think I
stayed with that till I was like older and realized
I will never meet this man. And also he's not Irish.
Oh he doesn't have that Irish.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
I had to ask you about that. I was like
is the Irish.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
I mean, I believe, yes, genetically that is his lineage.
Accent wise not so much, not so much, not so much.
But with that, yes, he was my crush. So there's
a lot of teenage hormones that drew me to this movie.
I did not realize how horny this movie was until
(08:48):
I rewatched it in my forties and I'm like, oh oh,
I was seriously repressed.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
I have to admit when I was watching, I was like, I.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Really forgot all of those tensions. But it does kind
of go like, there's so many things that I ignored
with some of the bigger pictures of this movie. But again,
it is a teenage coming of age story for sure,
so we're gonna get into it. Yes, so may've ben
She was definitely a part of the making of this movie.
(09:23):
A least she may have a whole series with these characters.
I can't remember for sure. I know she has other books,
obviously she is a very well known writer, but I
want to say she does. So to get into the plot,
we have Benedict or Benny, played by Minnie Driver, and
her orphan friend Eve, who is played by Geraldine Ora,
who grew up in the small town of Knocklin, and
(09:45):
as they go get older, they go off to college
in Dublin. Also should be known that they are very Catholic.
Their families are Catholic, to the point that Eve was
raised by the nuns even though she was an orphan,
but that's how she was raised, and the nuns also
keep up with her prom that was something that she
inherited from her father, all those things. So they go
(10:07):
to college in Dublin. There's all this like excitement happening. Eve.
It's going to have to move to Dublin and we'll
be staying at a convent there while Benny will be
remaining home, but go and taking the bus back and forth,
which is quite a big trick for her, but gotta
do what she's got to do. Had to compromise to
be able to go to the big city to school. There,
(10:28):
they meet their long lost friend Nan, who was known
for her beauty ever since she was a child they had,
but she had moved away and moved to Dublin at
a young age, so they lost touch. But they reconnect
there and then we also get to meet a group
of boys which included Jack Foley, who was played by
Chris O'donald May love interests, and we have Aiden played
(10:50):
by Aidan Gillian, the villain of Game of Thrones little Finger.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Oh oh I know, yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Those familiar faces and I'm like, oh my gosh, oh
my god. We also have the introduction of Sean, who
is played by Alan Cumming, who I actually adore now,
but this character made me so creeped out by him.
He did such a good job with this role, but
I despised him.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
It was strange for me because I've never seen this.
I've only seen like his newer stuff, right, and I
was like, whoa.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Character so well? Too well? And then we also have
we're gonna see Colin Firth also, this is also one
of the movies that made me creeped out by him.
It took until Pride and Prejudice for me to really
appreciate who Colin Firth was as an Englishman. I put
that there. But in this role who he plays Simon Westwood,
(11:46):
who is an Englishman who comes ann is one of
the rich folk of Knocklin and obviously has a reputation
there really creepy role though. Really despised this role.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
Yeah, now you're breaking it down, there's not a lot
of good guys in this.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Even the good guys aren't good guys. Yeah, even the
good guys aren't good guys. But that's kind of that
level of like all men or horny yeah in conversation.
But anyway, So we have been introduced to the majority
of characters here, and here we are learning that they
(12:25):
all take class together. Nan introduces the boys to the
to the young ladies. They become kind of a group.
We have a rugby scene. That rugby scene was nice,
It's not gonna lie, where we see a Jack flirting
with Benny and Bennie having a moment of like, yes,
this is the man. At the same time, we come
(12:46):
back knowing that Bennie is expected to possibly marry Sean
to help with the business, who he has been brown
nosing her parents the entire time to help with the
business as well. So he has a whole plan and
that includes marrying Benny. He obviously is attracted to her,
but in a creepy way, very creepy insert weird movie
(13:08):
scene here, and she tells them I'm not interested and
that she doesn't she doesn't want anything to do with him.
But he's like, oh, this is for your family. Type
of conversation. We move on, we have gatherings. It's fun.
We get to see them all go out together. And
here we have Jack Letting inviting Benny after they kind
of run into each other at Knocklinn when he is
(13:29):
helping his dad visit an old friend and they get
to Benny and Jack get a little closer and he
talks about how he's so easy talking to her, all
the nice things, and he's like, you know, we're gonna
do this thing. Would you like to come with us?
And she's like yes. She comes back excitedly tells Nan
and Eve and then Nan being Nan, so it's like, yeah,
(13:50):
we're all going. He invited us all and she's like oh,
and then they realize I'm mistake of the black but
he invited you personally, Benny, you know type of thing.
So she's like, yeah, yeah, but what do I wear?
Oh my gosh, I don't want to look fat? All
these things, which again is a conversation that I would
also have. And we have cut scene where they're getting
dressed and we get to see Bennie in a beautiful,
(14:12):
very low cut dress where she talks about they're going
to slip out and they do kind of look like
they might slip out, but she does also say that
she does feel pretty and she looks good, and I'm like, oh,
I think that my minute was so sweet. We go
to them at the concert and we see that Jack
is dancing with every girl but him. At one point, Aiden,
who is a friend, dances with Bennie and tells Bennie
(14:35):
that he asked all the women out because he liked
all of them and he didn't know who was his favorite,
which is rude. By the way, rude. Aiden says that
he likes Eve and she's like. Bennie's like, well, why
are you dancing with me if you obviously want to
dance with Eve? And by the way, they look like
they're struggling dancing seems like a struggle for the two
of them, and as we go on, Eve does dance
(14:59):
with Aiden. They are obvious they are getting closer. Bennie
has had enough. She's kind of feeling embarrassed and sad,
so she decides to go out and possibly leave. Jack
stops her and he's like, you know, I always save
the best for last. Come dance with me. So we
have the beginning of their relationship. During this time, we
found out that Nana had plans in trying to get
a rich man for herself, and that includes after she
(15:23):
runs into they run into Simon Westward. That's her new prize,
so she is on a plan to get with him
and they start getting together. All the hormones are happening.
During class, they're talking about the sex lives of savages.
It is very racist, and I'm like, oh, but again
this is placed in the nineteen forties. Moving on, and
(15:43):
during the time, of course, we have a lot of
like intermingling of conversations about sex and young kids and
Catholicism and what that looks like. We have the fact
that there is condoms that they could buy from the French,
which they call letters or French letters, you know, because
only the French would have such things. And during this
(16:07):
time Jackson should not bring home some and she's like,
Manny goes, oh my goodness, oh my goodness, all these things.
We also have a really funny then, which I think
is so iconic of Eve. Eve is obviously portrayed as
the proud of the of the and the most strict
of the three, in which there's a scene between Aiden
and Eve in the cottage just they're fixing it up.
(16:32):
They play suggess or checkers. They're playing a game they mega,
but she loses and he's like, you have to hold it,
and her response says, Okay, I'll hold it, but I'm
not gonna wiggle it about or check it about. I
think that's one of the best funniest lines I've ever
heard in my life, and they do it so seriously.
(16:53):
But during this entire time, of course, we have a
moment in which Ben confronts her dad about him wanting
her to marry Sean. How she wants to stay in Dublin,
live in Dublin and live her life, and it's obviously
they don't want her there. They want her to keep
her safe, wholesome and follow the plan. And during this
(17:16):
argument it gets a little heated. The next morning we
see that her father passes away and we have a
moment where she's kind of like lost and sad having
to stay at home. She can't be at the school
just to run the business, help her mom get everything straight.
Sean is right there, and she really is very suspicious
of Sean him and his double entry system, which kid's
(17:39):
very confusing for everyone because they keep losing money, and
they don't understand why they're losing money when their business
is good. All the while the kids at school are
still doing their thing without her. At one point, we
do find that Nan is pregnant with Simon Westborth's baby,
and after Simon Westword is like, I can't marry you.
I have to marry someone rich. I'm sorry, you're a
(17:59):
cool girl. No, you need to go have an abortion,
and she's like, I'm Catholic, I can't do that. She
comes up with another plan and decides that she needs
to find someone who could take care of her, and
she chooses Jack, seduces him, and then tells him she's pregnant.
It's very sad as things are starting to get better
for Benny, including the fact that she's discovered that yes,
(18:20):
Sean is taking over their money, taking their money. Oh
my goodness, all these things and their businesses is back right.
She's like, I'm going back to school. Everything is good,
my mom is doing great, blah blah blah. I can't
wait to see you, and he's like, I have something
to tell you. They meet up and he tells her
she's pregnant. Heartbreak, all these bad things are happening all
the while. Eve is also getting reports from people that
(18:44):
things are happening at her cottage, like people are showing up.
She finds a newspaper that is fairly new, so she
knows someone's using their cottage. Who is this? And they're like,
maybe it's a ghost. All these things as we come
about Eve, who is an ever loyal friend, like I
got Benny's back. If I ever see Nan or Jack,
I'm gonna give him a wappin my words. Later we
(19:06):
see a little party that she throws at the cottage
where Ben Benny is sitting alone. Jack and Nan pop
up because Nan is really delusional thinking everybody will accept them,
everything's going to be just fine, And when she walks in,
of course, Jack makes a bee line to Benny to
talk to her, while Nan goes to talk to Eve.
As they're sitting there talking and Eve is very angry,
(19:27):
chopping bread, slicing bread, she figures out that Nana has
been lying the entire time that yes, this is what
Simon's baby. She did this against you to her own friend,
how could you? At this point, we find out that
she is trying to run away accidentally cuts her arm
on a window, which, by the way, is very dramatic,
very very dramatic. All the while, Jack comes into the
(19:49):
rescue BT dubs. He's been going to medical school because
his dad really wanted to be doctor, but he's been
scared because he's very squimish around blood and anything gross. Here,
he like sucks it all up and tries to help
his girlfriend at the time, it's Beyonce. All the while.
We come back later and find out yes, Nancy. Finally,
(20:10):
Nan finally admits that it is Simon's baby, decides to
leave on a train. No one tells her by except
for good old Jack. Jack comes back to Bennie trying
to make things right, and you know, Bennie's like, it's
going to take time. I've changed, you've changed. We have
to get to know each other again type of conversation,
and as they progress, the movie ends with them having sex.
(20:33):
I guess in the cottage because she's like, forgive me father,
because I have sinned. Dumb dum dum.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
So in the book they are actually all She does
not get back together with Jack, like I think he's
imploring her to get back together, but we see them
out a beach. I think if I remember correctly, And
she's already being courted by another dude, and like Jack
is watching her from a different angle, like watching her
talking to this and she just smiles and nauds of
them as is to forgive him, but it's not back
(21:03):
with him. I like that ending better to be honest.
As much as I love cryst o'donn he did not
do right.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
Yeah. Yeah, it's tough stories like that where you kind
of there's a part of you that wants to like
but these are the characters and I wanted them to
get together. But then there's the other part of you
that's like, but.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Girls stand up for yourself.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
You know, you haven't met There's a lot of people
out there.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
There's so many people. So what were your thoughts about
the movie.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
I enjoyed it. I'm glad I didn't watch that other
movie on it.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
It was.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
A bit hornier than I was expecting. I will say, I.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Really didn't forget all of that's not gonna lie.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
And I did. I did appreciate, like, like the scene
you were talking about when they were getting dressed. I
thought they had a lot of moments that were very
true to being a teenage girl of like, you know,
we do worry about our boobs popping out of our
dress sometimes, Like we do worry about those things, and
(22:26):
you don't always see that reflected in the media. And
so I really liked that. I liked the irishness of
it all. I thought that was great. I was. I
was pretty shocked. Maybe I shouldn't have been. I was
pretty shocked at the whole man betrayal thing. I was like, Oh,
because it's called circle of Friends. So I was sort
of like, oh, yeah, okay.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
I think what we're supposed to imply with this, and
we're going to get into it a minute. Like she has,
so there's so much expectations by her family to make
sure that they were taken care of, and she also
didn't want to be like her mother, so there was
just like disdain between her and her mother. Her mother
was so proud of her for getting into college and
making more of herself than being in a relationship like
(23:13):
her father, who was obviously abusive and very mean to
the entire family her but nan and then this level
of like trying to get out of that world. And
because she has in this conversation about like I'm not
like them, I'm like you to Simon Westward, who had
to prove that she is more royalty than not because
(23:33):
he is obviously of a very established family that has
ideals when it comes to wealth, even though they've lost
the entire wealth. Yeah, interestingly, so you have this level
of I don't think they portrayed that enough in the movie,
because you don't. I don't have somebathy for Nan as
(23:54):
much a.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
Yeah want too well, And I feel like, also watching
this from a modern perspective, it was kind of easy
to forget this was the forties, right, So yeah, that
makes total sense, Like, yeah, of course things were different,
and I understood, you know, when she found out she
(24:14):
was pregnant and then he was like Simon was like, nope,
get out here with that, no, thank you. You know,
that's a that's a rough situation to be in. But
I do think it was, Yeah, like it was easy
to forget the time period, and it was also kind
of easy to forget because you're focused on Bennie, so
(24:37):
you're like, right, what are you doing right over here?
Speaker 2 (24:41):
Right?
Speaker 1 (24:41):
Ruining this for everybody?
Speaker 2 (24:47):
Okay, So there's some obvious themes, friendship being a big
theme between Eve. Honestly, the friendship between Eve and and
Benny is kind of that big one because the beginning,
if I remember correctly, of the book, people were iffy
of Eve because she was an orphan, you know, and
(25:09):
she was raised by nuns, and so it's like, who
is a strange girl. But then Bennie realized how amazing
she was and she's like, oh, she's my best friend now,
like she's got my back, I got her back type
of conversation, and we do see that, we see that
when it comes to this level and the loyalty that
Eve has, she's very right or wrong though let's I mean,
let's be really honest, and so it's very clear her lines.
(25:30):
So it's interesting to see. But you also like have
that meshing of the two groups. We don't see a
lot of that in the movie because we see the
you know, Jack and Benny, Aiden and Eve, but like
if I remember correctly, they do kind of all come
together as a group, and you see the other boys
in this conversation as well, and they're a giant group
(25:52):
coming together, being a big French friendship circle. And so
the cottage like moments are really important because they are together.
Also they do some naughty things but the hanging out,
the dancing.
Speaker 1 (26:06):
Final thought when I at the end, I was like,
so Heve's cottage, just as the hookups, this was where
they inside and she's she's not into it at least
not yet. Wow, multiple instances.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Okay, this is what happens, I guess when you give
a young, young, young pelitic house. But yeah, like it
is really good to see. Even like with Benny and
Jack's relationship beginning, it is a good friendship. Like they
talk about how they get to know each other and
talk to each other and really like ease each other's anxieties.
(26:45):
You know, immediately Jack is talking about not wanting to
be a doctor, he wants to be something else, anything else,
but feeling pressure to do so, and Bennie being there
to like comfort him. They're even conversation about wanting to
have sex or having it is probably the most like
genuine conversation between the opposite sex. I'm trying to figure
(27:06):
like feel each other out, like where do you have you?
How do you feel about this?
Speaker 1 (27:14):
Yeah, And those are very relatable conversations in terms of
when you are at that age when you're go into
college and it's you know, you can become a new
person or find yourself, as they say, and you're asking
yourself these questions, and especially in the place that is
very Catholic, if you've been raised that way, that's kind
(27:36):
of tricky. That's you know, you've perhaps got something going
on in your body versus what your religion and society
is telling you. And to have that conversation with somebody
it is very awkward and it's very vulnerable conversation to
have of you know, yeah, I do want this, but
(27:56):
I'm not I don't want this.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
I think one of the best conversations is the one
between Eve and Benny about whether or not they want
to have sex. No, like you think about what m M.
Some of the descriptives they have is fantastic. Like I'm like, yeah,
that sounds that sounds about right. But with that, I'm
gonna go into my teenage angst as a theme because
(28:23):
obviously sex versus religion is pretty played in this one,
and I think like as ourselves like Southern Christian people.
For me, that was a big like back and forth
that that dynamic really had a hold on me as
a teenager well as well. So the film was like
both of those things. This is both my naughty and
(28:44):
my guilt. Yeah, obviously in this level though I've never
been Catholic, but it's pretty heavily laid on for Southern
like conservative Christians as well in this level. But it
is really funny how this like nineteen fifties, sixties setting
(29:08):
was still understandable for a nineteen ninety fiveteen, like two
thousand viewing. For me that I'm like, yeah, there's this
back and forth, like but who do I would? I?
Oh my gosh, what is this about?
Speaker 1 (29:25):
Oh yeah, no, I mean see our good misnos was
it fourteen part religious trauma series? It is still very relevant.
It is still a conversation that happens today, and it's
very convoluted and complicated, and when you're young, you kind
of have those warring things of wanting to fit in
(29:49):
with your classmates or peers who are very interested in
sex maybe, and then how you were raised religiously, that
my be telling you that makes you wrong or like
morally bad, or you'll go to hell or just even
you know, fears of pregnancy or what have you. But
(30:14):
having those sort of warring sides, I think I think
it's still very relevant. And I was I I was
even thinking about it in terms of like the queer community,
it can be a big if you have any kind
of internalized homophobia or something, that sexual aspect of relationship
(30:35):
can be extremely difficult. So no, it's it's I grew
up with it too. It was just a you know,
it's wrong. But then at school everybody's telling me I'm
strange of thinking it's wrong.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
It's complicated, it is, And then I guess the teenagers
are repelling against the parents. Bennie finally shouting at her
dad about things, which, by the way, that reaction was classic.
You made that article, which, by the way, that term,
I really do enjoy it as like an insult.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
It's a good insult. It was a great it was
a great moment. I have to say, if I was her,
I would live with guilt that.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
I know, and she did before she had to clear
up anything in the air. But she also ended up
being right.
Speaker 1 (31:33):
No, no, exactly, she didn't do anything wrong. It is
not her fault. I just know, I too would be like, oh.
Speaker 2 (31:43):
That was how he remembered me and he was so
upset and killed him.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
Yeah yeah, oh, And then even like her pushing back
against her mother because of Sean still like that still
was a thing back and forth, and how long she
had to be there to help her mom and to
mourn her dad before she could she could live her life.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
Like there's this like balance of like trying to figure
that out. I also really appreciated Jack's father and his
observations about Benny. How he's like, you know, there's just
something about those big girls, you have to hold on
to them. I was like, Okay, okay, that's new, Okay,
(32:25):
interesting as a big girl, I'm like, I'm glad he
appreciates big girls. And then he's encouraging Jack to try
it instead of being a jerk.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
Yeah. Yeah, it's also kind of strange thing to say,
but sure.
Speaker 2 (32:55):
Yeah. Obviously weight and body image was a big thing
for especially Benny's character, Like no one else seemed to
have cared outside of Sean, who I think in the
book actually has a fetish for bigger women if I
remember correctly, or outside of herself Sean and like a
little passing comment here and there, which just doesn't feel great.
(33:19):
But with that, the fact that she was still the
main character and her having to deal with this and
constantly fighting it, I will say I loved love the
fact that they never gave our a quote unquote glow
up yeah, or a weight loss transition, And I think
that was so important for me for her to be
able to like see, for her to be able to
(33:41):
live her life that way without the need to do
all of that for sure, like we have that crash course,
like if I don't eat for a week, cannot look
like this in these conversations, and comparing yourself to the
most beautiful, which is nan Like, there's this level of
understanding and feeling seen in that. Again, I've talked about
this a lot. This was kind of that representation of
(34:02):
being the bigger girl and not having to change in
order to get these things. So that's definitely like that
level that I had hoped for, And it was kind
of surprising for like again in the nineties, to be
okay with it. Of course, she ended up losing. She
ended up being much smaller and had gained weight for
this role in went Okay.
Speaker 1 (34:24):
I guess never fun to hear, yeah, but it did.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
It really did impact me as a kid who was
growing up with so many body images issues to see
this and her being loved.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
Yeah, And it was pretty refreshing too. That Jack, who
I would say is your kind of traditional standard handsome dude,
was immediately like, who's that. I want to talk to her,
and it's always seeking her out as opposed to her yeah,
(35:04):
having to like change her whole look or something to
get his attention. He was already like, no, I don't
want to get to know.
Speaker 2 (35:11):
Her, Like we don't have the bad trope of her
being bullied and then her losing weight to come back
and get revenge. I'm like, yes, thank you, thank you
for that. Thank you that we don't have to see
that disgusting this which again the nineties kind of really
had that trip a lot giant, whether it was take
her curly hair and straighten it out, take those glasses
off and put some lipstick on her. She's beautiful now
(35:32):
and you're like, wait, what are you talking about? Yeah, yeah,
so to be fair again, Minnie Driver has always been beautiful,
so there's nothing about that that changes, but like it's
to be seen as a thicker girl, like oh yay, yay,
another theme. I think it's really big as again following
(35:53):
the dreams. Of course, some of those dreams did not
work out. When we talk about Nan really thinking that
she was going to land Simon West and have that
fairy tale life. Of course that did not happen. But
then we do get to see like Eve taking her
cottage from not being used to be able to really
fix it up, to be livable, to be you know,
(36:14):
used for warmth and parties, to also her being able
to go to college with the assistance of the Westwards,
and like being able to get that money to continue
her education. We see Benny not being stuck within her
family business, being able to go to college, being a writer,
as she says later on, because she goes to studies
(36:35):
the same sex drive. I guess even though Jack didn't
know what his dream was, being able to be a
doctor or being able to study medicine and realize that
he could do it, Like, all of those things are
really big to see. Although was there an end where
they talk about what happened as they grew up a
(36:56):
bigger picture? They never hear from Nan right, No, not
that I remember. She talks about being a writer. I
don't remember.
Speaker 1 (37:11):
I think she went off into the dark knight and that.
Speaker 2 (37:13):
Was Do you even know did Jack become a doctor?
I think he did, he does, she does say that.
Speaker 1 (37:21):
I don't know if it says it, but I believe
he did according to and he's ending obviously, Yeah, okay.
Speaker 2 (37:34):
I was looking to see if I could find it.
It just says that she moves in within a flat
with Eve, which it was a dream that she wanted,
and that she pursues her writing because she caused a
stir about the paper she wrote about the sexual ives
such and that said, and then she falls in love
with Jack again quote unquote boo, but okay boo. And
(37:59):
there's a very obvious these small underlying conversation about like
class when we talk about the wealthy English versus the Irish,
So the nineteen fifties would have been I think the
independence actually was established in nineteen forty nine, Like even
though they had won independence in the nineteen twenties, I
believe it wasn't actually established until that point. So I
(38:20):
don't know if that was any kind of like overtone
or commentary about the wealthy English being in that area,
specifically the Westwards, specifically the slimy character that it was
simon Westward in the book. I feel like it has
a bigger part to play, but it's hard to do
(38:43):
in a little romance coming of age movie, I.
Speaker 1 (38:47):
Guess, yeah, But there were definitely hints at it because
I thought about that with the bus, because Benny had
to ride the bus and it was such a like
impacts on her life, her schedule and her social life,
and it was commented on several times like no, I
have to take the bus. I can't. This is the
(39:08):
only way I can do it. And so they were
little things like that that I think made clear, especially
with Benny and Eve, that you know, they they had
these things that made their lives a bit more difficult
because they didn't have the money that a lot of
the people they were interacting with did have.
Speaker 2 (39:32):
There's a lot, but there you go. This was my
very horny teenager movie that I did not realize said
such things.
Speaker 1 (39:45):
Just to be clear listeners, as men said, it is PG. Thirteen.
It's not like wild or anything, No, but it was.
I was a little taken aback.
Speaker 2 (39:54):
Definitely definitely tackle. The entire theme of it is about
whether or not what happens when sex is introduced, essentially
like it is a coming of age, and so we
know that feeling like we don't see purity. So that's
like we don't see that. We don't see like them
having periods, we don't see them whatever whatnot. But we
(40:15):
see them having their first and having that moment of
like understanding whether or not they can go, how far
they can go, and what they can do. What is
sin Like it is on a comic level placed in
the nineteen fifties in Ireland, so like it puts at
a different level. But it is a lot of like
there's no way I would have watched that with my parents.
(40:39):
I know that.
Speaker 1 (40:42):
I wish I had been. I had recorded my reaction
at the end when they walked into that East cottage.
I was like, ohness, this is how it is.
Speaker 2 (40:54):
That's how it ends. Not in the book, but this
is how it ends here. So oh lord, you know
what I think. Again, we've talked about awakenings and what
we were like, oh this okay, this is one of those.
Later we're like, okay, I see where I was. I
see I see, you see what I needed in life
an Irish man. Apparently that in Ireland. Though. I want
(41:18):
to say puffins, but is it not about puffins?
Speaker 1 (41:21):
No, decidedly not about puffinsuffs to be seen, no buffins
to be seen? Oh my goodness. Well, it is on
YouTube listeners. It is for free if you want to
check it out and then right back your your opinions
(41:43):
and reviews, or if you'd already seen it, let.
Speaker 2 (41:47):
Us know what state were you in when you watched it?
Speaker 1 (41:51):
Yes, was it an awakening? We must know. You can
email us at Hello at stuff one Never Told You
dot com. You can find us on Blue Sky Mom
Stuff podcast, or Inestagram and TikTok at stuff I've Never
Told You. We're also on YouTube. Also, we have some
merchandise at coomp Bureau and we have a book you
can get wherever you get your books. Thanks as always
(42:12):
to our super produce Christina or executive producer My Ander,
contributor Joey.
Speaker 2 (42:16):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (42:17):
Thanks to you for listening Stuff Never Told Me protection
by heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio,
you can check out the heart Radio app, Apple podcast
or reb you listen to your favorite shows
Hey, this is Anny and Samantha. I'm welcome to stuff.
I never told your production of iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
And for this month's movie pick, I'm calling it Whimsical
Wednesday because that's when it's being released. Just in case
you need to know. There has been a bit of
a delay because it was supposed to actually be recorded
last week Today's three twenty six, but because of the
squeaky raspy voice, which is still happening. But it's still better,
about five times better than what it was last week.
(00:40):
Y'all it was. It was rough. Yeah, listen to past
episodes because y'all have pollen. Here is no joke. I
was telling Annie that when I drove my car, the
amount of pollen yellow dust that sprayed back onto my
car again was like a windstorm, a sandstorm, and everything
(01:02):
has been in a yellow haze. That ridiculous cold Play
song is in my head. It was all yellow.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Yeah, it's intense. It's also impacted the other show I'm
on Saver, so I am fortunate to knock on wood.
No allergies for me.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Well, pray for us in the South. We ain't okay,
we hain'te okay anyway. But with all of that also,
because this is one of those movies that was one
of my teenage classic favorites. I love, love, love to
watch it repeatedly, read the book, love everything about it.
(01:48):
Was so excited to watch it again. Realized I may
have just been running on teenage hormones for this movie specifically.
But yes, we are talking about in nineteen ninety five
classic suckle Offerends, and not to be confused with the
one on Prime right now, which is a completely different film,
(02:09):
right Annie.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Oh yes, I almost made this mistake. And I'm glad
I checked in with Samantha because I have watched the
wrong thing before for this segment, and you had told
me about this movie which I never heard of, and
I was reading the description of what I found, and
(02:32):
I just thought, this doesn't sound like the teenage Irish
rump that's promised me it was. I had like murder, death,
all of this stuff. So I'm very glad I checked
because that would have been unfortunate that it would have
(02:52):
been a comical if I had come in with watching
that and not knowing I'd watched the wrong thing. But
we tried to run a smoother ship than that.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Here I was really glad. I was really glad you ask,
because when I clicked on, I was like, what what
is this?
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Yeah, so don't make that mistake, listener.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Don't watch it on Prime. Weirdly, I was able to
just to google it and it was up on YouTube
for free. Because it's not anywhere. You can't even buy
it on Amazon. I discovered that you can buy it
on Apple Play.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Huh not.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Apple TV No, sorry, so not sponsors obviously, but interestingly, yeah,
it is that old. I guess no one cares about
as much as I do.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
That old.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
I don't think it's old. But you see this?
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Where did you originally see this?
Speaker 2 (03:44):
I think I'll rented it? Okay, okay, back in the
VHS rental days, I was trying to somewhere.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Like the A Green Gable situation of like a the
BBC not the BBC, CBC. I thought that that maybe
was the case.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Interesting Okay, No, it's definitely not all PBS, which is
why I watched Gables because they played a lot of
you know.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Now that you say that, I think it's the subject
matter that makes sense.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
No, this is not a lighthearted childhood film. It is
PG thirteen. Oh, but it is PG.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Thirteen, I see give it that.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Yeah. So this was is an adaptation of May Benchi's book,
which again I read and I loved. I actually do
appreciate her version more, even though she did help write
the screenplay. So this is her screenplay. She approved all
of all the things, but in it and just to
get to give a heads up like she doesn't. She
(04:44):
doesn't have a tightly knit bow at the end of it.
She doesn't give it like forgiveness that the movie does,
which I appreciated because some things are not okay. Betrayal
is not okay. Anyway back to yeah, so this has
my childhood crush. I definitely had a crush on both
(05:05):
Chris o'donald and Mini Driver. Who are these stars in
this movie. They were a big developmental moment for me,
I think in general because Mini Driver this is the
first time I'd ever seen her in anything. This was
before Goodwill Hunting, which was kind of like her breakthrough
(05:25):
American film, and in it, she's so fun and like,
you know, very down to earth, also very skinny, and
during the time of the nineties, if you know anything
about the nineties, it was all about being like that
rail model thin look and she kind of pushed back
against that. In this this movie. Of course, we're going
(05:48):
to talk about a lot of like body insecurities and
all that because it is mentioned, but the fact that
she just looked genuinely happy and she was the main
focus in the love story as being quote unquote a
bigger girl, bigger gal made me love her. I loved
Mini driver she was. I wanted to be her best friend.
(06:10):
I was very like, like, I wanted that. And then
Chris o'donald, he has had my heart from the beginning.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Uh huh, Well we talked about this because I had
a crush on him too, but mine is from the
Batman and Robin.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
And then they's a little sad. I watched Batman and
Robin because he was in it, but he that was
I was like, no, no, not mine, not my Crystal o'donald.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Yeah, it's no good. I went through a crushes hard
and fast when I.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Was young, so oh I kept them.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
I kept some of them, obviously, but a lot of
them were like beyond here, today, gone tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Cryst o'donald was my love because of a circle of friends.
I also watched him and he was in a movie
with Brendan Fraser school Ties, which is also interesting George,
because he's not a good guy in school Ties if
I remember correctly. I don't think he's the worst guy,
(07:14):
but he's not a good guy in school Ties. Have
you ever seen that movie? Nope, this was one of
his Uh this he being Brendan Fraser's big like dramatic movies.
He plays a Jewish student m h in the nineteenth
sixties I believe fifties, sixties maybe forties, So you go
(07:35):
with that as yeah, yeah, Scent of a Woman Fried
Green Tomatoes. He was also in that.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
We watched that, didn't we.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Yeah, we did. He was only in it for a second, remember,
Ohky because he was buddy and then he gets front
number by train oh man, but he has to die
in order for the two women to like, you know,
beat again. Yeah Ish anyway, but yes, he was a
man that I truly adored growing up. I thought he
(08:07):
was amazing, madly in love with him. I think I
stayed with that till I was like older and realized
I will never meet this man. And also he's not Irish.
Oh he doesn't have that Irish.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
I had to ask you about that. I was like
is the Irish.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
I mean, I believe, yes, genetically that is his lineage.
Accent wise not so much, not so much, not so much.
But with that, yes, he was my crush. So there's
a lot of teenage hormones that drew me to this movie.
I did not realize how horny this movie was until
(08:48):
I rewatched it in my forties and I'm like, oh oh,
I was seriously repressed.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
I have to admit when I was watching, I was like, I.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Really forgot all of those tensions. But it does kind
of go like, there's so many things that I ignored
with some of the bigger pictures of this movie. But again,
it is a teenage coming of age story for sure,
so we're gonna get into it. Yes, so may've ben
She was definitely a part of the making of this movie.
(09:23):
A least she may have a whole series with these characters.
I can't remember for sure. I know she has other books,
obviously she is a very well known writer, but I
want to say she does. So to get into the plot,
we have Benedict or Benny, played by Minnie Driver, and
her orphan friend Eve, who is played by Geraldine Ora,
who grew up in the small town of Knocklin, and
(09:45):
as they go get older, they go off to college
in Dublin. Also should be known that they are very Catholic.
Their families are Catholic, to the point that Eve was
raised by the nuns even though she was an orphan,
but that's how she was raised, and the nuns also
keep up with her prom that was something that she
inherited from her father, all those things. So they go
(10:07):
to college in Dublin. There's all this like excitement happening. Eve.
It's going to have to move to Dublin and we'll
be staying at a convent there while Benny will be
remaining home, but go and taking the bus back and forth,
which is quite a big trick for her, but gotta
do what she's got to do. Had to compromise to
be able to go to the big city to school. There,
(10:28):
they meet their long lost friend Nan, who was known
for her beauty ever since she was a child they had,
but she had moved away and moved to Dublin at
a young age, so they lost touch. But they reconnect
there and then we also get to meet a group
of boys which included Jack Foley, who was played by
Chris O'donald May love interests, and we have Aiden played
(10:50):
by Aidan Gillian, the villain of Game of Thrones little Finger.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Oh oh I know, yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Those familiar faces and I'm like, oh my gosh, oh
my god. We also have the introduction of Sean, who
is played by Alan Cumming, who I actually adore now,
but this character made me so creeped out by him.
He did such a good job with this role, but
I despised him.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
It was strange for me because I've never seen this.
I've only seen like his newer stuff, right, and I
was like, whoa.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Character so well? Too well? And then we also have
we're gonna see Colin Firth also, this is also one
of the movies that made me creeped out by him.
It took until Pride and Prejudice for me to really
appreciate who Colin Firth was as an Englishman. I put
that there. But in this role who he plays Simon Westwood,
(11:46):
who is an Englishman who comes ann is one of
the rich folk of Knocklin and obviously has a reputation
there really creepy role though. Really despised this role.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
Yeah, now you're breaking it down, there's not a lot
of good guys in this.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Even the good guys aren't good guys. Yeah, even the
good guys aren't good guys. But that's kind of that
level of like all men or horny yeah in conversation.
But anyway, So we have been introduced to the majority
of characters here, and here we are learning that they
(12:25):
all take class together. Nan introduces the boys to the
to the young ladies. They become kind of a group.
We have a rugby scene. That rugby scene was nice,
It's not gonna lie, where we see a Jack flirting
with Benny and Bennie having a moment of like, yes,
this is the man. At the same time, we come
(12:46):
back knowing that Bennie is expected to possibly marry Sean
to help with the business, who he has been brown
nosing her parents the entire time to help with the
business as well. So he has a whole plan and
that includes marrying Benny. He obviously is attracted to her,
but in a creepy way, very creepy insert weird movie
(13:08):
scene here, and she tells them I'm not interested and
that she doesn't she doesn't want anything to do with him.
But he's like, oh, this is for your family. Type
of conversation. We move on, we have gatherings. It's fun.
We get to see them all go out together. And
here we have Jack Letting inviting Benny after they kind
of run into each other at Knocklinn when he is
(13:29):
helping his dad visit an old friend and they get
to Benny and Jack get a little closer and he
talks about how he's so easy talking to her, all
the nice things, and he's like, you know, we're gonna
do this thing. Would you like to come with us?
And she's like yes. She comes back excitedly tells Nan
and Eve and then Nan being Nan, so it's like, yeah,
(13:50):
we're all going. He invited us all and she's like oh,
and then they realize I'm mistake of the black but
he invited you personally, Benny, you know type of thing.
So she's like, yeah, yeah, but what do I wear?
Oh my gosh, I don't want to look fat? All
these things, which again is a conversation that I would
also have. And we have cut scene where they're getting
dressed and we get to see Bennie in a beautiful,
(14:12):
very low cut dress where she talks about they're going
to slip out and they do kind of look like
they might slip out, but she does also say that
she does feel pretty and she looks good, and I'm like, oh,
I think that my minute was so sweet. We go
to them at the concert and we see that Jack
is dancing with every girl but him. At one point, Aiden,
who is a friend, dances with Bennie and tells Bennie
(14:35):
that he asked all the women out because he liked
all of them and he didn't know who was his favorite,
which is rude. By the way, rude. Aiden says that
he likes Eve and she's like. Bennie's like, well, why
are you dancing with me if you obviously want to
dance with Eve? And by the way, they look like
they're struggling dancing seems like a struggle for the two
of them, and as we go on, Eve does dance
(14:59):
with Aiden. They are obvious they are getting closer. Bennie
has had enough. She's kind of feeling embarrassed and sad,
so she decides to go out and possibly leave. Jack
stops her and he's like, you know, I always save
the best for last. Come dance with me. So we
have the beginning of their relationship. During this time, we
found out that Nana had plans in trying to get
a rich man for herself, and that includes after she
(15:23):
runs into they run into Simon Westward. That's her new prize,
so she is on a plan to get with him
and they start getting together. All the hormones are happening.
During class, they're talking about the sex lives of savages.
It is very racist, and I'm like, oh, but again
this is placed in the nineteen forties. Moving on, and
(15:43):
during the time, of course, we have a lot of
like intermingling of conversations about sex and young kids and
Catholicism and what that looks like. We have the fact
that there is condoms that they could buy from the French,
which they call letters or French letters, you know, because
only the French would have such things. And during this
(16:07):
time Jackson should not bring home some and she's like,
Manny goes, oh my goodness, oh my goodness, all these things.
We also have a really funny then, which I think
is so iconic of Eve. Eve is obviously portrayed as
the proud of the of the and the most strict
of the three, in which there's a scene between Aiden
and Eve in the cottage just they're fixing it up.
(16:32):
They play suggess or checkers. They're playing a game they mega,
but she loses and he's like, you have to hold it,
and her response says, Okay, I'll hold it, but I'm
not gonna wiggle it about or check it about. I
think that's one of the best funniest lines I've ever
heard in my life, and they do it so seriously.
(16:53):
But during this entire time, of course, we have a
moment in which Ben confronts her dad about him wanting
her to marry Sean. How she wants to stay in Dublin,
live in Dublin and live her life, and it's obviously
they don't want her there. They want her to keep
her safe, wholesome and follow the plan. And during this
(17:16):
argument it gets a little heated. The next morning we
see that her father passes away and we have a
moment where she's kind of like lost and sad having
to stay at home. She can't be at the school
just to run the business, help her mom get everything straight.
Sean is right there, and she really is very suspicious
of Sean him and his double entry system, which kid's
(17:39):
very confusing for everyone because they keep losing money, and
they don't understand why they're losing money when their business
is good. All the while the kids at school are
still doing their thing without her. At one point, we
do find that Nan is pregnant with Simon Westborth's baby,
and after Simon Westword is like, I can't marry you.
I have to marry someone rich. I'm sorry, you're a
(17:59):
cool girl. No, you need to go have an abortion,
and she's like, I'm Catholic, I can't do that. She
comes up with another plan and decides that she needs
to find someone who could take care of her, and
she chooses Jack, seduces him, and then tells him she's pregnant.
It's very sad as things are starting to get better
for Benny, including the fact that she's discovered that yes,
(18:20):
Sean is taking over their money, taking their money. Oh
my goodness, all these things and their businesses is back right.
She's like, I'm going back to school. Everything is good,
my mom is doing great, blah blah blah. I can't
wait to see you, and he's like, I have something
to tell you. They meet up and he tells her
she's pregnant. Heartbreak, all these bad things are happening all
the while. Eve is also getting reports from people that
(18:44):
things are happening at her cottage, like people are showing up.
She finds a newspaper that is fairly new, so she
knows someone's using their cottage. Who is this? And they're like,
maybe it's a ghost. All these things as we come
about Eve, who is an ever loyal friend, like I
got Benny's back. If I ever see Nan or Jack,
I'm gonna give him a wappin my words. Later we
(19:06):
see a little party that she throws at the cottage
where Ben Benny is sitting alone. Jack and Nan pop
up because Nan is really delusional thinking everybody will accept them,
everything's going to be just fine, And when she walks in,
of course, Jack makes a bee line to Benny to
talk to her, while Nan goes to talk to Eve.
As they're sitting there talking and Eve is very angry,
(19:27):
chopping bread, slicing bread, she figures out that Nana has
been lying the entire time that yes, this is what
Simon's baby. She did this against you to her own friend,
how could you? At this point, we find out that
she is trying to run away accidentally cuts her arm
on a window, which, by the way, is very dramatic,
very very dramatic. All the while, Jack comes into the
(19:49):
rescue BT dubs. He's been going to medical school because
his dad really wanted to be doctor, but he's been
scared because he's very squimish around blood and anything gross. Here,
he like sucks it all up and tries to help
his girlfriend at the time, it's Beyonce. All the while.
We come back later and find out yes, Nancy. Finally,
(20:10):
Nan finally admits that it is Simon's baby, decides to
leave on a train. No one tells her by except
for good old Jack. Jack comes back to Bennie trying
to make things right, and you know, Bennie's like, it's
going to take time. I've changed, you've changed. We have
to get to know each other again type of conversation,
and as they progress, the movie ends with them having sex.
(20:33):
I guess in the cottage because she's like, forgive me father,
because I have sinned. Dumb dum dum.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
So in the book they are actually all She does
not get back together with Jack, like I think he's
imploring her to get back together, but we see them
out a beach. I think if I remember correctly, And
she's already being courted by another dude, and like Jack
is watching her from a different angle, like watching her
talking to this and she just smiles and nauds of
them as is to forgive him, but it's not back
(21:03):
with him. I like that ending better to be honest.
As much as I love cryst o'donn he did not
do right.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
Yeah. Yeah, it's tough stories like that where you kind
of there's a part of you that wants to like
but these are the characters and I wanted them to
get together. But then there's the other part of you
that's like, but.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Girls stand up for yourself.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
You know, you haven't met There's a lot of people
out there.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
There's so many people. So what were your thoughts about
the movie.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
I enjoyed it. I'm glad I didn't watch that other
movie on it.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
It was.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
A bit hornier than I was expecting. I will say, I.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Really didn't forget all of that's not gonna lie.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
And I did. I did appreciate, like, like the scene
you were talking about when they were getting dressed. I
thought they had a lot of moments that were very
true to being a teenage girl of like, you know,
we do worry about our boobs popping out of our
dress sometimes, Like we do worry about those things, and
(22:26):
you don't always see that reflected in the media. And
so I really liked that. I liked the irishness of
it all. I thought that was great. I was. I
was pretty shocked. Maybe I shouldn't have been. I was
pretty shocked at the whole man betrayal thing. I was like, Oh,
because it's called circle of Friends. So I was sort
of like, oh, yeah, okay.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
I think what we're supposed to imply with this, and
we're going to get into it a minute. Like she has,
so there's so much expectations by her family to make
sure that they were taken care of, and she also
didn't want to be like her mother, so there was
just like disdain between her and her mother. Her mother
was so proud of her for getting into college and
making more of herself than being in a relationship like
(23:13):
her father, who was obviously abusive and very mean to
the entire family her but nan and then this level
of like trying to get out of that world. And
because she has in this conversation about like I'm not
like them, I'm like you to Simon Westward, who had
to prove that she is more royalty than not because
(23:33):
he is obviously of a very established family that has
ideals when it comes to wealth, even though they've lost
the entire wealth. Yeah, interestingly, so you have this level
of I don't think they portrayed that enough in the movie,
because you don't. I don't have somebathy for Nan as
(23:54):
much a.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
Yeah want too well, And I feel like, also watching
this from a modern perspective, it was kind of easy
to forget this was the forties, right, So yeah, that
makes total sense, Like, yeah, of course things were different,
and I understood, you know, when she found out she
(24:14):
was pregnant and then he was like Simon was like, nope,
get out here with that, no, thank you. You know,
that's a that's a rough situation to be in. But
I do think it was, Yeah, like it was easy
to forget the time period, and it was also kind
of easy to forget because you're focused on Bennie, so
(24:37):
you're like, right, what are you doing right over here?
Speaker 2 (24:41):
Right?
Speaker 1 (24:41):
Ruining this for everybody?
Speaker 2 (24:47):
Okay, So there's some obvious themes, friendship being a big
theme between Eve. Honestly, the friendship between Eve and and
Benny is kind of that big one because the beginning,
if I remember correctly, of the book, people were iffy
of Eve because she was an orphan, you know, and
(25:09):
she was raised by nuns, and so it's like, who
is a strange girl. But then Bennie realized how amazing
she was and she's like, oh, she's my best friend now,
like she's got my back, I got her back type
of conversation, and we do see that, we see that
when it comes to this level and the loyalty that
Eve has, she's very right or wrong though let's I mean,
let's be really honest, and so it's very clear her lines.
(25:30):
So it's interesting to see. But you also like have
that meshing of the two groups. We don't see a
lot of that in the movie because we see the
you know, Jack and Benny, Aiden and Eve, but like
if I remember correctly, they do kind of all come
together as a group, and you see the other boys
in this conversation as well, and they're a giant group
(25:52):
coming together, being a big French friendship circle. And so
the cottage like moments are really important because they are together.
Also they do some naughty things but the hanging out,
the dancing.
Speaker 1 (26:06):
Final thought when I at the end, I was like,
so Heve's cottage, just as the hookups, this was where
they inside and she's she's not into it at least
not yet. Wow, multiple instances.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Okay, this is what happens, I guess when you give
a young, young, young pelitic house. But yeah, like it
is really good to see. Even like with Benny and
Jack's relationship beginning, it is a good friendship. Like they
talk about how they get to know each other and
talk to each other and really like ease each other's anxieties.
(26:45):
You know, immediately Jack is talking about not wanting to
be a doctor, he wants to be something else, anything else,
but feeling pressure to do so, and Bennie being there
to like comfort him. They're even conversation about wanting to
have sex or having it is probably the most like
genuine conversation between the opposite sex. I'm trying to figure
(27:06):
like feel each other out, like where do you have you?
How do you feel about this?
Speaker 1 (27:14):
Yeah, And those are very relatable conversations in terms of
when you are at that age when you're go into
college and it's you know, you can become a new
person or find yourself, as they say, and you're asking
yourself these questions, and especially in the place that is
very Catholic, if you've been raised that way, that's kind
(27:36):
of tricky. That's you know, you've perhaps got something going
on in your body versus what your religion and society
is telling you. And to have that conversation with somebody
it is very awkward and it's very vulnerable conversation to
have of you know, yeah, I do want this, but
(27:56):
I'm not I don't want this.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
I think one of the best conversations is the one
between Eve and Benny about whether or not they want
to have sex. No, like you think about what m M.
Some of the descriptives they have is fantastic. Like I'm like, yeah,
that sounds that sounds about right. But with that, I'm
gonna go into my teenage angst as a theme because
(28:23):
obviously sex versus religion is pretty played in this one,
and I think like as ourselves like Southern Christian people.
For me, that was a big like back and forth
that that dynamic really had a hold on me as
a teenager well as well. So the film was like
both of those things. This is both my naughty and
(28:44):
my guilt. Yeah, obviously in this level though I've never
been Catholic, but it's pretty heavily laid on for Southern
like conservative Christians as well in this level. But it
is really funny how this like nineteen fifties, sixties setting
(29:08):
was still understandable for a nineteen ninety fiveteen, like two
thousand viewing. For me that I'm like, yeah, there's this
back and forth, like but who do I would? I?
Oh my gosh, what is this about?
Speaker 1 (29:25):
Oh yeah, no, I mean see our good misnos was
it fourteen part religious trauma series? It is still very relevant.
It is still a conversation that happens today, and it's
very convoluted and complicated, and when you're young, you kind
of have those warring things of wanting to fit in
(29:49):
with your classmates or peers who are very interested in
sex maybe, and then how you were raised religiously, that
my be telling you that makes you wrong or like
morally bad, or you'll go to hell or just even
you know, fears of pregnancy or what have you. But
(30:14):
having those sort of warring sides, I think I think
it's still very relevant. And I was I I was
even thinking about it in terms of like the queer community,
it can be a big if you have any kind
of internalized homophobia or something, that sexual aspect of relationship
(30:35):
can be extremely difficult. So no, it's it's I grew
up with it too. It was just a you know,
it's wrong. But then at school everybody's telling me I'm
strange of thinking it's wrong.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
It's complicated, it is, And then I guess the teenagers
are repelling against the parents. Bennie finally shouting at her
dad about things, which, by the way, that reaction was classic.
You made that article, which, by the way, that term,
I really do enjoy it as like an insult.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
It's a good insult. It was a great it was
a great moment. I have to say, if I was her,
I would live with guilt that.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
I know, and she did before she had to clear
up anything in the air. But she also ended up
being right.
Speaker 1 (31:33):
No, no, exactly, she didn't do anything wrong. It is
not her fault. I just know, I too would be like, oh.
Speaker 2 (31:43):
That was how he remembered me and he was so
upset and killed him.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
Yeah yeah, oh, And then even like her pushing back
against her mother because of Sean still like that still
was a thing back and forth, and how long she
had to be there to help her mom and to
mourn her dad before she could she could live her life.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
Like there's this like balance of like trying to figure
that out. I also really appreciated Jack's father and his
observations about Benny. How he's like, you know, there's just
something about those big girls, you have to hold on
to them. I was like, Okay, okay, that's new, Okay,
(32:25):
interesting as a big girl, I'm like, I'm glad he
appreciates big girls. And then he's encouraging Jack to try
it instead of being a jerk.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
Yeah. Yeah, it's also kind of strange thing to say,
but sure.
Speaker 2 (32:55):
Yeah. Obviously weight and body image was a big thing
for especially Benny's character, Like no one else seemed to
have cared outside of Sean, who I think in the
book actually has a fetish for bigger women if I
remember correctly, or outside of herself Sean and like a
little passing comment here and there, which just doesn't feel great.
(33:19):
But with that, the fact that she was still the
main character and her having to deal with this and
constantly fighting it, I will say I loved love the
fact that they never gave our a quote unquote glow
up yeah, or a weight loss transition, And I think
that was so important for me for her to be
able to like see, for her to be able to
(33:41):
live her life that way without the need to do
all of that for sure, like we have that crash course,
like if I don't eat for a week, cannot look
like this in these conversations, and comparing yourself to the
most beautiful, which is nan Like, there's this level of
understanding and feeling seen in that. Again, I've talked about
this a lot. This was kind of that representation of
(34:02):
being the bigger girl and not having to change in
order to get these things. So that's definitely like that
level that I had hoped for, And it was kind
of surprising for like again in the nineties, to be
okay with it. Of course, she ended up losing. She
ended up being much smaller and had gained weight for
this role in went Okay.
Speaker 1 (34:24):
I guess never fun to hear, yeah, but it did.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
It really did impact me as a kid who was
growing up with so many body images issues to see
this and her being loved.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
Yeah, And it was pretty refreshing too. That Jack, who
I would say is your kind of traditional standard handsome dude,
was immediately like, who's that. I want to talk to her,
and it's always seeking her out as opposed to her yeah,
(35:04):
having to like change her whole look or something to
get his attention. He was already like, no, I don't
want to get to know.
Speaker 2 (35:11):
Her, Like we don't have the bad trope of her
being bullied and then her losing weight to come back
and get revenge. I'm like, yes, thank you, thank you
for that. Thank you that we don't have to see
that disgusting this which again the nineties kind of really
had that trip a lot giant, whether it was take
her curly hair and straighten it out, take those glasses
off and put some lipstick on her. She's beautiful now
(35:32):
and you're like, wait, what are you talking about? Yeah, yeah,
so to be fair again, Minnie Driver has always been beautiful,
so there's nothing about that that changes, but like it's
to be seen as a thicker girl, like oh yay, yay,
another theme. I think it's really big as again following
(35:53):
the dreams. Of course, some of those dreams did not
work out. When we talk about Nan really thinking that
she was going to land Simon West and have that
fairy tale life. Of course that did not happen. But
then we do get to see like Eve taking her
cottage from not being used to be able to really
fix it up, to be livable, to be you know,
(36:14):
used for warmth and parties, to also her being able
to go to college with the assistance of the Westwards,
and like being able to get that money to continue
her education. We see Benny not being stuck within her
family business, being able to go to college, being a writer,
as she says later on, because she goes to studies
(36:35):
the same sex drive. I guess even though Jack didn't
know what his dream was, being able to be a
doctor or being able to study medicine and realize that
he could do it, Like, all of those things are
really big to see. Although was there an end where
they talk about what happened as they grew up a
(36:56):
bigger picture? They never hear from Nan right, No, not
that I remember. She talks about being a writer. I
don't remember.
Speaker 1 (37:11):
I think she went off into the dark knight and that.
Speaker 2 (37:13):
Was Do you even know did Jack become a doctor?
I think he did, he does, she does say that.
Speaker 1 (37:21):
I don't know if it says it, but I believe
he did according to and he's ending obviously, Yeah, okay.
Speaker 2 (37:34):
I was looking to see if I could find it.
It just says that she moves in within a flat
with Eve, which it was a dream that she wanted,
and that she pursues her writing because she caused a
stir about the paper she wrote about the sexual ives
such and that said, and then she falls in love
with Jack again quote unquote boo, but okay boo. And
(37:59):
there's a very obvious these small underlying conversation about like
class when we talk about the wealthy English versus the Irish,
So the nineteen fifties would have been I think the
independence actually was established in nineteen forty nine, Like even
though they had won independence in the nineteen twenties, I
believe it wasn't actually established until that point. So I
(38:20):
don't know if that was any kind of like overtone
or commentary about the wealthy English being in that area,
specifically the Westwards, specifically the slimy character that it was
simon Westward in the book. I feel like it has
a bigger part to play, but it's hard to do
(38:43):
in a little romance coming of age movie, I.
Speaker 1 (38:47):
Guess, yeah, But there were definitely hints at it because
I thought about that with the bus, because Benny had
to ride the bus and it was such a like
impacts on her life, her schedule and her social life,
and it was commented on several times like no, I
have to take the bus. I can't. This is the
(39:08):
only way I can do it. And so they were
little things like that that I think made clear, especially
with Benny and Eve, that you know, they they had
these things that made their lives a bit more difficult
because they didn't have the money that a lot of
the people they were interacting with did have.
Speaker 2 (39:32):
There's a lot, but there you go. This was my
very horny teenager movie that I did not realize said
such things.
Speaker 1 (39:45):
Just to be clear listeners, as men said, it is PG. Thirteen.
It's not like wild or anything, No, but it was.
I was a little taken aback.
Speaker 2 (39:54):
Definitely definitely tackle. The entire theme of it is about
whether or not what happens when sex is introduced, essentially
like it is a coming of age, and so we
know that feeling like we don't see purity. So that's
like we don't see that. We don't see like them
having periods, we don't see them whatever whatnot. But we
(40:15):
see them having their first and having that moment of
like understanding whether or not they can go, how far
they can go, and what they can do. What is
sin Like it is on a comic level placed in
the nineteen fifties in Ireland, so like it puts at
a different level. But it is a lot of like
there's no way I would have watched that with my parents.
(40:39):
I know that.
Speaker 1 (40:42):
I wish I had been. I had recorded my reaction
at the end when they walked into that East cottage.
I was like, ohness, this is how it is.
Speaker 2 (40:54):
That's how it ends. Not in the book, but this
is how it ends here. So oh lord, you know
what I think. Again, we've talked about awakenings and what
we were like, oh this okay, this is one of those.
Later we're like, okay, I see where I was. I
see I see, you see what I needed in life
an Irish man. Apparently that in Ireland. Though. I want
(41:18):
to say puffins, but is it not about puffins?
Speaker 1 (41:21):
No, decidedly not about puffinsuffs to be seen, no buffins
to be seen? Oh my goodness. Well, it is on
YouTube listeners. It is for free if you want to
check it out and then right back your your opinions
(41:43):
and reviews, or if you'd already seen it, let.
Speaker 2 (41:47):
Us know what state were you in when you watched it?
Speaker 1 (41:51):
Yes, was it an awakening? We must know. You can
email us at Hello at stuff one Never Told You
dot com. You can find us on Blue Sky Mom
Stuff podcast, or Inestagram and TikTok at stuff I've Never
Told You. We're also on YouTube. Also, we have some
merchandise at coomp Bureau and we have a book you
can get wherever you get your books. Thanks as always
(42:12):
to our super produce Christina or executive producer My Ander,
contributor Joey.
Speaker 2 (42:16):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (42:17):
Thanks to you for listening Stuff Never Told Me protection
by heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio,
you can check out the heart Radio app, Apple podcast
or reb you listen to your favorite shows
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