Theater Camp

On this episode, Caitlin and Jamie head to summer camp to discuss Theater Camp (2023)!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
On the Bechdecast, the questions asked if movies have women
and them, are all their discussions just boyfriends and husbands,
or do they have individualism? It's the patriarchy, Zeph and
bast start changing it with the Bechdelcast podcast.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Isn't home? But is it? Kind of? I think it
kind of is. I think it's so fascinating that you're
able to engage with musical theater only ironically. Welcome, Welcome.
I like that you're going to be an honorary theater
kid today.

Speaker 3 (00:36):
Look I went, I crossed a sea and ocean to
go see musical theater. It was Paddington the Musical.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
True's but I loved it. I know, I know. What
do you do?

Speaker 3 (00:49):
You ever listen to the soundtrack? Yes, I've been anytime
I go on a walk, I've been listening to it
and the.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
Songs of the Bank, but the bangers tell us.

Speaker 3 (01:01):
I would say the best song is probably pretty Little
Dead Things. That's the villain song. Whoa rhythm of London
is amazing, Don't touch that is amazing. Marmalade obviously, there's
a song called Marmalade and it slaps, explore and the
bear honestly, like hard Stare, there isn't a week song

(01:26):
in the entire production. It's top to bottom incredible. Highly
recommend everyone listen to the Paddington the Musical soundtrack. And
I'm not just saying that because I love Paddington. It's like,
legitimately so good. I love musical theater.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
It turns out I cannot wait for there to be
a Tory production. I mean, I'm sure tickets will be
in wildly high demand, but I can't wait.

Speaker 3 (01:52):
I would spend many dollars and travel great distances to
see it again. Anyway, Welcome to the Bechdel Cast. Absolutely,
the Bechdel.

Speaker 2 (02:03):
Camp, Oh my god. Yeah. Do you think people would go? Yes,
it would just be us criticizing the elements of the
camp to be like, actually this sucks. I no, I
think I think the Bechtel Camp would be really fun.
It would be like this camp, very queer and very
loud and very dramatic. Yeah, yeah, no, I think people

(02:26):
would attend. I think we should do it absolutely and
see you this summer. Bitches.

Speaker 3 (02:31):
Yeah, I'm I'm camp counselor Caitlyn Dorante.

Speaker 2 (02:34):
Who are you, Jamie, Oh, I'm janitor Jamie who ends
up actually stealing the show at the end of the summer,
just like Ben Platt's husband. And that is how I'll
be referring to him throughout.

Speaker 3 (02:46):
Yes, yes, yes, amazing. Anyway, this is the Bechdel Cast.
We examine movies through an intersectional feminist lens, using the
Bechdel Test simply as a jumping off point. And what
is that tell Jamie.

Speaker 2 (03:01):
Well, I'll tell you. It is a media metric created
by queer cartoonist and presumably owner of the Bechdel Camp,
Alison Bechdel.

Speaker 3 (03:12):
She's an investor. Yeah, she's an angel investor.

Speaker 2 (03:15):
I would say it's one of the Patty Harrison's of
the camp. And it's a media metric that she wrote
in a comic that has since been adapted to a
more mainstream way. Our version of the test requires that
there be two characters of a marginalized gender with names
who speak to each other about something other than a

(03:36):
man for more than two lines of meaningful dialogue. Now
it happens in this movie. It happens in this movie,
and it's also not I think this movie is interesting
to me because it sort of reminds me of the
Fire Island discourse around the Bechdel test where this movie
doesn't pass the Bechdel test a ton but in a

(03:59):
way that is a great example of why it is
just a jumping off point for discussion totally where I
do remember that there was I mean, if you recall
a couple of years ago, there was like one bad
faith actor online who is like Fire Island, a movie
famously about gay men on Fire Island doesn't pass the
Bechdel test. How am I supposed to respect this thing?

(04:21):
And at this point, it's like we're urging you to
get over yourself and take a step back and look
at the forest and not just this tree or angry
at Anyways, I'm so excited to discuss this movie today.
Theater Camp twenty twenty three. Kind of some Nepo baby

(04:45):
excellence afoot here. Sure throw a rock and you've got
someone with Broadway producer parents, and yet it is just
like genuinely a really good movie and a movie that
I feel like, even though it it made more money
at the box office than I thought it had. It
made like four point six million, but I do feel

(05:06):
like it was a movie that was kind of what
am I I'm thinking knee capped, knee capped. That feels
too dramatic. I'm thinking of what happened to Tanya Harding.
There's like a phrase, my brain is not oh. I
mean it was held back. It was held back by

(05:28):
the fact that it was released and would have been
promoted largely during the SAG and WGA strikes of twenty
twenty three, which is part of way I feel like
this there wasn't more noise made about this movie is
because the creators and the actors were not going to
cross a picket line to do so. Sure so, Unfortunately,

(05:49):
I feel like this movie didn't really get as big
of an audience or buzz as it deserved. I know,
but today that changes. Today they're getting the Bechdel cast bump.
And what an important and influential bump it is. It's
so true. I did see this movie in theaters.

Speaker 3 (06:07):
I was one of the few. I saw a trailer
for it, and I was like, this seems so funny.
It seems like a great cast. I love a mockumentary,
and it got my butt in the seat and it
did not disappoint. I loved it. I thought it was
so funny. I am not nor have I ever been
a theater kid myself, but you don't need to have

(06:30):
that experience to enjoy this movie because it's so funny,
it's very heartfelt. The themes resonate with me because capitalism
is the enemy and community is the hero of the movie.

Speaker 2 (06:45):
And I loved it.

Speaker 3 (06:48):
So I saw it in theaters, but I haven't I
didn't watch it since, so it was a joy to
revisit it. And because I barely have a functioning memory anymore,
it was kind of like watching it for the first
time prep for this episode, and yeah, it was. It
was such a treat to rewatch. So, Jamie, what's your
history with it? And I was also curious if you've

(07:09):
ever been to summer camp before? Oh have you?

Speaker 2 (07:15):
I did go to.

Speaker 3 (07:16):
Girl Scout Camp nice, but it was it wasn't like
a long term camp. It was like it was sleep
away camp for like four days for five days kind
of thing. So it wasn't like a week's long thing.

Speaker 2 (07:29):
But I did that. We've got to bring back Girl
Scout cinema. Yeah, I feel like there was a moment
in the eighties and nineties. I mean, obviously Troop Beverly
Hills was that it.

Speaker 3 (07:41):
Well, there was a more recent one called I want
to say it was.

Speaker 2 (07:44):
Called Troops zero. Is that the name?

Speaker 1 (07:46):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (07:47):
Yes, another movie that I feel like wasn't really given
a proper promotional push.

Speaker 3 (07:52):
Yeah, because I don't think it had a theatrical release,
or if it did, it was like pretty sparse. But
I thought it was maybe like a straight to streaming
Yeah movie, I didn't see it. But yeah, there's only
a small handful of Girl Scout movies, and there should
be more, but there's no shortage of set. This is
I think the first theater camp. I mean, this movie

(08:13):
shares so much DNA with one of my favorite mockumentaries
ever and one that innovated the form, Waiting for Guffman,
which we will be covering at some point. Obviously, the
filmmakers here, our Christopher guest fans are not.

Speaker 2 (08:26):
Shy about that, nor should they be. He's amazing, So Okay.
My history with this movie is that, in spite of
it being a movie that is ostensibly made for me
to watch, I hadn't seen it. I don't remember why
Sumber twenty twenty three was chaotic. I was on tour
and then I was in the most toxic relationship of
my life, and then my dad got cancer. So I

(08:47):
think like in somewhere in the somewhere in there, I
just didn't see theater camp Fair, but maybe it would have.
Maybe my father would be here today if I had.
We'll never know. Oh well, well, ever, no, I guess
we will never know. Cinema heels, but it's too late.
I am in like a wild mood today. Okay, So no,

(09:08):
I hadn't seen it before, but I knew I was
gonna love it, and I did love it. I'm a
fan of I mean this is I did call them
nepo babies, which is not a slur, it is true.
But I'm a fan of, like truly everybody involved in
this movie. Molly Gordon is amazing. I think Ben Platt

(09:32):
rips and I kind of don't know who that is
aside from the context of this movie.

Speaker 3 (09:38):
Like I know he really, I know he's someone I
should know. I know that dear Evan Hansen is a thing.
I don't know what that is.

Speaker 2 (09:44):
So Ben Platt is a the star of the stage
and screen, but I think better known for the stage.
He is the sun, and as is Molly Gordon. They're
both children of tremendously successful theater producers who actually at
theater camp, at a bougie theater camp when they were children.
So the pictures that you're seeing of them are real,

(10:06):
they're not photoshopped. But yeah. Ben Platt is best known
for starring in Dear Evan and Hansen, and also starring
in the rather unfortunate theatrical adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen,
which is one of the great Whig crimes of our age.
Enough has been said about that I will not add

(10:28):
but Ben Platt. Yeah, he's the son of Mark Platt,
who I think most famously produced Wicked and also famously
is a huge Zionist, which Ben Platt is not, so
we're breaking generational curses. Ben Platt, I have only I
mean little Hollywood insider stuff. I've just only heard the
nicest things about him, and that he's like a terrific

(10:51):
and thoughtful person. There's a story I heard, I've heard
more than once about Ben Platt and his husband, who
also appears in this and also played Evan Hansen on Broadway.
They were the first two Evan Hanson's and then they
got married. Wow. Now, if that's not a Broadway story
to Evan Hanson's getting married. Tell me what is? Tell

(11:12):
me what is? You literally can't, but I it's this
like lovely story that I've heard many times about. I
forget who it is. It's like someone I know. Sorry
if I'm putting them on blast. But they got very
drunk at a party and were kind of stumbling home
and on the streets of New York came across Ben
Platt and his husband, which she doesn't remember. And Ben

(11:35):
Platt and his husband Noah Galvin, let's say, because he's
terrific in the movie as well.

Speaker 3 (11:39):
Oh yes, also one of the screenwriters, Yes yeah.

Speaker 2 (11:42):
Along with a third NEPO baby. A third NEPO Baby
has hit the production team of Theater Camp. But but
the two the Evan Hanson's too not just got her
into an uber and made sure that she made it
home safely. But when she woke up there was a
care package from them. I guess she had drunkenly given
them her phone number and they called her to make

(12:05):
sure that she was okay. And that was how she
learned that Ben Platt had gotten her home the previous night.
Oh gosh, And I was just so I think of
that story. That is just so wholesome. I hope that
there's not something about Ben Platt that I'm missing because
I'm really singing his praises. But he got a lot
of heat for being in the bed Evan Hansen movie,

(12:27):
and I just he's also in the Pitch Perfect movies,
which I totally forgot. Yeah, yeah, I mean, I just
think he's delightful. He's one of our seminal Broadway stars.
I think he's like one of the millennial Broadway stars.
And then Molly Gordon also fantastic. I know she had
done she like her parents are movie and theater producers.

(12:50):
She'd been off Broadway before I saw her another movie
she co wrote and starred in last year called Oh Hi, Yes.

Speaker 3 (12:59):
I saw that on a plane recently, in fact, on
the plane ride to London to see Paddington the Musical.

Speaker 2 (13:04):
And also Caitlin, I can't believe you didn't leave with
this because you've seen it and I haven't. She's in
The Sheep Detectives. She sure is.

Speaker 3 (13:11):
Oh yeah, the Gordon of Sheep Detectives fame.

Speaker 2 (13:15):
Even know she was in the Oh my God. Now
that's what she's most famous to be for. But she's
also in BookSmart, Shiva Baby the Bear like Romie. She's
been in so much and she's also a great writer director.
This is the exact kind of movie that like never
gets made, and I like when Nepa babies use their
powers for good and get a cool movie made. Indeed,

(13:37):
I did go to summer camp and I did go
to theater camp, but they were not necessarily the same thing.
I went to a community theater like summer program, just
like in my hometown. It was just like a day program.

Speaker 3 (13:52):
Okay, so not like a sleep away camp.

Speaker 2 (13:54):
No. I did go to a sleep away camp, but
it was religious. My theater camp was in my hometown
and it was like it was called Act one, Scene
one in Brockton, Massachusetts. I did it, I think three
or four times, and it was really fun. Yeah, we
couldn't afford what happens in this movie, but we had

(14:15):
We had a nice time. And the I mean, regardless
of what class you're in, the dynamics of a theater
camp are pretty much always the same from what I
can tell. It's just you can't stop theater children from
being so loud and dramatic. They life will find a

(14:38):
way regardless. I have like a very clear memory because
I was I was like never, I was always a
chorus girl in theater camp. And then once I got
out of musical theater because I am not a good singer.
That's not true. I love voice, thank you. I wasn't clearing,

(14:59):
I wasn't clear. But yeah I did high school. I
did like high school drama, cob and all that stuff.
And then my sleep away camp was in New Hampshire.
My cousin and I got a scholarship to go twice. Okay,
but it was like this, like Jesus Horse camp.

Speaker 3 (15:15):
Oh, I remember you've talked about this before.

Speaker 2 (15:17):
Yes, yeah, so different experience. I wish I had gone
to a theater camp. I also went to band camp.
I went to sleep away band camp.

Speaker 3 (15:24):
Oh okay, missus Obo, missus Obo.

Speaker 2 (15:29):
Yeah. So you know, like many children, my parents did
not want me around in the summer and would apply
to various scholarships so I wouldn't have to be But
this is like this, I feel like Presents. It seems
like it's based on the experiences of the filmmakers, and
this is like the dream. This is the kind of
theater camp that I feel like every theater kid wants

(15:51):
you know, it's beautiful, it's scenic.

Speaker 3 (15:55):
Seems like good vibes all around.

Speaker 2 (15:57):
Everyone who's been there has been there for since time immemorial.
Like it's it's just awesome.

Speaker 3 (16:03):
Yeah. Well, let's take a quick break and then we'll
come back for the recap. Okay, So here's the story
of theater camp. We meet Joan Rubinski played by Amy Sidaris.

Speaker 2 (16:28):
Love her. I love to start on an Amy like
you just I just didn't see her coming. She's there barely.
But and then I was like, wait, how did I
not know she's in this? And the answer is because
she kind of isn't right. She worked for two days.

Speaker 3 (16:44):
Because what happens is she runs a summer theater camp
for kids called adirond Acts get it swish.

Speaker 2 (16:55):
Uh huh.

Speaker 3 (16:55):
I love the puns in this movie. There's so many.
She and her colleague re To Cohen played by Caroline
Aaron are trying to recruit kids and raise money for
the camp for the upcoming summer, but in a middle
school production of Bye by Bertie, Joan suffers a strobe
light related seizure and ends up in a coma. You

(17:19):
hate to see it, You hate to see it. So
now Joan's son will take over running the camp. This
is Troy Rubinski played by Jimmy Tautro, who I most
recognized from American Vandal. Did you watch that show?

Speaker 1 (17:34):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (17:35):
I did. Yeah, he's been in a lot of stuff,
but yeah, I throw back because I was like, wow,
that was almost ten years ago.

Speaker 3 (17:42):
That's scary really, oh my gosh, twenty eighteen lies. Anyway,
he is super broy like crypto bro kind of guy,
not a theater kid type at all, so he's very
out of place in this role of running this theater camp.
Everyone else starts Arriving at the camp for the summer,

(18:06):
we meet a couple of the teachers best friends, Rebecca
Diane played by writer director star Molly Gordon and Amos
played by Ben Platt, star slash screenwriter. Because the movie
was co directed by Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman, who
also co wrote the screenplay along with Noah Galvin and Ben.

Speaker 2 (18:28):
Platt, it kind of reminds me of I and again,
I will stop sounding the NEPO baby alarm at this point, sure,
but it does make me it feels very please don't
destroy that there is a token not NEPO baby, and
it is Noah Galvin, God it it's the second Evan Hanson,

(18:48):
right right? Yes?

Speaker 3 (18:50):
So, Rebecca, Diane and Amos are head of music and
head of drama respectively.

Speaker 2 (18:55):
At the camp. They are freaking out about Joan not
being there.

Speaker 3 (19:00):
They hate her son, Troy, and so do all of
the campers because again, he is not one of them.

Speaker 2 (19:07):
He's a post boloone fan.

Speaker 3 (19:10):
Yeah. Rebecca, Diane and Amos announce all the productions that
will be going up that summer, including an original that
they will be writing and directing called Joan Still, a
tribute to their boss Joan. Meanwhile, Troy has fired several
teachers in an effort to cut costs because his sort

(19:33):
of journey throughout most of this movie is trying to
raise funds for the camp, save money, save the camp financially, etc.
But he's trying to cut costs, so he fires several
people and then hires someone to replace them. All this
is Janet, played by friend of the show Iowa Debris,

(19:53):
whose resume is stacked, but who is clearly lying about
all of her experience with things like stage combat, accent work, jousting, etc.

Speaker 2 (20:05):
If there is one thing I could want in this
movie it's more, I know, but I'm assuming she This
was a year where she had like five hundred movies
come out, so I'm assuming that there just could be
more scenes with her. Yeah, they're all very funny, so funny.

Speaker 3 (20:20):
We also meet characters like technical director Glenn played by
Noah Galvin, costume designer Gigi played by Owen Teal, and
head of dance Clive played by Nathan Lee Graham.

Speaker 2 (20:35):
Wait really quick, because there's also none of them get
like extremely characterized. But I really enjoyed the child cast
of this movie as well. They're just so talented. I
would watch a spinoff show with just the kids, sure,
but my favorite child and I think it's just like
it reminds me of the kid in School of Rock

(20:58):
who is like the costume designer slash It or like
Miranda Cosgrove in School of Rock. There's a lot of
School of Rock energy to this movie. But I love Alan,
who plays the tiny manager or like the tiny agent
aspiring agent. Yeah, a tiny agent is gonna get me

(21:19):
every single time. So funny. And he's also the kid
from Manari.

Speaker 3 (21:23):
Yes, that character reminded me of the kid in Wet
Hot American Summer who is always sort of off on
his own, broadcasting a radio show that's not actually hooked
up to anything, so he's not broadcasting, but he's like
talking into a microphone that's not plugged in, just in
the sense that they're like both like off on their own,

(21:44):
kind of doing their own thing, not involved with most
of the other stuff that's happening.

Speaker 2 (21:50):
Shout out Alan Kim, Yeah, you're a legend. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (21:53):
His character I think is Alan Park. So there's him there.
There's this kid, Devin. The joke with him is that
he's straight, but his.

Speaker 2 (22:03):
He's closeted straight.

Speaker 3 (22:05):
Yeah, but he's there because his gay dads sent him
to theater camp.

Speaker 2 (22:09):
Great.

Speaker 3 (22:10):
There's a teenager named Darla who is one of the
stars of Joan.

Speaker 2 (22:16):
Still. Yeah, there's there's a bunch of great kids in
the cast. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (22:21):
Okay, So then it's time for these kids to audition
and we get a fun montage, but it's interrupted when
Caroline Krause played by Patty Harrison, comes in. She's a
financial consultant there on behalf of Camp Lakeside, a nearby
camp for super rich kids, and she tells Troy that

(22:45):
the bank is weeks away from foreclosing on Camp Adirondacks
because of defaults on mortgage payments, but Caroline thinks they
can work some de out. But technical director Glenn overhears
this conversation and tells Troy do not do any deals

(23:08):
with them. Camp Lakeside is like trying to take this land.
They've been trying to get this land for years. All
this to say the stakes are high for Camp Adirondacks. Meanwhile,
the counselors deliberate on which kids to cast in which roles.
The cast lists are posted and there's a mad scramble

(23:31):
to see who got which part. Some kids are happy,
some kids are upset. Darla, who we mentioned earlier, is
cast to play older Joan in Joan Still. Then there's
a younger girl named Mackenzie who's cast to play like
the younger Joan. Then we see the kids in classes

(23:55):
and Janet Clive gg Amos, Rebecca Diane Area. There's another
fun montage, and even Glenn teaches a class on stage
managing and lighting and stuff like that.

Speaker 2 (24:11):
I appreciated that because of this movie's budget, which was
not publicly available but like I can't imagine, was especially high,
made it so that they could only afford to license
so many Broadway songs obviously, and I can't imagine post
Malone was cheap at least three years ago. It might
be cheap now, but in any case that they had

(24:35):
to like write some Broadway sounding shows for the audition montage,
even though obviously Joan still is all original music. But like,
there are some things that I was like, what is
that from? And the answer is nowhere, So good job movie.

Speaker 3 (24:49):
But when one kid auditions with a Wicked song, yes,
define gravity, and they probably had access to that.

Speaker 2 (24:57):
Because because of Zionist Mark Platt. Yeah Mark Platt. I mean,
I don't even want to like Sully this discussion with
his politics, but he sucks ass. But that is very
likely why they were able to use Wicked specifically, right
right right, yeah.

Speaker 3 (25:16):
Anyway, so we see this montage of the counselors teaching
various classes, including Glenn. Although we've been getting some hints
that Glenn is a talented performer in addition to being
a talented behind the scenes person, this.

Speaker 2 (25:32):
Is my favorite, Like, I am such a sucker for
this narrative, even if, like with Glenn, you can see
it coming from one hundred miles away. But It's like
seeing Lady Gaga step on stage during A Star is
Born and you're like, I wonder if she'll be good
and turns out twist she is. And Noah Galvin, who's

(25:54):
like a decorated Broadway star, turns out they got pipes. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (25:59):
So so then Rebecca, Dianne and Amos start writing Joanes
Still and then start rehearsing it with the cast. Meanwhile,
Troy is trying to raise money for the camp, so
he hosts a dinner with potential donors slash investors and
has some of the campers act as wait staff to

(26:21):
serve them the meal. Very theatrically because he's also starting
to He's also trying to understand the theater kids and
like meet them on their level kind of thing.

Speaker 2 (26:33):
The thing with Troy that I appreciate is like a
stock character that I is like fairly new but I'm
growing to really appreciate, which is like the gentle himbo. Sure,
because I feel like twenty years ago this character would
be written as wildly homophobic, as hateful to the entire

(26:54):
project of theater. But he's just like kind of clueless
but curious, and I like the gentle himbo and Jimmy
Tetro has played place any a gentle hymbo. Yeah, yeah,
I'm into this new but I'm I'm coining of well,
I don't know, maybe the trope has been coined, but
I'm coining the stock character and I'm claiming him. Yeah,

(27:16):
illiterate but gentle.

Speaker 3 (27:20):
Yeah, I'm I'm fine with this character as well. You
know himbos, But well, the whole thing with a himbo
is that they they do tend to be They're nice
but stupid. They're like clueless, but they're like sweet and
gentle usually so right, So that's him in a nutshell anyway,

(27:42):
He's he's like trying, He's he's trying to understand what
his mom does here. He's starting to appreciate what she
has done to build up this camp and build this community,
and he wants to keep the camp going. But this
dinner that he hosts goes poorly and he doesn't get
any investors involved. Meanwhile, Rebecca Diane is receiving mysterious phone

(28:08):
calls about oh, is she available that night for something
but we don't know what, and then she keeps disappearing
when she's supposed to be doing like a performance for
the campers. She disappears when she's supposed to be at
the annual mixer with Camp Lakeside, and Amos keeps being like,
where the hell is my best friend?

Speaker 2 (28:28):
What is she up to? We don't know?

Speaker 3 (28:32):
And at said mixer, Troy really hits it off with
the banker Caroline and he signs the camp over to her,
though sort of accidentally he like doesn't really realize what
he's doing. He misunderstands the deal, but either way, he's
fucked up and he has like signed the camp over,

(28:56):
which most people do not know about. Most of the
counselors are aware of this. Then it's tech Week where
they're doing all the tech rehearsals and everyone is scrambling
to get all the productions ready, especially Glenn, who everyone
is making all of these demands of. He's running around

(29:16):
all day doing everything behind the.

Speaker 2 (29:20):
Scenes, everything but singing.

Speaker 3 (29:22):
Yet meanwhile, Amos is pissed at Rebecca for not being around,
and he has not seen the big finale for Joan
Still that she was supposed to be working on, and
it's clear that she still hasn't written it, but she
pretends like she has and improvs this terrible song on

(29:44):
the spot and Amos is like, what the fuck was that,
and she reveals that she has been preoccupied because she
recently got a job. She signed a two year contract
to perform on a cruise ship because she she wants
to be a performer and not solely a teacher. And

(30:06):
she feels that Amos has maybe been holding her back
and she's made various sacrifices to stay working with him,
but she's done doing that, and Amos feels utterly betrayed.
Then Caroline comes in to announce that Camp Lakeside has
bought Camp Adirondacks and they're about to tear it down.

(30:31):
The kids are horrified. It's chaos. It's unclear if Joan
Still will be taking place because it seems like it's
dead in the water. But then Troy realizes that the
contract he signed says that Camp Lakeside can only take
over Camp Adirondacks if the bank forecloses on it, but

(30:54):
if they prevent that from happening, they can still save
the camp. So Troy goes to Glenn to encourage him
to revive the production of Joan Still since Rebecca and
Amos have kind of bailed on it. Yes and then
Troy invites a bunch of his business influencer buddies to

(31:18):
the show as potential investors in the camp. But oh no,
the star of Joan still, Darla, is leaving early, leaving
before the performance because she booked a movie role.

Speaker 2 (31:31):
I love that so much of Ben Platt's troubles towards
the end of this movie have to are involved with
like low stakes opportunities for women. He's relying on.

Speaker 3 (31:43):
Yes, yeah, true, because Darla is like, I got a
role in a movie about a pregnant gymnast, so I
have to go do that.

Speaker 2 (31:52):
But he says like a line, Oh god, it made
me laugh. He's like, I'm not in a place where
I can handle industry sides right now. And it's awesome.

Speaker 3 (32:02):
Yeah, but he agrees to help her prep for the
role anyway, and he's like, Okay, what are this character's allergies?

Speaker 2 (32:09):
And she's like what and he's like, oh, we have
so much work to do, You're useless. It's so funny.

Speaker 3 (32:17):
Anyway, So Darla's leaving, so we're like, oh my god,
who's gonna play old Joan. The show begins. The songs
are wild. They were making me laugh.

Speaker 2 (32:30):
They're good. I also, like, I just the number of
like really fun theater tropes that are like gotten into
here and the fact that it's done by like legitimately
very talented kids. It just is making me emotional the whole.
Like it reminded me of like how to succeed in
business without even trying, where they're like stocks stocks, stocks,

(32:53):
and then like how And I say this with love,
but the way that theater portrays addictions sometimes is so
corny and over the top, and they're like que the
cocaine and it's like the paper machine.

Speaker 3 (33:10):
Also, the first song is about how women can't read, but.

Speaker 2 (33:14):
Like but that also feels very like tongue in cheek
of like raw, especially the further you go back in theater,
how broad and corny immigration stories could be told. It
all feels like done with I mean obviously like experience
of the actual like theater, but just with so much

(33:36):
affection for it, even the like problematic and corny parts.

Speaker 3 (33:41):
Right, well, the song itself is obviously problematic, but you
see like the audience members like looking at each other
being like what the fuck is this?

Speaker 2 (33:53):
What? It's satire? Yeah, so it's good satire. It's great.

Speaker 3 (33:57):
So Joan still is is happening, and then we get
the reveal that old Joan is being played by Glenn,
who does an amazing job.

Speaker 2 (34:12):
I also love the little tongue in cheek of like
the fact that they're married to each other and that
when Glenn is good, Ben Platt is like, I'm genuinely upset.
I'm genuinely upset about it. He's like, oh my god,
he's amazing, which is such a theater like, just, oh,
what is more show business than resenting the success of
a loved one? Come on, it's true.

Speaker 3 (34:36):
Yeah, And then it's time for the big finale, which
is partly Rebecca Diane's improved version of the song, but
it turns out that she ended up finishing it and
polishing it and it's actually pretty good.

Speaker 2 (34:53):
And during this and of course it's a spoken word
portion like here's how theater changed my life. And and the ending,
I will say, is done pretty.

Speaker 3 (35:03):
Sincere uh where like the kids like the Camper's like
expressing how important camp is to them.

Speaker 2 (35:12):
Yeah, just like most lines in that concluding song, like
there are some joke lines, but for the most part
like the message of the song, Unlike the song about
where women shouldn't be allowed to read. And one of
my favorite jokes in the movie Jeffka is dead, yeah,
et cetera. Like, but it is like a very sincere
song about how theater camp can change your life, which is,

(35:36):
you know, makes total sense given why we have this
movie for sure.

Speaker 3 (35:39):
Yeah, yeah, it's really sweet and yeah sentimental. And during
this song, Amos and Rebecca Diane apologize to each other
and they have a tearful reconciliation. And then the text
on screen says that Troy's influencer buddies loved the show,
but it turns out they have no money to invest

(36:01):
and they are under investigation by the SEC. But someone
else makes a sizable donation to the camp because the
show really spoke to him. It's Troy's Airbnb guest, which very.

Speaker 2 (36:17):
Last minute I silly Desx Airbnb guest exactly. Yeah. I
learned just the other day from a friend of the show,
Molly Lambert. Did you know that that convention of like
the where are they now? Or like here's what happened next?
Thing was invented by George Lucas. No, according to Molly,

(36:38):
I haven't in American Graffiti, Okay, a movie I have
not seen, but apparently that was like not a common
thing to do in movies prior to that. But there's
a silly character that I guess we meet in American Graffiti,
a movie I would like to see and sounds like
it would be worth covering, but like it's a you know,
teen movie, and they do that thing at the end

(37:01):
where it's like, here's where this teenager ended up. Here's
where this teenager ended up, and one of them it
just says, without further comment, he died in Vietnam, which
was obviously like a big George Lucas political Like I mean,
George Lucas was very anti Vietnam example Star Wars and
New Hope or not anti Vietnam, anti the Vietnam War, right,

(37:23):
But anyways, I just I now, every time I see that,
I'm gonna be like, wow, that was George Lucas's idea.
I had no idea. But they're used very frequently in mockumentaries. Yes,
for sure.

Speaker 3 (37:33):
Yeah, I didn't realize that I've seen American Graffiti, but
it was it was during the great Caitlyn movie binge
of two thousand and five, so it was decades ago, yes,
but yeah, so we get all these all this text
on screen about like where are they now? But the
camp is saved, it.

Speaker 2 (37:51):
Seems, and we even get to see Amy Sedaris one
more time.

Speaker 3 (37:55):
Yes, yeah, she wakes up and she's like, don't let
Troy run the camp.

Speaker 2 (38:01):
It's very funny. But yeah, that is the movies.

Speaker 3 (38:05):
So let's take a quick break and we'll come back
to discuss, and we're back where to begin.

Speaker 2 (38:21):
I feel like for me because we've recently covered a
we okay, this is a good plug for the Matreon.
If you haven't been a matran subscriber, which you can
do right now Patreon dot com. Slash back to past
five dollars a month gets you access to two new
movies a month, as well as a back catalog of

(38:42):
over two hundred episodes. That said, we recently did Catherine
O'Hara month, who is a mockumentary icon because of her
appearances in Christopher Guestswork, and so many of the notes
that we had about Best in Show which we cover
are fully like this just feels like a more mature

(39:04):
version of that of that format where there are some
dated stereotypes around where people that appear in that movie
and in basically every movie that came out in the
two thousands. Unfortunately that by the time we get to
Molly Gordon, Ben Platt, Noah Galvin, and the fourth guy,

(39:26):
Nick Lieberman, shout out to him that like this is
a just like fully queer satire, of like a very
loving queer satire, and I love it. It's like everything that
you would want from a mockumentary without the dated, problematic
elements of watching certain documentaries. Totally.

Speaker 3 (39:49):
Yeah, yeah, I And again I can't speak from personal
experience about the theater camp experience or being a theater kid,
but from everything I've read and heard from people.

Speaker 2 (40:04):
It definitely gets it, Like I think gets it. Yeah,
especially given like who is making this movie where it's
like you're a hard pressed to tell to Evan Hansen's
that they got the theater community wrong. They definitely got it. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (40:21):
Just to share a quote from Noah Galvin, he spoke
to Glad at I believe the premiere of this movie,
which was at sun Dance.

Speaker 2 (40:31):
Yeah, so pre strike. So they got to promote it
a little bit, and then they had to stop promoting
it and then I think I don't remember if the
sag let me check when the SAG strike ended.

Speaker 3 (40:43):
Oh yeah, I don't remember the exact date.

Speaker 2 (40:46):
I think it was after yes, So yeah, so the
writers strike I believe ended sometime in the late spring
in twenty twenty three, so they could promote it in
a writing capacity, but SAG was on strike until November
of twenty twenty three, which is why most of the
promo you'll find for this movie was prior to both strikes,

(41:08):
because for the most part, it's like you have to
imagine Ben Platt and Molly Gordon and Noah Alvin are
both members of the WGA and SAG. SAG. Yeah, so
a little bit of a little bit of strike lore
going on there, yes, But yeah, before that they were
able to promote it.

Speaker 3 (41:26):
It premiered its sun Dance. Glad was there and they
were talking to various members of the cast and the
creative minds behind this movie, and we're just kind of
asking about, like what makes theater such a safe space
for the queer community, because many of the characters in

(41:47):
this movie are queer.

Speaker 2 (41:49):
Many you say, cast if one of the like crucial
jokes is a young boy coming out as straight, to say,
almost everybody in this movie is queer or queer coded exactly. Yes.

Speaker 3 (42:05):
So Noah Galvin says this quote, theater is a space
for people to express themselves and try on different personalities
and step into other people's shoes, and I think it
gives people the freedom to really explore. And I think
throughout those processes of being able to try on different
costumes and selves, you end up really finding your authentic

(42:26):
being unquote.

Speaker 2 (42:28):
Which that's beautiful, Which is.

Speaker 3 (42:30):
A sentiment that resonates throughout the movie where it's so
clear that the kids and the counselors have found their
people and their community at theater camp, and they are
among people who they feel comfortable, you know, being themselves
around and exploring themselves around, and that they're wary of

(42:52):
someone like Troy because he represents the type of person
who typically doesn't embrace them and doesn't make them feel
comfortable to be themselves. Like there's that moment when Amos
goes up to Troy to be like, kids are here
because they found community. They're sort of like the outcasts

(43:12):
from heteronormative society and they are accepted here and they
belong here, and you're not one of us, because like
Troy is this like super BROI he's a jock totally.
There's one of my favorite moments is when he is
like up at the podium in the like cafeteria area

(43:36):
and he's like talking into the microphone and then some kid.

Speaker 2 (43:39):
Just goes sis head bitch. It's so funny.

Speaker 3 (43:44):
But but to your point, Troy like comes around or
he doesn't fall into that like stereotype of being like
super toxic sis head bro guy who's gonna reject everyone
he sees because.

Speaker 2 (43:59):
Now and it's like as misguided and the I don't know,
like every Patty Harrison character is the funniest character in
a movie and it's just like too bad for anyone
else who was in a movie with her. But his
whole thing was like I appreciate it. It was and
I feel like this is normal for mockumentaries. There's really
only room for like one or two actual emotional arcs

(44:22):
and then you're getting just like a lot of characters,
which is definitely true for this. It's very focused around Rebecca,
Diane and Amos's friendship. Yeah, but I do like that
with Troy, you get the feeling that like this whole
journey in spite of the fact that he like has
one brain cell is like he's trying to save his

(44:44):
mom's business. He's trying to like and in the process
is like learning and better understanding who she is and
how loved she is in this community that he has
never really been a part of, which you know, it's
like clearly not like the emotional thrust of the movie.

(45:05):
Sorry for saying thrust. I mean music to my ears.
I know it's kind of your thing. Sorry, it's okay,
but you know, I appreciate that that is like present.
And again it's like, there were so many lazy tropes
that if this was written by a straight guy twenty
years ago probably would have been present and isn't here,

(45:26):
which I think is one of the this movie's many
strengths is that this movie is written primarily by women
and queer people. I don't really again, sorry to Nick Lueberman,
I don't really know anything about him. So while there is,
as we discussed at the beginning, certainly a lot of
privilege to the primary creative team, the movie is also

(45:49):
written and directed by women and gay men, and that's
who you want to be writing a movie about theater camp,
especially someone who like the specificity. I mean, there's a
specific dynamic in this movie that I'm excited to talk about,
which is like a codependent again, it's like something that

(46:10):
we've seen in tropier ways, But there's this codependent friendship
that exists between Rebecca, Diane and Amos that evolves over
time that I'm sure many people have seen themselves in.
I saw myself in this relationship between them, where it's
like a same straight or a woman who's attracted to

(46:35):
men who falls in love with her best friend who
turns out to be gay and not interested, and then
it's like okay, processes that information and then the two
of them go on to form one of the most
codependent friendships to ever exist. It is such a unique dynamic,
and it's so specific, and it is expressed I think

(46:57):
even in the like even though it's over the top,
it's so loving and I just really agree and that
like they build in a way that I think again
like a lesser, less tapped in writer group would have,
you know, basically American pied it and turned it into
this like big broad goofy story. There are like real

(47:22):
dynamics that exist obviously within that friendship, as would any
like of professional rivalry of like I am afraid of
you succeeding in ways that I'm not because what does
that say about me? And what does that say about us?
And just I don't know. I feel like this movie
really nails this specific friendship dynamic and in a greater sense,

(47:47):
codependent friendship dynamics in general.

Speaker 3 (47:51):
Totally another hilarious joke. A lot of my notes for
this movie is just I've written down all the funny
joke that I like that's in the movie, and that's
feminism because the movie is just so damn funny. But
there's a scene where the counselors are gathered around a
campfire and kind of sharing stories and experiences, and Io's

(48:15):
character says something like, Yeah, it seems like the two
of you have a really codependent friendship, and Amos is like, no,
we don't. We just heavily depend on each other.

Speaker 2 (48:26):
It's like, uh, there's I mean, obviously, codependent friendships exist
across the sexuality spectrum, but there is something very specific
about this codependent friendship that felt both loving and familiar.
And I would imagine a lot of this movie's target
demographic knows what the shape of this friendship is. Definitely,

(48:50):
and I do like that this movie has the courage,
and I do think it is brave to have not
every character be successful to the extent that they wanted
to be at the end of the movie. It's something
that I always really like about Christopher Guest movies as well,
where I feel like, very often this convention of like,
and here's what happened to them is used to be

(49:11):
like and don't worry whatever struggles they were having. At
the end of the movie, they went on to achieve
their wildest dreams, and in this case, like that's not true.
They end up basically normal, which in some ways you
could say is hilarious coming from Ben Platten, Molly Gordon
to objectively very successful people. But just from a writing perspective,

(49:32):
I did appreciate that, like he continues at the theater camp,
and I think maybe my favorite joke is he starts
the check off like theater program for children of divorce,
which is just a great joke. And that Rebecca Diane,
you know, does like go on to experience success, but
like she arrives at the bottom of the middle of

(49:54):
theater success, which is like playing a minor role on
a cruise ship. And I really, I really liked that.
I feel like at the end of those movies you expect,
especially in I think like twenty tens and twenty twenty
movie culture, where everyone needs to have a redemption arc
and like we there is, especially movies directed at younger audiences.
I'm thinking about more recent Pixar movies too, where it's

(50:16):
like no one is allowed to leave with a bad
feeling and no one can die or get a boo boo.
This is me being a Republican.

Speaker 3 (50:25):
I guess, wow, these Snufflake movies.

Speaker 2 (50:29):
I'm Tucker Carlson. No, but I am really like we
need to be pushing villains off cliffs and failures should
be an.

Speaker 3 (50:36):
Option, Quitting should be an option. Yeah, yeah, Like life
is messy life. You heard it here first, and it
should be represented that way on screen.

Speaker 2 (50:46):
Take it from a podcast or in year ten. Things
don't always work out the way you expected. Wow, j.

Speaker 3 (50:54):
This was your lifelong dreams.

Speaker 2 (50:58):
You know you're right, You're right. But I liked where
everybody landed at the end of the movie. I thought
it was very charming.

Speaker 3 (51:06):
Right because like at the end of Legally Blonde, for example,
it's like an Elle Woods graduates Magna Kum Laude of
Harvard Law School and goes on to be the best
lawyer ever.

Speaker 2 (51:18):
Unfortunately with Ellwood's I guess I will make an exception.
I'm like, I believe it. I believe that she did that,
but yeah, I don't know. I just this is again,
like the dynamics in this movie are so specific and
so like broad but also I guess specific and broad
at the same time, which is just like a good satire.
I'm trying to think of other characters, characters I would

(51:40):
have liked to see more of, but I'm assuming we
were not able to because of availability. This is I mean,
especially in like a cast this large, you have to
imagine that they were not always able to get a
ton of people all the time. But Owen Teel is
so funny and so talented and plays GG. Yes, he
plays GG and has been in so many things in

(52:04):
the last couple of years, but I feel like has
yet to have like his big moment. I'm looking forward
to it. He was in Overcompensating and Adults, two shows
I iconically have not watched, but I hear people like
and he also is a NEPO baby, because you have

(52:25):
to be to be in this movie. Of course, let's
see what else. Oh and Nathan Lee Graham as Clive,
who just I have to assume like he just like
was not available because he's on stage constantly, just a legend.

Speaker 3 (52:39):
We talked about him recently because he's he has a
small role in Hitch He Dies and Zoolander.

Speaker 2 (52:45):
He's been in so many movies we've covered because he's
also in Sweet Home Alabama. Oh right, yeah, he's in
everything and originated one of the Broadway roles of Priscilla,
Queen of the Desert. So oh, no kidding, there's so
many Nathan Lee Graham overlaps certainly a queer icon, and
the love for theater in this movie is clear. And

(53:07):
then and then you have like a few people from
the comedy world as well. You have obviously like Amy Sedaris,
who I don't know if she's ever done Broadway. I
feel like she has, but I don't know. I don't
know either. Her energy to me says yes, let me,
let me, let me check this. Yes, okay, actually so much. Yes, okay,
so that makes sense. So she's Broadway. But with I

(53:30):
love I like Io and Patty are so well used
in this movie. Patty's character like who becomes a larger
character than you expect in a really fun way. She
becomes like Jimmy Tatro's love interest. But it doesn't seem
like they're gonna end together because I'm pretty sure the
last you hear of her, she's like, this sucks.

Speaker 3 (53:52):
Yeah, she doesn't like the production of Joan Still. Meanwhile,
that's his mother. That's his mom, and he's like she
feels so endeared by the performances.

Speaker 2 (54:05):
I was really kind of taken. I was like, Wow,
Jimmy Tattra is moving me right now. This is crazy.
It's just like it's a great ensemble cast. There are
certain people that I would have liked to see more of.
I think, like we were talking about Owen Teal Nathane
graham Io to that point.

Speaker 3 (54:22):
One of my notes about this movie is that it
does center like the cast at the very center of
this movie are white actors, and it is a racially
diverse cast, but the main characters are predominantly white, and
all the characters that I would have liked to see
more of two like you said, Gg Clive Janet, tend

(54:43):
to be non white actors and characters.

Speaker 2 (54:47):
Yeah, which I do think is more of a contemporary
thing that I've noticed. I don't know if you've ever
like specifically talked about it, but having a diverse setting
but not necessarily a diverse movie in terms of whose
stories are prioritized where I don't know whatever, pretending this

(55:08):
movie came out in two thousand and three not twenty
twenty three, I think we would have a story that
centers white actors and they're surrounded by white actors. I
mean Christopher Guest's movies are a great example of this. Yeah,
but now it's like we are still primarily especially like
and this it wasn't a gigantic release, but it was

(55:30):
released by Searchlight, like it was a big enough release
for this to be a worthy criticism. It still centers
white stories, but they're in a more diverse environment, which
is maybe like not the flex that it seems like

(55:52):
right in any case, and there's there's always I will
qualify that with like, I have no idea what this like.
It's very possible think certainly with people like Io who
are like constantly working, Oh, Intel is working a lot
like that. This is just like how it shook out
based on availability, but does feel worth mentioning.

Speaker 3 (56:13):
And I mean you know, you look at the writing
and directing team and it's like they're broughtting themselves as
the main characters, which is understandable, this happens a lot.
But also it's like, Okay, who gets the opportunity to write, direct,
and star in their own movies? It is usually white people.

Speaker 2 (56:33):
And white people from very privileged backgrounds, right, which is
what this movie is. And again it's like I say that,
Do I say that out of bitterness, yes, but it
is also like worth mentioning in a way that I hope,
like it doesn't take away from their you know, artistry,

(56:54):
Like they're this movie is really good. They're talented writers
and performers and also objectively, they're going to get to
the front of the line each and every time because
of how society works. Yes, I honestly don't have a
lot else to say about this movie, just that I
think it's so funny and there are so many hilarious

(57:19):
jokes puns that I loved. The Gentra Vacation Project, the
Caroline Helms, Yeah, that was her brainchild. That was her brainchild.

Speaker 3 (57:31):
Meanwhile, Troy is doing on Troy preneurship funny.

Speaker 2 (57:36):
Okay, I had to hate that one. But I it's this, like,
this movie is everything that I feel like we're constantly
being told are the kinds of movies you just don't
get anymore. And I think it is like a nice
reminder that we do get movies like this with some frequency.
They're just like way harder to get made and seen

(57:57):
than they once were because Hollywood studios don't invest in
promoting original stories like this. Yeah. Yeah, So if you're wondering, like,
oh my gosh, why aren't they making like these fun
indie style movies like they used to, they are, you
just have to look harder for them, unfortunately. Totally.

Speaker 3 (58:16):
Yeah, people are always saying like, oh, everything that comes
out is a Marvel or a Star Wars or whatever
other huge franchise movies, big studio IP movies, and that
is a lot of what comes out and a lot
of what gets the big budgets and all the promo.

Speaker 2 (58:36):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (58:36):
But in this year alone, twenty twenty three, when Theater
Camp came out, there was also Dix the Musical, which.

Speaker 2 (58:44):
Was another movie that didn't get it's due.

Speaker 3 (58:47):
Totally Polite Society came out this year, Wicked Little Letters
came out that year. One of my favorite films from
twenty twenty three. It's fun and.

Speaker 2 (58:59):
The thing that is and I guess like it that's
not even we're not even criticizing the audience for this,
because I feel like there is just like so much
gaslighting in the way that, like the way that people
are told quote unquote what audiences want, because if you
look at like box office numbers, to get pedantic for

(59:21):
a second, if you look at box office numbers for
these like big tent pole like Marvels or Marvel style releases,
they're making way less money than they used to because
people get burnt out, they get sick of seeing the
same kind of movie over and over and over. And
original stories are doing much better even though they you know,
still often need and this has been true forever, like

(59:44):
some star power to get them out there. I'm like
thinking about the drama as a recent example of like
that movie made over one hundred million dollars and it's
an original story, whether you liked it or not, Like
it's a great case study for it, and it's like
people want to see original stories. But I feel like
we're still kind of that most original stories, especially if

(01:00:05):
you don't have a huge star or you don't have
a rich parent or whatever. It is like, it's just
going to be harder for your work to get seen.
But it doesn't mean that it is happening. And you know,
the next time you see a headline that's like, no
one wants to see original stories, that's why we're disinvesting
in them. It's just not true. It's just not true.

(01:00:27):
It's like the same. I feel like we've had this
conversation around like movies for women and specifically older women
of like how I think of like The First Wives
Club example, While and while that is like a wealthy
white movie, but that was a great case study for oh, well,
we don't think this audience exists, and then it very
much existed. Black Panther, same thing, even though that's a

(01:00:49):
Marvel movie. They're like, there's no market for a black
superhero and then it makes a billion dollars. It's just okay,
that's that's my little rant for the day. You're so true.

Speaker 3 (01:01:02):
Also, Bottoms came out this year. So like some of
the funniest movies that have come out in recent years,
many of them came out in twenty twenty three. These
were all original stories, lower budget films. That were so
funny and smart and.

Speaker 2 (01:01:21):
Did find their audience it just they but didn't get
the push they deserved exactly.

Speaker 3 (01:01:27):
Do you have anything else you want to talk about?

Speaker 2 (01:01:32):
I don't think so.

Speaker 1 (01:01:33):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:01:33):
No, this is just like a good If you haven't
seen this movie, it is, I believe on Hulu, and
it's a great movie to like, invite some friends over
and have some fun. I have yet to hear of
a theater fan friend who has a negative thing to
say about this movie. Like they did it right, They

(01:01:53):
sure did.

Speaker 3 (01:01:54):
Yeah, And like you said, it does pass the Bechdel test,
it does. Yeah, And we already talked about it at
the top of this show. I don't think we need
to be labor the point any further. But what about
our nipple scale, the Bechdel cast nipple scale where or
the Bechtel camp Y scale where we rate the movie

(01:02:18):
on a scale of zero to five nipples examining it
through an intersectional feminist lens.

Speaker 2 (01:02:25):
Right, Ray, Ray, I'm gonna give it.

Speaker 3 (01:02:29):
I think like a three point seventy five nice It's
doing pretty well. The representation we see is very diverse
across gender sexuality. I would say to a lesser extent race,
because again the movie does center the white characters, but
there's body diversity.

Speaker 2 (01:02:49):
We see.

Speaker 3 (01:02:50):
It's a very inclusive group generally. Again, one of the
sentiments that keeps being expressed throughout the movie is uh
and that, like the asked and the filmmakers have talked
about when they speak about this movie and they speak
about theater camp and theater kids and just theater experience
in general, that it is an inclusive group and that

(01:03:14):
everyone is welcome because you know, like Island of Misfit
Toys kind of thing. So there's places where I think
it could have been more inclusive in general, but it's
it's doing a great job.

Speaker 2 (01:03:30):
It's so funny.

Speaker 3 (01:03:31):
There's so many good jokes in this movie. The cast
is terrific. The Jones still should be winning Tony's.

Speaker 2 (01:03:40):
I mean, if you enjoy the soundtrack of the movie,
it did come out. I do believe it is streaming,
which is kind of as is Dicks the musical. So yeah,
I feel like twenty twenty three was a great year
for musical comedies that were under promoted. And it's a crime,
and it's a crime to humanity, and in the twenty twenties,

(01:04:02):
for some reason we have no idea or willingness how
to promote musicals anyway. It's true. So three point seventy five,
who are you giving them to?

Speaker 3 (01:04:13):
Oh, just everybody, everyone in the cast and crew, because
behind the scenes people matter too, as we see with Glen.

Speaker 2 (01:04:24):
Glen, I will I'll meet you there. I think that
for our metric. Yeah, there are certainly like a few
notes on the rampometer on the amount of fun this
movie is ten out of ten, and that it's like doing.
I think it is like a clear progression in this

(01:04:45):
genre specifically that is like very encouraging and very cool
and is a more inclusive approach to the mockumentary genre
that we don't always get. And yeah, it's super funny.
I really love it and you should watch it if
you haven't. I am going to give my nipples too.
I guess I'll just split my three point five nipples

(01:05:07):
among the writers, but I'll give two to Molly Gordon
because I'm a really big fan of her work. I
think Rebecca Diane is so funny and I also felt
very seen by her.

Speaker 3 (01:05:19):
Sure, yeah, yeah, there you have it. You can follow
us on Instagram at Bechdel Cast. You can subscribe to
the aforementioned Matreon at patreon dot com slash Bechdel Cast.
You you already said that all the things, two hundred

(01:05:39):
plus episodes in the back catalog, that you get access
to two brand new episodes every month on an amazing theme.

Speaker 2 (01:05:47):
And that's where you can hear. Most of our mockumentary
episodes I believe are over on the Matreon.

Speaker 3 (01:05:51):
Oh yeah, because we've done best and show, we've done
what we do in the shadows, among others, others.

Speaker 2 (01:06:00):
We've been doing the show for ten years. Please be
patient with us. Grandma's are going to bed. Yeah, but yes,
if you if you want more, there is there is
so much more. And it's also just like such a
fun community. And we will be announcing our ten yure
tour later in the yearth and you will get first

(01:06:21):
path at tickets if you are a matron, So head
over there for that. And with that, let's go audition
for the next regional production of Joan Still I'm there,
Bye bye. The Bechdel Cast is a production of iHeartMedia,

(01:06:41):
hosted and produced by me Jamie Loftus.

Speaker 3 (01:06:43):
And me Caitlyn Durrante. The podcast is also produced by
Sophie Lichtermann and.

Speaker 2 (01:06:49):
Edited by Caitlyn Durrante. Ever heard of them? That's Me
and our logo and merch and all of our artwork
in fact are designed by Jamie Loftus.

Speaker 3 (01:06:58):
Ever heard of her?

Speaker 2 (01:07:00):
God? And our theme song, by the Way, was composed
by Mike Kaplan with vocals by Katherine Voskrasinski. Iconic and
especial thanks to the one and only Aristotle Ascevedo.

Speaker 3 (01:07:12):
For more information about the podcast, please visit Linktree Slash
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