Our 2000s Holiday Noir miniseries kicks off with a film that helped relaunch Robert Downey Jr.’s career and reintroduced Shane Black to a new generation: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Phil and Emily are joined by film critic and historian Alonso Duralde to unpack why this meta-crime-comedy still feels like lightning in a bottle.
The trio digs into the movie’s razor-sharp script, its chaotic but affectionate relationship to noir, and the way Shane Black balances darkness with a wink. They explore Michelle Monaghan’s standout performance, Val Kilmer’s iconic turn as Gay Perry, and what made this moment in RDJ’s career so precarious and so thrilling.
They also dive into the film’s tone-shifting structure, its overplotted charm, its self-aware narration, and why the movie’s emotional core sneaks up on you. Along the way, they talk Shane Black’s imitators, the difficulty of pulling off postmodern genre homage, and how this film manages to love the very tropes it skewers.
Whether Kiss Kiss Bang Bang has been a long-time favorite or a movie you somehow missed, this episode revisits the 2005 cult classic with fresh eyes, big laughs, and a deep appreciation for what makes it so deceptively tricky and so rewatchable.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com