September 20, 2023 • 28 mins
The Steves discuss what's making them happy in pop culture today, covering Hulu's The Great, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, and Disney Pixar's Elemental.
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Episode Transcript
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Steve (00:03):
Hello, returning Happies and new listeners.
This is Steve Bennett
Stephen (00:06):
Martin.
And this is Stephen MartinBennett.
And welcome to A Lifetime of
Steve (00:10):
Happiness.
The podcast where we take you onour journey through some of the
movies, TV shows, and other bitsof pop culture that are helping
to keep us happy while hopefullybringing a smile to your face
along the way.
Stephen (00:20):
And today we're catching up on a historical
comedy that Steve actuallylikes, along with two movies
that filled our hearts.
Disney Pixar's Elemental, andNia Vardalos's My Big Fat Greek
Wedding 3.
Steve (00:33):
Well, before we get into that, my love, what's been
making you happy?
It's
Stephen (00:36):
my birthday!
Steve (00:37):
Boom, boom, boom! I know, and hopefully the next episode
you can report back on how it
Stephen (00:42):
went.
Fingers crossed that nobody...
Fucks it up.
My mine was not as dark as
Steve (00:50):
yours my gosh I was gonna say I know I didn't fuck it up.
So if something happened, itwould be random and tragic
Death?
Stephen (00:58):
My goodness.
Yep.
Steve (01:00):
That is worst case scenario of most situations.
I guess.
Stephen (01:03):
Oh Okay, so what's been making you happy?
Steve (01:07):
I got my life coach certification
Stephen (01:10):
Excellent.
Now, what do you want to do withthat?
Help people
Steve (01:15):
Help people do what?
I don't know yet, I'm stillfiguring it out.
But I know that it involveshelping other people reach their
goals and focus on sexuality andrecovery related stuff.
Stephen (01:25):
I think that sounds fantastic and I think you'll be
excellent at it.
Thank you, you know what else
Steve (01:30):
I'm excellent at?
Watching a lot of TV and movieswith you.
Stephen (01:34):
I was gonna say a lot of things.
I don't know if I can narrow it
Steve (01:37):
down.
Yeah, and it was a minute agothat we watched season one, but
we just binged through seasontwo and three of Hulu's The
Great.
An occasionally true story.
Yes.
What
Stephen (01:47):
is it?
Well, The Great is an alternatehistorical satirical comedy
drama very loosely based on therise to power of Catherine the
Great.
Empress of Russia
Steve (01:59):
the star.
By definition.
I hate it.
Keep going.
Stephen (02:02):
the series stars, El Fanning as Empress Catherine II
and Nicholas Holt as EmperorPeter iii.
And later his body Double pache.
Yes.
Steve (02:13):
The show has three seasons run from 2020 to 2023,
and despite the second and thirdseason, especially receiving
critical acclaim, Hulu canceledit in August.
Stephen (02:23):
Yes.
And.
Because our podcast is the wayit is, we will probably be
spoiling a few things on here.
Fair warning, A, you shouldwatch this show.
B, if you don't want it spoiled,skip this section and come back
and listen to it later.
Yes,
Steve (02:41):
we will talk about plot points, but I feel like the
biggest thing that this show hasgoing is the character
development that we get into,and so we won't spoil that too
much.
No.
But I know that it also receivedseven Primetime Emmy Award
nominations, with both Fanningand Holt being nominated for
Outstanding Lead Actress andActor in a Comedy Series.
Stephen (02:59):
Absolutely deserved.
This is one of those shows whereso it's a period dramedy and the
Actors, especially the twoleads, are chewing the scenery
so fully and beautifully, but insuch a three dimensional way,
(03:21):
like, at no time is theircharacter able to be pigeonholed
as just this or that.
The, I mean, and that's due tothe writing, of course, but as
well as the performances.
And both Elle Fanning andNicholas Holt act with their
entire body, and especiallytheir whole faces.
It's so impressive to watch.
(03:43):
It
Steve (03:43):
is very impressive to watch.
I know that the first season Ienjoyed, but they were all very,
Like, outlandish caricatures.
Yes.
And like, they got thecomplexity in the second and
third seasons, but even theoutlandish characterizations
that we get in season one arejust so enjoyable.
Like, I said earlier, like, onpaper that sounds horrible, but
(04:05):
you add in the fact that theyturned the camp up to 11, and
the filth and raunch up to 11,and like, the self awareness of
like, None of this is true, solet's just have fun with it, and
like, the way that they wouldreference things from history,
like Russia made it, like therollercoaster, I, I mean.
And the stapler.
It was just, it was a fun
Stephen (04:24):
series.
And we learned about Velcro.
Yes, exactly.
I, do you know the mostimportant thing that I learned?
What?
Catherine the Great did not fuck
a
Steve (04:33):
horse.
She did not fuck a horse, yes.
But, besides not fucking ahorse, what did you think on her
arc over the three seasons?
Stephen (04:40):
Okay, so that was what was really impressive.
You have this learned woman whohas great knowledge, great
social skills great ideasbrought in as a mail order
bride.
Yep.
Not expected to do anythingexcept open her legs to receive
(05:03):
the king and spit out a futureking.
Yeah.
That is her only job.
She sees more, because she wasbred to be more.
And, so you see her, like, firstwith these ideals and things
aren't right, and thenrealizing, I deserve better than
this.
(05:24):
And you have people that arebacking her up saying, you do
deserve better than this, butshe doesn't really have a plan.
And this whole time, you see herdevelop from a child into a
woman.
And it's an impressive arc, andElle Fanning did it with gusto.
Steve (05:46):
Yes, she did.
And I love Nicholas Hoult mostthings that he does.
I think that he is socharismatic and funny, but he
shines in this role as theprince.
I mean, on
Stephen (05:57):
paper And it's better than you would have ever seen
Nicholas Hoult do
Steve (06:00):
anything.
I know, and on paper If youdescribe the prince's character
of being like a horriblemonster, douchebag, savage, it
sounds not great.
But, the way that he does it,and just like, he doesn't know
better, he was like raised to bethat way, and just like, as,
especially as like his heartchanges in season two, it's just
(06:21):
fascinating to see thischaracter, like that starts off
as this joke, turn into thislike complex
Stephen (06:26):
human.
And, you have these peoplethat...
Like him because they're paidto.
Yeah.
The court.
You have some people that likehim because of who he is, his
best friend.
Grigor.
Yes.
But, like, in season one, wherehe tells Catherine, You know.
I was thinking about having youkilled, and she's like, you
(06:49):
know, I thought you might, andit's that sort of like, he's
just giving away the plot, andshe's like, oh, I already knew
asshole, but she says it in away that's like, how funny, I
thought you might be trying tokill me, and they have this
sparring relationship.
And just when you think thathe's not actually intelligent
(07:12):
about certain things, he seesthe world differently than she
does.
Where she has the book smarts,he actually does have the street
smarts.
And usually I make fun of, like,street smarts aren't a thing.
They are.
Yeah.
And, it's, whenever they cancombine the two, that they're,
(07:33):
like, if they could've combinedthe two long term, there's no
telling what they could'veaccomplished under their rule.
Yes.
Steve (07:42):
And I know that.
As much as those two together isma are magic, the more I got to
see her on screen, the more Ifell head over heels in love
with Belinda Bromelow as AuntElizabeth, yes.
As Aunt Elizabeth.
Just the most hysterical,matriarchal figure I've ever
seen in, like, any fun any anycomedy, modern, historical,
(08:05):
whatever.
Stephen (08:06):
And besides wanting the best for her Peter, and now her
Catherine, and the country, shereally just wants to catch
people having sex without themknowing that she's watching.
Steve (08:18):
Yes, and telling you about her past sexual exploits
of which there are many, andthey're so ridiculous,
Stephen (08:26):
but Like they make her out to be older the actress is a
gorgeous 40 year old woman Yeah,like she's stunning like the
hair and the lack of makeup andthings make her out to be She is
such a
Steve (08:40):
highlight for the show.
I can't wait to see what shedoes next.
Because the show didn't end, butI would definitely still say
check out all three seasons.
It makes us happy.
How did it end for you?
I want
Stephen (08:50):
to get over some other characters.
I don't want to rush throughthat just yet.
Mariel.
I loved the character of Mariel.
I was on and off for her.
Character that I hated,Georgina.
Never liked her.
Steve (09:02):
Season three though, I saw the lengths that one person
will go through.
And it was interesting.
Stephen (09:10):
Archie was one of those characters that you're not
supposed to like, but the guy'sperformance made it worthwhile.
who was the, oh, the the child.
Oh, yeah.
Steve (09:27):
Mariel's cousin.
Mariel's cousin!
Stephen (09:29):
It was hysterical, but...
He was
Steve (09:30):
SO good.
And then getting to know Arcadeein season three more, when
General Vellemental steppeddown, and we got to know him
more.
Yeah.
It was just...
Yeah, they they had some goodcharacters.
I don't want to get TOO intothem, Yeah.
because that's how they relateto one another, that's magic,
but...
I just wanted to say that,during the coups and...
revolutions and changes...
(09:51):
Yeah.
A lot of the people are indifferent places in Season 3
than where they start, but it'san interesting and fun ride.
So,
Stephen (09:58):
we had found out that it was cancelled after Season 3,
before we got to Season 3, andwe were having such a good time
with Season 2, we were like, Oh,boo hoo, I can't believe it's
cancelled.
Now, with seeing how Season 3ended...
It was a perfect three seasonseries, correct?
I don't think it should havecontinued even if they had
(10:20):
wanted
Steve (10:21):
to know I think it's best that it ended there I agree You
know what?
I think you'll want more sequelsof though
Stephen (10:28):
And I'm not sure that I do, but I, I, I, so it's my big
fat Greek wedding part three.
Yes,
Steve (10:37):
and why do you love big fat Greek weddings, period?
Okay,
Stephen (10:40):
so I love anything that pulls at your heartstrings in a
happy way.
The first Big Fat Greek Weddingwhere Neo Verdalos character
Tula, goes from what she feltwas frumpy and wanting more out
(11:00):
of her life to doing what shehad to do to get that while
staying true to her familialroots, but also searching for
love.
It's that sort of story whereyou can root for them.
And the family is big and overthe top.
It's bigger than a lot ofpeople's family.
(11:21):
There are certain things you'relike, whew, and I thought my
family was weird type of thing.
And the writing is funny, and itstill feels grounded, even when
you have those.
Over the top things.
Two went a little more over thetop.
Two, less...
(11:41):
I don't...
Believable, I guess, is theright word.
But three.
Ugh.
Steve (11:47):
So...
Well, the third installmentstars returning family members
and new faces as the Portakalosfamily goes on a trip to Greece
for a family reunion after thedeath of their patriarch, Gus.
Now, this was the first of thetrilogy to be both written and
directed by Nia Fardalos.
And it also stars Tula Porta Oh,who also stars as Tula Porta
(12:08):
Colos.
And it was released in theaterson September 8th.
Stephen (12:12):
Yep, 2023.
Had a budget of just 5 million,and it's already grossed 38.
7 million worldwide.
Making it a huge successalready.
Yes, but did
Steve (12:25):
it make you happy?
Stephen (12:26):
Actually, like, so each one had different feelings.
You know, that first one wasabout hope and love and all of
that.
This one was like a warm hug.
Like, this is probably theclosest I got to, like, happy
tears in the theater.
I got happy tingles.
(12:48):
And yeah, it made me very happy.
I thought it was extraordinarilywell done.
Yeah, I mean,
Steve (12:54):
right off the bat, the setup is addressing the passing
of Michael Constantine, whoplayed Gus, but they also showed
the mother, who In real life,it's probably fine, but they
showed the actress characterbeing, having dementia.
Stephen (13:09):
Now, whether it's true or not, I had heard that Lainey
Kazan was not going to bephysically able to go to Greece.
Yeah.
And so, they thought of that,like, how they can have her in
the show, but still be able topass on head of the family while
she's around.
And
Steve (13:30):
I think she did a great job with it, because so often
times...
We working in the industry foryou for so many years before you
got out of it.
Yeah, well, I'm trying to getout of it You see all the time
that like media Portrayals ofpeople with dementia are not
accurate or might be upsettingor the family's reaction to it
It's like no remember no andlike pulling them out and
(13:52):
shaking them and it I think thatthey did a really good job of
Handling that with care.
What did you think of those two
Stephen (13:57):
plot points?
I thought so too and one that Ireally liked Was early on in
when the mom says, Yes I talkedto your father last night.
And they're like, Mom, Dad'sdead.
And she goes, I know that.
It was in my dream.
He can still come to me in mydreams.
Yeah.
(14:18):
I absolutely think that's true.
So, I think it was handled withgrace and realistic ways to do
it and I thought it was good tobe addressed.
But I was glad that they alsomoved on because that would have
been a whole other movie.
Yes,
Steve (14:37):
correct.
And, thoughts on the family tripto Greece?
Ugh.
Stephen (14:42):
So, Greece looks gorgeous.
Never been.
Want to go.
And the people that besides AuntVula and the other aunt they
hadn't been to Greece before.
So this was their first time.
It was lovely.
There was an excitement.
They were there for a seriousreason about passing their dad's
(15:02):
journal off to his best friendsfrom childhood, as well as
coming back for the reunion ofhis hometown.
And it all blended really well,as well as continuing some of
the stories from the second oneabout their daughter and her not
wanting Greek romance pushed onher.
(15:23):
Yeah.
And it just, it worked reallywell.
But wasn't it
Steve (15:27):
stunning?
It was stunning.
Now, when we go to Greece, areyou going to want to do the
larger city areas and places bythe water?
Or will you want to go to thoseremote...
So I houses and villages in themiddle of nowhere, up on the
mountains,
Stephen (15:42):
both because I want to see the Parthenon in Athens.
I want to go up to.
Apollo's Temple, where, youknow, the mystics were that
would give you your fortune.
But I also want to hit thosesmaller towns, where
everything's a little slower, alittle quieter in there.
(16:04):
And those, that was some of myfavorite parts of Spain, too.
Can Remy come?
Steve (16:09):
I think so.
Count me in, then.
Okay.
Now, would you travel across thecountry to give your dad's
notebook to a bunch of childhoodfriends?
Stephen (16:16):
Absolutely.
Would you
Steve (16:20):
depends on how my dad and I leave things and what country
it's in.
I would go to Greece for my dad.
Yeah.
I don't know whether I'd go tolike Long Island for my dad.
But also what was your favoritepart of their search for the
childhood friends and why was itNikki and Angelo coming to the
rescue?
It was
Stephen (16:37):
absolutely Nikki and Angelo coming to the rescue.
Because I love Gia Carides.
I love Joey Fatone.
They have such good chemistry inall three movies.
And I was afraid that since theyweren't going to grease with the
others, the only time we weregoing to see them was in that
scene at the airport at thebeginning or quickly over the
(16:59):
phone.
And I loved that the, theirbrother and sister are like,
We're gonna fix this.
And they hop on a plane toGreece.
And as soon as they hopped onthe plane, I smacked your leg so
hard.
I was
Steve (17:14):
like, Yes! Yes, I didn't even have to consult you in
writing this outline.
I knew that was
Stephen (17:20):
the answer.
It was.
And, Ugh, and it was soworthwhile, and then when they
all saw each other, Cousin!Cause it's number one.
The best.
Steve (17:29):
Yes.
Other favorite
Stephen (17:31):
parts?
Silly enough, getting thefountains to
Steve (17:34):
work.
Oh, the fountains was reallycool.
Seeing the town, everyone workedtogether.
Always gets here.
I know it is.
Was that when you got thetingles?
It was, yeah.
So, and as soon as they're like,that's the fountain, it hasn't
run in years.
I was like, they're gonna fix itfor the end of the movie before
the wedding.
And you knew it was gonna happenand it's still touching when you
see it happen.
Stephen (17:54):
It was so final thoughts.
I loved it.
If this was the final Greekwedding, it was a beautiful way
to do it.
If there are more, I trust NiaVardalos to come up with the
reasons because she wrote thefirst one.
I mean, it's based on
Steve (18:13):
her life.
Number four is her daughtergetting married.
They set it up at the end of thethird one.
With,
Stephen (18:19):
yeah, so.
Steve (18:21):
And it's making money, so if, I would say that if, if you
watched the first two and youweren't head over heels in love,
I don't know whether this onewould be the one to tie the
knot, but it is an enjoyablemovie where if you like the
first two, go see it and supportNia in the theaters.
And
Stephen (18:36):
because smaller budget movies are important, and it
didn't look like it was made forfive million dollars.
No, it
Steve (18:42):
looked, yeah, especially when we look at like, Some of
the other movies that we'vecovered in the past and the
money that they spend.
Yeah, beautiful.
Stephen (18:49):
Yes So I give it two big thumbs up Also, if you want
so a movie that Nia Vardalos didnot write or direct but is about
her in Greece Yeah is called mylife in ruins
Steve (19:05):
Oh yes, I know
you've
Stephen (19:06):
watched that a bunch.
Yeah, it's super enjoyable andcheck
Steve (19:10):
that out.
You know what was alsoenjoyable?
Stephen (19:13):
Elemental.
Steve (19:14):
Yes, we watched that on Disney Plus the other night.
It is Disney Pixar's 27th andmost recent feature film that's
based on the idea of whetherfire and water could ever
connect or not.
The movie is written by PeterSon, who drew inspiration from
his youth growing up as the sonof immigrants in New York City
during the 70s.
Stephen (19:33):
Now, this is the little movie that could, because it was
written off before it came outas being woke.
Yeah.
Like catering to a certainaudience that it's filled with
anti racist things and why doyou have to bring politics.
into it and all kinds of thingsand it came out at a weird time
(19:58):
and didn't blow the roof off
Steve (20:01):
of
Stephen (20:02):
It's opening weekend.
The opening weekend or anythinglike that.
But what's really funny is thatno one watched that it has
stayed in the theaters the wholetime and kept making a shit ton
of money because the movie wasreleased on June 16th with a
budget of 200 million and so farhas a box office of 484.
(20:22):
3 million.
We saw it just this past weekendwhen it came out on Disney plus,
but it is now a bona fidesuccess.
And all the people that werelike, Go woke, go broke.
Fuck
Steve (20:35):
you.
Yes, and the movie is aboutElement City, a place for water,
air, earth, and fire elements tolive together peacefully.
Except we see quickly that thisutopia isn't built with fire
elements in mind.
Now...
This isn't the most subtlemetaphor ever, and it clearly
does, like we say, draw on hischildhood inspirations, but how
(20:56):
do they do with it?
Stephen (20:57):
Okay, they did a very, very good job with it, and it's
interesting that you could pickout a variety of minorities and
say, Which of those were fire?
Are they Jewish population?
Is it a black population?
(21:19):
You could even go back to Irish.
And, what was his background?
Peterson, did you look it
Steve (21:27):
up?
S O H N, I don't want to bewrong
Stephen (21:30):
I guess.
I didn't, I didn't I didn't lookit
Steve (21:32):
up, but I also feel like the answer is any of them.
With the way that Disney writesthings, they're smart where they
weren't going to make it aspecific...
Stephen (21:40):
And it's about an immigrant family and moving to
the big city for a better life.
And then
Steve (21:47):
living up to your parents expectations.
Stephen (21:49):
Yes, and it was fantastic.
Steve (21:52):
Yes, and I love the way that they played with all the
elements.
Now, if you were turned into anelement, which element would you
be?
Stephen (22:00):
So, part of me says air so that I could fly.
I'm a Libra.
They
Steve (22:05):
all kind of have their own personalities.
Yes.
Stephen (22:08):
I don't know.
The way the waters cry all thetime.
I kind of was thinking that youwould make me be water.
I was going to say, what do youthink I would be?
In the past, I would have saidfire.
But I'm not sure anymore.
What did you...
See yourself as I
Steve (22:27):
saw just with the crying.
Well, I saw that more for you,but I just love water.
Yeah general I was always thewater gym with Pokemon, but with
all the elementals, I don't knowmaybe earth It's like all about
love and coolness.
Yep.
That would be a hell of a lot ofpeople Now, what are your
thoughts on the family dynamicwith Ember and her parents and
what that's how that storyunfolds
Stephen (22:49):
And so that was also a definite Interesting thing.
Even if you look between the twodifferent families the water
family comes from money.
So he's had a differentupbringing where he could try
anything.
The family was alwayssupportive.
He had every opportunityimaginable to him.
(23:12):
Ember came from a very workingclass family that anything
they've had, they have built.
The father is very clear.
I have created this generationalwealth for you and I would like
you to take it on, but at thesame time, he's also being very
(23:33):
clear that it's not just I'vecreated the store.
I have created.
A customer base in a community,and I need you to be able to
represent us in the communitybefore I feel comfortable doing
that.
And I thought that was a veryimportant part of it was.
(23:53):
You have to be able to representus to the best of your ability.
And that's not, like, sometimesthe character in this is
already, like, the best child.
And in this one, she had herissues, and the father was
wanting her to be her best self.
Steve (24:09):
Yes, and she gets through her friendship, turned into a
relationship between Ember andWade.
What did you think about howthat unfolded?
Stephen (24:17):
Realistically beautifully.
One of my favorite scenes wasdinner at his parents house,
breaking, the family memberbroke the vase.
And she does this thing that inher community is just, you're
made of fire, somethingeverybody does.
Yeah.
(24:38):
Because as you see, she repairedtheir display case in the store
in no time flat, which I stillthought was really impressive.
And she does this thing that shethinks nothing of.
And the entire family wants togive her a standing ovation
because it's this creation andit makes you think of what we
(24:59):
can learn from other minoritygroups, other communities, other
religions, other nationalities,things that You know, even when
they can learn from us, too,that things we take for granted
are new and exciting, and all ofthis, and I think that that's
(25:21):
part of that whole Americanideal of a melting pot, where
we're all stronger togetherbecause of what we bring to the
table.
And this was a really great wayto show all that.
Steve (25:32):
Plus, she was so well spoken.
Oh god! I forgot
Stephen (25:37):
about that! That one, with that one was definitely
about the black communitybecause But
Steve (25:44):
that happens with anyone, even if you come from a Hindu
culture Oh yeah.
Any culture, if you don't have athick accent You'd be
automatically hire the entitledwhite privileged people be like
oh you sounds oh my yeah I don'teven have an accent.
Oh, you're so eloquent.
Stephen (25:59):
Yeah.
Oh That one yeah And it was oneof those things and probably
that line in of itself pissedoff all the right people to
exactly
Steve (26:10):
I loved it Yeah, and what any other favorite parts for you
the movie?
Stephen (26:15):
I loved when she was making tempered glass things.
I thought it was beautiful.
Steve (26:18):
Yeah, and I love their underwater adventure.
I won't say more for spoilers,but that was beautiful.
Oh my gosh, I love that.
Yes, so definitely check it out.
If you already have Disney it'son there.
And if not, go get it becausethere's enough awesome stuff on
Disney even if you don't have aStar Wars boner.
Stephen (26:34):
Or a Marvel boner.
I mean, there's enough on there.
I have a Marvel boner.
Steve (26:38):
I know you do.
All right All right, you knowwhat I also have a boner for No.
Stephen (26:46):
Absolutely not.
Just kidding.
But do you know what we alsoenjoy?
It's our listeners.
I
Steve (26:52):
love our listeners.
They should email us about whatthey thought of this episode.
Or
Stephen (26:58):
what they think about what you were about to say.
Please keep listening.
Steve (27:02):
Alright.
You could do that by emailingus.
Stephen (27:05):
At happylifepod at gmail.
com.
And you can also check us out onthe socials, whether that is
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter athappylifepod.
I
Steve (27:15):
am eight shades of red now.
So until next time, everybodystay happy.
Hello, returning Happies and new listeners.
This is Steve Bennett
Stephen (00:06):
Martin.
And this is Stephen MartinBennett.
And welcome to A Lifetime of
Steve (00:10):
Happiness.
The podcast where we take you onour journey through some of the
movies, TV shows, and other bitsof pop culture that are helping
to keep us happy while hopefullybringing a smile to your face
along the way.
Stephen (00:20):
And today we're catching up on a historical
comedy that Steve actuallylikes, along with two movies
that filled our hearts.
Disney Pixar's Elemental, andNia Vardalos's My Big Fat Greek
Wedding 3.
Steve (00:33):
Well, before we get into that, my love, what's been
making you happy?
It's
Stephen (00:36):
my birthday!
Steve (00:37):
Boom, boom, boom! I know, and hopefully the next episode
you can report back on how it
Stephen (00:42):
went.
Fingers crossed that nobody...
Fucks it up.
My mine was not as dark as
Steve (00:50):
yours my gosh I was gonna say I know I didn't fuck it up.
So if something happened, itwould be random and tragic
Death?
Stephen (00:58):
My goodness.
Yep.
Steve (01:00):
That is worst case scenario of most situations.
I guess.
Stephen (01:03):
Oh Okay, so what's been making you happy?
Steve (01:07):
I got my life coach certification
Stephen (01:10):
Excellent.
Now, what do you want to do withthat?
Help people
Steve (01:15):
Help people do what?
I don't know yet, I'm stillfiguring it out.
But I know that it involveshelping other people reach their
goals and focus on sexuality andrecovery related stuff.
Stephen (01:25):
I think that sounds fantastic and I think you'll be
excellent at it.
Thank you, you know what else
Steve (01:30):
I'm excellent at?
Watching a lot of TV and movieswith you.
Stephen (01:34):
I was gonna say a lot of things.
I don't know if I can narrow it
Steve (01:37):
down.
Yeah, and it was a minute agothat we watched season one, but
we just binged through seasontwo and three of Hulu's The
Great.
An occasionally true story.
Yes.
What
Stephen (01:47):
is it?
Well, The Great is an alternatehistorical satirical comedy
drama very loosely based on therise to power of Catherine the
Great.
Empress of Russia
Steve (01:59):
the star.
By definition.
I hate it.
Keep going.
Stephen (02:02):
the series stars, El Fanning as Empress Catherine II
and Nicholas Holt as EmperorPeter iii.
And later his body Double pache.
Yes.
Steve (02:13):
The show has three seasons run from 2020 to 2023,
and despite the second and thirdseason, especially receiving
critical acclaim, Hulu canceledit in August.
Stephen (02:23):
Yes.
And.
Because our podcast is the wayit is, we will probably be
spoiling a few things on here.
Fair warning, A, you shouldwatch this show.
B, if you don't want it spoiled,skip this section and come back
and listen to it later.
Yes,
Steve (02:41):
we will talk about plot points, but I feel like the
biggest thing that this show hasgoing is the character
development that we get into,and so we won't spoil that too
much.
No.
But I know that it also receivedseven Primetime Emmy Award
nominations, with both Fanningand Holt being nominated for
Outstanding Lead Actress andActor in a Comedy Series.
Stephen (02:59):
Absolutely deserved.
This is one of those shows whereso it's a period dramedy and the
Actors, especially the twoleads, are chewing the scenery
so fully and beautifully, but insuch a three dimensional way,
(03:21):
like, at no time is theircharacter able to be pigeonholed
as just this or that.
The, I mean, and that's due tothe writing, of course, but as
well as the performances.
And both Elle Fanning andNicholas Holt act with their
entire body, and especiallytheir whole faces.
It's so impressive to watch.
(03:43):
It
Steve (03:43):
is very impressive to watch.
I know that the first season Ienjoyed, but they were all very,
Like, outlandish caricatures.
Yes.
And like, they got thecomplexity in the second and
third seasons, but even theoutlandish characterizations
that we get in season one arejust so enjoyable.
Like, I said earlier, like, onpaper that sounds horrible, but
(04:05):
you add in the fact that theyturned the camp up to 11, and
the filth and raunch up to 11,and like, the self awareness of
like, None of this is true, solet's just have fun with it, and
like, the way that they wouldreference things from history,
like Russia made it, like therollercoaster, I, I mean.
And the stapler.
It was just, it was a fun
Stephen (04:24):
series.
And we learned about Velcro.
Yes, exactly.
I, do you know the mostimportant thing that I learned?
What?
Catherine the Great did not fuck
a
Steve (04:33):
horse.
She did not fuck a horse, yes.
But, besides not fucking ahorse, what did you think on her
arc over the three seasons?
Stephen (04:40):
Okay, so that was what was really impressive.
You have this learned woman whohas great knowledge, great
social skills great ideasbrought in as a mail order
bride.
Yep.
Not expected to do anythingexcept open her legs to receive
(05:03):
the king and spit out a futureking.
Yeah.
That is her only job.
She sees more, because she wasbred to be more.
And, so you see her, like, firstwith these ideals and things
aren't right, and thenrealizing, I deserve better than
this.
(05:24):
And you have people that arebacking her up saying, you do
deserve better than this, butshe doesn't really have a plan.
And this whole time, you see herdevelop from a child into a
woman.
And it's an impressive arc, andElle Fanning did it with gusto.
Steve (05:46):
Yes, she did.
And I love Nicholas Hoult mostthings that he does.
I think that he is socharismatic and funny, but he
shines in this role as theprince.
I mean, on
Stephen (05:57):
paper And it's better than you would have ever seen
Nicholas Hoult do
Steve (06:00):
anything.
I know, and on paper If youdescribe the prince's character
of being like a horriblemonster, douchebag, savage, it
sounds not great.
But, the way that he does it,and just like, he doesn't know
better, he was like raised to bethat way, and just like, as,
especially as like his heartchanges in season two, it's just
(06:21):
fascinating to see thischaracter, like that starts off
as this joke, turn into thislike complex
Stephen (06:26):
human.
And, you have these peoplethat...
Like him because they're paidto.
Yeah.
The court.
You have some people that likehim because of who he is, his
best friend.
Grigor.
Yes.
But, like, in season one, wherehe tells Catherine, You know.
I was thinking about having youkilled, and she's like, you
(06:49):
know, I thought you might, andit's that sort of like, he's
just giving away the plot, andshe's like, oh, I already knew
asshole, but she says it in away that's like, how funny, I
thought you might be trying tokill me, and they have this
sparring relationship.
And just when you think thathe's not actually intelligent
(07:12):
about certain things, he seesthe world differently than she
does.
Where she has the book smarts,he actually does have the street
smarts.
And usually I make fun of, like,street smarts aren't a thing.
They are.
Yeah.
And, it's, whenever they cancombine the two, that they're,
(07:33):
like, if they could've combinedthe two long term, there's no
telling what they could'veaccomplished under their rule.
Yes.
Steve (07:42):
And I know that.
As much as those two together isma are magic, the more I got to
see her on screen, the more Ifell head over heels in love
with Belinda Bromelow as AuntElizabeth, yes.
As Aunt Elizabeth.
Just the most hysterical,matriarchal figure I've ever
seen in, like, any fun any anycomedy, modern, historical,
(08:05):
whatever.
Stephen (08:06):
And besides wanting the best for her Peter, and now her
Catherine, and the country, shereally just wants to catch
people having sex without themknowing that she's watching.
Steve (08:18):
Yes, and telling you about her past sexual exploits
of which there are many, andthey're so ridiculous,
Stephen (08:26):
but Like they make her out to be older the actress is a
gorgeous 40 year old woman Yeah,like she's stunning like the
hair and the lack of makeup andthings make her out to be She is
such a
Steve (08:40):
highlight for the show.
I can't wait to see what shedoes next.
Because the show didn't end, butI would definitely still say
check out all three seasons.
It makes us happy.
How did it end for you?
I want
Stephen (08:50):
to get over some other characters.
I don't want to rush throughthat just yet.
Mariel.
I loved the character of Mariel.
I was on and off for her.
Character that I hated,Georgina.
Never liked her.
Steve (09:02):
Season three though, I saw the lengths that one person
will go through.
And it was interesting.
Stephen (09:10):
Archie was one of those characters that you're not
supposed to like, but the guy'sperformance made it worthwhile.
who was the, oh, the the child.
Oh, yeah.
Steve (09:27):
Mariel's cousin.
Mariel's cousin!
Stephen (09:29):
It was hysterical, but...
He was
Steve (09:30):
SO good.
And then getting to know Arcadeein season three more, when
General Vellemental steppeddown, and we got to know him
more.
Yeah.
It was just...
Yeah, they they had some goodcharacters.
I don't want to get TOO intothem, Yeah.
because that's how they relateto one another, that's magic,
but...
I just wanted to say that,during the coups and...
revolutions and changes...
(09:51):
Yeah.
A lot of the people are indifferent places in Season 3
than where they start, but it'san interesting and fun ride.
So,
Stephen (09:58):
we had found out that it was cancelled after Season 3,
before we got to Season 3, andwe were having such a good time
with Season 2, we were like, Oh,boo hoo, I can't believe it's
cancelled.
Now, with seeing how Season 3ended...
It was a perfect three seasonseries, correct?
I don't think it should havecontinued even if they had
(10:20):
wanted
Steve (10:21):
to know I think it's best that it ended there I agree You
know what?
I think you'll want more sequelsof though
Stephen (10:28):
And I'm not sure that I do, but I, I, I, so it's my big
fat Greek wedding part three.
Yes,
Steve (10:37):
and why do you love big fat Greek weddings, period?
Okay,
Stephen (10:40):
so I love anything that pulls at your heartstrings in a
happy way.
The first Big Fat Greek Weddingwhere Neo Verdalos character
Tula, goes from what she feltwas frumpy and wanting more out
(11:00):
of her life to doing what shehad to do to get that while
staying true to her familialroots, but also searching for
love.
It's that sort of story whereyou can root for them.
And the family is big and overthe top.
It's bigger than a lot ofpeople's family.
(11:21):
There are certain things you'relike, whew, and I thought my
family was weird type of thing.
And the writing is funny, and itstill feels grounded, even when
you have those.
Over the top things.
Two went a little more over thetop.
Two, less...
(11:41):
I don't...
Believable, I guess, is theright word.
But three.
Ugh.
Steve (11:47):
So...
Well, the third installmentstars returning family members
and new faces as the Portakalosfamily goes on a trip to Greece
for a family reunion after thedeath of their patriarch, Gus.
Now, this was the first of thetrilogy to be both written and
directed by Nia Fardalos.
And it also stars Tula Porta Oh,who also stars as Tula Porta
(12:08):
Colos.
And it was released in theaterson September 8th.
Stephen (12:12):
Yep, 2023.
Had a budget of just 5 million,and it's already grossed 38.
7 million worldwide.
Making it a huge successalready.
Yes, but did
Steve (12:25):
it make you happy?
Stephen (12:26):
Actually, like, so each one had different feelings.
You know, that first one wasabout hope and love and all of
that.
This one was like a warm hug.
Like, this is probably theclosest I got to, like, happy
tears in the theater.
I got happy tingles.
(12:48):
And yeah, it made me very happy.
I thought it was extraordinarilywell done.
Yeah, I mean,
Steve (12:54):
right off the bat, the setup is addressing the passing
of Michael Constantine, whoplayed Gus, but they also showed
the mother, who In real life,it's probably fine, but they
showed the actress characterbeing, having dementia.
Stephen (13:09):
Now, whether it's true or not, I had heard that Lainey
Kazan was not going to bephysically able to go to Greece.
Yeah.
And so, they thought of that,like, how they can have her in
the show, but still be able topass on head of the family while
she's around.
And
Steve (13:30):
I think she did a great job with it, because so often
times...
We working in the industry foryou for so many years before you
got out of it.
Yeah, well, I'm trying to getout of it You see all the time
that like media Portrayals ofpeople with dementia are not
accurate or might be upsettingor the family's reaction to it
It's like no remember no andlike pulling them out and
(13:52):
shaking them and it I think thatthey did a really good job of
Handling that with care.
What did you think of those two
Stephen (13:57):
plot points?
I thought so too and one that Ireally liked Was early on in
when the mom says, Yes I talkedto your father last night.
And they're like, Mom, Dad'sdead.
And she goes, I know that.
It was in my dream.
He can still come to me in mydreams.
Yeah.
(14:18):
I absolutely think that's true.
So, I think it was handled withgrace and realistic ways to do
it and I thought it was good tobe addressed.
But I was glad that they alsomoved on because that would have
been a whole other movie.
Yes,
Steve (14:37):
correct.
And, thoughts on the family tripto Greece?
Ugh.
Stephen (14:42):
So, Greece looks gorgeous.
Never been.
Want to go.
And the people that besides AuntVula and the other aunt they
hadn't been to Greece before.
So this was their first time.
It was lovely.
There was an excitement.
They were there for a seriousreason about passing their dad's
(15:02):
journal off to his best friendsfrom childhood, as well as
coming back for the reunion ofhis hometown.
And it all blended really well,as well as continuing some of
the stories from the second oneabout their daughter and her not
wanting Greek romance pushed onher.
(15:23):
Yeah.
And it just, it worked reallywell.
But wasn't it
Steve (15:27):
stunning?
It was stunning.
Now, when we go to Greece, areyou going to want to do the
larger city areas and places bythe water?
Or will you want to go to thoseremote...
So I houses and villages in themiddle of nowhere, up on the
mountains,
Stephen (15:42):
both because I want to see the Parthenon in Athens.
I want to go up to.
Apollo's Temple, where, youknow, the mystics were that
would give you your fortune.
But I also want to hit thosesmaller towns, where
everything's a little slower, alittle quieter in there.
(16:04):
And those, that was some of myfavorite parts of Spain, too.
Can Remy come?
Steve (16:09):
I think so.
Count me in, then.
Okay.
Now, would you travel across thecountry to give your dad's
notebook to a bunch of childhoodfriends?
Stephen (16:16):
Absolutely.
Would you
Steve (16:20):
depends on how my dad and I leave things and what country
it's in.
I would go to Greece for my dad.
Yeah.
I don't know whether I'd go tolike Long Island for my dad.
But also what was your favoritepart of their search for the
childhood friends and why was itNikki and Angelo coming to the
rescue?
It was
Stephen (16:37):
absolutely Nikki and Angelo coming to the rescue.
Because I love Gia Carides.
I love Joey Fatone.
They have such good chemistry inall three movies.
And I was afraid that since theyweren't going to grease with the
others, the only time we weregoing to see them was in that
scene at the airport at thebeginning or quickly over the
(16:59):
phone.
And I loved that the, theirbrother and sister are like,
We're gonna fix this.
And they hop on a plane toGreece.
And as soon as they hopped onthe plane, I smacked your leg so
hard.
I was
Steve (17:14):
like, Yes! Yes, I didn't even have to consult you in
writing this outline.
I knew that was
Stephen (17:20):
the answer.
It was.
And, Ugh, and it was soworthwhile, and then when they
all saw each other, Cousin!Cause it's number one.
The best.
Steve (17:29):
Yes.
Other favorite
Stephen (17:31):
parts?
Silly enough, getting thefountains to
Steve (17:34):
work.
Oh, the fountains was reallycool.
Seeing the town, everyone workedtogether.
Always gets here.
I know it is.
Was that when you got thetingles?
It was, yeah.
So, and as soon as they're like,that's the fountain, it hasn't
run in years.
I was like, they're gonna fix itfor the end of the movie before
the wedding.
And you knew it was gonna happenand it's still touching when you
see it happen.
Stephen (17:54):
It was so final thoughts.
I loved it.
If this was the final Greekwedding, it was a beautiful way
to do it.
If there are more, I trust NiaVardalos to come up with the
reasons because she wrote thefirst one.
I mean, it's based on
Steve (18:13):
her life.
Number four is her daughtergetting married.
They set it up at the end of thethird one.
With,
Stephen (18:19):
yeah, so.
Steve (18:21):
And it's making money, so if, I would say that if, if you
watched the first two and youweren't head over heels in love,
I don't know whether this onewould be the one to tie the
knot, but it is an enjoyablemovie where if you like the
first two, go see it and supportNia in the theaters.
And
Stephen (18:36):
because smaller budget movies are important, and it
didn't look like it was made forfive million dollars.
No, it
Steve (18:42):
looked, yeah, especially when we look at like, Some of
the other movies that we'vecovered in the past and the
money that they spend.
Yeah, beautiful.
Stephen (18:49):
Yes So I give it two big thumbs up Also, if you want
so a movie that Nia Vardalos didnot write or direct but is about
her in Greece Yeah is called mylife in ruins
Steve (19:05):
Oh yes, I know
you've
Stephen (19:06):
watched that a bunch.
Yeah, it's super enjoyable andcheck
Steve (19:10):
that out.
You know what was alsoenjoyable?
Stephen (19:13):
Elemental.
Steve (19:14):
Yes, we watched that on Disney Plus the other night.
It is Disney Pixar's 27th andmost recent feature film that's
based on the idea of whetherfire and water could ever
connect or not.
The movie is written by PeterSon, who drew inspiration from
his youth growing up as the sonof immigrants in New York City
during the 70s.
Stephen (19:33):
Now, this is the little movie that could, because it was
written off before it came outas being woke.
Yeah.
Like catering to a certainaudience that it's filled with
anti racist things and why doyou have to bring politics.
into it and all kinds of thingsand it came out at a weird time
(19:58):
and didn't blow the roof off
Steve (20:01):
of
Stephen (20:02):
It's opening weekend.
The opening weekend or anythinglike that.
But what's really funny is thatno one watched that it has
stayed in the theaters the wholetime and kept making a shit ton
of money because the movie wasreleased on June 16th with a
budget of 200 million and so farhas a box office of 484.
(20:22):
3 million.
We saw it just this past weekendwhen it came out on Disney plus,
but it is now a bona fidesuccess.
And all the people that werelike, Go woke, go broke.
Fuck
Steve (20:35):
you.
Yes, and the movie is aboutElement City, a place for water,
air, earth, and fire elements tolive together peacefully.
Except we see quickly that thisutopia isn't built with fire
elements in mind.
Now...
This isn't the most subtlemetaphor ever, and it clearly
does, like we say, draw on hischildhood inspirations, but how
(20:56):
do they do with it?
Stephen (20:57):
Okay, they did a very, very good job with it, and it's
interesting that you could pickout a variety of minorities and
say, Which of those were fire?
Are they Jewish population?
Is it a black population?
(21:19):
You could even go back to Irish.
And, what was his background?
Peterson, did you look it
Steve (21:27):
up?
S O H N, I don't want to bewrong
Stephen (21:30):
I guess.
I didn't, I didn't I didn't lookit
Steve (21:32):
up, but I also feel like the answer is any of them.
With the way that Disney writesthings, they're smart where they
weren't going to make it aspecific...
Stephen (21:40):
And it's about an immigrant family and moving to
the big city for a better life.
And then
Steve (21:47):
living up to your parents expectations.
Stephen (21:49):
Yes, and it was fantastic.
Steve (21:52):
Yes, and I love the way that they played with all the
elements.
Now, if you were turned into anelement, which element would you
be?
Stephen (22:00):
So, part of me says air so that I could fly.
I'm a Libra.
They
Steve (22:05):
all kind of have their own personalities.
Yes.
Stephen (22:08):
I don't know.
The way the waters cry all thetime.
I kind of was thinking that youwould make me be water.
I was going to say, what do youthink I would be?
In the past, I would have saidfire.
But I'm not sure anymore.
What did you...
See yourself as I
Steve (22:27):
saw just with the crying.
Well, I saw that more for you,but I just love water.
Yeah general I was always thewater gym with Pokemon, but with
all the elementals, I don't knowmaybe earth It's like all about
love and coolness.
Yep.
That would be a hell of a lot ofpeople Now, what are your
thoughts on the family dynamicwith Ember and her parents and
what that's how that storyunfolds
Stephen (22:49):
And so that was also a definite Interesting thing.
Even if you look between the twodifferent families the water
family comes from money.
So he's had a differentupbringing where he could try
anything.
The family was alwayssupportive.
He had every opportunityimaginable to him.
(23:12):
Ember came from a very workingclass family that anything
they've had, they have built.
The father is very clear.
I have created this generationalwealth for you and I would like
you to take it on, but at thesame time, he's also being very
(23:33):
clear that it's not just I'vecreated the store.
I have created.
A customer base in a community,and I need you to be able to
represent us in the communitybefore I feel comfortable doing
that.
And I thought that was a veryimportant part of it was.
(23:53):
You have to be able to representus to the best of your ability.
And that's not, like, sometimesthe character in this is
already, like, the best child.
And in this one, she had herissues, and the father was
wanting her to be her best self.
Steve (24:09):
Yes, and she gets through her friendship, turned into a
relationship between Ember andWade.
What did you think about howthat unfolded?
Stephen (24:17):
Realistically beautifully.
One of my favorite scenes wasdinner at his parents house,
breaking, the family memberbroke the vase.
And she does this thing that inher community is just, you're
made of fire, somethingeverybody does.
Yeah.
(24:38):
Because as you see, she repairedtheir display case in the store
in no time flat, which I stillthought was really impressive.
And she does this thing that shethinks nothing of.
And the entire family wants togive her a standing ovation
because it's this creation andit makes you think of what we
(24:59):
can learn from other minoritygroups, other communities, other
religions, other nationalities,things that You know, even when
they can learn from us, too,that things we take for granted
are new and exciting, and all ofthis, and I think that that's
(25:21):
part of that whole Americanideal of a melting pot, where
we're all stronger togetherbecause of what we bring to the
table.
And this was a really great wayto show all that.
Steve (25:32):
Plus, she was so well spoken.
Oh god! I forgot
Stephen (25:37):
about that! That one, with that one was definitely
about the black communitybecause But
Steve (25:44):
that happens with anyone, even if you come from a Hindu
culture Oh yeah.
Any culture, if you don't have athick accent You'd be
automatically hire the entitledwhite privileged people be like
oh you sounds oh my yeah I don'teven have an accent.
Oh, you're so eloquent.
Stephen (25:59):
Yeah.
Oh That one yeah And it was oneof those things and probably
that line in of itself pissedoff all the right people to
exactly
Steve (26:10):
I loved it Yeah, and what any other favorite parts for you
the movie?
Stephen (26:15):
I loved when she was making tempered glass things.
I thought it was beautiful.
Steve (26:18):
Yeah, and I love their underwater adventure.
I won't say more for spoilers,but that was beautiful.
Oh my gosh, I love that.
Yes, so definitely check it out.
If you already have Disney it'son there.
And if not, go get it becausethere's enough awesome stuff on
Disney even if you don't have aStar Wars boner.
Stephen (26:34):
Or a Marvel boner.
I mean, there's enough on there.
I have a Marvel boner.
Steve (26:38):
I know you do.
All right All right, you knowwhat I also have a boner for No.
Stephen (26:46):
Absolutely not.
Just kidding.
But do you know what we alsoenjoy?
It's our listeners.
I
Steve (26:52):
love our listeners.
They should email us about whatthey thought of this episode.
Or
Stephen (26:58):
what they think about what you were about to say.
Please keep listening.
Steve (27:02):
Alright.
You could do that by emailingus.
Stephen (27:05):
At happylifepod at gmail.
com.
And you can also check us out onthe socials, whether that is
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter athappylifepod.
I
Steve (27:15):
am eight shades of red now.
So until next time, everybodystay happy.
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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.
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
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.