Cruel Intentions

We are back, better than ever, with a hot and steamy episode, in more ways than one. Throughout the discussion we knock back a few shots of tequila, attempt to break down the psychology of Yogi Bear, and highlight our most cringeworthy moments.

Critics: 53% Audience: 80%

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hello, welcome to the podcast, the polarized podcast, the podcast about polarizing movies

(00:24):
according to Rotten Tomatoes. The kinds of movies that audiences and critics disagree on,
sometimes the critics love it, sometimes audiences hate it, or vice versa, we're back yet again for
a scintillating, dare I say, sexy, hot, sweaty episode of PolarizePod. I'm your host James.

(00:47):
Wow. Wow, folks. Cruel intentions. Let's look at those numbies. That's what we're all about here,
is those sweet, sweet numbies on PolarizePod on the critics side of things on Rotten Tomatoes.
They gave it a 53%. They did not like it. The audience, however, gave it an 80%. 80%
average from the audience side. They did like it. Could this be considered a cult classic? I don't

(01:12):
know. Definitely a pop culture cornerstone, I would say for 1999, all those great movies coming out
in 1999. Was this one of them? We'll find out at the end of the episode what we have to think about
it. But first, a reading from Cruel Intentions. Eat me, Sebastian. It's okay for guys like you

(01:36):
and Court to fuck everyone, but when I do it, I get dumped for an innocent little twist like Cecile.
God forbid I exude confidence and enjoy sex. Do you think I relish the fact that I have to act
like Mary Sunshine 24-7 so I can be considered a lady? I'm the Marsha fucking Brady of the upper
east side, and sometimes I want to kill myself. So there's your psycho analysis, Dr. Freud. Now,

(02:01):
tell me, are you in or are you out? And I ask you, audience members, are you in or are you out on
the polarized pod? Now is the time to decide because I'm about to bring in the master of all
polarized kingdom is here, presiding. I give you the great brandini yet again. Hello, hello, hello,

(02:27):
my lovely cohost, my lovely co-conspirator in polarized pod movie discussion crime.
I gotta say, this is this already has the potential to be a legendary episode because
there's a lot of factors already built into this. First and foremost, we love factors.

(02:48):
First and foremost, this movie fucking nuts. It is one of the craziest movies I've ever seen.
And then on top of that, we've kind of taken a break. I want to check, you know, teach some time
after I grand entrance to just check in. But we've taken a break. You know, we've been doing this

(03:10):
pod for years and we've been fucking pretty consistent about it. And you know, all things
considerate. I mean, consider those things and then also blow it out. Sure. Definitely.
Seems like it's in. Oh, you froze up for a second, but continue. I don't know why. Oh, I'm back. I'm

(03:31):
back. Hey, I'm back. You're in the middle of telling them to blow it out your ass. No, yeah,
yeah, blow that dress. No, we we've been on a break because we needed it. It was the summer.
We had things going on. We have busy lives. You know what? We're dudes about town and we have
things that we've had to attend to. So we've been away from the pod and we needed it. I think

(03:53):
overall we've talked about this. So I hope this isn't new news, but we needed it. We needed a break.
We needed a little bit of time to get re-acquainted with this thing we love. Films.
Exactly. And this is really for you folks, because it's just going to make us better at what we do.
It's going to make us better or so. I think a little hiatus wasn't announced. It wasn't planned.

(04:19):
But God damn it, we're in this area. Did we find out? Yeah. And we took the time. We walked all about
town and we've watched multiple towns. I feel like at this point, we'd show up in a fancy car,
white wall tires, grab our pocket watch and our fancy shades and trench coats and make our way

(04:41):
about town, maybe have a little picnic at Central Park. Yeah. And then make out with each other.
You know, it's something we needed to do. I needed experience and Brandon helped me. Okay. So, you know,
I mean, who better to, you know, do a trial run than with your best buds? Yeah.
I mean, that's what they're there for. No.

(05:02):
Because yeah, I just, you don't want to show up to something else and not be inexperienced. And so
that's what you're all the things that are, you know, toxic and nefarious in this movie.
We can all agree that that point was just a great, great moment of two friends helping each other out.
Yeah. What are their no-intentions to Sarah Michelle Geller there have there than just to help

(05:26):
a friend out? A lot of them. A lot of them, unfortunately. Damn. She was just helping her
little buddy out. Let's go. Let's go to picnic basket and Central Park and have a time because
that's what that's what debutans do. They, it's a, it's a day pork kissing, you know, get together.

(05:55):
It is romantic when you're out in Central Park and you got a picnic basket and
you're just hanging out. And I mean, there's, there might be some kissing and you didn't even
have, have planned just like you didn't plan a break. You didn't plan to have a,
have a make out sesh with your, but you got a picnic basket. What else are you going to do?
You, it's too romantic. I mean, you really have to take the wind for what it is when you have

(06:16):
a picnic basket and Yogi bear doesn't come in and steal it. Right? Oh, you know,
that Yogi bear. Is there any other description for him that we can think that doesn't revolve
around a picnic basket? Like what else does he have going on in his life? Let me just say,

(06:39):
like, you know, like, get a life, Yogi, South Steel and pick the baskets.
Speaking of you know, one picnic basket, he could probably like hunt or something.
He's not completely useless. Is he? Or has, has people littered complacent? Yeah. People litter
so much that he just doesn't feel the need to hunt anymore. And now he's, he doesn't know how to be a

(07:02):
bear. Well, and that's really just, I think the, the, you know, kind of the reading in between the
lines, if you will, it's commentary on the boomer generation transitioning from more labor to more
civilized society. It's really, yeah, escaping indictment that he no longer knows how to hunt

(07:25):
all he does is steal from others. I mean, it's just like Wall Street. That's why he's got a little
tired. And we're just like boo boo, you know, that's the baby. That's the, I'm like, we're just such
a ball. All our millennial friends are just boo boo, just trying to figure it out. Like, hey, man,
like they taught us to steal the picnic basket. And now there's no more picnic baskets to steal.

(07:46):
They, they just pulled the ladder up from behind them. Because here's the thing is you can't just
keep stealing picnic baskets. Yeah. If you don't make them, okay, if you're going to run out of
picnic baskets to steal from is what you're really only one as well. Like if you're going to be a
sustainable bear, which you live in the woods, you should try to be focused on some sort of

(08:08):
sustainability. You just only need one, one basket, pick a naked basket. And then you can
carry that along and use that a reusable pick a naked basket, folks. Come on. Yeah. I mean, yeah,
I think it's safe to say Yogi is really that boomer mindset, not really thinking about reusable,

(08:31):
about going green. I don't, I don't give the sense that Yogi bears, you know, going green anytime soon.
Yeah. Why even wear a tie? You weirdo. I know. And I have
right. And then he's standing up like he's going to fool people that he's not a bear,
that he's a normal person and he's just, but he's still stealing, which is not okay.

(08:55):
That's cruel intentions. That's cruel intention, folks. Like,
I mean, if you notice that was an IMDB trivia during the scene with some of Larry and Sarah
Michelle Geller is like, you're so focused on them making out rightfully so it's, it's out of the
scene, the entire movie where I'm cringing the majority of it. That's, that's one thing where

(09:16):
it's actually like, oh, this is actually kind of hot. That is like a pretty hot scene and you
can't really look away. But if you do look away, you look a little closer. Well, Sam
Blair's character is rough. Really? But if you look a little closer in between the spit bubble,
you'll see a Yogi bear in the background about to steal the picnic basket. Right. Yeah.

(09:40):
No, and he just came from Wall Street. So he's already in a stealing mindset. He's in New York
very. Yeah. He's just already wanting to, you know, take picnic baskets away from other people,
you know, cause all he cares about there, the Yogi Brady of the Upper East Side.

(10:00):
Right. Sometimes I want to Jesus Christ. Okay. Okay. Can I pitch? Can I just pitch a
a Wall Street movie like Gordon Gecko, but it's Yogi bear? I love that because there's

(10:21):
some sort of tagline there like it's a bear market, something like that. Yeah, which is not
necessarily the lazy. We can punch it up, but that's the lazy start. Yeah, starting. We're
starting there and then we can work it up. We can work on that. Right. He's just gets up there
and he's like, for lack of a better term, pickin it baskets are good. Well, we found figured out

(10:45):
our teaser. That's our teaser trailer. Hey, I'm teased. Teased is all hell. Speaking of teased,
I mean, this, this entire movie. But Yogi bear in Wall Street, that's the thing is like, he
doesn't know how to diversify his market because like that's like the original point is like,

(11:09):
what else has he got going on besides the picnic baskets? I guess he's just like the
nemesis of Parker Rangers. And I'm sure like smokey's got to be like, you know what, fuck Yogi.
Like I'm with the Parker Rangers. Why does he have to be a such a, you know, such a pill?
I mean, they're both bears, so I'm sure they probably relate to each other, at least at that

(11:31):
level. But I'm sure there's probably a point of contention about, you know, how they both upright
bears. Yeah, they like they're both upright bears that wear pants. Yeah, that's the actually
big one. Discrement on his pants, wearing portion of it. Who has pants? Smokey has pants.

(11:52):
Smokey does. Yeah. Smokey has his jeans. Dungaree. Yeah, he does. He's got he's got blue jeans. Yeah.
Oh, yeah. He's got blue jeans. He's got a little tail hole.
You don't often see the back of us. Yeah. You usually just see him on a sign and being like,
it's fire season. Watch out, you know, once you add one piece of clothing, then you start to

(12:17):
wonder why there is not a full set. I don't know. You know, it's like, oh, he's got a top. And why
even wear the top? If you're going to have bottoms that might be to believe that there should be
bottoms if you got a top. What do you cover? And I thought that, you know, shouldn't be covered on
the bottom. I'm always self conscious about walking around without pants on, because I feel

(12:39):
like I'm doing a Yogi bear. You know, is that what instantly comes to your mind? It is. That
war is got your tie and your hat on. I got my time. My hat on, but no pants. Cause the pants are
the last thing I mean, okay, on a hot day, get out of the shower and throw your tie and your
hat on. You're like, okay, I'm going to do some chores first before I put the rest of it. Yeah.

(13:01):
Before I put my pants on. That's for sure. Absolutely. I put my pants on just like anybody
else after my hat.
Damn straight. God, I feel so hurt right now. So see. Oh my God.

(13:22):
Well, I mean, we're waiting for the Yogi bear reboot. I'm surprised there hasn't been one.
Waiting for Guffman with Yogi bear. That's another fun one.
That's imagine that. If you just were to continue that movie. Yeah. Cause you can't parody like
that's kind of a parody already. So you just like would just throw him in, make him like, oh my God.
Yeah. Yeah. It's like a Garfield without Garfield, but then it's adding Yogi bear.

(13:49):
Oh my God. Garfield would be so much better if you took Garfield out and put Yogi bear in.
Fuck Garfield. You fuck Garfield. For real. That was a, that was a moment. Yeah. That was the
Garfield minus Garfield. That was a little bit of like the, we're so random. Hashtag random.

(14:10):
And we, yeah. And we come from a generation. I think it's kind of an elastic as well.
Would you say this is one generation before us? This movie. This is the Yogi bear to our boo boo.
It is kind of like a Gen X. Yeah. I think this is a very gen X movie. Right.

(14:34):
Like in it's also to him, like it's what it cares about. Right. Cause it's so cynical.
It's such a cynical movie. Yeah. And streaming. And to a fault as well. It's like many,
many, many, many faults. And this movie and we'll gladly get into them because yeah, it's just wild.

(14:59):
Cause I don't know. I guess I just want to start the conversation with you about how
this is representative of a, of a generation and of a time because with this having the audience
score that it does, there is a fondness for this movie and it's cynicism and it's portrayal of the
rich and wealthy that at the time it was seen comical and edgy, but has really not aged well.

(15:33):
This movie is tough to watch. It is a really hard movie to watch. I would just say, I'm sorry to
start getting into overall opinions of this, but my God, like there are points of view in this movie
or at least what it thinks it's being smart and critiquing about that comes also from a place of

(15:58):
like a shitty perspective as well. It's like somebody with who's an asshole talking about
assholes and it really is makes it like hard to digest and hard to get on board with anything that
this movie has to deal with. You bring up a great point of its, of its attitude right off the bat.

(16:19):
I think is a good, definitely a good place to start because that transcends not just one character,
but multiple and like Fleeep and Michelle Geller as a, as a unit can represent that itself. But
even how the movie thinks of itself is very much like the kind of like the,

(16:40):
like the nihilistic sort of just like dark sort of brewing, doing sort of thing within
them that doesn't really have a reason why they are this way.
Money, money, money and privilege, and power and like privilege. Yes.
But they are not interested in getting into that part of it though. They're just interested in,

(17:02):
in the product, which is a big product of it, which is totally current attitude and how they
decide to inflict that on other people rather than getting into kind of who they are where,
and I mean, yeah, maybe this is early to bring it up too, but we're getting into it. It's like this,
after recently watching Saltburn within the past year, is like, not a, not a great movie,

(17:27):
but a good movie. But at least in that one, like it gives you a stronger hint of Barry Keogan's
characters backstory. It gives you a much stronger feeling, feeling about how, how you should feel
about the situation. And regardless of, you know, like not that it absolves him or anything, but

(17:49):
at least gives you some version of, of like an empathetic sympathetic sort of way of looking
at him of like him lying about his backstory, and then him having to confront it, those like two
scenes that they throw in, and then they can have all their front cruel intentions shit on top of
that. But this movie really is just focused on the negative and it is soul draining, and it does not

(18:13):
hold up well at all, and it does not treat its characters in a way like that's respectful. And
there's this, yeah, there's that dark spirit behind both of them that is not justified or explained,
and not that it necessarily has to be, but it's not filled out, there's movies is not filled out,
it's all mean, it's all negativity, it's all pessimism, it's all cynical, cynical, unicinicism.

(18:38):
And that's something that I think we've talked about in past movies is like, and especially
like something like horror movies, which, you know, spooky season coming up and everything too,
is like the ones, you know, there can be horror and there can be thrills and chills and all that
stuff, but if it's just mean, that's not fun, you know, and this is just mean, totally. And it's,

(19:00):
and it also makes the critique of it lessened, because it's not coming from a place of wanting
anything to change or any or has any interest in this being kind of a vehicle for change and saying,
like, here, let me show you what the aristocrats of your society care about and isn't disgusting of

(19:28):
how vapid and how uninterested they are with what's really happening and all they care about is their
own shit and all of it is so meaningless because it's like, well, I want to be perceived to be
this way and that's all I care about. So I'm just doing things based on how it's going to be perceived

(19:49):
so that I can become more influential and more powerful. And there is a better version of any
story like this and Sultrn too, because Sultrn really, in my mind, struggles a lot with actually
getting into the classism that it seems to care a lot about critiquing. It just is defaults to a

(20:16):
wild ride instead of getting like actually getting into the weeds of what it is trying to
be critical of. It's just like, you know what, it just we're going to go along and and it's going
to end and you're like, OK, maybe whatever. I agree. Yeah, it just gave like a little bit more

(20:36):
like as far as a modern take goes to the person's reason, maybe reasons of why they are.
Maybe not, but like just just a little bit of backstory, I don't know with with
Brian Freeth and Sarah Michelle Geller, there is no sort of payoff in that respect for me
in terms of their backstory beyond just like right off the bat, they're already hatching plans and

(21:02):
playing games and everything too. And like, yeah, I don't know. There's also things that I don't
need to overly explain away. And there's a good version of the movie that doesn't necessarily
have that. But some of the things that happen in this movie, damn it. I want a little bit of an
explanation to some of this or like at least a face of a facing up of some of this some of this

(21:25):
stuff. But because the movie thinks it's having fun and I'm not having fun with it. And at least
in Saltburn, shock value is the fun there and it's attempting to pull. What's the fuck a lot
better than this movie? Let's be right. This movie looks like poopy doobie snoopy. Yeah. And it has
a style all its own. And it goes a long way. Like there's a lot of this movie shock value too. But

(21:52):
it's just it's not worth it. Yeah. No. And it's not even enjoyable to get to these mediocre shock
values because the visuals of the movie are disgusting. Like this movie looks like shit in
my opinion. Like it's very like soap opera. Very TV. Nothing about this would would indicate like

(22:16):
the person like that's what I'll give credit to Saltburn for is if somebody
movie about the wealthy and the rich, it better fucking look good because that's what these people
really give a shit about is looking good and looking good for long periods of time their whole

(22:36):
life because their aesthetic and their image is so incredibly important to them. And that's what I'll
give Saltburn the credit for even though in my mind it fumbles the bag with a Barry Keogan character
and then really makes the movie like have no follow through which is my overall critique of it.
But like this movie on the other hand looks like shit and everybody in this sucks. And it's the

(23:01):
cost is our bad. But I agree with you on the outfits are the outfit. No, you're right. The
outfits are pretty sweet. I will give you that. Especially for watching a movie of this time
that has so much pop culture status and weight when it came out that to me even to take it one step

(23:23):
back as well as like I've never seen this movie. I've never watched this movie. I think when I
was younger like it would show up on TV and I would like throw it on for a bit. I'd see
Philippe and Michelle Geller like you know hatching plans and stuff and I'd just get this. Yeah, just
okay, I got kind of a sense of what this is about and move on until I saw another team movie and

(23:44):
probably like however many other parodies that I would see of it. And that was always my frame of
reference for this movie was just that reference like it was just reference and other things and
and occasionally like watch it here and there. So to actually sit down and watch it like front to back.
It's it is crazy, right? Very worth it that like for for I'm glad that you say the same as well.

(24:10):
It's like for both of us now we can I don't know to check things off your your list at you know more
and more with movies and everything having our own podcast about it's like oh well if we're going to
talk about movies it's good to be aware at least and be educated and everything and this is a yeah
as much of a pop culture moment as it is and as much as even salt burn you know that was really

(24:31):
really quick and I'll try not to keep comparing it it's like nice to go to the source absorb it get
into it and see like not only them two but Joshua Jackson and Salma Blair and like these
kind of classic sort of people from from this time in this movie but god damn it like this

(24:55):
movie I can see why it's just not talked about really as much anymore and why why it doesn't hold
up because there are very very like offensive things that like someone like myself doesn't want to get
offended by things but it's just like what they play for humor and what the movie thinks of itself

(25:18):
like I was saying earlier is thinking this is comedic when it's like really fucked up and
and actually sad or bad.
Especially when it's playing with sexual and it's in its way like sexual politics and everything
and the treatment of the Salma Blair character in particular was was rough but that's our I think

(25:44):
that's just getting to the history of our you know interaction with the movie but would you have
any like anything beyond that beyond just some of the references that I mentioned?
Yeah I mean so many of the references were yeah I didn't I didn't I hadn't seen this movie so the

(26:04):
references for it of like scary movie like you brought up were lost on me that this was it was
from this movie at the time because that's why I was talking to you before we started recording
is like this is for the this is Generation X where it's the generation before us because for
yeah like I I wasn't old enough for this movie when it came out obviously and I had only heard

(26:29):
about this movie through parodies of it and then yeah that's that's my relationship with it so I
mean that's why I think we're able to have such a critical eye of it because I think if we were a
little bit older I think we would be more leaning into like isn't that time so crazy that we thought
it was okay to make like to have a character like Salma Blair where he is a caricature of somebody

(26:55):
she is this dumb innocent debutant that has had her whole life pampered for her and
the the stuff that happens to her in the movie
it's like for somebody with different politics than us would be like well that's just how it was

(27:18):
but it's hard to really look past how a woman is treated in a movie comedic or not because of the
way that thing like just the way that it what happens I don't know like even like how she's
written is is just in reference to other characters it seems like it seems like there's there's no
version of her that exists on her own like you're saying like she's a poorly veiled written

(27:44):
character just as a pawn and a tool for our two main characters to take or I mean and I don't know
Michelle Giller is definitely a main character to take advantage of and use in their own ways
and both of them do just that pretty much everyone outside of them to are just pawns to be used by

(28:06):
them and the only one that sticks up in her own way is Reese Witherspoon is also the saving grace
of this movie if there was one yes not that it completely saves anything but if there's any
positive aspect of it and somehow she just is able to hold up in this movie when there's so much

(28:27):
bad crazy stuff happening around her sure yeah but this I mean we don't have to go through
all the specifics but it just yeah we don't know it starts like very quickly he has this you know
he has his car that's a big deal the car it's a cool looking car but what I would say too just
not a day driving not a daily driver I don't want to fully leave the like this idea of

(28:55):
this movie opens up two instances that it's suggested by a novel which I've never seen
ever but it's a french novel and I understand when I saw that that actually helped me a little
bit saying this movie because this being based off a french novel makes sense because french

(29:17):
novels can be like this where it is so
like so like playing this game of bureaucracy and of this of this upper echelon and how
the everybody's you know involved in these seated romances and are no way to other see

(29:43):
monogatoise know everybody's secrets and it is also that salacious because you're just like oh the
person whose family this is from is hooking up with you know so-and-so and all of that
but I could easily as a person who's seen enough french films could understand that
that this would look better and would probably focus more so on not making people caricatures

(30:12):
as much as this movie does like that's in my mind the americanization of of a french story
of critiquing the uh boob wasi like this movie likes the idea of all this nefarious
act like acts by teenager ostensibly and picks up on that but has no flair and style and subtlety

(30:39):
that a french version of this would have so then it comes off as being like really gregarious and
like it's like fuck you here's all these shitty people and it's just so flashy and so american
especially also in its like soundtrack too is nuts to me like this movie drove me crazy before

(31:01):
you get into that i was just like yeah the american versus even european like sensibilities
made me think of how much time was planned or how much time was spent on in in an american version
of something just the planning of something like him and seren michelle galler sitting there like

(31:24):
this is what we're gonna do and man this is like very very clear about the rules and this is like
i can't wait to drive the car and i can't wait till you know and like the back and forth there of
them just edging each other while her edging him constantly but which maybe this is a zoomer
movie brand i don't know so much edging in this movie uh but there's just so much like in the in

(31:47):
like them setting down the rules and planning and stuff rather than if this was done in and i haven't
seen like dangerous dangerous liaisons which is another uh you know sort of version of of this
uh or this is a take on that but like there's a version of this where you sit in the more of the

(32:08):
actual sexuality of it not like not like the politics and like the getting back at each other
there and holding things over each other in the blackmail and all those little rules and everything
like there's a version of this where you sit in it after the love making has already finished and
they're sitting there together you know i know it's all very transactional in this whole sort of way

(32:31):
and just to get one over on somebody else but like there is a version where there's like they're just
sitting in in that for a little bit and and being vulnerable and showing them showing a different
side of themselves but this movie is so non-concerned with that it's just concerned with the the
thrust of like the lust of it all and like the uh the planning and and getting back at each other

(32:53):
and stuff that like it's really frustrating because you want it to be it can it can be like
either sexier or more interesting definitely yeah or even like i'm trying like like the edging sort
of thing like like you know hold like a little holding back but like in a way that's like you

(33:14):
know purposeful purposeful in some way like either would either way like you're saying but it's
and i feel like salt burning it does that in a way we're like oh this guy i know i said i was
gonna stop bringing it up but like taking a guy that's sexually repressed and having him
act in these certain ways it's like i don't know it's it's uh delving more into the sexual nature

(33:38):
of it rather than just like these guys are bored and they're more into the power and control of it
all maybe there's an interesting version of that too but in this version i think that represents
more uh of an american sort of way of unit which which you mentioned and then you are about to get
into uh the soundtrack which is definitely worth mentioning as well no huge part of it and definitely

(34:00):
a positive as well like these little trappings of the 90s of like the wardrobe and the music
and the cast you know even if yeah i mean i guess that's where the movie succeeds it's like
capturing that style well because i think there's some really interesting style um in the movie

(34:24):
if so bashing does wear some crazy outfits um i feel like you could belong in the matrix with some
of the glasses and everything but it's just so funny to think about how to me what this
conversation is made me think of is the difference between the uk skins versus the us skins it's like

(34:48):
it's so interesting how we are not that sexual in comparison to others we're very repressed and
this movie needs more sexuality and struggles with it because of it because of the american
sexuality of it all and that again must be a huge difference between this and what it's adapted of

(35:13):
is like i think the people would like we would just see more trists or more sexual tension
or just more sexual interactions especially there's very little sexual interactions between
Sebastian and Reese witherspoon even though that's fundamentally the like the plot of the movie is
Reese witherspoon sexuality opening up while simultaneously awakenings while simultaneously

(35:41):
Sebastian is fitting into what makes sense for her rather than just being so self interested in
self interested in his own sexual conquest not giving a shit about other women but
it's another awakenings and conquest but if there if there was just like conquest and

(36:01):
awakenings that's what i would call this movie but cruel tension is a good name too i just like
a version or a scene in this movie where sex is like good and pleasurable and happy
like just one scene like this movie so so much about sex like there there should be a version
of it that's good right right i don't know yeah with that like even even though ryan like i think

(36:26):
there's there is there could have been a version where like the him and Reese witherspoon love
story is more accentuated that is the thrust of the movie no pun on it but that is the thrust of
the of the movie is there them to like actually falling in love and they stumble on that like
heavily for an hour and a half movie it's like man you could you could make that the story way more

(36:50):
but the one scene that i keep in think of that that is trying to make like it sex positive is
arguably a fucking s a scene man yeah with him in selma blare is like a wine scene level
like level see like a young wine scene level fucking manipulation tactic is is what he like

(37:14):
i don't know all the all this the photography scene with her and like and the and yeah the
power play and all that stuff is like the music is is playing in a way that it's supposed to be
humorous and it's supposed to be funny and it's and it's supposed to be humorous yeah it's painting
her as a square and and and and yeah and a fool and that she yeah and uninitiated and

(37:41):
that shit was the roughest i think that yeah i think that's seen there's a lot that is rough but
i think that one was because that that disconnect of like the movie doesn't know what it is and it
doesn't and it thinks something is funny when it's actually like harrowing it's so so yeah right
oh my god hold the dragon tattoo level like no it's not levels no it's not no but i so many

(38:06):
but if you're letting you take advantage in a way that's way beyond and it's playing it for laughs
it was like not only this move does this movie like not hold up but it is yeah it is offensive
it's offensive yeah absolutely what the movie would like to do is to show you that he's a terrible
person and she is a naive participant but they push it with her in particular way too far on the

(38:36):
nae bete like they make her like a child yeah which makes it so fucking gross big time and that's
the problem i had with the scene that you're talking about is that she is such a uneducated person
that is then getting coerced into doing something that she has no agency or no

(39:04):
understanding of and being completely taken advantage of which is so fucking disgusting and
yeah subashian is a really bad guy so that's what the movie is trying to write like that's
what's going on is the subashian's a terrible guy and he is doing terrible things and whatnot but
the movie also wants it to be salacious and being like oh here's some sex here's some uh you know

(39:30):
yeah here's some sex and it sucks because it's not in a better movie he is not as blatantly and a
caricature really of a like a simpleton a child an undereducated person very privileged like

(39:54):
it wants to say right is like she's getting something out of it too is is a part of the
what in my mind what the movie wanted to like what it was trying to go for is being like well she
now also loves sex and now she's you know using him and it's not as bad but they need her to

(40:18):
establish that she has feelings feelings for this other guy but all house he's using Ryan
sleep as like a warm-up yeah right but like she's just all how she can't close her legs the mother
is taking care of her and it's just it's it's too much childlike stuff placed on her to then have an

(40:40):
ass a scene in it it really is that doesn't even know it is one yeah yeah and she has to be coached
so much as along with her cello instructor that um you know both of them never really have a moment
to express their own desires beyond for each other and even then there's so much of yeah

(41:03):
Fleeep and Sarah Michelle Geller just fucking with them in a way and I think that storyline
of Selma Blair was so completely useless for me and like didn't even need to because everything
that happened because of it and from it just didn't contribute anything to me and anything that was

(41:24):
positive had to do with Reese Witherspoon anytime she was on screen I was like I felt a little bit
better um and some of the Sarah Michelle Geller is like you know just so campy villain sort of fun
sort of thing like like it starts to be kind of kind of funny at points but uh apart from that like
all the Selma Blair stuff and then the extremely racist scene fucking made me like want to just

(41:50):
jump out the window and you know when like cringe my balls off yeah dude my balls are you have
yet to come back yeah they've receded right uh absolutely absolutely yeah that fucking we
don't even have to go through it it's just rough no and you know and to your point is like just from a
like you're making a very very good critique of the movie from just a simple plotting standpoint

(42:19):
because all of Selma Blair stuff the the guy the cello teacher ends up sleeping with Sarah Michelle
Geller so again it like Ronald like it really doesn't matter like it there's a person where it's like
he doesn't matter like he doesn't even really give a shit about her so he's so what the movie says is

(42:41):
Ronald actually is easily manipulative and he is now sleeping with Sarah Michelle Geller so again
like what is Sarah Michelle Geller really doing with Selma Blair because it the movie wants us to
say like at first is like so Sarah Michelle Geller has this idea of like getting into her to then
like fuck over this guy but none of that really ever just likes to play she just likes to fuck

(43:08):
around man like and there's a version of it maybe if they flesh it out more it's like oh Fleepe is
fucking with her while Michelle Geller is fucking with him to what end I don't know but like maybe
maybe he's using her as warm-up or something for Selma Blair there's like some sort of oh Henry
gift to the Magi like oh I didn't I was warming up with it oh you were warming up with her oh we

(43:32):
were both preparing for each other in this I don't know that sounds like a weird funny French
sort of thing of like oh we both had warm-up sex partners and then we are now we're more prepared
for each other sex is good now we're very like in love and now also we know how to fuck better I
don't know there's like up there's like a funny twist of like an irony sort of thing there but

(43:55):
instead it's played for pure just like I don't know animosity is is why she has him in a drawer
under her bed and the the relationship between Selma Blair and him is one of the few pure things
in this movie is those are like seem to be two pure people that however are falling in love

(44:20):
over music and instructing thereof of the cello a beautiful instrument a beautiful instrument
and to teach someone the cello like that pretty hot scene man if I just watched
we're pretty sure the first one that movie's not looking by she's a good looking girl and
they're like bonding over the cello I think he's saved the last dance I mean the yeah

(44:42):
and that's a good scene teaching someone you got to have your arms wrapped around him and then it
just uh it it ruins any sort of positivity and I think just needed uh some aspect of of that
and I might even sure I'm trying to think of salt burn even had that but there's there's a want

(45:03):
and a need for sex at least in that movie and this one it's just used as like a tactic um for the
most part so all the Selma Blair stuff aside I think we can I don't know I can shuffle all that
shit away and then if we're I don't know I think we're kind of uh careening towards at least some
of the uh climactic and plot details like near the end here of um of this rap

(45:32):
yeah you want to before we do that yeah let's take a break we'll be right back
okay we're freaking back folks uh yeah I was saying we were careening towards the end because
there's a car careening towards Reese Witherspoon that uh Ryan Philippe has takes issue with
um but beyond that anything else to do with the end I'm trying to think of what I appreciated about

(46:00):
the latter portion of this movie there's this sort of thing that the movie's doing where it's
trying to redeem Ryan Philippe in some sort of way I feel like and I don't like it I don't like it
either I don't like it I don't like I don't like that and the thing that they do at the very end
to redeem him is kill him which somehow absolves him and makes him a martyr for like all of him

(46:28):
and Sarah Michelle Geller's wrong doing for it not only it doesn't make them co-conspirators it
makes him the martyr and makes it all on her she's the Regina George of his burn book and I don't
like it I don't like it at all either there's this part where it's like he gets run over by the car
I'm like yeah kill him and then he gets hit and then I'm like oh he's fine and then it's like cut

(46:52):
to his funeral I'm like oh no they actually didn't and I was not happy about that not only because I
wanted him to face up to the facts man but I also uh if they are gonna kill him get a Meechio Black
car run over in that moment man come on that was not good enough you gotta really fucking sell it
he like did a little tumble over and then he had enough energy to speak some last words to

(47:17):
Reese Witherspoon and then fade it off like come on yeah to me that blood puddle sorry
I mean to me the him dying was such a fuck you I really like it yeah detested that choice of it
because in before he dies the redemptive arc of him is he doesn't care about the bed anymore

(47:48):
and what he cares about is essentially Reese Witherspoon knowing that he gave a shit about her
right and he's like he's like making a martyr out himself even before he dies too because he's like
totally yeah very much pursuing things with her anymore because he knows that whatever that he

(48:13):
it's not the proper intentions and it like for him to pursue it further wouldn't justify the
this movie's cruel intentions the intentions are so cruel yeah and they don't justify the the ending yeah of
what he wants and then you find out that she's just been using him as her little her little
let's talk about that her little toy okay let's talk about that because the movie thinks it's like

(48:38):
Christopher Nolan level it's like blow fell and the author of their pain
that guess what it was her the whole fucking time and me personally I was like fuck you movie
yeah right and more so because it was all she's saying is just like wait a minute oh like

(49:01):
anything you were worried about any sort of nuance with the plot don't worry about it I was just bad
for being bad I was just bad for being bad say anything why because I was having fun and you're
my little toy and there's no there doesn't have to be a reason I'm just bad right but so she set up

(49:22):
her whole life in order to be able to do that it's just it's so like blow felled being added in late
into the Jane Spawn series of like oh I'm actually the author of your pain and here's all of these
situations in which I actually was manipulating you and you know you're the idiot and so again

(49:46):
the movie thinks it's like playing 40 chess where him dying it's like
he's just piece of shit so he is gonna die and then the movie ends with the Sarah Michelle Geller
being like found out for being a total bitch and like all of this but it has no like I don't

(50:08):
understand the stakes at all is my problem is like her being like Sarah Michelle Geller being a
bitch him rightfully big dying and then all and uh uh witherscreen succeeding in some plan I guess
he had from the very beginning to what nothing I don't understand like I really just I think she's

(50:34):
she is she is a pure person that got caught up in all this and stuck to her values no way that's
not what the movie's saying the movie's saying like she was like uh pulling all the strings right
just for the car no I think that she in the same like taught in the same way that he was trying to

(50:57):
try to teach her a lesson or something of like uh of taking this pure person and you know me in
and and uh corrupting them was the challenge in her way if if it is what you're saying is like
she's trying to purify him the same way that she's trying he's trying to toxify her or whatever but

(51:21):
I don't think she's even aware but I'm not I don't think but okay if that's not what you're
saying I just don't think that's even the case I think that things led to this point where she
gets the car which I don't think is satisfying whatsoever either um well that's what I think I
think them two together is like yeah just meant to be like a love story like she are you saying

(51:44):
like she knew from the beginning about this whole plan that's what the movie that's what the movie
was led us to believe the end of the movie is I didn't get that is that she knew that that was
they were coming after her right because there's a scene there's a scene at the church uh before
the speech that sir Michelle Geller gives about Ryan Fully based like death and who he is and

(52:06):
people start walking out she's freaking out about it but before that they have a moment
and then uh uh Reese Witherspoon says a thing that they had said early on in the movie uh okay
uh it it makes you it shows me as like Reese Witherspoon is actually been

(52:32):
aiming for this this whole time is to essentially kill this guy through like bringing him in
because her whole objective as like this christian girl is to show how
how it's not to kill him well not to kill him but like yeah I don't know what you mean is like

(52:56):
is it is a little bit of what I was saying is like she's trying he's trying to corrupt her and
she's like going to not maybe purify him but prove her values and in a way sure is to yes right
because but her getting the car is not a satisfying thing and it's her driving off into the sunset

(53:17):
in this car that just means it just means nothing to me it's like first of all whatever why does she
get the car who really cares but also in much of the way of like a scary movie where you're like
hey where's the police this whole time I'm like where are these parents of Ryan Philippe and Sarah
Michelle Geller I get that they're like they were probably like rich magnates people that like

(53:40):
were already rich and they already divorced and then because they already had kids and then they
got together with another rich person that like they don't even have to fucking work here's your
big mansion kids I'll just we'll have other kids come and stay and then we'll just go and do our
thing but the fact that like you don't even see them at Ryan Philippe's funeral where is his

(54:04):
it's his father or mother the fact that he dies in general is just so fucking ham fisted and
shitty like I hated that a lot just the fact that he died I don't know like because right when it
starts buying bittersweet something it's like you made a margar out of a piece of shit like it's
like it was I can never get on board like the fact that he died didn't make me feel like well you

(54:29):
know what maybe he's a good guy no not at all like what are you talking about at least Sarah
Michelle Geller got her is it's like no it's like there's so much more to resolve here right
does someone player and Ronald like do they ever figure it out does she figure out to play the
cello does her mom ever become not racist no I doubt it um I'm gonna look her mom is played by

(54:55):
a legend we just watched both we just watched both finger yeah that's all I was like she did both
finger both finger immediately after this movie so it was like definitely around that time and I think she was uh
she's the city who's neighbor in the Grinch she is uh huh yeah her name is uh Christina
Baransky yeah Christmas lights uh gun she's great love her terrible terrible scene in this

(55:19):
movie it sucks the Gregster um to deliver that fucking the whole yeah it was really bad really bad
um I think now's the perfect time to go through our notes yeah I was looking at the let's see here
opens on a cemetery I thought that was an interesting choice where it's just hovering over like

(55:41):
gravestones what does it have to do with this movie I guess it's a it's a foreshadow and to Ryan
Philippe I think the intro of some sucks ass it's by placebo can we play some music for the people
let's uh check out the um the placebo song I got I I put trip on love that was my song where it was

(56:04):
oh shit song it's fucking all right so this is every you every meaning by placebo and fill the null
I'm not a big placebo guy as it is so neither am I and I think this is sometimes

(56:30):
this is where the movie starts with just for people to understand like this is how the music
I think the song is okay I would not start a movie with
it it's it's not a great it's not bad
oh it stopped playing because I'm trying to be a naughty naughty nely and play it over um

(56:55):
discord which it does not allow me to do that was every you every me um I'm gonna play
let's see what would be the other I mean bittersweet symphony everyone knows that
I mean if you can play the song you put in the general
the general yes of course and I'm got bittersweet symphony in the background here

(57:21):
before we get into
trip on love the song is wild
this is a crazy song
but

(58:04):
It just slipped down
And we both knew my heart could be broken
I've said something
And I intended to say
It's not like it

(58:25):
It wants me to feel my own environment
ERS
I want you by my side

(58:51):
"-ky looks so good!"
I'm doing something for you.
Happy hunting, Sebastian.

(59:11):
And this is the Marcy playground song that is in the section.
Something that's so wide as I love it from this movie.
Keep your legs together.
This isn't Jamaica.
Thanks.
Yeah, that's.
My husband, I gave money to.

(59:33):
No, did. Yeah, see, that's.
That shit.
I can't believe like that's the shit that like never hold up.
Like it could.
It could have been a year after that, that that shit.
Fucking.
Like it wasn't good at the time.
Like I don't understand how.

(59:54):
The brown sugar line fucking.
My mind.
Of like.
Couldn't believe it.
It sucks.
It does.
It does. I did not like it.
Oh, I like it too.
Yeah.
I mean, a lot of my notes are like.

(01:00:15):
Yeah, just all of this like love letter writing is stupid.
Yeah, what is the email for Brandon?
Oh, email is for pedophile.
What is it?
It is geeks and pedophiles.
Geeks and pedophiles.
Yep.
You got to write a letter, baby.

(01:00:36):
I'm rightfully.
I got a pocket watch and I'm an incel.
But I still have a lot of sex somehow.
I don't know how it works.
Really.
Suzy Kurtz was the therapist at the beginning.
I like her.
I'm just terrible therapist, by the way.
Oh, terrible.
Holy shit.
Oh, yeah.
Can I get a hug and you like dry humped her.

(01:00:58):
And then she's like, actually read my book and it's about
parenting.
Like why would he give us with that?
And then the whole killer lanes move with so he puts on
Suzy Kurtz, but then he also put on her stepdaughter who's
fucking what's her face?
Tara read.
That's right.

(01:01:19):
Tara read is the.
Yeah. And she is crying on the phone for just for one moment.
This is the version of Tara read where she's like Big Lebowski, Tara read
where she's in a very consequential scene.
And that's all. And then she's never seen again.
And then there's Jennifer Love Hewitt joke.
Yeah, totally.
Which is so bad.

(01:01:41):
She's on the cover of 17 and they make an menstrual cramp joke about her.
She's on the cover of 17.
I don't know.
Like, is this after I know what you did last summer or a scream or whatever
out of there together?
Anyways, it's terrible jokes.
Yeah, terrible, terrible jokes.
You get Joshua Jackson, a character that we have not mentioned once

(01:02:04):
because it's probably just too embarrassing to even bring up like
how they treat gay people in this movie is is just as
another form of a tactic from our two main characters.
But that bong that he has is shaped just like a shlong
and I put bong shlong in my notes.

(01:02:25):
I think Brandon is frozen.
Can you hear me?
I can hear you.
Okay.
This is your video.
But yeah, that I mean, I thought he played it pretty well.
The movie what the movie says about him and about everything else sucks,
but him and some bleached hair and everything, that was cool to see.
I thought everything was okay besides him just like filing his nails

(01:02:48):
and then just like using like gay shaming to another tactic for football.
Whatever.
Yeah.
The great stir blackmailing like for being the great stir just loving the
great sir fucking loving loving dudes.
And then he's like, yeah, then he has this whole scene where he's telling his

(01:03:10):
buddy's like, yeah, so I was like, tell her to fucking suck my cock.
And then everybody's like, yeah, great stir.
Great stir is the best.
But then he's also a fucking like also he throws away his village people CD
because he's a he's ashamed.
I was like, I should know because it's like the most like stereotypical.
He's like, I can't be gay anymore.

(01:03:33):
He's like throwing away village people.
And he's like, oh, I got to keep Judy Garland.
I got to keep Judy Garland Judy.
It's like, I'm laughing at how the movie, I don't know, just how terrible
this terrible the movie thinks.
I would like clever the movie thinks it's it's being and how stereotypically bad it is.

(01:03:54):
All right.
Let's take a break and then let's get into final thoughts.
Yeah, I'll just show my notes here.
I think I only have yeah, oh, the cherries.
That's my like that maybe something else, but like the cherries.
She's eating.
She's she lost her virginity and she's eating a platter of Maraschino cherries,

(01:04:16):
not actual cherries, but Maraschino cherries because they're just so red.
And it's just like it's like the most unsubtle fucking shit in the world.
Yeah.
I want to fuck.
That was one of the lines in the movie.
I want to fuck.
I got your just a conquest.

(01:04:38):
What's that?
I got peace out moron.
Dude.
That peace out moron.
I said that to my older sister in the 90s at some point.
Oh, God.
Peace out moron.
Whatever.
Whatever.
I want to be Madonna.
Yeah, we can take a break down.

(01:05:00):
We'll wrap this shit.
Dig up.
Let's do it.
All right, we're back.
Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen to Polarize Pod.
Movie about.
Or not the movie.
The podcast about the movies that are polarizing.
According to Ron Tomatoes, you got the audience side.
You got the critics side.
That's how they break it down.

(01:05:21):
And a lot of times they disagree.
We thought it'd be fun to talk about those kind of movies and make a whole
podcast about it.
So let's get into some of those reviews.
That decide what movies we get to talk about.
We're going to start with the critics in case you forgot.
They gave it a 53%.

(01:05:42):
Poopy doopy snoopy.
In the year of 1999.
That this movie came out.
Lots of good movies of that year.
But this was not one of them, according to the critics.
One of those.
Critics on Ron Tomatoes is known as Rex Reed on the Observer.
He says, despite all the prerent dialogue, director Rich.

(01:06:05):
Roger Cumble making his feature directing debut after the dubious
honor of writing dumb and dumber is positively bashful about
actually showing anything remotely sexy.
Fair criticism.
Absolutely.
Did not realize that the director of this wrote dumb and dumber,
one of my favorite comedies of all time.

(01:06:26):
Of this, this era as well.
Peter Bradshaw on the Guardian said cruel intentions should have been
a great idea.
That's that's the blurb we got here from Joe Morgenstern at Wall Street
Journal.
He says, you've got to see it to believe the goofiness of French
aristocrats recast his pansexual degenerates from a private school

(01:06:47):
on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
Just got to see it to believe it.
Do you see it to believe it?
Paul Robachow from Boston Globes is the story of sexual manipulation
and emotional coldness becomes a mean teen romp around gave it a
two out of four.
Rick Grown Globe and Mail.
He's a film a cancer to a pack of Spice Girl cards.

(01:07:09):
He wrote that in 2002.
So you know what?
Nice.
What he's working with.
Peter Trader's Rolling Stone says rarely has a film elicited more
raucous unintended laughter.
And let's see.
We got CNN Paul Clinton, the teenage target audience will probably
gobble cruel intentions right up.
But for me, this film borders on creepy.

(01:07:33):
Fair to say, Paul.
The poor.
Caro Chicago Tribune, you may come to realize that if a bomb suddenly
blew up everyone on screen, you wouldn't particularly miss anyone.
And we'll finish off with that.
Let's get into some audience reviews.
Clearly the critics did not care for it.

(01:07:57):
There's some good ones in there.
I could do I could do a positive one as well, just to just to get a taste
Because there are some people that sick up from it,
for it like Richard Shickalott Time Magazine,
our fascination with this tale has always derived
from its cool portrayal of utter amorality,
which Comble and his cast nicely energize
with their heedless, youthful intensity.

(01:08:21):
That's a nice way to put it.
That's our one little taste of a nice critic,
but let's get into some positive audience reviews.
I would say this, this movie holds an important place
in culture in a way, and I think the audience
will be a representation of that in the 80% range.

(01:08:43):
I'm gonna go to Letterbox right off the bat,
cause these are just more fun.
From Erin, five stars, my life is not complete
until I get a Coke cross necklace.
Yeah.
From Kayla, five stars.
Okay, Catherine has one framed photograph in her bedroom
and it's of herself.
I just live for that.

(01:09:06):
Don't you wish you could become that person
where you just have one framed picture of yourself?
Also from Erin, the one we mentioned at the beginning
wrote two reviews.
This review is also five star and he says,
invented sibling porn.
Jesus, yeah.
That is something we didn't say,
the whole step brother thing.

(01:09:28):
Yeah, we didn't talk about it
cause it's fucking weird.
There's not much else to say.
From Nicole, five stars,
the ending with Bitter Sweet Symphony playing is untouchable.
From Abby, five stars.
Why is it I fall in love with the most problematic movies?

(01:09:49):
It's not too long Michelle.
And this is the third one from Erin, five stars.
You could cut the sexual tension between me
and the Bitter Sweet Symphony needle drop with a damn knife.
And then this is the fourth one from Erin, five stars.
Sarah, Michelle, Geller, I would take a bullet for you.

(01:10:09):
No questions asked.
Ivy Walk says go to soundtrack, five stars.
And let's do maybe one or two from Google reviews,
which are also very good.
Brandon T. Blackwell, five stars.

(01:10:29):
I thought it would be your standard teen rom-com
based on the trailer, but I was deeply mistaken.
The film is much better than expected.
The story of a pair of rich scumbags
who eventually turned against each other.
Once one finds true love,
really had lots of thought and soul put into it.
The musical choice and camera angles
helped bring out the film's character
and the Bitter Sweet Symphony song at the end was perfect.

(01:10:52):
The characters of Sebastian, Catherine, Amanda,
Cecile and Ronald also did outstanding jobs as well.
Very nice.
We'll do one more from Riri Marie, five stars.
I love this movie so much.
It really is like what I am most interested in for movies.

(01:11:15):
I found it because I was trying to find enemies
to lovers movies and it was suggested.
It seemed good, so I watch it and I love it a lot.
Also, I saw a review about how it's the modern day
modern day of dangerous liaisons and I love that movie.
So it's like my favorite movie ever, Death That.
My fault, dangerous liaisons are my tops.

(01:11:35):
I definitely recommend to watch
and Sebastian is one fine man.
I wasn't a big fan of the ending, but it was still good.
Riri Marie.
Oh, good.
Riri Marie.
Okay, one more, sorry.
And then we'll, this is a Jay Kazami, five stars.
The best modern day version of dangerous liaisons.

(01:11:58):
I love the movie so much.
Tonight was my first time watching it again.
Jesus Christ.
Tonight was my first time watching it again.
Since the last time I watched it as a kid.
Even though I'm not used to seeing Sarah Michelle Geller
play a villain, villainess, she played the part
well as Catherine Mertuli is how he spelled it

(01:12:20):
and looked absolutely stunning.
Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Philippe, Samo Blair
and the entire cast did a fantastic job.
Overall, this movie is fantastic.
I am inclined to disagree myself,
but these reviews between the critics and audiences,
I think is exactly what we're here for as this podcast.

(01:12:43):
This is a movie that was important,
very important at a time.
It was.
Two young people at the time that it came out,
which that's such an important audience in culture,
pop culture, everything moving forward.
And for them to deem it important,
there was something at that time
that they were tapping into.

(01:13:04):
And it's interesting to see something just not hold up
well at all for it to be so important at the time
and for it to really fall flat on me today.
There are elements of it that I can see be inspired
into other movies of today,
like we mentioned Salt Burn many times,

(01:13:24):
that does not make it as a whole good,
but it's cool to know that there's aspects of it
that other filmmakers and other artists have found
that were relevant at the time that it was made,
that they could pull from and make relevant again today
to know that it has value in that way is pretty cool.

(01:13:46):
And so it's not going to be like a zero from me personally,
but it's not going to be much higher.
I think it deserves some of that,
just for style and for style,
I'd say it would be a little of a soundtrack
to be so current at the time in terms of music
is important to be cool.

(01:14:09):
And I can see why people thought it was really cool
at the time, young, sexy actors and actresses
being sexy on screen and taking part in sexy plans
of sexy espionage, sexy politics.
I can see why it was the taboo thing at the time

(01:14:30):
and why kids would want to,
teenagers especially would want to take part in it,
but it does not hold up and things like Scream
or I know what you did last summer,
other things that these people have taken part in
are something that's a little more fun to jump into
if you're looking for something that's like an heirloom

(01:14:51):
of the 90s that has all the style and everything,
but also is kind of fun to watch.
This has just the style.
It is not fun to watch.
It is not an enjoyable movie.
It is purely some of those little trappings
that make it almost palatable, almost,

(01:15:12):
but it's not, it's bad.
And I think it veers on 20% for me, but not quite.
So I'll do like an 18, do an 18%
because that seems to be the age of the people here.
Good, good.
I went ahead and gave my review.
So I will pass it on to old brandy over here.

(01:15:37):
This movie is not good at all.
Like this is not an enjoyable movie.
Like it's totally understandable
that you would give it that score.
I mean, when coming into this conversation,
I was thinking about like 20%.
Like for you.
So for you to hit that like makes sense to me
because this isn't interesting at all.

(01:15:59):
And it is fashionably somewhat interesting.
I think if you're into fashion,
maybe go with this movie a little bit,
but overall, like this movie sucks ass.
Like it just doesn't give a shit about.
It doesn't give a shit about talking about something

(01:16:20):
that's like interesting in the world that it's in.
Okay, so how do I say this?
Is it blows my mind how uninterested it is to make common,
like make really biting commentary,
like really funny and interesting commentary on the bourgeoisie.

(01:16:43):
And what it cares about is the plot of it all
and the plot of it isn't sexy or interesting.
And so crazy to just take a potentially,
I don't know, something that would be.
I don't know, would fuel more of this weird sexual energy

(01:17:08):
that that period of time had.
But this movie thinks that it's doing that and it's not.
No, this is a bad movie.
People shouldn't really see it.
I'm going to give it a 25 percent.
That's where I'm at.
Like this movie sucks.
Yeah, that's it's same range.

(01:17:30):
And I was I had to like get up and walk around multiple times
watching the movie.
I was just so frustrated with it and just kind of like I had
like my hands on my hips and just be like bad movie.
Yeah, it's a bad movie.
It's a bad movie.
But also I'm glad I watch it just to like know what that's about.

(01:17:50):
And I can this was fun, James.
And I can move on.
This was fun.
If you have a podcast, you're looking for a movie to talk about.
Right. This is the one.
I enjoyed talking to you about this because I it's like this
movie happened in a vacuum until we did talk about it.
And in a vacuum, I was like, wow, this is really such a shitty movie.

(01:18:16):
And we've watched another team movie together.
So to see the the origin.
I like none of those.
Yeah, none to movies.
Funny, I know, because that that's like the combination of never been
kissed with this movie because it like takes the never been kissed joke
and like makes her not an older like 30 year old woman, but like a 70

(01:18:36):
to 80 year old woman that goes back to school and it takes that woman
and puts her with it.
So it's come out and all this like one little spit strand in this
movie was enough to create the parody of like spit strands all over
their faces and that's where I started coming into this one.
So if you think I can't handle sexual humor, I can.

(01:19:00):
And this is not it.
Love it.
No, we love sexual humor.
Like that's the problem with this movie is that it's sexual humor.
So yeah, it's bad.
It's like to be do be it's offensive and poopy do be soupy.
Yeah, like we love sex and we want honestly, like that's what was so fun

(01:19:20):
about like so we haven't done this podcast of talk about movies.
We've you know.
It's like.
There's a place for sex and movies like as adults, like you like sex.
Like it's it's fun.
It's interesting and some movies do that really well, but this movie
doesn't do that well and it wants to do that well and it's not doing it

(01:19:44):
well. So it's a poopy do be stupid movie. Right.
It's necessary for it to do well because that's what its whole thing is.
And it it's not as sexy as you think it is.
Maybe at the time.
Well, it's it's it's edging the entire time.
The entire movie is like edging towards its goal and it doesn't even get there.

(01:20:05):
And I know like it's a little bit sexier than 50 Shades of Gray.
But I just watched that one recently.
And that one was like frustratingly not sexy.
It's so upsetting to like sign up for something and be like, I want to get like
maybe you don't even want to get turned on.
You just like, but like, I know that like that's there to play for that side of

(01:20:26):
that your girlfriend might happen life or whatever.
Like watching movies like who knows?
Like watching sexy movies is awesome.
You should know that that's like a side effect that should happen.
And the fact that it doesn't happen is frustrating.
And like it sucks.
It really sucks that there's a couple of moments like him like

(01:20:47):
Fleeping her like being like trying to like get at each other.
Maybe. But and then like maybe the cello lesson.
Maybe. But for a movie that is so like grounded on like it should be sexually
tantalizing at the very least for it to not get there.
You know, is is an entitlement on the movie.

(01:21:08):
It is rough, but speaking of sexual movies, let us reveal our next movie
for our next discussion now that this one is gone so very well.
And you guys are still here with us.
Thank you so much.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Kisses, kisses, kisses.
A very sexual movie as well.

(01:21:29):
Anchorman to the legend continues certified fresh by critics.
Seventy four percent, a fifty two percent, not so great by the audience.
It's a polarizing comedy.
So you're either going to laugh or you're going to be like, P.U.
Poopy doopy snoopy.

(01:21:50):
We're going to find out next time on our discussion.
It's a sequel to a comedy, folks.
It's it's going to be it's going to be interesting.
We were trying to decide if cruel intentions to would be OK.
But, you know, it turns out that that one's probably even worse than this one.
So we decided to opt out.
But there are not only one there's not only one sequel,

(01:22:11):
but I believe that's the third cruel intentions as well.
We'll we'll report back if we ever end up you jumping into that.
But for next week, it will be Anchorman to it will be your trusty co-host,
the great brandini and the James here with you.
This has been Cruel Intentions, a legendary episode from the polarized pod

(01:22:33):
back at the hottest around hottest up around definitely hotter than Cruel Intentions.
I promise you because after that it wanted it.
I went into a sexual Ice Age after this movie.
Anything else from you, Brandini, before we shuffle off into

(01:22:55):
no next venture together?
All I'm saying is don't let us get into a sexual Ice Age.
You would not want that.
Anchorman, you will make sure that sex panther will be there to help us through.
I'm not sure.
I guess it doesn't make a reprise and Anchorman to you.

(01:23:17):
But you know what does is a shark.
But yeah, and I'm so excited for that.
This has been polarized.
Pod, we love you all.
Please remember to rate, review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
And I think it's on Spotify maybe now to wherever you get your podcast.
If there's any sort of rate review, subscribe option,

(01:23:41):
any sort of those little thumb motions that make you do that.
We love it.
Apart from that, this has been polarized pod.
This has been the James.
This has been the great brandini.
And we'll see you next time.
Yeah, brandini anything else?
No.
Audio.

(01:24:02):
Bye.