The Big Picture
Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins review the movies you need to see. Plus: Top 5s, Movie Drafts, Oscars analysis, and more, featuring a rotating cast of Ringer colleagues like Chris Ryan, Van Lathan, and Bill Simmons.
Episodes
Sean and Amanda start the show by reacting to two huge news headlines from this week, with Denis Villeneuve set to direct the next James Bond film and Aaron Sorkin set to write and direct a sequel to ‘The Social Network’ (1:38). Then, they get behind the steering wheel to discuss Joseph Kosinski’s highly anticipated action blockbuster ‘F1,’ starring Brad Pitt. They talk about how the electrifying filmmaking displayed throughout the...
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June 25, 2025 • 56 mins
Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Adam McKay’s ‘Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy’ starring Will Ferrell, one of the most iconic comedies of all time. They highlight the wildly successful partnership of McKay and Judd Apatow, why they made the painfully difficult decision to choose this as their official studio comedy selection...
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June 23, 2025 • 105 mins
Sean and Amanda celebrate 800 (!) episodes with a special “Ask Us Anything” movie mailbag. They answer your questions on whether or not 2025 has been a good movie year, share theatrical experiences that have floored them this century, and build their own “Intro to Film” curriculum (3:39). Then, they unpack a pair of two recent children’s movie releases. They start with the new Pixar animated film, ‘Elio,’ and wonder whether its lac...
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June 20, 2025 • 86 mins
Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan and react to a myriad of different movie news headlines, including the Academy’s decision to give Tom Cruise an honorary Oscar, Glen Powell’s casting in an upcoming Ron Howard firefighter film, and the first trailer for ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere’—starring Jeremy Allen White (3:54). Then, they unpack Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s highly anticipated zombie horror sequel, ‘28 Years...
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June 18, 2025 • 46 mins
Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss ‘Before Sunset,’ the second installment of Richard Linklater’s beloved romantic trilogy starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. They talk about why this film is their favorite of the trilogy and the official selection from Linklater’s career, discuss what its legacy is at large, and how its performan...
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June 16, 2025 • 93 mins
Amanda and Sean went live on YouTube to give you, the people, life advice. They answered questions about how to confront smelly friends, whether you can base a romantic relationship on a mutual passion for cinema, how to incorporate movies into wedding speeches, and much more.
Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins
Producers: Jack Sanders and John Richter
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Sean and Amanda have an in-depth conversation and unpack their very mixed feelings on a pair of two new releases coming this weekend. They start with Celine Song's ‘Materialists’ and celebrate Song’s wonderful writing while also exploring their inability to connect to Dakota Johnson's and Pedro Pascal’s performances of the material (1:46). Then, they create their list of the top five movie love triangles of all time (45:10). Next, ...
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June 10, 2025 • 116 mins
Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan to discuss their disappointment with the newest installment in the John Wick franchise, ‘From the World of John Wick: Ballerina’ (2:08). Next, they cover the second horror feature film from the Philippou brothers with the deeply upsetting ‘Bring Her Back’ and explain why it was an interesting follow-up to their first feature, ‘Talk to Me’ (25:45). Then, they revisit Kevin Smith’s 1999 classi...
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June 6, 2025 • 75 mins
Sean and Amanda take a deep dive into one of their favorite directors' newest films: Wes Anderson’s ‘The Phoenician Scheme.’ They discuss the new themes Anderson tackles that he typically avoids, celebrate the phenomenal performances from Michael Cera and Mia Threapleton, and discuss how a second viewing can unlock a better understanding of the movie’s ideas (1:36). Then, for the first time in Big Picture history, Wes Anderson join...
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June 3, 2025 • 130 mins
We are drafting again! Sean and Amanda are joined by several Ringer all-stars for a mega-draft of the best movies from 2000.
The Big Picture will be live in Chicago on July 21! Tickets go on sale Wednesday, June 4 at 12p CT.
Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins
Guests: Chris Ryan, Van Lathan, Mallory Rubin, Joanna Robinson, Rob Mahoney, and Bobby Wagner
Producer: Jack Sanders
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May 30, 2025 • 89 mins
Bobby Wagner joins the show to bid farewell to The Big Picture and The Ringer at large. We look back at how he started working on the show and run through all of his favorite moments during his time as a producer (0:54). Then, Bobby finally convinces Sean and Amanda to discuss ‘Shrek’ and ‘Shrek 2’ on the show and talk about why ‘Shrek’ is such a critical movie for young millennials and early Gen Z (23:40).
Hosts: Sean Fennessey...
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May 28, 2025 • 89 mins
Sean and Amanda start the show with a quick recap of all the awards handed out at the Cannes Film Festival and wonder what this year's ‘Anora’ could be (1:13). Then, they react to the biggest Memorial Day weekend box office in history and consider what it means for the industry going forward (7:34). Next, they discuss Disney’s newest live-action remake, ‘Lilo & Stitch,’ and explain why not only this specific movie but also this “ge...
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May 26, 2025 • 43 mins
Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece, ‘Spirited Away’: the wonderful 2002 animated fantasy film, which features an unbound representation of what it feels like to be a child. They talk about what they make of Chihiro as an unusual main character figure, celebrate the huge technical achievement in its stunn...
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May 23, 2025 • 95 mins
Sean and Amanda need you to trust them one last time as they unpack the highly anticipated ‘Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning,’ starring Tom Cruise. Before diving into the film, they briefly recap all of the news headlines from the Cannes Film Festival by highlighting all of the heavy hitters, big surprises, and disappointments (1:05). Then, they unpack their complicated feelings on the newest ‘Mission: Impossible’ movie and ...
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May 20, 2025 • 73 mins
Sean is joined by Chris Ryan to discuss the flaw in death’s design by covering ‘Final Destination Bloodlines,’ the latest installment in the legendary, violent franchise (2:57). They share why they have such a great affinity for the 'Final Destination' series at large, spoil the movie by highlighting the electrifying kills that define the movie’s success (14:38), and go through every single kill in the entire franchise and rank the...
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May 16, 2025 • 130 mins
Sean and Amanda are joined by Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, and Chris Ryan for a very special episode where they draft the best movies of Tom Cruise’s legendary career. They talk about their relationship to Cruise, introduce some new draft categories, and have a whole lot of fun.
Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins
Guests: Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Chris Ryan, and Bobby Wagner
Producer: Jack Sanders
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May 14, 2025 • 44 mins
Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Lars von Trier’s ‘Melancholia,’ the deeply upsetting 2011 science fiction drama, which stars Kirsten Dunst and Kiefer Sutherland and features one of the greatest opening scenes of all time. They discuss Dunst’s astounding performance, explain why this was such a critical project for von Trier’s car...
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May 12, 2025 • 141 mins
Sean and Amanda open up the mailbag once again to answer all of your questions about underrated indie directors they’d like to see get the “Sean Baker treatment” at this year's Oscars, why Amanda majored in classics, recent films that are the most likely to inspire the next generation of filmmakers, and much more (3:05). Then, Alex Ross Perry returns to the show to discuss his new genre-bending music biopic, ‘Pavements.’ They discu...
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May 9, 2025 • 137 mins
Sean and Amanda briefly tease next week’s mailbag episode and react to the Golden Globes adding a new category for Best Podcast (1:34). Then, they dive into their long-awaited Paul Newman episode, where they unpack who Newman was as a person (7:06), explore what made him such a special actor (16:13), and build his Hall of Fame by selecting the 10 most essential performances of his career (43:47).
Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda...
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May 6, 2025 • 137 mins
Sean and Amanda briefly react to the news that President Donald Trump wants to impose a 100 percent tariff on any films produced outside of the United States (1:46). Then, they react to the new trailer for Spike Lee’s film ‘Highest 2 Lowest’ and discuss ‘Another Simple Favor,’ the sequel to ‘A Simple Favor,’ starring Blake Lively (7:41). Later, they create their 2025 Movie Star Rankings, where they select and rank the 35 biggest mo...
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