Imbibe Cinema
The Imbibe Cinema podcast invites listeners to tune in for a laudatory dialogue with festival staff and special guests as we admire a wide variety of films. Each episode examines a film’s screenplay, casting, direction, underlying themes, and more. Watch the subject of discussion, grab yourself a delicious libation, and imbibe some great cinema with us. Presented by Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival.
Imbibe Cinema
Hearts Beat Loud
Imbibe Cinema crew discusses the story, direction, casting, direction, and music behind the 2018 Brett Haley comedy/drama HEARTS BEAT LOUD, starring Nick Offerman, Kiersey Clemons, Toni Collette, Sasha Lane, Blythe Danner, and Ted Danson. The film tells the story of a father and daughter who form an unlikely songwriting duo in the summer before she leaves for college. In this episode, host Jonathan C. Legat is joined by Michael Noens (Executive Director of Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival) and Tricia Legat (Program Director of Cinema Centennial).
MUSIC: "Woe Mountain" by Band Called Catch
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♫Whoa is me, woe is me. They have seen what I've seen. Yes. My mamma didn't let them make change on me. Put change on me. Yeah, whoa is me, woe is me. This is the product of A.D.D. Apothecary, not for me, I dream naturally. Yeah, woe is me. Woe is me. They have seen what I've seen.♫
Jonathan:Greetings and or salutations. Welcome to Imbibe Cinema. I'm your host Jonathan C. Legat and I'm along with...
Michael:...Michael Noens...
Tricia:...and Tricia Legat.
Jonathan:In this episode we're going to be discussing HEARTS BEAT LOUD, which is currently available on digital download and rental as well as also on Hulu; while imbibing the scarlet heart, uh, which you will be able to find on our webpage. Although I will state that, uh, maybe it was the bourbon we used or, or the the maraschino liqueur, but this isn't very"scarlet." It's delicious! I mean, it's got, do you know Costco bourbon and chocolate and wine. So, hello! It's a very sweet drink. Um, but yeah, it's not red, so I apologize.
Michael:How dare you. I know I have failed you all.
Tricia:It doesn't look like a very healthy heart.
Jonathan:It's got some clogged arteries and shit. Like a three pack a day smoker.[Laughter] The Imbibe Cinema podcast is brought to you by the Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival, otherwise known as BWiFF. Our festival seeks independent character-driven films of all lengths, genres, and styles. To learn more, please visit us at BWiFF.com, once again, that is B. W.I.F.F. dot com. You know, um, so HEARTS BEAT LOUD. I really enjoy this independent film and I know that it was on the top of Michael's list. So, um, now I know that this is a father-daughter,"Not A Band" band film. Uh, so I think that it's only logical that we kind of discuss, uh, the music and the score as well as the story to really start off this. Uh, this was a, a Brett Haley, uh, film who had, uh, a worked with Nick Offerman previously on, um, THE HERO. He seems to be somebody who's, who's kind of, uh, coming to the foreground here are the independent scene, you know, making these films and getting some, some really good names with Nick Offerman coming back for a second helping. He must be, you know, pretty nice to work with here.
Michael:I mean, I haven't seen a ton of, uh, Nick Offerman films or TV shows I should say.
Jonathan:Okay.
Michael:When I think of Nick Offerman as an actor, I think, you know, dry comedy and I don't think drama at all. And to me, I mean, yes, sure, this is a hilarious movie(at least in my opinion), but the drama behind it was fantastic and I thought his performance was fantastic. So much, so much is done in this film that is without words through music obviously. But, um, there, you mean there are some beautiful with this synth score?
Jonathan:Yes.
Michael:That, uh, that Keegan did, I thought was beautiful. It was like, it said more than, than any lines that could've, could have been said in that moment.
Jonathan:It is amazing how much of the film was, was driven, uh, through not the silence per se, but without actual dialogue, um, what Keegan was able to do, uh, through the music, not only in the, in the, the original songs that, uh, both Nick Offerman and Kiersey Clemons sing together. Uh, is that father daughter,"We're Not A Band" band. Um, but just everything.
Michael:What a great name. Love it.
Jonathan:Yeah, this is a perfect line. Yeah. It's like the uh, the uh, Banned from TV and it's, it's a pun on the fact that they are a band and everybody on that band was from TV;'cause HOUSE, Hugh Laurie, was the piano player.
Michael:Oh!
Tricia:Oh cool. So–.
Michael:That was like a standard,"Oh cool. Whatever. I'm going to go ahead and say whatever I want to say."[laughter].
Tricia:Hey, hey, I go back to drinking. It's fine. You guys talk. I'll drink.
Michael:What do you mean go back to drinking?
Jonathan:I don't think any of us have stopped.
Tricia:Well anyways, let me get back to dismissing you.[laughter]
Jonathan:At least she's honest.
Tricia:No, one of the things that I find really impressive and kind of terrifying about films like these where they rely so heavily on the music, like, um, ONCE...
Michael:Oh, yeah, ONCE.
Tricia:Where so much of the story is about the love of music and is told through that and that you have to, like, have songs that not only help tell the story on a new layer, all right, but in addition to that, they have to be like, songs that you're like,"oh yeah, that's a good song." That's a lot of pressure.
Michael:Yeah.
Tricia:Right. It's like a bridge between a film and a musical in a way that is just very hard to get right. And uh, yeah, that sounds terrifying to even try to do. And they did such an amazing job.
Jonathan:Identical too. I mean, you might as well count it as a musical in the sense that just like a musical, you do need to have a catchy song that, that, you know, still grabs the–.
Tricia:And the voice talent! Oh my God. Yeah.
Michael:Fantastic.
Jonathan:Yeah. Kiersey Clemons has a set of pipes. And actually, I have seen a number of things for Nick Offerman. Um, I have, I've seen him be goofy. Uh, but still you're, you're right. I'm the goofy dry, but I know he is an accomplished, uh, craftsman. Uh, he's got an entire show, uh, you know, where he, he, you know, builds things with his own hands.
Tricia:If you look him up anywhere online, upon, like his job titles, actor, whatever and this and that. And, but carpenter very, like this is something that's very important.
Jonathan:Yeah.
Tricia:He's a carpenter.
Jonathan:Though he is also apparently an accomplished musician because he was playing drums and guitar.
Tricia:And they did play live during takes like they did with LES MISERABLES did live.
Michael:Right.
Tricia:Yeah. So that kind of thing, uh, I think does make a difference on what you see on screen when they're actually singing. And then you wonder how did people like just lipstick. That's kind of weird. The thing that we would always been done the other way.
Jonathan:But yeah, it depends on what all is going on. Cause I can only imagine if you're–.
Tricia:There's a dance number. It's probably–.
Jonathan:Really difficult to keep, you know, your air.
Tricia:Luckily no dance numbers.
Michael:Your comment about, you know, music driving the story and how terrifying that must be with like a musical, people that don't like musicals... Like, one of the common complaints I hear from people, I talk to are like,"oh, I didn't see that cause it's a musical and I hate musicals." And then I ask why. And they say,"well, it's like, you know, there's a story and then all of a sudden we gotta stop and sing about a particular moment for five minutes and I want to take a nap and then move on." And I'm like,"oh, okay. That's your opinion, but–."
Jonathan:You could say you're watching the wrong musicals.
Michael:Perhaps, but with this it was, it was interesting because, I mean, I don't want to rush right to the end, but this whole movie builds up to a show and you watch that show almost in real time. I don't know if you'd call that the actual climax, but to me that was the, the big moment to me as I was watching, I was like, oh, are we going to just kinda like show the, the, the highlights of the show?
Jonathan:Them starting their show and then–.
Michael:No, it's like the show, it's like, it's like the concert is the payoff of the movie and, and there's so much about what is going on with them internally. Um, and their relationship and their family and Frank Fisher and his, uh, his store. Uh, so much of that is the music, you know, it's like that the emotion is buried in that music. And this is how, I mean, it's like a way of communicating.
Jonathan:Yeah. And that's actually what makes it so beautiful is even as they're writing these, you know, I do especially like that as a, uh, you know, a band, each of them kind of is writing their own songs. There's, there's not like, you know, one person who's, who's kind of taking the lead on that and, and it, it shows that the relationship that, you know, he and his daughter have where they do these jam sessions where they, they just kind of, you know, pull out a couple of instruments and play together to, to really, you know, bond as a family.
Tricia:Right, it is a special language that they have that jam time is their, their time to be able to talk to each other, artists to artists and, uh, or human being human being instead of, uh, the father daughter relationship, which then reminds me of how I have been talking about this movie MOTHER earlier where Albert Brooks at the end of the film is like,"we can talk to each other like writers like one bitter and, and, uh, uh, oppressed in one..." And I don't remember the line, but it's just like really negative stuff. But, but we can bond, right? Yeah. And his mother's like,"whatever you need dear."
Michael:Oh, oh, Debbie Reynolds.
Tricia:But the fact that you can communicate on that line and it gives you a special bond outside of your connection, this family.
Jonathan:Yeah. And I mean, you, you can see very early on that, that he knows that his daughter has an amazing amount of talent and that, you know, he's, he's always just been trying to show her, uh, you know, let, let her believe in herself for the talent that she's got. Now, I know he's, he's got some selfish and nefarious purposes, you know, of his own, uh, cause he just, he's not happy with everything that's going on in his life and he wants to start a band like he originally had wanted to do before he fell in love and had a kid and had to, you know, own a shop. And his mother started, you know, going off the wall and shoplifting and getting arrested and his, his daughter's about to go off to college. Um, so he, you know, his, his life is kind of falling apart around him and so he's got this child like glee, uh, to, to, to bring this band to, to light. Um, and he's literally doing, he's giving himself, all of himself into this to have it happen. Um, but it is amazing how well the music really helps drive all those emotional silence moments, um, when really keep the plot moving. The, the writing of the script. Um, so it was, it was Brett Haley, uh, who is also the director and, and Mark Bash. And, uh, what's interesting is, uh, all, uh, four scripts that Mark Bash has on IMDb were also co-written by Brett Haley. So they obviously have found, uh, you know, this, this really cohesive relationship between the two of them where the, they're either getting sounding boards or whatever, but, um, you know, I mean, you look at, uh, what, what's going on for IMDb with, with Brett and, uh, obviously Mark has really been helping move that along for him.
Michael:Well, and to add another layer onto that; I was reading an interview with, um, with Keegan, how he has this relationship already with Brett as well. And so the background of where this all came from, that the, the, the title song,"Hearts Beat Loud." That was a song that Keegan had already written as a singer songwriter and uh, Brett had heard it. And, uh, out of that song is what, where this movie kind of came from.
Tricia:Oh, that's beautiful.
Jonathan:That's beautiful.[laughter].
Michael:And, uh, and I think that's why I would assume that's why the the movie is, is after that song rather than, you know, you almost feel like, you know, the other song,"Everything Must Go" is almost like, oh, well that would be a like an obvious title for this. Um, however, it's already a movie starting Will Ferrell, which we should have on our list by the way.
Jonathan:Oh.
Tricia:Ooo!
Michael:Um, it's a drama starring Will Ferrell.
Tricia:Well then I'm very interested.
Michael:But there are two songs, um, that I believe, I believe these were the only two songs that were written for the movie. Uh, the song"Blink" and"Everything Must Go." Those two songs were for the movie. Everything else–.
Jonathan:Already existed.
Tricia:Listening to the radio, uh, like you do, in the car. Uh, there are some songs that are so good about giving you like an instant visual of like, you see the whole story of what the song is about and then later you find out that's not at all what the everybody else– But I only know, no, that's what the songs about in your head, that you have this whole story that goes with it. And that somebody listened to a song and was like, I have a whole movie for this song. That's pretty impressive and it's awesome.
Michael:I wanted to talk a little bit about the, the very first scene of the movie. Uh, and I think I've done this actually with the last two podcasts unintentionally, but, um, I'm starting to figure out, like, things that I really care about in movies that I didn't realize that matters so much to me. And it's the hook. It's the initial hook. And for me with this movie, what I loved so much about the first 60 seconds of this movie is it sets up so much.
Jonathan:Oh.[laughter].
Michael:And it's so, it does it with humor, very dry, fantastic–.
Jonathan:Nick Offerman humor.
Michael:But I love, he's, you know, he's got the headset on and you just hear that, you know, somebody's talking to him and he's just like, whatever. You just lit up a cigarette, takes the headphones off, and he's like,"you can't smoke in here." And at this point as a viewer, it's like we don't know, is this his store? Is he just an employee here? So is he, you know, was he about to get in trouble? And his response I think is something to the effect of like a buy something and I'll put it out.
Jonathan:Yeah, exactly.
Michael:The guy leaves and then comes back and says,"Hey, I just bought what I would've bought here on Amazon for much cheaper." And I don't know if he has any response, but he's just like, yeah, whatever.
Tricia:The response is he points to the head ones, like, I can't hear you.
Michael:That was it. And that sets up this whole idea that, oh, this little boutique, I don't know that's not the right word, but this, this um, you know, record shop, which are very rare to come by.
Jonathan:Yes, they are.
Michael:He's in trouble.
Jonathan:Yeah.
Michael:That's what it's setting up–.
Jonathan:He was his only customer and yeah...
Michael:And that 60 seconds.
Jonathan:Yep.
Michael:You know, and I was like, well, first of all funny and the store is in trouble, I can see this. Is he the owner yet? I don't know, but I'll find out. I'm I, that was the hook for me.
Jonathan:It is a very convenient, I would say that actually the, our, our last three technically I first three, um, podcasts have all had a, you know, a very solid, uh...
Michael:Hook.
Jonathan:Hook right off the bat. We, we tend to be, you know, film lovers, we're not film critics per se. I would say we're more reviewers, uh, than else.
Michael:Well, and nowadays–.
Tricia:Nerds.
Michael:Neeeeerds...
Jonathan:Nerds!
Michael:They always say when you're pitching a story, that, you know, like the 30-second pitch and you got to grab their attention beyond just as a screenwriter cause as an average moviegoer you don't think about that. If you've bought a ticket for a movie and you go see it, you're–.
Jonathan:You've already got that person.
Michael:Exactly, you're going to stay unless it's that terrible apparently. And then you walk out, which I've only done once.
Tricia:Me too!
Michael:Yeah. Well I want to know what movie, but uh, but in a streaming world, now in a streaming world, I feel the viewer is actually much more conscious of that.
Jonathan:Oh yeah, and in control.
Michael:Yeah, they go, you know, all right. You know, whatever their time limit is, 30 seconds, a minute, five minutes. Give me a reason to continue watching.
Jonathan:Yeah. Yeah. If you're not butt in the seat, it's a, it's a completely different.
Tricia:And that's interesting because you look at all the shows, they're out there streaming and they'd have like a very slow first season where you're like, how did this even get past this point? Like I know that you had said a BREAKING BAD was one of those kinds of shows.
Jonathan:Season one was very difficult to get into and through, but as soon as you were through season one, um, strap in, because you're in for a ride.
Michael:Like GAME OF THRONES for me.
Jonathan:Yeah.
Tricia:Not the film... Let's not deviate from the film we're talking about, but yeah–.
Michael:No, I, I'm sorry. I think HEARTS BEAT LOUD is a lot like GAME OF THRONES.[laughter]
Tricia:There is all that violence...
Michael:All the dragons![laughter]
Jonathan:New York dragons.
Tricia:True.
Jonathan:We're talking primarily about film, but when it does come to like these streaming shows specifically, like almost every show has such an immense cliffhanger at the end of the episode, just to cause you to need to click next, rather than be like, okay, I can wait another couple of days to see the next episode.
Tricia:I think a testament to how brilliantly that can be done is, um, what's the British, uh, television show that–.
Michael:DOWNTON ABBEY?
Tricia:Yes.
Jonathan:Oh dear.
Michael:Wow. She, all she had to say was British television show–.
Jonathan:Tea and crumpets, DOWNTON ABBEY!
Tricia:Guys, they make other television shows. Pigeonholed them in–.
Jonathan:All into DOWNTON ABBEY?
Tricia:Yeah.
Jonathan:I could've said SHERLOCK, but–.
Tricia:You could have. You could have said–.
Jonathan:Or DOCTOR WHO, yeah...
Tricia:But you knew instinctively how do you make a giant cliffhanger, intense drama out of like biscuits and do it. And you're like, damn, I need to see this next episode because what if the dinner party doesn't go right?[laughter]
Michael:As far as music goes, I got the soundtrack and I'm, I listened to it and I love the score bits other than the actual songs. Um, and I love how they're, they compliment one another. They're all part of like the same family if you will. And so you could hear a clip, I feel of the score and go, oh that sounds a lot like this song from the movie. And... Anyway, so I loved that.
Jonathan:Is that specifically the chord progression or is it snippets where they just are pulling snippets out of something, like, if you think about STAR WARS, and I know what were surprised that it took us three podcasts to start getting into like STAR WARS and GAME OF THRONES apparently, um, but uh–
Tricia:John Williams, in general,
Jonathan:John Williams in general. But again, you look at even just the more recent films and it's got it's own music because it's got the Ray theme and you know, the Finn theme. But periodically they'll throw in like the Leia theme or the Luke theme where the Han theme... You you hear it, and immediately there's that sense of warmth almost to it because you, you recognize that theme. Even, even, even if they just put that like just the three chords in there, you know, immediately what it's trying to convey out of it. Whether it's the chord progression or there's just a snippet of HEARTS BEAT LOUD that is being brought into another song. You know, it can bring up that response from you.
Tricia:That was a question, right? You were asking...
Jonathan:Yes.
Tricia:Michael?
Jonathan:Do you know?
Michael:Yes or sure.
Jonathan:Sure. Positively, maybe.
Tricia:Same thing, same thing. When we watched MARY POPPINS RETURNS, they did the score, they did such a great job of putting the original in it and so many places that you've got that,"Oh!"
Jonathan:Yup.
Tricia:So yeah, no, now I want to listen to the score of the film.
Jonathan:Yeah!
Michael:Yeah, it's great.
Jonathan:Spotify that.
Michael:How did you feel about when he took the song and uploaded it to Spotify without talking to her? Did you feel that that was like a betrayal in any sense?
Jonathan:I guess you could say that given that it was her intellectual property, uh, to a degree that, I mean that was her poem that she wrote into a thing, but uh...
Michael:But they did create it together. I mean, he was a part of that process.
Jonathan:He was, he was a full part of it. It was a jam session. And, and I think he was so proud of it. And like I said, I mean to a degree, uh, up until pretty much the very end of the film, he makes his intentions very clear that he's, he, there is a lot of greediness to, you know, a self interest in, in his actions. Uh, he is trying to reconnect to, you know, his happiness because he's not happy right now and, and it's, it's incredibly sad to watch this entire film where he, he's chasing a dream that he can't, he can't physically cannot chase that dream anymore is there's way too many people who depend on him. He realizes he's being selfish with it, but–.
Michael:And financially, like the investment he makes in all this recording stuff that he can't afford.
Jonathan:No, exactly. He's being very selfish.
Tricia:One of the things I love about the, uh, the arc of the film is she's the grownup, he's the kid. From the beginning. And then that climax, you talk about the concert in the store, basically the very little, uh, show in the store. Uh, at the very end of it, she's the kid and he has to be the adult. And if you noticed in that moment, like is he going to step up to the bat? The moment she becomes a kid, is he going to be the adult? And he, he is in that moment and it's, it's beautiful. I mean, to me that's, that's the climax is when he has to be an adult. In the entire film he's been the kid, she spend the adult in here's– And he was just waiting for her to be, I think become a kid again and then he would be the adult. But he didn't wanna.
Jonathan:See, I actually, I don't see anything about him wanting that. I just see him realizing in that moment that he can't continue to be selfish.
Tricia:Or the kid in the relationship. She was the responsible one and he was the child.
Jonathan:Uh, we're going to take a few moments here to fill our glasses, but uh, get ready to Imbibe more after this.
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Jonathan:You're listening to Imbibe Cinema. I'm Jonathan C. Legat and uh, I am here once again with...
Michael:Michael Noens...
Tricia:...and Tricia Legat.
Jonathan:And we have been discussing, uh, the independent film HEARTS BEAT LOUD. Uh, do you like this episode? Please subscribe or follow us on all your favorite podcast providers to get the new episodes as soon as they become available. Write and leave us a review to help us show the arc–.
Michael:Take that one again?
Jonathan:Yeah. I'm gonna... Five, seven, nine... Rate and leave us a review to help, uh, our show reach, uh, all of your friends, uh, or your enemies. Uh, you can also follow Imbibe Cinema on Facebook and the Twitters. Uh, you know, so we, we were talking primarily about the score and the music and, uh, story and then I know while I was filling up my glass it did sound like we had a couple of story ideas that we really wanted to get back to. Um, so, uh, let's hit that before we get into the cast and crew'cause I think it'll move–.
Tricia:So, quick recap of what we were talking about when we weren't recording–.
Jonathan:Last time on Imbibe Cinema...
Michael:Or during the break...[laughter]
Tricia:We were talking about how, you know, there are a lot of, uh, stories where, uh, you have a going off to college or an, uh, a parent-child relationship that's older where you show a sequence of flashbacks where you see them having these bonding moments as the child is little and getting older to where they are now. And this film does not have that and it did not need that at all. In fact, there was so little, I mean, first of all, their chemistry, their bond on screen, uh, the father-daughter connection is beautiful. It's so fascinating to watch.
Jonathan:Natural.
Tricia:Really... Yeah. It brings you in and you were just hooked. Now, the history of their family and where Mom is is not stated right away. We talk about how it's like, wow... How long was it in the film where we still didn't know what happened? Like did she leave, did she die? What happened to Mom? We don't talk about it. And as a viewer you're just trying to figure like what, what's going on? And they let it, how it is like 30 minutes in, how long before we figured it out.
Michael:I don't remember. It's–
Jonathan:Probably even longer than that.
Michael:Yeah, it's well into the movie. And then earlier when I was talking about how they convey so much without words, what I love is this, the scene where he's walking along the street and he walks up alongside this, this white bicycle and he looks down. Then we see–.
Jonathan:Her name.
Michael:Danielle–
Jonathan:And a date.
Michael:–Fisher and a date and you go, oh, and, and then he pulls, he's got like the, I think...
Jonathan:His notebook.
Michael:In his pants and he pulls that out and then sits down on the curb and it's just like, I'm just, you know, I'm going to sit here, you know, go through some music and sit here with my wife. It's beautiful and sad at the same time.
Tricia:Heartbreaking.
Jonathan:Specifically, you know, what we were discussing about, they don't need to show, uh, their relationship. They don't need to show flashbacks. So many times in films I think, I think most people who are watching films are just smarter than needing to be spoon fed all of the information. Like we, we, we like to solve a little bit of a puzzle or, or, or, or see a glimpse of something and go,"oh my gosh," that's what this has always been. I think that, that a lot of filmmakers, you know, and I'm very happy that Brett, uh, managed to pull this off, is he's not spoonfeeding us all of this exposition. He's letting it come out naturally as, as the film progresses and letting us, you know, kind of share these moments with these people as we're also understanding and realizing things. That's nice.
Michael:Yeah. And it's that constantly throughout the film questioning whether or not you missed something, um, because they, they refer to something that you don't know and you're like, wait a minute, what? Did I miss something? And, and no, no. You're going to find out about it. And that curiosity is what keeps you engaged.
Tricia:In the approach to the Meet/Cute. Um, one of the, one of the great, uh, uh, moments in the film that I, uh, I really appreciated was when Clemons goes to the art gallery or whatnot. She's just walking around and Sam and Rose meet. There's just this like kind of smile exchange and then she just starts laughing and that's, that's it. This is adorable reaction. And I just thought of like Audrey Hepburn and I don't know why, but that reaction that she has where she just giggles. It just struck me as something that's very Audrey Hepburn and I was like, Oh, I love this character even more now.
Jonathan:Oh, I find it funny that, uh, you know, throughout all these items that we've kind of been discussing, we, we haven't even hit on, um, Blythe Danner or Tony Collette...
Tricia:Or Ted Danson!
Michael:Or Ted Danson!
Jonathan:Yeah! We, we like three, three, three key characters to this.
Tricia:Can we have a Ted Talk, please?
Jonathan:A Ted Danson"Ted Talk?" I'd be perfectly fine with that. Um, yeah, we've got three absolutely amazing actors, um, who, who, who while they're in supporting-esque roles are... Bring so much to this story and, and everything that's going on. Uh, Blythe of course being, uh, uh, Marianna Fisher, uh, which is Frank's mom. Uh, the one who's suffering from some sort of dementia or, um, Alzheimer's, uh, and is, you know, starting to make his life a little bit more difficult. Uh, the fact that, you know, he's got a post bail and doesn't have the money for that. Um, you know, he's trying to decide whether or not he needs to be putting her into a home, but he knows he can't do that to her. Toni Collette playing the landlord. Um, and, and what an interesting, uh, character and character arc, uh, Toni and, and Nick Offerman have together because there's this whole like, are they in love? Aren't they in love? Does she actually like him?'Cause it looks like Nick likes her, but is so confused by the whole relationship that even he realizes that this, this is, or this isn't going anywhere. I, I can't tell.
Tricia:Well, and you know, we had that we had that opposite reaction because when I first, when we were watching the movie together and uh, we see their first few interactions to me it's like she's so waiting for him to ask her out and he never does. And she's like, okay, never mind. Like when he's like, oh, when you have some time to talk about a few things. He's like–.
Jonathan:I'm free now.
Tricia:And she's like looking at him and you can see like this anticipation like is he going to? No it's not, oh...
Jonathan:"I'm not going to renew my lease." Oh! That's not where I thought this conversation was going to go.
Tricia:Right.
Jonathan:It is very interesting when they do go out on the date.
Michael:Yeah. The date that's not a date–.
Jonathan:It's a date that's not a date'cause they started making out and then she sees some younger gentleman. I don't even remember what exactly was going on there.
Michael:This is my friend...
Jonathan:This is my friend, Frank. Yeah. It's like, oh we were literally just playing tonsil hockey and now you're going to call me the friend. Ouch.
Tricia:No, that was like one kiss and then she apologized for it and he was like, no, that's fine. And they didn't go any further with it. So I, yeah, I think she was looking for like, the thought that this might go further. I don't think he would ever go anywhere further.
Michael:See, and I felt like, especially when he kinda like loses it on her.
Jonathan:Oh yeah.
Tricia:Oh yeah.
Michael:I feel that that was a, you know, obviously more to your, your comment about how he's the kid the entire time and he has his very immature reaction to all of it and ends up like snapping at her, um...
Jonathan:Going to her house and rang her doorbell in middle of the night, drunk.
Tricia:But then you think, you know, I wonder how, like, if, if this is the, the, the character backstory that you go with, like, here is this guy is a big kid that, that's how we see him and, uh, Offerman does this amazing job of being like super giddy, like"red wagon, Christmas morning," super, super excited, like little kid happy. And then like, I, I'm like–.
Michael:Trying to contain it.
Tricia:Yeah.
Jonathan:Yeah.
Tricia:Yeah. Hi, I'm, I'm cool. I'm cool. Cool, cool. Uh, but–.
Michael:"Cool. Cool, cool, cool, cool."[laughter] STORKS.
Tricia:But, uh, super excited! And uh, yeah. So yeah, he has this like childish glee that comes out in this, and maybe it could stem from the fact that like, hey, after you lose somebody, like they lost, uh, his wife and her mother. Maybe people treat you with kid gloves for a very long time and everybody, um, is walking on eggshells for so long that you can act any way you want. And so you can be an impetulant child for as long as you want because nobody,"oh, you're a widower, we don't want to,"you know, so maybe that's a–.
Michael:I never really thought about that. That's a good point.
Jonathan:Yeah. I, uh, I also think that, uh, if there's one thing I'm gleaning from, from, you know, just where he is as a person, uh, he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who is out dating after his wife passed. And so like, literally, he's been off the market for the last 15 or something odd years. I mean, it has to have been about 15 years in the sense that they never taught their daughter how to ride a bike. She, she never learned how to ride a bicycle, uh, because her, her mother died obviously on a bicycle. But again, she's about to go off to college. So she's at least 18 circa 19, or is she going into medical school?
Tricia:She's going for premed.
Jonathan:She's going for premed.
Tricia:I don't know... College was so long ago. I don't remember.[laughter]
Jonathan:I mean, could, could she have finished a four year college and now she's going into med.
Tricia:I don't know. Michael?
Michael:Let's call Brett up.
Jonathan:Hey Brett!
Michael:Hey Brett!
Jonathan:Brett!
Michael:Answer us this!
Jonathan:"Riddle me this..."
Tricia:Oh, speaking of fun facts... Fun Fact about this film. Here's a fun film fact! Ted Danson in this film is a bartender. So, uh, like a stretch really for him as an actor.
Jonathan:Well, he's a high bartender and Sam was never high.
Tricia:It's true.
Michael:Well, I mean, define a high because you did fall off the wagon at one point in that show.
Jonathan:But that was a, it was that pain meds or was that a, was that just alcohol?
Michael:It was because Shelley Long left him.
Jonathan:Oh.
Michael:And then he went off the wagon. Yeah, because I remember important details from CHEERS...[laughter]
Tricia:So, um, bartending and uh, uh, Ted, so there is uh, his character is evidently, um, was an actor on Broadway where he had one Broadway show and the Broadway show, uh, playbill is, uh, hanging above the bar and it turns out that uh, the show that is referenced, uh, Ted Danson was really in that show on Broadway. Oh yes. And it was one before. In 1973 in which he played a bartender.
Jonathan:Oh that's...
Michael:Meta.
Jonathan:Wow. That's super meta.
Tricia:It's like, you know, it almost seems like the world just wants Ted Danson to tend bar.
Jonathan:I'd, I'd want him to tend my bar.
Tricia:That sounds...
Jonathan:That did really sound a little like a little euphemism there, but no, like, like I would, I would love to sidle up to like a bar and like just talk to Ted Danson'cause he seems like the kind of guy who would be like the bartender of your, of your dreams, the kind of guy who'd be listening, you know, aptly you and, and distilling that beautiful advice while, like, you know, popping another beer and, you know, pouring another shot.
Tricia:Take your time is what he says in this film."Take your time, enjoy it." And then he just does it shot real quick while saying that.
Jonathan:Shouldn't we have shot glasses for this? No.
Michael:See and that's the thing is I, we don't really ever find out what that drink is.
Jonathan:No.
Michael:And I'm really curious–.
Jonathan:It's the good stuff.
Michael:Because part of me–.
Tricia:It was Tequila, I thought...
Michael:Okay, well'cause part of me was like–.
Jonathan:It really does look like Tequila.
Michael:Is it just water?
Jonathan:The acting obviously was, was fantastic. It's very, uh, robust, uh, cast of characters.
Michael:Well, and I, I love Toni Collette and absolutely everything. I think she's just an incredible, incredible actor. Yeah. I know one day I'm going to have to watch HEREDITARY and I'm terrified because I don't like scary movies.
Tricia:But you'll do it for her?
Michael:I would, I would do that for her because I'm sure, I'm sure she's fricking amazing in it.
Tricia:And she'll get you through the film.
Michael:She'll get me through the film and then I will never sleep again.
Jonathan:Like we, we, we might have to reach like a, at this point I'm, I'm almost willing to, uh, to, to throw this out there as a, as a possibility. If we reach a number of followers or a certain number of likes we will do a scary movie.
Michael:Sure! Wait, we'll wait. Here's the question, do we get to pick the scary movie?
Tricia:Yeah.
Jonathan:Uh, Ooh. Or, uh, we, we could possible–.
Tricia:'Cause there are a lot of movies out there.
Jonathan:We could make an a fan– We could make an Imbibe fan thing.
Michael:Yeah, right. But they might be total dicks and make us watch, you know, a really terrifying movie'cause I will watch that movie with my eyes closed.
Tricia:Because we're terrible at that.
Jonathan:Tricia is terrified by terror.
Tricia:No. One year I saw, um, it was a BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, I saw FINAL DESTINATION, and I saw a DEEP BLUE SEA and FINAL DESTINATION was last on this, appropriately. So, uh, and yeah, so I saw BLAIR WITCH and I was like, I've never going camping. This isn't scary. I'm not going to go into the woods. I need plumbing. And–.
Jonathan:Her idea of camping is a Motel 6.
Tricia:Yeah.
Michael:In her defense, that is camping.[laughter].
Tricia:And then the second, uh, with DEEP BLUE SEA, and I'm like, I'm never going to be around intelligent sharks.
Jonathan:Or the water.[laughter]
Tricia:This is silly. It was, it was very, very well done. That one is very funny.
Jonathan:Oh yeah!
Tricia:Um, but uh, moving past that, I, uh, I was like, yeah, I'm not scared of that. And then FINAL DESTINATION, I was like, appliances that kill? Appliances are everywhere.[laughter] Oh, God! I'm afraid of my blender!
Jonathan:See I, I'm, I'm not, I'm not one who's squeamish about terror, but I do, I do know that both of you are not necessarily huge fans. So I do think if we, if we could make this at like a GoFundMe or a crowdsourcing thing where we get so many, yeah, a game. If we get so many followers, we will, uh, willing please subject ourselves to a horror film.[laughter] I will state the, this, this particular drink is very good.
Tricia:Yes, now, the, um, the acting, we were getting back to like how we have these really impressive, um,
Jonathan:Performances.
Tricia:Yeah, heavy hitters in the film, like, Blythe Danner and Ted Danson and Toni Collette and, uh, Nick Offerman, but the young talent, uh, Sasha Lane and um,
Jonathan:Kiersey Clemons.
Tricia:Yes. Oh my God!
Jonathan:Yeah.
Tricia:So good.
Jonathan:Yeah.
Tricia:And the fact that like, you can instantly look at them and you're like,"oh my God, have I seen you in something? They just seems so familiar, you–.
Jonathan:Especially Sasha.
Tricia:–and there were there are points, uh, uh, that just made you feel like you knew them and they're such natural performances, such beautiful performances, uh, really, really amazing casting.
Jonathan:Yeah.
Tricia:Just very, very well done. And I like the parallel, you know, you have somebody who is just starting off in life and uh, you know, they have this romance that goes on before they go–.
Jonathan:College is just starting off in life.
Tricia:Okay.
Jonathan:That's...
Tricia:Jon's having his own moment. Uh, and then you have somebody who's, uh, their kids leaving the nest. And so it's a new stage in life for them and it's redefining who they are and their, uh, kind of relationship with, uh, this woman in her, his life and how that, you know, goes on. It, it just, both of them are at a point where they're finding themselves again. Right? She's discovering who she is because she's going away to college. He's discovering who he is without being a dad. And, uh, it being his primary thing like, and being a record store owner, he has to reinvent himself and she's reinventing herself and yet to be there for each other in that moment. And that's one of the reasons the film is so touching is because it's something that everybody can kind of relate to.
Jonathan:Yeah, yeah. No, I was specifically just commenting on the idea of just starting off in life, being college as opposed to just starting off in life. I mean it's just starting off in adulting. Definitely.
Michael:So you're like a 20 year old adult now cause I'm like right around there.
Jonathan:Yeah.
Michael:I'm an, I'm a 16 year old right now. I'm a 16 year old adult.
Jonathan:If you just started off in life–
Michael:If you're born at 18.
Jonathan:Exactly. But it was exactly what I'm like just starting off in life?
Tricia:I'm just going to go back in my day...
Jonathan:[Old Man Voice]"Back in my day."
Michael:[Old Man Voice]"Back in my day."
Jonathan:[laughter] And now we're back into the 90 year old Hamlet. Um...[laughter]
Michael:Yorick![laughter]
Tricia:"I can't see a thing! Yorick, where are you?" So we're just waiting for Shatner to do Hamlet again and then they'll come full circle.
Michael:Yeah. How old was he when he did Hamlet? Wait, wrong episode. Nevermind. Alright, so I'm going to read a few, um, fantastic, uh, rotten reviews for this movie. I will say it took a long time for me to find rotten reviews because this movie is actually very well liked.
Jonathan:Oh yeah, no, I was going to comment on–.
Michael:By critics and average viewers.
Jonathan:Yeah. Comments on the fact that like this had, uh, 11 nominations, three of those were, were actually wins. Um, and of those independent nominations, uh, four of those were like audience favorites.
Michael:Right. I'm not surprised at all.
Jonathan:And then five of them were, you know, about the music. So, but this is, this is–.
Tricia:It hit on so many levels. Talk about well-rounded, amazing performances from everybody on screen. You know, a great story. Uh, the fact that the music is just perfectly interlaced in and tells the story and it takes it to a new level. It's just well done, beginning to end. How can you not like it? And that said, who didn't like this movie?
Jonathan:Yeah, bring it!
Michael:All right. Well, Daniel Barnes of the Sacramento News and Review says,"Offerman is likable as ever, but it's asking a lot for him to carry a film, especially one without an ounce of urgency in the narrative." Discuss.
Tricia:You know, sometimes I think film critics who have to watch movies for a living, um, have days where they just have a rough day or an off day and can't be like receptive to every film. And so, I give them a pass on occasion in that way.
Michael:So Tricia's general response to these people is,"I give you a pass."
Tricia:So, you had a bad day, obviously.
Michael:[singing]"You had a bad day.[inaudible]"
Jonathan:"...bad day. It didn't work out." Wow. Wow. No. So I, again, because I've been spending a lot of time on the Netflix, the Hulu is in the independent worlds. I've been watching THE CHEF SHOW, um,
Michael:So fun.
Jonathan:Yeah. Jon Favreau, uh, you know, and one of the episodes is specifically around, um, this, uh, um, this food critic. Uh, and, and he's recently passed away. And so there's a couple of, uh, of chefs who are coming to like, essentially pay homage to them. The thing that I found fascinating about this particular episode and why, uh, you know, these, so many people are ready to pay homage to this, this particular gentleman is, if he would go to a restaurant and he didn't like it, he didn't critique it. His, what he felt his job was as a critic was not to just crap on, on people's lifeblood. The thing that people are doing, you know, to be out of a passion. OK. Like, like an independent film or, or, or a dish that they have spent, you know, their, their, their lifeblood, trying to perfect. What he would do is he would specifically go to restaurants that he felt were not getting the attention that they deserved. And if he found a restaurant that he found, uh, to be magnificent, he would write a critique to essentially bring people to that restaurant–.
Tricia:Oh, we need more people like that in this world.
Jonathan:Exactly! I feel–.
Tricia:There's so much negative trolling in the world. Why can't you talk about–.
Jonathan:Hot damnit, I think that's Imbibe Cinema.
Michael:It is. If there's a movie that we don't, we don't care for even just one of us, I feel if we don't, we're not into it, we're not gonna we're not gonna talk about it.
Jonathan:No.
Michael:Because, in my opinion, it comes down to, you know, the age old saying,"if he can't say anything nice, just don't say anything at all."
Tricia:And that is how Mom raised us. Thanks, Mom!
Jonathan:Yup.
Tricia:Let me drink over it.
Jonathan:We, we do, but no, so that's, that's the thing is, is while I, I do see what they're discussing about the idea that there's not a whole lot of urgency, but it's an independent film dude. I'm like backup, it doesn't have to have–
Michael:Does it have to have urgency?
Tricia:No, no, no, yes, it does. There's a timeline in which she's going away to school. He's trying to keep her from leaving. He's trying to get her to join a band because this is his last desperate attempt to keep his baby from leaving.
Jonathan:And also to reconnect to the thing he loves most.
Tricia:Right, exactly.
Jonathan:Well, he loves most other than his child.
Tricia:Yeah. There's, there's, there's that and, and the urgency of young love of how intense it is, uh, and uh, this new relationship and–.
Jonathan:There's urgency to her relationship because it potentially is ending as soon as she goes to school.
Tricia:There's the urgency.
Michael:All right. Chicago Reader again.
Jonathan:What, what is up with Chicago Reader and hatin'?
Tricia:They just want to be in the show.
Michael:"I just want to be in the show!'. Jon does it better.
Jonathan:"I just want to be in the show!"
Michael:"Writer/director Brett Haley coaxes a few week laughs from the daddy-daughter role reversal and stale mushy drama from the cycling death of a girl's mother more than a decade earlier."
Tricia:Okay. I really want to know who this person is, and what–.
Jonathan:Is it the same person?
Michael:No, different person.
Tricia:I just wanted to know what they consider a good movie.
Jonathan:I don't understand necessarily what is exactly, uh, so upsetting to the Chicago Reader. Uh, but obviously they, they, they hire a very specific group of people. Yes, we kind of previously discussed there were no, there was one guttural laugh, uh, that we had with specifically our, around when, when they came up with what the band name was, which is,"Dad, we're not a band!""That's a good name." There is a reason, um, that this was an audience award or nominee. Um, yeah.
Tricia:It's different when you watch it by yourself, people.
Jonathan:Yeah.
Michael:Our final, um, our final one, saved the best for last. Um...
Jonathan:Is this another financial, uh, newspaper?
Michael:Well, this one is called–.
Tricia:It's Horse and Hound.[laughter].
Jonathan:Of course it is. Well, we're going to hit on every episode.
Michael:Until we hit horses. Um, this is The Stranger from Seattle, Washington.
Tricia:It sounds very intense.
Michael:All right, so I'm going to read, I'm going to read this. Um, and it's gonna, it's gonna just ooze professionalism. So,
Tricia:Ooh...
Michael:"It's cute. It's'quirky'(ugh) and it's boring as hell with hollow dialogue and a plot that shuffles along like an old tired dog."
Jonathan:Yeah. This is–.
Tricia:It not clear– Go ahead.
Jonathan:No, no, you– Ladies first...
Tricia:It seems like this person who's dying to do reviews in emojis.
Jonathan:Smiley face poop emoji![laughter] Um, so, so no, but okay, so this is, and granted, you know, we're, we're doing a podcast so nobody really gets to see us in person, but, but at the same time, and again, this is–.
Tricia:You're welcome.
Jonathan:Ouch. Um, this is again, one of those things about like our current socio, whatever you want to call it, but I wonder if this person would, in an audience, say that out loud.
Tricia:Maybe just don't say anything at all?
Jonathan:Yeah, yeah, yeah. In fact, I'm not going to lie. When, when Imbibe gets our first troll, I will officially believe that we have made it.[laughter]
Michael:"It's going to be legend..."
Tricia:"Wait for it..."
Jonathan:"I hope you're not lactose intolerant because the next word is dairy!"
Tricia:That's a good show.
Jonathan:Yeah, it was. Once again, ladies and gentlemen, we greatly appreciate all of our listeners and especially the patience, uh, for our tangents and our digressions, uh, for choosing this podcast and, uh, you know, especially for supporting independent films. Keep an ear out for our next episode when we'll be discussing Steven Knight's LOCKE, which is starring Tom Hardy, uh, to check out our show notes or to just drop us a note. Uh, please visit us at imbibecinema.com. Once again, I am Jonathan C. Legat and thanks again for imbibing with us. Cheers.[clinking glasses]
BandCalledCatch:♫My mamma didn't let them make change on me. Put change on me. Yeah, whoa is me, woe is me. This is the product of A.D.D. Apothecary, not for me, I dream naturally. Yeah, woe is me. Woe is me. They have seen what I've seen.♫
