iTunes Exclusive Episode 20th Century Women

If you are hearing the sound of my voice currently, it means the following conditions have
been met at least once in your life you have listened to the clubhouse podcast live every
Sunday night, seventies from four Pacific year one stop shop for all things pop culture but it also
means you subscribe on your favorite podcasting app because it is time for another iTunes glazed
in my hand. The 252nd one of these because that's how we get now. Welcome my name is Rob. I am the executive
producer of the clubhouse podcast and I lived in the 20th century for about a quarter of it or so
and how I get down. Don't judge me outwardly. But I'm not alone for this particular episode
joining me across the desk as he tends to do from time to time is my co-host and a man that
remembers a lot more of the 70s than I do because he actually lived through the whole decade I didn't.
He is Chad. Welcome sir. How are you doing? All right. Also joining us is the official fact checker of this show
and a man who still wears his lapels but we don't judge him outwardly for it. You may know him as
found Don Go but his mom and even Don Ford. I'm going to call him Don Ford. Welcome sir. I got the
honorary Betsy the cow from Montana. lapel. I don't know how. Like because it's not like he shoe horns
that in but he it's like he knows how to pick his spots. I don't know what's going on. Where do you go
in your head or you come up with some of this? Is that a question you really want the answer to?
No no no no no no no forget I asked it forget I asked it. Whatever we do one of these things
it is to review something in this particular episode is no different. Good God. We are going to
review for you in this particular installment. The latest film from newish director Mike Mills
director of beginners and thumb sucker. This is called 20th century women before we start this whole thing
let's get the voices right. Let's get this legal ready. Ashley from ally they're in a
great marketing. I'm telling you I don't know why they haven't started using that. They're our best
friends. I worked very hard writing that that jingle because they don't want to scare people. We love
everybody ally. They're our best friends for recent. This is a film that has gotten at least one
Golden Globe nomination maybe another one you don't know if you don't watch the Golden Globe.
You could have read it. It's lead actress. You know her as a net betting stars in this particular film
she put his Dorothy. She is this takes place in California in 1979. This film runs right at two hours.
Our 58 will round it up. It is rated R obvious reasons. A lot of adult situations happening here
but she is a single mother who she had her son later in life.
The dad's gone. Her son's name is Jamie. He is played by Lucas Jade Zumin. The father's gone. Correct.
So she's raising her mother. He's 15 and she lives in her home with a couple of borders.
One is Abby a 20-something young lady played by Greta Gerwig and a handyman by the name of William
played by the great Billy crewed up. Now Jamie also has a best friend named Julie played by L fanning.
Who he really you know. He's 15. He's starting to figure maybe girls aren't so bad. But she
does not want any part of that. She's happy with the way things are with the way they are with each other.
As friends. Correct. Even though every night she'll go to his place and jump in and
she sleeps there but they don't sleep together. If that makes any sense.
For those of us that have been friends own we get it. It's like a white hot relationship.
And they're done that. So really Dorothy is getting to a point with Jamie that she's not sure how to deal with him.
So she enlists Abby and Julie to help him navigate the years of adolescence that he is dealing with.
All three of them kind of take a different approach to it and things happen from there.
I'm just going to say it right off the bat. I love this movie.
I love Chad Chad was not able to attend this screen. So this is mostly going to be Don and I. But it's for Chad's
benefit from an educational standpoint. Okay. I enjoyed this film. I really really did.
It's when I first heard that a net betting got in the Golden Globe nomination. And I'm not saying a net
betting is not a great actress because she is. Yeah. One of the greats.
But when I look at some of the performances in this past year, I kind of went,
and maybe really, this is what we're doing. But she's really really good in this.
This is one of the most grounded roles I've seen her play in a long time.
Where she was kind of letting Dorothy a B Dorothea without trying to inject her own spin to it.
It was very natural. There wasn't anything forced about this performance. I thought she was very very good.
But I thought that her her chemistry with zoom on was amazing. You it generally felt like a
mother son really didn't get to bat me on that. No, they're there. I'm sorry. Their chemistry was
spot on. Okay. I really felt like she was mothering him in this film. I watched this and I will
agree to 100% because I grew up in a single parent family in Montana as did I? And with just not in my
Montana. With my mom and sister, she happened only child. So I really identified but still I
I saw it. I mean, and that that relationship like there's there was such a natural flow to it's
especially in their conversations. It's this kid's good. And I really felt like he was
toe to toe with her and every scene. L fanning you kind of get from her what you get from her.
She plays the same basic character she plays in any film she does like. Yeah, I kind of run hot and cold
on it. But it's good. I mean, it's a good performance. I wouldn't call it a standout performance.
But it's a good performance. Crude up's crude up. This guy gets in a turtle pass for me.
He's fairly consistent. I've never seen him turn anything. Half big. Even to this day that I close my eyes
and I get that's the master card commercials. But you know that he's he's the base player from
almost famous. Well, I'm just saying like people don't realize that he's the voice in those
master card commercials forever. Which cracks me up because you can't not hear it. Right.
But the surprise here for me was Gerwig. Because I've made no bones about it on this show.
I am not president of the Greta Gerwig fan club. I have two words for you,
mistress America. She does not get a pass for me because of that film alone.
And she was passable in Jackie. Like she was still kind of Greta Gerwigie.
But in this, she's actually able to use her Greta Gerwigness to her advantage.
How does one use Greta Gerwigness? I'm curious. Because she's very quirky. Not in a Zoey
Desha Nell kind of quirky. But she's got her own kind of quirky. And in this role because she's a
20 something young lady who's dealing with some repercussions from some health issues that
and this all kind of unfolds as the movie goes on. But she's able, she's also, she's teaching him
life lessons from the feminist point of view as punk is becoming now into fashion because it's
late 70s and disco is dying slowly. She approaches it from that angle. And so that version of her
it actually worked for me. And when Greta Gerwig cannot bother me in a film, you're in a good place.
Yeah, you've accomplished. You're in a good place. So for me, this movie really really worked. I thought
it was paced well. I thought that the story told the story was told in a very honest and raw fashion.
Where there's to me, there's not a lot of fluff to the story. Like it's there, it's in your face,
it's real. And for people of our generation, we could kind of see some of the struggles that
he goes that Jamie goes through because we were living in an era where there wasn't an internet.
So not everything was just right at your fingertips all the time. A lot of the information that we were
given, we had to seek out. We actually all don't know how to read books. Yeah, that was my escape.
I just, I really, really, really enjoyed this film more than I expected to. Don, you're being kind
of quiet over there, brother. Yeah, my, do you go? No, no, I mean, this is a, this is a, this is a discussion.
So there was you need to be discussing. All right, if you read my written view at www.cobasplacas.com,
yeah. I kind of saw a little bit different acting you did. You did. You did. I read what the acting was
good. I liked this film really, really got to me in a weird way because for the first half of the
movie, I was not impressed at all. And when I looked at the pacing and the plot in its two hours,
it is a salvo two hours. I literally, I, I still think at 30 minutes could have been cut out of
this movie. I'm not sure that's your opinion. Yeah. Yeah. And I just, the plot was simplistic,
but in understand what they're trying to do, but they could have done the whole thing a lot shorter.
There was a, a lot of basically what I thought useless scenes. But the thing that kind of
it looks to me about this movie, especially by the end, and I'm going to say is the road trip hotel.
That's all I'm going to say. Yes. And that's where the climax of the film happens. That really hit
home on me. And I could, it's like, I like this. But it's just, it's been too much on the bill. There
was, I can name many of the instances that said, this didn't even need to be in the film. This was
not necessary. And so I thought the pacing drag. Now, we don't have to have a serious plot,
a mindful film in a lot of these films in the style, right? It's not necessary. I can see that.
But I just think that it didn't really have that much of a great plot until the very end,
but it just kind of sourd me too much. It's too little too late. And see, I'm just, I'm not that way.
I really loved the pacing of this film. I thought that that everything brought us to the next thing.
And there, there was maybe, I mean, if, if I had to, there might be two or three scenes that
could have been taken out and not changed anything. But I think those two or three scenes that
I'm thinking of just off the top of my head kind of enriched who the characters were. And I think
that's where we differ. Like, I really like the depth into the characters that the story took.
I mean, there were some underlying things which I really like, though. And kind of hidden is,
you know, crowd of characters. He plays a handyman. You know, if you notice this time goes on
and as the relationships build and as they grow, the house gets more and more completed.
You don't see it, but it's just, and I did like that. I really did. It's just, it's kind of,
and had some comedy, but I just didn't, I just could not get into it because I thought the pacing
just killed it. Just not enough meat on the bones for you. Yeah, exactly. And I'm just the opposite
of that. I was very satisfied leaving this film. And it's, it's just, it's one of those slice of
life dramas that I felt that it was, I mean, certain aspects of it are not the feel. Good
new fee of these. Yeah. And I like that. But I also, but there were also moments where you were
rooting for people. And there was a payoff too. I, I just think that it had a lot of potential
on what they wanted to do, but they just did not deliver right in my picture. Yeah. Yeah.
And don't be acting incredible. The relationships, incredible. And all that is just,
it just, this is too long. I was even looking at Andrew's watch. Okay. The great ginger ninja.
Yeah, because of course, you know, we're watching, you know, I was doing the robber of an on his hand.
I'll be doing, let me see. You know, the first time I looked at my watch, we were 25 minutes in,
which is not a bad sign for me. Which is, that's a really, that's a really, really good sign. Yeah.
I just really, really enjoyed this film. And it'll probably get overlooked more than it should
by people because it's, I don't know that it's going to get a really wide release.
But it is a movie that I think people should see, especially a if you grew up in that era.
Although there are universal truths in this film.
Great. There's some great music in it. Yeah. Oh, I don't doubt that. It's at that time period. Well,
what's, what's, what's, what's, what's, what's really neat about it is when Dorothea is trying to
figure out what her son listens for in these bands, like the talking heads. And there's a black
flag song that they play at one point. And there's confines a lapar, I think. And it's much,
try to push the laughter. And it's, in what his story, it's her story, too. That was my next question.
Who is, who story is this, really? She has to, it's all, oh, I'll play. It's all five.
Well, but it's mostly the two of them because as much as it's still finding a age story,
you know, I agree to it. But as much as it's Jamie's coming of age story, it's also Dorothea
coming to grips with some of the things that she's not necessarily been running away from for years,
but just kind of back burnering. And a lot of this is now coming to the forefront because her son
is now at a more independent age. So she has to start thinking about herself and her needs and what
she wants out of life. And it's really, I think it's a great, it's a great character study for
both of these people. I think I would have liked a little bit more depth in the other three,
but I understand why because this really isn't an ensemble piece, right? They are literally
supporting characters. And what I really, really, really dug about the way the story tells itself.
And Don, I don't know if you really looked into this too much yourself, but come the end instead
of just saying, oh, so and so did this. Like sprinkled through the film, Dorothea says,
I am X numbers away years away from this happening. So it's like they're all telling the story
and flashback. But it's a voiceover. It's not a, oh, now it's a present day and we're in the old
folk's home and it's talk about the good days. They're telling the story, but you're getting
narration and voiceover saying, you know, this is five years before we even worry about HIV or this,
you know, and at the end, the ending probably five minutes you say, Don, each one of them goes through
and says, I would then go on to do this and this and this and each one of them voiceovers
and narrates their own story, why, and there's little flashes of them as they get older.
And I thought that was really, really smart and really interesting.
Mike, Mike, take on this was like, there was, you're going to have, you're going to make a
chicken dish and you have the best chicken, you buy organic tomatoes, you buy the homemade
posse, you do all this, you have one of the best chefs, make it. It has all the best ingredients. This
is, and then you make that casserole, you throw it in the oven and man, this is going to be great,
and then when you bite into it, the chicken is raw and the dish is roamed. That's just what I
thought because of the pacing and everything. Okay, and I, I just, I, I, I'm just, I won't say I'm the polar
opposite. So much I did like, but I'm, but I'm on the other side of the coin. I just, I, I walked
out of this film, I felt exceeded my expectations. I loved the storytelling. I loved the performances,
visually, it absolutely captures 1979, and it's just, it's a great, great story that I think
people of an older ilk will enjoy. Is there anything else you want to cover for you to file an
analysis? Nope. All right, the way we do the final analysis on this show, but any questions
chat before we do this? No, no, I think you put it in my channel. We don't give you thumbs up thumbs
down numbers, like, smiley faces, disco balls, nothing like that. We're going to ask two questions,
question number one is, what would you see this film again? The answer's no, then we're done here.
The answer's yes, and the follow-up question is, how far are you willing to go to see it?
And the spectrum runs, and this is from best to worst, full, full first run into theater,
Twilight, Matt Nay, early morning, second run, Red Box, Netflix, cable. Don, would you see this
one again? First off, we also don't even do the pills. That's true. Yeah, I don't, we can take my chair
I blame myself. I really do. Don't actually, okay, this is going to be a double tier.
Okay, I know they're usual. I'm not going to see it again. I'll be personally, but I will still
recommend it because of the acting and it had so much potential, but I'm going to give us some like a
Red Box or HBO. I would see this again. I would like to see this again. I'm kind of torn as to how I
rate it though. Like it wouldn't hurt my feelings to pay full, full price to see this,
but it also wouldn't hurt my feelings to get this and watch it at home with some friends either.
So I wouldn't go all the way down to cable. This is one of those films that
it sits both in the upper echelon and kind of sits in the Red Box Netflix.
Area as well. Like what is it a film that it makes you think of like how this film made you
feel? Like is there anything else you would compare it to that you've seen in the last
to 5, 10, 15 years? You know what, there's nothing I can really relate it to.
It's a good film and I think I really hope more people see it and enjoy it.
But it's not what I'm going to say line up the theater now. Okay, I mean, I just, I feel weird because
I really really really like this movie, but it's not one that I'm just I'm salivating at the
mere thought of seeing it again. Like I'd like to see it again. If somebody came to me and said,
hey Rob, I've got this. I'm going to watch it tonight. Why don't you come by? Yeah, I'm going to
come by and watch it because I enjoyed this film. It sounds like it falls kind of somewhere in the
neighborhood of the category of like almost famous to paper towns kind of thing. Kind of, but I
still wouldn't put it. It would be closer to paper towns than it would be to almost famous.
On the other reason, because almost famous sits in a category that it's hard to put anything
else near it. Well, it's only because of the mother's son relationship thing. You know,
I know that she wasn't, she wasn't a, he wasn't an only child in that thing, but it was like the
revelation that he had with his mother and it was kind of a focal point of it. It is 20th century women
and before we have this thing, we have to think that integrate a marketing. We have to
actually, everybody at the crew. We love them. They're a best friend. There, there's some of our favorite
people from the world that we cannot be. We cannot thank them enough for everything they do for us.
All right, let's do the plug gentleman. Visit our website, the aforementioned www.theclubhouse.cast.com.
Find out everything you need to know. Some stuff you don't. Follow us on social media on Twitter.
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I am at Chad N. P. G. Six nine on Twitter. I'm at Fondango and you can email me at Don at theclubhouse
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We love doing live shows and hanging out with the Empire. You can email me if you'd like
questions, comments, concerns, tell me to go pound sand. I am Rob at theclubhousepodcast.com.
I am Chad at theclubhousepodcast.com. Charlotte Parker is on Pinterest because we are more
early obligated to say that. And you know what, this may be something you want to check out with
with jewels. I think I will. Our normal show every Sunday night, 7 Eastern, 4 Pacific is your
one-stop shop for all things pop culture or just keep subscribed on iTunes and you get cool stuff
like this because that's how we roll. So until next time, for Don, for Chad, for the Empire,
I'm Rob. Clubhouse is close. Pretty palm-y, you can definitely put her in this. It's like
like a beach, but it'd be pretty awesome. And she's kind of hippy, anyway. So it's all works out.