‘When Harry Met Sally’, ‘Holidate’, and ‘Always Be My Maybe’ make up a three-course lovefest in this episode with Susie Youssef and Alexei Toliopoulos.
‘When Harry Met Sally’, Netflix Premiere ‘Holidate’, and ‘Always Be My Maybe’ make up a three-course lovefest in this romp through rom-coms both classic and contemporary. I’m just a podcast, standing in front of a listener, asking them to listen.
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Alexei Toliopoulos:
Can I be honest with you?
Susie Youssef:
Yes.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
I've never seen Pretty Woman.
Susie Youssef:
Are you kidding me?
Alexei Toliopoulos:
I'm not kidding you.
Susie Youssef:
Hello. My name is Susie Youssef, and I'm just a girl sitting in front of a boy asking him to podcast with her.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
And Susie, you complete me. Me being, Alexei Toliopoulos, your co-host.
Susie Youssef:
And this is The Big Film Buffet .
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Where we serve up a three-course meal of movies, baby, designed to honor the Netflix premiere of the week, which this week is Holidate.
Susie Youssef:
In the first course, we serve up a starter of a genre-defining classic to prepare your pallet for.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
The main course, the Netflix flick of the week, but the meal doesn't end there. Next up is.
Susie Youssef:
Dessert, where we'll offer up a refreshing sweet treat of recommendations for further viewing.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
This week, it's date night dinner for two.
Susie Youssef:
Because we are talking rom-coms. And I have to say, Alexei Toliopoulos, probably my favourite genre.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
I'm right there with you. I love a rom-com.
Susie Youssef:
And yet, I don't think I'm that romantic a person.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
I don't think so either. I'm terrified of those grand gestures.
Susie Youssef:
No, I hate any of that. I don't want anyone to do anything kind of showy in public. I feel really weird about it, but privately, I think I'm an old school romantic.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Yes, exactly with the soul of romance.
Susie Youssef:
Yeah. I think a lot of my early relationships I spent engraving things, which I think is a sign of romance.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Really? Like what, pocket watches?
Susie Youssef:
Like photo frames and a ring.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Oh wow. A ring.
Susie Youssef:
Things like that, yeah.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
That's a huge move.
Susie Youssef:
I know.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
I don't think I've even bought my partner flowers ever.
Susie Youssef:
Your partner is a florist.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
That's why. The stakes are far too high.
Susie Youssef:
Too high, yeah.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Yes, I can't do it. It's like if she were to buy me a DVD.
Susie Youssef:
What is the most romantic thing anyone could ever do for you?
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Oh, she actually got me the most perfect present ever. She bought me tickets to see that final Crowded House concert at the Opera House a couple of years ago. And that was the best date I've ever had in my life.
Susie Youssef:
That's awesome.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
What about you? What's the secret to your heart?
Susie Youssef:
I think-
Alexei Toliopoulos:
The listener out there that's falling in love with you over these few weeks can now finally find a way in.
Susie Youssef:
Finally, I'll give you a clue to my heart. I think one of the most romantic things a friend ever did was, we'd been friends for a long time and then we started dating and he brought me a Cherry Ripe because it was one of my favourite chocolates, but did not reveal it until halfway through the date.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
But they knew.
Susie Youssef:
Which was a really nice intermission snack.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Wow. That feels like a rom-com in and of itself.
Susie Youssef:
Food will get you to my heart.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Oh, it is. It's the key to everything. Well, let's move on from the realm of romantic reality and dive into romantic comedy.
Susie Youssef:
Now I'm going to snuggle up to you in a very platonic way as we roll the trailer for the Holidate.
Video:
We are right on target for Q3 and... I'm sorry, can I call you back? Mom? I'm working.
Video:
That's what you wear to work? I want you to meet someone. This is a doctor. And he's single and she's much prettier with makeup.
Video:
I'm wearing makeup.
Video:
I am done casually dating on the holidays. It's way too much pressure. It's ridiculous.
Video:
Try being the only single person left in your family.
Video:
Brian, you said you didn't call him.
Video:
You didn't call Rodney.
Video:
Why didn't you call Rodney?
Video:
Why didn't you call Rodney?
Video:
Because I already have a boyfriend.
Video:
Isn't he great? Here's my holidate.
Video:
Your what?
Video:
A date solely for the holiday. No commitment.
Video:
That's what I need for New Year's Eve. We can be each other's holidate.
Video:
Come on. Friends with benefits never works.
Video:
So let's make it official. Non-sexual holidates from now on.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
I bet you anything they end up together by the end of the movie.
Susie Youssef:
I love this moment.
Video:
We avoid this stupid pressure.
Video:
I want you to find someone who has real potential.
Video:
Not this holiday crap like your aunt.
Video:
She seems like she's having fun.
Video:
She is going to die alone in a wheelchair, in a diaper.
Susie Youssef:
Oh gosh. So am I. I mean...
Alexei Toliopoulos:
I am sold. I love a romantic comedy that hinges itself on a particular time of year. And this one is all year round.
Susie Youssef:
It does all the holidays.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Every holiday.
Susie Youssef:
Also Emma Roberts, big fan. Luke Bracey, even bigger fan. So I am watching this movie.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Yeah, I saw you looking at that trailer.
Susie Youssef:
Oh right. Now, despite the fact that we're not particularly romantic people in real life, we both love this genre. And the romantic comedy genre has so many identifiable tropes. I love all of them, but talk me through rom-com structure and the tropes that you see in all of these movies.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Well, they're very clear, right? I think that's why we like them because they're so easily identifiable. They're almost always about two people that should be together and have to be together.
Susie Youssef:
But there's always some reason why they can't. There's always some obtuse excuse.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
It's always like, "Oh, I'm not really dating right now."
Susie Youssef:
Or like, "Oh, we work together."
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Or, "We can't, we host the official Netflix Australia and New Zealand podcast together."
Susie Youssef:
Alexei, we can't. Think of the listeners.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Well, in most other cases, the leads are able to overcome their differences and have that fairytale reunion climax scene, a loud speech, and public declaration of love. Like, "I love that little wrinkle you have between your eyes when you get..."
Susie Youssef:
No, it's so good.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
"When you look at me when you think I'm not."
Susie Youssef:
I think my favourite part is the meet-cute, which is the moment when the lovers meet. So it's always full of serendipity and happenstance, like they bump into each other at a shopping center or they're walking down the street and they spill coffee on each other or orange juice if it's Notting Hill.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Or sometimes their papers get mixed up with each other.
Susie Youssef:
Exactly.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
I love that kind of stuff. I love that there's always this schmuck who is like just perfectly suitable for their partner but will always get left at the alter for their true soulmate.
Susie Youssef:
And then there's always the best friend or the confidant character that the lead spills their guts too and then we know what has to happen from that moment onwards.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
And you just always love that character. It's always played by great comedic star.
Susie Youssef:
Totally.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
It's an old genre too. It's basically been around and deeply beloved since the screwball comedies of the 1930s. An early classic in this genre is, It Happened One Night. It's a great movie. It's a road comedy. It's kind of like Planes, Trains and Automobiles. And instead of John Candy and Steve Martin, it's Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert and they fall in love. It's so funny. It's so romantic. And it's one of only three films to win the big five at the Oscars, best picture, best director, best screenplay, best actor, and best actress.
Susie Youssef:
So Clark and Claudette are a great example. It's always about that perfect pairing of actors at the center where they're playing their real kind of movie star personas.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Exactly. Like Richard Gere and Julia Roberts.
Susie Youssef:
Or Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Or Hugh Grant and Renée Zellweger .
Susie Youssef:
Or Renée Zellweger and Tom Cruise.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Tom Cruise, who was in Top Gun with Meg Ryan, not a rom-com, but Meg Ryan is the greatest rom-com star of them all.
Susie Youssef:
All praise to Meg Ryan. I think the combination of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, which is a well-trodden path from Sleepless in Seattle to Joe Versus the Volcano to You've Got Mail. Is there anything better? Maybe just one more combination.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Yeah. I would say the one that we're going to be talking about as our starter, Meg Ryan with Billy Crystal in the orgasmic When Harry Met Sally.
Video:
Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, God. Oh.
Video:
I'll have what she's having.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
This is one of the ultimate classic movies of all-time, in my opinion.
Susie Youssef:
Yeah. This is not just a great rom-com, it's just a great film.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Absolutely. And what is it? Well, you should know. And if you don't, it's all about Billy Crystal who plays Harry, who would you believe it, met a lady called Sally played by Meg Ryan. They start out as people that do not get along.
Susie Youssef:
Which is often a clue that they're probably going to fall in love.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
And before that they become friends.
Susie Youssef:
Yeah. So they're friends who meet in college, they go on a road trip at some point across the country and eventually all those feelings get a little bit confused. All of their friends around them can see it. Why are they not together? And so they hook up and that is not the happy ending. It is the beginning of the kind of craziness that happens when you fall in love.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Truly. And do you know what? I fell in love with this movie all over again.
Susie Youssef:
I've fallen in love with this movie every time that I've watched it. It is still so funny.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
It is. I think it's one of the funniest comedies of all time. You've got the great director-writer pairing of Rob Reiner with one of the icons of this genre Nora Ephron, who also went on to write and direct Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail, which is one of the best internet movies of all time as well. I've seen this movie maybe 15 times and I will tell you this, hand on heart, rewatched this last night and I still laughed at, "I'll have what she's having."
Susie Youssef:
It's one of the best moments of all time.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Absolutely.
Susie Youssef:
There's also that little nugget in there, which is that the woman who says, "I'll have what she's having." is Rob Reiner's mother.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
And she had a real orgasm. This movie comes out in 1989 and it's a huge hit and becomes instantly iconic. And it's place in film history is so clear because right after this, the 1990s are filled with so many examples of great romantic comedies, it kind of kicked off this entire renaissance of this genre and made it very popular and bankable once again.
Susie Youssef:
You start at the beginning of the early '90s with Pretty Woman, While You Were Sleeping, My Best Friend's Wedding, Only You, Marisa Tomei, I love her so much. Then you've got Groundhog Day, Green Card, French Kiss, The Wedding Singer, which I thought was an '80s movie, but it is a '90s movie set in the '80s.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
It's a '90s movie that's set in the '80s and they do such a good job of it.
Susie Youssef:
So good. And then you round out that decade with Notting Hill in 1999.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
And that is another classic example of when these tropes work, they just sing this powerful melody together.
Susie Youssef:
Julia Roberts would have to be part of the all-time rom-com royalty. She's a queen of romantic comedies. I adore her performances and right up there with her is Meg Ryan.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Yeah. I would have to agree. Meg Ryan's one of my favourite movie stars and her performance in When Harry Met Sally is the perfect romantic comedy performance because she brings this movie star charisma that's so undeniable to her. When she smiles, she glows. When she feels grumpy, you feel grumpy with her. She captures like that rainy day feeling quality so well. And also kind of introduces this idea of a high-maintenance person, which informs so much of what this genre is. It's the quirks or the more specific character traits that you eventually fall in love with.
Susie Youssef:
Totally. We see it in Sleepless in Seattle where she's this highly-strung reporter and she can't get this idea out of her mind and she crosses the country to see the Tom Hanks character. There's just so much to love about her performance throughout the genre, but particularly in When Harry Met Sally, the chemistry between her and Billy Crystal is undeniable.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
It's like the best use of him ever. He brings that kind of like old school, New York Jewish comedy with like this lightness touch that brings it into the modern world. You watch this movie and you're like, "This is Seinfeld." And knowing that Rob Reiner would go on to executive produce that under Castle Rock as well, this movies influence is not just bound to its specific genre. It's huge.
Susie Youssef:
There's something really nice that rom-coms do, which is pay homage to other movies and other rom-coms throughout. It's something that happens quite a lot. So in Sleepless in Seattle, you see them watching An Affair to Remember, which is a classic romantic film. You've Got Mail is a remake of a beautiful classic film called Little Shop Around the Corner with Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullivan. And I think these stories stand up because the focus is character-driven. It's about these relationships between these characters that you just fall in love with, and it kind of doesn't matter what setting you put them in, they still work.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
It's so interesting to me that When Harry Met Sally is this genre-defining classic. Because when it comes out, it kind of like revolutionizes the genre in a way where it starts talking about things in a very modern context. They've got very frank conversations about sex and sexuality. It still kind of plays into these tropes, but in a way that feels very fresh and modern. The thing that I love most about this movie is this stylistic choice that they have of getting these actors that are playing real-life couples and having these talking head interviews with them about how they met, their meet-cute scenarios, if you will.
Susie Youssef:
I love those interviews so much, and it's such an incredible film that it can put a woman having an orgasm in a diner right next to an elderly couple talking about how they met, which are my favourite stories of all time. I cannot get enough of hearing how people meet, and old couples kill me.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Yeah, absolutely.
Susie Youssef:
I've been on a holiday with a friend and she had to divert me away from a beachside because there was an old guy sharing an ice cream and holding hands. It just... I'm destroyed.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
It really is so subversive and brilliant to bring these people in that we don't know that are reliving their own small little rom-com, romantic tales. And to have those in this movie just feels so fresh even to this day.
Susie Youssef:
Totally. And I think it also opens up your heart to your own romantic stories because it feels so real.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Oh, you're killing me. This movie really plays into those tropes. One of the great ones is that idea of the confidant, the best friend that they talk to, they confess their loves too and their inner workings. And this one I got to say has two great stars in their own right. The late great Bruno Kirby and the late great Carrie Fisher, just doing this amazing comedic work as these supportive friends.
Susie Youssef:
Carrie Fisher nails this role.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Absolutely.
Susie Youssef:
In romantic comedies, it's about those secondary characters who really get the killer lines and the killer moments. It's really similar in Forget Paris where you've got Richard Masur and Julie Kavner who are amazing as this bickering couple at the dinner table throughout. But I think Billy Crystal steals the show at the end with his speech.
Video:
I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Gosh, I do love Billy Crystal.
Susie Youssef:
So much.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Now let me look into my crystal ball and what do I see? It's another romantic comedy for you and me. What is it? It's the Holidate for me and my old mates. Fed up with being single on the holidays, two strangers agree to be each other's platonic plus ones all year long only to catch real feelings along the way.
Susie Youssef:
What a premise. I'm into it already. The cast, Emma Roberts, beautiful. Luke Bracey, stunning. Kristin Chenoweth, yes, please.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Yeah. I mean, this film really got me. I love a romantic comedy as we've previously established, but one of the key things about it is those stars and we have got them right here.
Susie Youssef:
Starting with Emma Roberts at the helm. She is the niece of Julia Roberts, who we mentioned, rom-com royalty, angel from heaven, thank you for blessing us by being on this earth. But we met her in We're the Millers and you kind of get a taste that Emma Roberts is a great romantic lead but she's a little bit edgy.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Yeah. I think that's what I really like about Emma Roberts. I mean, I'm a big fan of her. I think that she's very funny. It's that edge that gets me. And I feel like sometimes when you've got those related actors, they have a similar presence, like Kate Hudson and Goldie Hawn, or her brother Wyatt Russell and his dad Kurt Russell, they're all the same to me. I love them.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
But in this one, I think Emma Roberts and Julia Roberts bring such a different flair to this kind of role to the romantic comedy. While Julia Roberts brings like this raw authenticity, Emma Roberts brings this really charming, bouncy broadness to the humor of them, with that age that's so important. She feels more like an heir to the Sandra Bullock type of romantic comedy.
Susie Youssef:
Ah totally, who was a brilliant romantic lead because she is, as we said, she's got that edginess. She's kind of got that dry humor. Her in The Proposal with Ryan Reynolds is an absolutely beautiful rom-com.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
And I think that's exactly that kind of energy that Emma Roberts is bringing here.
Video:
Fucking holidays.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
I was so surprised and delighted by how freaking dirty and crass the humor of Holidate was. It looks so candy-coated and perfect with that year-round holiday glow, but everyone's Effing and Jeffing the whole time with really nasty crude jokes. I love it. Listen to this perfectly grubby little moment right here.
Video:
Don't let me be the girl who shits her pants.
Video:
We're almost there, we're almost there.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
I mean, I love Emma Roberts. I've loved her in the past. She's brought this high-maintenance quality to characters that's either redeemed or exploited for comedic effect. But here she's doing something really different with that energy. She's channeling it into this really cynical energy that I think fits so well in this modern rom-com mode.
Susie Youssef:
And she plays so beautifully opposite Luke Bracey.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Doesn't she just?
Susie Youssef:
The pride of Australia, mark my words, Luke Bracey is going to be one of the biggest stars of all time. I'm saying it right now.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
You're putting it on the record.
Susie Youssef:
I'm putting you on the record.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
What goal does he have to meet, to make this bet come true?
Susie Youssef:
I mean, he's already won in my eyes. I fell in love with him during Little Fires Everywhere. I thought he was so wonderful in that series. We also saw a lot more drama from him in Hacksaw Ridge, but he's an excellent rom-com lead. He has this really kind of like carefree macho Australian blokey character vibe, but he's also got this sensitiveness that is perfect opposite Emma Roberts and her cynicism.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
He's got like this surf water gruffness about him. And then we slowly come to realise how soft and tender and sweet he is throughout the movie. It's like that perfect rom-com feeling that you just crave. Susie, I saw online a video of you interacting with him and you looked even more smitten than you are now.
Susie Youssef:
Okay, fine. Look, he's absolutely adorable and seems like a total gentleman and who was fine with me flirting ferociously with him during that interview. So he gets my vote.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Your vote for what?
Susie Youssef:
I don't know. President?
Alexei Toliopoulos:
President of your heart.
Video:
You know, technically, we've all been shitting our pants since we were born. Don't worry, okay. I'm not going to tell anyone. I promise.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
I also think it's a wonderful subversion of the genre trope of having that best friend, that confidant being played by Kristin Chenoweth, who is so funny and bringing her in to be this kind of like-
Susie Youssef:
Ultra horny aunt.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Yeah, I mean, I was trying to find a way to say it, but that's how you say it. I think it's so funny. And she acts as like this mentor bringing in the concept of the holidate and then just really riding it into the dust.
Susie Youssef:
So it's her character that sets up the whole premise of the film, which is to have this holidate so you don't get hounded by your family about why you don't have a partner during these key moments of the year. And then Emma Roberts character takes that idea and runs with it to her detriment.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
And to her delight.
Susie Youssef:
And so it also hinges on this idea of the fake dating setup where two of the characters decide that they'll just pretend to be a couple until further notice.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Yeah, it's a trope that we see so often in romantic comedies, like Pretty Woman, Just Go With It, The Proposal.
Susie Youssef:
And we love this trope because essentially if we didn't have it, the film would end quite quickly.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Yeah. I think the reason it kind of works is that it gives the excuse for that perfect setup of why aren't they actually together while still giving us hundreds of scenes of them being together. It's the perfect obstacle because it sets up a rule and a precedent of them not being together, but rules, they're made to be broken.
Susie Youssef:
They are. Will they, won't they? Hopefully, they will.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Now it's clear you and I really are suckers for this movie. Who else do you think will get sucked in by this exact film?
Susie Youssef:
Honestly, I think everyone would love this. I think that it's got a lot of elements. It's a bit cheekier, so maybe it's not quite the family film for the holidays.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Maybe not.
Susie Youssef:
But it's certainly immensely watchable.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
But not only that, I think this is the kind of movie, that mid-budget comedy that we've not been seeing in cinemas for a long time because they got pushed out by bigger blockbuster movies. Netflix has found a really great home for these films. So they do have that comfort, that nice like Sunday afternoon sit and watch comfort to them as well.
Susie Youssef:
It's going to surprise you here and there. So it's not something to just sit back and relax into. You're going to get a couple of little moments where you're like, "Oh, well done."
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Exactly. And I think that if you've enjoyed this new modern renaissance of romantic comedies that have found their home on Netflix, this is the perfect one to kind of like end your year on really.
Susie Youssef:
I could not agree with you more. And if you need any more convincing, two more words, Luke Bracey.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Two more words, yet a whole sentence was spoken. If you've fallen in love with The Big Film Buffet, follow it on Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts to make sure you get those new episodes as soon as they drop every single Tuesday. And comment, share that love, rate, and review it. Tell a friend or a loved one or a potential loved one.
Susie Youssef:
When it comes to romantic cameos, you don't get much more beautiful than producer Michael. Thank you for joining us once again.
Michael Sun:
Thank you for having me as my dream role, romantic cameo number one.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Oh my gosh. And you're here with a purpose and that purpose is to play a little game that we call film or movie. Now in this game, Michael brings us a title of a motion picture, and we must declare whether it is a film, meaning artful, artistic, interrogating of the human condition, or whether it be a movie, delicious, comfort, I love to watch movie and lose my mind to escapism. Michael, what is the motion picture you tidily have for us today?
Michael Sun:
It is another classic rom-com. It is Pretty Woman.
Susie Youssef:
Oh my gosh.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Oh, my word.
Susie Youssef:
Oh, my beating heart.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Can I be honest with you?
Susie Youssef:
Yes.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
I've never seen pretty woman.
Susie Youssef:
Are you kidding me?
Alexei Toliopoulos:
I'm not kidding you. This is a big blind spot for me.
Susie Youssef:
I cannot handle this right now.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Yes. I don't know why. I think I'm scared of it.
Susie Youssef:
Okay. Well, I'll tell you what it's about and then you can make your judgment.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Okay. That sounds good.
Susie Youssef:
So first of all, it's about this rich entrepreneur called Edward.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Okay. That sounds movie. That sounds like Tony Stark from Iron Man.
Susie Youssef:
Okay, well hold on a second.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
So it's a superhero movie is what you're telling me.
Susie Youssef:
No, that is not what I'm saying at all. He's driving down the street. He's stressed out and he's got this crazy businessman life.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Wow, he's stressed. That's a film quality.
Susie Youssef:
Alexei, you need to concentrate on this.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Okay, [inaudible 00:22:40]. Okay.
Susie Youssef:
And he meets a sex worker and all he's asking for is directions. On the street or in your life.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
But instead, he gets erections.
Susie Youssef:
Okay. So he picks up Vivian, who is a sex worker played by Julia Roberts. And at first, he's just like, "Look, this is just a social arrangement. I just need you to come along to a couple of my little businessy things that I've got coming up."
Alexei Toliopoulos:
I've got a few holidates to get to this year.
Susie Youssef:
Yeah, basically, that's it. It's the holidate of the business world. And then trouble ensues when he starts to fall in love with her and they have to bridge the gap between their two worlds.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Wow. Okay. If something is betwixt worlds, allow me to tell you that is a film. Anything that bridges a gap betwixt fricking worlds, one world and another world and something's betwixt them. That is a filmic, cinematic quality.
Susie Youssef:
Look, I have to qualify this before we continue any further. There is not one thing that is better than the other. A film and a movie are not superior to one another. There's another thing going on here, but this is a movie. This is a $14 million budget film.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
That's not that much money.
Susie Youssef:
No, but what was the box office I hear you asking Alexei?
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Oh, yes, I'm asking.
Susie Youssef:
$463.4 million.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Wowser.
Susie Youssef:
That's a movie baby.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
That is something that is betwixt worlds. Between the world of a film and a movie that I would say leans heavier into the filmic side.
Susie Youssef:
And I would say it leans definitely into the movie side. But it's not up to you and I, it's up to producer Michael. Love of our lives, please tell us what this is?
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Who sits betwixt us both. Two worlds and something betwixt them.
Susie Youssef:
Somebody learned the word betwixt and cannot get it out of their head. Michael, it's your time to shine.
Michael Sun:
Let me tell you, this is a movie, but let me tell you why it is a movie. Because there is a little known fact that this movie was originally meant to be directed by great film director, Werner Herzog.
Susie Youssef:
Really?
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Are you kidding me right now?
Susie Youssef:
What?
Alexei Toliopoulos:
I'm betwixt minds and they're both losing it.
Michael Sun:
And look, the second Werner Herzog dropped out, it became a movie, baby.
Susie Youssef:
Alexei, my heart is full, but my stomach is not. So I think it is time for a little bit of dessert.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
The sweetest meal of them all.
Susie Youssef:
And this is one sweet film. It is one that we've both adored. It's called, Always Be My Maybe.
Video:
So what do you think?
Video:
That it might be even smaller and grosser than I remember.
Video:
You better still be talking about my backseat.
Susie Youssef:
Reunited after 15 years, famous chef Sasha Tran and hometown musician Marcus Kim feel the old spark of attraction but struggle to adapt to each other's worlds.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
I love this movie, Randall Park and Ali Wong are so funny and sweet together. There's a friction between them that really helps build that chemistry out.
Susie Youssef:
They are absolutely brilliant together. There's so many cute moments in this. Because the characters have known each other their whole lives, we get a little taste of their romance from their kind of first date moment, which is sitting on a streetcar in San Francisco eating Pocky Sticks. Is there anything better than that?
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Ah, I don't think so. It's such a little specific treat that I just love it.
Susie Youssef:
It's so gorgeous. You might've fallen in love with Ali Wong before this movie in one of her comedy specials, Baby Cobra is one of my favourites of all time.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Oh, it's so good.
Susie Youssef:
Or you might've read her books. Dear Girls is out now, it is incredible. But she is not only a brilliant stand-up comic, she is an excellent dramatic and comedic actor.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
She's so good in this movie and so is another comedian Michelle Buteau,-
Susie Youssef:
So good.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
... who should be in the pantheon of all-time great rom-com best friends.
Susie Youssef:
And then we get a little surprise cameo that I honestly wanted to stand on my feet and clap my hands when he hits the screen. Keanu Reeves.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Perfect use of Mr. Reeves, who might I say has never told a lie on screen. He is just sublimely funny in this movie.
Susie Youssef:
And still absolutely beautiful to watch. And the other thing is that Randall Park brings it so much in this film that you can have him opposite Keanu Reeves and your heart is torn in two.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Yes, that's such a good point. He's magnificent in this movie. He's a perfect lead and so very, very handsome.
Susie Youssef:
And I think he gets the last laugh because you have to watch through to the end of the credits to get one of the greatest callback jokes of all time. I'm not going to say it right now, but please remember to watch the credits.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Well, what's this Susie? There's a little bit more than dessert. There's a whole box of chocolates of assorted rom-com favourites.
Susie Youssef:
In a heart-shaped delicious box.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Well, the first I'm going to pick out it's one of my favourite movies. It's Spike Lee's, She's Gotta Have It. It's his feature film debut, which is an incredible subversion of the genre about modern dating in the 1980s from a black woman's perspective. And he even updated it with the Netflix series reboot also called She's Gotta Have It, which is just as equally as inventive.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Another one of my favourites is this movie called Down With Love starring Ewan McGregor and Renée Zellweger . I think that this is a low-key masterpiece because it's this perfect recreation and satires of those 1960s, very chaste romantic comedies. And it just looks so gorgeous.
Susie Youssef:
My list of recommendations is so long that I could literally sit here for the rest of my life and we would still not get through all of the rom-coms that I love. So instead we will publish it on the Netflix Instagram. So look out for it on the Netflix ANZ account because it will be there.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
And it will be iconic, darling. Well, Susie, we started this platonic date of ours talking about one of the all-time greats, When Harry Met Sally.
Susie Youssef:
And we moved on to our main course of the Holidate, but we remained platonic in our relationship.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
And then things took a turn for the platonic when we talked about dessert, which was always be my maybe.
Susie Youssef:
Alexei, you had me at hello, but it is time to say goodbye.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
Being in love means you never have to say goodbye.
Susie Youssef:
I don't think that's the quote, but I love your effort.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
I'm sorry.
Susie Youssef:
You're forgiven.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
If you want to hear more from me, you can head on over to the podcast, Total Reboot with me and Cameron James where we talk about reboots, remakes, and ripoffs in cinema and we do it while being funny.
Susie Youssef:
Wow. That combination sounds very appealing to listen to. And if you want to hear more from us, please come back and join us next week for our most intense movie yet I'm Thinking of Ending Things.
Alexei Toliopoulos:
It's kind of a little play on a rom-com, but it's almost a nightmare inversion of it all. This is a movie that you and I have not been able to shake out of our minds for weeks now.
Susie Youssef:
And so we have to talk about it. So come back and hear what we thought.
Susie Youssef:
This episode was written and hosted by the adorable Alexei Toliopoulos and me, Susie Youssef. It was produced by heartthrob Michael Sun and dreamboat Anu Hasbold, edited by the gorgeous Geoffrey O'Connor and executive produced by Tony beloved Broderick and Melanie my heart Mahony.