Today on I'm Obsessed With This, host Bobby Finger welcomes Wall Street Journal Magazine Digital Editor Myles Tanzer (@mylestanzer) into the studio to discuss what may be Nancy Meyers' masterpiece: Something's Gotta Give, which is now streaming on Netflix in the US. What makes it a perfect Meyers film? Why is Diane Keaton so well cast? How many false endings does it have? Are we obsessed with Frances McDormand's character? Did we forget that Keanu Reeves is in it? We answer these (and more) questions during our conversation, which ends with a special game about the film's international titles.
Something's Gotta Give is now streaming on Netflix. Watch it. Then watch it again.
[Music]
Bobby: Welcome to I’m Obsessed With This, the Netflix podcast about the shows and films viewers cannot get enough of – sort of like how Erica Barry cannot get enough tears out of her system. And today I’m joined in the studio by a Wall Street Journal Magazine digital editor, Myles Tanzer. Hi, Myles.
Myles: Hi, thanks for having me.
Bobby: Thanks for coming on this beautiful Friday – it’s cold now.
Myles: It’s freezing, but…
Bobby: It’s actually cold out.
Myles: …it’s actually perfect weather for this, because I’m wearing a sweater that is cream-colored, which is, like, perfect for a discussion.
Bobby: You’re right. Nancy would love that. She wouldn’t love the coat. What would you call that print? Not herringbone.
Myles: Like, a – it’s a knit.
Bobby: A salt and pepper knit.
Myles: Yeah.
Bobby: A lovely coat.
Myles: Thank you so much.
Bobby: I would love the coat. Nancy would say, “No.”
Myles: No, “Too dark.”
Bobby: “It’s too dark.” She wants creams, she wants whites. She doesn’t want blues.
Myles: Mm-hmm. [Affirmative] No way.
Bobby: The only salt and pepper she wants is a Hamptons shingle, you know, the shingles on the side of the house?
Myles: Yes.
Bobby: So maybe – you would blend in with those, it’s not good.
Myles: I’m sorry.
Bobby: But thank you for being here. How’s the Essential water?
Myles: Thank you. The water is delicious, it’s fresh, it’s perfectly chilled.
Bobby: I’m surprised. I don't know if you told me this in person or if you just tweeted it once.
Myles: Sure.
Bobby: Myles Tanzer on Twitter.com – I was surprised that you didn’t want a seltzer.
Myles: I do – I love a seltzer, but…
Bobby: Don’t you carry around salt packets sometimes?
Myles: I do. I love a seltzer, I love salt, I love – those are two of the mains.
Bobby: Mm-hmm. [Affirmative]
Myles: But I would say, when I’m, like, doing, like, a talking on a microphone, when I have a seltzer, it’s, like, a little burp-y.
Bobby: Okay.
Myles: And then, like, I get weird that I’m, like, dodging the mic to, like, side burp discreetly, like – yeah, yeah, a little, like, oops.
Bobby: Maybe they didn’t notice it was a burp?
Myles: Yeah, so, I like a flat water for sure.
Bobby: Okay. That makes sense. And that has, you know, that’s – what do they call that? It’s alkaline water.
Myles: Yeah, it’s fortified for something, I believe, but…
Bobby: It’s a scam, but it tastes good.
Myles: Yeah.
Bobby: It’s really good.
Myles: Absolutely.
Bobby: So when we first talked about you coming on the show, we were talking about gay movies on Netflix, and there’s usually, like, a very wide variety of gay movies on Netflix. But unfortunately they’re, like – they come in, they come out, they come and go.
Myles: Yeah.
Bobby: We kind of, like, keep our eyes on that category…
Myles: Yeah.
Bobby: …and hope, like, a new one comes in and it’s always nice because you can just pick anything and it’s going to be a good time.
Myles: Mm-hmm. [Affirmative]
Bobby: We switched around. We’re going to talk about Something’s Gotta Give.
Myles: Totally.
Bobby: But before we get into that, have you watched a good gay movie on Netflix lately?
Myles: You know, the thing about gay movies on Netflix that I really like is that, that’s, like, my – to quote Sex and the City, my “secret single behavior.” In that, like, I – if I have, like, the apartment to myself, I’ll just put on, like, the saddest gay movie on Netflix I can find.
Bobby: Mm-hmm. [Affirmative] Yeah.
Myles: So, like, often it’s literally just, like, this couple in, like, the late 70’s, early 80’s, and you know what’s going to happen and it’s going to break your heart – and, like, I just watch that and I cry and I love it. And, like, there’s, like, six movies on Netflix right now that, like, have that category and I love them all.
Bobby: And only when you’re alone.
Myles: Yeah, it’s just, like, that’s my, like, private moment, like…
Bobby: Mm-hmm. [Affirmative]
Myles: …I can’t really enjoy it with friends or, like, my partner, like, it’s more for me.
Bobby: And you’re newly engaged, congratulations.
Myles: Thank you. I am.
Bobby: We’ll get into that later.
Myles: Okay.
Bobby: I do – I want to know how that relates to the Nancy Meyers universe.
Myles: Totally, totally, totally.
Bobby: But until then, I watched Jenny Slate this morning.
Myles: Yes. I love it. I was crying tears of laughter.
Bobby: She’s so funny.
Myles: She’s so funny.
Bobby: So she has a new stand-up special and a lot of it involves ghosts, which I was not expecting. A lot of it involves her family.
Myles: Yeah.
Bobby: Like, it’s mostly about her family.
Myles: It’s really, like, cliché-sounding, but it’s very personal. Like, I was very surprised at, like, obviously stand-ups by their nature are, like, confessional.
Bobby: Mm-hmm. [Affirmative]
Myles: But in this one, like, it really feels very, very personal, interstitial interviews with her where she gets very revealing about her career and I just found it really moving, but also at the same time was, like, laughing uncontrollably pretty much the whole time.
Bobby: She’s so funny, she’s so funny. And I feel like it was sort of a learning curve for me. The beginning, it was a little – it was almost too personal, it was, like, jarringly personal.
Myles: Yeah.
Bobby: And I was, like, I’m not really laughing much. Like, I like watching this, but this is a lot. And then by the end, I just sort of – become sort of a traditional stand-up thing.
Myles: Yeah.
Bobby: And it was interesting hearing her talk about her divorce…
Myles: Yeah.
Bobby: …which I wasn’t expecting at all.
Myles: No, I really wasn’t either. And, like, you know, I’ve watched her videos for so long, like, I remember when she would do those videos with, like, Gabe Liedman.
Bobby: Or Marcel the Shell.
Myles: Yeah, Marcell the Shell. And, like, just really, really funny. And this showed, like, such a side of her that was kind of closer to, like, her move – like, Obvious Child and just, like, I don't know, like, she’s shown a lot of intimacy on screen and that was in the special, which I wasn’t really expecting. I was expecting it to be, like, ‘haha’ funny. And…
Bobby: I think it’s hard for a lot of people to do this, and she succeeds at this, which is that if you are – and I think she is, like, objectively, like, beautiful, you know?
Myles: Yup.
Bobby: You know, like, sort of, like, traditionally, classically beautiful woman. But if you are, like, a classically beautiful person and you are complaining about how you are insecure and you think you are unworthy of everything that’s been thrown on you, sometimes it can be a little hard to swallow, you know?
Myles: Yeah.
Bobby: And I’m, like, ‘Okay, Jennifer Aniston.’ But with Jenny Slate, I sort of – there’s something about her delivery. And I think it is just because she’s been a comedian for so long and it’s, like, we feel like we do know these people a little more than we know. By nature, they have to be a little more open and honest about themselves.
Myles: Yeah.
Bobby: So it’s, like, I believe her in a way that I don’t necessarily believe, you know, Reese Witherspoon. Now, I’m just mentioning morning show people. In a way, I don’t believe Martin Plass.
Myles: Yeah, that’s all a lie.
Bobby: Have you watched Morning Show?
Myles: I have watched it. I loved it.
Bobby: Should I watch it?
Myles: I was a total sucker for it. By the third episode, I was just, like, oh, I’m all in. Like, I could not be more interested in watching the rest of the show.
Bobby: I kept hearing people tweet – well, I would see it back and forth – people would say, like, “It’s so stupid, I hate it.”
Myles: Yeah.
Bobby: And then, like, “It’s so stupid, I love it.” And I feel like I would fall in the latter camp.
Myles: Yeah.
Bobby: Because, like, I love The News Room, and I hated it at the same time.
Myles: Then you would love this show.
Bobby: Okay.
Myles: It’s exactly that, in that you’re just watching it – you’re, like, this is so unbelievable and ridiculous. I’m, like, please give me 20 more hours of it. Like, I can’t live without it.
Bobby: Were they releasing them in batches, right? There’s only, like, three…?
Myles: I think, yeah, it was the first three now and then I think there’s one out every Friday from now on. But, yeah.
Bobby: And Jenny Slate’s stand-up special is streaming now on Netflix.
Myles: Yeah.
Bobby: The ghost thing – I wasn’t really sure – where do you think they ended up there? Because she had that part with her dad where he was, like…
Myles: I know.
Bobby: … “I didn’t realize that that sort of affected your entire life.”
Myles: Right.
Bobby: But, like…
Myles: That was a part, yeah, that I wasn’t really sure about.
Bobby: I wasn’t sure if it was her being, like, I no longer think the house is haunted or now I just understand why I feel like the house is haunted.
Myles: Yeah.
Bobby: But, like, I went away convinced that the Slate family household was fully haunted by, like, a vengeful ghost.
Myles: I agree. And also, she was, like, “Well, they’re moving.” Like, great. And I was, like, is this, like, your way of really saying goodbye to this ghost part of your life? And, like, that was – I don't know, it did feel surprisingly centered in the story of the special, which I was, like, okay, like, I’m with you still because I’m enjoying this a lot. But at the same time, a part of me was, like, not totally convinced on that.
Bobby: Yeah.
Myles: But overall…
Bobby: She’s funny.
Myles: …she’s so funny. Her joke about skeletons in the audience making, like…
Bobby: Oh, yeah, when the skeleton laugh – oh, my God, I’ll put that here.
Jenny Slate: (clip playing) Isn’t it so scary that we’re all – that it’s just a room filled with skeletons? Let me – isn’t it so gross? If you described us that way, that it was a dark room with red curtains filled with skeletons that were covered in slippery muscles and blood enrobed in skin. (makes gagging sound) When you laugh, your skeleton is, like (makes screaming sounds).
Bobby: Another great way to transition is with this, let’s see – it was supposed to play in your headphones, but, you know…
Myles: Okay. (song ‘Butterfly’ by Crazy Town plays) Oh, I was hoping that you would do this.
Bobby: I’m going to let it – just watch real quick.
Myles: Play it. (song resumes)
Bobby: How insane is it that Something’s Gotta Give begins with Crazy Town, Butterfly?
Myles: So I rewatched this movie this weekend. And for a second, like, I forgot about it. And was, like, oh, did I pick the wrong movie? Because it’s so insane that it starts with a montage of hot girls walking into clubs to Crazy Town’s Butterly.
Bobby: Yeah.
Myles: And that’s, like, oh, great, yeah, like, that makes sense.
Bobby: Mm-hmm. [Affirmative] And then there’s no – I mean, I guess it’s, like, Harry’s world.
Myles: Yeah.
Bobby: But even if it’s just Harry’s World, it has very little to do with the rest of the movie.
Myles: Right.
Bobby: Like, we rarely see him in that environment. We just know that it’s some place that he thrives.
Myles: Yeah, right.
Bobby: It’s very jarring. But it’s always, like, I probably seen this movie over 10 times now. And I think it’s sort of a running theme with this movie, but, like, I forget it every time I watch it. You know, like, every time I watch it, I feel like I haven’t seen it before. And I’m, like, oh, right, this happens. Oh, right, Keanu Reeves in this. Oh, right, he’s a doctor. Oh, yeah, she gets naked. Crazy Town, Butterfly. This movie ends five times.
Myles: Yeah. The thing about the music cues in this movie too is that somehow Crazy Town, Butterfly is played in this, but also Sunday Morning by Maroon 5, which, like, there are a significant distance between those two pop songs, but they both are in this movie.
Bobby: Which is definitely one of their first singles, right?
Myles: Yeah, for sure.
Bobby: If not, like – in their first few.
Myles: Hit album, yeah.
Bobby: Yeah. Songs About Jane. There it is. And it came out – this song was released as a single after it appeared in the movie.
Myles: Right.
Bobby: That’s so weird.
Myles: So, like, what – I had – I was, like, where in the timeline does this fall? But because of the stars and the music choices and, like, I feel like it exists in its own universe of, like, suspended reality, which is, like, where I want to live.
Bobby: Speaking of the soundtrack, it ends with Jack Nicholson singing La Vie en Rose.
Myles: Yes. Which, yeah, we know, like, Nancy Meyers has shared about this, that, like, there was supposed to be this bonus scene with them in Paris singing it on stage together and, like, really being in love. So, like, the fact that that was also in the movie is, like, crazy.
Bobby: I would love to read – I mean, I’m sure it’s readily available online, most screenplays for really popular movies like this one are – but it’s, like, I would like to read any first draft of a Nancy Meyers movie…
Myles: Oh, yeah.
Bobby: …because I feel like they’re always over two hours long, the final cuts, and you always get the feeling that she left some stuff out, like, a lot of stuff out…
Myles: Yeah.
Bobby: …and that it was hard for her to get down to 140 minutes. You know, like, she’s, like, I had to kill all of my – like, they’re all dead. And I want to know everything else that Erica and what’s-his-name – Harry, got into…
Myles: Yeah.
Bobby: …in her mind.
Myles: I also do feel though that, like, there’s so much missed opportunity for, like, cinematic universes of all of her movies then, because, like, there’s definitely, like, we are kind of left at the end and, like, I want to talk about this more or whatever, but, like, with Keanu Reeves’ character, like, we don’t see his exit and we don’t get really, like, resolution on his story.
Bobby: Yeah.
Myles: So, like, what is the, like, Keanu spin-off that she had in mind or, like, the, like, extra 40 minutes of Keanu content that we didn’t get?
Bobby: Like, how many other women over 50 has Keanu, like, thrown himself at in that hospital, you know?
Myles: Yeah.
Bobby: Part of it seems deeply inappropriate.
Myles: Yes.
Bobby: Like, the whole relationship – even though, like, yeah, on a surface level you’re, like, yeah, like, gender flipping – yeah, now the old woman gets the younger man, this is so hot. But then it’s, like, no, this is really – all this is inappropriate and very weird. And I’m not convinced that he’s not a freak, like, a creep.
Myles: Yeah.
Bobby: Like, he gives off a very murderous vibe in this movie.
Myles: A little bit.
Bobby: It’s very secretive and defensive.
Myles: He’s also seen all of her plays and she has, like, 30 plays or something. Like, why is this young Hamptons doctor so interested in this one specific feminist playwright? And it’s very, like, focused. And the fact that he’s, like, “Oh, I didn’t realize it was you,” is very, like, kind of strange. But I’m also just, like, you are so attractive in this movie and, like…
Bobby: He is.
Myles: …kind and –oh, God, yeah.
Bobby: You kind of find yourself wondering, like, overthinking – it would be okay if she didn’t get with Harry.
Myles: Yeah.
Bobby: So this works, this is nice.
Myles: She has options, which is, like, kind of surprising and crazy.
Bobby: Yeah, for a movie about, like, a 55-year-old woman…
Myles: Yeah, she has her pick.
Bobby: …gets to choose.
Myles: Which is brilliant. But also just, like, what happens? What happens to him?
Bobby: I keep wanting to look at the clock, because it’s – the moment I start talking about a Nancy Meyers movie I’m, like, three hours are going to pass and we have to get out of the studio in 25 minutes.
Myles: Perfect.
Bobby: But – so Something’s Gotta Give is Nancy Meyers’ third directorial effort after Parent Trap and What Women Want. And I talked about this movie on another podcast, Blank Check, a couple of years ago when they did a Nancy Meyers season – maybe it was one year ago.
Myles: Mm-hmm. [Affirmative]
Bobby: But I think what makes this movie really interesting and why I was excited to choose it then, is because – so this – do you know the podcast Blank Check?
Myles: Yes.
Bobby: For those of you who don't know what it is, it was begun under the premise that, like, there’s certain categories of directors, a lot of directors, when you have a hit, does so well you get a blank check and it’s, like, do whatever you want next. And the podcast was originally about those movies. It’s expanded to be about, you know, just directors and their filmographies. But this is kind of her blank check movie. Because the movie she made before this, well, the two she did – Parent Trap, which was a big success. It was a Disney hit. She had written a lot of movies before, including Father of the Bride, Father of the Bride II.
Myles: Baby Boom.
Bobby: Baby Boom.
Myles: Which I love.
Bobby: Benjamin – I love Baby Boom. What else did she write? The Whoopi Goldberg, Jumpin’ Jack Flash. Very good. Very weird. Then she makes What Women Want. Writes, directs it and it makes so much money. Do you know how much money?
Myles: Hundreds of millions of dollars.
Bobby: $374 million.
Myles: Insane.
Bobby: One of the highest-grossing romantic comedies of all time. It’s in the top three when you adjust, like, for inflation. It’s huge. And so after this movie, two years later, they’re like “Nancy…” In my mind they’re like – I mean, the industry is way more sexist than this. But, like, “Nancy, make whatever you want to make.” And what she wanted to make was a movie about old people falling in love and, like, having sex and, like, getting naked and, like, and it’s so, it’s so bloated, like – she just throws everything in this movie. And there’s always Nancy Meyers stand-in, in all of her movies. And this one feels the most autobiographical, because she’s a playwright, she’s a writer.
Myles: Yeah, she’s a writer. She’s writing – the dialogue in this movie is so good that it could be fake dialogue. And you’re, like, wow, that’s really good dialogue, but it’s actually just the dialogue that you watch and you’re, like, great, more of it, tell me it again.
Bobby: Yeah, it’s so good. Yeah. And I think it’s, like – it is, to me, in my mind, the most – It’s Complicated might be one I like a little more, but, like, academically, I feel like it is the peak Nancy Meyers movie. It’s, like, everything about Nancy Meyers that we like and talk about and make fun of and love, is in this movie turned up all the way. And it’s so much fun to watch. And it’s about Amanda Peet, falls in love with this older playboy, Jack Nicholson, Harry. Takes her to her mom’s house in the Hamptons when she thinks her mom isn’t there for the weekend. They’re about to fool around. Before they do, he has a heart attack while Diane Keaton and her sister, Frances McDormand are there. And so he has to go to the hospital, stay at the house for a few weeks, months. I’m always unclear about the timeframe.
Myles: I think – I mean, the first time he tries to get out seems like hours.
Bobby: Yeah. And then it’s, like, you could go into the city, but it’ll be better if you stay here, blah, blah, blah. With Dr. Keanu Reeves, they fall in love, Amanda Peet leaves him, he’s, like, a playboy. I don’t want to be in this relationship. She starts dating Keanu Reeves and then they get back together at the end in – Paris? Does it end in Paris? It does, right?
Myles: It ends in Paris and then there is that scene where they show them…
Bobby: The baby.
Myles: …the baby in the restaurant and, like, all together.
Bobby: Anyway, it’s wonderful. Can you guess how much this movie cost to make?
Myles: Cost?
Bobby: Mm-hmm. [Affirmative]
Myles: I’m actually not sure.
Bobby: Okay. What Women Want cost $70 million. This cost eighty. I’m assuming talent expense here.
Myles: Yeah, mostly talent.
Bobby: There aren’t many locations here, and a lot of the locations look fake. A lot of the facades are, like – this is not – Paris not Paris.
Myles: Paris is, like CGI.
Bobby: Paris has never been less Paris. Paris is, like, filmed in the same lot The Good Place is filmed. Like, Paris is so un-Paris. Do you remember the first time you saw it? It made, by the way, $266 million. Diane Keaton won a Golden Globe for it. Got nominated for an Oscar for it.
Myles: Deserved, deserved.
Bobby: Jack got nominated for an Oscar for it. I don’t think Nancy got anything, once again.
Myles: Unjust.
Bobby: Unjust. So cool. Do you remember the first time you saw it?
Myles: I remember seeing this in college, kind of with a friend who’s, like, “Let’s just put it on, we’ll watch it.” Like – and I was, like, “Oh, yeah, I heard it’s great,” like, whatever. And then being, like, oh, it’s so good. And then, like, later on just, like, whenever I have an opportunity to watch it, like, I will take that opportunity. Just because it’s, like, I know I’m going to have a good time watching it. Like, I’m never going to be, like, oh, yeah, this part is bad. Like, no, probably not. Like, I think it’s pretty much all good.
Bobby: And that’s the case with all of her movies. And I think a similar thing is that – I would say they age like wine. But that’s not a good Nancy Meyers reference. You know what they age like? Linen. Linen sheets get more comfortable over time, like, linen clothes get softer over time.
Myles: Yes, beach-wear. Vintage beach-wear.
Bobby: This ages like a beautiful pair of, like, white linen sheets. Every time I watch it I like it more. Because the first time I saw it, I remember I saw it with my sister in the theater. And I thought it was fine. And every single time I’ve watched it since, I’ve fallen more in love with it. It’s, like, you notice little things. And also, there’s a way that she reveals things. I don't know, the way that the movie is structured is just so smart. And I don't know how she does it, but this happens in all of her movies, like I was saying – it’s always surprising somehow. And I don't know what that magic is. Like, I don't know how I’m always, like, gasping at this movie that should seem to cut and dry.
Myles: There are just so many avenues she takes you down, right? And it could end at so many different points. But she just keeps going and keeps telling you more story, and you’re, like, please, like, give it to me. Like, rarely in her movies are you left wondering, like, I wonder what happened to that side character? No, like, they resolve everything. Like, I think of Parent Trap and, like, Chessy and the butler get together. Like, she gives them an ending.
Bobby: I love that you remember that her name is Chessy. A lot of people think it’s Jessie.
Myles: No, Chessy is important.
Bobby: It’s Chessy. It’s very much Chessy. So this is the first movie that she wrote for Diane Keaton after Baby Boom, and I’m just going to play it. I thought this was very sweet and – this is her speech for winning the Golden Glove.
(Golden Globe Diane Keaton speech audio plays.)
Diane Keaton: My God. Okay. All right. Thank you. I sure as hell wasn’t prepared to be rediscovered by Nancy Meyers. Let’s face it, getting to play a woman to love at 57 is like reaching for the stars with a stepladder. But I know I got lucky, and isn’t it ironic that my luck, all my luck, was to have Nancy give me a chance to play a woman to love.
Bobby: She references the play in the movie twice already. This goes on for two more minutes. But I love that, like, I think that there’s something telling in the fact that she opens with, like, Nancy, Nancy, Nancy, thank you Nancy, this is Nancy. And I think that it’s something that cannot be overstated. I was so glad when you picked this movie. I mean, she is a true auteur. Like, she has such a distinct point of view and, yeah, it’s about, like, rich white people in the Hamptons, like, yeah, that’s her point of view. That’s what -- .02% of the population is like a Nancy Meyers character. But somehow they feel like they could be any of us.
Myles: The way she says her name in that speech is how, like, it makes sense to say. She’s, like, “Nancy” – it’s just, like, yes. That’s, that’s the way I feel about this too.
(Clip of Diane Keaton saying “Nancy” plays again.)
Myles: And yeah, I totally agree with you. Like, at the root of it, like, Jack Nicholson’s character is just, like, he is an old, lonely guy. And that’s something that everyone can be sympathetic with and, like, with Diane Keaton’s character, it’s very, like, you are a strong person and no one sees you. And that’s, like, her story. And I feel like all people just want to be, like, seen. And she’s really good at tapping into, like, those basic human emotions, even though they’re, like, rich, crazy people.
Bobby: Yeah. And I think that even that, that sort of adds something to her nude scene, which is a big point of confrontation in 2003. It was, like, Diane Keaton, this 50-something woman is doing a nude scene. And to be fair, it’s, like, one second. But it’s still a nude scene.
Myles: Yeah, she’s still naked.
Bobby: And I think that that has – that’s, like, in a way it’s Nancy Meyers, and I’m sure she’s given interviews to this affect where it’s, like, “Yeah, like, we can look at her like that. Like, there’s no reason for us not to look at her like that. She can be sexy, she can be naked in a movie, 'cause, like, guess what, Diane Keaton has sex.” Like, you know what I mean? Like, that’s okay. Like, people over 50 are still, like, having sex with each other in the Hamptons, you know, while recovering from heart surgery. I want to go back to Frances McDormand, who I think is a Columbia professor in this.
Myles: She is a women’s study professor at Columbia University.
Bobby: Who is Diane Keaton’s character’s sister. Is she supposed to be gay? Speaking of gay.
Myles: I think she is supposed to be gay. There’s, like, a gay reading to it, because I feel like when she sees Keanu at the farmer’s market later in the movie, that there’s, like, no spark. At no point is there any spark between her and, like, anyone. And she’s very encouraging of, like, everyone having sex. Like, it’s very, like, she’s queer. She reads as queer to me.
Bobby: She reads as queer. And I think that’s sort of a thing – but it’s also peak Nancy Meyers to, like, never meet a gay person.
Myles: No, even though you’re in the Hamptons. All of Ina Garten’s best friends are in this movie, but they’re not gay somehow.
Bobby: Like, making flower arrangements and, like, bringing fresh bread to her house. Are you a Jack Nicholson fan, like, generally?
Myles: I think I am not a hater in any way or – I wouldn’t say, like, I am a stan – but I am a fan of watching him, like, in movies. And I think he is particularly charming in this one.
Bobby: Yeah. There are certain types of older prestige actors, usually dudes. And when they’re in a movie, they sort of seem to be phoning it in. Harrison Ford is a big one, Robert Deniro is a big one. You can tell that they’re in movies that they don’t care about, they just want the check. And I feel like at a certain point in their career they, like, stop trying in a way that actresses don’t stop trying. And there are a few movies that each of those people has made where it’s, like, there’s like a respect to the material that you can see. And in this one it’s, like, Jack Nicholson seems to be, like, really having a good time and, like, doing something interesting. And Robert Deniro made, like, a bunch of movies that no one cared about and, like, weirdo comedies, and then he made The Intern which is really sweet.
Myles: He’s really sweet in it. He’s really sweet.
Bobby: People like to dump on that movie, but that is a really sweet, cute little movie that everyone involved is, like, very passionate about.
Myles: Anne Hathaway is really great in that movies. She’s so good.
Bobby: Vulnerable.
Myles: Yeah, she’s so good.
Bobby: She’s really good. And I think that’s something that Nancy Meyers is just, like, an expert at. And we were talking about this before recording, but during the promo cycle for The Intern, Nancy Meyers talked a lot about how she had a hard time getting money for it because, like, oh, she wants to make a movie about an old person befriending a young person and, like, no one’s having sex. Like, it’s not a rom-com. It’s just, like, about friends. And everyone was, like, “You can’t make that movie, that’s not going to work.” And she’s, like, “All I do is make movies, like, all I do is make movies about demographics that no one thinks they’re going to care about and they end up being monster hits.” Just trust Nancy Meyers, is what I’m saying.
(Clip from Something’s Gotta Give plays.)
Bobby: The crying scene. I want to talk about the crying scene. The crying scene somehow is so funny and it goes on so long.
Myles: There’s so many tears.
Bobby: It’s just, like, a great distillation of, like, Nancy Meyers’ approach to, like, cinema. Like, we don’t have a timeframe here, like, just keep on crying. She’s so funny in it. And I think Diane Keaton can get wrapped up in ‘nervous lady’ a little too much. And somehow here it’s, like, kind of composed and good when she’s crying.
Myles: Oh, gosh. When she grabs the glasses and she realizes that they’re his glasses and cries and, like, double-cries, it’s perfect.
Bobby: No one can cry like Diane Keaton. What do you think about the play?
Myles: I think the play is probably bad.
Bobby: It must be bad, right?
Myles: Like, when they say, like, the dancing harry’s – and there’s, like, a chorus line of, like, naked old dancers – I’m, like, oh, this was a terrible play that was a hit.
Bobby: It was probably – I feel like even good writers have a hard time writing writers, where it’s, like, especially if they to, like, write the fiction that the writers are writing and then show the fake fiction that the fake writer’s writing, it’s always bad. Here it’s, like, particularly bad. There’s no way that play is good.
Myles: I mean, I think they were making the point that it’s, like, a commercial hit. Like, it seems to be, like, a goofball musical.
Bobby: Yeah, you’re right, you’re right.
Myles: But, like, also, like, that seems bad. That doesn’t mean that it’s good.
Bobby: I want to talk about other Nancy Meyers movies. You said your favorite one is The Parent Trap.
Myles: Yes.
Bobby: She wrote Private Benjamin, she wrote Baby Boom, she wrote Father of the Bride, she wrote I Love Trouble, she wrote Father of the Bride Part 2. Let’s focus on her directorial efforts. Parent Trap, What Women Want, Something’s Gotta Give, The Holiday, It’s Complicated, The Intern. Rank them from top to bottom.
Myles: I think number one for me is Parent Trap.
Bobby: I agree.
Myles: It’s a perfect film to me, like, every second of it I just…you know?
Bobby: It’s nostalgic, it takes you back, it has aged wonderfully. Again, like, Chessy has taken such good care of the linen. It’s so good.
Myles: The house is so beautiful, the California house is, like…
Bobby: I love both of the houses, honestly.
Myles: Yeah, they’re both amazing.
Bobby: [unintelligible 00:27:12] the Concorde. Number two?
Myles: Number two, I would have to be this, like, Something’s Gotta Give is number two. Number three for me is probably It’s Complicated. Like, Meryl is just so good in it, like, unbelievable. And then The Holiday is probably after that. I feel like you’re a particular Holiday fan, is that true?
Bobby: Sort of. I don’t love The Holiday. But I, I feel like it’s impossible to not enjoy it. Like, it’s still a Nancy Meyers movie, but it’s such a warm little movie. I don’t love it though. I feel like – and I like the Kate Winslet, Jack Black sub-plot whole more than I liked Cameron Diaz and Jude Law.
Myles: I totally agree, it’s much more interesting.
Bobby: But it’s cute.
Myles: Yeah. Wait – what are the other ones?
Bobby: And then you’ve got – the ones you have left are What Women Want and The Intern.
Myles: I think that for me is in that order. Like, What Women Want – I love What Women Want, I think it’s good – but there’s just something about Mel Gibson that just, like, I can’t fully commit to it. I don’t think it’s aged as well as the other ones. Because mostly…
Bobby: It’s aged terribly, yeah.
Myles: And just in general, like, the whole of the movie is, like, is that the perspective we need? Like, I don't know.
Bobby: Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt have, like, very little chemistry.
Myles: Yeah, yeah, it doesn’t work for me.
Bobby: She had more chemistry with, like, the tornadoes in Twister than she does…but – so The Intern’s your number…?
Myles: I guess by default. I still, like, really enjoy it, but I know, I know that’s a little rough of a rating.
Bobby: I think we’re almost identical. I think I would put What Women Want last, but I’m not sure where I would put The Intern over The Holiday. And also, I feel like it’s seasonal. Like, if it were December 23rd right now, Holiday would be maybe number two. Yeah, I don't know.
Myles: The Intern also, the – Anders Holm, like, that’s who’s in it, right? Like, that whole sub-plot of it, like, throws the movie off for me.
Bobby: It’s so weird.
Myles: It’s very weird and, like, it just hurts to watch. Like, I don't know, I’m not into it.
Bobby: It still made money because it’s Nancy Meyers.
Myles: Yeah, thank God.
Bobby: And then she probably, like, ghost-directed her daughter’s movie, The Home Again, which we won’t talk about.
Myles: We won’t talk about that. That’s not nice.
Bobby: We’re not going to talk about Home Again. An interesting thing that I discovered while I was looking up some stuff about Something’s Gotta Give is that Something’s Gotta Give is, like, specifically an American English idiom. Like, people aren’t saying that in other languages really. And if they are, it’s, like, a completely different translation. So I was, like, what is this movie called in other countries? And I don't know why I’ve never looked that up before.
Myles: Oh, my God, I love this.
Bobby: So I looked it up and, like, in Lithuania it’s called Milet Has Fun, which I guess is Erica’s name in the movie, Milet. Milet Has Fun.
Myles: Yeah, she does have fun. She has tons of it.
Bobby: So I found some other – to be fair, these are the literal English translations of the other language titles. But still – we’re going to play a little game. We’re going to see if you can guess the country based on the name of Something’s Gotta Give. All of them are different. Okay. Okay. Anything Could Happen – is that Germany, Italy or Spain?
Myles: That feels Italian to me.
Bobby: You got it right, it’s Italian.
Myles: It has an Italian essence to it.
Bobby: And then to close, but not quite – Everything Can Happen. Is that Portugal, Greece or France?
Myles: That feels very French to me.
Bobby: It’s very French, you got it. Oh, my God, wow, two out of two, this is great.
Myles: I really felt the spirit of it.
Bobby: Okay. Something Unexpected. Is that Mexico, Canada or Argentina?
Myles: That could be Mexico.
Bobby: It’s Canada.
Myles: I knew it was Canada, I knew it. It was on the tip of my tongue.
Bobby: I put it after this because both of them are in French. But the Canadian French translates to something a little different. I don't know what’s going on in Canada, but not Everything Can Happen.
Myles: That’s so crazy.
Bobby: Okay. I love this one. One Has to Come up Short. Is this Iran, India or Malta?
Myles: I think it’s India.
Bobby: It’s Iran.
Myles: Okay. This title is about Keanu Reeves character, because he is the one that has to come up short. Literally, one has to.
Bobby: Yeah, one of them does.
Myles: That title is a spoiler.
Bobby: That is – I don't know, Nancy – just throwing out life lessons, I didn’t even know it – like, one has to, like, we can’t all be like Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson. When You Least Expect It – Finland, Norway or Iceland?
Myles: I’m going to go with Finland.
Bobby: Close, it’s Norway. That was sort of a trick question. Better Late Than – oh, this is great – Better Late Than Later.
Myles: Oh.
Bobby: Which if you think about it, is almost a better idiom or phrase than, better late than never, you know?
Myles: Yeah, better late than later. Or even – yeah, better than never.
Bobby: Better than never – Better Late than Later. Is this Thailand, Chile or Greece?
Myles: I’m going to go with Chile.
Bobby: It’s Greece.
Myles: I knew it, I knew it. I don't know why I didn’t say that.
Bobby: Someone in the Mamma Mia universe definitely says, “Better late than later,” you know? Okay. Crazy in Love, I love that one – is this Japan, Russia or Sweden?
Myles: I think Japan.
Bobby: I knew you would think Japan, but it is Sweden. It’s Swedish. That’s why I threw Japan in there. Okay.
Myles: That’s, like, also a Swedish pop song, like…
Bobby: Four more – Everything is Possible in Love.
Myles: True.
Bobby: Turkey, Serbia or the Czech Republic?
Myles: I’m going to go with Serbia.
Bobby: It’s Turkey. This is impossible.
Myles: This is so hard.
Bobby: These titles could…
Myles: I was on a roll.
Bobby: You were, you were doing really well. Went to your head, as they say in Iran, one has to come up short.
Myles: It’s me in this game.
Bobby: I love this one. Someone Has to Concede – which is similar to, one must come up short. Is this Egypt, Ukraine or Mexico?
Myles: I’m going to go with Ukraine.
Bobby: It’s Mexico. Yeah, I don't know how I thought anyone would just get these, but it’s fun to run through them.
Myles: I love them.
Bobby: Love by the Rules… and Without. Love – better intonation – Love by the Rules…and Without. Is this Pakistan, Germany or Russia?
Myles: I think Pakistan.
Bobby: It’s Russia.
Myles: Russia. Wow. I was expecting, like, a curt title maybe.
Bobby: But, like, Russia – mentioning rules. It almost sort of makes sense when you think about it. Love by the Rules – they’re like, you have to love by the rules. Okay. And then just Romantic Age – is this South Korea, China or Japan?
Myles: I’m going to say Japan.
Bobby: It’s Japan. You ended with a win.
Myles: I loved ending on a win. That’s great. Thank you.
Bobby: Anything and everything could happen on these games about Something’s – Something’s Gotta Give – that needs a better name. I’ll think of one. Do you have any last thoughts about Something’s Gotta Give, S.G.G., [unintelligible 00:34:31]?
Myles: I’m just happy for Amanda Peet too. She ends up with a lovely husband and child. It’s good for her.
Bobby: It’s also funny, like, when you scrutinize her movies, they’re sort of, like, she’s very traditionalist, where it’s, like, she was trying to have too much fun, but she really just needs to settle down with some, like, friendly, boring guy and have a baby.
Myles: Yeah, literally.
Bobby: Like, she’s having too much fun as an auctioneer or whatever she did.
Myles: She is an auctioneer.
Bobby: Also have – calling her mom in from the city, like, “Mom, I’m so upset.”
Myles: Dad’s engaged, which is, like, that’s very inappropriate.
Bobby: This sort of happens in It’s Complicated too, when they all get in the bed after they find out that their mom and dad are, like, together again. They’re so confused. They’re all adults.
Myles: It’s inappropriate.
Bobby: Anyway, we’re done talking about Something’s Gotta Give. Thank you for coming in here, Myles. I’m going to go watch it again.
Myles: Thank you so much.
Bobby: I watched it, like, a week ago and I’m going to watch it again. This was a lot of fun. Something’s Gotta Give is streaming now on Netflix. Her other movies are not and that’s a problem.
Myles: It’s a crisis.
Bobby: Netflix, call up Nancy, make a deal. We’ve got to get them all on there. You don’t have to call up Hallie Meyers-Shyer, we don’t need Home Again. We just need the Nancy Meyers canon. Thanks for coming in. Have a great week.