Inside the Irish military of film podcasts, Fear and Loathing in Cinema sets itself apart with its irreverent blend of pop culture critique, nostalgic deep-dives, and a razor-sharp, at times almost uncomfortably candid, dissection of cinematic relics that were once scorned but now, with the benefit of time, seem worthy of a second look. Hosted by a group of unpredictable yet undeniably insightful voices; Bryan Kluger, a media director with a sharp sense of irony of offensive things; Dan Moran, a lawyer who brings an often absurd legal perspective of the film industry and Kevin Costner; Preston Barta, a film critic with a taste for the heart-warmingly obscure branch of cinema; and Chelsea Nicole, a culture critic who digs into the nuances of social dynamics and horror; Fear and Loathing in Cinema Podcast thrives in that rare space between sincere analysis and gut-busting humor.
On Episode #126 of Fear and Loathing in Cinema, our beloved panel of armchair cine-soldiers (who may or may not be honorary members of the IRA; the Irish Rewatching Association) don their greenest beer goggles and deep-dive into one of the more politically confused action-thrillers of the Clinton years. Somewhere between All the President’s Men and The Pelican Brief, Alan J. Pakula must have asked himself, “What if instead of Deep Throat or Julia Roberts, it’s Brad Pitt with an Irish accent trying to buy missiles in New Jersey?” Enter The Devil’s Own (1997), a film that answers no questions but asks a few truly baffling ones, like: Who thought this script was ready? Why does Brad Pitt sound like a leprechaun who studied abroad in New Mexico? And why are Harrison Ford’s eyebrows doing all the acting?
This is not your typical “two bros and a bad VHS transfer” podcast. No, these four Irish-by-spirit podcasters perform a forensic autopsy on the film’s soul, if not its utterly incoherent screenplay. They dissect with surgical precision (and Guinness-lubricated charm) the troubled behind-the-scenes warzone: multiple writers, dueling egos, and the type of on-set tension usually reserved for Thanksgiving dinner. Apparently, Ford and Pitt argued more than their characters, and while no punches were thrown, craft services did run out of potato-infused scones mysteriously fast.
This Week’s Highlights:
As always, the hosts of this podcast stray far from the beaten path, sidetracking in ways that somehow feel more entertaining than the very movie they’ve gathered to dissect. The absurdities that unfold become a crucial part of the show’s charm, its conversational energy the perfect counterpart to the movie under scrutiny. Among the many bizarre diversions in this week’s discussion:
- Running Man Remake Trailer/ Edgar Wright, Glen Powell, Stephen King.
- F1 doing gangbusters at the box office?
- Megan 2.0 flops and might tank blumhouse?
- Vin Diesel announces F&F 11 for 2027 with Paul Walker’s character returning.
- Devil Wears Prada 2 is filming with the main cast back.
- Hail Mary with Ryan Gosling Trailer.
- Denis Villenueve is directing Bond. Who should be Bond?
- Social Network sequel with Aaron Sorkin writing and directing.
And, of course, the gang winds up pondering the most ridiculous hypothetical of all: What documentary made you question everything? If that’s not a moment of podcast gold, I’m not sure what is.
Movie Analysis: The Devil’s Own (1997)
Let’s talk plot, or what resembles one. Pitt plays Frankie McGuire, an IRA member who flees to America to purchase missiles; because nothing says “low profile” like harboring international terrorists in your suburban New Jersey guest room. Ford, playing the strait-laced NYPD sergeant Tom O’Meara (because even his character’s name sounds like it pays taxes on time), unknowingly invites this Gaelic grenade into his home. Cue family dinners, bonding over corned beef, and eventually, betrayal over breakfast.
The podcast crew debates the film’s odd position: is it a political thriller, a mismatched buddy drama, or a failed actor’s workshop in dialects? Spoiler: it tries to be all three and succeeds at none. Pitt’s accent is a fascinating linguistic mash-up that fluctuates like a broken GPS: now he’s in Belfast, now he’s in Boston, now he’s inexplicably Welsh.
But the real juice in the podcast isn’t just in the film critique. It’s in the banter. These guys talk about The Devil’s Own the way your uncle talks about Vietnam: with confusion, passion, and a little too much nostalgia. They debate the philosophical shades of grey between hero, anti-hero, and what they call “accidental terrorist houseguest.” They sip, they argue, they say goodbye mid-sentence (the titular Irish Goodbye), and at one point, someone starts using an Irish accent.
It’s funny, it’s chaotic, and yes, like the film itself, it’s slightly too long; but that’s part of the charm. If The Devil’s Own is a stew of half-cooked ideas and late-stage rewrites, Episode #126 is the boozy, belly-warming conversation you have afterward where everything makes sense; until you wake up the next morning and realize someone’s still trying to buy missiles in Jersey. Sláinte.
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Thank you for listening.
WRITTEN BY: BRYAN KLUGER
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