Paid in Puke Podcast!

Paid in Puke S9E7: Bottoms

On Season 9, Episode 7 of Paid in Puke Podcast, we're celebrating Emma Seligman's 2023 high school sex comedy, "Bottoms", written by Seligman and Rachel Sennott. "Bottoms" stars Sennott, Ayo Edebiri, Ruby Cruz, Havana Rose Liu, Kaia Gerber, and Marshawn Lynch. 

Like "Barb and Star" before her, this movie is an instant classic for the Pukettes. We extoll the myriad virtues of the Dream Team that is Sennott, Seligman, & Edebiri. It's a smart comedy disguised as a stupid one, with a thousand jokes landing per minute and some of the *tightest* mise en scène we've ever scène. But even if it were just a stupid comedy, guys make those all the time. That's the point of feminism. 

Our super fun Lunchtime Poll question: What fake club would you start to entice your crush? 

Paid in Puke S9E6: May December

On Season 9, Episode 6 of Paid in Puke, we're dissecting Todd Haynes' 2023 drama, May December, starring Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, and Charles Melton. Team May December is claiming that the film is only "loosely based" on Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau. We discuss the difference between "inspired" and "ripped off", and why Fualaau is not happy about this film. 

Trigger Warnings for child abuse, child rape, and childhood trauma.

This movie is serving THEMES. Why does Hollywood love to look for the humanity in bad people? Can a person truly live a life without regret? Can you really love your abuser? Is there a responsible way to make a film about a living victim without their consent? BUTTERFLIES. 

We do a fun Lunchtime Poll to counteract all the darkness. What is your biggest anxiety when throwing a party? Don't forget the hot dogs!

 

Paid in Puke S9E5: The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

On Season 9, Episode 5 of Paid in Puke, we're getting friendly with Colin Higgins' ("9 to 5") 1982 musical, "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas", based on the Broadway show by Larry L. King and Peter Masterson, which was in turn based on a real story published in Playboy! It stars Dolly Parton, Theresa Merritt, Dom DeLuise, Burt Reynolds, and a host of talented triple threats credited as "Chicken Ranch Girl". 

There are, of course, some Hot Probs, but Dolly ain't one. Our National Treasure holds the floor, and even sneaks in her own song to round out the catchy soundtrack.

Did you have a brain tumor for breakfast? You'll never guess which problematic film critic had some truly revealing criticisms about this film upon release (JK, it's always the same guy).

Come on down and hang out with us as we sing the praises of the singular talent that is Dolly Parton. 

 

Paid in Puke S9E4: Clueless

On season 9, episode 4 of Paid in Puke Podcast, we scratch the surface of Amy Heckerling's 1995 star-making high school comedy, "Clueless", starring Alicia Silverstone, Brittany Murphy, Stacey Dash, and Dan Hedeya. Heckerling wrote the script based on "Emma", the classic novel by Jane Austen. 

Special guest, Katie Lee Ellison, joins us to talk about what the film meant to her as a 10-year-old living in L.A., the glaring flaws she sees today, and the ways in which this iconic film continues to influence her life.  

On Keggers w/ Kids, Baxter's teen gives her modern take on this very 90s film. Plus: The Valley Horse Girl Test, and why Paul Rudd might not be as ageless as we once thought! 

Find Katie Lee Ellison on her website and insta, for information about her lectures, panels, and published essays!

 

Paid in Puke S9E3: But I’m a Cheerleader

On season 9, episode 3 of Paid in Puke, we've got spirit for Jamie Babbit's 1999 satirical comedy, "But I'm a Cheerleader", starring Natasha Lyonne, Clea Duvall, Melanie Lynskey, Cathy Moriarty, Katharine Towne, Mink Stole, RuPaul, Bud Cort, and for 5 seconds, a Dawson's Creek-era Michelle Williams.

Special guest Kate Preusser, managing editor at Lookout Landing* joins us to talk about why this is one of two influential films from her early twenties (the other being Showgirls). Still, Kate had the most Hot Probs, in relation to representation and some of Megan's toxic traits. 

Kate also brings to us some Fun Facts, as well as the not-so-fun bad takes from the (mostly cis male) critics of 1999 that saddled this delightful film with a low Rotty T score that persists to this day. 

Baxter's offspring joins us on Keggers with Kids, and on the Lunchtime Poll, we reveal things we didn't know about ourselves until someone else pointed it out.

 

*Lookout Landing is an online Seattle Mariner's baseball community. 

 

 

Paid in Puke S9E2: Everything Everywhere All at Once

On season 9, episode 2 of Paid in Puke, we're sorting out the 2022 smash genre bender, "Everything Everywhere All At Once", directed by The Daniels, and starring Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Key Huy Quan, Jenny Slate, and Jamie Lee Curtis. This sleeper hit broke records and hearts during the 2023 awards season. 

It tells the story of a middle-aged Chinese immigrant who runs a Laundromat with her husband and struggled to reconcile her taxes while battling a clandestine force and attempting to keep the multi-verse from collapsing.

We discuss the film's numerous themes including generational trauma, the immigrant experience, capitalist f*ckery, empathy in the face of nihilism, and why it's never too late to change. Plus some Hot Probs.

On the Lunchtime Poll, we pinpoint a single decision that affected the rest of our lives. 

 

Paid in Puke S9E1: The Truth About Cats & Dogs w/ Michael Lehmann

On our series 9 opener, we're pleased as punch to discuss the 1996 romantic comedy, "The Truth About Cats and Dogs" with the film's director, Michael Lehmann. You might also know him having directed a pretty cool movie called, "Heathers". Cats & Dogs is the screenplay debut for Audrey Wells (The Hate U Give, Under the Tuscan Sun) and stars Janeane Garofalo, and Uma Thurman. 

We had the most delightful and insightful conversation with Mr. Lehmann on what is dated about the film, as well as the myriad ways it was transgressive in the 90s rom com genre. He talks of fighting alongside Wells to preserve the original intent of the script, even going head-to-head with the MPAA on some of the film's more empowering elements. Plus, some fun stories about actors who almost played Brian, and why male actors can be so difficult to work with. 

You don't wanna miss his answer to our Lunchtime Poll: What is a little white lie you told that spun out of control?

Paid in Puke S8E10: Batman Returns w/ Daniel Waters

It's the big Season 8 Finale! We are thrilled and honored to bring you our first cis male guest: Daniel Waters! He gets a P*ssy Pass for writing the film that inspired our podcast theme (Heathers) and another feminist classic: Batman Returns.

This 1992 comic book sequel was directed by Tim Burton, and stars Michelle Pfeiffer in an absolutely iconic role that launched one million sexual awakenings. It was written by Waters, from a script by Sam Hamm, and then unsatisfactorily finished off by a real Normie named Wesley Strick. We consider it a Catwoman movie with 3 male villains hellbent on stopping Selina Kyle from embracing her true nature.

Join us as we pester Daniel Waters with questions about Heathers, and discuss what went wrong as well as what went SO. VERY. RIGHT. with Batman Returns.

And because it's a Christmas Movie, our Lunchtime Poll is about worst and best Christmases. 

Paid in Puke S8E9: The Lost Daughter

On this episode of Paid in Puke, we get lost in Maggie Gyllenhaal's 2022 directorial debut. The Lost Daughter stars Olivia Coleman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson, and Dagmara Dominczyk. The film tackles biological motherhood in a way that is so candid, the author of the source material used a pseudonym to avoid backlash. Among the Pukettes, two mothers and one childfree woman all saw completely different things in the intentionally ambiguous narrative. The Lost Daughter is a mirror that reflects our own experiences. One thing we agree on is that it's a staggering debut from Gyllenhaal and, to quote Leda, "motherhood is a crushing responsibility". 

 

Paid in Puke S8E8: The Gift

On Season 8 Episode 8 of Paid in Puke, we wanna return Sam Raimi's 2000 supernatural drama, The Gift. Billy Bob Thornton penned this pseudo-feminist tale of an inconveniently psychic single mom (Cate Blanchett) who gets caught up in a murder investigation. It has a lot of "first movie" vibes, but everyone involved was very well established and some of them had Oscar noms. Also starring Katie Holmes, Hillary Swank, Kim Dickens, and Keanu Reeves. 

Resident Blanchettspert, Alicia Mullins of Gal Pals Watch Podcast joins us to discuss the myriad Hot Probs, Blanchett's noble attempt to rise above the material, G-Rib's problematic portrayal of a neurodivergent abuse victim, the ubiquity of gators in the deep south, Hillary Swank's insane wig, and Mr. Noodle's brother Mr. Noodle.