Falling In Love Montage

What do Batman, E from Entourage, Rachel Green, Black Widow, the Hangover guy, Officer Hopps, the Mac, and Academy Award-winning actor Jennifer Connelly have in common?  They are all in this movie that we're just not that into, spoilers!

The long-anticipated cross-over episode is here! Okay, it's not technically a cross-over, maybe it's just an episode we've been dying* to do with a guest we've been dying to have. Lawrence Kasdan's 1999 Mumford offers no exception to deception and this entire character-driven comedy/drama/maybe chick-flick(?) hinges on one man's lie. Here to help us interrogate this movie is the mayor of Liar City and my** best friend, Brian Flanagan.  Prepare for more conflict in the episode than the movie. Sisters Helen and Valerie, wait for it, have strong and different opinions about this film!?!?! WHAT!?!?! Helen describes Dr. Mumford as a "lovable fraud" and Valerie applauds him for demonstrating that generally, the nicest thing you can do for someone is listen to them.  ☝

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We truly missed you and to prove it, we are serenading you with these handpicked* 21 ABBA songs. Podcast legend and Ghost of Girlfriends Past survivor, Nick Wood, joins us to dish and dance and jive. Seriously guys, we were having the time of our lives. Dig in, you dancing queen!    *by Catherine Johnson 

To close out Pride month, we are appropriately proud to bring you something a little bit different. Not so much chick, not so much flick -- we wanted to spotlight a new queer web series currently streaming on Amazon, After Forever. Joining us for the entire discussion is costar of the series Mitchell Anderson, known also as the founder of Atlanta's great MetroFresh restaurant, Ross Werkman on Party of Five, and one of the sexiest TV doctors of the last 20 years (People, 2005), among other things. We were delighted and honored to have Mitchell on to talk about this great short series, his experience as an out actor in the television industry, and yes, his favorite chick flicks. Easily one of the sexiest podcast guests of the last 20 years (Falling in Love Montage, 2018). Watch or learn more about After Forever: http://afterforevertheseries.com. Buy Mitchell's book, Food & Thought: http://metrofreshatl.com/midtown/store/

It's listener's choice this time as we delve into the bi-curious indie rom-com Kissing Jessica Stein.  Super-fan/friend Lauren DeBlasi (of upcoming podcasts TBD and also TBD!) joins us as we joyfully unpack Jessica Stein's considerable baggage. We think she's a very nice girl. 

We go for an almost very traditional rom-com for the second week of Pride month, 2005's Imagine Me & You. And who's better to discuss this movie with us than the very people who first suggested it, one year ago? We've got our second fiance(e) guest pairing, gay best friends of the show, Allyson and Mariela!  We had a gay old time, and we hope you do too. You know, we want you to be happy. More than anything else, we want to be the cause of happiness in you.  Thank you for your patience with our release delays this month, and our apologies for the audio issues in this episode. And if you're in Aurora, IL on June 17th, join Allyson and Mariela for Aurora's first ever pride! 

2! 4! 6! 8! No more Matt McConaughate! 8! 6! 4! 2! Love for LGBTQ(+)! Happy Pride, FiLM buffs! Queer stories have been neglected in our chosen genre and on our podcast for way too long; it's time to parade them out and put them in the spotlight they deserve. And this is just the beginning. For the first of our four Pride month entries, we're talking about cult favorite But I'm a Cheerleader with our old friends Kat (whom you might remember from our Fifty Shades of Grey episode) and Whitney (whom you will likely eventually remember from our upcoming-on-date-TBD The Notebook episode). We talk about some pretty gay shit. 

Welcome to our NOT AN EPISODE episode of I Feel Pretty! We had the great privilege of being invited to discuss this film with the cast of The Feminine Mistake Podcast. On the Feminine Mistake Podcast with Nicole, Sarah, and Hillary, we were able to be a part of a much richer and deeper discussion. Every week, The Feminine Mistake Podcast and a guest take a critical look at how woman have been portrayed in film and television. Nicole, Sarah, and Hillary lead us through a discussion of the film, introduce some hot facts, and measure how the film holds up to the scrutiny of the Bechdel test and other litmuses for on-screen representation. One of my favorite segments is Nervous Breakdowns where guests and hosts read bad, misogynist casting breakdowns. Find The Feminine Mistake Podcast on Facebook, Twitter, iTunes, and their production channel Critical Crop Top Here are direct links to the episodes, in case you feel pretty and lazy

Well, folks, we did it. You did it! It's done. We collectively watched Matthew McConaughey's least enjoyable movies (highly subjective statement, depending) and we survived. We just kept living — exactly as McConaughey dictated. We planned a wedding, we moved out of Mom and Dad's house, we visited the past and glimpsed the future, and now we are on one last treasure hunt — searching for GOLD!  Yes, you guessed it, Fool's Gold!  Joining us on this bestests of quests is the bestests of guests and co-host of Stranger Still podcast, Jon Biegen. Jon will pirate your heart like he has ours and you'll probably want to drop anchor at his harbor here and here. And, if you're observing, Happy McMorial Day!

Congratulations! If you listen to this episode, or even glance at it, you are three quarters through McConauMay. This would normally be a sad event but, having just watched Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, we're feeling a little raw (maybe even hostile) right now.  The only thing that can rectify this mood is the company of our spectacular guest, Nick Wood.  Nick is a newcomer to our production and podcast network Flying Machine but an oldcomer to his hilarious and inquisitive podcast, Stranger Still, which he hosts with fellow spectacular human, Jon Biegen. You can also catch Nick yucking it up with his Dad on Limited Cell- A Generational Hanna-Barbera cartoon review show. Please enjoy this episode as Helen, Valerie, and Nick single-handedly ruin his incredible wife's Mother's Day. There's some humor in here and hopefully a bit of a catharsis too.  Just Keep Living!

It's McConaunaMay part II, or as we're calling it (for some reason*) McConaunaMother's Day. In order to get enough wind in our sails to dissect 2006's Failure to Launch, we had to beg Ryan Healey, of Tales from the Static podcast to watch this film with us. OR — was it the other way around?  You'll never know (unless you listen to this episode) which is, btw, just as charming as our guest (i.e., hella charming).    *Because it's Mother's Day and we love Kathy Bates, that's why. 

Welcome to Matthew McConauMAY!  Every Monday in May, Falling in Love Montage is covering an early 21st-century Romantic Comedy starring Matthew McConaughey.  This week we break the cardinal rule of Wedding Planning and fall in love with our guest, Elle Riccardi. She knows a thing or two about weddings and even more about jigsaw puzzles.  Join us as we try to piece together this puzzle of a movie.  ✨Also, if you stick around for the very beginning (and why wouldn't you?) you'll hear some really big news! ✨ And if you stick around until the end (thank you) you'll learn that Helen and Valerie are month-long guests on one of their favorite podcasts, The Feminine Mistake Podcast, hosted by Hillary, Sarah, and Nicole.  Find them (and follow them) on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud or start listening to this awesome discussion of I Feel Pretty by clicking right here! 

We're back from our "Spring Break" and we have a question to ask you. You ready? Okay, what's better than two sisters on a podcast talking about a super awesome movie?  Oh, so I heard one of you say a million dollars and now that I'm getting into this I'm realizing there is probably more than one answer.  Okay, so yes, that is correct. BUT the answer I was looking for is THREE SISTERS talking about a really awesome movie! Helen and Valerie's sister, Tara, join them to talk about 1990's Mermaids

Batter up! Hear that call! The time has come for Helen and Valerie to discuss the Penny Marshall classic A League of Their Own. Friend to the podcast Jan poked us until we put her choices to a vote, and our beloved listeners voted overwhelmingly to hear about everyone's favorite chick sports flick. Expect some more fan picks and Jan picks in the future. We bumble our way through the plot, objectify David Strathairn, talk to a Matt, and make too many puns. So it's just like every other episode, really. And to think we were intimidated by the material. P.S. Art Garfunkel

We're back in black and we're back in black comedy. Joining us all the way from six hours in the future (c/o Germany) is Juha Heikkilä, esteemed guest, friend, and winner of a recent(ish) Facebook group caption contest. Juha can be found guesting on podcasts and occasionally tweeting. If you're dedicated, you can find his super secret archive of film blogs. We're still looking.

We didn't know what to call this clip episode.  It's winter, technically, but remember we are in Georgia, USA and while it was 35° today, it was 90° last week.  Also, the movies we clipped are from last spring so... ...while we're busy figuring it out, please enjoy these outtakes from—like I just said—last spring.    ***edit*** Around 26:21 I incorrectly reference a letter as unsent. Ladies and gents, the letter in question was in fact sent via email.  Thank you, that is all. 

If you're looking for Jet Li, you won't find him here. For some reason or another, we talk about Finn Taylor's 2016 comedy fantasy, Unleashed. It's your basic wish fulfillment flick with a generous layer of problematic events. But hey, Kate Micucci, right?  It's currently streaming on Netflix but be very careful with what you do with that information.  We also spend some extra time talking with a Matt, and this time—we have very similar feelings about the movie.   

1989's When Harry Met Sally asks the burning question, "Can men and women be friends after women have subjected them to a full-length episode about Fifty Shades Darker?" According to Bill O'Donnell, so-called software expert, most charming person in the world, and our special guest, the answer is "Yes, Yes, Yes!"

Masochism meets sadism in episode 53 when three lovely, talented, educated young women deliberately (why god, why?) watch Fifty Shades Darker, the critically reviled sequel to the equally critically reviled Fifty Shades of Grey (which they've also watched). Valerie and Helen are joined by sublime guest, Meghan Griffin for an uproarious and deserved ripping. Fall in love with Meghan now or get to know her better at any of her many delightful podcasts, Judging Book Covers Podcast, Fableulous Retelling Podcast, and A Handbook for Handbook for Mortals. *** expletive warning *** Falling in Love Montage podcast often embraces the freedom of profanity, however, a particular four-letter word comes up with fervent frequency and is used as a sub for every different part of speech, including the verb.