We became dads in 2013. The time available to watch films was restricted. So we've started a podcast to try and dedicate some time each week to catching up on films we've missed. As parents we are also subjected to some shows that our kids enjoy. We watch them too... We're starting out and learning…
The Bad Dads Film Review podcast is a hilarious and entertaining show that brings a unique twist to movie reviews. As fathers who may not have as much time or opportunity to indulge in their love for movies as they once did, the hosts offer a refreshing perspective on catching up with the latest films and TV shows. Their witty banter and natural chemistry make for an enjoyable listen, while their Top 5 segment adds an extra layer of fun to each episode. I especially appreciate that they not only review movies, but also dissect children's shows, providing valuable insights for fellow parents.
One of the best aspects of this podcast is the hosts' genuine passion for film. Their love for movies shines through in their discussions, and their stream of consciousness conversations feel organic and authentic. They have a knack for linking different topics together in a natural way while ensuring that the show keeps moving at a good pace. The back-and-forth banter between the hosts is consistently funny, keeping listeners engaged and entertained throughout.
Another positive aspect of this podcast is the two-movies-per-episode approach. By reviewing two completely different films in each episode, the hosts offer a diverse range of content and keep things interesting. This variety allows them to cover different genres and cater to different interests, ensuring there's something for everyone.
While it's hard to find any major faults with The Bad Dads Film Review podcast, one potential downside could be that their humor might not resonate with everyone. Comedy can be subjective, so some listeners may not find every joke or bit as funny as others do. However, this is more of a personal preference than an actual flaw with the show.
In conclusion, The Bad Dads Film Review podcast is an absolute gem for both movie buffs and parents alike. With their humorous take on movie reviews and insightful analysis of children's shows, the hosts bring a unique perspective to each episode. Their chemistry and comedic timing are top-notch, making for an entertaining and enjoyable listening experience. Whether you're a dad looking to catch up on the latest films or just someone who appreciates a good laugh, this podcast is definitely worth subscribing to.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!This week, the dads head into the mosh pit with Jeremy Saulnier's brutal, claustrophobic thriller Green Room — where a struggling punk band finds themselves trapped in a neo-Nazi club after witnessing a murder. It's one part siege movie, one part social horror, and all parts grim.When the Ain't Rights take a last-minute gig deep in Oregon's backwoods, they expect low pay and bad beer — not blood, dogs, machetes and Patrick Stewart as a terrifying skinhead ringleader. What follows is a night of panic, violence and duct-tape surgery, as the band fights to survive against an organised fascist militia who'd rather clean up witnesses than pay for another gig.We dig into:Punk authenticity — the grime, the DIY spirit, and how Saulnier nails the small-venue chaos.Patrick Stewart's casting — calm, chilling, and galaxies away from Captain Picard.Anton Yelchin's tragic final performance — and what a loss he was.Violence that hurts — no jump scares, just sudden, stomach-turning realism.The Nazi problem — why these villains feel horrifyingly believable in 2025.The A24 factor — another lean, mean indie proving the studio's knack for smart brutality.Elsewhere in the episode: ☕ The Top 5 Hot Drinks delivers peppermint tea, Dirty Harry's coffee, and more filth than a builder's thermos.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!The dads go full retro this week with The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, the 2007 documentary that turns arcade gaming into blood sport — complete with villains, underdogs, mullets, and enough ego to fill an entire arcade.In one corner: Billy Mitchell, hot-sauce magnate, self-styled all-American hero, and the reigning Donkey Kong world champion since 1982. In the other: Steve Wiebe, a laid-off family man from Seattle with a garage, a Donkey Kong cabinet, and an obsessive drive to finally be the best in the world at something.What starts as a light-hearted look at competitive gaming quickly spirals into a bizarre battle of pride, politics, and pixels. We dive into:
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!This week we celebrate the late, great Robert Redford the Bad Dads way: with a chaotic Top 5 Roberts and a deep dive into All the President's Men — the newsroom thriller where Redford and Dustin Hoffman painstakingly peel back Watergate until the whole presidency caves in. It's cigarettes, typewriters, and journalism that actually mattered.What we get intoRedford & Hoffman, peak charisma: why their odd-couple energy (and immaculate 70s fits) makes procedural journalism feel electric.The craft stuff: split-diopter shots, sound design that drowns phone calls in newsroom chaos, and that final typewriter barrage (“Nixon Resigns”) still landing like a gut punch.Truth vs. proof: editors wrestling with “we know it” versus “we can print it,” and why that tension hits even harder now.Deep Throat decoded: “follow the money,” the parking-garage paranoia, and how the film weaponises quiet dread.Top 5 Roberts (no De Niro, no Redford — house rules)We raid film, TV, music and pop culture for the best Bobs/Roberts/Robbies—from Sideshow Bob and Robert Englund to Robert Mitchum, Rob Reiner, Bob Odenkirk, Robert “Bob with bitch tits” Paulson, SpongeBob (Robert) Squarepants, and some gloriously fringe picks (RIP Rob Garrison, Cobra Kai's OG goon). Expect arguments, deep cuts, and at least one guided detour through Spinal Tap and King Crimson.The chaotic quiz: Redford or Red Ford (…or both)?Sidey springs a quiz where every answer is either Redford (the man) or red Ford (the car on screen). Cue confusion, Christine vs Cars, The Sting, All Is Lost, and a tricksy Winter Soldier “both” that broke brains and buzzers.Content note: swearing, savage tangents, and the occasional anatomical overshare. If you came for “balanced coverage,” you've wildly misread the brand.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!We don't usually double up on an actor, but when Robert Redford died at 89, it felt only right to go again. A true Hollywood legend — Butch Cassidy, The Sting, All the President's Men — Redford left us not just with an iconic filmography but also Sundance, a festival that gave countless indie movies a life. This week, we pay tribute by reviewing Indecent Proposal (1993).It's the one where a young, loved-up couple (Woody Harrelson and Demi Moore) are offered a cool million dollars by Redford's billionaire for one night with the wife. A sleazy premise? Absolutely. But it was a 90s cultural flashpoint that had everyone asking: what would you do?What we coverRedford as a twinkly-eyed predator — suave, charming, but pure sociopath energy.Woody Harrelson's “character growth” (spoiler: remembering to take his muddy shoes off the table).Demi Moore stuck as the literal bargaining chip between two men.Erotic sax solos, visible erections, and more money-on-the-bed shots than you can shake a hippo at.Why this could've been a sharp morality tale, but instead feels like a glossy objectification exercise.The cultural lens shift: what audiences excused in 1993 versus what plays as flat-out toxic today.As always, expect detours into visible erections, Michael Bay's slow-mo dice shots, hippos at auctions, Oliver Platt being a slimy lawyer, and whether we'd personally take the money (spoiler: the negotiations got weird).“Hard recommend? Hard pass? Or just Woody being… hard?”We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. If it hasn't been completely destroyed yet you can usually find us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review, on email at baddadsjsy@gmail.com or on our website baddadsfilm.com. Until next time, we remain... Bad Dads
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Jennifer Lawrence goes full-send comedy in No Hard Feelings, playing Maddie — a broke Montauk local hired by uptight parents to “de-awkward” their 19-year-old son before college. The setup's spicy, the execution's funnier than it has any right to be, and yes, we talk about that beach fight.What we dig intoJ-Law in chaos mode: fearless physical comedy, tight timing, and why this role works because it's her.Awkward vs. raunchy: does the film land its sweet/icky tightrope walk?Age-gap discourse without the sermon: how the script dodges creepiness and pivots to loneliness, class, and late adolescence.Set-pieces that actually bang: the piano “Maneater” scene, the “prom do-over,” the Buick-from-hell, and the naked beach mayhem.Montauk & money: gentrification, property taxes, and the gig-economy grind baked into the jokes.Verdict: better than its schlocky premise suggests — and a reminder Lawrence is funny on purpose.This week's Top 5: BREAKSWe stretch “breaks” until it snaps:Title breaks: Point Break, obviously.Bone/ballistic breaks: Chan, Cruise, Wick… and the arm-wrestle in The Fly.Wind breaks: Blazing Saddles, Swiss Army Man, Dumb & Dumber (bring your nose pegs).Fourth-wall breaks: Ferris Bueller, Deadpool, Wayne's World.Breakfasts & breakdowns: from Groundhog Day to Uncle Buck pancakes and the cinematic “dad's late for work” trope.Breakdancing: Breakin' and the all-timer subtitle, Electric Boogaloo.Prison breaks: Shawshank, Escape from Alcatraz, The Great Escape.The chaotic quiz (because of course)A rapid-fire “Breakdown” quiz that swerves mid-question — Kurt Russell lore, movies with bridges, snacks on road trips, and one wildly specific license-plate memory test. It almost doesn't work. That's the point.Listener shout-outsFeedback on our Top 5 Copies episode (clones, doubles, and Single White Female trauma) plus a few deep-cut recs from the Bad Dads community. We read 'em, we roast 'em, we add 'em.Content note: We swear. A lot. If you're new here, consider this your friendly heads-up.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!The dads are back in the mid-90s sweet spot with Breakdown (1997), a lean, relentless thriller starring Kurt Russell and his glorious Hollywood hair.Jeff (Russell) and his wife Amy (Kathleen Quinlan) are relocating cross-country when their Jeep suddenly dies in the middle of nowhere. A friendly trucker (the ever-sinister J.T. Walsh) offers Amy a lift to a nearby diner. She never arrives. What follows is a stripped-down race against time, as Jeff discovers he's stumbled into a gang's deadly scheme — and has to transform from nervous everyman to desperate action hero.We get into:Kurt Russell playing against type — less action hero, more anxious office guy (at least until the final reel).JT Walsh's masterclass in quiet menace.The film's meat-and-potatoes plotting: no fat, no filler, just pure tension.That massive finale, complete with a dangling truck, a fight to the death, and one of the all-time great overkill moments.Why films like this — simple setup, big stakes, 90 minutes — feel so rare today.It's part Duel, part The Vanishing, part pure 90s Saturday-night rental. Come for Kurt's hair, stay for the escalating paranoia and truck-crashing mayhem.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!This week the dads take a look at Copycat (1995), a mid-90s thriller that wants to be Silence of the Lambs but often ends up more made-for-TV movie. Sigourney Weaver stars as an agoraphobic psychologist dragged into a game of cat-and-mouse with a serial killer imitating history's most infamous murderers. Holly Hunter and Dermot Mulroney round out the cast, while Harry Connick Jr. chews the scenery as a crooning creep.In true Bad Dads style, we pull the film apart and ask:Does Copycat earn its place alongside the great psychological thrillers of the era, or is it just derivative drivel?Why are the cops so bad at protecting Weaver's supposedly “safe” apartment?How many times can a killer break in before you stop suspending disbelief?And was Sigourney right to say this was the performance she was most proud of?Alongside the movie, our Top 5 “copies” takes us everywhere from cloned astronauts and plagiarised authors to forged paintings, photocopied genitals, and questionable cover versions. We even put the lads through a brand-new quiz: Copy or Floppy (hint: it's exactly as puerile as it sounds).
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!This week the dads step into glamorous 1960s Europe with Blake Edwards' The Pink Panther (1963) — the first outing for Peter Sellers' bumbling Inspector Clouseau.For many of us, this was like watching it for the first time. Sure, we'd caught bits on Sunday TV over the years, but sitting down start-to-finish was a new experience — and a surprising one. Despite being branded a Clouseau movie, Sellers actually takes a back seat to David Niven's dashing jewel thief Sir Charles Lytton and Robert Wagner's playboy nephew George.We dig into:The film's mix of heist caper and sixties sex comedy — sometimes charming, sometimes painfully long.Sellers' scene-stealing slapstick: globes, violins, and his endless (and fruitless) attempts to seduce his wife.David Niven's unlikely role as a 50-something ladies' man — suave or just icky in hindsight?The technicolour glamour of Cortina ski resorts, high society parties, and that unforgettable animated title sequence.Whether The Pink Panther works better as a star vehicle for Niven/Wagner or as a platform for Sellers' Clouseau — and why the sequels got the balance right.It's long, it's dated, it's occasionally hilarious — and it launched one of cinema's most iconic comedy characters.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!South Korea. 1979. Forty days to an assassination. We dive into Woo Min-ho's icy political thriller The Man Standing Next — a gripping, true-events drama about KCIA director Kim Gyu-pyeong (played by Squid Game's Front Man, Lee Byung-hun) as he weighs loyalty, country, and a bullet.What the film's aboutAfter years in President Park Chung-hee's inner circle, Kim watches the regime harden: political purges, wiretaps, street crackdowns, and a rival enforcer (Chief Kwak) pushing for blood. When a former KCIA boss defects to the U.S. and threatens to publish a tell-all, the fuse is lit. The film tracks the 40 tense days that culminate in one of South Korea's most consequential nights.What we get into on the podPower, paranoia, and proximity: what it costs to be “the man standing next” to a dictator.The Washington angle: congressional testimony, ambassadors pulling strings, and how U.S. pressure shapes the endgame.That dinner sequence: whisky, insults, and a single decision that changes a nation.History vs. thriller: how the movie compresses real events without losing the knot-in-the-stomach tension.Performances & craft: Lee Byung-hun's controlled implosion, swaggering Kwak, crisp night photography (you can actually see it!), and the score's slow dread.The big themes: loyalty vs. survival, “order” vs. democracy, and why authoritarian systems eventually eat their own.Plus, our usual chaosA delightfully deranged Top 5 mash-up: Cowboys and Waiting Rooms (yes, really).A lightning-round quiz: “Korea or Career?” (parasites, broadcasters, pig-based corporate malfeasance — you had to be there).Should you watch the film first?We do reveal key plot points (including the ending), so if you want the full cinematic punch, watch first. If you're here for big ideas, sharp takes, and a few belly laughs, jump straight in.Why hit playIf you loved Parasite, A Taxi Driver, or political thrillers with teeth (Z, Zero Dark Thirty), this episode is squarely in your lane — part history lesson, part moral knot, all energy.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!This week the dads take on Mad to Be Normal (2017), a little-seen British drama starring David Tennant as the controversial Scottish psychiatrist R.D. Laing.Set in 1960s London, the film follows Laing's radical experiment at Kingsley Hall, where doctors and patients lived side by side without medication, shock therapy, or the heavy hand of institutional psychiatry. Instead, Laing championed empathy, conversation, and even LSD as pathways to healing — ideas that put him at odds with the medical establishment, but also made him a counter-cultural cult figure.The cast is strong: Tennant leads with manic charm, Elizabeth Moss plays Angie, a student who becomes both lover and anchor, Gabriel Byrne appears as troubled patient Jim, and Michael Gambon delivers a heart-breaking turn in one of the film's darkest storylines.We dive into:How Laing's philosophy blurred the line between therapy and chaos.Whether his commune was compassionate innovation or dangerous neglect.The tension between his devotion to patients and his neglect of family.A few jaw-dropping scenes that left us wondering how much was truth and how much was “dramatic licence.”It's a grim, sometimes ugly film — not a Friday-night crowd-pleaser — but it opens up fascinating questions about how mental health has been treated and misdiagnosed. The dads split on whether it's a strong recommend or just an interesting curio, but there's no denying Tennant's performance is electric.If you're curious about alternative psychiatry, or just want to see David Tennant playing a very different kind of doctor, give this one a look.We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. If it hasn't been completely destroyed yet you can usually find us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review, on email at baddadsjsy@gmail.com or on our website baddadsfilm.com. Until next time, we remain... Bad Dads
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!This week's episode is positively huge (and Hugh-filled).
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!This week, the Dads dust off their morning suits and dive into Richard Curtis' runaway hit Four Weddings and a Funeral. Mike Newell's rom-com was the film that turned Hugh Grant into floppy-haired royalty, introduced us to Andie MacDowell's enigmatic Carrie, and made swearing at alarm clocks a national pastime.We talk through all four weddings (and, yes, the funeral), unpacking:Hugh Grant's career-defining “stammering English gent” routine.Andie MacDowell's aloof American elegance — and the film's messy romance plot.Simon Callow's scene-stealing turn and the surprisingly poignant funeral sequence.Rowan Atkinson's gloriously bungled first wedding gig as Father Gerald.Whether Richard Curtis' world of posh English eccentrics really reflects Britain… or just what Americans want us to be.We also get into how the film became the highest-grossing British movie of its day, launched Hugh Grant's tabloid-fuelled celebrity arc, and why it still works (even if “Love Actually” does not).Expect swearing, and the usual Bad Dads blend of dodgy impressions, film geekery, and questionable life lessons.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!This week on Bad Dads Film Review, we double up on trouble (and laughs) with our Top 5 Twins before diving headfirst into Greta Gerwig's billion-dollar juggernaut Barbie.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!How do you film the unfilmable? That's the challenge at the heart of Michael Winterbottom's Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story, a delightfully meta take on Laurence Sterne's famously chaotic 18th-century novel The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman.In this week's episode, the Dads dive into a film that blurs every boundary — between adaptation and behind-the-scenes drama, between actor and character, and between self-awareness and outright parody. Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon play heightened versions of themselves, bickering over screen time, wardrobe choices, and (of course) who does the better impressions. Meanwhile, the “film within a film” takes us through absurd historical reenactments, disastrous prop work, and even a giant model womb.We talk about:Why Sterne's novel was considered “unfilmable” and how the movie leans into that chaos.The deliciously petty dynamic between Coogan and Brydon, and how it later set the stage for The Trip.Cameos from British comedy royalty — Stephen Fry, Dylan Moran, Mark Williams, David Walliams, and more.How the movie juggles philosophical musings, slapstick humour, and industry satire — sometimes all in the same scene.Whether the film is more fun to watch or to talk about.It's part literary experiment, part farce, and part therapy session for Steve Coogan's fragile ego. And while Tristram Shandy might not be everyone's cup of tea, there's plenty to chew on — from postmodern storytelling to the sheer joy of watching talented comedians spark off each other.If you've ever enjoyed The Trip, love films about filmmaking, or just want to hear us wrestle with a movie that refuses to play by the rules, this is an episode you won't want to miss.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This week we're crunching numbers, making shady deals, and talking shop with our Top 5 Businesses in film and TV before heading to the Costa del Crime for our main feature — The Business (2005), a slick, sun-drenched British crime drama from Nick Love.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This week we're donning our Ray-Bans, sliding across the living room floor, and revisiting the film that launched Tom Cruise into superstardom — Risky Business (1983). Equal parts coming-of-age comedy, satire, and cautionary tale, it's a movie that defined a certain brand of 80s cool while slyly critiquing the era's obsession with wealth and success.Directed by Paul Brickman, Risky Business follows Joel Goodson (Tom Cruise), a high-achieving Chicago high school student left home alone while his parents are away. Initially envisioning a week of harmless fun, things spiral after a night with call girl Lana (Rebecca De Mornay) leads Joel into a world of escalating consequences, entrepreneurial schemes, and moral compromises.What begins as a teenage fantasy of freedom and rebellion becomes a sharply observed journey into adulthood — and a satire of the “make it big” mentality that fuelled the 80s.While it has that glossy 80s comedy appeal, Risky Business is far smarter and more cynical than it first appears. It's one of those films that teenage audiences might take at face value as a tale of freedom and rebellion, but adults will recognise as a sharp social critique. That said, it's very much an R-rated outing — so maybe not one for family movie night.In the end, Risky Business is more than just a star-making turn for Tom Cruise. It's a stylish, clever, and surprisingly subversive look at ambition, temptation, and the thin line between opportunity and exploitation.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This week we're diving deep into the underworld of cinematic mentorship and criminal patronage with our Top 5 Godfathers (but no, not that Godfather), followed by a look at Jacques Audiard's powerful crime drama, A Prophet (2009). Grit, transformation, and the shadows of paternal influence are the order of the day.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This week we're heading back to the early 2000s with Paid in Full (2002), a gritty street-level crime drama from director Charles Stone III, which dives deep into the Harlem drug scene of the 1980s. The film stars Wood Harris, Mekhi Phifer, and rapper Cam'ron in a fictionalised take on the lives of real-life hustlers Azie Faison, Rich Porter, and Alpo Martinez.Wood Harris plays Ace, a quiet, hardworking laundromat employee who tries to avoid the street life. That is, until he stumbles upon a stash of drugs in a customer's laundry and finds himself slowly drawn into the world of dealing. His best friend Mitch (Mekhi Phifer), already a big name in the game, welcomes him into the fold, and together with the unpredictable Rico (Cam'ron), the trio builds a lucrative operation that soon brings wealth, respect… and serious danger.What begins as a tale of brotherhood and ambition quickly spirals into a cautionary tale of greed, betrayal, and the brutal realities of life on the street. Ace rises through the ranks with a calm, business-like approach to dealing, but as Mitch faces personal tragedy and Rico's recklessness increases, their empire begins to crack from within. It's a familiar arc in the world of crime dramas, but Paid in Full plays it with enough emotional sincerity and cultural specificity to leave a lasting impression.This one's not for the kids – it's a tough, streetwise film with moments of graphic violence and drug use. But for adult viewers, particularly fans of urban dramas or those who grew up during the golden age of hip-hop, Paid in Full offers a layered and sobering perspective on the rise-and-fall crime narrative.Whether you're revisiting it or watching it for the first time, Paid in Full still resonates. It's a stark reminder that behind the glamour of the drug game lies tragedy, and that the streets don't let go easily.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This week, we're blowing out the candles and unwrapping a nostalgia-packed episode with our Top 5 Birthdays in Film and TV, followed by a dive into Happy Gilmore 2 — the long-awaited, fan-service sequel to Adam Sandler's 1996 cult classic. Spoiler alert: it's still not about the golf.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This week, we saddle up for a gritty supernatural western as we take on Clint Eastwood's High Plains Drifter — a film that's equal parts revenge tale, eerie morality play, and genre deconstruction. With Eastwood both in the saddle and behind the camera, this one takes the dusty tropes of the western and coats them in something much darker.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This week, we're doing something a little different in honour of Cris's birthday – and what better way to celebrate than by diving into a handpicked selection of actors whose careers, films, or sheer star quality connect (tenuously or not) to our resident birthday boy. There's no Top 5 this time around – instead, it's all about Helen Mirren, Kate Beckinsale, Kevin Spacey, Jason Statham, and Sandra Bullock, with a war film classic anchoring the episode: Full Metal Jacket.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This week we're trading bullets for custard pies and gangsters for tap-dancing tweens as we revisit Alan Parker's delightfully eccentric musical comedy Bugsy Malone (1976). It's a film that plays like a Prohibition-era crime saga — if it were directed by Roald Dahl and cast entirely with children.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This week we're taking a tumble — both literally and metaphorically — as we break down our Top 5 Falls in Movies and TV, followed by a closer look at the slow-burning, Palme d'Or-winning courtroom drama Anatomy of a Fall. No kids' section this time around — just a lot of bodies hitting the floor (sometimes figuratively).
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This week we're hanging off helicopters, sprinting across rooftops, and disarming nuclear bombs with the pulse-pounding Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018). Strap in as we break down the sixth entry in the franchise that somehow keeps getting better with age — just like Tom Cruise's running form.Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, Fallout is a masterclass in high-octane action, espionage, and what happens when your best-laid plans go completely off the rails. Picking up where Rogue Nation left off, the film follows IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) as he races to recover stolen plutonium and prevent a global catastrophe, all while being shadowed by CIA operative August Walker (a moustachioed Henry Cavill in full-blown hammer-mode).Mission: Impossible – Fallout is everything you want from a blockbuster: smart, stylish, and absurdly entertaining. It's the kind of movie that reminds you why the cinema was invented — big screen thrills, practical effects, and heroes just trying to do the right thing, even when the odds are impossible.Perfect for older teens and up, it's a great gateway to the M:I franchise or a highlight for returning fans. Just be warned — you may find yourself trying to reload your arms like Cavill afterwards.An action film operating at the absolute peak of its powers, Fallout proves that this franchise isn't slowing down anytime soon. In fact, it might just be the best of the bunch.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This week's episode packs a punch as we dive into Top 5 Juniors in Movies and TV, followed by a deep dive into the intense war thriller Warfare (2025). No kids' TV show this week — we're keeping it strictly grown-up.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This week, we're stepping into the ring with Hands of Stone (2016), the boxing biopic that tells the story of legendary Panamanian fighter Roberto Durán.Directed by Jonathan Jakubowicz, Hands of Stone chronicles the life and career of Roberto Durán, one of boxing's most iconic and ferocious competitors. The film stars Édgar Ramírez as Durán, delivering a fiery performance that captures both his aggressive fighting style and his turbulent personal life. Robert De Niro plays legendary trainer Ray Arcel, bringing a more restrained, mentor-like energy to balance the film's intensity.The movie charts Durán's rise from a poverty-stricken childhood in Panama to becoming a world champion, with his infamous 1980 "No Más" fight against Sugar Ray Leonard (played by Usher Raymond) serving as the emotional and narrative centerpiece. Alongside the boxing drama, Hands of Stone explores themes of national pride, personal redemption, and the costs of fame.Robert De Niro, no stranger to boxing films after Raging Bull, plays Arcel with quiet wisdom. His scenes with Ramírez are a highlight, exploring the mentor-protégé dynamic with subtlety.While Hands of Stone doesn't reinvent the boxing biopic, it hits many satisfying beats. It's a film about second chances, pride, and perseverance — all wrapped in some bruising fight scenes. Édgar Ramírez gives a passionate, physical performance, and De Niro's presence lends the film extra gravitas.Some of the storytelling can feel a bit formulaic, and it occasionally leans too heavily on sports movie clichés, but for fans of boxing dramas, it delivers plenty of punches — both literal and emotional.Join us in the episode as we discuss Durán's legacy, the art of the boxing biopic, and whether this one truly goes the distance.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review, where this week we're ticking all the right boxes with our Top 5 Watches in film and TV. From time-stopping devices to classic wrist candy, we're delving into the chronometers that do more than just tell time.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Groovy, baby! Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review, where this week we're throwing on our crushed velvet, dialling up the mojo, and time-traveling back to the swinging '60s with Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997). Directed by Jay Roach and written by (and starring) Mike Myers, this outrageous spy spoof remains one of the most quotable and culturally impactful comedies of the ‘90s.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This week we're embracing all things angular, round, and abstract with our Top 5 Shapes in Movies & TV, diving into Ruben Östlund's Triangle of Sadness, and finishing up with a charming kids' pick: Shape Island. It's geometry, but make it cinematic.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This week, we're descending into the mind-bending, minimalist sci-fi thriller that is Cube (1997). A cult favourite from Canadian director Vincenzo Natali, this low-budget psychological puzzle box is as disorienting and claustrophobic as it is thought-provoking.Cube begins in medias res: a group of strangers wakes up in a strange, sterile room with hatches on all six sides. Each door leads to another nearly identical room—some are safe, others are lethal traps. No one knows how or why they're there. The group includes a cop, a doctor, an escape artist, a math whiz, a paranoid conspiracy theorist, and an autistic man with extraordinary numerical abilities.What unfolds is part escape room, part social experiment, as they try to survive—and escape—the Cube.Cube is rich in metaphor and minimal in exposition. It avoids explaining who built the structure or why, focusing instead on how ordinary people behave under extreme pressure. As the group's dynamic shifts, alliances form and collapse, revealing how quickly fear and distrust take hold.The traps are inventive (acid spray, wire slicing, sound-activated death rooms), but the real tension comes from the breakdown of civility and the slow unravelling of each character's psyche. The cube itself becomes a symbol of bureaucracy, control, and the meaningless complexity of modern systems.And the maths—there's a lot of maths. Prime numbers, Cartesian coordinates, permutations. It's as if Saw, Waiting for Godot, and a high school algebra textbook all collided.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This week we're spinning in circles—in the best possible way—with our Top 5 Loops in film and television. Whether they're time loops, narrative loops, or just delightfully circular plot structures, these stories keep us guessing and coming back for more. We're also checking out Armando Iannucci's razor-sharp satire In The Loop and revisiting the chronologically chaotic world of Power Rangers Time Force.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This week, we're bending time, smashing starships, and looping through one of the most mind-bending episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 5, Episode 18 – "Cause and Effect". It's a perfect example of how sci-fi can take a deceptively simple concept—what if you're stuck in a time loop?—and turn it into a suspenseful, clever, and surprisingly rewatchable piece of television.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This week's episode is all about singularity, identity, and what it means to be “the one.” We kick things off with our Top 5 'Ones' in film and TV, followed by a look at the emotionally complex Murderbot Diaries adaptation, and we round things out with the plucky preschool heroine Ridley Jones.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This week, we're jumping into the gritty, morally murky corner of the galaxy far, far away with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), the first of Disney's standalone Star Wars films and one that dares to tell a story where the Force doesn't offer easy answers—and not everyone gets out alive.Directed by Gareth Edwards, Rogue One is set just before the events of A New Hope and follows Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), the daughter of Imperial scientist Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen), who's coerced into building the Death Star. Recruited by the Rebel Alliance, Jyn finds herself at the heart of a desperate mission to steal the plans for the Empire's terrifying superweapon.What sets Rogue One apart is its tone—it's a war film through and through. There's mud, sacrifice, and a real sense of stakes. The ensemble cast includes Diego Luna as the morally grey rebel Cassian Andor, Donnie Yen as the Force-believing monk Chirrut Îmwe, Alan Tudyk voicing the reprogrammed Imperial droid K-2SO (a scene-stealer), and Ben Mendelsohn as the deeply petty but brilliantly acted villain Director Krennic.This isn't about Jedi or chosen ones. It's about regular people—fighters, spies, defectors, believers—laying down their lives for a cause they believe in, even if they won't live to see the outcome. That emotional weight gives the film a grounded, bittersweet tone that feels distinct within the Star Wars universe.Visually, Edwards brings a tactile realism to the film. The final battle on Scarif is one of the franchise's most spectacular sequences—land, sea, and space warfare colliding in chaos. And of course, there's that final hallway scene with Darth Vader, a terrifying, unforgettable burst of fan service done right.For those who've ever wondered what it really took to get the Death Star plans into Leia's hands, Rogue One answers with a powerful, self-contained story that expands the mythology while standing firmly on its own. It's bold, emotional, and a little darker than you might expect from a Star Wars film—which is exactly why we love it.This one's for the rebels.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This week, we're sinking into the beautifully awkward and emotionally layered world of The Graduate (1967), a landmark in American cinema that captured the confusion and alienation of a generation—and still resonates today.Directed by Mike Nichols and based on Charles Webb's novel, The Graduate stars a breakout Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin Braddock, a recent college graduate adrift in a sea of expectations, ennui, and passive-aggressive dinner parties. Returning home to California, Ben finds himself stuck in a well-off suburban limbo, unsure of what to do with his future and utterly disconnected from the adults around him.Enter Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), the wife of his father's business partner and one of the most iconic seductresses in film history. Their affair is sultry, weirdly funny, and shot through with a tragic edge that gives the film its unique tone—equal parts satire, drama, and coming-of-age fable. Complications multiply when Ben falls for Mrs. Robinson's daughter Elaine (Katharine Ross), throwing everyone's lives into romantic chaos and sparking a messy, impulsive pursuit that culminates in one of the most famous closing shots in cinema history.Visually, The Graduate is striking—Nichols' inventive use of framing, reflections, and slow dissolves elevates the emotional subtext, and Simon & Garfunkel's folk-heavy soundtrack ("The Sound of Silence", "Mrs. Robinson") lingers in your head long after the credits roll. The music doesn't just underscore the scenes—it becomes a character in itself, echoing Benjamin's alienation and longing.But what really makes The Graduate endure is its tonal complexity. It's satirical, yes, but also melancholic. Benjamin isn't a traditional hero; he's self-absorbed, indecisive, and often unlikeable. Yet in that uncertainty lies the film's power—it taps into that restless moment between adolescence and adulthood where everything feels hollow, and rebellion can look like love, lust, or simply running away.Is the ending romantic or despairing? Is Benjamin a rebel or just another aimless rich kid? The Graduate leaves space for interpretation, and that ambiguity is what keeps it feeling alive, even decades later.So whether you're watching for the sharp dialogue, the iconic performances, or just to see Dustin Hoffman awkwardly floating in a pool of existential dread—this one's a classic for a reason.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This week, we're diving headfirst into the chaotic, outrageous, and undeniably quotable world of Wedding Crashers (2005), a film that helped define mid-2000s comedy with its mix of raunch, romance, and relentless party energy.Directed by David Dobkin, the film stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn as John and Jeremy—divorce mediators by day and professional wedding crashers by night. Their philosophy? Weddings are the perfect place to score free food, drinks, and flings, all while soaking up the joyful atmosphere and dancing with old ladies.Everything changes when the pair infiltrates a high-profile political wedding hosted by the powerful Cleary family. What begins as another con turns unexpectedly sincere when John falls for Claire Cleary (played by Rachel McAdams), throwing a wrench into the duo's longstanding bro-code. Meanwhile, Jeremy finds himself entangled in a wildly unhinged relationship with Claire's aggressively forward sister Gloria (Isla Fisher), leading to one of the film's most memorable comedic arcs.The movie thrives on the chemistry between Vaughn and Wilson, with Vaughn delivering mile-a-minute riffs and Wilson grounding the story with unexpected romantic sincerity. It's a perfect example of the era's “man-child comedy” formula: crude jokes balanced by a sentimental core and a redemptive character arc.But let's be honest—Wedding Crashers hasn't aged entirely gracefully. Some of its attitudes toward dating, gender roles, and consent feel uncomfortable through a modern lens, and the film's relentless pursuit of laughs sometimes comes at the expense of taste. That said, it still delivers big on energy, memorable one-liners, and the sheer absurdity of the crash-and-burn lifestyle.Also: shoutout to Bradley Cooper as the smarmy villainous boyfriend and Christopher Walken doing his usual weird brilliance as the Cleary patriarch. Plus, the film's surprise cameo in the third act is still one of the all-time great rom-com twists.Ultimately, Wedding Crashers remains a significant entry in the bro-comedy canon—problematic in parts, yes, but undeniably influential and still packed with crowd-pleasing laughs. Whether you're in it for the romance or the ridiculousness, there's plenty to talk about.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This week we're dusting off our ruffled shirts and setting our time machines to the 1980s as we revisit The Wedding Singer (1998), a rom-com that's equal parts sweet, silly, and synth-soaked.Directed by Frank Coraci and starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, this nostalgic crowd-pleaser finds Sandler in perhaps his most charming role as Robbie Hart, a down-on-his-luck wedding singer trying to recover from heartbreak. After being jilted at the altar, Robbie befriends Julia (Barrymore), a waitress engaged to a Grade-A sleazeball, and the two strike up a will-they-won't-they friendship filled with awkward moments, big hair, and a killer retro soundtrack.The Wedding Singer balances slapstick with sincerity and is elevated by the natural chemistry between its leads. Barrymore's sweetness softens Sandler's usual chaos, making for a genuinely endearing romantic pairing. And let's not forget Christine Taylor, Steve Buscemi's brilliant drunken best man speech, and Billy Idol playing himself in one of the most gloriously absurd plane-based finales ever filmed.The movie also serves as a love letter to the 1980s, cramming in everything from breakdancing to New Wave fashion to Wall Street-era villainy. It's unashamedly sentimental, but also knowingly daft—like a mixtape of cheesy love songs and punchy jokes that somehow hits all the right notes.Whether you grew up in the ‘80s or just wish you had, The Wedding Singer delivers that warm, fuzzy vibe that makes it ideal for rewatching with mates—or maybe even at a wedding.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review, where this week we're going full rom-com with a film that brings swagger, charm, and a surprisingly heartfelt message to the genre: Hitch (2005).Directed by Andy Tennant and starring Will Smith in peak smooth-talking form, Hitch follows Alex “Hitch” Hitchens, a professional dating consultant known as the “Date Doctor.” His job? Helping awkward men win over the women of their dreams. His golden rule? No tricks, just helping guys be the best version of themselves. But when Hitch meets his match in cynical gossip columnist Sara Melas (played by Eva Mendes), he quickly discovers that love isn't something you can plan—or dodge.Alongside the central romance, the film pairs Kevin James and Amber Valletta in a charmingly awkward subplot where Hitch tries to coach James' character, Albert, into wooing a high-powered heiress. The physical comedy here is excellent, and James' earnestness offers a perfect counterpoint to Smith's practiced cool.What sets Hitch apart from other rom-coms of its era is its big-hearted message: behind every confident exterior, there's vulnerability, and real connection comes from authenticity. It's stylish, funny, and doesn't take itself too seriously—but still manages to land some surprisingly sincere moments.Will Smith brings effortless charisma, but it's the ensemble that makes the film tick, and its breezy pacing keeps the whole thing light and engaging. Hitch might be formulaic in structure, but it sticks the landing thanks to strong performances and a script that knows when to wink and when to swoon.Perfect for a date night, guilty pleasure viewing, or just remembering when rom-coms had swagger and sincerity in equal measure.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review, where things get a little surreal this week as we juggle fire-eaters, human oddities, and digital freakshows in our Top 5 Circuses in Film and TV. We also run away to the big top with Guillermo del Toro's noir thriller Nightmare Alley, and finish with the technicolour brain-melt that is The Amazing Digital Circus.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This week, we travel back to the shadowy underworld of post-revolutionary France with The Emperor of Paris (2018), a gritty historical crime drama that combines lavish period detail with pulpy intrigue and one of France's most infamous figures—Eugène-François Vidocq.Directed by Jean-François Richet (Mesrine), The Emperor of Paris stars Vincent Cassel as Vidocq, a real-life criminal turned detective who forged a remarkable path from the depths of prison to become the head of France's first modern detective agency. This cinematic retelling dramatizes his journey as he battles both the criminal underworld he once ruled and the powerful institutions that mistrust his redemption.The film excels in its production design, immersing viewers in the dank alleys, foggy courtyards, and grand salons of Napoleonic Paris. The costumes, sets, and atmosphere evoke an oppressive, corrupt society where everyone's wearing a mask—metaphorically, if not literally.Cassel brings gravitas and grit to the role of Vidocq, portraying him not as a clean-cut hero but a deeply flawed, resourceful survivor—a man at constant war with his past and those who'd rather see him dead than reformed.Why It Stands OutVincent Cassel is magnetic as ever, anchoring the film with intensity and quiet menace.The action sequences—knife fights in narrow passageways, rooftop chases, and prison breaks—are shot with stylish energy.It explores themes of identity, reputation, and redemption, questioning whether a man can ever truly escape his past.A Dad's TakeIf you like your period dramas with more grime than gloss, The Emperor of Paris delivers. It's a fascinating look at a real historical figure who straddled both sides of the law. Think Les Misérables with less singing and more stabbing. Not quite a family watch—but definitely one for fans of moody, slow-burn crime epics.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review, where this week we slither into our Top 5 Snakes in movies and TV, and shed our skins with two slinky features: the gritty 2023 Hong Kong action flick The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon, and a far more family-friendly offering in Patchwork Pals.Top 5 Snakes in Film & TVKaa – The Jungle Book (1967/2016) Hypnotic eyes, silky voice, and a penchant for wrapping himself around unsuspecting jungle creatures—Kaa is the ultimate slithering villain. Whether voiced by Sterling Holloway or Scarlett Johansson, he leaves a lasting impression.Nagini – Harry Potter series Voldemort's devoted reptilian sidekick and eventual Horcrux, Nagini is both a terrifying presence and a tragic figure with a deeper backstory revealed in Fantastic Beasts.Snake Plissken – Escape from New York (1981) OK, not a literal snake—but Kurt Russell's eye-patched anti-hero is too iconic to leave off. He's venomous in attitude if not species.The Basilisk – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) A giant snake living in Hogwarts' plumbing system? Sure. Just don't look it in the eyes.Sir Hiss – Disney's Robin Hood (1973) This snooty, sycophantic serpent floats around in a basket and gets on everyone's nerves—just the sort of snake you love to hiss at.Main Feature: The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon (2023)Directed by Wong Ching-po, this brutal neo-noir action thriller tells the story of Mok, a terminally ill gangster who finds out he has only days to live. With nothing left to lose, he sets out on a violent spree to go out in a blaze of infamy. But as his legend grows, so does the bounty on his head—and he becomes prey for a series of contract killers with styles as flamboyant as they are deadly.With its hyper-stylized violence, morally bankrupt characters, and pitch-black humour, this one is not for the faint of heart. It's a fever dream of bloodshed, masculinity, and fatalism, with moments that almost border on the surreal. The action choreography is tight, the visuals are stylish, and the tone walks a fine line between grindhouse and art film. There are snakes here—not just the metaphorical kind—and they're not easy to charm.Kids TV: Patchwork PalsIn need of something to balance out the darkness? Enter Patchwork Pals, the gentle animated show aimed at preschoolers. Each short episode centres on a different soft toy animal who has a problem—and must find a creative, cooperative solution. The snake in Patchwork Pals is a colourful, friendly creature who isn't scary at all—just a bit stuck and in need of help from their pals.Wholesome, sweet, and ideal for very young viewers, it's the kind of thing that soothes minds and teaches emotional intelligence, problem-solving, and kindness.Whether you're charmed or chilled, this week's show is full of bite.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review, where this week we tackle one of the more provocative and unexpected Southern dramas of the 2000s: Black Snake Moan. Directed by Craig Brewer (coming off the back of Hustle & Flow), this 2006 film is a steamy, blues-soaked morality tale that's equal parts sweaty melodrama, redemption story, and twisted fairy tale.Set in the heat-hazed Deep South, the film centres around Lazarus (Samuel L. Jackson), a recently heartbroken, God-fearing bluesman trying to make sense of his life after his wife leaves him. One morning he discovers Rae (Christina Ricci), a beaten, half-naked young woman, lying unconscious on the roadside outside his home.Rae, it turns out, is in the grip of a destructive form of hypersexuality, fuelled by childhood trauma and exacerbated by the departure of her boyfriend Ronnie (Justin Timberlake), who's been sent off to the military. Convinced that he's been given a sign from God, Lazarus decides to "cure" Rae of her demons—by chaining her to his radiator and keeping her indoors until she's healed.Yes, you read that right. Samuel L. Jackson gives one of his more underrated performances here, dialling down the swagger and leaning into quiet intensity. Christina Ricci is absolutely fearless—vulnerable, unhinged, and magnetic. Together, their dynamic is unpredictable and uncomfortable, but strangely compelling.Black Snake Moan is not one for a casual Friday night with the kids. It's adult in every sense—narratively, thematically, and visually. But for those looking for a film that gets under the skin, challenges moral assumptions, and leans into some serious swampy weirdness, it's worth the plunge.It's also a rare thing: a redemption story that's not afraid to be messy, ambiguous, and morally murky. You might not love it, but you probably won't forget it.Like the blues songs it honours, Black Snake Moan is raw, aching, and full of contradictions. It's about broken people trying to find healing in a world that doesn't offer easy answers. Misunderstood by some, championed by others, it's a film that howls with pain but hums with strange hope.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review, where this week we're dusting off the golf clubs and heading to the green for one of Adam Sandler's most beloved and chaotic comedies: Happy Gilmore. Directed by Dennis Dugan and released in 1996, this sports-comedy cult classic swings hard with juvenile gags, unexpected heart, and more fistfights than you'd ever expect in a golf movie.Happy Gilmore (Sandler) is a failed hockey player with a temper problem and a surprisingly powerful slapshot. After discovering that his unique (and deeply unorthodox) swing can drive a golf ball the length of a football field, he stumbles into the PGA tour—not out of love for the sport, but to raise money to save his beloved grandmother's house from foreclosure.But golf, as it turns out, is full of smug pros, snooty country clubs, and unspoken rules. Happy's arrival—complete with loud trousers, foul language, and literal wrestling moves—ruffles feathers, especially with tour golden boy Shooter McGavin (a scene-stealing Christopher McDonald), who quickly becomes Happy's nemesis.With the help of former pro Chubbs Peterson (Carl Weathers, complete with a wooden hand) and love interest/publicist Virginia Venit (Julie Bowen), Happy sets out to conquer golf in his own anarchic way. There's also an unforgettable appearance from Bob Barker—yes, that Bob Barker—in one of the most unexpected and hilarious cameos in movie history.Happy Gilmore is probably best suited to older kids and teens thanks to the language and violence (including a man being hit by a Volkswagen and another being mauled by an alligator). But for grown-up kids of the '90s, it's a nostalgic gem that still delivers laughs—often in spite of itself.It's not highbrow, it's not subtle, and it's certainly not refined, but it knows exactly what it is: a hilarious, scrappy underdog sports comedy with a foul mouth and a huge heart.Happy Gilmore is loud, juvenile, and a little bit stupid—and that's exactly why it works. It's a goofy celebration of doing things your own way, sticking it to pompous gatekeepers, and punching your way to success… even on the golf course. Fore! ⛳️
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review, where this week we take the red pill and tumble down the rabbit hole into the genre-defining cyberpunk classic that is The Matrix (1999). Prepare for slow-mo shootouts, existential dread, and the most influential sunglasses in cinema history.Written and directed by the Wachowskis, The Matrix dropped like a black-leather-clad bomb on the sci-fi landscape in 1999 and changed the game forever. Keanu Reeves stars as Neo, a disillusioned computer hacker who learns that his reality is a simulated construct designed by sentient machines to subjugate humanity. Waking up to the "real world" — a dystopian nightmare where humans are harvested for energy — Neo is recruited by the mysterious Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and the fiercely cool Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) to help fight back.The plot may be straight out of a philosophy seminar, but it's delivered with style, intensity, and more bullet-time than you can dodge.It turns out the dads still know kung fu. Revisiting The Matrix was a treat — we all had memories of our minds being blown by it the first time around, and it's still astonishing how well it holds up. While the sequels sparked debate, this original entry is tight, clever, and endlessly entertaining. A particular highlight was rediscovering how well the film balances its heady concepts with genuine emotion and momentum.We couldn't help but chuckle at the turn-of-the-millennium cool factor, but there's no denying that The Matrix still feels cool — and crucially, smart. It walks the line between popcorn blockbuster and brainy thriller with serious finesse.The Matrix remains one of the most influential films of the last 30 years. It changed action cinema, reshaped science fiction, and made philosophy sexy — all while kicking ass in slow motion. Whether you're here for the kung fu, the coding metaphors, or just to watch Agent Smith get punched in the face, there's always a reason to plug back in.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review, where this week we lock, stock, and double-tap our way into the gloriously over-the-top world of Hot Fuzz (2007), the second film in Edgar Wright's beloved Cornetto Trilogy. With an outrageous body count and a razor-sharp script, it's a love letter to action movies — by way of twee English village life.Directed by Edgar Wright and written by Wright and Simon Pegg, Hot Fuzz stars Simon Pegg as Nicholas Angel, a no-nonsense London supercop who's so good at his job that he's making everyone else look bad. As a result, he's reassigned to the sleepy village of Sandford, where crime seems suspiciously low — and the residents suspiciously Stepford.Teamed up with the bumbling but big-hearted PC Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), Angel initially struggles with Sandford's slower pace — until a series of grisly “accidents” reveals something darker lurking beneath the surface. Cue a rampage of pensioners, hidden agendas, and a spectacular finale with more gunfire than the M25 at rush hour.This is one we could all agree on: Hot Fuzz is a near-perfect comedy that rewards repeat viewings. It's cleverly constructed, endlessly quotable (“The greater good!”), and absolutely packed with details that make it a joy to dissect. Whether you're a fan of action movies, British humour, or seeing Timothy Dalton with a smug smile and a hedge trimmer, there's something here for you.Hot Fuzz takes the quiet menace of rural England and sets it ablaze with blockbuster spectacle and sharp comedy. It's both homage and original, firing on all cylinders from start to finish. If you like your action with a side of Bakewell tart and local shop for local people energy, this one's a must-watch.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review, where this week we take a look at the explosive and controversial biopic Machine Gun Preacher (2011), directed by Marc Forster and starring Gerard Butler. It's the story of one man's radical transformation from violent criminal to war-zone humanitarian — and yes, it's exactly as subtle as it sounds.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review, where this week we're taking a neon-lit, blood-soaked trip through the moody underworld of Bangkok with Nicolas Winding Refn's Only God Forgives (2013). If you thought Drive was a stylish slow burn, this one cranks up the stillness, strips back the dialogue, and drops you into a hallucinatory revenge opera that's equal parts mesmerizing and maddening.Ryan Gosling stars as Julian, a quiet, emotionally blank drug smuggler running a Muay Thai gym as a front in Bangkok. When his volatile brother Billy is murdered for committing an unspeakable crime, their monstrous mother Crystal (Kristin Scott Thomas) arrives in town demanding vengeance. Julian is reluctantly pulled into a spiral of violence and surreal symbolism, facing off against Chang (Vithaya Pansringarm), a sword-wielding police lieutenant who dispenses his own brutal, godlike justice. Refn drenches the screen in glowing reds and deep shadows, pairing every scene with an eerie, droning score from Cliff Martinez. The film is light on plot and even lighter on dialogue—Gosling speaks fewer than 20 lines—but the atmosphere is thick enough to cut with a katana.Only God Forgives is a fever dream of a film—icy cold yet visually scorching. It's like a revenge thriller that's been put through a Lynchian blender, leaving behind a hushed, haunted meditation on masculinity, vengeance, and judgement. If you want action, go elsewhere. If you want mood and madness, step right in.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This week, we're diving whiskers-first into the utterly bonkers, wildly inventive indie oddity that is Hundreds of Beavers — a film that may be about trapping furry woodland critters but ends up capturing something much rarer: pure, anarchic cinematic joy.Directed by Mike Cheslik and starring frequent collaborator Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, Hundreds of Beavers is a near-silent, black-and-white slapstick adventure set in a surreal 19th-century frontier. It follows a hapless, hard-drinking applejack salesman (Tews) who finds himself stranded in a snowy wilderness and must learn the ways of the wild—specifically how to trap beavers—in order to survive, thrive, and maybe even win the heart of a fur trader's daughter.What makes this film stand out isn't just its lo-fi commitment to absurdity—it's the hand-crafted world of practical effects, person-in-costume beavers, and cartoon physics that turn it into a live-action Looney Tunes episode by way of Buster Keaton.
You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This episode swings open some metaphorical and literal portals as we explore our Top 5 Gates in film and TV, take aim with the tense WWII drama Enemy at the Gates, and finish off with an animated sci-fi detour through Stargate Infinity.