Comedy

The Greatest Beer Run Ever: Zac Efron, Part 5

Our Zac Efron retrospective series comes to a close with a brand new movie and a brand new jawline! This week, Documentary Now! writer/producer Matt Pacult joins Caroline and Ned to break down Zac's new AppleTV+ Vietnam War comedy, The Greatest Beer Run Ever. The trio also chat about the new look Zac debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival, his role as a brand ambassador for Kodiak Cakes pancake mix, and where they think his career might head next as he celebrates his 35th birthday this week.
You can follow Matt on Instagram (@mattpacult), and be sure to watch the new season of Documentary Now! on IFC and AMC+.
Our theme music was created by Patrick Budde, and our logo was designed by Nick Wanserski. You can also follow us on Twitter or Instagram (both @rolecalling) or email us at rolecalling@gmail.com.

Neighbors: Zac Efron, Part 3

Eight years after High School Musical, Zac Efron reinvented himself as the ultimate bro comedy star with 2014's Neighbors. But how did he do it? Caroline and Ned are here to find out as they dive into the era of Frat Efron!
From the lows of Baywatch and Dirty Grandpa to the highs of the Neighbors franchise, Caroline and Ned analyze the appeal of these raunchy comedies (and recount some of their best and worst jokes). Plus they try to figure out what these films have to say about Zac's own bro psychology.
Read the 2014 Hollywood Reporter interview we keep referencing in this episode
Our theme music was created by Patrick Budde, and our logo was designed by Nick Wanserski. You can also follow us on Twitter or Instagram (both @rolecalling) or email us at rolecalling@gmail.com.

Hairspray: Zac Efron, Part 2

Hey there, teenage Baltimore! Don't change that channel, 'cause it's time for the Role Calling podcast, brought to you by Ultra Clutch Hairspray!
After bursting onto the scene as an aughts teen heartthrob in High School Musical, Zac Efron got a chance to put his spin on a 1960s teen heartthrob too — in the 2007 movie musical Hairspray. How does his work as Link Larkin hold up today? And how does this movie as a whole hold up today? Caroline and Ned get into the good, the bad, and the John Travolta of it all in the latest installment of their "Zac Efron: Oops, All Musicals" series.
Watch Seth Rudetsky break down James Marsden's performance of "It's Hairspray" 
Our theme music was created by Patrick Budde, and our logo was designed by Nick Wanserski. You can also follow us on Twitter or Instagram (both @rolecalling) or email us at rolecalling@gmail.com.

Thor: Love and Thunder

This week, Ned and Caroline interrupt their Antonio Banderas series for a special bonus episode on Thor: Love and Thunder. Because Christian Bale has joined the MCU and that seems worth podcasting about! The hosts dive into all things Thor as they discuss Natalie Portman's return, Taika Waititi's comedic sensibilities, Chris Hemsworth's unexpectedly gentle performance, and the general state of Marvel Phase Four. Plus they debate how much Korg is too much Korg, and, of course, sing the praises of Bale's terrifying turn as Gorr the God Butcher.
You can read Caroline's full review of Thor: Love and Thunder
Our theme music was created by Patrick Budde, and our logo was designed by Nick Wanserski. You can also follow us on Twitter or Instagram (both @rolecalling) or email us at rolecalling@gmail.com.

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!: Antonio Banderas, Part 2

Before Antonio Banderas was a Hollywood icon, he was an early muse for Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar. And this week, Ned and Caroline look at all five of their 1980s collaborations, anchored by Antonio's sexy/scary turn as a kidnapper in 1989's Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! And since the hosts are very much novices when it comes to these films, there was only one person they could ask to guest on this episode: Noted Almodóvar expert and enthusiast Manish Mathur!
Together, the trio chat through films like Matador, Law of Desire and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Plus they hash out what makes Almodóvar such a special filmmaker and how he sees Antonio Banderas in a different way than Hollywood does.
You can follow Manish on Twitter (@vertigay314) and Letterboxd. And listen to his podcasts It Pod To Be You and Queer And Now — especially the episodes on Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! and Pain and Glory.
Our theme music was created by Patrick Budde, and our logo was designed by Nick Wanserski. You can also follow us on Twitter or Instagram (both @rolecalling) or email us at rolecalling@gmail.com.

You’ve Got Mail: Meg Ryan, Part 5

"I turn on my computer. I wait impatiently as it connects. I go online, and my breath catches in my chest until I hear three little words: You've got podcast."
This week, Caroline and Ned bring their Meg Ryan series to a close with the 1998 rom-com classic, You've Got Mail. The last in Ryan's trilogy of romances with both Tom Hanks and Nora Ephron, this one adapts a decades-old story for the AOL age. So how does it hold up today? And what happened to Meg Ryan after her '90s heyday? Ned and Caroline break it all down while raising one last toast to the rom-com queen herself.
Stuff we reference in this episode:
Caroline's column about You've Got Mail
Meg Ryan's 2019 interview with The New York Times
Meg Ryan's 2006 interview with Oprah
The 1990 People Magazine article about the Dennis/Meg breakup
Our theme music was created by Patrick Budde, and our logo was designed by Nick Wanserski. You can get in touch on Twitter (twitter.com/rolecalling) or email us at rolecalling@gmail.com.

Anastasia: Meg Ryan, Part 4

Once upon a December, Caroline and Ned were strangers, starting out on a journey, never dreaming how their dreams would come true. Now here they are, podcasting about Meg Ryan's voice performance in the much-loved (non-Disney) princess animated fairy tale, Anastasia.
To help them take this journey to the past, they enlist the expertise of Dr. Sam Summers (@samsummers0), animation academic and co-host of the excellent podcast Disniversity. The trio chat about the wild, weird career of director Don Bluth; the unique animation style of Anastasia; and, of course, the "cultural semiotics" of Meg Ryan's casting!
Listen to Disniversity wherever you get your podcasts (https://linktr.ee/disniversity), follow the show on Twitter (@Disniversity), and buy Sam's book, DreamWorks Animation: Intertextuality and Aesthetics in Shrek and Beyond.
Our theme music was created by Patrick Budde, and our logo was designed by Nick Wanserski. You can get in touch on Twitter (@rolecalling) or email us at rolecalling@gmail.com.

Sleepless In Seattle: Meg Ryan, Part 3

Volcano cult classics aside, Sleepless In Seattle is really the movie that made Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks an iconic rom-com duo — which is funny considering they only share one scene together! This week, Caroline and Ned look back on the feel-good '90s favorite that is low-key pretty high-concept. Plus they reveal how they've personally crossed paths with the Hanks family.
Our theme music was created by Patrick Budde, and our logo was designed by Nick Wanserski. You can get in touch on Twitter (twitter.com/rolecalling) or email us at rolecalling@gmail.com.

Joe Versus the Volcano: Meg Ryan, Part 2

Before Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks became a beloved rom-com couple in Sleepless In Seattle and You've Got Mail, they starred in the kooky adventure romance, Joe Versus the Volcano — a cult classic if there ever was one. This week, Caroline and Ned delve into this wackadoo little John Patrick Shanley movie, and sing the praises of not one but three separate Meg Ryan performances.
Our theme music was created by Patrick Budde, and our logo was designed by Nick Wanserski. You can get in touch on Twitter (twitter.com/rolecalling) or email us at rolecalling@gmail.com.

When Harry Met Sally: Meg Ryan, Part 1

What happens when a single film immediately makes you America's sweetheart? That's what Caroline and Ned plan to find out as they kick off 2022 by diving into the career of the rom-com queen herself, Meg Ryan. Not only did 1989's When Harry Met Sally make Ryan a star, it also inspired an entire renaissance in rom-com filmmaking. Ned and Caroline dig into what makes this timeless classic so good, sing the praises of Ryan's comedic timing, and try not to just quote every single iconic line from this all-timer romance.
Read Caroline's column about When Harry Met Sally (avclub.com/after-when-harry-met-sally-almost-every-rom-com-tried-1823690771)
Watch Rob Reiner and Nora Ephron discuss making the film (youtu.be/q5-j7K8Mbzk)
Our theme music was created by Patrick Budde, and our logo was designed by Nick Wanserski. You can get in touch on Twitter (twitter.com/rolecalling) or email us at rolecalling@gmail.com.