194 - Pt. 2 - Jerry Maguire (RT)

You could make an argument that none of the players involved in JERRY MAGUIRE have ever been better. Tom Cruise, Renée Zellweger, Cuba Gooding Jr., Cameron Crowe… forget whatever acclaim they garnered in the future, maybe this rom-sports-com is where they peaked. Or maybe not. Maybe at least one of The Contrarians is too close to this film to judge it objectively. Listen to this Real Talk segment and see who you side with - or who you side against!

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194 - Pt. 1 - Jerry Maguire (CC)

Hey, look, it’s Hollywood mega-star Tom Cruise trying to play a regular guy. Wonder if movie critics will fall for it? Of course they did! JERRY MAGUIRE is fresh on the Tomatometer despite being among the worst examples of Cameron Crowe’s mannered dialogue and overproduced soundtracks. Listen to Alex & Julio as they try to figure out what exactly is Jerry so bummed about, and as they refuse to fall for Jonathan Lipnicki’s meme-worthy lines. Oh yeah, and Renée Zellweger and Cuba Gooding Jr. are in this too. Whoop-dee-doo.

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193 - Pt. 2 - The Flintstones (RT)

Okay, let’s get serious about The Flintstones - because apparently that’s how the world has decided we must judge this 1994 live-action adaptation. Is there a silent majority that thinks this movie is good and has the internet’s echo chamber fed the Tomatometer in this instance? Can we all at least agree that Halle Berry and Kyle MacLachlan are STUNNING in their prehistoric pelts? And how do The Contrarians actually feel about The Flintstones? It’s all in this Real Talk segment!

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193 - Pt. 1 - The Flintstones (CC)

You know we are too far gone as a society when we can’t appreciate the beauty of a perfect Flintstones live-action adaptation. We dare you, all of you, to propose a better cast. This was it: there won’t be a better Fred than John Goodman. And if anybody was ever going to crack the puzzle of Barney Rubble’s character, it would be Rick Moranis. But critics had to turn on the movie and now it’s infamously rotten on the Tomatometer. Listen to Alex & Julio as they defend the Spielrock production that deserves the most reevaluating!

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Bonus - Pt. 2 - The Suicide Squad (RT)

By now, we know that THE SUICIDE SQUAD was basically James Gunn’s DCEU audition - one that he passed with flying colors. Would we have given him the job though? As you would expect, this Real Talk segment sees Alex struggling with his love for John Cena versus his aversion to movies that run over two hours - plus finally assimilating Margot Robbie’s performance as Harley Quinn. As for Julio, well, he can tell this isn’t as good as Spider-Man 2, but what else can be said about it? Listen to find out!

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Bonus! - Pt. 1 - The Suicide Squad (CC)

We used to wait at least a decade before giving a failed adaptation another shot at being reimagined. Now we pump out remakes, reboots, and requels faster than WB can shelve them. And that’s how we ended up with a SUICIDE SQUAD sort-of-sequel that didn’t even bother to change its title all that much. Listen to Alex & Julio as they try to make sense of James Gunn’s DC cover of Guardians of the Galaxy — and the Harley Quinn short film embedded within!

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192 - Pt. 2 - Erin Brockovich (RT)

So here we are: Julia Roberts finally got her Oscar, three nominations in. But did she get it for the right movie? Would we still be talking about ERIN BROCKOVICH (those of us who still are) if it wasn’t known as Julia’s Oscar Win? And moving past the awards - how does this modern-day fairy tale hold up today, especially when touting it’s a true story? Lots to talk about in this Real Talk segment, and we dive into it all!

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192 - Pt. 1 - Erin Brockovich (CC)

Julia Roberts was due for an Oscar - that much most people would agree on. So in the year 2000, because a rising tide lifts all boats, ERIN BROCKOVICH became a major awards contender. Julia Roberts is the rising tide in this analogy, and the boats are all the other elements that make up Steven Soderbergh’s fairly mediocre biopic. Listen to Alex & Julio as they try to make sense of this alleged true story and, more importantly, of how Aaron Eckhart plays a Harley Davidson biker.

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191 - Pt. 2 - Original Sin (RT)

It’s unavoidable to spend much of this Real Talk segment analyzing the tawdrier aspects of ORIGINAL SIN, but fear not, we also talk about other noteworthy elements in it. Roger Ebert liked this movie, for crying out loud! So what works and what doesn’t in this alleged love story, and how much relevance does desire have in the proceedings? Jolie, Banderas, Jane… is this a triumph for them, regardless of what Rotten Tomatoes says? And is it worth hunting down that unrated edition?

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191 - Pt. 1 - Original Sin (CC)

Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas going at it in an R-rated movie: waaaaaay too much for America’s puritanical film critics. ORIGINAL SIN scored a shocking 12% on the Tomatometer, as if it wasn’t a masterfully crafted adult thriller that also happened to feature some no-holds-barred lovemaking. Listen to Alex & Julio as they discuss the explosive lust triangle at the center of this movie (Thomas Jane is in there too!) and try to figure out the differences between the rated and unrated cuts of Michael Cristofer’s melodrama.

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