Let's Ruin It

Veronica Corningstone walked into a 1970s newsroom and the law walked right back out. In this episode of the Let’s Ruin It Podcast, three New Jersey attorneys put Anchorman (2004) on trial, and the Channel 4 News Team does not survive cross-examination. From a textbook Title VII hostile work environment to a trident killing that might actually be self-defense, a burrito that nearly commits neglige...

Patrick Bateman confesses to dozens of murders and nothing happens. Is that a plot hole, or is it just how the law of evidence actually works? In this episode of the Let’s Ruin It Podcast, three New Jersey attorneys put American Psycho (2000) on trial. We dig into why a confession left on your lawyer’s answering machine is still privileged, why New York law won’t let a jury convict on a confession...

Nikki wakes up next to three bodies with a gun in her hand. If a wish made her do it, is she guilty of murder? We are three New Jersey attorneys putting Obsession (2026) on trial, and one of us refused to watch it, so she issue spots the whole thing cold. From whether making the wish is a crime on its own, to whether Nikki could consent to anything after it took hold, to Bear watching a murder and...

If a man gets back up after you kill him, did you kill him at all? We are three New Jersey attorneys, and two weeks after the sequel hit theaters we put Practical Magic (1998) on trial. From Gillian microdosing Jimmy with belladonna, to whether poisoning a man who is holding you at gunpoint can ever be self-defense, to a 40 hour drive from Arizona to Massachusetts with a body in the trunk, the Owe...

A League of Their Own (1992) is one of the most beloved sports movies ever made, and almost every term of employment in it would collapse under modern law. We dig into whether Marla Hooch could sue for being judged on her face, why a mandatory charm school is sex discrimination, and the real contract rules Philip Wrigley imposed on the AAGPBL: lipstick at all times, no short haircuts, chaperones a...

Can a 104 year old date a high school junior and call it a love story? We finally put Twilight (2008) and the rest of the saga on trial. We are three New Jersey attorneys, and we work through the Cullens forging a new identity every time they move, Carlisle turning dying patients without their consent, whether needing human blood is a defense to murder, a vampire government that hands down one sen...

Can you save the world and break the law at the same time? In Armageddon (1998), the US does both. In this episode of the Let's Ruin It Podcast, we put Michael Bay's asteroid blockbuster on trial, from the Outer Space Treaty's duty to warn (ignored while Paris gets flattened with zero notice) to the flat ban on nukes in space, to the psych exams NASA's drillers failed and got stamp...

Can a childhood favorite survive a rewatch by three attorneys? Ladybugs (1992) could not. In this episode of the Let's Ruin It Podcast, we put Rodney Dangerfield's soccer comedy on trial, from negligent hiring and background checks (the federal Safe Sport Act exists for a reason) to league fraud and ringers, child endangerment, and the emotional distress claims of an entire girls soccer ro...

Can "he had it coming" actually get you acquitted? In this episode of the Let's Ruin It Podcast, three New Jersey attorneys put Chicago (2002) on trial. We break down Roxie Hart's self-defense claim, rule on every confession in the Cell Block Tango, and walk through the trial by media playbook that makes Billy Flynn brilliant, effective, and thoroughly disbarrable. We also dig in...

If you can dodge a wrench, can you dodge a lawsuit? In this episode of the Let's Ruin It Podcast, three New Jersey attorneys put Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) on trial, and Average Joe's versus Globo Gym turns out to be a legal dumpster fire. From illegal wiretapping through a camera hidden in White Goodman's cardboard cutout, to defamation per se, sexual harassment and retal...

Can you commit the perfect murder if there are no witnesses? In this episode of the Let's Ruin It Podcast, three New Jersey attorneys put The Lion King (1994) on trial and find a shocking amount of crime hiding under all that Hakuna Matata. We dig into Scar's regicide and the felony murder charges waiting for his hyena co-conspirators, argue about whether Simba is partly liable for Mufasa&...

What happens when a South Beach drag club, a closeted family, and an ultra-conservative senator collide over one wedding? In this episode of the Let's Ruin It Podcast, three New Jersey attorneys put The Birdcage (1996) on trial. From palimony claims with no marriage to the surrogacy and adoption questions behind Val's mystery mother, worker classification for Agador the houseman, and the p...

Can two rival NHL superstars carry on a secret gay relationship for years without violating a single clause of their employment contracts? Probably not. In this episode of the Let's Ruin It Podcast, three New Jersey attorneys put Heated Rivalry (2025) on trial and dig into conflict of interest between rival players, the legal weight of pillow talk and trade secrets, morality clauses and Title...

Miranda Priestly runs her office like a dictator, but did she actually break any laws? In this episode, three New Jersey attorneys put The Devil Wears Prada (2006) on trial just days before the sequel drops. From hostile work environment claims under Title VII to overtime violations under the FLSA, we dig into whether Andy has any real legal standing or just a really bad boss. We also tackle the H...

Men in Black (1997) is the rare film where the heroes might be committing more crimes than the actual villain. In this episode, Jenny, Liz, and Diana put the entire MIB organization on trial. We start with the big one: this agency has no government oversight, no congressional accountability, and funds itself through alien tech patents (microwaves, Velcro, possibly CDs). From there we get into the...

Speed (1994) has a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and a serious police accountability problem. In this episode of the Let's Ruin It Podcast, three New Jersey attorneys put the film on trial and find more legal issues than the LAPD found body parts after that first explosion. We dig into whether Jack was legally justified in shooting his own partner in the leg, what civil claim Harry might actually hav...

Who is actually responsible when a K-pop group moonlights as demon hunters and brings supernatural chaos to every concert they play? We had no idea we would have this much to talk about, and then we started talking and could not stop. In this episode, we dig into whether Huntrix has any employment contract covering the demon-slaying side of things, who bears liability when your headliners are secr...

Everybody says My Cousin Vinny is the most legally accurate movie ever made. Three attorneys just watched it. They have notes. This week, Liz, Diana, and Jenny take on the 1992 Joe Pesci classic — and yes, the cross-examination scenes are genuinely brilliant. But between the fake credentials, the Miranda violations, the discovery disasters, and a fiancée dragged to the stand as a hostile expert wi...

Happy Valentine's Day! 💘 Nothing says romance like stalking, fraud, and a man who gets shot mid-narration. This week, Liz, Diana, and Jenny take on the 1998 Farrelly Brothers classic There's Something About Mary — and honestly, they lost count of how many crimes happen before the first date. We're talking PI misconduct, fraudulent misrepresentation, disability fraud, and an entire cas...

If you relived the same day forever, would the law still apply? In this episode of the Let’s Ruin It Podcast, three New Jersey attorneys put Groundhog Day (1993) on trial. From theft and assault to kidnapping, fraud, and suicide, Phil Connors commits an impressive number of crimes, yet faces zero consequences thanks to the time loop. But does that mean those crimes don’t count? We dive into crimin...

Primal Fear is a phenomenal movie with a legendary twist, and one of the most legally inaccurate criminal trials ever put on screen. In the Season 3 premiere of Let’s Ruin It , three New Jersey attorneys break down everything that would never happen in a real courtroom: surprise evidence mid-trial, discovery violations, questionable ethics, and a defense attorney who somehow becomes an investigato...

It’s the Season 2 finale—and the last episode of the year—and we’re closing things out by ruining a holiday classic. In this episode, we put Love Actually on trial and ask whether love really is all around… or if most of these characters should be talking to HR and their attorneys instead. We break down the Prime Minister’s workplace decisions, unrequited love gone wrong, power imbalances, romanti...

Get in the holiday spirit with a legal twist! In Season 2, Episode 23 of Let’s Ruin It Podcast , Jenny, Liz, and Diana unwrap The Santa Clause forensically — calling out dubious contracts, unexplained legal consequences, and parenting law through the lens of a beloved Christmas comedy. From the non-existent fine print to Santa’s potential liability issues, nothing is safe from this trio of New Jer...

Shrek may be a perfect movie, but legally? It’s a full medieval dumpster fire. This week, the attorneys dive into everything happening beneath the swampy surface — from Farquaad’s mass eviction scheme to the ethics of imprisoning a child in a tower for twenty years “for her own good.” We break down whether Shrek and Farquaad actually formed a valid contract, whether rescuing Fiona counts as kidnap...

We’re ruining American Beauty the only way we know how—by indicting it. With guest Corey Chichizola , we unpack Ricky’s illegal filming (privacy/wiretapping), whether adultery still matters in no-fault divorce, how domestic violence can affect support, and why the final minutes don’t mean what you think. Then we play detective: who actually faces charges after Lester’s death, and what evidence hol...