Old Roommates

Would she go down on him in a theater? Is irony like rain on your wedding day? Does she speak eloquently? Yes, Alanis Morissette asked a lot of hard-hitting questions back in the mid-1990s. Decades later, we still don’t seem to have clear cut answers. What is ironic? Why obscure a new pop star’s face in her big debut? And what’s with that blue shirt in the suitcase? Get ready to take a couple of s...

Tony and Tia: Precocious alien youngsters or cold-blooded juvenile witches? Back in 1975, kids and critics were charmed (and probably a bit scared) by Walt Disney’s sci-fi adventure, “Escape to Witch Mountain.” The fantasy film features children in jeopardy, devious bald men and one orphanage-based bully who doesn’t know when to quit. Now, over 45 years later, does the franchise-starting original...

What do Demi Moore and Bobcat Goldthwait have in common? If you guessed the 1986 comedy “One Crazy Summer” ...then we should’ve made that question more challenging. But then again, the John Cusack film raises so many questions. Is throwing a bunch of money into the air the only way to escape a biker gang? Is this movie just a low-stakes version of “Better Off Dead”? And, how many lobsters were hur...

Towanda! People everywhere lined up for tickets to the 1991 film, “Fried Green Tomatoes.” A tale of friendship, memory and inner strength, “Tomatoes” delivered tears and laughter, and brought in over $100 million at the box office. The film was also one of the few to ever focus on a potentially lesbian love story. Or was it just ... friendship? Mary Stuart Masterson and Mary Louise Parker had the...

PG? “Jaws” is PG. How was “Jaws” PG? The little $9M Steven Spielberg behemoth featured side boob, severed legs, and a disemboweled sea captain. But decades later, would its maritime massacres only justify a PG-13 rating? Could the fake shark stay afloat against today’s CGI terror? And, what is Robert Shaw even doing in this thing? The Old Roommates pop open some Narragansetts and dive in for a rew...

Our 100th episode! Brian & Christina rewatch seasons 1 and 2 of Will & Grace. The 1998 groundbreaking sitcom starred Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Sean Hayes, Megan Mullally and guest stars galore, including Gregory Hines and Debbie Reynolds. The show was fresh, funny, and topical...but decades later, do the topics hold up? Are the laughs kinda...gay? Not gay enough? And, why is everyone so mean...

Holy smoke! Once again, Kurt Russell looks hot in a white tank top. Yes, 1991’s “Backdraft” had a lot going for it: William Baldwin, Donald Sutherland, Robert DeNiro, Rebecca De Mornay, and some fabulous fire footage. The Ron Howard blockbuster was an ode to firefighters and (ultimately) an Oscar nominee. Decades later, do the fires of fandom rage on? Does the cast still crackle? And, has a fire e...

“Effie, brace yourself.” Audiences prepared for the impact of a hairy man in full grandma drag, and kept coming back for more. 1993’s “Mrs. Doubtfire” was a big hit with critics and moviegoers alike, somehow swirling laughs throughout a story of marital separation and child custody. Decades later, does its heart still feel like it’s in the right place? Would you support a Robin Williams and Sally...

Singer. Ceiling dancer. Inappropriate college professor? Lionel Richie broke the music video mold with “Hello” and “Dancing on the Ceiling” in the mid-1980s. The songs remain classics, but what about the videos? From pursuing a female student to wearing red to a black & white party, Richie’s faux pas are on full display. Can his charisma have us see past his stalking of a vision-impaired woman? Ca...

Brian met Drew Barrymore several times...19 years ago. And we’ll get to those dazzling meetings after the Old Roommates discuss their re-watch of 1998 film, “Ever After”. The Renaissance-era spin of the classic story enchanted audiences with its pitch perfect storytelling, its post-feminist take, and a bundle of charming performances. Decades later, can we still believe in fairy tales? Does Angeli...

100% pure adrenaline...or is that testosterone? The 1991 action film was a non-stop thrill ride, sky dive and foot chase. It also had two hotties: Keanu Reeves and the late-great Patrick Swayze. Both actors are tip-top shape, from jumping on surfboards and robbing banks, to jumping out of planes and smooching Lori Petty. But thirty years later, how much is too much? Is the bromance too bro-ey? And...

Our special Mother’s Day episode! We rewatched that notorious 1981 film with that infamous performance. In Mommie Dearest, Faye Dunaway plays movie star Joan Crawford with reckless abandon. The divisive, violent portrayal may have damaged Dunaway’s career, but there’s no denying its staying power. Now, forty years later, its cult ‘comedy’ classic status firmly in place, can the film be rewatched a...

Robert Downey Jr let loose as a reincarnated lawyer in love with Cybill Shephard in the charming little film, Chances Are. The 1989 movie tapped into the popular angels and heaven tropes of the time, but audiences stayed away. Decades later, does the film make us believe in life after love...and death? Are all movie characters who went to Yale this dumb? And should you ever hug your mom’s naked lo...

Poetry, football players, and painful memories successfully swirled into the multi-Oscar- nominated film, The Prince of Tides. Directed by and starring Barbra Streisand as a stylish shrink with a short fuse, the 1991 film surprised many with its deep, dark take on the best-selling novel by Pat Conroy. Thirty years later, do we still have PTSD from that home-invasion scene? Should we be rooting for...

John Hughes attempted a rebirth of sorts with his 1988 dramedy “She’s Having a Baby,” starring Kevin Bacon, Elizabeth McGovern, and Alec Baldwin. Focusing on 20-somethings for the first time, Hughes’s labor of love struggled to find an audience. Now that we’re older and wiser, were late-80’s audiences right? Does the movie suffer or benefit from its ‘baby-centric’ title? And can anything with Baco...

Ted Knight is a landlord-cartoonist-dad in Too Close for Comfort. The classic 80’s sitcom had a revolving door of cast members including Jim J. Bullock, Audrey Meadows and a random niece named April. Forty years later, were Henry & Muriel Rush too nice for their own good? Is Monroe as annoying as we remember? And...Cosmic Cow is female? The Old Roommates rewatch the fun from Rafkin’s closet an...

Rob Lowe! Patrick Swayze! Keanu Reeves! So many men, so much ice skating. Youngblood was the ultimate 80’s hockey movie. Fine, it was one of the only hockey films of the “poofy hair and toxic masculinity” decade. Featuring bloody beatdowns, bare bums, and lots of embarrassing wetness, the movie is unforgettable. Or is it? The Old Roommates lace up and give it a rewatch on the sports movie’s 35th a...

Garry Marshall had quite the streak in the late-80’s/early-90’s: ‘Overboard’, ‘Beaches’, ‘Pretty Woman’ and 1991’s ‘Frankie & Johnny’. The diner-set rom-com introduced audiences to a scruffy Michelle Pfeiffer and lovelorn Al Pacino. The gamble of both stars didn’t quite pay off at the box office, yet the film had a successful second life on video. Thirty years later, did our hearts grow fonder...

She was that innocent! Let’s revisit two of Britney’s late-90s music videos: “Sometimes” and “(You Drive Me) Crazy”. Back then, Britney was a virginal pop princess who knew how to cut a record...and a rug. From white-clad broken hearts to Janet Jackson-inspired chair work, the singer-dancer dazzled us into a new millennium in two very different productions. Decades, tabloids and documentaries late...

Was that a penis? Yes, the promise of full-frontal fun helped make Porky’s a bulging box office hit back in 1981. And though it contained only blink-and-you-missed-it male member moments, the legend of Porky’s lives on and on – erecting many sequels and copycat sex comedies. Now, 40 years later, is the raunchy comedy still considered raunchy? Is it still funny? And, why don’t these boys just leave...

Nicole Kidman flashed a killer smile and nailed a Meg Ryan impression in 1995’s To Die For. This is just one of the joys of rewatching Gus Van Sant’s dark comedy. Though not initially a hit, critics raved, and it helped solidify Kidman’s place on the A List. Now that we’re grownups, why didn’t Suzanne Stone just get a divorce? How much sex is too much sex over a weekend? And does a little bit of S...

Christina almost dated Ben Affleck – and she shares the ill-fated tale at the end of this episode. Speaking of stories in dimly lit locales, when Tim Burton’s “Batman” landed in theaters in 1989, it dazzled audiences with its darker-than-normal take on the caped crusader. Decades later, does the trendsetter hold up? Is Bruce Wayne a buzzkill? What does the Joker really want? And, will Vicki Vale e...

Brian’s choice! It’s that time of year again. Brian made Christina watch a movie she’s never seen before – and it’s one of Brian’s favorites. “Moonstruck” was an Oscar-winning smash that enchanted audiences and critics alike back in 1987. But, what does Christina think? Was it pure amore? Did Cher deserve the Academy Award? And is it wrong to love someone as much as Brian loves Cher? Love, bakerie...

Come aboard, we’re expecting you...to listen to this vast, wide, rocky episode. Only a pop culture dynasty like “The Love Boat” could chart a course through our longest episode ever. Let’s rewatch the antics of Captain Stubing, Isaac and the too-young-to-be-working Vicki in a handful of episodes from season 4 (Love Boat’s most-watched season). Is Gopher as funny as we remember? Did most of the plo...

It’s déjà vu all over again. We’re rewatching Bill Murray relive the same day over and over (and over) again in 1993’s “Groundhog Day.” Though the movie’s plot was a bit...repetitive, audiences kept coming back for more. But now, in the scary monotony of our wintry COVID world, does the film still charm? What does ‘Rita’ see in ‘Phil’ anyway? And, did Brian and Christina even like this movie the f...