Our Hero De Niro

This week, the Mikes dig into Heist , a straight-to-VOD action thriller about a desperate casino employee, a sick daughter, a botched robbery, and a hijacked city bus full of hostages. We break down De Niro's sleazy turn as vaping crime boss Mr. Pope, Jeffrey Dean Morgan's sturdy leading-man work, and why a movie this generic still manages to deliver some modest B-movie momentum. Plus: Criss Angel...

This week, the Mikes dig into Stardust , Matthew Vaughn's romantic fantasy adventure about fallen stars, scheming princes, powerful witches, and one extremely charming sky pirate. We break down De Niro's delightful turn as Captain Shakespeare, Claire Danes and Charlie Cox's fairy-tale romance, and why a movie this whimsical still left one Mike wishing every fantasy story were secretly post-apocaly...

This week, the Mikes dig into Jackie Brown , Quentin Tarantino's cool, restrained crime drama about aging, survival, second chances, and one very carefully engineered half-million-dollar score. We break down Pam Grier's magnetic lead performance, Robert Forster's quietly devastating turn as Max Cherry, and De Niro's wonderfully schlubby work as Louis Gara, while debating whether this might be Tara...

This week, the Mikes dig into About My Father , a late-period De Niro comedy built around Sebastian Maniscalco's Italian-American family persona and one very awkward weekend with the future in-laws. We break down De Niro's warm, engaged performance as Salvo, the film's undercooked culture-clash setup, and why a movie about father-son tension doesn't quite create enough tension to make the comedy l...

This week, the Mikes dig into The Last Tycoon , Elia Kazan's prestige-heavy adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's unfinished Hollywood novel about power, grief, and the machinery behind old studio filmmaking. We break down De Niro's coolly reserved performance as Monroe Stahr, the film's gorgeous production design and score, and why a movie with this much talent can still feel so dramatically lifele...

This week, the Mikes return to the Fockerverse with Meet the Fockers , the blockbuster sequel that brings Jack Byrnes face-to-face with Greg's extremely affectionate, extremely boundary-free parents. We break down De Niro's increasingly paranoid Jack, Ben Stiller's familiar spiral of lies and panic, and how Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand bring real comic energy to a sequel that never quite ma...

This week, the Mikes celebrate their 90th episode by crossing into an alternate universe for  The Pacino Pals and digging into Glengarry Glen Ross , David Mamet's pressure-cooker drama about desperate salesmen, terrible leads, and the corrosive pursuit of the close. We break down Al Pacino's magnetic turn as Ricky Roma, Jack Lemmon's tragic performance as Shelley "The Machine" Levene, and whether...

In this special episode of All Mike'd Up , the Mikes put together a beginner's guide to Our Hero De Niro for anyone wondering where the hell to start. We revisit the origins of the podcast, explain why we're watching De Niro's filmography in random order, and spotlight five regular episodes that show off different sides of the show—from The King of Comedy and Goodfellas to The War with Grandpa , W...

This week, the Mikes dig into The King of Comedy , Martin Scorsese's darkly funny and deeply unsettling satire about fame, obsession, and the desperate need to be seen. We break down Robert De Niro's incredible performance as Rupert Pupkin, Jerry Lewis's underrated turn as a late-night television icon, and why a film that bombed in 1982 feels more relevant than ever in the age of influencers and v...

This week, the Mikes celebrate MikeBackAtYou's birthday by breaking the randomizer and digging into The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift , Justin Lin's cult-favorite detour into JDM car culture, drifting, and high-school exile in Japan. We break down the film's incredible soundtrack, practical racing sequences, and why this once-dismissed sequel now feels like one of the most distinctive entries...

This week, the Mikes dig into The Whisper Man , a brand-new Netflix thriller about grief, generational trauma, child abductions, and yet another very large De Niro-adjacent house full of bad vibes. We break down De Niro's subdued performance, the film's rushed father-son drama, and why its serial-killer mystery, supernatural flourishes, and prestige-streaming aesthetic never quite come together. P...

This week, the Mikes dig into Being Flynn , a bleak father-son drama about homelessness, addiction, writing, and the damage left behind by an absent parent. We break down De Niro's committed turn as a grandiose, self-mythologizing writer, Paul Dano's haunted performance as his estranged son, and why the film's heavy subject matter never quite hits as hard as it should. Plus: memoir title discourse...

This week, the Mikes finally dig into Silver Linings Playbook , David O. Russell's acclaimed romantic dramedy about mental health, family dysfunction, Eagles superstition, and finding connection in the aftermath of crisis. We break down De Niro's Oscar-nominated turn as Pat Sr., Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence's volatile chemistry, and whether the film's crowd-pleasing rom-com shape softens t...

This week, the Mikes dig into Jennifer on My Mind , a strange early-70s counterculture drama about a wealthy drifter, a self-destructive heroin addict, and a romance that seems doomed from the very beginning. We break down the film's bizarre tonal swings, Robert De Niro's blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance, and why this forgotten curiosity never finds anything meaningful to say about addiction, g...

This week, the Mikes dig into Flawless , a late-90s dramedy about a stroke-stricken former security guard and a drag performer who form an unlikely bond through singing lessons in a crumbling Hell's Kitchen apartment building. We break down Philip Seymour Hoffman's electrifying performance, De Niro's surprisingly nuanced portrayal of recovery and prejudice, and why the film's heartfelt message get...

This week, the Mikes dig into Mistress , a little-seen Hollywood satire about a struggling filmmaker trying to get his passion project off the ground while a parade of producers, financiers, and romantic entanglements threaten to derail it. We break down the film's surprisingly stacked cast, De Niro's scene-stealing supporting turn, and why a movie about artistic compromise ends up feeling far mor...

This week, the Mikes dig into Machete , Robert Rodriguez's gleefully grimy exploitation throwback about corrupt politicians, border vigilantism, and one very angry Danny Trejo. We break down Robert De Niro's cartoonishly evil senator, the film's surprisingly pointed immigration politics, and whether Rodriguez's grindhouse style is lovingly committed or just plain messy. Plus: hybrid car propaganda...

This week, the Mikes celebrate their 80th episode with Superlative Summit , a special awards-style detour through the De Niro characters they've covered so far. We break down the biggest weirdos, saddest men, most fragile egos, and most barbecue-advice-coded performances in the greater De Niro cinematic universe. Plus: reflecting on 80 episodes of De Niro scholarship, fragile masculinity discourse...

This week, the Mikes return to shark-infested waters for Land Shark , a special Shark Week act of penance after their infamous Shark Tale episode. We break down Mark Polonia's ultra-low-budget schlockfest, the paper-mache majesty of the land shark itself, and whether a movie this cheap can still have enough personality to justify its existence. Plus: the philosophy of bad-movie nights, surprisingl...

This week, the Mikes step into the ring with Hands of Stone , a biopic that tries to capture the rise of boxing legend Roberto Durán—and maybe a few too many other things along the way. We break down the film's rushed pacing, strong-but-underdeveloped performances, and how its "highlight reel" structure both helps and hurts the story. Plus: awkward editing choices, the challenge of covering an ent...

This week, the Mikes are joined by returning guest Philip (a.k.a. Lips) to dig into Bang the Drum Slowly , a melancholy baseball drama about friendship, mortality, and the quiet bonds formed inside a clubhouse. We break down Robert De Niro's early-career performance as doomed catcher Bruce Pearson, Michael Moriarty's understated narration, and why the film works better as a character study than a...

This week, the Mikes dig into Last Vegas , a glossy, late-career comedy about aging, friendship, and one last shot at feeling young again. We break down Robert De Niro's grieving widower, Michael Douglas's midlife (late-life?) crisis engagement, and how the film juggles four leads while never quite giving any of them enough to do. Along the way, we debate whether the Vegas setting is totally waste...

This week, the Mikes dig into The Mission , a sweeping historical drama about faith, colonialism, and the moral cost of compromise. We break down Robert De Niro's redemption arc from slave trader to reluctant Jesuit, Jeremy Irons's quietly resolute Father Gabriel, and how the film's stunning cinematography and Ennio Morricone score elevate a story that sometimes struggles with character depth. Plu...

This week, the Mikes discuss Hi, Mom! , a chaotic, satirical follow-up to De Niro's debut  Greetings that leans hard into voyeurism, counterculture absurdity, and some truly wild tonal swings. We break down De Niro's performance as the deeply unhinged Jon Rubin, the film's "peep art" premise, and how its first half blends dark comedy with experimental filmmaking before veering into something much...

This week, the Mikes tackle Freelancers , a grimy, low-rent crime drama that somehow assembles a stacked cast—including 50 Cent and Forest Whitaker—for a story that never quite comes together. We break down Robert De Niro's late-career corrupt cop energy, the film's muddled tone, and how its revenge-driven plot spirals into something both overly serious and unintentionally absurd. Along the way, w...