Podstruck: A Rom-Com Rewind

SUBCATEGORY: STRIKE A MATCH This week we continue our Strike a Match subcategory with the 1988 indie rom-com, Crossing Delancey! If you've ever dreamed of a man whose hands are brined in pickle juice every day, like Elena does, then this move is for you! And joining us is special guest Jo Firestone (After Midnight, The Tonight Show, The Great North)! In this episode we discuss the art of matc...

SUBCATEGORY: STRIKE A MATCH This week we kick off our brand new subcategory STRIKE A MATCH with rom-coms all about matchmakers, set-ups, and people playing Cupid. And we start off with one of Chelsea's favorite modern rom-coms that Elena is watching for the first time, the 2018 Netflix original 'Set It Up.' This Cyrano-meets-the-Parent-Trap movie features an Zoey Deutch, Lucy Liu, Taye Diggs, and...

SUBCATEGORY: CODEPENDENCE DAY Today's episode is the final movie in our White House themed rom-com bucket covering the Ivan Reitman classic comedy, 'Dave,' starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver. And the Podstruck hosts are joined by special guest Nick Wiger (Doughboys podcast, Get Played, Comedy Bang Bang, @midnight). We talk about Nick's childhood love of CSPAN, Chelsea's shock that Shaq...

MEET CUTIE BONUS EPISODE: THE TRUTH ABOUT CATS & DOGS                                                         &...

SUBCATEGORY: CODEPENDENCE DAY Today's episode looks back at the Charlize Theron Seth Rogen rom-com 'Long Shot,' about an ambitious, brilliant, gorgeous Secretary of State and the schlubby speech writer she falls for. It's a movie packed with jokes and a surprising amount of tenderness, considering a major plot point involves watching a guy jerk off into his own beard. This movie is a winner, with...

SUBCATEGORY: CODEPENDENCE DAY On today's episode we launch our new subcategory: Codependence Day, which highlights movies about someone from the White House falling in love. And while Chelsea is away, Elena is joined by Korama Danquah (iCarly, Raven's Home, Reboot, American Auto) to deep dive into the Mandy Moore and Matthew Goode 2004 rom-com, Chasing Liberty. We'll discuss everything from whethe...

SUBCATEGORY: LGBTCUTIES Today we are looking back at the 2006 rom-com Imagine Me & You starring Lena Headey and Piper Perabo! While Chelsea is on maternity leave, TV writers Margaret Kaminski and Alex Levy join Elena to co-host the podcast and we delve into everything from the fruit punch meet-cute, Sharon Horgan's glow up, Heck's incel of a best friend, Cooper, to the Dance Dance Revolution p...

SUBCATEGORY: LGBTCUTIES Today we revisit WeHo circa 2000 via The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy. And joining us is actor, writer, comedian, and creator of everyone's favorite Chloë Sevigny parody videos, Drew Droege (Heathers, Search Party, Bob's Burgers)! This movie has pretty much every TV star from the 90's and early aughts in it: Zach Braff, Dean Cain, Andrew Keegan, John Mahoney, Timot...

MEET CUTIE BONUS EPISODE: RETURN TO ME                                                            &n...

SUBCATEGORY: LGBTCUTIES Happy Pride y'all! We kick off this subcategory with an OG queer rom-com that turns out to be every gay person's nightmare: Kissing Jessica Stein! And joining us today is comedian Catherine McCafferty, host of "Pretty Gay" on Patreon! In this episode we discuss queer panic, Jon Hamm's cameo, and the issues some of us had with this movie's ending. We also delve into newspape...

SUBCATEGORY: LOVE IS IN THE HEIR This week we dive crown first into the campy rom-com revelation that is Red, White & Royal Blue! We are joined by special guest, and television writer, Joshua Lee Kirby (Fresh Off The Boat, The Real O'Neals) to discuss everything from Uma Thurman's "southern" accent, to dick puns, to our feelings on Meghan Markle of Sussex of Montecito. Listen along as we unpac...

SUBCATEGORY: LOVE IS IN THE HEIR In this episode Elena and Chelsea cover an 80's classic, Coming To America, starring Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Eriq La Salle, Shari Headley, John Amos, and James Earl Jones! We are joined by our very first MALE guest, Jonathan Braylock (Black Men Can't Jump [In Hollywood], Grown-ish, Astronomy Club) to cover our first rom-com that is way more of a COM, than...

SUBCATEGORY: LOVE IS IN THE HEIR Time for Podstruck to look back at a new subgroup of movies, this time all celebrating the Royal We, AKA rom-coms featuring Royalty. And what better film to start off with than 3x Oscar winning film 'Roman Holiday.; Not only does this 1953 love story make us want to visit Italy (with all of our Meet Cuties of course), it makes us appreciate Gregory Peck as a fighte...

SUBCATEGORY: SHALL WE DANCE? Podstruck takes one last dance in this subcategory to rewatch Steven Soderbergh's surprisingly bleak take on male strippers, 'Magic Mike.' Chelsea and Elena are joined by Jordan Myrick (Gastronauts on Dropout, Happy Wife Happy Life podcast) to argue over whether Channing Tatum is hot, which of the other male dancers captures our heart, and if this movie doesn't earn it...

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE BONUS EPISODE Listen to the first ten minutes of our very first Patreon exclusive bonus episode, available only to our wonderful paying Podstruck subscribers AKA our Meet Cuties. In the episode we share some huge personal news, talk about the games/books/TV shows that are bringing us joy, share some of our worst date stories, and of course, talk about death.  To listen to...

SUBCATEGORY: SHALL WE DANCE? Elena and Chelsea pirouette back in time to revisit the beloved 2000 ensemble rom-com, 'Center Stage,' just in time for its 25 year anniversary! We welcome choreographer Kat Burns (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Dancing with the Stars) to talk about the realities of a life in dance, Chelsea gushes on how this movie shaped her pre-teen style and taste in boys, and Elena points ou...

SUBCATEGORY: SHALL WE DANCE? Podstruck waltzes into a brand new rom-com subcategory all about dancing, starting with the iconic 1987 film 'Dirty Dancing', starring Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze. Joining Chelsea Davison and Elena Crevello is Maria Thayer ('Forgetting Sarah Marshall,' 'Accepted,' 'Those Who Can't') who shares how this VHS tape was passed around from sleepover to sleepover like a...

SUBCATEGORY: NEW BODY, WHO DIS? We keep the body transformation theme going with a classic from the aughts, '13 Going On 30', starring Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, Judy Greer and Andy Serkis! This 2004 movie is a reimagining of the 1988 Tom Hanks runaway hit, 'Big' - but was this movie as successful in its execution? We'll discuss this, middle school photos, seven minutes in heaven, how Cos...

SUBCATEGORY: NEW BODY, WHO DIS? Continuing the rom-com trope of magical transformations, this week Podstruck dives into the Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah classic 'Splash,' along with our special guest Aparna Nancherla (The Great North, A Simple Favor). This 1984 mermaid love story directed by Ron Howard was so iconic it inspired an entire generation of girls named Madison. We gush over the parade of...

SUBCATEGORY: NEW BODY, WHO DIS? We're kicking off a new rom-com subcategory all about magical transformation, starting with the Disney musical Enchanted. Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, Susan Sarandon, and James Marsden star in this 2007 New York City fairy tale that leaves Chelsea and Elena on opposite ends of the fandom spectrum. Is the movie a structurally perfect hilarious classic or an overly ear...

ONE-OFF CATEGORY: MCCONAUGHEY GIRL HEYYY Instead of kicking off a new month of movies, Chelsea and Elena instead look back at the movie they covered as their original Podstruck pilot episode - "How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days." Having just read Matthew McConaughey's memoir 'Greenlights' for the Glamorous Trash Podcast, they're armed with new insight as they dive into this 2003 battle of the sexes ro...

SUBCATEGORY: TOTALLY 80S TEENS! Ending our run of 80s classics is the John Hughes Molly Ringwald rom-com 'Pretty in Pink,' a movie that makes us question our own sense of fashion, wonder what is romantic vs. just being a sex pest, and think back to our high school delusions of people being in love with us. Our special guest is Lily Du (Dirty Laundry on Dropout) who imprinted on this movie and will...

SUBCATEGORY: TOTALLY 80S TEENS! Our horniest episode ever is about the Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay 1983 classic 'Risky Business.' It's got intimidating boss babes, big nosed rat boys, an overhyped crystal egg, and Chekhov's sports car. Emily Fleming (Good Mythical Morning, Free With Ads Podcast) joins Chelsea and Elena to discuss accidental sex work, why you shouldn't big time someone, t...

SUBCATEGORY: TOTALLY 80S TEENS! Time to revisit another 1980s rom-com with 'Can't Buy Me Love,' the Patrick Dempsey flick filled with bolo ties, cowboy hats, inappropriate propositions, and of course an African Anteater Ritual Dance. Is dating one popular girl enough to catapult you to popularity? Do cotton sleeves really rip that easily? Are pranks fun or will they just get you murdered? And why...

SUBCATEGORY: TOTALLY 80S TEENS! In honor of Ione Skye's new memoir "Say Everything," Podstruck is kicking off a whole month of romantic comedies from the 1980s starting with the highly influential 'Say Anything.' John Cusack plays the endearingly lost Lloyd who isn't sure of anything except his love for Diane Court, which he iconically professes via boombox. But does that moment live up to the hyp...