TDM: Total Dad Movies with Tooky, Dave, & Mike

Listen: I don't want to tell you how to live your life, but if your Dad doesn't want to be Steve McQueen, GET YOURSELF A NEW DAD. And if you're a Dad and you don't secretly want to be Steve McQueen, GET YOUR KIDS A NEW DAD.  Peter Yates directs. Lalo Schifrin jazzes. Robert Vaughn smarms. And Steve McQueen looks baller in a turtleneck. It's 1968's BULLITT.

Before Charlie Sheen was...you know, "Charlie [makes cuckoo gestures with hands] Sheen" he was a serious actor. Your mileage may vary, but he was for sure out there trying.  And as one of Hollywood's most famous sons (acting across from his real-life Dad Martin), he alone makes this flick Dad-worthy. But wait - this movie also features one of the OG nepo babies: Michael Douglas (Kir...

This conversation takes more twists and turns than the film does, and that's saying something, friend-o. Flip a coin to see how Dad Tooky feels about the Coen brothers' 2007 Best Picture winner NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. 

The second half of this docuseries is marked as much by the absence of fathers as by their presence; we barely hear from MJ's kids (and when we do, we get no insight into MJ the Dad). The surrogate Dads (Phil Jackson, Dean Smith) fall away; most notably, we follow the story of the tragic loss of James Jordan, MJ's dad. His loss (and the resulting media reaction, which was marked by some...

What if we built a whole docuseries out of Dads? MJ = the demanding Dad Phil = the cool Dad Scottie = the young Dad who's still figuring it out Bill Cartwright = the Dad who the whole neighborhood respects Jerry Reinsdorf = the absentee Dad Dennis Rodman = the stepDad who throws your whole life into chaos Journey with us back to 2020 and beyond for Jason Hehir's sanity-saving (for NBA si...

You may find yourself asking the question: "Wither Wrestlemania 17?" Or even: "Wither Wrestlemania at all? These be not movies; gaze upon ye podcast title and weep!" Listem, I could explain how Dad Tooky wanted to revisit the WWF of her childhood and experience it through adult eyes; I could go on and on about the fascinating cultural bubble of the brief pre-9/11 moment of this...

HOOP DREAMS is on the short list of great American movies. Full stop. Regardless of genre, era, etc. I don't think most cineastes would push back on that.  HOOP DREAMS is also full of Dads: absent Dads, supportive Dads, substitute Dads, new Dads, old Dads, warm Dads, cold Dads.... you get the point. So join us as we take our turn singing the praises of this incredible Dad movie that also belo...

When you're a Dad you're a Dad all the way / From your first stupid joke to your last dying day... Listen to this podcast softly and it's almost like praying... OK, I'll stop. Enjoy Robbins' and Wise's landmark 1961 movie musical WEST SIDE STORY... daddio.

"This is the movie ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER wants to be." - Dad Tooky Kavanagh Hal Needham directs 1977's SMOKEY & THE BANDIT!

Oh, Catherine O'Hara... For Dads Of A Certain Age (DOACAs), the presence of Catherine O'Hara in any project was a sign that we were in good hands. She was to Gen X what in many ways Gilda Radner was to boomers - surprising, unafraid, deeply physical, and deeply funny.  Her run on SCTV is legendary. Her recent dramatic work continued to cement her presence as one of Hollywood's fines...

It's the mooooost wooooonderfullll tiiiiime of the yeeeeeaaar.... It's the Dad-est of all the (unofficial) holidays, it's Thanksgiving without the turkey and Xmas without the small talk plus Fourth of July without the humidity, its Super Bowl Sunday! Join the Dads as we gab about snacks, Bad Bunny, AI, late-stage capitalism, Ben Affleck, math, and - oh right, a football game. The Da...

These are dark times, friends. And in dark times, Dads need to smile. Which is why we hope our voices are like a combination of Fergie and Jesus as we dig into Adam McKay's 2008 shaggiest-of-shaggy-dogs comedy STEP BROTHERS. Stay golden, Pony Boy.

This week: the Dads toast one JC Wiatt, one of the great unsung movie Moms as well one of the most luminescent movie stars of the century, the magnificent Diane Keaton, who we lost in 2025. Working from a Nancy Meyers script and featuring some supporting dudes like James Spader (sleazy!), Sam Shepard (sexy!) and Harold Ramis (sleepy!), BABY BOOM is a fun (if occasionally-dated with one TRULY CRING...

Happy 2025 from the Dads. We really wanted to mark the passing of Rob Reiner, who we've featured in our episodes on WHEN HARRY MET SALLY and THE PRINCESS BRIDE; today we discuss his 1992 blockbuster as well as his impact on our lives and culture in general. RIP to a giant of American cinema and the guy who made one of your dad's favorite movies. We hope you enjoy our podcast about A FEW...

Well, the Dads finally made it to Chevy in this most Chevy of Chevy movies. It's hard to explain the phenomenon of Chevy Chase in 2025 to someone who wasn't there. But such is the burden of Gen X Dads, much like reciting "'Twas The Night Before Christmas" to our uninterested screen-addicted progeny, we must also account for the old man in Community's presence in this...

Yeah, we (Dads Mike and Dave) were as surprised as you are: Dad-In-Waiting Tooky Kavanagh did not see this film until AFTER watching BOTH parts of WICKED. The times, they are a-changin'... And it's not a bad thing: is there a more seminal piece of culture than the Wizard of Oz? People have been going back to L. Frank Baum's story in various media for almost a century, probably becau...

Tolstoy said "Every family is unhappy in its own way". Boy, would he have loved the Von Erichs. (Would Leo Tolstoy have enjoyed professional wrestling? I like to think so.) The Dads know Thanksgiving holidays can be rough (see: above); in that spirit, we bring you a movie that presents the story of a family that (hopefully) is way more f#$%ed up than yours.  Seriously though - it's...

Kurt and Goldie! Dads love a long-term relationship! Goldie Hawn can do no wrong. It’s a Dad Movie credo.  Kurt Russell’s Dean Profitt is perhaps the most feckless Dad we’ve encountered yet. Like, for real: ZERO FECKS GIVEN.  Does it work? Does it matter? Kurt and Goldie baby in Garry Marshall’s 1987 morally-dicey rom-com OVERBOARD! What Makes This A Dad Movie? 38:15 Who’s Your Daddy? 42:00 The Ka...

HALLOWEEN BONUS EPISODE! The Dads choose "treat" for both us and you with a surprise bonus John Carpenter episode, 1982's horror masterpiece (featuring Kurt Russell, pre-"diabeetus" Wilford Brimley, and Black All Star Keith David) THE THING!  WHAT MAKES THIS A DAD MOVIE? 49:30 WHO'S YOUR DADDY? 53:00 THE KAVANAGH RATING: 56:15

Have a happy Halloween with this sci-fi creepfest from the Dads! You know what Dads love? Being right about something. So when John Nada (played with nihilistic aplomb by "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, RIP) realizes that the inherent unfairness of the world is actually a vast conspiracy, Dads everywhere stood and cheered. The fact that - 37 years later - this combination of societal distrust and f...

Dads love three things: Baseball; Robert Redford (RIP); A moral. Don't gamble and don't chase fast women and most of all DON'T THINK YOU'RE SUCH HOT POTATOES or you too might end up losing your prime seasons to bullet- and pride-related injuries. The Dads continue celebrating the singular career of Robert Redford (in time for October baseball, no less!) with our deep dive into...

The Dads had just finished recording this episode when news of Robert Redford's death became public. Robert Redford did as much for cinema as any American ciitizen ever, and that certainly includes Dad movies. TD&M will spend the next few months dipping into Redford's unparalleled string of Dad hits, and today's film certainly qualifies: a perfect example of well-used star power...

This week, in honor of this film's pear anniversary (and upcoming Imax release), the Dads dig into (in one Dad's opinion, anyway) Ron Howard's directorial masterpiece, a seamless blend of craft and scale that... hold on a minute... dad Tooky... did you say you watched this film... on a... a laptop?! (Dads Mike and Dave clutch their chests and die) Hanks! Harris! Quinlan! Bacon! Sini...

It's the conclusion of HOT HITCHCOCK SUMMER! Snuggle up with the Dads in our sleeper car as they pay homage to the man who sort of invented the modern thriller.  Despite it's lack of on-screen fatherhood, NXNW is a Dad movie through and through: Dads love traveling, and this flick is (literally) all over the map. Dads hate asking for directions - so does Cary Grant's Roger Thornhill...

Our Hot Hitchcock Summer Series continues! The Dads look deep within themselves through the eyes of ur-Dad James Stewart, and if you think he's in wholesome IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE mode here, boy, are you in for a surprise. Speaking of surprises, this film delivers three absolute stunning performances that belie reality: Jimmy Stewart as a semi-obsessive creeper (although maybe not totally...