This Ends at Prom

“Hell is a teenage girl." 15 years ago, Diablo Cody and Karyn Kusama joined forces to create one of the best teen girl films of all time, JENNIFER'S BODY. Critics didn't understand it, it was marketed for an audience that was never going to love it, but the die-hard fans who knew the truth kept it alive. Now, reclaimed 15 years later, we're revisiting the film and talking about the...

“Life isn't absurd! Some people give their lives for freedom." The coming-of-age experience can be an especially terrifying time, but when you're navigating your teenage years against the backdrop of political unrest and revolution, every decision you make becomes a political one. This week The Wives Colangelo are talking about Marjane Satrapi's PERSEPOLIS and discussing what it means to be punk i...

“I can always tell when adults are about to cry." Who gets to decide what makes a "good" childhood? This week the Wives Colangelo are talking about one of their favorite filmmakers and one of the most honest looks at the coming-of-age experience for kids often shaped by pity, Sean Baker's THE FLORIDA PROJECT. Let's talk about the ethics of ripping off rich people, independent play, and the impact...

“FAIR IS FAIR!" This week we're traveling back to 1985 and covering one of our most requested titles, THE LEGEND OF BILLIE JEAN. The Wives Colangelo are joined by film critic, podcaster, and pop culture writer Bill Bria to talk about teen exploitation cinema, what it means to become a symbol without your consent, Pat Benatar's killer title track, and debate the ethics in owning fan-made Billie Jea...

“One sin MINOR and my life is a living black hole!" Zetus Lapetus! The Queen of Disney Channel Original Movies is turning 25 and The Wives Colangelo are celebrating by embracing our inner supernova girl and discussing ZENON: GIRL OF THE 21ST CENTURY. Let's talk about how 1999's version of evil tech billionaires stand up to our current hellscape, what ZENON has in common with Diablo Cody teenspeak,...

“Once you do something, you never forget. Even if you can't remember." The Wives Colangelo are kicking off 2024 by returning to the beautiful world of Hayao Miyazaki and letting themselves get ... SPIRITED AWAY. What better film can capture the feeling of starting anew without even realizing that you're doing it? A coming-of-age film that incorporates Japanese folklore, issues of employment discri...

“You're nineteen, grow up!" Listen up, fellow maneaters! Another year is coming to a close so The Wives Colangelo are ending 2023 with an unconventional coming-of-age story, NO HARD FEELINGS with Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Barth Feldman. Let's talk about getting your life together in your 30s, giving teenagers the space to figure out their own paths, hating on helicopter parents, and the differe...

“I just hate all these extroverted, obnoxious, pseudo-bohemian losers." The Wives Colangelo are finally tackling one of the most requested films since starting the pod, and the ultimate teen girl movie for anyone who has ever felt like everybody around them is just too stupid. Joining this week is comedian, film maven, and podcaster Lucé Tomlin-Brenner. It's time to talk about being a genuine weir...

“I should have been a great many things." With the holidays right around the corner, it's time to finally dive into a yearly tradition for many people, and celebrate the snowy season with the March sisters and watch LITTLE WOMEN. Harmony has never seen it and BJ cries about it constantly, so where do The Wives Colangelo end up discussing Louisa May Alcott's legendary tale? Listen in and find out!...

“I guess every lonely girl would hope she's a princess." Once upon a December, Don Bluth scared the absolute crap out of Disney by making his own princess movie, the beloved animated feature, ANASTASIA. This week the Wives Colangelo discuss the animation style, how the film fits in the landscape of the Disney Renaissance, why Anya is the role model every little girl needs, and try to figure out th...

“I'm the best goddamn dancer In The American Ballet Academy…” Who the hell are you?" Before the dance movie craze went wild enough to constitute its own parody film, there was CENTER STAGE. This week the Wives Colangelo spotlight the phenomenal choreography, praise Zoe Saldana's breakthrough performance, try to make sense of all the hate this film got post-STEP UP, and explain why the flimsy story...

"We cannot break bread with you" If you're an American, how old were you when you first learned the truth about Thanksgiving? Did you have great parents? A private school education? Or did you learn because Wednesday Addams radicalized you? With an episode landing on Thanksgiving here in the States, The Wives Colangelo are talking about the film that established Wednesday Addams as the protagonist...

"Letting everyone down would be my greatest unhappiness." With PRISCILLA coming to theaters, now is the perfect time for The Wives Colangelo to finally dive into the filmography of Sofia Coppola. A polarizing film upon release, Coppola's anachronistic costume drama reveled in the teenage excitement of France's most notorious queen, and delivered a candy-coating musing on coming-of-age, excess, and...

"My memories shine like a diamond, not because I love them, because I hate them" The Wives Colangelo have an extremely special treat this week as they are joined by Cecilia Aldarondo and Sarah Enid Hagey to talk about their new hybrid documentary, YOU WERE MY FIRST BOYFRIEND. Centered around Cecilia's memories of yesteryear, she sets out on a reflective quest to reconcile and reconnect with the to...

"Is 'Do Revenge' even, like, correct grammar?" You asked and The Wives Colangelo delivered, it's time to watch STRANGERS ON A TRAIN for teen girls and DO REVENGE. This week's episode is filled with lots of personal anecdotes from your hosts, a defense of Diablo Cody's teenspeak, and another round of supporting women's wrongs. And don't even think of asking -- WE DON'T DO COCAAAAAAINE! WE DON'T EVE...

“We'll pray. We'll pray. We'll pray for the last time. We'll pray.” The Wives Colangelo are saying goodbye to sp0o0oky season 2023 by tackling the grandmother of all teen girl horror movies, Brian De Palma and Stephen King's CARRIE. Joining your hosts are two of the most brilliant minds assessing horror today, Jazz and Kat of Girl That's Scary on the Dread Central podcast network. Together the fou...

“We don’t go anywhere with ‘scary’, ‘spooky’, ‘haunted’, or ‘forbidden’ in the title.” Sp0o0oky season is for everybody, so as a nice respite from the intense scares, this week The Wives Colangelo are bringing some spooky goodness for the whole family with the live-action SCOOBY-DOO. Joining the pair is Scooby Scholar Valerie Ettenhofer, and together the group discusses the perfection of teen idol...

"I'm not an alien. I'm discontent." As sp0o0oky season continues on, The Wives Colangelo are spotlighting the all-time great collaborative effort between Robert Rodriguez and Kevin Williamson and celebrating the 25th anniversary of THE FACULTY. Let's talk about hot teachers, bad haircuts, snappy dialogue, camp casting, and hear as BJ defends the historically divisive ending. This episode? Guarante...

“Mrs. MacNeil, the problem with your daughter is not her bed; it's her brain.” 50 years ago, William Friedkin delivered what is considered by many to be the scariest movie ever made ... and it's the story of a 12-year-old girl. In honor of it's monumental anniversary, The Wives Colangelo are opening sp0o0oky season with THE EXORCIST. Rather than focus on the priests or what the film has to say abo...

“I really value when people use violence for me, it's actually one of my love languages” ARE YOU READY TO BE MESSY GAYS?! This week the Wives Colangelo are discussing the teen movie that has taken over the world, Emma Seligman's raunchy, raucous, and wild delight -- BOTTOMS. Let's talk about subverting teen tropes, allowing gay characters to be nightmares, finding humor in trauma, and dive into th...

“You're the most beautiful, exciting thing I've ever seen in my life and I don't know anything about you.” 50 years ago, George Lucas tried his hand at telling a nostalgic story inspired by his own teenage years and revolutionized the coming-of-age film forever. This week, The Wives Colangelo are joined by Bradford Oman (aka Ethan Anderton) to honor the half-of-a-century anniversary...

“Sensei, I’m scared that my other self will do something that I don’t know about…” One of the greatest animated films ever crafted, Satoshi Kon's PERFECT BLUE is a terrifying coming-of-age story of obsession, stolen identity, and the way the public at large feels entitled to consume the idea of young starlets. In discussing arguably the scariest movie ever covered on the podcast, The Wives Colange...

“That’s why we fought the Nazis? So you could have a mojito bar?!” The Wives Colangelo are heading back to middle school and becoming young women, Sandler family-style, with YOU ARE SO NOT INVITED TO MY BAT MITZVAH. Together the Wives talk about the benefits of watching coming-of-age stories about different cultures than your own, cry about the fact they're now old enough to see Adam Sandler in da...

"You see us as you want to see us — in the simplest terms and the most convenient definitions" This Ends at Prom is celebrating its 3-year anniversary by closing out the Hughes/Ringwald trilogy and finally tackling the teen movie of all teen movies, THE BREAKFAST CLUB. The Wives Colangelo discuss what the film has to say about growing up, lamenting your teen years, the cruel hierarchy of high scho...

"The quickest way to ruin a relationship with someone is to actually try to have a relationship with them." Book-to-film adaptations aren't easy, but what happens when a film script tries to cram two novels into one movie? Well, you get HOW TO DEAL. Joining The Wives Colangelo is Stephanie Gagnon from the Books in the Freezer podcast to talk about the film's literary source material, how her feeli...