Easy A | 14
Show Notes:
Easy A released September 17, 2010 and stars Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes, and so many other notable actors. Christina Kay and Mario Mello are back and dive into their love of Amanda Bynes, Dill and Rosemary Penderghast and how this movie brings back all the nostalgia and vibes of the 1980s and '90s classics we love!
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The Show: Pop Culture Makes Me Jealous
The Host: Julia Washington
The Guest: Christina Kay, Mario Mello
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Transcript:
Julia: Hey friends, this is pop culture makes me jealous where we discussed pop culture through the lens of race and gender. And sometimes both. I'm your host, Julia Washington, and on today's show, Christina and Mario are back and we are talking about easy, a.
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Julia: Easy a was released September 17th, 2010 and stars, Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes, and so many other notable actors. But before we dive in, let's get reacquainted with some of our pop culture, jelly regulars, Christina. It's a California based hairstylist and photographer specializing in brood, war photos, her philosophy look good.
Julia: Feel good can apply to everyday. Mario Melo is a movie lover of all genres and often drops movie and television reviews on Instagram. Welcome my friends. I actually really have missed our conversations. It's been a while.
Christina: It has been a while. Hi friends,
Mario: Christmas time, I guess.
Julia: Yeah. I think the family stone was the last time you all stopped by.
Julia: Yeah, I mean, together.
Christina: Yeah. You guys have done some other great stuff together though. Since then. Yeah, we
Julia: did the west side story recap and then the Spiderman. Yeah, that
Christina: was fun. I still want to go see Spider-Man I haven't seen
Julia: that. It don't tell me I don't watch her. Don't listen to her or chat about it.
Julia: I
Christina: have it because I want. Yeah.
Julia: Well, does it ruin your life? Spider-Man no way home. Wait. What's the one where they go to Europe. That was on TV yesterday, far from home. See what they all have home in it. So it's just like, they're old and get confused
Christina: and just slowly turning into your mom and be like, what's the one with boom. Like they all have home mom, like, you know which one I'm talking about.
Julia: No they're in Europe and Jake Dillon halls in it, who I always get confused with Toby Maguire. Why? I don't know if they're both like my era of like youthful movies.
Julia: So like you think I know the difference. They don't even look alike though. I don't know what it is. I, my brain just sees them as the same person. Let's give our friends at home, um, a summary of ECA in case they haven't seen it in a while or have never seen it. And if you've never seen it, spoilers are ahead.
Julia: So. Prompted by her popular best friend to spilled the details of her boring weekend. All of a clean cut team decides to spice things up, telling a little lie about losing her virginity when the high school busy body overhears the conversation and spreads it all over campus, all of a suddenly notorious, but for the wrong reasons.
Julia: So I say it could be a modern retelling of Nathaniel Hawthorne Scarlet letter, but it's more of a. Freely adapted version. So let's take a look at what some of the critics had to say at the time. Roger Ebert. I said, it's funny, engaging comedy that takes the familiar, but underrated Emma Stone and makes her, I believe a star until actors are matched to the right role.
Julia: We can never quite see them. Clearly the Hollywood reporter said Eza has the potential to be that raw, obvious that connects with audiences below and above the 25 age demarcation. The LA times said the story of a smart, funny girl who becomes a self-styled Hester Prynne Eza is neither as smart, nor as funny as it wants to be with the verbal cleverness dial set at 11, the teen comedy wears its glib cultural references pop in 19th century, literary in bold face embroidery.
Julia: So this film grossed 75 million at the box office. And I think it marks the beginning of the end of the brilliant high school movie era. So let's start with the most obvious questions. My friends do you love this movie and why? Who wants to go first? Shall we have Mario go first?
Mario: Sure. I'll go for it. So I recently, I watched it it's on HBO.
Mario: Max just didn't know that, but, um, so it was 2010. 12 years ago. That seems so long ago. And I was, I'm a big Emma Stone fan. So I might be a little biased. I love all her stuff, but this was her first like starring role, I would say because she was in the house of the house bunny price. Um, super bad, your bird, her first big feature film.
Mario: So we're all supporting characters. Um, so this was her first like lead role, which is kind of cool. So it's cool to see her kind of go from the supporting role to the. You know, main character, which is cool, but, um, I do love it. It's very comedy. It's very high school. Like they have all like, you know, the little stereotypes, um, the comedy was smart and, you know, she plays out that sassy Woody teenager, and it's like, I could totally see Emma Stone in real life being like that in high school, totally snarky comebacks or, um, you know, she likes every.
Mario: Or she doesn't like everybody,
Mario: but yeah, no, I liked it and I rewatching it just like, I was like, oh man, I forgot how great this movie is.
Julia: Christina.
Christina: I love this movie. I feel like this movie is such a. A teen movie. Like it definitely came out when I was in high school,
Julia: I was just going to ask, were you actually in high school? When it came out?
Christina: I was, I was a junior in high school when this came out, but I didn't realize that until you said it came out in 2010 and I was like,
Christina: but it is definitely, I love Emma Stone in like all of her movies. I always think she plays such like a relatable character, but I feel like I love her in this movie because she. You either feel like you were hurt at some point or, you know, somebody like her, like that's the level of relate-ability like when she has her card and she just keeps like trying to sing it, open it and sing it.
Christina: Like, there's nothing, she's just adorable. You can't help, but like love her instantly.
Julia: Yeah. I love that too. When she first gets the card and she's like, oh, this Sunday night, she's like, Basically giving herself a concert in her room to the car. Funny ones are $5 in cash. Like, yeah, that sounds right. It's such a grandma move to $10.
Julia: Have
Christina: it all in one place.
Julia: I also love this movie and I didn't watch gossip girl, when I aired, um, while it was. Like originally. So this was my introduction to Penn Badgley and I was just like, lose this little cutie patootie O M G I was 26 when the movie came out. So it had like a form of nostalgia for me.
Julia: And when I was watching. In preparation for our conversation today, I forgot how much she idolizes the John Hughes films, which is a huge part of the theme of the movie, which is hilarious because since then, like shortly short, shortly after this film released, like around 2015, people really started getting critical about John Hughes's work and how like, like Jake Ryan's problematic and like, um, You know, Jen Nelson is also an issue.
Julia: His character in breakfast club is a issue or John Bender because, you know, he basically sexually harassed Claire and breakfast club. And like all these things that we forget about that we don't pay attention to. And she like her character liked the rest of us latches onto like the idealism of the sweet romance of the 1980s films, because we all forgot that.
Julia: There's issues, but we also didn't realize too, at the time that those were issues like, you know, no one was really talking about it until more recently of like, wait, this is, this is probably bad, but I loved it. I loved this. I loved the cheap version of all the big hit songs. Like they couldn't afford to pay for the real version of some of those logs.
Julia: So think it like a Walker down, you know, royalty like the karaoke version or some shit. So funny. It's so funny. Also
Christina: if you've seen, um, or if you've watched you on Netflix, it's really hard to go back and see Joe. Yeah. Like as a teen person, I'm like, he's going to murder you all over. You don't trust him.
Christina: He will lock you in a box.
Julia: And then we can't have that.
Christina: I forget how
Mario: many key movies he was in too. Cause he was in
Christina: John Tucker.
Mario: John Tuckerman's died, the stepfather, all that stuff. Dang. Like you don't realize like, until they hit it big you that you're like, oh wait, he was in those small little roles and he worked his way up.
Mario: But yeah, the whole thought every time I see him now, I'm like, Hey, it's Joe, like you got,
Julia: yes, no, but for this purpose is today. He's blood checked. Todd. Sometimes lobster top lobster. Todd,
Christina: imagine having those names though, like in high school, like that's your nickname? Like would Chuck Todd or lobster Todd, like, it kind of actually sounds like some of the guys I went
Julia: to high school with their nicknames.
Julia: Oh my gosh. That's so funny. In 2018 Harper's Bazaar ran a listicle 10 must-see coming of age films of the 21st century and included Eza stating with scintillating wit endlessly quotable dialogue and affectionate homages to the cinema of John Hughes. Eza is a potent critique of retrograde attitudes towards.
Julia: Sexuality. The highlight also suggests that stone introduced the world to her lovable brand of girl, next door charm, ineptly navigating the delicate social politics of high school while falling prey to the toxicity of her slut, shaming peers. Also, I want to fucking award for saying toxicity, right?
Julia: So. I'm curious, is it fair to call all of inept in this situation when she is presumably a junior or senior in high school with limited life experience and trying to navigate the popularity, she accidentally stumbled upon. Cause she doesn't like, I don't think she understands the gravity. Like she's smart, you know, she's an intelligent student, but she's like 17.
Julia: Like there's that scene where. She and Brandon are making the decision to like, pretend that they hook up so that way people will leave him alone about being gay. And she's like, you, you know, just to understand the consequences, but the consequences aren't, aren't the same for him as they are for her. And she doesn't seem to realize that.
Mario: Yeah, it kinda, it just, it does bring up that, um, that view of. Because he's a guy like everyone giving high fives for it, but because it's a girl like claiming her sexuality, everyone, you know, she's a, she's a ho or she's just like, so just, and I feel like sometimes that still hasn't changed. I mean, in this day and age, like same thing, I feel like a guy could be going around and sleeping with hundreds of people and give them high fives for.
Mario: Girls.
Julia: Yeah. They're not allowed to claim any, any sort of like control.
Mario: I think that why this movie did Hey, because it was like, she was kind of claiming her sexuality, even though she wasn't doing anything, but. I, she, she had to be confident in about it. And I think because you got in so much trouble realizing their consequences, she had to be competent.
Mario: Otherwise it was just going to all fall apart.
Julia: Um, and too, there's that scene when it first sort of begins where the guy, I forget his name, they're standing at the pool and he's like, all of Brandon told me what you did for him. And she's like, Yeah, it was great. Whatever. I walked his world and she's like, no, he told me what you really did for him.
Julia: And I'm wondering if you do the same for me. And she's like, fuck off essentially. I mean, she doesn't actually say that, but that's pretty much what the tone. And he's like, well, I don't need to, I don't need your permission. I could just do it. And like, in that moment, you're like, yeah, he could cause guys do that kind of shit all the time.
Christina: Gross thing to do too. Like he's right. That's the worst part is that he's right. And everybody knows it. And that's where she gets like
Julia: frustrated. Yeah. Yep, indeed. And that, and then to that blurred line of like, um, later on in the movie, when the really cute guy who I think looks like he could be Milo Ventimiglia his little brother.
Julia: Um, cause he's got just vibes, but when they're at the, uh, When he asks her out finally, and he doesn't understand that it's a ruse. Like he thinks he can really give her a $200 gift card to home Depot to go as far as he wants with her. Like she does. He doesn't know that it's fake, but all like the nerdy guys are like, you know, getting street cred because it's.
Julia: I also
Christina: want to know what 17 year old boy or girl wants a
Julia: $200
Christina: gift card. Like very
Julia: few. I just got my air compressor there. There's some cool stuff. Again. 17 year old is buying an air compressor. This one that is in shop class, Julia, like
Christina: he found one at shop classes. This is fun. You know how many balloons I can blow up whole at one.
Christina: I feel like, I mean, I don't think all of really understands the gravity of the situation she's in, but I do think she operates the way a teen would operate or
Julia: like,
Christina: you know, she be, I think like when you're that age shoot, even like now as an adult, but like, for the most part, when you're that age, you think you understand the situation or you think you have control over.
Christina: What it is that you're doing until it gets too far and you realize, oh no, I don't like I'm in over my head. I didn't think it was going to go this way. I didn't, you know, I didn't foresee any of this kind of stuff happening. And I think that's kind of. She shows in this movie is that she really is just like a, a naive team that thought she was doing something, you know, to help a friend out.
Christina: And it, it went down a path. She was not ready or equipped to really handle, but she did it with like, I would say she did it with a lot more grace than most teams will.
Julia: Yeah. I mean, she's clearly an intelligent person and she clearly has a great support system at home. Rosemary and dill win the award for being the best parents ever the
Christina: best.
Christina: They're all of you have a suitor for
Julia: me.
Julia: There's so funny. A Stanley Tucci has gotten some like hot daddy vines in some movie that I wasn't really aware of. 10 years ago, 12 years ago, I was like, okay, Stanley. What's up.
Mario: They're still single over there,
Julia: man. Everyone's favorite Italian,
Mario: but I think everything
Julia: he does, he really is. Oh my, he is the best part of devil wears Prada.
Julia: That's a question. That's a question for later
Christina: that was like, he's my favorite?
Julia: And I'm like, okay, we'll get there. We'll get there. Um, but I also think too, like with the scene with, um, the guidance counselor, Phoebe buffet, that's not her name. I know. Yeah. Lisa coach room. Yeah. Um, and how, like, you know, we discover a smile or alert, she's sleeping with a student and contracts, chlamydia.
Julia: And so the guy blames olive because she's the easiest target. And so, you know, the guidance counselors, like at first I thought the guidance counselor, the first time I saw that movie, the movie, I thought the guidance counselor was genuinely having like this meltdown of like, what am I going to do? And all these things and, oh my God.
Julia: And it's legal. It's legal. It's 22. Um, You know,
Christina: the, I don't think that's legal though, to have, once you get to a certain, I think once you hit 20, you have to
Julia: get out of high you age out and you go to like a continuation.
Christina: Yeah. So when she, like, when that was going on, even, even when I was in high school, I was like, that doesn't seem legal.
Christina: Like she should not be with all of these children.
Julia: Right. Well, and then when she's, when, when she's like, you know, I'm going to lose my job and all this stuff and all of this, like, well, I could have chlamydia and I was this time around, I thought, girl, I feel like she guilted olive into say that she was the one who gave it to him, which really made me mad because not only did you abuse your power with a student, with a male student, you're now abusing your power with another student.
Julia: So how many students have you abused your power with? Yeah.
Christina: The, the manipulation, the, and what's worse is it's. It is with people that don't understand that they're being manipulated, you know, cause even at the time I didn't realize that, but like watching it now, I'm like, whoa, you are abusing your power.
Christina: Yeah, your husband
Julia: becomes so unlike unlikable and like her husband clearly wants to have a relationship with her and she pulls that. Right. And she pulls up. You don't understand, my marriage is imperfect. He clearly wanted to get in your pants. Like. Why are you like what has happened that you weren't reciprocating?
Julia: I don't understand over here putting in actual effort and she's like, you don't get it. I was just this 22 year old gets me. You're having a midlife crisis, man. Chill out for real. Like if I'm at 44 years old and I'm telling you that a 22 year old gets me, Christina, send in hopping, you didn't help. Yeah.
Julia: Cause that's even, that's like. No it's like dating your son. I
Christina: mean, well, and his peer group, peer group, so gross. When you pled that whenever you put it that way, that's
Julia: when it gets
Christina: real. I mean, it's creepy and
Julia: I don't like it for a Rome. Oh my gosh. Okay. Okay. Okay, fine. Sorry. I just need to recover from that comment.
Julia: It's fine. But I'm putting it in your
Christina: head now that you don't go through that.
Julia: I wouldn't even, I struggle with the idea of dating somebody 10 years younger than me, because that means they're 10 years older than my child.
Christina: Oh, see, this is where math really just screws things up.
Julia: That's always out to get us.
Julia: Yep. Yeah. Four subject in high school. I had like that and just
Christina: like the way I
Julia: see it is like, I need somebody, cause I can't relate some with a lot of people in terms of. My actual ethnic culture because I'm mixed. So like I can't date somebody. Who's not at least within my generational culture. Because I need something to relate to.
Julia: Right? Like, anyway, these are the things I think about when I'm watching romcoms on TV. I know,
Christina: but like, I just want you to find like a beautiful mixed man. And then like, then you have that in common. Okay. Like a
Julia: younger version of Lenny Kravitz because Lenny Kravitz is too old for me, which is really sad, but because his daughter's four years younger than I am.
Julia: So when you, again, age math context, but like a younger version of lending Kravitz would be. Okay.
Christina: I don't know. I know who Lenny Kravitz's, but I cannot picture what he looks like right now. And it's
Julia: bugging me. Oh my God. When we're done, I'm going to send you his instant and you're going to be like, yeah.
Christina: Or at least can be pissed off.
Julia: Lenny Kravitz. My couldn't you have been born in like 1978,
Julia: the highest, highest oligo. Cause they're still younger than my oldest sibling that at that point. We are looking for advertising partners. When you support this podcast, you're supporting a woman owned BiPAP, small business. We're looking for other small business partners who want to get in front of an audience of like-minded folks looking to smash the patriarchy and make cultural change.
Julia: If that's you email us at pop culture makes me jealous to get started. Just put ad partner interest in the subject line. Can't wait to hear from. Let's talk about the cast. This film is pretty stocked. We mentioned, um, you know, she's got the best parents in the world who were played by Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson, their character names are dill and Rosemary bender gas, which I love Penn Badgley.
Julia: They're
Christina: both herbs. Yeah.
Julia: Oh, wow. They're herbs. And then they have an olive and I forget what the little brother's name was. And she mentioned an older brother to whom we never meet
Mario: he's in college or something.
Julia: Yeah. Penn Badgley, as we mentioned earlier, Amanda Bynes. I think if I remember correctly, this was Amanda Bynes resurgence because she had retired for a little bit.
Julia: And then she came back for this movie. And then Dan bird as her classmates, we mentioned Lisa Cooder already in Thomas Hayden church plays her husband there, the school guidance counselor and that, and all of his favorite teacher, even Fred Armisen has a cameo. So they all have a major role to play in all of his journey during this movie.
Julia: So I want to know, do you think this film was appropriately cast and then also who's your favorite
Christina: character and why?
Julia: So answer all three questions right now. Three
Mario: questions at once.
Julia: Okay. Mario,
Christina: you
Mario: start. So, um, I was re I was looking up. Watching this movie reminded me how much I missed Amanda by him, because I used to be Amanda Biden's fan.
Mario: I thought, yeah. What I like about you? She's the main,
Christina: yeah, man.
Mario: Such a good one. So this was her last movie before she retired, because she had done, she had just done, uh, yeah, just done, um, Sydney white a couple of years ago, which wasn't that big, but then, um, she had done hairspray the year prior to that.
Mario: And then she had just finished up with what I like about you with Jennie Garth on, um, I think it was the WB show
Julia: that show
Mario: yeah, they were sisters. So I, and so watching this, I was like, oh man, I miss the main. It's like the man to show way back when, on Nickelodeon. She's so good. So she went crazy for a little bit, but I mean, as we all find that
Christina: sure.
Christina: To be
Julia: that famous and that rich, that young, like that's hard.
Mario: Yeah. So seeing her on there, um, I think at the time this cast was like, perfect. Like they were all in. Known for team movies and like, uh, Stanley teaching, Patricia Clarkson, or a little are a little more, um, um, veteran compared to the other ones, but they're still so good in it.
Mario: Um, a favorite character.
Julia: I used to date a gay man once no judgment. And just please, don't say it's dad. And then like a couple minutes later, he's like I used to be, was like out of a teenager's mind. This is not a conversation you want to have with your parents. Right. As an adult, you're just kind like, uh, Well, but like, you can see like if through a teenage lens, this is the most horrifying conversation that you could ever have with my
Mario: favorite.
Mario: My favorite scene with Patricia Clarkson is at the, towards the end, when she's telling me when olive is telling her mom about everything that conspire and she's like, I went through a similar situation. I was a slut, everyone. It's just like mom, she's like mostly men, but. She's like, these are the positions I tried
Mario: and yeah. You're like, oh, Why are we talking about this? Like, it's horrifying for a teenager to hear about this, but anyway, as an adult, I feel like I would want to hear about this. I'd be like, no, I'm good.
Christina: There's never a time you want to hear about your mom's sex life.
Julia: It's never, it's never, it's never sorry, Mario.
Julia: I cut you off. So who was your favorite character?
Mario: My favorite characters is probably still all of I, like he said, I'm a big, um, Emma Stone fan and I love her and everything. She does. Amanda Bynes and Stanley TGA. Probably my second and third favorite.
Julia: I mean, to bind this such a bitch, she's just, she's live.
Julia: That's your name? Right?
Christina: It's also so weird that like the weird religious tie that they bring into it, where like she acts all holy and
Julia: stuff. And like, I love that actually that
Christina: they put that in there because there is
Julia: a
Christina: big, especially in high school, there is a big.
Julia: I don't know,
Christina: maybe it could just be around here, but there was always like a group of those people who acted like they were really like holy or really religious.
Christina: And then, but when you really know them, you know, Mm. Side-eye side-eye all day
Julia: like,
Christina: yeah. I see what you do when you're not being
Julia: wholly. Yeah. Amanda Bynes, boyfriend blinking the guidance counselor. He's 22, Julia. Oh, excuse me. Sorry. Stands her wildly inappropriate that he's still in high school, by the way.
Julia: Yeah.
Christina: It's also wildly inappropriate that he's dating a high schooler, like yeah. It's all. There's nothing appropriate for him to be there. Exactly. I don't care how much school he needs help with. He's not getting it. They're getting
Julia: him out adult education classes at this point because he can find alcohol.
Christina: Yes.
Julia: Yeah. Oh God. Yeah. Okay. Christina, your favorite character go.
Christina: All of his dad. I just think I love all of you can clearly see that she gets her personality from like having these parents that are. They seem such like a good family, like they're open with her. They're, you know, they're warm, they're loving, they're inviting, but they also clearly like, you know, that they know how to be parents when they
Julia: shouldn't be parents.
Julia: They're not just
Christina: like friends, you know, like they are, but they're not. And I just think his, I love Stanley to chain, everything you're right. The devil wears Prada. Like he. He's my favorite in that as well. Like
Julia: he's so good.
Christina: Anything you put him in, he takes on that role. So like he encompasses that character and you, you just believe like that this person exists and you always want to know them and you just.
Christina: He's great. And I love, I love when he, with her little brother there in the kitchen and he's like, what,
Julia: who
Christina: told you we were going to do this as a family, just like rolling his eyes. Like, you know that he does this on a weekly, if not monthly
Julia: basis, you know, like
Christina: his dad. Clearly or just like all over the place in this
Julia: light.
Julia: Now we can take the bus, watching the bucket list off of our buckets.
Christina: You know, he's only, he's only saying stuff to make himself laugh. And that's what I think I love him so much in this movie. Cause it's like, he's like the ultimate
Julia: dad.
Mario: I want to see them as like. If the kids played sports, like them going to the sports games.
Mario: Cause I could see them with like big old signs over reacting parents to
Christina: everything. Yeah. Yes. But also not knowing how the sport works at all. Like being so into it. Like yeah, go on. And then like looking at it, like his wife and being like, I don't
Julia: know what just happened, but I think it was good.
Christina: You know, he's secretly rooting for the other team because he doesn't know what's going on.
Christina: Yeah. He's being
Julia: supportive. Oh man. I think my favorite is I think my favorite characters would Chuck Todd, because he's super chill because his
Christina: names would check.
Julia: He's just like, here I am doing my thing. Like , but he's not dirt to do. You know what I mean? Like he's just super chill. Just kinda like, we all have to be in high school, so I'm just going to do what I gotta do. He
Mario: sees respectful.
Christina: Yes. He also seems oblivious. Not in like. Okay. In a naive or oblivious way, but like oblivious in the sense that he genuinely does not care what his peers are doing.
Julia: Yeah. And we'll dive into that a little bit more in a second. I messed it up a little bit. Cause I said put Chuck, Todd, so we want to talk about him, but we're going to talk about it in a little bit.
Mario: Joe,
Julia: Joe. Oh Joe. Oh Joe. But I do love also, um, uh, The teacher as well. I think that his characters, I think his character is fun.
Julia: He's like if I have to, he's like, I don't know what it is with your generation's obsession with posting on Facebook, everything. And then just kind of goes on that little diatribe and then. His whole thing about, like, I know you're the only one who read the book and, you know, just kind of calls her. I have to read about her bad accent one more time.
Julia: Or, you know, like, like he genuinely loves his job, but he also recognizes that, you know, half the school just doesn't give a shit and seems
Christina: like one of those really good teachers, like, sorry, Mario, he just. He seems like one of those really good teachers who cares about his students who actually put in effort, but he's not like he does not borderline creepy at all.
Christina: Like yeah. Genuinely is. He's like an uncle or a dad figure like in the
Julia: classroom, that's an abuse power. Like his wife. Yes.
Christina: I'm sorry, Mario, what were
Mario: you? Oh, no, I was going to say, I just thought it was funny about that Facebook thing too. Cause I w I always get, you know, you keep the memories back in Facebook and stuff like that.
Mario: And in 2010, that's what you would do. You would just be like, I'm going shopping, or I need to go to the grocery store. Like he says, he's like, who, who cares? And I think when I read that, My own ones. I'm like, oh, I really put that really care about that. Like
Julia: so embarrassing. It can handle if I documented.
Mario: And again, that's in 2010, like 10 years ago, it doesn't seem that long, but it was a long time and like how we've evolved from there. And it was just like, oh, It's
Christina: very like that. You said it was 12 years ago. It was like, wow.
Julia: It was 12
Mario: years ago.
Christina: I still can't. I, in my mind, I was like, yeah, it was in high school, like two or three years ago.
Christina: And I'm like, no, you weren't. You're about to have a baby. Like
Mario: you're grown
Christina: up now.
Julia: I feel your pain. I feel your pain. Whenever I think about like, oh, my high school graduation was 20 years ago. I don't feel like I look old enough for that, but then also have a human child.
Christina: I don't know where the disconnect goes in.
Christina: Like my brain. And I remember my parents always tell me about that. They're like, you really like. It will not feel like time's going by that fast once you graduate. And I think it's because in school you're so like regulated by that one year, that one year means so much, it has some markers, right? Like you have the fidelity every year.
Christina: Yeah.
Julia: The minuscule you have the beginning of school you have spring break, winter break, all those things that sort of define segment your high school experience. In when adulthood it's like, oh shit, it's Christmas already. Didn't we just have to,
Christina: yeah. I was like, oh my God. We're gonna, like, I noticed that, that, um, when I'm leaving work, now it's starting to be, there's still light outside.
Christina: So you're walking the door in, which is my favorite. I'm like getting
Julia: all excited, but I'm like, oh my
Christina: gosh, like, how are we already into like the new year? How's it going to be spring again? I feel like it was just like spring last year. It's it makes no sense. And that, yeah, I don't get that.
Julia: Well, that human child is walking and talking and one day you're just like, how the fuck did you turn five?
Christina: Well, yeah, I was, I just like, uh, we get Aydin back, you know, like every time we get Aiden back, I look at him because he's gone for two weeks and then we have it for two weeks and it's like, when he's gone and he comes back, sometimes they'll hit a growth spurt and I'm like, yeah, And then like, and then you get like this weird, like flashback of like, when I first met him and I was like, he had a different voice when I met him.
Christina: So he had a different set of teeth when I met
Julia: him.
Christina: And you just sit there and you're like, how did that go by so quickly? But it also felt like it was like, I met him, you know, just a couple of months ago. It's so it is
Julia: so weird. So, yep. My two of my, my two best friends from high school, we all FaceTime to the other night and the one gal has a five-year-old I think is a six now.
Julia: I don't anyway, he's cute, but he's still kind of, you know, small child. And so she's like, he's like in the FaceTime with her and we're chatting and it's the cutest thing ever. I've never met this human child in person we've only ever met over video chat. So then I turn the camera to my child and she's like, who is that man?
Julia: Sitting on your couch?
Mario: It's the 22 year old I'm dating right now.
Julia: Full circle
Julia: on that note, it's time to move on.
Christina: This episode
Julia: is brought to you by Hughes by Juul. He used by Juul offers, custom artwork and original prints specializing in watercolor, focusing on the human form and different shades of skin. If you're looking for that perfect gift for a birthday or have a special memory, you'd like to commemorate visit Hughes by Juul on Instagram, or find the Etsy shop of the same name that Hughes H.
Julia: E S by Jules, J U L S. So later in the movie, the line becomes blurred between what is being said about all of it and what is actually happening. And we kind of referenced that a little bit early. An hour into the film. Also, the audience has a firm grasp on the fact that all of it's helping the nerdy guys in school, bolster the reputations in order to get dates of the girls.
Julia: They like when suddenly all of his asked out by none other than high school Hottie, I forget his name. Anson
Mario: a N S O N. Okay.
Julia: None other than high school, Hottie Anson, but the catch he's not in on the roof. And we already kind of talked about this a little bit, but let's get a little bit deeper on it. What did you feel when all of has this encounter in the parking lot, where she realizes that like Anson is not in on it?
Julia: Like how, how did that whole scene play out, make you feel for her and towards the whole scenario who wants to go for it?
Christina: For me, I feel like that's when she kind of realizes like, whoa, that's when she realizes she's in over her head like that for her is the turning point of going. I'm not in control of this.
Christina: Like I thought I was, and it makes me feel like it makes me feel sad. And it also, again, like it's relatable. Like, I, I mean, I think we all have those situations in high school where you think, you know, you're. Do you are under control, you got something under control and then inevitably someone else tells you something.
Christina: And then you're like, oh my God, I have let this go on thinking I was doing one thing and now I'm I'm over here and it doesn't make sense. And I just felt for her so much because you can tell now the wheels are turning in her head on like, how does. How do I make it stop? How do I get out of this? And it's at the same time, I believe that she started to realize that she, she still has her feelings for would
Julia: Chuck, Todd.
Mario: Yeah. I was going to say very similar. Um, I felt like at this moment, she's like, man, they actually really do think. Um, it's not an actor anymore. Like everyone really thinks that. And I think like Christina said, like she's gone a little too far. Um, I think it is a, uh, a reality check to guys too, because like, you know, guys don't take no for an answer sometimes.
Mario: And in this scene she had to tell him no four or five times before she actually got them offer because he was like, oh no, you got this like, Know, she's going to, because of all these rumors, like, oh, she's just playing hard to get. I'm just going to keep forcing myself on her until she, you know, relents.
Mario: But now finally she's like, no, Um, you know, it gets out of there, but, so yeah, it's,
Julia: that's a really good point, Mario, because it brings into that conversation, right? Like there's that conversation that happens whenever somebody is in a situation where they're like, you know, taken advantage of and this whole idea of like, well, she was asking for it kind of concept.
Julia: And like, to me, that's kind of what it felt like. Anson was sort of insinuating like your doing this. This is what you want, but it's not what she wants. Like she's not allowed to have autonomy and a say in the situations, because now she has this reputation, um, of being sort of, you know, not being sort of, of being this type of girl who does things for money.
Julia: And, um, it sort of like breaks my heart because it highlights too. Just how like, Girl can't really have, or woman can't really do what she wants herself without somebody potentially stealing her autonomy away from her. And that's been something that women have been dealing with for centuries because we used to be property.
Julia: Um, and now it's just seeing it in 2010 in that way where you're just like, oh God, She, like Christina said, she thinks she's in control. And yet now we have another scenario. The first scenario was the boy at the pool who was like, I can say whatever I want anyway, I don't need your permission. And now this scenario where he's like, I paid you and she's like throws the gift card back at him.
Julia: No, you did. Sorry. Now you didn't. And it's just, I don't know. It's sad in a way that the mentality sort of shifts of like, they're a lesser person because they're doing these things. Like I wouldn't do those things, but I'm not going to be like, girl, I'm going to be like, please tell me you're being safe.
Julia: Like the guidance counselor did when she didn't believe her and was trying to give her a handful of condoms
Christina: also. Like it. It always makes me sad, especially now that we're at a point where we're really, like, I feel like women are finally really calling that out. That kind of behavior out. It makes me sad that for so long, even in movies and media and stuff, we've portrayed this message that is.
Christina: Oh, it's just normal for men to keep asking and keep asking any, you just have to keep turning them down because men don't take no seriously the first time. But then on the flip side, if you tell, like, if a guy tells you no, and if he has to tell you a second time, if he has to tell you a second time, you're crazy, like woman is crazy.
Christina: But if a girl has to tell a guy for five, 10, a dozen times, no, That's just how men are. And it's like, we're constantly perpetuating this idea that men don't grasp the concept of no, or they just don't grasp the concept of know when it's coming from a woman and that's such a growth. Um, it's such a gross practice to even put out in media for, you know, like teenagers or young girls to see, because then you get to, you know, your twenties when you have that more confidence and stuff, and you do start to speak up and you're like overly frustrated now because you're like, how many times do I need to say no for you to understand it?
Christina: And now you're a bitch or, you know, you're this or that. And it's like, I really hope and it seems like we're finally shifting, but I really hope that the shift moves quickly and becomes a bigger thing where it's like, yeah, we don't keep perpetuating this idea that men are allowed to just keep pushing their agenda before.
Christina: Like, and or that you don't need to have a big reaction. Like you should be able to say no, And that'd be the end of it.
Julia: Absolutely. There are still women in my generation, the older millennial generation, you know, where, cause you know where encouragement come forward, speak up, speak out. But there still really isn't a whole lot of support.
Julia: On a micro level, you know, on a bigger level. It's like we support you and there's all these things and we'll stand by you and solidarity, but on that smaller level of, okay, so I just came out and said, X happened to me by this person, and now there's no immediate support to help me get through whatever public scrutiny is going to happen.
Julia: And so you still have women's. Even though, you know, we'll stand it there and say like, it's important for them to speak out about these things that happened to them and, you know, accountability and like let's do better. And all these things. You still have my women, my age, who've had these experiences and we're just unwilling to discuss them because we don't want to go through the trauma.
Julia: Again, we don't want to be publicly scrutinized. We don't want our lives ripped apart and completely judged. And it's like, at the end of the day, it shouldn't matter my lifestyle who I am or what I've done. The point is, is I told that person, no, and they still did it anyway. That's what needs to be judged and mattered, but that's not the society that, you know, we're in.
Julia: We are shifting away from that. Like you say, Christina, but it's so interesting to me to see. I like younger women having no problems being like, fuck that guy. This is what he did. But women, my age are like, well, I'm on the fence. I don't really know if I want
Christina: to like, and then the generations ahead of us as well.
Christina: Like, yeah, I just wouldn't say shit. They're just like, They, they brush it under the rug so quickly, like
Julia: is how we acted back then. And you're like, uh,
Christina: no, that shouldn't be, yeah. I mean, like, I know someone who's around like my mom's age, you know, like she's in her early fifties and she was back in the dating pool and like listening to the stuff that she was like, oh, you know, like the guys that she was dating and stuff that she.
Christina: Puts up with, and I'm like, you know, that's not okay. Right? Like you're allowed to say no, or you're allowed to say you don't like that. And she's like, or like she made a comment like, oh, like I have to build up the courage to tell him I don't want to do this. And I'm like, you have to build up the courage to say you don't like something like, but those generations were never taught or encouraged.
Christina: Their voice mattered as much. And it's just like, I, I guess I'm excited that I'm a part of the changing generation, but I, I hope to God like that my daughter doesn't have to, I hope she's just walks up and she's like, no, I don't like anybody. You know, just, I hope she never has to feel that way like that.
Christina: She's got to keep saying no or that, you know, like she doesn't get that choice. It's like, I really hope. That we do shift a bigger, like, I'm glad that we've made this progress to notice that what she did in 2010 to now see you. No problem. I hope the change is still on the rise.
Julia: Yeah. And also, can we please stop teaching the Scarlet letter?
Julia: Because I feel like we're getting the wrong message put across on that story. Like, unless you're going to like look at it through a different lens than what we're currently teaching it through. We just need to stop. We just need to stop. 'cause I feel like it kind of perpetuates the idea of like, you know, Hester Prynne deserved it.
Julia: No, like that full, straight up seduced her, like it's, I mean, sure. We all have a part to play in our lives, but at the end of the day, like she got all the heat and he got none of it. Yeah. I'm just going off of memory. I haven't read that book in over 20 years, so I don't really know
Mario: you watched the movie.
Mario: I
Julia: watched the movie, not the Jimmy Moore one.
Julia: I do love this movie so much. It's ridiculous. I, I watch it on repeat and I find Emma's. Oh, so you guys, a year later after this movie is released, she does crazy stupid love with Ryan Gosling. So I don't know if anybody else feels this way, but it was like, how do you go from being a really young high school person to having power?
Julia: KA law school and taking the bar like, like for the longest time, I had a really hard time with how big of a life difference those two characters were because she does look really young. I think she's only like three or four years younger than me. So it was like 35, I think. Yeah, I think, yeah. So like three years younger than me.
Julia: So it was just that moment where you're just like, how do you go from being like adorable high school brawl, which she did great and crazy, stupid love. I watched Eza and then I watched crazy, stupid love after. Cause that's just the order I have to do with them.
Mario: That's a great movie too.
Christina: It is, I, that is a hard thing in general with like actors, like, like you said, I always had a hard time watching.
Christina: Would Chuck tuck or which had cut Todd,
Julia: which John Tucker must die. Yes.
Christina: That's I know I'm looking at my notes and I'm like, I just mixed everything up, but
Julia: I have a hard time watching
Christina: him. 'cause he always looked like he was like in his twenties to me even like, even though he does look young, like he looks really young and youthful and he could play a high schooler.
Christina: He's always looked like, and I guess, cause he acted that way too. I'm like, yeah. It's hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that like, you're supposed to be like a high school student for some reason, even though I know that that's your character in this, like, it just doesn't fit. Right. And Lucy, anything that like, he does act age
Julia: appropriate, like this makes sense.
Julia: Yeah. Like, and even in. In gossip girl, they didn't shave his chest. He had like chest hair peeking out from his shirt and you're just like, I don't know any high school kids who are at that, Harry. Okay.
Christina: No, like that's not something you get for a while. Yeah
Julia: anyway. Okay. Now I'm really going to close out the show.
Julia: Friends. Thank you so much for joining me today. Can you remind our listeners at home where they can find you if they want to keep up with you online? Christina, why don't you go first?
Christina: I am at Christina underscore K underscore creations. I'm sorry about the double underscore. I know people hate it. I get it.
Christina: I'm sorry. I'm old. Just let me live my life. Like I was listening to a podcast and they had talked about that. They're like you get one underscore. If you going on to two, I'm not
Julia: following you. I have to, and like all of
Christina: my handles like
Julia: that, otherwise you don't get the name you want. Yeah. Well, you just, weren't fast enough to get the name you wanted.
Julia: You should have claimed it 12 years
Christina: ago. Common names. So that doesn't
Julia: help. That doesn't help you there. Yeah. Yeah. I understand. I have, I also have a pretty common name, but it doesn't appear to be common cause you know, There's not a lot of us around this area, but when you go to the internet, there's a lot to many people, right, Mario, where can we find
Mario: you?
Mario: Uh, you can find me on Instagram at movies with Mr. Mario. And I do TV reviews and movie reviews and everything I'm watching in between.
Julia: Yay. And I will link to everybody's handles and our show notes. And, um, I just am so glad you guys were here again. I feel like we went too long between our last trial.
Julia: Trio episode to this one, I feel like that's too much time as fast, but also Christina, when that baby comes, how much time you're going to have
Christina: for us, I'm going to make it work. Okay. If I can make things work as, as I can right now, plus. Plus every time I get something in the mail for the baby, Taylor likes to tell me, you know, I'm going to use that more than you.
Christina: So I'm going to just start holding them to that. Well, you
Julia: told me you would go spend all this time with her. Yeah. I need an hour and a half on this day, so I can talk with Julia and Mario about this topic. I'm holding you to it. If you fail, they're both coming for you, honestly. I mean, he's
Christina: great about it.
Christina: I'm already. I tell him I need an hour and a half to do something. And he came out and got the bird. And that's why the birds no longer chirping
Julia: background. So he came out and
Christina: he's just
Julia: looking at me in a monkey. Won't
Christina: shut up. And he's like, Aw,
Julia: God. He's
Julia: awesome
Mario: though. If baby makes an appearance, though. Yes.
Christina: She'll be like a small little star, as long as she's quiet the whole time, you know, come
Julia: join us. Yeah, exactly. That's how I prefer children with her. Quiet, me too. Very lucky. Like Jackson was super chill. He was such a chill little guy. And then, um, My friend, my, one of my best friend's daughters who I love, like, I call her my niece.
Julia: Like she's super chill, but she's also really spirited. So like anyone who sees her daily would probably be tired, but like me, I'm like, yeah, girl, let's do this. I love your energy. I love your mind. I'm just
Christina: going to let duke babysit her. I'm like, go play with the
Julia: dog here. I was telling my son the other day, I had this friend who had a bull massive, great Dane mix and her name was Jules.
Julia: And so whenever. When she was a baby and I'd go over there and visit hardly municipal, you know, car seat. Cause it was just easier. Cause if he'd slept out, which was great, that dog would literally sit by the carrier and just be like, this is my baby now. So like she w you had to get permission from her to even like, go check on the baby.
Julia: Like, she was like very protective and loving. It was so cute and sweet. And, but it's like on her hind leg, she's a solid half foot taller than me. You know, that's my child, right? Like, well, you're going to clearly win in a fight. Ma'am but also that's my baby. It's
Christina: like captain slowly. She's all looking at me.
Christina: Look at me. I'm the captain now. That's that dog with your baby. Okay. Pretty much. Now I'm the captain now.
Julia: I just thought it was sweet though. And we don't deserve dogs. I know. They're the best. Yeah. Anyway. Thank you so much for being here and to our listeners at home. Thanks for tuning in y'all.
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