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This week on Bad Dads Film Review, the dads are covering the "Top 5 Floods" in cinema history before taking a deep dive into the 2025 Oscar-winning Latvian animated film, Flow. What We Covered Top 5 Floods: The crew discusses the best cinematic deluges, including Dan's deep-dive into the upside-down chaos of The Poseidon Adventure.The Main Feature: Reviewing Flow, the stunning animated feature about a cat, a capybara, a lemur, and a dog surviving a massive flood.Zero Dialogue, Maximum Impact: How a film with no humans and no talking managed to beat Inside Out 2 at the 97th Academy Awards.The Verdicts: An absolute "flood of emotion and high praise." The entire crew gave it their strongest possible recommendation.You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. If it hasn't been completely destroyed yet you can usually find us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review, on email at [email protected] or on our website baddadsfilm.com.   Until next time, we remain...   Bad Dads

This week, the Bad Dads wade deep into "The Bathtub" to review Benh Zeitlin’s indie darling Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012). Facing off against apocalyptic floods, giant prehistoric boars (Aurochs), and the harsh realities of off-the-grid poverty, six-year-old Hushpuppy carries this movie on her tiny shoulders. What We Covered Flood Week: Topical weather discussions, recent storms, and impending doom.The Bathtub: Exploring the feral, off-the-grid community south of the Louisiana levee and the metaphor of the melting ice caps.Parenting 101: Wink's extremely tough-love (and questionable) approach to raising six-year-old Hushpuppy.Cat Food Stew & Aurochs: Cooking with blowtorches and the symbolic approach of giant prehistoric boars.The Verdicts: Magical realism masterpiece or something else? We debate the non-professional cast and the intense cinematography.You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. If it hasn't been completely destroyed yet you can usually find us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review, on email at [email protected] or on our website baddadsfilm.com.   Until next time, we remain...   Bad Dads

The Bad Dads (with Dan away for the week) dive into the protein-shake-fueled world of Den of Thieves (2018). It's a battle of the alphas as Gerard Butler's corrupt Sheriff's unit takes on an ex-military crew planning an impossible heist on the US Federal Reserve. What We Covered - Top 5 Pockets and Pickpockets intro (it's Pocket Week!) - The *Heat* comparisons: why this is basically *Heat* with tribal tattoos and maximum swagger. - Gerard Butler's completely unhinged "Big Dick Energy" performance. - The blurred lines between the "good guys" and the "bad guys." - Sidey reacting to the review (he hasn't seen it yet, but he's sold now). - Final verdict: A resounding strong recommend! Final Verdict Strong recommend — "Five tens outta five." A fantastic, action-packed heist movie that knows exactly what it is. You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. If it hasn't been completely destroyed yet you can usually find us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review, on email at [email protected] or on our website baddadsfilm.com.   Until next time, we remain...   Bad Dads

The crew kicks off Pocket Week with *God's Pocket* and explores whether the film's rough-edged, hyper-local setting works as character drama or just stays grim for grim's sake. What We Covered - Whether this was truly one of Philip Seymour Hoffman's final performances/releases - John Slattery directing, plus the Mad Men crossover cast links - The opening funeral framing and backfill structure - Mickey's terrible decision-making spiral (including spending funeral money on a horse) - The film's violence, cynicism, and lack of clear "good" characters - Tone issues: bleak drama mixed with moments that feel unintentionally funny - Community themes: loyalty, outsider distrust, and "closed" neighborhood culture - Final verdict: moderate recommend Final Verdict Moderate recommend — worth watching for Hoffman and atmosphere, but patchy overall. You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. If it hasn't been completely destroyed yet you can usually find us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review, on email at [email protected] or on our website baddadsfilm.com.   Until next time, we remain...   Bad Dads

This week, the Dads head into the Australian Outback to review Nicolas Roeg's mesmerizing and dreamlike 1971 survival drama, Walkabout. Dan kicks things off by admitting he completely confused this movie with A Far Off Place, spending the first hour waiting for a dog that was never going to appear. Once the confusion settles, Sidey, Dan, Reegs, and Cris dive deep into this visual masterpiece starring Jenny Agutter, Luc Roeg, and the legendary David Gulpilil. In this episode: - Dan's Kalahari Desert mix-up - The culture clash: modern society vs. indigenous life - Have humans evolved too fast for the modern world? (Cris predicts our WALL-E slug future) - The indestructible nature of 1970s school uniform tights - Why you shouldn't go hiking in formal leather school shoes - The brilliant, almost entirely improvised performances from the young cast - Comparisons to last week's film (Sovereign) on the topic of rejecting modern society Verdict: Strong recommend across the board. A weird, beautiful, and thought-provoking classic. Films/shows mentioned: Walkabout (1971), Sovereign (2025), A Far Off Place (1993), Don't Look Now (1973), The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), WALL-E (2008), Crocodile Dundee (1986). You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. If it hasn't been completely destroyed yet you can usually find us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review, on email at [email protected] or on our website baddadsfilm.com.   Until next time, we remain...   Bad Dads

This week, the Dads pull out the red string and the newspaper clippings to review The Conspiracy (2012), a Canadian found-footage indie thriller written and directed by Christopher MacBride. With Pete away skiing (and tracking his WOD PRs), Sidey, Dan, Reegs, and Cris dive into a mockumentary that blurs the lines between actual historical psy-ops and deep web paranoia. In this episode: - Arsenal injury conspiracies and the truth about international breaks - Terrence, the ultimate tinfoil-hat kook, and his magnificent "murder wall" of newspaper clippings - The psychology of conspiracy theories: why believing a shadowy cabal controls the world is more comforting than accepting chaos - How the film effectively weaves real-world events (9/11, Gulf of Tonkin) into its fictional narrative - The dreaded Tarsus Club and the logistics of crashing an elite secret society dinner (surely they counted the masks?) - The inevitable pivot into Blair Witch meets Eyes Wide Shut in the third act - Tie-clip cameras, blurry faces, and aggressive stabbing sound effects - That deeply unsettling final interview scene Verdict: Strong recommend. A tight, breezy indie thriller that executes its premise well, even if the final act goes a bit off the rails. Films/shows mentioned: The Conspiracy (2012), The Blair Witch Project (1999), Eyes Wide Shut (1999). You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. If it hasn't been completely destroyed yet you can usually find us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review, on email at [email protected] or on our website baddadsfilm.com.   Until next time, we remain...   Bad Dads

It's conspiracies week at Bad Dads. All four dads — Sidey, Dan, Reegs and Cris — count down the Top Five Conspiracies before getting to Sovereign (2025), a devastating drama about a father and son in the Sovereign Citizen movement that made $63,000 at the box office and absolutely deserved better. In the Top Five: JFK — Oliver Stone's four-hour masterpiece of the grassy knoll, covered in fullAll the President's Men — Woodward, Bernstein, the paper that's now owned by BezosMichael Clayton — Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson going off his medsV for Vendetta — the graphic novel Alan Moore hated adapted by people he also hatedThe Matrix/Moon Landing — Kubrick and the simulation, one or two topicsZoolander — the fashion industry behind every political assassination for 200 yearsBubba Ho-Tep — Elvis, Black JFK, Egyptian mummy. Cris's nom. Correct.Elvis vs Nixon — the real meeting, the badges, the conspiracy of what they said to each otherCOINTELPRO — the real FBI programme that makes the conspiracy theories look tameSidey's friend's COVID/QAnon texts — read in full, genuinely extraordinaryReegs' Conspiracy Quiz: Real or made up? Finland, Denver Airport, Victorian tax avoidance, Tuskegee, government surveillance birds, and Wetherspoons underground tunnels. On Sovereign: Nick Offerman in an unexpected dramatic turn — really big and violentJacob Tremblay as Joe, the son, in what both Reegs and Dan consider career-best workThe Sovereign Citizen movement explained, and the real incident it's based onDennis Quaid as the sheriff whose son is killedMartha Plimpton's brief appearance as a seminar devoteeWhy Joe shoots the police: not madness, but inevitabilityThe baby at the end. You'll understand when you get there.Verdict: Strong recommend all round. Heavy. Almost nobody saw it. One of those films. You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. If it hasn't been completely destroyed yet you can usually find us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review, on email at [email protected] or on our website baddadsfilm.com.   Until next time, we remain...   Bad Dads

This week Dan and Reegs review I, Swear — the 2025 BAFTA-winning film about John Davidson, the Scotsman with Tourette's syndrome who became an MBE, an advocate, and one of the most compelling biographical subjects in recent cinema. It's just the two of them this episode. There was also a hornet. In this episode: The BAFTA ceremony controversy — what actually happened, why the internet got it wrong, and why the BBC's edit decision was indefensibleJohn Davidson's story from 1983 Galashiels to an MBE at the Palace, in a film that is simultaneously hilarious and devastatingScott Ellis Watson's extraordinary debut performance as young JohnWhy this film works when so many "inspirational" biopics don'tTommy — the elderly caretaker who becomes the father figure John never hadDottie — the woman who simply decided to accept him, no apologies requiredThe drug mule scene ("half price heroin for sale")The library scene — why a man walking quietly through a library might be the best cinematic climax of the yearThe median nerve stimulation device and what it means for people living with Tourette'sThe real John Davidson footage over the credits — including his dog, who may be the most emotionally intelligent character in the whole filmVerdict: Strong recommend. Both dads in tears. Multiple times. Not ashamed. Notes: Adult language throughout. This is a film about Tourette's. That should tell you everything you need to know going in. Films/shows mentioned: I, Swear (2025), Sinners (2025 — Michael B. Jordan's Oscar win referenced) You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. If it hasn't been completely destroyed yet you can usually find us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review, on email at [email protected] or on our website baddadsfilm.com.   Until next time, we remain...   Bad Dads

This week the dads work late for Steven Shainberg's Secretary (2002) — one of the more unusual love stories in American independent cinema, and almost certainly the most interesting thing James Spader has ever worn a tie for. But first: a very thorough Top Five Secretaries list. Dolly Parton, Mad Men, Ghostbusters, Batman Returns, The Simpsons, Beetlejuice, Moneypenny through all her iterations, and the West Wing. It's a good one. Top Five highlights: Doralee Rhodes (Dolly Parton) from 9 to 5Joan Holloway and Peggy Olson from Mad Men — a deliberate twoferSelina Kyle — Michelle Pfeiffer, one take with the whip, iconicMoneypenny through every era — Lois Maxwell to Naomi HarrisSmithers from The Simpsons — unsalaried, devoted, above and beyondMiss Argentina, the green receptionist in the afterlife from BeetlejuiceDawn/Pam from the UK and US Office — both great, discussed togetherMrs Landingham from The West WingMiss Teschmacher from SupermanOn the main feature: Dan tried to watch it with his family. The first scene resolved that very quickly.A surprisingly thoughtful and sensitive portrayal of BDSM — and why it works where 50 Shades doesn'tMaggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader both doing career-best workAngelo Badalamenti's score — unusual, rhythmically strange, perfectWhether trading one form of self-harm for another is complex, or just complicated, or bothThe three-day chair scene — and why it's the emotional heart of the filmAlso in this episode: a recent Wu-Tang Clan gig (GZA didn't show, QR codes were aggressively promoted), Barcelona, and Sidey's assessment of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Verdict: Strong recommend. Surprisingly tender. Genuinely unlike anything else. Note: Adult content. Not suitable for family viewing. The dads learned this the hard way. Cast & crew discussed: Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Spader, Angelo Badalamenti, Steven Shainberg You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. If it hasn't been completely destroyed yet you can usually find us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review, on email at [email protected] or on our website baddadsfilm.com.   Until next time, we remain...   Bad Dads

This week the dads tackle Paul Verhoeven's infamous erotic thriller — the fourth highest-grossing film of 1992 and quite possibly the most rewound VHS tape in rental shop history. Basic Instinct turns 33 this year, and it's still just as wild as you remember. In this episode: The legendary interrogation scene and the great Wayne Knight sweating debateWhether Sharon Stone knew — and whether Paul Verhoeven is telling the truthNick Curran: the "anti-Columbo" and arguably cinema's least heroic heroWhy Michael Douglas was paid $14 million and Sharon Stone got half a millionVerhoeven's Hitchcock obsession and the Vertigo parallels hiding in plain sightThe ambiguous ending, the ice pick under the bed, and whether the sequel tells us anythingLGBTQ+ representation and the bisexual villain problemThe 2001 collector's edition DVD that came with a replica ice pickSharon Stone's Barbie film pitch, and why it never happenedVerdict: Strong recommend. Ludicrous, overwrought, problematic in places — and still absolutely compelling. Films mentioned: Basic Instinct (1992), Basic Instinct 2 (2006), Vertigo (1958) Cast & crew discussed: Sharon Stone, Michael Douglas, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Wayne Knight, Paul Verhoeven, Jerry Goldsmith You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. If it hasn't been completely destroyed yet you can usually find us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review, on email at [email protected] or on our website baddadsfilm.com.   Until next time, we remain...   Bad Dads

 This week Sidey, Dan, and Cris fly solo — Simon's been called to Southampton on urgent business (he was spotted in a pub surrounded by tea cups, so make of that what you will).  The dads are reviewing Ballad of a Small Player (2024), the new Netflix film from Edward Berger — the director behind All Quiet on the Western Front and Conclave — starring a very much on-form Colin Farrell.  The Film: Colin Farrell plays Lord Doyle, a dissolute British gambler drowning in debt in the casinos of Macau — and if you thought Vegas was the gambling capital of the world, think again. Doyle owes 352,000 Hong Kong dollars to the house, is blagging his way past the front desk in a crumpled cravat, and somehow still looks magnificent.  He falls in with a mysterious young woman at the Baccarat tables, and from there the film slides into gorgeous, ambiguous territory — is she real? Is any of this? And does it even matter when the rush of the bet is the only thing that feels true? Themes of addiction, redemption, obsession, and the question of whether you can ever really stop — all wrapped in the stylised, sun-drenched visual language of Macau's casino underworld.  The lads give it two words each: "All in" (Dan), "Bizarre but funny" (Cris), and "Strong recommend" (Sidey). Consensus: go watch it.  Top Five: Gardens The boys dig into their favourite cinematic, televisual, musical, and gaming gardens. From the gnome in Amélie and David Lynch's suburban lawn horror in Blue Velvet, to the brutal communal fields of Midsommar, Spirited Away's otherworldly beauty, and the garden in Saltburn that had certain members of the pod seeing quite a lot of a particular actor. Wonka's chocolate garden gets a nod, as does Miss Peregrine's hedge-portal to another time.  Sidey & Reegs are also going to see Wu-Tang Clan at the O2. Protect ya neck.  You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. If it hasn't been completely destroyed yet you can usually find us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review, on email at [email protected] or on our website baddadsfilm.com.   Until next time, we remain...   Bad Dads

This week's Midweek Mention takes us somewhere unexpectedly moving — Bill Condon's Gods and Monsters (1998), a fictionalized account of the final days of James Whale, the British director who gave the world Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein.  Sir Ian McKellen is extraordinary as the ageing, ailing Whale — a man whose health is failing, whose memories are fragmenting, and who has grown too tired to pretend he cares about social niceties. Into his life stumbles Clayton Boone (Brendan Fraser, in peak movie-star form), a gardener and former marine who becomes an unlikely companion in Whale's last chapter.  What unfolds is a quiet, beautifully lit character study about aging, depression, homosexuality in 1950s Hollywood, and what happens when two very different men decide to be honest with each other. Lynn Redgrave as Hannah the disapproving housekeeper practically steals every scene she's in.  There's strip journalism, a gas mask, a Hollywood party with Princess Margaret, and a swimming pool. Whale directed horror. He understood that tragedy works best when it makes you laugh first.  Budget: $10M | Box office: ~$6.5M | BBC Films co-production | Premiered at Sundance Verdict:  Strong recommend from Sidey and Cris. Dan missed it but is already planning to watch it. You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. If it hasn't been completely destroyed yet you can usually find us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review, on email at [email protected] or on our website baddadsfilm.com.   Until next time, we remain...   Bad Dads

This week we go fully corporate: Top 5 Corporate & Tech Jargon — the phrases designed to sound like progress while delivering absolutely nothing. We’re talking circle back, take it offline, pivot, blue-sky thinking, synergy, and the whole “results-driven ecosystem” dialect spoken exclusively by people who describe themselves as “thought leaders” on LinkedIn. Then we hit the main feature: Thunderbolts* — Marvel’s surprisingly sincere group-therapy movie disguised as an action film. Think The Breakfast Club, but everyone’s a government assassin and the villain is basically existential depression with god-tier powers. Standard warning: we spoil. A lot. With confidence. What we talked about Top 5 Corporate / Techno-babble Why corporate language exists: credibility theatre, hiding behind vague phrasing, and “sounding senior” without committing to anything.The difference between useful technical language vs b******t camouflage (and why “take it offline” can mean “I’m seething”).Techno-babble in movies: Back to the Future’s flux capacitor, Avengers physics word-salad (quantum tunneling, heavy ion fusion, Coulomb barrier), and classic Star Trek “modulate the phase variance” nonsense.The “pivot” moment that sneaks into real life: Friends and the cursed sofa stairwell.Thunderbolts* Why this one lands better than recent Marvel: less quippy noise, more consistent tone, and a third act that’s actually about something.The set-up: a clean-up operation that becomes a trap, plus Marvel’s best “oh, we’re definitely all going to die” elevator pitch.Bob / Sentry / The Void: a superhuman project gone wrong, and a villain that manifests as the darkest version of yourself.The big swing: a finale that avoids sky-portals and CGI armies and instead goes for inner trauma + solidarity (yes, basically an emotional intervention).The asterisk explained: the film’s marketing payoff and the “New Avengers” naming chaos.The rough edges: runtime bloat, plot convenience, and the return of accents that should’ve stayed retired.Bonus life admin Walking football cup semi-final madness (knees sacrificed, glory secured).Random watches: Tarot (not recommended), “Lords of Metal” (unexpectedly wholesome), and a bit of hype for upcoming Peaky Blinders and Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis project.If you’re even slightly Marvel’d-out but still want something that tries to have a heart, Thunderbolts* is one of the more watchable recent entries — and if you’ve ever died inside hearing “let’s circle back,” the Top 5 segment is basically free therapy. You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. If it hasn't been completely destroyed yet you can usually find us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review, on email at [email protected] or on our website baddadsfilm.com.   Until next time, we remain...   Bad Dads

Bad Dads Film Review goes full courtroom chaos this week with My Cousin Vinny (1992) — the fish-out-of-water legal comedy where two broke New York kids take a wrong turn into the Deep South… and somehow end up charged with murder because of a misunderstanding that starts with a can of tuna. Sidey finally ticks off a long-standing gap (he’d never seen it), and we break down why this film still works: a tight premise, a brilliant “outsider vs small-town system” vibe, and a courtroom structure that’s way smarter than it has any right to be for a broad comedy. Joe Pesci turns up looking like he’s wandered in from Goodfellas in cowboy boots, tries to blag his way through Alabama procedure, and gets repeatedly threatened with contempt by an all-time stern judge (Fred Gwynne, aka Herman Munster). What we talked about The opening setup: poverty-tour Americana, the road trip, and the tuna “crime of the century” that accidentally feeds the tension.Mistaken confession comedy: how the boys basically incriminate themselves… for the wrong offence.Vinny’s legal “credentials”: six tries at the bar, no trial experience, and a running battle with courtroom etiquette (“judge” vs “your honour”, the suit, the procedure handbook).The judge dynamic: why Fred Gwynne is the perfect straight man and how the contempt/lock-up beats become a recurring gag.Mona Lisa Vito (Marisa Tomei): the film’s secret weapon — and why her role isn’t just “girlfriend”, she’s the brain that solves the case.Courtroom mechanics: cross-exams, witness deconstruction, and why parts of this film get referenced in law-school conversations as a simple example of dismantling testimony.The car/tire evidence: the key pivot from “they’re screwed” to “hang on…” and the satisfying payoff when the story flips.Does it hold up? Runtime bloat (two hours is generous for this kind of comedy), how a lot of the plot collapses in the internet era, and why it’s surprisingly not as offensively “of its time” as plenty of early-90s comedies.The Oscar chat: why Tomei winning Best Supporting Actress felt weird for a comedy… and whether it was actually deserved.Standard warning: we spoil the beats as we go, because that’s the whole fun of a courtroom film. If you want a movie that’s basically “competence porn disguised as a daft comedy” — where the final win is earned by actual reasoning rather than magic — this one’s worth your time. (And yes: Tomei still, somehow, only gets more powerful with age.) Streaming note from the episode: available on Disney+. You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. If it hasn't been completely destroyed yet you can usually find us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review, on email at [email protected] or on our website baddadsfilm.com.   Until next time, we remain...   Bad Dads

Bad Dads Film Review heads to the Italian Riviera this week for The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) — a sun-drenched, jazz-soaked psychological thriller where gorgeous people do terrible things, and the worst person in the room still somehow isn’t the guy committing the murders. We follow Tom Ripley (Matt Damon), a small-time grifter with big social ambitions, who’s handed a golden ticket: travel to Italy and convince trust-fund prince Dickie Greenleaf (prime Jude Law, unfairly beautiful) to come home. Tom doesn’t just want Dickie’s friendship — he wants Dickie’s life. And once he’s tasted that world of money, effortless charm, and endless leisure, he’s willing to do whatever it takes to stay in it. What we talked about “Great Gatsby, but murderous”: Tom as the outsider who doesn’t just observe the rich — he tries to become them (and wear their face if needed).The grift mechanics: the Princeton jacket con, the “research” phase, practicing mannerisms and music tastes, and how the film turns impersonation into a craft.The seduction of wealth: why you’re weirdly happy to watch Tom infiltrate a circle of vapid, obscenely privileged characters.Obsession and desire: the homoerotic undertones, Tom’s fixation on Dickie, and how the film frames identity as something you can steal… if you’re ruthless enough.Set-piece escalation: the boat trip and the brutal turning point; the forged signatures, dual hotel check-ins, staged evidence, and the constant “one more lie to cover the last lie” tension.Freddy as the threat (Philip Seymour Hoffman): the first person with enough real-world instincts to sniff out “new money” fraud — and what happens when he pushes it.The ending sting: Tom “gets away with it”… but the price is isolation, paranoia, and the realization that the spoils aren’t worth much when you can’t live as yourself.Aging and attitudes: how the film plays in 2026 — including a chat about whether some of the sexuality/“homosexual as threat” framing feels dated.Plus: we somehow opened with a Top 5 Mats segment that should not work… and absolutely does. Standard Bad Dads warning: spoilers throughout, strong language, and the kind of moral compass that’s been left outside on a bath mat since the Blair government. You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. If it hasn't been completely destroyed yet you can usually find us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review, on email at [email protected] or on our website baddadsfilm.com.   Until next time, we remain...   Bad Dads