A Match Made In Space

No Ali this week! No podcast this week! But our son Jackson joins MMIS for a cameo while Jon explains why. Also, from the MMIS vaults, an unreleased song, "The Ballad of MMIS" by friend of the podcast James Murphy of Pex Lives and The Last Exit Show (in which, by the way, Ali's introduction appears at the beginning of every episode).

The Bickersons are back and so excited to do this incredibly long episode about 1986's Down and Out In Beverly Hills that they managed to forget the Elevator Pitch! Jon is excited to do an absolutely terrible Nolte impression. Ali is sad about Chicago Theatre news. Both are dismayed at minor technical difficulties.

Down and Out In Beverly Hills, was directed by Paul Mazursky, and stars Nick Nolte, Richard Dreyfuss, Bette Midler, Little Richard, and MIKE THE DAMN DOG.

Ali and Jon revisit another classic 80s comedy, 1983's Trading Places. Is it going to be problematic?* Jon attempts to understand how the final plan works. Ali attempts to understand why the 80s still hadn't figured out not to do blackface under any circumstances. Both want eggnog from Denholm Elliott.

Trading Places was directed by Vic Morrow's murderer, and stars Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Jamie Lee Curtis, Denholm Elliott, Don Ameche, Ralph Bellamy, Paul Gleason, Belushi the Lesser, Former Senator Al Franken, and his much less controversial comedy partner, the late Tom Davis.

*What do you think?

Ali nya alunda Jon. Caveman (1981) caca. Ali pooka. Jon macha. Both nya zug-zug.

MMIS nya bobo Ringo Starr! Nya bobo Dennis Quaid! Nya bobo Diane Chambers! Nya bobo Dr. Jellif! Nya bobo Sloth!

In what might be a first at MMIS, Ali shows Jon a movie (1988's Running On Empty) that is just legitimately good, with no caveats about cult themes or nostalgia attached, which means they can barely stay on topic throughout. Jon is amazed he sat through a movie without explosions without complaining. Ali is amazed Jon sat through a movie without explosions without complaining. Both have been running from the FBI for so long and are so, so tired.

Running On Empty was directed by Sidney Lumet, and stars Judd Hirsch, Christine Lahti, River Phoenix, and Martha Plimpton.

Ali and Jon put on the sunglasses and take a long look at John Carpenter's made-in-1988-but-depressingly-still-applicable anti-Reagan agitprop film, They Live. Jon is here to podcast and chew bubblegum. Ali is all out of bubblegum. Both spend at least 5-1/2 minutes fighting about whether that fight scene was necessary (spoiler alert from Jon, who writes these episode descriptions: it totally was).

They Live stars Rowdington Roderick Piper, Keith David, and more character actors than you can spray with an M-16. Oh, and a couple of ghouls.

Ali and Jon are back an on schedule with 1986's tragicomic/dramedic/sadlarious coming of age film, Lucas. Jon is disappointed that it isn't a biopic about the early days of Star Wars. Ali is disappointed that Jon spent the entire move unaware that it starred Corey Haim. Both spend several minutes of this surprisingly long episode making an unsolicited commercial for a local hot dog restaurant.

Lucas stars a phenomenal amount of young actors that we would end up seeing a lot in other things, and also, supposedly Gary Cole, though the Bickersons never noticed him and forgot to talk about that. It also is now apparently kind of tinged with scandal now, but the Bickersons really didn't want to talk about that, either.

2017 was a rotten year, and it gets in a parting shot on Ali and Jon with 1985's Volunteers. Jon can't believe how insane Tom Hanks' lockjaw accent is. Ali can't believe how terrible Jon's New York accent is. No one can believe this is how Hollywood tried to capitalize on Hanks and Candy's chemistry from Splash.

Volunteers stars Tom Hanks, John Candy, Rita Wilson, Gedde Goddamn Watanabe, Xander Berkeley, Expert Video Falconer George Plimpton, and the Psychiatrist from M*A*S*H. Oh and Jon forgot to mention director Nicholas Meyer wrote and/or directed all the even-numbered (good) original cast Star Trek movies. What he did wrong here is even more baffling when this is taken into account.

It's a Holiday Miracle: Ali and Jon are back! It's 1988's Scrooged, a Murray Family Extravaganza directed by Richard Donner. Jon may be an undigested bit of beef. Ali? A blot of mustard. At any rate, there's more of gravy than the grave about this podcast.

Scrooged stars a metric ton of Murrays, Indy's best girlfriend, Latka's best wife, the New York Dolls' best vocalist, Dynasty's...best (?) patriarch, the guy from Bonnie and Clyde (no, the other one), Ma Fratelli, Alfre Goddamn Woodard, JOHN DOUBLE GODDAMN GLOVER, and THERE AREN'T ENOUGH CAPS OR GODDAMNS TO COVER ROBERT EFFING MITCHUM.

NOTE: Jon mistakenly credits Brad Garrett for Muldoon in Car 54 Where Are You? but it was John C. McGinley. Oops!

Ali would like to go on record that this terribly crass banner image was all Jon's idea.

The Bickersons barely bicker a bit, son, while watching this 1985 gender-swap teen farce. Ali questions whether this was really a Shakespeare adaptation. Jon questions whether this wasn't really a USA UP ALL NITE movie. Both question whether this film's depiction of gender is or isn't problematic.

Before this episode, Jon had only seen about 30 seconds of this movie. Can you guess which 30?