Fats on Film

The Nutty Professor (1996) is a film you have been requesting for some time now and I finally had the perfect guests to deep dive into it with, Nikita & Sim from Fat Lib London!

We talk about the hypocrisy of the film's central message of loving yourself how you are while simultaneously mocking and ridiculing fat people, we talk about how race plays a big role in this film but fatphobia as a whole and how we feel about Sherman's transformation into the former fat Buddy Love.

We mention 2 books which are worth a read to further your understanding on fat liberation;

You can find Fat Lib London at the following links;

The Podcast's socials;

⁠Twitter⁠

⁠IG⁠

Hannah's stuff;

⁠Twitter⁠

⁠IG⁠

⁠TikTok⁠

You can also email the pod at [email protected]. Please remember to rate and subscribe!

"How's that for a slice of fried gold?!"

It has been 20 years since we were introduced to the Rom-Zom-Com genre in Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg's Shaun of the Dead and this film is still very much in the zeitgeist - is this a perfect movie?

I was joined by Caitlyn Downs, the writer behind the Scared Sheepless blog, to discuss this monumental film in British comedy and horror and of course with the lens of the fat representation on display - mainly in Nick Frost's Ed.

You can follow Caitlyn at the below;

BlueSky

Twitter

IG

The Podcast's socials;

⁠Twitter⁠

⁠IG⁠

Hannah's stuff;

⁠Twitter⁠

⁠IG⁠

⁠TikTok⁠

You can also email the pod at [email protected]

*I am talking spoilers from the very beginning*

I came out of watching Coralie Fargeat's The Substance (2024) very much in my feelings. A grotesque and gnarly film discussing the beauty standard is 100% my cup of tea. Starring a career best turn by Demi Moore, we follow Elisabeth Sparkle as she tries to remain relevant in an industry which tells her she has "past it".

I wanted to spend a bit of time processing why this film hit me the way it had, and perhaps more than other audiences and of course its all down to our own perspective and experiences. I am someone is very aware of the beauty standard, and very aware of how fatphobic society is, topics this film hits hard (notably with zero fat people to help tell the story).

So here is a 30 minute stream of consciousness as I deep dive into The Substance.

The Podcast's socials;

⁠Twitter⁠

⁠IG⁠

Hannah's stuff;

⁠Twitter⁠

⁠IG⁠

⁠TikTok⁠

You can also email the pod at [email protected]

Put on your lingerie, bleach your hair blonde and get ready to do a series of songs and dances in prison, we are talking Chicago (2002).

I was joined by Holly Richards, the founder of Amplefolk and we talk about Queen Latifah as Mama Morton, we discuss John C Reilly's sad take on Amos. And we talk about if fat people actually exist in 1920s Chicago.

You can find Ample folk at the below;

IG

The Podcast's socials;

⁠Twitter⁠

⁠IG⁠

Hannah's stuff;

⁠Twitter⁠

⁠IG⁠

⁠TikTok⁠

You can also email the pod at [email protected]

The Whale (2022) follows Brendan Fraser as Charlie, a 600 pound English Teacher as he navigates his way through his final days of his life while trying to atone for his sins and ensure he has "done one good thing in my life!".

I was joined by Abby from The Tracy Turnblad podcast to discuss this film, its potential fatphobic representation of fat people, the use of fat suits in Hollywood and how The Whale is just Concern Trolling: The Movie!

You can find Abby at;

IG

Twitter

Tiktok

Abby's IG

Abby's Website

The Podcast's socials;

⁠Twitter⁠

⁠IG⁠

Hannah's stuff;

⁠Twitter⁠

⁠IG⁠

⁠TikTok⁠

You can also email the pod at [email protected]

You know what makes a girl feel super gorgeous and confident while facing the oppression of today's strict beauty standard? A serious concussion!

This episode I was joined by comedian and author Sofie Hagen to discuss 2018's Rom Com I Feel Pretty. We discuss the absurdity of the premise, how media likes to present normal people as ugly, the lack of fat people represented and how they made Busy Philipps look literally grey for her scenes.

Sofie is currently on tour which you can find dates and tickets for here and their new book Will I Ever Have Sex Again? can be found here.

Make sure you sign up to Sofie's newsletter to keep up to date with their latest projects!

The Podcast's socials;

⁠Twitter⁠

⁠IG⁠

Hannah's stuff;

⁠Twitter⁠

⁠IG⁠

⁠TikTok⁠

You can also email the pod at [email protected]

Calling all the Aca-Pitches!

Do you like female groups of misfits who come together with the power of music only made by their mouths while they mash up some top 40 hits of the day? Do you like watching a plot B romance unfold where one is clearly not interested in the other? Do you want to watch a plus size character refer to themselves as Fat Amy therefore for the whole rest of the 2 hour run time all the characters refer to her as Fat Amy? Well Pitch Perfect from 2012 is for you.

Lindsay Drysdale from Ghoulfriends Podcast stopped by by aca-cast to talk all things acapella and fat representation in this fun if not now problematic film. The less said about the sequels the better!

You can find Lindsay at;

IG

Ghoulfriend IG

Ghoulfriend Twitter

The Podcast's socials;

⁠Twitter⁠

⁠IG⁠

Hannah's stuff;

⁠Twitter⁠

⁠IG⁠

⁠TikTok⁠

You can also email the pod at [email protected]

Baby Reindeer dropped on Netflix in April 2024 and its all anyone is talking about. Written and starring Richard Gadd as we follow Donny try to stop their stalker while also coming to terms with their own victimhood is a hard watch.

Jessica Gunning plays Martha, Donny's stalker, and I know for me my heart sank when I saw yet another plus size person be the perpetrator of obsession - but in watching it we see this is a much more nuanced take on a complex villain, played phenomenally by Gunning.

Returning guest Jess Rolland comes back to help me navigate my own feelings on this very interesting example of fat representation and a deep discussion on our relationship with true crime.

You can find Jessica at the below;

⁠IG⁠

⁠Better Than Bad podcast IG⁠

⁠Heat Short Film⁠

⁠Twitter⁠

⁠Better Than Bad Twitter⁠

⁠Heat Short Film Twitter⁠

The Podcast's socials;

⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠

⁠⁠IG⁠⁠

Hannah's stuff;

⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠

⁠⁠IG⁠⁠

⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠

You can also email the pod at [email protected]

Join us in this electrifying episode of Fats on Film as we embark on a thrilling journey through the apocalyptic pub crawl of Edgar Wright's 'The World's End.' We delve into the intricate web of friendship, nostalgia, and societal critique woven by Wright's masterful storytelling. From pint to pint, we dissect the film's ingenious blend of comedy, sci-fi, and heartfelt introspection, uncovering its layers of humor and poignancy. So grab a drink, buckle up, and tune in as we explore the final installment of the Cornetto Trilogy in all its riotous glory!

I was joined by contributor by Val Pullin (joining me again from Hot Fuzz!) contributor for Ghouls Magazine, history buff and a fan of all things Spooky and Halloween.

You can find Val at;

IG

Twitter

The Podcast's socials;

⁠Twitter⁠

⁠IG⁠

Hannah's stuff;

⁠Twitter⁠

⁠IG⁠

⁠TikTok⁠

You can also email the pod at [email protected]

I know I have been MIA and I just wanted to tell you that I am still here. And I will be back so soon with Fats on Film episodes for you!