Guilt Free Features

Along with the box office hit, Crazy Rich Asians, the film, Always Be My Maybe, signaled a veritable triumph for Asian-American audiences.

In this episode, we extol the film's many virtues as well as discuss the larger issues of diversity and inclusion in film and TV; the symbiotic relationship between capitalism and white supremacy as barriers to entry for minorities; and the need for all allies to rally together in the time of COVID-19.

Special guest: actor, producer, and social change advocate, Maha Chehlaoui

Special guest, Maya Rodale, joins the ladies to talk about her newest novel, An Heiress to Remember, as well as two romantic comedies that feature characters "of a certain age": Something's Gotta Give and Book Club. From Hollywood's treatment of older female characters, to Christian Grey, to the phenomenon of "competence porn," this episode takes a closer look at many of the strategies Hollywood employs to cast the romantic comedy as a frivolous genre.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, perhaps no other Hollywood actress was more synonymous with romantic comedies than Meg Ryan. In this episode, Karen and Janet welcome the show's first guest of the season, the inimitable Justin Donham— actor, stage manager, voiceover artist, and yoga instructor extraordinaire— to discuss two of Ryan's less critically acclaimed yet well-liked films, I.Q. and Addicted to Love.

Nearly thirty years after its release, the film, Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken, is still discussed in rapturous terms by its mostly female audience, who came of age during the 1990s. Perhaps not since National Velvet had another film so popularly captured the unique relationship that exists between adolescent girls and the horses they ride. In this episode, Karen and Janet discuss the film's wholesome appeal, its puzzling timeline, and the mythical albeit short-lived career of actor Michael Schoeffling (aka "Jake Ryan" from Sixteen Candles).

In this episode, we talk about lascivious, conniving, vicious teens in the classic '90s films, "Wild Things" and "Cruel Intentions." And we introduce a new ratings system. Take a luxury cruise with us on the sea of teen hormones!

The films, Powder and The Boy Who Could Fly, first appealed to young audiences in the 1980s and 1990s, because their teenage male protagonists stood out from the rest of the crowd. Both movies feature adolescent heroes with supernatural powers; but that's where their similarities end. As Karen and Janet work to unravel the differences between these films, a myriad issues begin to emerge, ultimately challenging the ladies' belief that these were ever guilty pleasure movies to begin with.

What happens when you leave a bunch of kids unsupervised for the night? Or the entire summer? Find out with Karen and Janet as they rappel down memory lane with Adventures in Babysitting and Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead.

In the wake of box office smash, Clueless, American film studios scrambled throughout the latter half of the 1990s to produce a glut of modern teen adaptations of classic novels and plays. Join Karen and Janet as they delve into two such movies: the romance comedies, She's All That, based on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion; and 10 Things I Hate About You, based on William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew.