The Kulturecast

Mike White March keeps the pain train rolling with License to Wed (2007), a so-called romantic comedy that tests the limits of both love and audience patience. Chris Stachiw and Mike White are once again joined by screenwriter and podcaster Richard Hatem to dissect this cringeworthy concoction, in which Robin Williams plays a meddling minister who puts an engaged couple (Mandy Moore and John Krasinski) through a series of increasingly bizarre and invasive "premarital challenges."

From robot babies to relationship sabotage, License to Wed feels less like a comedy and more like a cry for help. Is this Williams at his most unhinged, or is the film simply cursed from the altar on down? The trio dives into the chaos to find out—so say a prayer and press play.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kulturecast--2883470/support.

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The Kulturecast is a film and culture podcast from Weirding Way Media, hosted by Chris Stachiw, the Doctor of Podcasting, alongside a rotating table of guest co-hosts. Each week digs into where film and culture meet — and how each one bends the other. Now home to sub-feeds including Required Viewing: A 360° Film Study with Dr. David D. Perlmutter.

New episodes weekly.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kulturecast/id931361376
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/5wjxip9XVYapYuY12yEaGY.
Back the show: https://www.patreon.com/cw/kulturecast

Mike White March rolls on, dragging Chris Stachiw deeper into the depths of Robin Williams' cinematic misfires! This time, RV (2006) sputters into the spotlight—a Barry Sonnenfeld-directed road trip comedy that desperately wants to be National Lampoon’s Vacation but barely makes it out of the driveway. Williams stars as a workaholic dad who drags his reluctant family on an RV adventure, only to find himself locked in a battle against sewage mishaps, corporate deadlines, and the ever-affable Jeff Daniels. Screenwriter Richard Hatem joins Mike and Chris to break down the film’s chaotic energy, mismatched humor, and whether RV deserves to be parked in the junkyard of bad Robin Williams flicks. Buckle up—it’s going to be a bumpy ride!

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kulturecast--2883470/support.

———

The Kulturecast is a film and culture podcast from Weirding Way Media, hosted by Chris Stachiw, the Doctor of Podcasting, alongside a rotating table of guest co-hosts. Each week digs into where film and culture meet — and how each one bends the other. Now home to sub-feeds including Required Viewing: A 360° Film Study with Dr. David D. Perlmutter.

New episodes weekly.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kulturecast/id931361376
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/5wjxip9XVYapYuY12yEaGY.
Back the show: https://www.patreon.com/cw/kulturecast

Mike White March returns, bringing another round of cinematic torment to Kulturecast host Chris Stachiw! This year, Mike has chosen a particularly perplexing path: a deep dive into the lesser films of Robin Williams. First up is Jack (1996), Francis Ford Coppola’s baffling blend of schmaltz and existential horror. Williams stars as a 10-year-old boy trapped in the body of a 40-year-old man, desperately trying to navigate schoolyard politics while grappling with the inevitability of his rapidly approaching mortality. Is it a heartwarming coming-of-age tale or a nightmare disguised as family-friendly whimsy? Tune in as Chris and Mike attempt to make sense of this oddity, one awkward life lesson at a time.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kulturecast--2883470/support.

———

The Kulturecast is a film and culture podcast from Weirding Way Media, hosted by Chris Stachiw, the Doctor of Podcasting, alongside a rotating table of guest co-hosts. Each week digs into where film and culture meet — and how each one bends the other. Now home to sub-feeds including Required Viewing: A 360° Film Study with Dr. David D. Perlmutter.

New episodes weekly.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kulturecast/id931361376
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/5wjxip9XVYapYuY12yEaGY.
Back the show: https://www.patreon.com/cw/kulturecast

Sam Wilson has carried the shield since Endgame, and Brave New World is his first film as Captain America. It also brings in Harrison Ford as President Thaddeus Ross, which means Red Hulk finally makes it to the big screen. The Projection Booth's Mike White joins Chris for another crossover to ask whether Marvel can still make a political thriller in the Winter Soldier mold, and how much of this one survived its reshoots.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kulturecast--2883470/support.

———

The Kulturecast is a film and culture podcast from Weirding Way Media, hosted by Chris Stachiw, the Doctor of Podcasting, alongside a rotating table of guest co-hosts. Each week digs into where film and culture meet — and how each one bends the other. Now home to sub-feeds including Required Viewing: A 360° Film Study with Dr. David D. Perlmutter.

New episodes weekly.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kulturecast/id931361376
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/5wjxip9XVYapYuY12yEaGY.
Back the show: https://www.patreon.com/cw/kulturecast

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kulturecast--2883470/support.

———

The Kulturecast is a film and culture podcast from Weirding Way Media, hosted by Chris Stachiw, the Doctor of Podcasting, alongside a rotating table of guest co-hosts. Each week digs into where film and culture meet — and how each one bends the other. Now home to sub-feeds including Required Viewing: A 360° Film Study with Dr. David D. Perlmutter.

New episodes weekly.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kulturecast/id931361376
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/5wjxip9XVYapYuY12yEaGY.
Back the show: https://www.patreon.com/cw/kulturecast

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kulturecast--2883470/support.

———

The Kulturecast is a film and culture podcast from Weirding Way Media, hosted by Chris Stachiw, the Doctor of Podcasting, alongside a rotating table of guest co-hosts. Each week digs into where film and culture meet — and how each one bends the other. Now home to sub-feeds including Required Viewing: A 360° Film Study with Dr. David D. Perlmutter.

New episodes weekly.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kulturecast/id931361376
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/5wjxip9XVYapYuY12yEaGY.
Back the show: https://www.patreon.com/cw/kulturecast

Bob Hope plays a racetrack tout who owes a gangster $10,000 by Christmas Eve, so he does what any honest con man would do: he fills the streets of New York with phony Santas collecting for a phony charity. Based on a Damon Runyon story, The Lemon Drop Kid is a holiday film with a crook's heart, and it's the film that gave the world "Silver Bells."

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kulturecast--2883470/support.

———

The Kulturecast is a film and culture podcast from Weirding Way Media, hosted by Chris Stachiw, the Doctor of Podcasting, alongside a rotating table of guest co-hosts. Each week digs into where film and culture meet — and how each one bends the other. Now home to sub-feeds including Required Viewing: A 360° Film Study with Dr. David D. Perlmutter.

New episodes weekly.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kulturecast/id931361376
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/5wjxip9XVYapYuY12yEaGY.
Back the show: https://www.patreon.com/cw/kulturecast

Few modern Christmas films have earned the word "classic" as honestly as Elf. Will Ferrell plays Buddy, a human raised by Santa's elves at the North Pole, who heads to New York to find his father, James Caan's thoroughly un-festive children's book publisher. Jon Favreau directs with a clear love for the old Rankin/Bass specials. We talk the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kulturecast--2883470/support.

———

The Kulturecast is a film and culture podcast from Weirding Way Media, hosted by Chris Stachiw, the Doctor of Podcasting, alongside a rotating table of guest co-hosts. Each week digs into where film and culture meet — and how each one bends the other. Now home to sub-feeds including Required Viewing: A 360° Film Study with Dr. David D. Perlmutter.

New episodes weekly.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kulturecast/id931361376
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/5wjxip9XVYapYuY12yEaGY.
Back the show: https://www.patreon.com/cw/kulturecast

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kulturecast--2883470/support.

———

The Kulturecast is a film and culture podcast from Weirding Way Media, hosted by Chris Stachiw, the Doctor of Podcasting, alongside a rotating table of guest co-hosts. Each week digs into where film and culture meet — and how each one bends the other. Now home to sub-feeds including Required Viewing: A 360° Film Study with Dr. David D. Perlmutter.

New episodes weekly.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kulturecast/id931361376
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/5wjxip9XVYapYuY12yEaGY.
Back the show: https://www.patreon.com/cw/kulturecast

Of all the versions of A Christmas Carol, few are as willing to sing about it as Scrooge. Albert Finney plays Ebenezer as a younger, crankier miser than usual, with Alec Guinness as Marley's ghost, in a musical that sends its hero on a detour to Hell that Dickens never wrote. We talk ghosts, "Thank You Very Much," and why this story keeps getting retold.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kulturecast--2883470/support.

———

The Kulturecast is a film and culture podcast from Weirding Way Media, hosted by Chris Stachiw, the Doctor of Podcasting, alongside a rotating table of guest co-hosts. Each week digs into where film and culture meet — and how each one bends the other. Now home to sub-feeds including Required Viewing: A 360° Film Study with Dr. David D. Perlmutter.

New episodes weekly.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kulturecast/id931361376
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/5wjxip9XVYapYuY12yEaGY.
Back the show: https://www.patreon.com/cw/kulturecast