218 – The Meddler (with Richard Lawson)

Vanity Fair’s chief critic Richard Lawson return to us this week to talk about a piece in a trend of films about aging women self-actualizing, Lorene Scafaria’s The Meddler. Starring Susan Sarandon as a widow ingratiating herself to her writer daughter (played by Rose Byrne) and her circle of friends, The Meddler provides a hilarious and heartwarming showcase for Sarandon, all told with uncommonly holistic observation by Scafaria. The film premiered at TIFF in 2015, earning deep affection from some critics like Richard and Joe, but was ultimately held until the following late spring, leaving an uphill climb in 2016′s stacked Best Actress race.

This episode, we talk about our love of the film and Richard’s placement of it at the top of his best films of 2016. We also talk about Scafaria’s depiction of her own mother, Byrne’s underrated brilliance within a varied career, and tense Apple store Q&As.; And we’ve got an update on Vulture’s Movies Fantasy League!

Topics also include J.K. Simmons’ glorious mustache, old-baiting the AARP Movies for Grownup voters, and Joe’s personal paradise, The Grove.

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