This week on The Watchers, Andrea and Jodie hop on their bikes and pedal straight into the summer of 1970 with the coming-of-age classic Now and Then. Often called Stand by Me for girls, we talk about where that comparison lands, where it misses, how the film captures girlhood friendships, our draw toward the nostalgic, and which parts still work on rewatch. We also cover how Now and Then handles grief, first crushes, and the awkward limbo between kid and teen.

Next week, we’re heading down the tracks for the only natural follow-up to Now and Then, Rob Reiner’s Stand by Me, a darker, sharper coming-of-age story about friendship, mortality, and that one summer that changes everything.

Recommended Reading:

“​What White Girl Coming-of-Age Movies Don’t Do For a Black Girl” - Zoé Samudzi

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Thanks to Kitzy (@heykitzy) for the use of our theme song, "No Book Club."

This week on The Watchers, Andrea and Jodie bundle up for a double dose of March family goodness with Little Women, starting with the beloved 1994 version and bringing in Greta Gerwig’s more meta 2019 adaptation. We talk about what makes this story so enduring, why every generation gets the Jo it needs, and how both films handle what's really at the heart of Louisa May Alcott’s classic. We also get into 1994’s all-star 90s cast, the importance of women-led movie sets, and what Alcott really thought about the men in her novel. Plus, significant haircuts, compulsory heterosexuality, Freudian analysis, and other Watchers classics.

Next week, we’re sticking with girlhood, nostalgia, and formative trauma but trading bonnets for bikes with 1995’s coming-of-age drama, Now and Then.

Recommended Viewing:

“Why The Costumes of Little Women did NOT deserve an Oscar” - Micarah Tewers

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Thanks to Kitzy (@heykitzy) for the use of our theme song, "No Book Club."

This week on The Watchers, Andrea and Jodie are heading to 1960s Massachusetts with Mermaids, the coming-of-age dramedy that gave us Big Hair Cher, yet another Winona Ryder voiceover, and Christina Ricci's first major role. We talk about the movie’s unique (somewhat perplexing) tone, how it captures the confusion of girlhood, and the enduring charm of Bob Hoskins.

Next week, we're traveling back a century or so for another movie about a family of girls enduring New England winters, 1994's star-studded and heartbreaking earnest Little Women.

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Thanks to Kitzy (@heykitzy) for the use of our theme song, "No Book Club."

This week on The Watchers, join Jodie and Andrea under the moon in Brooklyn Heights for our review of Moonstruck, the romantic comedy that won Cher her Oscar, gave us Nicolas Cage at full Nicolas Cage, and explored the power of a good makeover. We dive into the various non-Italian actors tasked with populating Cher's Italian family, the iconic Castorini home, and the film's surprisingly tender treatment of its flawed but lovable cast of characters.

Next week, we’re sticking with Cher, but trading moonlight for mermaid tails. We’re watching Mermaids. Get ready for unconventional parenting in the form of marshmallow kebabs, teenage rebellion in the form of Catholic piety, and 1990's most desirable bachelor in the form of the late, great Bob Hoskins.

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Thanks to Kitzy (@heykitzy) for the use of our theme song, "No Book Club."

Andrea and Jodie are stopping by Truvy's beauty shop to revisit the southern tearjerker Steel Magnolias. We talk about the film’s deeply personal backstory, the stacked cast, and how Steel Magnolias made space for older women in a way that still resonates. We reflect on how this movie landed differently on rewatch, especially for those of us who are starting to feel more like Ouiser than Shelby. Plus: our favorite quotes, behind-the-scenes gossip, and, of course, that scene from Yellowjackets.

Next week we’re headed north to Brooklyn Heights for big hair, big feelings, and that big pizza pie in the sky. We’re watching Moonstruck. Get ready for Cher at her Oscar-winning best, Nicolas Cage in all his unhinged glory, and another standout performance from Montclair theater queen, Olympia Dukakis.

Recommended in this episode:

"An Inside Look at Steel Magnolias from Robert Harling" Gun and Garden, April 2018

The Right Match: A Short Documentary

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Thanks to Kitzy (@heykitzy) for the use of our theme song, "No Book Club."

This week on The Watchers, Jodie and Andrea are back in the kitchen for our full Season 4 recap of The Bear. From standout episodes to side character gold, we’re breaking down what worked, what wobbled, and what we’re still thinking about. Plus, we hand out our Season 4 Superlatives, including Best Richie Line, Best Fak Moment, Biggest Cry, and more. And of course, we share our hopes, dreams, and predictions for Season 5.

Don’t forget, we’re covering Steel Magnolias on Monday as part of our Yellowjackets side quest. See you then!

If you're reading this, that means you've probably got your podcatcher of choice open right now. It would be SO helpful if you gave our little show a follow. If you like what you hear, you could even leave us a review.

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Thanks to Kitzy (@heykitzy) for the use of our theme song, "No Book Club."

This week on The Watchers, Jodie and Andrea are talking about Harold and Maude, Hal Ashby’s unconventional romance that’s become a cult classic, an aesthetic touchstone, and (maybe?) the origin story of the manic pixie dream girl. We get into: why Maude might be the blueprint for the trope, and why she also transcends it. Why Harold is relatable to those of us who might delight in our melancholy, even if Maude is really who we should be putting on our vision board, the movie’s deep influence on today’s filmmakers (looking at you, Wes Anderson), and how Ashby originally had a very different vision for the film's soundtrack, including plans for another musician to both score the film and star in it.

Recommended Reading:

"A Boy of Twenty and a Woman of Eighty" By Leticia Kent

"The Greatest Comedic Tragedy: How Harold and Maude Redefined Holocaust Humor" - Film Cred

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The Watchers on Instagram (@WatchersPodNJ)

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Jodie on Instagram (@jodie_mim)

Thanks to Kitzy (@heykitzy) for the use of our theme song, "No Book Club."

A show where two from Jersey’s distant ends

watch goonies, girls, class presidents unglued.

From clueless cliques to matricidal friends,

now 90s Romeo comes neon-hued.

We trace the plot through fish tank, fire, and storm,

sing praises for our queen, Mercutio,

who dances on the screen in perfect form.

No man more grave than Harold Perrineau.

Our tragic teens, Danes and DiCaprio,

a letter meant to save Claire, left unsent,

breaks the heart of blonde and brooding Romeo

and ends the so-called Life of Juliet

Next week? A dour boy who drives a hearse.

Now? Say Harold and Maude to end this verse.

If you're reading this, that means you've probably got your podcatcher of choice open right now. It would be SO helpful if you gave our little show a follow. If you like what you hear, you could even leave us a review.

Follow:

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Jodie on Instagram (@jodie_mim)

Thanks to Kitzy (@heykitzy) for the use of our theme song, "No Book Club."

This week on The Watchers, we’re heading to True Directions and diving deep into the 1999 cult classic But I’m a Cheerleader. We talk about Jamie Babbit’s queer filmmaking roots, RuPaul out of drag, and the Barbie dreamscape of repression and resistance. Plus: what But I'm a Cheerleader can teach us about camp, queer longing, and the limits of satire.

Don’t miss next week’s episode on Baz Luhrmann's William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet

If you're reading this, that means you've probably got your podcatcher of choice open right now. It would be SO helpful if you gave our little show a follow. If you like what you hear, you could even leave us a review.

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Thanks to Kitzy (@heykitzy) for the use of our theme song, "No Book Club."

This week on The Watchers, Jodie and Andrea revisit Election, Alexander Payne’s dark, hilarious, and deeply cynical take on high school democracy. We get into the film’s multiple narrators, shifting POVs, and why it still feels so sharp 25 years later. From Tracy Flick’s overachieving rage to Jim McAllister’s petty unraveling, we trace how the film breaks down ambition, morality, and why, in 2025, people are still getting Tracy Flick wrong.

Next week, we’re watching But I’m a Cheerleader, Jamie Babbit’s bold, surreal, and very pink satire about queerness, conformity, and finding love at gay rehab.

If you're reading this, that means you've probably got your podcatcher of choice open right now. It would be SO helpful if you gave our little show a follow. If you like what you hear, you could even leave us a review.

Recommended Reading:

The Movie Election 25 Years On - Scott Detrow

What America Gets Wrong About Tracy Flick - A.O. Scott

Follow:

The Watchers on Instagram (@WatchersPodNJ)

Andrea on Instagram (@AQAndreaQ)

Jodie on Instagram (@jodie_mim)

Thanks to Kitzy (@heykitzy) for the use of our theme song, "No Book Club."