Plus: Megalopolis, Doctor Odyssey, scary Robert Mitchum dreams

View this email online by Linda Holmes Welcome! It was the week when we lost a legend. It was the week when a bad idea played out badly. And it was the week when Hoda announced she'll soon bid a fond farewell. Let's get to it. Why 'Wolfs' fell flat for me I was probably as ready an audience for Wolfs as the film was going to get. Written and directed by Jon Watts, it features George Clooney and Brad Pitt as two "fixers" who are determined to work alone (thus, I think, the title?), but hired by two different parties to tackle the same messy situation. It's an out-all-night action comedy where Clooney and Pitt are forced into cooperating to find various people, solve various problems, get out of various scrapes, and so forth. Brad Pitt and George Clooney in Wolfs. Apple TV+. I love an action comedy. I love a caper movie. I love the 2001 Ocean's Eleven, which relies on Clooney and Pitt's chemistry in a similar story (likable criminals, adventures, that kind of thing). I have liked both of them a great deal in other projects, particularly in comedies. Pitt was very funny in The Lost City with Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum, for instance. Now, about that: Most of the things I have liked Pitt in came before the publication of the headline, "Brad Pitt choked and hit his children, Angelina Jolie says in a court filing." That story, which he has always denied, is deeply upsetting in both its basic facts and its details. (An investigation was closed without charges being filed.) A recent piece in Slate makes a more detailed argument that Pitt's reputation is due for serious reconsideration. There is an ongoing argument about "separating the art from the artist" (not really possible) when allegations like these emerge. But when a movie is banking so heavily on an actor's charisma and likability — the actors' rapport is really the movie's only asset — how on earth do you forget all you know? This is my way of saying that I have no idea whether this movie might have worked better on me if not for these allegations. But I honestly suspect that even if I were still able to access much audience affection for Pitt, this would not have worked. The film takes off when Clooney arrives at the hotel room of a politician played by Amy Ryan, who needs help addressing an urgent matter of a dead body. Shortly after he gets underway, Pitt shows up, having been hired by the hotel to take care of the same problem. (Neither of the two men has a name, so they shall be "Clooney" and "Pitt.") Neither wants to work together until they're forced to. Surely you know how awkward it gets when two people show up to deal with the same dead body. Things get more complicated when something other than the dead body turns out to be in the hotel room, and even more complicated when the disposal of the body is interrupted by ... well, a change in circumstances. From here, it's all about whether these guys can work together temporarily, and whether they have any ethical qualms about anything they do. There's a lot of the two growling lines at each other, running around, and holding an only intermittently interesting masculinity contest, interrupted by — certainly — a couple of funny sequences I enjoyed. But a story like this should build and then pay off in a way this one does not. One problem is that it tries to climax when a character makes a decision that never seemed to be in question. Then the movie is over, and there is a sense of ... "Is that it?" The climactic sequence is arguably one of the tamest of the movie, and that doesn't feel like the right structure. This would be easier to forgive but for the fact that the final moments of Wolfs are a shameless ripoff of a classic buddy movie – shameless enough that I'm not sure whether it's an homage we're meant to note or whether we're actually expected not to notice. As a movie to watch at home on Apple TV+, where it now resides, I suppose you could do worse. But as the pretty precise target audience, I found it disappointing. I shall have to look elsewhere for my next wild caper. Newsletter continues after sponsor message We Recommend A friend of mine (who will remain anonymous) told me this week that I should check out ABC's new doctor show/Love Boat show Doctor Odyssey if, and I quote, I wanted to feel "smarter than something." I have to agree that this is broadcast television the way it sometimes used to be. It's easy, the people are pretty, the medical emergencies are ridiculous, and the doctor's backstory is, I guess ... timely? Anyhoo, it's got Joshua Jackson in it (of Dawson's Creek and The Mighty Ducks), and he's very charming, so knock yourselves out. This is your reminder that Netflix has just started dropping a new season of The Great British Baking Show, for people who still like that. And I am happy to report that there are no absurd, nobody-would-make-that challenges in the first episode. This week, I enjoyed a double feature of The Night of the Hunter and Cape Fear (the original). The result was that all my terrible dreams are about Robert Mitchum, because that is one extremely scary man. In most of those dreams, he is singing menacingly. Both films are effective and deeply upsetting, and what more can you ask from a thriller? (For occasional updates on my efforts to scare myself, follow me on Letterboxd!) Listen to the Podcast Sponsor-Free Support your favorite pop culture junkies AND listen without sponsor interruptions with a subscription to Pop Culture Happy Hour+! Learn more and sign up at plus.npr.org/happy. Learn More What We Did This Week Natasha Lyonne in His Three Daughters. Netflix. Glen and Aisha had a fascinating chat about the squelchy (!!) body horror that is The Substance. Am I ever going to be able to watch this movie? Not clear! Colin From Accounts is back for a second season (hooray!) and we were able to share again the episode that Glen, Margaret H. Willison and I made about it last year, in which we giggled a great deal about its excellent qualities. I talked to Cate Young and Tre'vell Anderson about His Three Daughters, a film that brings together Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen and Natasha Lyonne to tell the story of three sisters gathered to witness the death of their father. I have no idea what to think about Megalopolis (which I have not seen), but I was transfixed by the conversation about it between Glen, Aisha, Bedatri D. Choudhury and Chris Klimek. Stephen covered the charts for the week, which contain good news for Travis Scott. What's Making Us Happy Every week on the show, we talk about some other things out in the world that have been giving us joy lately. Here they are: Bedatri D. Choudhury: You Gotta Eat: Real-Life Strategies for Feeding Yourself When Cooking Feels Impossible Chris Klimek: Miami Vice retrospective Glen Weldon: Batman's star on the walk of fame Aisha Harris: How To Die Alone Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from Central Florida Public Media (edit station). Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour+. Your support helps make our show possible and unlocks access to our sponsor-free episodes. What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: pchh@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Music, Books, Daily News and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Pop Culture Happy Hour emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy