Episodes
Thursday Apr 28, 2022
Sliding Doors (1998)
Thursday Apr 28, 2022
Thursday Apr 28, 2022
Welcome to 'Don't You Want Me?' - a podcast series taking a lighthearted look at the most relatable, intriguing and dysfunctional relationships in film.
In this episode, we’re rushing to the platform to catch 1998’s frequently referenced Sliding Doors. The first film written and directed by Peter Howitt, who had become a familiar face in Britain as a result of starring in the hugely successful sitcom Bread, this movie made such an impression on popular culture that episodes of both Frasier and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt were made that riffed on it. Produced on a budget of $6 million (paltry in comparison to Notting Hill’s $45 million that came the following year), the character of Helen remains one of Gwyneth Paltrow’s most famous roles. Tonight we’ll be helping our protagonist confront her boyfriend Gerry, played by John Lynch, and lover James, played by John Hannah. Our four chief weapons are fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency and an almost fanatical devotion to Gwyneth Paltrow’s pixie haircut.
Follow Don't You Want Me on Twitter @DYWMpodcast, Instagram @dywmpodcast and Facebook @DYWMpodcast
Recorded in February 2022.
Edited by Rich Nelson
Additional material written by Catrin Lowe
Theme music by Paul Abbott (on Twitter @Pablovich)
Design by NOAKE (on Instagram @n_o_a_k_e)
Rich can be found on Twitter @Fantana275
Cat can be found on Twitter @KittyCostanza
Thursday Feb 17, 2022
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004)
Thursday Feb 17, 2022
Thursday Feb 17, 2022
Welcome to 'Don't You Want Me?' - a podcast series taking a lighthearted look at the most relatable, intriguing and dysfunctional relationships in film.
In this unusually vulnerable Valentine’s Day episode, we’re exploring Michel Gondry’s 2004 critically acclaimed romantic drama Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Written by Charlie Kaufman, who won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his work on the movie, this film saw both he and Gondry attempting to deal with the trickiest theme out there: love. Anthony Lane wrote in the New Yorker ‘In creating a pair of lovers who forget each other and then click all over again, they suggest that every one of us harbours an inextinguishable need, and that we helplessly swing back toward our soul mate, as if he or she were a living magnetic north.’ Tonight we’ll be stumbling out onto the ice with Joel, played by Jim Carrey, and Clementine, played by Kate Winslet. Is theirs a love that we can use to justify Valentine’s Day? Or is it a just holiday invented by greeting card companies to make people feel like crap?
Follow Don't You Want Me on Twitter @DYWMpodcast, Instagram @dywmpodcast and Facebook @DYWMpodcast
Recorded in January 2022.
Edited by Rich Nelson
Additional material written by Catrin Lowe
Theme music by Paul Abbott (on Twitter @Pablovich)
Design by NOAKE (on Instagram @n_o_a_k_e)
Rich can be found on Twitter @Fantana275
Cat can be found on Twitter @KittyCostanza
Thursday Feb 10, 2022
My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997)
Thursday Feb 10, 2022
Thursday Feb 10, 2022
Welcome to 'Don't You Want Me?' - a podcast series taking a lighthearted look at the most relatable, intriguing and dysfunctional relationships in film.
In this special Valentine’s Day episode, we’re tickled lavender to be talking about P.J Hogan’s romantic comedy My Best Friend’s Wedding, one of the most successful films of 1997. With a screenplay written by Ronald Bass, who had won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the Dustin Hoffman/ Tom Cruise vehicle Rain Man nine years before, this saw Julia Roberts solidify her status as the most bankable actress working in Hollywood and won Rupert Everett British Supporting Actor of the Year at the London Critics Circle Film Awards. Tonight we’ll be marching into the karaoke bar with Kimmy, played by Cameron Diaz, Michael, played by Dermot Mulroney, George, played by Rupert Everett and, of course, Jules, played by Julia Roberts. Is this the most tangled web of balloon ribbons in romcom history? Let’s crack open this baby. We should have stopped in all our evil plotting to have that manicure, but it's too late now.
Follow Don't You Want Me on Twitter @DYWMpodcast, Instagram @dywmpodcast and Facebook @DYWMpodcast
Recorded in January 2022.
Edited by Rich Nelson
Additional material written by Catrin Lowe
Theme music by Paul Abbott (on Twitter @Pablovich)
Design by NOAKE (on Instagram @n_o_a_k_e)
Rich can be found on Twitter @Fantana275
Cat can be found on Twitter @KittyCostanza
Thursday Dec 30, 2021
The Thin Man (1934)
Thursday Dec 30, 2021
Thursday Dec 30, 2021
Welcome to 'Don't You Want Me?' - a podcast series taking a lighthearted look at the most relatable, intriguing and dysfunctional relationships in film.
We have a handful of festive bonus editions this year focusing on four tinsel-covered films, one chosen by Rich, one by Cat, one by the folk at Santa’s workshop (i.e Twitter) and this gem, chosen by Paul Abbott, who composed the fantastic music you hear at the start of each episode.
We’re talking about the 1934 festive comedy-mystery The Thin Man directed by W. S. Van Dyke and based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett, who apparently took inspiration for the central relationship from his own stop-start love affair with playwright Lillian Hellman. The film's screenplay was written by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich, a married couple, and it really shows (in the best possible way)! In 1934, the film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture and features one of Hollywood’s most sought-after dog divas, Skippy, who also appeared in the screwball classics Bringing Up Baby and The Awful Truth. Tonight we’ll be mixing a cocktail for Nick, played by William Powell and wrapping up a silk dressing gown for Nora, played by Myrna Loy.
Follow Don't You Want Me on Twitter @DYWMpodcast, Instagram @dywmpodcast and Facebook @DYWMpodcast
Recorded in November 2021.
Edited by Rich Nelson
Additional material written by Catrin Lowe
Theme music by Paul Abbott (on Twitter @Pablovich)
Design by NOAKE (on Instagram @n_o_a_k_e)
Rich can be found on Twitter @Fantana275
Cat can be found on Twitter @KittyCostanza
Thursday Dec 23, 2021
The Apartment (1960)
Thursday Dec 23, 2021
Thursday Dec 23, 2021
Welcome to 'Don't You Want Me?' - a podcast series taking a lighthearted look at the most relatable, intriguing and dysfunctional relationships in film.
In this episode, we’re talking about Billy Wilder’s 1960 comedy drama The Apartment. Inspired by Noel Coward’s Brief Encounter, the film was nominated for ten Oscars and won five, though the subject matter was regarded as a pretty controversial turn for Wilder after his box office smash Some Like It Hot. The movie was later developed into the musical Promises, Promises written by Neil Simon, Hal David and Burt Bacharach, which included the much-covered song ‘I’ll Never Fall in Love Again’. Tonight we’ll be baking a fruit cake for Bud, played by Jack Lemmon, and straining some spaghetti with a tennis racket for Fran, played by Shirley MacLaine. What does the connection between these two characters tell us about how the festive season can affect the lens through which we see our personal lives? And how much does it apply to life in 2021?
Follow Don't You Want Me on Twitter @DYWMpodcast, Instagram @dywmpodcast and Facebook @DYWMpodcast
Recorded in November 2021.
Edited by Rich Nelson
Additional material written by Catrin Lowe
Theme music by Paul Abbott (on Twitter @Pablovich)
Design by NOAKE (on Instagram @n_o_a_k_e)
Rich can be found on Twitter @Fantana275
Cat can be found on Twitter @KittyCostanza
Thursday Dec 16, 2021
Die Hard (1988)
Thursday Dec 16, 2021
Thursday Dec 16, 2021
Welcome to 'Don't You Want Me?' - a podcast series taking a lighthearted look at the most relatable, intriguing and dysfunctional relationships in film.
*This is the second of four Christmas bonus episodes for Christmas 2021 - series two coming in 2022!*
In this episode we’re going to be the fly in the ointment, the monkey in the wrench, the pain in the ass of 1988’s Die Hard. Directed by John McTiernan, written by Jeb Stuart and Steven De Souza and based on the 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp, Die Hard was an unexpected box office success, making film stars out of both Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman and was nominated for four Oscars. Today it is celebrated as arguably the greatest action movie ever made, as well as a cherished Christmas classic. Tonight we’ll be holding our lighter up to the relationships that our hero John McClane has with Hans Gruber and Al Powell. What do these connections tell us about the ingredients for rivalry, friendship and Twinkies? Welcome to the party, pal.
Follow Don't You Want Me on Twitter @DYWMpodcast, Instagram @dywmpodcast and Facebook @DYWMpodcast
Recorded in December 2021.
Edited by Rich Nelson
Additional material written by Catrin Lowe
Theme music by Paul Abbott (on Twitter @Pablovich)
Design by NOAKE (on Instagram @n_o_a_k_e)
Rich can be found on Twitter @Fantana275
Cat can be found on Twitter @KittyCostanza
Thursday Dec 09, 2021
Love Actually (2003)
Thursday Dec 09, 2021
Thursday Dec 09, 2021
Welcome to 'Don't You Want Me?' - a podcast series taking a lighthearted look at the most relatable, intriguing and dysfunctional relationships in film.
*This is the first of four Christmas bonus episodes for Christmas 2021 - series two coming in 2022!*
In this episode we’re talking about the most divisive film of the 21st century, Richard Curtis’ all-star 2003 festive platter Love Actually. Is this movie the John Lewis Pulp Fiction, Middlemarch for the Great British Bake Off generation or is it simply an ode to the all-consuming power of calories? No, but seriously, it’s Christmas. And Love Actually is one of the highest grossing comedies ever made in the UK. Let’s not casually ignore those things that really matter to… erm… Britain. And let’s go get the sh*t kicked out of us by love.
Follow Don't You Want Me on Twitter @DYWMpodcast, Instagram @dywmpodcast and Facebook @DYWMpodcast
Recorded in November 2021.
Edited by Rich Nelson
Additional material written by Catrin Lowe
Theme music by Paul Abbott (on Twitter @Pablovich)
Design by NOAKE (on Instagram @n_o_a_k_e)
Rich can be found on Twitter @Fantana275
Cat can be found on Twitter @KittyCostanza
Thursday Nov 25, 2021
West Side Story (1961)
Thursday Nov 25, 2021
Thursday Nov 25, 2021
Welcome to 'Don't You Want Me?' - a podcast series taking a lighthearted look at the most relatable, intriguing and dysfunctional relationships in film.
In this episode, we’re talking about 1961’s West Side Story, which was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won ten, making it still the all-time most successful musical at the Oscars. Based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins and with a score by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a screenplay by Ernest Lehman, this was the highest grossing film of 1961 and pretty much changed the face of movie musicals forever. The Hollywood Reporter said ‘It is so good that superlatives are superfluous. Let it be noted that the film musical, the one dramatic form that is purely American and purely Hollywood, has never been done better”. Tonight we’ll be heading to the roof with Bernardo, played by George Chakiris and Anita, played by Rita Moreno. And along the way we’ll stop off at the bridal shop with Tony, played by Richard Beymer and Maria, played by Natalie Wood. Are these relationships wild and bright or are they going mad, shooting stars into space?
Follow Don't You Want Me on Twitter @DYWMpodcast, Instagram @dywmpodcast and Facebook @DYWMpodcast
Recorded in September 2021.
Edited by Rich Nelson
Additional material written by Catrin Lowe
Theme music by Paul Abbott (on Twitter @Pablovich)
Design by NOAKE (on Instagram @n_o_a_k_e)
Rich can be found on Twitter @fantana275
Cat can be found on Twitter @KittyCostanza
Thursday Nov 18, 2021
High Fidelity (2000)
Thursday Nov 18, 2021
Thursday Nov 18, 2021
Welcome to 'Don't You Want Me?' - a podcast series taking a lighthearted look at the most relatable, intriguing and dysfunctional relationships in film.
In this episode, we’re talking about High Fidelity from the year 2000 - the film adaptation of Nick Hornby’s wildly popular novel of the same name that came out five years before. The relationship that we’re dropping the needle on tonight is the one between Rob and Laura, played by John Cusack and Iben Hjejle, respectively. (This was the first episode we recorded, be gentle!)
Follow Don't You Want Me on Twitter @DYWMpodcast, Instagram @dywmpodcast and Facebook @DYWMpodcast
Recorded in April 2021.
Edited by Rich Nelson
Additional material written by Catrin Lowe
Theme music by Paul Abbott (on Twitter @Pablovich)
Design by NOAKE (on Instagram @n_o_a_k_e)
Rich can be found on Twitter @fantana275
Cat can be found on Twitter @KittyCostanza
Thursday Nov 11, 2021
Boomerang (1992)
Thursday Nov 11, 2021
Thursday Nov 11, 2021
Welcome to 'Don't You Want Me?' - a podcast series taking a lighthearted look at the most relatable, intriguing and dysfunctional relationships in film.
In this episode, we’re talking about Reginald Hudlin’s 1992 movie Boomerang. With a story by Eddie Murphy and a screenplay by Saturday Night Live writers Barry W. Blaustein and David Sheffield, this was megastar Murphy’s first time taking the lead in an adult romantic comedy and became the 18th most successful film at the US box office that year. Sitting down to some asparagus with us at Lady Eloise’s impossibly long table tonight are Jacqueline, played by Robin Givens; Angela, played by Halle Berry and, of course, Marcus portrayed by Eddie Murphy. Do these relationships feel like the perfect pedicure we’ve been waiting all our lives for, or do they signal the end of the road?
Follow Don't You Want Me on Twitter @DYWMpodcast, Instagram @dywmpodcast and Facebook @DYWMpodcast
Recorded in July 2021.
Edited by Rich Nelson
Additional material written by Catrin Lowe
Theme music by Paul Abbott (on Twitter @Pablovich)
Design by NOAKE (on Instagram @n_o_a_k_e)
Rich can be found on Twitter @fantana275
Cat can be found on Twitter @KittyCostanza