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Ford Focus

Keith Phipps and Mike Ryan

It’s always nice when the title of a podcast pretty much sums up what it’s all about. Keith Phipps and Mike Ryan will be going through the filmography of Harrison Ford, film by film, from the blockbuster action films to the romantic comedies and everything in between—sometimes with the help of special guests.


Why Harrison Ford? The most obvious reason is that he’s been the star of some of the biggest, and most beloved movies of the past 50 years. But if someone can be at once one of the biggest movie stars in the world while also being a little bit underrated, it’s Ford, who’s only been nominated for a single Academy Award over the course of his career, which he did not win. We feel this is an injustice. If you feel the same way you’ve come to the right place.


Mike Ryan is a veteran entertainment writer whose work has appeared in The Huffington Post, Uproxx, Indiewire, Empire, and numerous other publications. Mike's current work includes The Hard Pass, a frequently published newsletter about the world of entertainment.


Keith Phipps has served as a writer and editor at The A.V. Club, The Dissolve, and Uproxx. His writing can be found at Vulture, TV Guide, Slate, The Ringer at elsewhere. Keith also serves as a co-host of The Next Picture Show podcast and, with Scott Tobias, as co-writer of the film newsletter The Reveal.


If you're enjoying this podcast and would like to unlock our bonus episodes dedicated on related topics in the world of Harrison Ford, hear ad-free versions of our main-feed episodes, help us choose what films we cover next, and more, please consider supporting us on Patron. And don't forger to rate, review, and subscribe to this podcast to help others find it.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  • 17 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 57 min
  • English

Episodes 17

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  • Friday · 48 min

    Ford Focus, Ford Escape Bonus Episode: 'Looker' with Max Evry

    Since we launched Ford Focus we've been regularly releasing bonus episodes of the show for subscribers to our Patreon. We call this show within a show Ford Escape, as it usually covers movies in which Ford doesn't appear but are related, sometimes loosely, to the movie on our main feed. This week we decided to drop one on the main feed to give our free subscribers a listen to what they've been missing. While talking about Blade Runner Mike brought up another sci-fi film he always associated with it because it played alongside Blade Runner on cable: Looker. If you don't know it, it's a Michael Crichton directed film in which Albert Finney plays a Los Angeles plastic surgeon who gets caught up in a conspiracy involving an evil corporation that's killing models. Why? It's complicated. And it involves light guns and smoke guns, for some reason. Obviously, Blade Runner has proven more enduring, but Looker's a fascinating film in its own right, one filled with smart ideas that's still somehow pretty dumb. To help us talk about it we turned to Max Evry, a long-serving film journalist with a particular affinity for '80s science fiction, as evidenced by his two books: A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch's Dune, an Oral History and Stranded on Earth: How Night Skies Became E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. (The latter comes out October 27th, but can pre-order it now.) We hope you enjoy this side trip. And, once again, that Patreon link is: patreon.com/c/FordFocusPodcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • #15
    Tuesday · 1 hr 17 min

    'Blade Runner' with Bilge Ebiri

    Blade Runner is now recognized as not just one of the cornerstones of Harrison Ford's filmography but as one of the most influential and endlessly discussable films of its era. But it wasn't always so. Released on June 25th, 1982 (apologies for getting the date wrong in the episode itself), Blade Runner debuted to mixed reviews and disappointing box office but soon picked up a cult following. That cult expanded considerably in 1992, when Ridley Scott released his director's cut, which removed the clarifying voiceover recorded late in the production process, lopped off the original cut's "happy" ending, and restored a few moments Scott had to trim. Which version is better has since become a subject of much debate, as it is in this episode. Vulture and New York magazine critic Bilge Ebiri joins us to discuss the film's themes, its legacy, Ford's performance and a lot more. Also, here are a few links to more info about the items we referenced. • Marvel's Blade Runner adaptation, written by Archie Goodwin with art by Al Williamson. • Jonathan Rinzler's The Making of Return of the Jedi • The Blade Runner FAQ Finally, if you like this podcast and want even more Ford Focus, please support us on Patreon, where we post bonus episodes and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • #14
    October 13 · 49 min

    'Captain America: Brave New World' with Germain Lussier

    Harrison Ford joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe and hulks out in a big way as the President of the United States, General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross. Ross is a man with a troubled history, as chronicled in previous MCU films like The Incredible Hulk and Avengers: Endgame, where he was played by William Hurt. (Like Jack Ryan, this is a role that Harrison Ford did not originate.) Does Ford fit into the MCU? Is Ross a Peloton enthusiast? We discuss all that and more with our special guest Germain Lussier, a reporter who covers entertainment news for Gizmodo and io9. This episode was requested by one of our Patreon supporters. If you want to tell us what to watch and enjoy other benefits of being a Patreon supporter, click here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • #13
    October 5 · 1 hr

    'Six Days, Seven Nights' with Matt Singer

    A high-concept rom-com mostly set on a desert island, this 1998 film teams Harrison Ford with Anne Heche (and, to a lesser extent, David Schwimmer) for an unlikely love story. Heche plays a big-city magazine editor. Ford plays an easygoing tropical pilot. The two have nothing in common, but when Ford's plane crashes in the middle of nowhere, is it possible they might fall in love. (Answer: yes.) ScreenCrush editor Matt Singer, author of Opposable Thumbs, a terrific dual biography of Siskel and Ebert, and the brand new (as of October 6), Funny Business: The Old-School Wedding Crashers and Knocked-Up Virgins Who Changed Comedy Forever joins us for a discussion of an Ivan Reitman comedy that did pretty well when it played theaters but undoubtedly reached an even bigger audience because it came free when you bought a DVD player in the late 1990s. Also discussed: the film career of David Schwimmer, which Ivan Reitman movies are actually good, and the film's poster, which doesn't exactly scream "here's a fun comedy." Also, if you want to help this podcast be sure to: a) Tell your friends b) Rate, review and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts c) Subscribe to us on YouTube, which will help a lot. Here's the link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • #12
    September 29 · 1 hr 24 min

    'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade' with Alan Sepinwall

    TV critic Alan Sepinwall—writer of the What's Alan Watching? newsletter and the upcoming Serling: A Journey into the Twilight Zone with TV's First Visionary—joins us to discuss his favorite Indiana Jones movie: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Released in 1989, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade found Harrison Ford dawning his famous fedora for what seemed like it might be the last time for a globetrotting adventure in search of the Holy Grail. Along for the ride: Sean Connery as Indy's distant, eccentric dad. Join us as we talk about Ford's attempt at a Scottish accent, whether or not Indy and his dad are immortal and, inevitably, which cast members also appeared in James Bond movies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • #11
    September 22 · 1 hr 5 min

    'Hollywood Homicide' with Clay Keller

    Harrison Ford has made a lot of great movies. Hollywood Homicide is … maybe not one of them? It must have sounded great on paper, though. Drawing from the experiences of a real-life Hollywood cop, writer/director Ron Shelton made a buddy comedy set on the fringes of the entertainment industry. Screen Drafts' Clay Keller joins us to talk over this 2003 entry, with its bizarre cast to its numerous plots. Also discussed: Whether or not this would be better with Owen Wilson and why Josh Hartnett became a star. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S1 · E9
    September 8 · 1 hr 14 min

    'Apocalypse Now' with Michael H. Weber

    Harrison Ford has a small but memorable role as the man who sends Martin Sheen up river in Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam War classic.

  • #8
    September 1 · 1 hr 5 min

    'Patriot Games' with Eric Haywood

    Writer and producer Eric Haywood (Empire, Law and Order: Organized Crime) joins us to discuss Patriot Games, the first of Harrison Ford's two Jack Ryan films. Does this contain the best finger-pointing work of Ford's career? Maybe, but there's more than one such moment in the competition here. Also discussed: Night Ride Down, the film Ford was supposed to make instead of Patriot Games, satellite warfare, and the film's weird cliffhanger. Like the film, it's kind of a wild ride. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • #7
    August 25 · 1 hr 15 min

    'Witness' with Anthony Breznican

    Veteran entertainment journalist Anthony Breznican joins us to talk about the film that earned Harrison Ford his only Oscar nomination to date.

  • #5
    August 10 · 48 min

    'Working Girl' with Esther Zuckerman

    Melanie Griffith looks for success, and maybe love, in a Mike Nichols rom-com in which Harrison Ford memorably takes off his shirt

  • #3
    July 27 · 42 min

    'The Mosquito Coast'

    Harrison Ford plays a brilliant madman in Peter Weir's adaptation of a Paul Theroux novel

  • #2
    July 20 · 1 hr 4 min

    'The Devil's Own' with Lane Brown

    Harrison Ford's a really honest cop. Brad Pitt's a basically nice member of the IRA who wants to kill a lot of people.

  • #1
    July 13 · 45 min

    'The Fugitive'

    Dr. Richard Kimble did not kill his wife. Sam Gerard does not care. (Or does he?)

Showing 1–17 of 17 episodes