The Big Picture

The Ringer

Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins review the movies you need to see. Plus: Top 5s, Movie Drafts, Oscars analysis, and more. Subscribe to Sean's newsletter, Projections, here.

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959 episodes
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Episodes959

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Aug 8, 2025 · 1 hr 29 min
‘Weapons’ Is Why We Go to the Movies, With Zach Cregger!
'Weapons' is finally here, and Sean gets back in the void for a deep dive on one of his most anticipated films of the year. But before diving in, he and Amanda are joined by Brian Raftery to discuss his narrative series, Mission Accomplished, that will run on the feed throughout the rest of August (2:02). The limited series examines the making of 12 great 2000s movies and chronicles how Hollywood and America changed during the Bush years. Next, before covering ‘Weapons,’ Sean uses another recent horror release—‘Together,’ starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie—as a comparison point to explore the current state of horror (14:19). Then, Sean shares five things he loved about Zach Cregger’s ‘Weapons,’ starring Julia Garner and Josh Brolin, and makes a syllabus for the movie, one of his favorites of the year (24:33). Finally, Sean is joined by Cregger to unpack his sophomore horror feature film and share how the significant increase in resources impacted his process, how his life and career changed following the success of ‘Barbarian,’ and why he knew he was up to the task of directing this incredibly ambitious project (46:41). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Zach Cregger and Brian Raftery Producer: Jack Sanders This episode is sponsored by State Farm®️. A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Aug 5, 2025 · 1 hr 55 min
The Summer Movie Mailbag
Sean and Amanda open up the mailbag to cover all things related to summer movies! They discuss their favorite summer films they love to watch throughout the season, choose which homemade cocktail they’d pair with some summer rewatchables, share a list of movies they recommend checking out in preparation for this fall’s exciting slate, and much more. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders This episode is sponsored by State Farm®️. A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Aug 1, 2025 · 1 hr 14 min
‘Happy Gilmore 2,’ ‘The Naked Gun,’ and the 21st-Century Comedy Movie Crisis
Sean and Amanda are joined by The Ringer’s Craig Horlbeck to discuss all things 21st-century comedy. Before diving in though, they cover a handful of movie news headlines, including Celine Song being attached to a remake of ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’; rumors that Jeremy Strong, Mikey Madison, and Jeremy Allen White are the top choices for ‘The Social Network Part II’; and Bradley Cooper’s film ‘Is This Thing On?’ being announced to close the New York Film Festival (1:44). Then, they cover Netflix’s ‘Happy Gilmore 2,’ starring Adam Sandler, which they all had wildly different reviews of, varying from apocalyptically bad to incredibly fascinating (14:59). Finally, they talk about ‘The Naked Gun,’ starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, and use it as a springboard to have a conversation on why there are so few theatrical comedies being made and whether we’ll get more going forward (38:06). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Craig Horlbeck Producer: Jack Sanders THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY. ORDER NOW | STARBUCKS.COM/MENU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 30, 2025 · 1 hr 31 min
The 1990s Horror Movie Canon and ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer.’ Plus: The ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Revolution.
Sean and Amanda start the show by briefly reacting to the box office performance of ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ and wondering whether or not superhero movies will ever return to the levels of the MCU golden days (1:39). Then, they bring in Andy Greenwald to discuss Netflix’s newest animated success, ‘KPop Demon Hunters,’ which they were initially skeptical of but eventually became charmed by, and they hypothesize what makes a big cultural hit in 2025 (4:46). Next, Sean and Amanda unpack the new slasher legacy sequel ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer,’ starring Madelyn Cline and Chase Sui Wonders, which they found incredibly condescending. They talk through why they found the script, performances, and kill sequences to be deeply unsuccessful (38:28). Finally, they reflect on what many consider to be the weakest decade of the horror genre and create their 1990s Horror Movie Canon (1:04:59). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Andy Greenwald Producer: Jack Sanders THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY. ORDER NOW | STARBUCKS.COM/MENU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 28, 2025 · 37 min
The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 14 - ‘Moneyball’
Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today they discuss one of the greatest sports movies of all time: Bennett Miller's ‘Moneyball’—starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill. They explore the film’s very curious production history with director Steven Soderbergh, share why they think this was the best performance of Pitt’s career, and examine what the movie’s legacy is considering Miller’s lack of work following its release. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY. ORDER NOW | STARBUCKS.COM/MENU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 25, 2025 · 1 hr 19 min
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Is Here. Plus: Our Fall Film Festival Preview.
Sean and Amanda react to a long list of fall film festival lineup announcements; highlight their main takeaways from Venice, Toronto, and Telluride; and create their way-too-early top 25 Best Picture contenders list (2:16). Then, they unpack the newest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps,’ starring Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby, which they found incredibly disappointing (23:23). They dive deep into spoilers, explain why they found a majority of the stars to be deeply miscast, and talk through what they think the MCU will look like going forward (40:23). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY. ORDER NOW | STARBUCKS.COM/MENU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 22, 2025 · 2 hr
The Chicago Movie Draft LIVE in Chicago!
Coming to you live from the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, it’s The Big Picture! Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan and special guest Tracy Letts to draft their favorite Chicago movies of all time. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Chris Ryan and Tracy Letts Producer: Jack Sanders THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY. ORDER NOW | STARBUCKS.COM/MENU This episode is sponsored by State Farm. A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 18, 2025 · 1 hr 59 min
Ari Aster’s ‘Eddington’ Is a Mirror. Like What You See?
Sean and Amanda are joined by “Mean Pod Guy” Adam Nayman to unpack Ari Aster’s divisive new film, ‘Eddington’—starring Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal. They discuss why they all thoroughly enjoyed the film, how Aster successfully captures our present world with a cinematic use of phones, screens, and social media, and wonder how it will perform commercially and critically (7:53). Then, they briefly cover Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s twenty-seventh feature film, ‘Cloud,’ and explain why Kurosawa matters to cinema at large (1:03:57). Finally, Sean is joined by Aster to talk through what makes this movie different from his previous work, why he wanted to make this now, where he sees his career moving forward, and what projects he wants to make next (1:16:03). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Ari Aster and Adam Nayman Producer: Jack Sanders THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY. ORDER NOW | STARBUCKS.COM/MENU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 16, 2025 · 41 min
The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 15 - ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’
Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today they discuss Joel and Ethan Coen’s ‘Inside Llewyn Davis,’ starring Oscar Issac, one of the greatest depictions of a struggling artist of all time. They explain why this was their Coen brothers selection over ‘No Country for Old Men,’ celebrate its incredible balance between devastating dramatic moments and hilarious comedy, and highlight Issac’s fascinating career following this project. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY. ORDER NOW | STARBUCKS.COM/MENU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 14, 2025 · 1 hr 59 min
The Superman Movie Rankings
Sean is joined by Van Lathan and Rob Mahoney to recap the opening weekend reaction to James Gunn’s ‘Superman.’ They share their final thoughts on the film, analyze the first weekend box office numbers, highlight why it performed significantly worse internationally than domestically, and hypothesize what the DCU could look like going forward (1:30). Then, they talk through every Superman movie ever made and rank them (32:40). Host: Sean Fennessey Guests: Van Lathan and Rob Mahoney Producer: Jack Sanders THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY. ORDER NOW | STARBUCKS.COM/MENU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 11, 2025 · 1 hr 37 min
‘Superman’ Is Here to Save the Day. Are We Saved?
It’s a bird … it’s a plane … it's the 'Superman' episode! Sean and Amanda dive deep into James Gunn’s highly anticipated ‘Superman,’ starring David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan (3:11). They discuss why they were pleasantly surprised and why they think the film works, explain why Corenswet was an excellent casting decision for a modernized version of the Superman character, and share the things they felt were ultimately not successful, like landing some of the story’s bigger themes. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY. ORDER NOW | STARBUCKS.COM/MENU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 8, 2025 · 2 hr 19 min
The 2025 Movie Auction Returns!
Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan to conduct Part 2 of their 2025 Movie Auction, where they draft, in auction format, some of the movies they're most excited for this year. Before diving in, they remember the wonderful career of Michael Madsen, who tragically passed away this weekend at 67 years old (2:38). Then, they review the results from their earlier selections this year and revisit the rules and scoring system going forward, before launching into this year's slate, including some mega-blockbusters like 'Superman' and ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’, as well as some smaller but still exciting indies like 'The Ballad of a Small Player' and ‘It Was Just an Accident’ (7:40). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Chris Ryan Producer: Jack Sanders THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY. ORDER NOW | STARBUCKS.COM/MENU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 4, 2025 · 46 min
The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 16 - ‘Oppenheimer’
Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Christoper Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’, starring Cillian Murphy, one of the most iconic biopics of all time. They talk about their contentious decision to choose this film as the official Nolan selection for the list, wonder whether this will end up as the culmination of his career, and hypothesize what the film’s legacy will ultimately be. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY. ORDER NOW | STARBUCKS.COM/MENU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 2, 2025 · 1 hr 32 min
‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Does Not Find a Way. Plus: Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Is Coming!
Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan to lead a team of skilled operatives to the most dangerous place on earth, a ‘Jurassic Park’ sequel. Before diving in, they react to the first trailer for Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey,’ which played before their screening (1:23). Then, they unpack their complicated and (at times) contentious feelings on the newest installment of the dinosaur action franchise, Gareth Edwards' ‘Jurassic World Rebirth,’ starring Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali (9:45). Later, Sean is joined by Eva Victor to discuss their critically acclaimed first feature film, ‘Sorry, Baby.’ They talk about the interesting process of pitching a movie to financiers, the difficulties that come with doing press for a deeply personal film, and what they envision for their career going forward (59:02). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Eva Victor and Chris Ryan Producer: Jack Sanders THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY. ORDER NOW | STARBUCKS.COM/MENU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 1, 2025 · 2 hr 6 min
The 10 Best Movies of the Year ... So Far
Sean and Amanda start the show by reacting to the major opening-weekend box office success of ‘F1’ and the new trailer for Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s ‘Project Hail Mary’, starring Ryan Gosling (1:07). Then, they are joined by an all-star cast of some Ringer colleagues and other friends to share their favorite movies of the year so far. Their selections cover some notable heavy hitters, a few underlooked films, and one controversial choice that might start some Ringer beef (12:37). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Rob Mahoney, Van Lathan, Chris Ryan, Mallory Rubin, Joanna Robinson, Charles Holmes, Adam Nayman, and Grace Fennessey Producer: Jack Sanders Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jun 27, 2025 · 1 hr 49 min
‘F1’ Is a Fast, Fierce Blockbuster Throwback, With Joseph Kosinski! Plus, The Future of James Bond.
Sean and Amanda start the show by reacting to two huge news headlines from this week, with Denis Villeneuve set to direct the next James Bond film and Aaron Sorkin set to write and direct a sequel to ‘The Social Network’ (1:38). Then, they get behind the steering wheel to discuss Joseph Kosinski’s highly anticipated action blockbuster ‘F1,’ starring Brad Pitt. They talk about how the electrifying filmmaking displayed throughout the racing scenes makes the film worth the price of admission, acknowledge some of its noticeable flaws, and hypothesize whether or not it will perform well at the box office (23:00). Later, Sean is joined by Kosinski, who discusses why this was the most difficult shooting environment he’s ever experienced, how he feels about the major studios' relationship to the theatrical experience at large, and much more (1:12:26). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Joseph Kosinski Producer: Jack Sanders This episode is sponsored by State Farm®️. A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jun 25, 2025 · 54 min
The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 17 - ‘Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy’
Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Adam McKay’s ‘Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy’ starring Will Ferrell, one of the most iconic comedies of all time. They highlight the wildly successful partnership of McKay and Judd Apatow, why they made the painfully difficult decision to choose this as their official studio comedy selection over ‘Superbad’, and celebrate Christina Applegate’s wonderful performance. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jun 23, 2025 · 1 hr 44 min
Our 800th Episode Ask-Us-Anything Mailbag. Plus: ‘Elio’ and ‘How to Train Your Dragon.’
Sean and Amanda celebrate 800 (!) episodes with a special “Ask Us Anything” movie mailbag. They answer your questions on whether or not 2025 has been a good movie year, share theatrical experiences that have floored them this century, and build their own “Intro to Film” curriculum (3:39). Then, they unpack a pair of two recent children’s movie releases. They start with the new Pixar animated film, ‘Elio,’ and wonder whether its lack of box office suggests that there is a Pixar movie crisis (1:14:20). Finally, they cover ‘How to Train Your Dragon,’ the live-action remake of the original 2010 Dreamworks smash hit, and explain why they find this to be the lowest form of creativity possible (1:30:51). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jun 21, 2025 · 1 hr 24 min
'28 Years Later': Death, Zombies, and One of the Year's Best Movies
Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan and react to a myriad of different movie news headlines, including the Academy’s decision to give Tom Cruise an honorary Oscar, Glen Powell’s casting in an upcoming Ron Howard firefighter film, and the first trailer for ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere’—starring Jeremy Allen White (3:54). Then, they unpack Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s highly anticipated zombie horror sequel, ‘28 Years Later.’ They celebrate its exhilarating filmmaking and the interesting decision to shoot on an iPhone, explore why Boyle and Garland complement each other’s work so well, and consider where this ranks amongst Boyle’s filmography (22:22). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Chris Ryan Producer: Jack Sanders Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jun 18, 2025 · 45 min
The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 18 - ‘Before Sunset’
Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss ‘Before Sunset,’ the second installment of Richard Linklater’s beloved romantic trilogy starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. They talk about why this film is their favorite of the trilogy and the official selection from Linklater’s career, discuss what its legacy is at large, and how its performances helped shape the most romantic, emotionally incisive film of the century. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders This episode is sponsored by State Farm®️. A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices