Episode 350 - SNL Alum Bobby Moynihan and thoughts on Nicole Kidman in “Babygirl."

·59 min·4 clips

Bobby Moynihan says Drunk Uncle began as “Drunk Uncle Mike” after a 4 a.m. Weekend Update request.

1. Culture Pop Podcast spends this episode on 2024 box office trends, the Nicole Kidman film Babygirl, and Bobby Moynihan’s Hulu series Bravest Knight. 2. Steve Mason and Sue Kalinske host the show, and Bobby Moynihan joins as the guest to discuss Saturday Night Live, voice acting, and his animated work on Hulu. 3. The episode asks whether 2024 movies were too dependent on sequels and IP, and whether Babygirl’s power-dynamic premise works as a sexual drama. 4. Mason cites 2024 U.S. and Canada box office at $8.75 billion, which he says is 3% lower than 2023 and 23% below 2019. 5. He lists major 2024 hits including Inside Out 2, Deadpool and Wolverine, Moana 2, Despicable Me 4, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Dune 2, Twisters, Wicked, and Gladiator 2. 6. Kalinske responds that the slate feels lazy and dominated by remakes, sequels, and old intellectual property such as Starsky and Hutch and Get Smart. 7. Mason argues that movies like Furiosa and The Fall Guy did not connect early in the year, while later releases helped the box office recover. 8. He says the industry was down 27% at one point, then finished only 3% below 2023 after hits like Inside Out 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3. 9. The Babygirl segment centers on Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, and Antonio Banderas, with the hosts describing the relationship as twisted, kinky, and built around humiliation rather than physical bondage. 10. They note that Kidman’s character is a successful CEO who controls package delivery technology but wants no control during sex. 11. Mason says the film works because it has a Fatal Attraction-like uncertainty about whether the character will get caught. 12. Kalinske and Mason discuss the movie’s use of nudity, comparing it with Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley in The Substance. 13. Mason says Harris Dickinson plays the dominating role with a cocky, cavalier swagger and no interest in intimacy. 14. They mention Helena Reijn as the writer-director, and Mason says she could receive an original screenplay nomination. 15. Kalinske adds that Reijn’s question about loving “all the different layers of myself” shaped her response to the film. 16. Moynihan explains that Bravest Knight is based on books, but the troll character Grunt was added for comic relief and mentorship. 17. He describes the series as meaningful for kids and adults who want to see gay characters and a loving gay relationship on screen. 18. Moynihan also talks about Drunk Uncle on Weekend Update, saying it began when Michael Che asked him for a character at 4 a.m. and he wrote “Drunk Uncle Mike.” 19. The episode will appeal to listeners who like box office analysis, film discussion, and SNL behind-the-scenes stories. 20. It may be less useful for listeners who want only one topic or no entertainment industry talk.

As heard by us

A loose, warm pop-culture hang that keeps finding real reasons to care.

This episode opens with Bobby Moynihan and then settles into a box-office check-in and a review of Babygirl with Nicole Kidman. The strongest part is the conversation about why The Bravest Knight matters, especially the plainspoken point about kids seeing families with two…

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You want a breezy pop-culture hang with Bobby Moynihan, plus box-office talk and a Baby Girl review.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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