Exciting and New · Jason, Andy, and Dana

Gung Ho

April 8, 2026·1 hr 9 min·6 clips

The hosts reveal a listener named Troy secretly solved all their podcast troubles before they dive into the 1986 Ron Howard movie Gung Ho.

1. The Exciting and New podcast, with hosts Jason, Andy, Dana, and returning guest Dan, reviews the 1986 Ron Howard PG comedy Gung Ho, running one hour and 51 minutes and released March 14, 1986. 2. The four hosts are pop-culture enthusiasts who review primarily 1980s films; Dan is a recurring guest, and Dana is tested on the director's name as a running bit. 3. The episode's core format is the film review plus an extended filmography discussion for each cast member, frequently connecting actors to Seinfeld episodes. 4. Jason notes that Gung Ho is the podcast's fourth Ron Howard film after Splash, Night Shift, and Cocoon, and lists upcoming Ron Howard entries: Willow, Parenthood, Backdraft, Apollo 13, and A Beautiful Mind. 5. The movie's premise — American liaison Hunt Stevenson (Michael Keaton) mediates between Pennsylvania auto workers and Japanese management at Assan Motors — is introduced alongside a discussion of the company name's unfortunate phonetic resemblance to a vulgarity. 6. Jason says watching Michael Keaton in Gung Ho made it hard to believe he would be cast as Batman three years later in 1989, prompting debate about whether Keaton remains the best Batman, with one host nominating Adam West. 7. The group notes Ron Howard directed Hillbilly Elegy (J.D. Vance's book adaptation) and suggests Howard may regret that association given Vance's subsequent political trajectory. 8. Gedde Watanabe, who plays Washizu Kazahiro, is identified as Japanese-American; Ron Howard later said he regretted the weak Japanese dialogue, which was often left without subtitles. 9. A Seinfeld connection is made: Watanabe appeared in Season 8 Episode 7 (The Cheque), where Jerry films a Japanese commercial and Watanabe plays the nephew of the boss trying to get Getty fired. 10. George Wendt plays Buster; the group notes his walk in the final scene resembled Kung Fu Panda, his problematic behavior in the softball scene where he bowled over a fielder, and confirms he appeared in 269 of 270 Cheers episodes. 11. John Turturro is spotted in a very early role as Willie; the group traces his arc from Raging Bull and Spike Lee films (Do the Right Thing as Pino, Jungle Fever) through Coen Brothers films (Barton Fink, Miller's Crossing, The Big Lebowski) and notes he is in all 19 episodes of Severance. 12. Rick Overton, who plays Googie, is identified as the Drake from Seinfeld Season 4 Episodes 22 and 23 — the character Kramer repeatedly praises with "gotta love the Drake." 13. Clint Howard, Ron Howard's brother, plays Paul and wears a Pittsburgh Pirates batting helmet throughout; the group notes he appeared in 56 episodes of Gentle Ben and virtually every Ron Howard film. 14. Mimi Rogers, who plays Audrey, is identified primarily from Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (Vanessa's mom) and is noted as a former wife of Tom Cruise. 15. A long tangent about subscription fees begins after Jason mentions reviewing all charges during a layoff: Jason paid $200 to a jewelry company's shipping club over 10 months before realizing, then discovered the money had converted to store credit. 16. The group also discusses Gmail inbox bloat (60,000 unread emails), the difficulty of deleting emails in batches, Rocket Money as a subscription auditing tool, and streaming service rotation strategies (subscribing to MGM only while From is airing). 17. Ron Howard's filmography becomes a debate touchstone: the group expresses fondness for Cinderella Man, Rush, and The Beatles: Eight Days a Week documentary, and dismisses Inferno as a third Dan Brown installment most of them skipped. 18. The tone is loose and conversational, frequently derailed by trivia competitions — who played which Seinfeld character, how many Cheers episodes George Wendt appeared in — with crosstalk and corrections throughout. 19. Best suited for fans of 1980s comedies, Michael Keaton, or pop-culture trivia who enjoy informal multi-host film podcasts. 20. Listeners who prefer focused plot analysis or critical film evaluation will find the episode too tangential and trivia-driven.

As heard by us

A loose Ron Howard chat that keeps drifting back to the movie.

Gung Ho reads like a loose Ron Howard detour that starts with the basics: PG, one hour 51 minutes, March 14, 1986, and Howard in the chair. It then settles into the hosts' larger run of Howard films, with Splash, Night Shift, and Cocoon all surfacing along the way.

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Why you'd press play

You want a Ron Howard hangout that keeps wandering in good directions.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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