Kermode and Mayo's Film Review · BBC Radio 5 Live

Olivia Colman and Florian Zeller, The Father and Ellie and Abby and Ellie's Dead Aunt.

·1 hr 50 min·5 clips

Anthony Hopkins channels a childhood lullaby to deliver a devastating performance about dementia.

This episode of Kermode and Mayo's Film Review features hosts Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo discussing new film releases and listener correspondence. The show includes a special interview with actor Olivia Colman and director Florian Zeller about their Oscar-winning drama, *The Father*. Main topics include the week's box office top ten, featuring *A Quiet Place Part II* at number one and new entries like *Dream Horse* and *The Killing of Two Lovers*. Listener emails cover the physics of drum sound projection, the correct pronunciation of "Mulcahy," and a humorous anecdote about a printer confusing typefaces with church fonts. Mark Kermode shares that he has begun cognitive behavioral therapy, pondering if it will affect his trademark grudge-carrying humor. The hosts debate whether a drum's sound is designed to project forward, with Kermode insisting it's louder in front based on his concert experiences. A listener named Eddie Farrell corrects their pronunciation of the surname Mulcahy, leading to a discussion on Americanized pronunciations. Another email from Tom in Norfolk includes a scripted comedy bit about his mother's confused phone call with a printer regarding a "font" for church postcards. Mark recounts a past error where he confused musician Vinnie Reilly with actor Vinnie Jones in his writing. The box office discussion highlights *Cruella*, *Godzilla vs. Kong*, and the anime film *Demon Slayer: Mugen Train*. Kermode praises the indie film *After Love* and the intense *The Killing of Two Lovers*, while also mentioning the animal-focused documentary *Gunda*. Listener Steve Sullivan praises the Odeon in Cardiff Bay for providing a "gold standard" cinema experience during reopening. The tone is conversational, humorous, and digressive, filled with inside jokes and playful bickering between the hosts. Film enthusiasts and regular listeners who enjoy the hosts' camaraderie and eclectic mix of film critique and listener interactions will love this episode. Those seeking a tightly structured, serious film analysis without tangents or in-jokes might prefer to skip it.

As heard by us

A sceptical film chat that keeps pressing on what the documentary is really doing.

This episode keeps returning to one question: what is the film doing with Tekashi 6ix9ine? The hosts are more interested in that tension than in any tidy verdict, which gives the discussion a prickly, watchable edge.

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Why you'd press play

Press play if you want documentary chat that keeps side-eyeing the film's motives.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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