PS You're Wrong: A Pop Culture Podcast · Shelby and Matt

One Battle After Another (Episode 310)

October 2, 2025·1 hr 1 min·4 clips

The hosts say the film argues that fighting fascism is a community project, not a solitary one.

1. PS You're Wrong covers Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, a Leonardo DiCaprio film built around the French 75 and a title the hosts debate for several minutes. 2. Shelby and Matt host the show, and their familiarity with pop culture argument gives the review its back-and-forth structure. 3. The episode asks whether One Battle After Another works as a title, a political movie, and a Paul Thomas Anderson project. 4. Shelby says “The French 75” would have been a better title because it matches the group at the center of the first half. 5. Matt argues that “One Battle After Another” fits the movie because the story moves through repeated conflicts and constant pressure. 6. Shelby compares the title to “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “The Santa Clause,” and “The Dark Knight” while defending specificity in movie names. 7. Matt says he dislikes PTA less for the director himself than for the audience energy that often surrounds his films. 8. Shelby describes seeing the movie at an IMAX screening in New York City with “the bro-iest bros to ever bro.” 9. They discuss the film’s rollout during Toronto film festival season and the flood of early praise from critics like David Ehrlich and David Sims. 10. They compare the reaction to previous crowd-pleasers such as Oppenheimer, Sinners, Barbie, and The Holdovers. 11. Shelby says the movie avoids the ego-trap she associates with There Will Be Blood and Phantom Thread. 12. Matt says the film feels tighter than a three-hour runtime and notes that it moves much faster than expected. 13. They praise Leonardo DiCaprio’s bumbling lead character, especially in scenes where he seems out of step with the women around him. 14. Shelby highlights Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Chase Infiniti, Benicio del Toro, and Alana Haim as part of the film’s strong ensemble. 15. They point to the film’s treatment of immigration detention, ICE-style raids, and “sanctuary city” imagery as a major source of emotional force. 16. Matt says the movie’s political satire works because it keeps enough humor in the mix to avoid feeling self-serious. 17. Shelby and Matt describe the tone as funny, sharp, and emotionally tense, with long stretches of argument that keep shifting direction. 18. They also describe the format as a conversational review that moves from title talk to politics, casting, and thematic interpretation. 19. Listeners who like PTA debates, movie-title arguments, and political film talk will get the most from this episode. 20. People who want a plot-only recap or dislike long title debates can skip it.

As heard by us

A title gripe that opens into a funny, sharp look at adaptation and American recurrence.

Shelby and Matt take on One Battle After Another with a title gripe, some Pynchon talk, and a look at how the film keeps rubbing against American life.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

If you want a loose, funny debrief of One Battle After Another that keeps circling back to American history, press play.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from PS You're Wrong: A Pop Culture Podcast