DINER (1982)

This week Michael and Nakea are sharing some popcorn while watching Barry Levinson's Diner (1982), starring Kevin Bacon, Tim Daly, Steve Guttenberg, Paul Reiser, Mickey Rourke, Daniel Stern, and Ellen Barkin.  First, we're making much ado about nothing: literally. One of the most influential (if frequently overlooked) comedies of the 1980s, Diner helped invent the narrative concept of "nothing"—centering meaningless pop-culture banter and the minutiae of everyday life—and helped inspire shows and movies like Seinfeld, The Office, and High Fidelity. So we're having a very zen conversation about the value of nothing, and discussing whether that value fluctuates depending on who's bringing nothing to the table.  Then, we're sitting down for The Unenthusiastic Critic's first viewing of Levinson's low-key classic, for yet another discussion about emotionally-stunted men and the women they don't deserve. See you on the flip side.  Program 0:00: Prologue: from Seinfeld 0:47: Preliminary Conversation: Much Ado About Nothing 16:47: Interlude: from Diner 17:28: Cultural Osmosis: Pre-Viewing Discussion 24:28: Interlude: Original Trailer 26:29: The Verdict: Post-Viewing Discussion 1:12:16: Outro and Next Week's Movie