Episodes

This week on Bad Dads Film Review, Dan is away again, so Sidey, Reegs and Cris tackle Cop Land, James Mangold's 1997 crime drama starring Sylvester Stallone as the half-deaf sheriff of a New Jersey town where the cops from New York all live. It is Sidey's first time watching it, and the lads agree the cast is mental, with Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel and Ray Liotta surrounded by faces from The Wire, The West Wing and The Sopranos. They talk through the story, from a young cop's faked suicide o...

In this short episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Sidey, Reegs and Cris (with Dan away) review The Birthday Cake, the 2021 New York mob thriller and debut feature of Jimmy Giannopoulos, starring Ewan McGregor, Val Kilmer, Jeremy Allen White, William Fichtner, Lorraine Bracco and Luis Guzman. They discuss the plot, the poisoned cake, the handheld and out-of-focus visual style, the rushed dialogue and why a great cast is not enough, and land on a not-recommend.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Sidey, Dan, Reegs and Cris review Fackham Hall, Jimmy Carr's 2025 period-drama parody starring Thomasin McKenzie, Ben Radcliffe, Damian Lewis and Tom Felton. They discuss the Downton Abbey meets Naked Gun premise, the murder, the vicar, the Tolkien cameo and why it is a medium recommend. The episode also celebrates 100,000 downloads and includes a walking football report, Professor Brian Cox at the O2, what the dads have been watching and the top five halls.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Dan nominates The Firm, Sydney Pollack's 1993 legal thriller based on John Grisham's first big novel, starring Tom Cruise, Gene Hackman, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter and Gary Busey. Dan is the only one who has seen the film, so he talks through the plot, from the Memphis law firm that is too good to be true to the honey trap, the FBI, the mafia and the billing-fraud ending. The group also discuss the budget and box office, the cast, Grisham adaptations and timesheet horror stories.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Sidey, Dan, Reegs and Cris review Mickey 17, Bong Joon Ho's 2025 sci-fi black comedy starring Robert Pattinson. They discuss the footballer-based names, the failed macaron business, the expendable job and the 3D-printed deaths, Mark Ruffalo's Trump-style Marshall, Toni Collette, the Creepers, Mickey 18, comparisons with Moon, and a sharply divided verdict. The episode also features a walking football report, what the dads have been watching, and this week's top five sevens.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Sidey, Dan, Reegs and Cris kick off Seven Week with a review of Se7en, David Fincher's 1995 serial-killer thriller starring Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey. They discuss Fincher's comeback after Alien 3, whether the film is too dark to watch with the lights on, Somerset's seven days to retirement, each of the seven murders, the Nine Inch Nails opening credits, Doe's apartment, the final scene in the desert, Brad Pitt's reaction, why it is one of the few films where the bad guy wins, and why it still holds up thirty years later.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Sidey, Dan, Reegs and Cris review The Big Lebowski, the Coen brothers’ 1998 Los Angeles stoner-noir starring Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, John Turturro, Tara Reid, Peter Stormare, David Thewlis, Flea and Sam Elliott. They discuss The Dude’s rug and the inciting bog wash, Walter’s world of pain gun-pull on Smokey, Donny being told to shut the fuck up, Brandt and the Little Lebowski Urban Achievers, Maude on the flying trapeze, the dirty-underwear ringer, Jesus Quintana’s all-time entrance to the Gypsy Kings, Walter smashing the wrong Corvette outside Larry Sellers’s house, the marmot-that-is-actually-a-ferret, the green-polished toe, Jackie Treehorn’s drugging and the Busby Berkeley bowling dream, Donny’s death and Pismo Beach eulogy, Sam Elliott’s cowboy sign-off, Lebowski Fest and the Jeff Bridges Hall of Fame moment, and where The Big Lebowski sits in the Coen brothers’ 1990s run alongside…

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Sidey, Dan, Reegs and Cris review Kingpin, the Farrelly brothers’ 1996 bowling comedy starring Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Vanessa Angel and Bill Murray. They discuss Roy Munson’s rise and ruin, Big Ern McCracken’s all-time comedy villain performance, the hustle that costs Roy his hand, the Amish prodigy Ishmael Boorg, Claudia’s hustle on the road to Reno, the ESPN-style tournament staging, the bowling-ball rose, the detachable-rubber-hand strike, Roy losing the final by one pin and still winning his life back, the Trojan Condoms endorsement as “The Rubber Man,” the half-million-dollar gift that saves the Boorg family farm, and where Kingpin sits in the Farrelly brothers’ early run alongside Dumb and Dumber and There’s Something About Mary.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Sidey, Dan, Reegs and Cris review Mongol, Sergei Bodrov’s 2007 historical epic about the early life of Temüjin, later known as Genghis Khan. They discuss the film’s huge steppe landscapes, Temüjin choosing Börte as his wife, the poisoning of his father, Targutai’s betrayal, Jamukha as blood brother and rival, repeated captures and escapes, Börte’s loyalty, the film’s code of law and leadership, the final battle in the thunderstorm, and whether the film offers a whitewashed or culturally different view of Genghis Khan as a unifier and law-bringer rather than only a conqueror.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Sidey, Dan, Reegs and Cris review Mongol, Sergei Bodrov’s 2007 historical epic about the early life of Temüjin, later known as Genghis Khan. They discuss the film’s huge steppe landscapes, Temüjin choosing Börte as his wife, the poisoning of his father, Targutai’s betrayal, Jamukha as blood brother and rival, repeated captures and escapes, Börte’s loyalty, the film’s code of law and leadership, the final battle in the thunderstorm, and whether the film offers a whitewashed or culturally different view of Genghis Khan as a unifier and law-bringer rather than only a conqueror.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Sidey, Dan, Reegs and Cris review Pig, Michael Sarnoski’s 2021 drama starring Nicolas Cage as Robin Feld, a reclusive Oregon truffle hunter searching for his stolen pig. They discuss the film’s misleading revenge-thriller premise, Cage’s restrained performance, Alex Wolff as Amir, the Portland food underworld, the underground restaurant-worker fight club, Robin’s past as a legendary chef, the Eurydice restaurant scene, fine-dining pretension, chef culture, the emotional meal cooked for Darius, the death of the pig, the ending with Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire,” and why the film becomes a story about grief, memory and letting go rather than revenge.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Sidey, Dan, Reegs and Cris review Memories of Murder, Bong Joon-ho’s 2003 South Korean crime thriller inspired by the real Hwaseong serial murders. They discuss the rural 1980s setting, Song Kang-ho as Detective Park, the clash between hunch-based local policing and evidence-led investigation from Seoul, police brutality, false confessions, ruined crime scenes, the ignored female officer who spots the radio-song pattern, the suspect with soft hands, the unresolved ending, the later real-life identification of Lee Choon-jae, and whether the film’s mix of bleak suspense and black comedy fully works.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Sidey, Dan, Reegs and Cris review Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Three Colours: Blue (1993), starring Juliette Binoche as Julie, a woman who survives the crash that kills her husband and daughter and then tries to cut herself off from grief, memory and human connection. The dads discuss the film’s place in the Three Colours trilogy, its theme of liberty, the opening crash, Julie’s failed overdose, the destroyed concerto, Olivier, Lucille, Sandrine, the swimming-pool scenes, the use of blue, the sudden cuts to black, the recurring music, the sugar cube shot, the huge streaming subtitles and Binoche’s exceptional central performance. Verdicts are unanimously strong, with Dan wanting to watch the rest of the trilogy, Sidey praising the brisk runtime and visuals, and Reegs calling the film a banger.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Sidey, Dan, Reegs and Cris review Kathryn Bigelow’s Blue Steel (1990), starring Jamie Lee Curtis as rookie police officer Megan Turner and Ron Silver as deranged Wall Street trader Eugene Hunt. The dads discuss the film’s fetishised gun imagery, Brad Fiedel’s score, Megan’s disastrous first day, the missing crime-scene weapon, Eugene’s obsession, the way Megan is repeatedly doubted by male authority figures, Clancy Brown’s Detective Nick Mann, Tom Sizemore’s brief appearance, the subway shootout and the abrupt ending. Verdicts are mixed: Sidey enjoys the style and villainy, Dan gives it a medium-to-blue recommend, Reegs admires the lurid psychosexual madness while questioning Megan’s competence, and Cris is unimpressed after spending £2.50 to rent it.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Sidey, Dan and Reegs review Jack Reacher (2012), Christopher McQuarrie’s Tom Cruise action thriller adapted from Lee Child’s One Shot. They discuss Cruise’s controversial casting as the famously large Jack Reacher, the comparison with Alan Ritchson’s Prime Video version, the opening sniper attack, James Barr being framed, Rosamund Pike as Helen Rodin, David Oyelowo as Detective Emerson, Robert Duvall as Cash, Werner Herzog as the Zec, the bar fight, the practical car chase, the conspiracy around Oline Archer, the quarry finale, Reacher’s execution-style version of justice, and whether the film works better as a solid pulpy thriller than as a definitive Reacher adaptation. The episode also includes a Top 5 short people discussion covering Dustin Hoffman, Prince, Danny DeVito, Daniel Radcliffe, Verne Troyer, Warwick Davis, Charlie Chaplin, Napoleon, Michael J. Fox and Michael J. Anderson.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Sidey, Dan and Reegs review Reacher season 1 episode 1, “Welcome to Margrave”, the Prime Video adaptation of Lee Child’s first Jack Reacher novel Killing Floor. They discuss Alan Ritchson’s physical suitability as Jack Reacher, the opening murder, Reacher arriving in Margrave, the diner and pie setup, Detective Finlay’s interrogation, Hubble’s false confession, the prison and shower fights, Reacher’s military-police background, the comparison with Tom Cruise’s film version, the appeal of Reacher as a giant Sherlock Holmes action hero, and the cliffhanger reveal that the murder victim is Reacher’s brother.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Sidey, Dan, Reegs and Cris review Traffic (2000), Steven Soderbergh’s Oscar-winning ensemble drama about the war on drugs. They discuss Benicio del Toro as Javier Rodriguez, Michael Douglas as Robert Wakefield, Catherine Zeta-Jones as Helena Ayala, Don Cheadle and Luis Guzmán as DEA agents, the film’s colour-coded storylines, its portrait of cartel corruption and American demand, Caroline Wakefield’s addiction storyline, Javier’s baseball-field lights, the film’s Academy Award success and the frustration of streaming versions missing proper Spanish subtitles. The episode also includes a Top 5 Steven Soderbergh and Soderbergh-adjacent films discussion covering Che, Solaris, Contagion, Logan Lucky, Erin Brockovich, Magic Mike, Ocean’s Eleven, Haywire, Her and Out of Sight.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Sidey, Dan and Cris review Tony Gilroy’s Michael Clayton (2007), starring George Clooney as a tired law-firm fixer caught between debt, duty and conscience. The dads discuss Arthur Edens’ breakdown, the U-North class-action case, the smoking-gun memo, Tilda Swinton’s Oscar-winning performance as Karen Crowder, Sydney Pollack’s Marty Bach, the film’s cold depiction of corporate greed, Arthur’s murder, the car bomb, the horses on the hill, Michael’s $80,000 compromise and the brilliant final confrontation built around “I’m not the guy you kill, I’m the guy you buy.” Sidey gives it the strongest possible recommend, Dan calls it one of the best midweek films of the year, and Cris praises the unglamorous, believable depiction of corporate law.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Dan, Sidey and Cris review Giant (2025), Rowan Athale’s biographical sports drama about Prince Naseem Hamed and his trainer Brendan Ingle. They discuss Pierce Brosnan’s performance as Ingle, Amir El-Masry’s swagger as Naz, the Sheffield gym setting, the racist backdrop to Naseem’s early life, Brendan’s training methods, Naz’s footwork and showmanship, the influence of Frank Warren and family members, the controversial 25% agreement, the breakdown of the trainer-fighter relationship, the Barrera fight, the imagined reconciliation scene and why the film is watchable and well acted without quite becoming a knockout. The episode also includes a Top 5 Giants featuring The Iron Giant, Fezzik, The BFG, the MonsterVerse, Game of Thrones, Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, The Odyssey, Riding Giants, Twin Peaks and more.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Dan, Sidey and Cris review Universal Soldier (1992), Roland Emmerich’s sci-fi action film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as Luc Deveraux and Dolph Lundgren as Sergeant Andrew Scott. They discuss the Vietnam prologue, the secret Universal Soldier programme, the dam hostage rescue, the reporter-on-the-run plot, Van Damme discovering food and money, Dolph Lundgren going rogue, the supermarket freezer sequence, the prison-van chase, Luc’s return home to Louisiana, the final barn fight, 90s action nostalgia and why the film remains much more fun than its ridiculous science should allow. Sidey gives it a strong recommend.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Sidey, Dan and Jamie continue Wolf Week with a Top 5 Wolves list before reviewing Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). They discuss Jordan Belfort’s rise from junior Wall Street broker to penny-stock fraud king, Matthew McConaughey’s famous “rookie numbers” lunch scene, Donnie Azoff, Stratton Oakmont’s outrageous office culture, Margot Robbie as Naomi, the Steve Madden IPO, Swiss bank accounts, FBI pressure, Lemmon Quaaludes, the yacht storm, Jordan’s domestic collapse and the film’s uneasy status as both cautionary tale and aspirational nightmare. Sidey and Dan give strong recommends despite the runtime, and Jamie calls it a must-watch.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Sidey, Dan and guest dad Jamie review An American Werewolf in London (1981), John Landis’s cult horror-comedy starring David Naughton, Griffin Dunne and Jenny Agutter. The discussion covers The Slaughtered Lamb, the Yorkshire moors opening, Jack’s increasingly decomposed appearances, David’s romance with Nurse Alex, the nightmare sequences, London Zoo, the Piccadilly finale, the moon-themed soundtrack, and Rick Baker’s Oscar-winning practical makeup effects, including the famous werewolf transformation scene.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, the dads review True History of the Kelly Gang (2019), Justin Kurzel’s bleak and visually striking adaptation of Peter Carey’s novel about Ned Kelly. They discuss the film’s deliberately unstable relationship with truth, young Ned’s brutal upbringing, Ellen Kelly’s influence, the Sons of Sieve cross-dressing mythology, Russell Crowe as Harry Power, Nicholas Hoult’s disturbing Constable Fitzpatrick, George MacKay’s performance as adult Ned, the gang’s homemade armour, the failed train ambush and the bloody final siege. Dan gives the film a mid recommend because of its punishing bleakness, while Reegs, Chris and Sidey give strong recommends for the performances, visuals and thematic weight.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Dan and Chris review Marty Supreme (2025), Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein’s A24 table-tennis hustle drama starring Timothée Chalamet as Marty Mauser and Gwyneth Paltrow as Kay Stone. The dads discuss Marty’s obsessive drive to become the best ping-pong player in the world, his selfish treatment of friends and lovers, the London tournament, Endo’s superior Japanese paddle technique, the journey to Japan, the exhibition match, the pig-kissing humiliation and the film’s similarities to Uncut Gems, The Karate Kid and White Men Can’t Jump. Chris gives the film a strong recommend, while Dan lands closer to mid-to-strong because Marty is such an intensely unlikeable character.