“I just want to be loved… preferably by Christmas.”

Join Ian, Liam (always listed second), Megs & Kev for our 310th episode as we swap mirror-lined jealousies and boxing-laden family dramas for frosted cottages, floppy fringes, and Nancy Meyers’ warm, impractical kitchens with The Holiday (2006). Crack open the mulled wine, argue about accents, and prepare to answer the most important seasonal question of all: is this even a Christmas film… or is it secretly a New Year’s movie pretending to care about tinsel?

This week we discuss:

• Whether The Holiday qualifies as a Christmas film at all — or if it’s really a New Year’s movie wearing a festive jumper, pressed into service only because our Patreon members voted it in as the Christmas review.
• How Ian possibly survives reviewing a film starring Cameron Diaz — given his long, storied, and deeply felt loathing toward her screen presence.
• How Megs approaches a film built around Jack Black — an actor she famously does not enjoy - despite her choices of undergarments - especially when he’s positioned as a romantic lead.
• Nancy Meyers’ world-building — does the film ever show us emotion, or does it rely entirely on characters telling us exactly how they feel at all times?
• Cameron Diaz’s Amanda — chaotic, guarded, and allergic to crying. Is this performance misunderstood… or exactly why Ian struggles?
• Kate Winslet’s Iris — earnest, wounded, endlessly self-sacrificing. Is she the emotional heart of the film or a fantasy of suffering femininity?
• Jude Law’s Graham — peak Meyers male fantasy, or walking red flag wrapped in knitwear?
• Jack Black’s Miles — pretentious douchebag, charming underdog, or the film’s secret emotional MVP?
• The dual-location structure — England vs. LA, coziness vs. confidence. Does the contrast deepen the story or just sell vibes?
• The film’s relationship with grief, loneliness, and romantic recovery — is it sincere, or comfort-food cinema avoiding real mess?
• Kev weighs in on the soundtrack and score cues — emotional shorthand or effective storytelling tool?
• Can we get over the plotholes? Who goes to LA to visit a house sight unseen and who leaves their dog behind for someone else to look after?
• The ending(s) — festive payoff, narrative convenience, or emotional earnedness? Haven't they just chosen a false ending once you really look at it?
• And finally, whether The Holiday is the Best Film Ever — or simply the most aggressively rewatchable seasonal comfort movie ever made.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Paul Komoroski

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

“I’m not a stepping stone.”

Join Ian, Liam & Megs for our 309th episode as we step into the sweat-soaked gyms, fractured families, and hard-won resilience of David O. Russell’s The Fighter (2010). Lace up the gloves, tape the wrists, and prepare for a story about loyalty, damage, and the cost of fighting your way out of the place you came from. We're bragging about knocking down Sugar Ray Leonard this week as we discuss:

• Christian Bale’s extraordinary, Oscar-winning transformation — volatile, compulsive, heartbreaking. Is this one of the great supporting performances of modern cinema?
• Mark Wahlberg as Micky Ward — or is he just playing Mark Wahlberg with less swearing?
• Amy Adams’ breakout performance — sharp, grounded, and unflinching. Did the camera take advantage of her though?
• The family dynamic — love, obligation, manipulation, and control. When does support turn into sabotage?
• Megs breaks down the portrayal of working-class women — authenticity, resilience, and why the female characters feel unusually real for a boxing movie.
• Ian explores how The Fighter subverts the sports-film formula — less about glory, more about survival and self-definition. Is it even a boxing film?
• The documentary-style camerawork — raw, intimate, and invasive. How does the film blur the line between sports drama and social realism?
• The ethics of redemption — does Dicky earn his comeback, or does the film soften the damage he’s done? Which member of the cast just couldn't forgive him
• The boxing itself — brutal, unromantic, and exhausting. Does stripping away spectacle make the fights hit harder?
• The ending — triumphant, restrained, emotionally complicated or underwhelming? We unpack what “winning” actually means here.
• And finally, whether The Fighter is the Best Film Ever — or simply one of the most honest American sports dramas of the 21st century.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Paul Komoroski

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

“The Champ… is here.”

Join Ian and special guest Stew from The Stew World Order Podcast as we sit down at the Ringside Roundtable to take a deep-dive look at one of the most polarizing, celebrated, and influential wrestlers in WWE history — John Cena.

Across nearly two decades, Cena went from Ruthless Aggression rookie to the face of an entire era, and this special episode breaks down every chapter of his career with honesty, insight, and maybe a few “You Can’t See Me” jokes.

This week we discuss the following while debating we can be seen or not:

Our Cena origin stories — Ruthless Aggression debuts, the Undertaker handshake, the F-U era, the rapper gimmick, and the pivot to PG’s Hustle, Loyalty, Respect. Which version of Cena did we meet first?

What made Cena appealing — why kids adored him, whether his “Never Give Up” mantra was authentic, and if he was secretly underrated in-ring all along.

Where the hate came from — the roots of the Cena Sucks movement, the difference between hating the booking and hating Cena himself, and whether fans resented how “corporate” he felt.

Was the backlash justified? — did fan criticism have merit, or did Cena silence doubters with consistently strong, big-match performances later in his career?

Cena’s in-ring legacy — how good he actually was bell-to-bell, the key matches that define his style, and whether “Super Cena” booking helped or hindered him.

The Cena character — iconic or limiting? Should he have turned heel? And how effective was his mic work beyond the occasional goofy promo?

Did Cena make stars… or bury them? — who benefitted most from working with him (Owens, Styles, Umaga) and who fans believe he held back.

Was Cena good for wrestling overall? — did he grow the audience or preside over decline? Was his mainstream presence a net positive? And did WWE rely on him too heavily?

Cena’s cultural footprint — is he WWE’s last true megastar? How Make-A-Wish shaped his legacy, and whether Hollywood changed how fans view him today.

Cena vs. modern WWE — how he’d fare if he debuted now, how his style fits today’s product, and whether Roman Reigns is truly Cena 2.0.

The endgame — did Cena step away at the right time? Should Gunther be his final opponent? Is Saturday Night’s Main Event the right farewell? Does he need one last WrestleMania moment?

Defining rivalries — the feuds that shaped his career, whether he elevated or overshadowed opponents, and our Top 5 Cena Rivalries each.

Cena’s legacy — where he ranks all-time, how defining he was for the PG Era, and how his longevity compares to Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, The Rock, and Roman Reigns.

And finally, the verdict — was John Cena good or bad for wrestling? Has history softened the criticism? And what is his true legacy when everything is weighed together?

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE