The Big Picture - The Ringer

Latest Episodes:

The Movie Business Freak-Out Mailbag and ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,’ With Rian Johnson! Dec 16, 2025

Show notes

Sean and Amanda begin the show by honoring the towering career of Rob Reiner following his devastating passing (1:22). Then, they open up the mailbag and answer your questions about the general panic and angst about the future of the movie business (7:48). Next, they cover Rian Johnson’s new murder mystery sequel, ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,’ starring Josh O’Connor and Daniel Craig (1:10:14). Finally, Johnson joins the show to discuss why he gravitates toward murder mysteries as a storyteller, how his personal relationship with religion and faith has evolved over time, and why he was blown away by O’Connor’s performance (1:24:58).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Rian Johnson

Producer: Jack Sanders

Shopping. Streaming. Celebrating. It’s on Prime.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

‘Hamnet’ and the 10 Best Performances of 2025. Plus: Kleber Mendonça Filho on ‘The Secret Agent.’ Dec 12, 2025

Show notes

Sean and Amanda are joined by Joanna Robinson on today’s show to cover Chloe Zhao’s adaptation of ‘Hamnet,’ starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal. They unpack their complicated feelings by highlighting the film's incredible emotional power, and also criticize aspects they found totally confounding (12:28). Next, they briefly discuss Kleber Mendonça Filho’s ‘The Secret Agent’ and celebrate Wagner Moura’s wonderful performance at the center of the film (48:46). Then, they share their individual top 10 favorite performances of 2025 (55:47). Finally, Sean is joined by Mendonça Filho to explain how some fiction work can discover even more truth than documentary, his thought process behind utilizing split diopter shots, and why he wrote the lead role of the movie specifically for Moura (1:45:46).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guests: Kleber Mendonça Filho and Joanna Robinson

Producer: Jack Sanders

Shopping. Streaming. Celebrating. It’s on Prime.

A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Adam Sandler Hall of Fame and ‘Jay Kelly’ With Noah Baumbach! Dec 10, 2025

Show notes

Sean and Amanda cover Noah Baumbach’s new film, ‘Jay Kelly,’ starring George Clooney and Adam Sandler. They work through their mixed reactions to the movie and sort through specifically what worked for them and what didn’t (4:24). Then, they speculate Sandler’s potential award chances (41:33) before building his Hall of Fame with their favorite performances (53:50). Finally, Sean is joined by Baumbach to explain why he doesn’t enjoy revisiting his old work, why Clooney was perfect for the part of Jay, and whether his films are getting funnier or more tragic with age (1:49:39).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Noah Baumbach

Producer: Jack Sanders

Shopping. Streaming. Celebrating. It’s on Prime.

A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Truth About Netflix Buying Warner Bros. Plus: Snubs and Surprises of the Golden Globe Nominations and Jafar Panahi on ‘It Was Just an Accident.’ Dec 08, 2025

Show notes

Sean and Amanda have an action-packed show today, and they start with the biggest piece of news: Netflix’s $82.7 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. They talk through their initial gut reactions to the news; cover the additional information that came through over the weekend, including Paramount’s hostile bid; and hypothesize whether or not the sale will go through (1:57). Then, they react to the Golden Globe nominations and try to make sense of what they mean for the Academy Awards (1:00:11). Finally, they briefly discuss Jafar Panahi’s ‘It Was Just an Accident’ (1:20:29) before Sean is joined by Panahi himself to discuss how he casts his actors, why he prioritized balancing a humorous tone and serious drama, and why he feels that his next film has to be about war (1:26:51).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guests: Jafar Panahi and Sheida Dayani

Producer: Jack Sanders

Shopping. Streaming. Celebrating. It’s on Prime.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Top Five Movies of 2025 Dec 05, 2025

Show notes

Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan and Adam Nayman to share their five favorite films from the year. But before diving in, they cover a handful of movie news items, including the updated rumors regarding the potential sale of Warner Bros. (1:25), the massive box office success of ‘Zootopia 2’ (5:44), and the speculation that Leonardo DiCaprio has been cast in Michael Mann’s ‘Heat 2’ (11:15). Then, they each share their top five favorite movies from 2025 (25:20).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guests: Chris Ryan and Adam Nayman

Producer: Jack Sanders

Shopping. Streaming. Celebrating. It’s on Prime.

A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Watch-Along! Dec 03, 2025

Show notes

Sean, Amanda, and Chris visit Pandora and join the Na’vi to watch James Cameron’s ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ in anticipation of his upcoming sequel, ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash.’

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Chris Ryan

Producer: Jack Sanders

Shopping. Streaming. Celebrating. It’s on Prime.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Robert Redford Hall of Fame Nov 28, 2025

Show notes

Sean and Amanda are joined by Tracy Letts to cover the monumental work of legendary actor Robert Redford. They celebrate the star’s illustrious career, share their personal relationship to his work, and build his Hall of Fame.

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Tracy Letts

Producer: Jack Sanders

Research: Brantley Palmer

Shopping. Streaming. Celebrating. It’s on Prime.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 3 - '25th Hour’ Nov 26, 2025

Show notes

Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Spike Lee’s ‘25th Hour,’ one of the most present tense films ever made. They discuss its fascinating legacy as a somewhat under-discussed masterpiece, explain why Lee’s stylistic choices are deeply moving, and identify the impressive fricative tension in all of the movie’s ideas.

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Producer: Jack Sanders

Shopping. Streaming. Celebrating. It’s on Prime.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Best Picture Power Rankings and the Super-Sincerity of ‘Sentimental Value,’ With Joachim Trier! Plus: Regretting ‘Regretting You.’ Nov 24, 2025

Show notes

Sean and Amanda begin the show by discussing the imminent sale of Warner Brothers Discovery, consider the potential implications of a merger with one of Paramount, Comcast, or Netflix, and debate which scenario is the most likely outcome (1:22). Then, they cover the new Colleen Hoover adaptation ‘Regretting You’ starring Allison Williams and Dave Franco, which they found absolutely baffling (17:28). Next, they have an extensive conversation around Joachim Trier’s ‘Sentimental Value,’ starring Renate Reinsve and Stellan Skarsgard, where they explore why some people are connecting to the film so strongly, while for others it doesn't seem to resonate (47:15). Finally, Trier joins the show to explain how much of himself is actually mapped onto Skarsgard’s character, how being a good listener and observant of the world around you translates to strong characterization, and the story of shooting in a house that was down the street he grew up on (1:33:54).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Joachim Trier

Producer: Jack Sanders

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

‘Wicked: For Good’ Is No Good. But ‘Train Dreams’ Is. Nov 21, 2025

Show notes

Sean and Amanda are joined by Juliet Litman and return to the (not so) wonderful world of Oz to cover John M. Chu’s ‘Wicked: For Good,’ starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Before diving in, they react to new movie trailers for Charli XCX’s ‘The Moment’ (1:02) and ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ (10:54). Then, they discuss ‘Wicked: For Good,’ which they found deeply frustrating due to its bizarre story choices and one-dimensional characters (18:22). They hypothesize its potential box office, compare this year’s press tour to last year’s, and weigh its Academy Award chances (1:07:44). Next, Sean and Amanda briefly examine Clint Bentley’s ‘Train Dreams,’ starring Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones, a deeply earnest and sincere portrayal of grief with some beautiful digital photography and an amazing collection of character actors (1:22:55). Finally, Bentley joins the show to discuss his new film and explains why he initially thought the original material was unadaptable, how he put a lot of intent behind capturing the logging scenes in the movie, and shares his feelings on the current state of independent film (1:34:28).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guests: Clint Bentley and Juliet Litman

Producer: Jack Sanders

Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with the Personal Price Plan®. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there®.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

The Big Picture – The Ringer

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected