The Big Picture - The Ringer

Latest Episodes:

‘Materialists’ and the Top Five Movie Love Triangles. Plus: ‘The Life of Chuck,’ With Mike Flanagan. Jun 13, 2025

Show notes

Sean and Amanda have an in-depth conversation and unpack their very mixed feelings on a pair of two new releases coming this weekend. They start with Celine Song's ‘Materialists’ and celebrate Song’s wonderful writing while also exploring their inability to connect to Dakota Johnson's and Pedro Pascal’s performances of the material (1:46). Then, they create their list of the top five movie love triangles of all time (45:10). Next, they discuss Mike Flanagan’s newest Stephen King adaptation, ‘The Life of Chuck,’ and explore why they think it will be such a divisive movie (53:57). Finally, Sean is joined by Flanagan to talk about his relationship to King, why he felt that this was the right time to make a shift away from horror, and how to tightrope walk the thin line between corniness and sincerity (1:21:01).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Mike Flanagan

Producer: Jack Sanders

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‘Ballerina,’ ‘Bring Her Back,’ and ‘Dogma’ Reborn, with Kevin Smith!!! Jun 10, 2025

Show notes

Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan to discuss their disappointment with the newest installment in the John Wick franchise, ‘From the World of John Wick: Ballerina’ (2:08). Next, they cover the second horror feature film from the Philippou brothers with the deeply upsetting ‘Bring Her Back’ and explain why it was an interesting follow-up to their first feature, ‘Talk to Me’ (25:45). Then, they revisit Kevin Smith’s 1999 classic, ‘Dogma,’ and share everything they loved about it when they first watched it, and all of the things that have aged so well since then (37:00). Finally, Sean is joined by Kevin Smith for the first time to discuss the re-release of ‘Dogma.’ They discuss why it has been so difficult to access the rights to the movie, what made Smith’s return to the Cannes Film Festival so special, and share a myriad of incredible stories across his entire filmmaking career (51:19).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guests: Kevin Smith and Chris Ryan

Producer: Jack Sanders

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‘The Phoenician Scheme’ Is Here, With Wes Anderson! Jun 06, 2025

Show notes

Sean and Amanda take a deep dive into one of their favorite directors' newest films: Wes Anderson’s ‘The Phoenician Scheme.’ They discuss the new themes Anderson tackles that he typically avoids, celebrate the phenomenal performances from Michael Cera and Mia Threapleton, and discuss how a second viewing can unlock a better understanding of the movie’s ideas (1:36). Then, for the first time in Big Picture history, Wes Anderson joins the show to discuss the movie, the connective tissue across his filmography, and how he experiments in new projects (50:37).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Wes Anderson

Producer: Jack Sanders

This episode is sponsored by State Farm. A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

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The 2000 Movie Mega-Draft Jun 04, 2025

Show notes

We are drafting again! Sean and Amanda are joined by several Ringer all-stars for a mega-draft of the best movies from 2000.

The Big Picture will be live in Chicago on July 21! Tickets go on sale Wednesday, June 4 at 12p CT.

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guests: Chris Ryan, Van Lathan, Mallory Rubin, Joanna Robinson, Rob Mahoney, and Bobby Wagner

Producer: Jack Sanders

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The ‘Shrek’ Pod May 30, 2025

Show notes

Bobby Wagner joins the show to bid farewell to The Big Picture and The Ringer at large. We look back at how he started working on the show and run through all of his favorite moments during his time as a producer (0:54). Then, Bobby finally convinces Sean and Amanda to discuss ‘Shrek’ and ‘Shrek 2’ on the show and talk about why ‘Shrek’ is such a critical movie for young millennials and early Gen Z (23:40).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Bobby Wagner

Producer: Jack Sanders

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‘Lilo & Stitch,’ ‘Friendship,’ and the Top Five Movie Friends May 28, 2025

Show notes

Sean and Amanda start the show with a quick recap of all the awards handed out at the Cannes Film Festival and wonder what this year's ‘Anora’ could be (1:13). Then, they react to the biggest Memorial Day weekend box office in history and consider what it means for the industry going forward (7:34). Next, they discuss Disney’s newest live-action remake, ‘Lilo & Stitch,’ and explain why not only this specific movie but also this “genre” at large does not work for them (17:34). Finally, they cover A24’s strange but hilarious comedy ‘Friendship,’ starring Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd (43:20), and finish the episode with their top five favorite friendships in movie history (1:02:13).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Producer: Jack Sanders

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The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 19 - ‘Spirited Away’ May 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 Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece, ‘Spirited Away’: the wonderful 2002 animated fantasy film, which features an unbound representation of what it feels like to be a child. They talk about what they make of Chihiro as an unusual main character figure, celebrate the huge technical achievement in its stunning animation, and explore how its “perfect movie status" is defined by its singularity.

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Producer: Jack Sanders

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‘Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning’ Is Here. How Will We Reckon With It? May 23, 2025

Show notes

Sean and Amanda need you to trust them one last time as they unpack the highly anticipated ‘Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning,’ starring Tom Cruise. Before diving into the film, they briefly recap all of the news headlines from the Cannes Film Festival by highlighting all of the heavy hitters, big surprises, and disappointments (1:05). Then, they unpack their complicated feelings on the newest ‘Mission: Impossible’ movie and discuss its legendary set pieces that might be the greatest of the entire franchise, plus its very deep flaws (19:42). Finally, they update their ‘Mission: Impossible’ rankings to see where this new installment fits among the rest of the series at large (1:21:04).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Producer: Jack Sanders

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The ‘Final Destination’ Kill Rankings and ‘Bloodlines’ May 20, 2025

Show notes

Sean is joined by Chris Ryan to discuss the flaw in death’s design by covering ‘Final Destination Bloodlines,’ the latest installment in the legendary, violent franchise (2:57). They share why they have such a great affinity for the 'Final Destination' series at large, spoil the movie by highlighting the electrifying kills that define the movie’s success (14:38), and go through every single kill in the entire franchise and rank their personal favorites (31:29).

Host: Sean Fennessey

Guest: Chris Ryan

Producer: Jack Sanders

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The Tom Cruise Movie Draft May 16, 2025

Show notes

Sean and Amanda are joined by Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, and Chris Ryan for a very special episode where they draft the best movies of Tom Cruise’s legendary career. They talk about their relationship to Cruise, introduce some new draft categories, and have a whole lot of fun.

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guests: Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Chris Ryan, and Bobby Wagner

Producer: Jack Sanders

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