Movie Nights with Dad

Fiddler on the Roof (1971) Review | Reviewed by Someone Who Actually Played Tevye | MNWD Ep. 34

One year before this episode, Mark played Tevye in a community theater production of Fiddler on the Roof. Reviewing the 1971 film adaptation with that kind of experience in the room makes for a very different conversation. This week Riley and Mark get into what Norman Jewison got right and where the stage version still has the edge, what Topol brings to Tevye that caught Mark off guard, whether the film justifies its three-hour runtime, and the character who sits at the emotional center of the whole story and never really gets her own moment. Mark brings his theater experience and his personal time inside this role, and Riley makes the case that "Do You Love Me?" deserved a lot more than four minutes. New episodes every Sunday at 5PM CT. Find us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere you listen.

Calamity Jane (1953) Review | Doris Day's Most Underrated Performance | MNWD Ep. 33

Calamity Jane (1953) has been filed away as a cheerful Doris Day musical for decades — and that filing is doing it a disservice. This week Riley and Mark review the film starring Doris Day as the hard-riding, sharp-shooting Jane, digging into what Day actually pulls off in this role that tends to get ignored, why the friendship between Jane and Katie quietly outperforms every romantic subplot in the film, what the movie is really saying about gender and performance in 1953, and what a version of this story that committed to its most interesting ideas might have looked like. Mark brings his theater lens to one of classic Hollywood's most underappreciated physical performers, and Riley makes the case that the film's best relationship never needed the men to resolve it. New episodes every Sunday at 5PM CT. Find us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere you listen.

Singin' in the Rain (1952) Review | The Greatest Movie Musical Ever Made | MNWD Ep. 32

Singin' in the Rain (1952) is the kind of film that makes you wonder how it exists at all. Gene Kelly co-directed and choreographed most of it himself while starring in it. Debbie Reynolds had almost no formal dance training when filming began. Donald O'Connor shot "Make 'Em Laugh" in a single day and was bedridden for a week afterward. This week Riley and Mark review Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly's undisputed classic, digging into what makes the three-way chemistry feel so effortless, whether Debbie Reynolds gets overshadowed or holds her own, what the film's Hollywood backdrop is really saying about an industry terrified of change, and whether Lina Lamont is actually the villain the movie wants you to think she is. Mark brings his theater lens to one of the most technically demanding casts ever assembled for a Hollywood musical, and Riley makes the case for why the system — not Lina — is the real villain of the film. New episodes every Sunday at 5PM CT. Find us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere you listen.

A Hard Day's Night (1964) Review | The Beatles and the Film That Invented the Music Video | MNWD Ep. 31

A Hard Day's Night (1964) wasn't trying to invent anything — and it invented everything. This week Riley and Mark review Richard Lester's Beatles mockumentary, the film widely credited with creating the music video format and directly inspiring the Monkees' TV show, all on a seven-week shoot with four non-actors and a modest budget. They dig into whether the Beatles are actually performing or just being themselves, why Ringo gets the most genuine character work of any of the four, what it means that a film with almost no plot holds together as well as it does, and how accidental genius compares to intentional filmmaking. Mark brings his theater lens to four of the most famous performers of the 20th century — none of whom trained for a single day — and Riley makes the case that Ringo Starr is the only one in the film actually acting. New episodes every Sunday at 5PM CT. Find us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere you listen.

The Lady Eve (1941) Review | Barbara Stanwyck, Preston Sturges, and Henry Fonda | MNWD Ep. 30

The Lady Eve (1941) is one of the smartest screwball comedies ever made — and it's been criminally underseen for decades. This week Riley and Mark review Preston Sturges' razor-sharp classic starring Barbara Stanwyck as a con artist who falls for the wrong man, gets burned, and comes back as an entirely different person for revenge. They dig into Stanwyck's total command of every scene, whether Henry Fonda's bumbling millionaire actually deserves the film's sympathy, what the film is really saying about who holds the power in relationships, and why Preston Sturges deserves to be mentioned alongside the greatest Hollywood directors of the era. Mark brings his theater lens to one of classic Hollywood's most technically gifted actresses, and Riley makes the case that the film lets its male lead off far too easy. New episodes every Sunday at 5PM CT. Find us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere you listen.