Broad Appeal

You may be tempted to skip this episode… but don’t follow Brian’s bad example. That’s right, for the first time in the history of this podcast (and, in fact, his life) Brian Mullin hasn’t done his homework. And, believe us, Depression-era misery-fest IRONWEED does feel like homework. In the second of our 1987 Best Actress contenders, Meryl and Jack Nicholson are two alcoholic hoboes who are haunted by guilt, ghosts and grime. Pretty it isn’t, but Meryl gets to deliver both a song and a hand job so it’s not entirely without interest. To be fair, Brian did see it 20 years ago. In fact, he was such a diligent student, HE EVEN READ THE NOVEL!! But in this instance he’s totally got amnesia, meaning that Seán must come to his rescue by jogging memories that are hazier than a drunk’s in the gutter. Is Meryl doing extraordinary acting in mostly solo set-pieces or is this just an egregious example of Prestige Category Fraud? Be our pals and listen along to this free-wheeling, unconventional episode. We promise it’s m