217 – Mary Reilly

Happy Halloween, Garys! Get ready for lots of whispers and accents as we close spooky season with one of our oft-referenced favorites, 1996′s uberflop Mary Reilly. A riff on the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tale starring Julia Roberts as an Irish maid who falls for both personalities of the mad scientist, the film was a bodice-ripping reunion of several Dangerous Liaisons collaborators: director Stephen Frears, screenwriter Christopher Hampton, and star John Malkovich. Despite the high pedigree and pre-production high hopes that landed Roberts a massive payday, the movie was critically lambasted and bombed at the box office. This episode, we discuss the Frears filmography and his service to the culture of directing prestige actress vehicles. We also discuss the 1990s prestige reiterations of classic monster movies, Glenn Close’s deliciously bawdy performance as a hothouse matron, and we loop back to Julia Roberts’ Six Timers Club quiz. Topics also include Tammie Brown makeup, how Malkovich should have been nominated in 1999 for playing himself, and Two-ster. PLUS we are kicking off this episode with a fun announcement: we are partnering with Vulture for the new Fantasy Movie League!! Join us at moviegame.vulture.com! Follow Us on Twitter! @Had_Oscar_Buzz Joe: @joereid Chris: @chrisvfeil