Green Card with Esther Zuckerman
5/3/20262 hr 46 min
Most filmmakers dream of making ambitious, big-budget epics once they're able to cash in their "blank check." Peter Weir wanted to make Green Card. Writer and romcom expert Esther Zuckerman joins us to talk about this 1990 oddity, released the same year as Pretty Woman, but centered around the star persona of Gérard Depardieu instead of Julia Roberts. We're talking about the romcom genre, the many attempts to bring international stars to Hollywood, the golden age of Andie MacDowell movies, and the undeniable smokeshow that was early 90s Bebe Neuwirth in this episode. Pardon our French. Literally. Get Esther's Book Falling In Love at the Movies Read FILM VIEW; 'Green Card' Apes 'Pretty Woman' Sign up for Check Book, the Blank Check newsletter featuring even more “real nerdy shit” to feed your pop culture obsession. Dossier excerpts, film biz AND burger reports, and even more exclusive content you won’t want to miss out on. Join our Patreon for franchise commentaries and bonus episodes. Follow us @blankcheckpod on Twitter, Instagram, Threads and Facebook! Buy some real nerdy merch Connect with other Blankies on our Reddit or Discord For anything else, check out BlankCheckPod.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
[upbeat music] Blank Check with Griffin and David. Blank Check with Griffin and David. Don't know what to say or to expect. All you need to know is that the name of the show is Blank Check.
Griffin Newman· Host0:18
The story of two friends who got a podcast, did bits, and then fell in love.
David Sims· Host0:28
So true.
Esther Zuckerman· Guest0:29
Yeah.
Griffin Newman· Host0:29
Now, this movie does have a perfect tagline.
David Sims· Host0:32
It's a really great tagline. Do you know the tagline?
Esther Zuckerman· Guest0:34
No. I don't.
Griffin Newman· Host0:36
I'm, I'm gonna read- Was it...
Esther Zuckerman· Guest0:37
Was that it?
Griffin Newman· Host0:37
It- That was a riff. That was a little riff on it.
Esther Zuckerman· Guest0:39
That was a riff?
David Sims· Host0:40
It's the story of tagline- So it's like two friends who got married ... follow- Not two friends, because we're the two friends.
Esther Zuckerman· Guest0:43
No. Yeah. No, obviously.
Griffin Newman· Host0:44
That's competitive dance.
Esther Zuckerman· Guest0:45
Okay, yeah, you said two friends. Two people?
David Sims· Host0:46
The two... It's the story of two people who got married, met, and then fell in love.
Esther Zuckerman· Guest0:50
Yeah. It's good. Great tagline.
David Sims· Host0:51
Kinda gets you.
Griffin Newman· Host0:52
That's how- Yeah ... the fucking film industry used to work. If you could walk into a room- Now- ... and say- I will say- ... "I'm adding the poster" "Why do they do- The poster does look like Obelix is kidnapping a woman. [laughs] David, I like this movie a tremendous amount. I had never seen it before.
David Sims· Host1:06
Look, look at him. He's like, "Ha ha- I know this is a favorite of yours ... ha. Have her."
Griffin Newman· Host1:09
This is a- "She is mine." [laughs] This is a thing we're gonna have to keep talking about in this movie.
David Sims· Host1:13
Uh.
Griffin Newman· Host1:13
Where this movie is super charming and sweet and- Right ... exquisitely made.
David Sims· Host1:18
It really is.
Griffin Newman· Host1:18
And yet, it is all- Depardieu ... this study of what is the weird charm of this guy?
David Sims· Host1:24
Totally.
Esther Zuckerman· Guest1:24
And, uh- And part of it is- Yeah ...
Griffin Newman· Host1:26
this guy is Wino Shrek. Is