Particle Data Platform
Critical Darlings

"Mother Mary" And Fictional Pop Stars in Film

4/23/20261 hr 30 min

This week, we’re holding a seance in a Dress Barn™ with Mother Mary! Directed by David Lowery and starring Anne Hathaway and Michaela Cole, this two-hander sees a pop singer and her former designer revisiting the rift that severed their early creative partnership, with spooky results. The film goes wide on April 24th, so with extra spoiler guard rails, we’ll discuss the film, its heightened language, and the unusually depicted supernatural elements. We’ll also discuss Lowery’s filmography, contemporary Hathaway, and Michaela Cole’s trajectory. Finally, we’ll discuss fictional pop singers on screen. From Vox Lux to Spice World, A Star is Born, and Kpop Demon Hunters, why are they so tricky to depict? Next week, we will be discussing a film about a literal angel named Michael. Not the Nora Ephron film, unfortunately. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

  1. Marie Barty0:00

    [trumpets playing] From Blank Check Productions, this is Critical Darlings, a podcast about the movies everyone's talking about, one new release after another. Please welcome your hosts, Richard Lawson and Alison Wilmore.

  2. Richard Lawson· Host0:24

    [clapping] Marie Barty, thank you for that spooky introduction. [laughs] [laughs] I don't think she did it any more spooky this time. Um, we're here of course, with our producer Ben Frisch. Hello, Ben.

  3. Alison Willmore· Host0:36

    Good morning.

  4. Richard Lawson· Host0:37

    You're a fan.

  5. Alison Willmore· Host0:38

    I am a fan.

  6. Richard Lawson· Host0:39

    Which I love.

  7. Alison Willmore· Host0:40

    Yeah.

  8. Richard Lawson· Host0:40

    Yeah. It sat very well with me.

  9. Alison Willmore· Host0:43

    Richard, I have a question for you first.

  10. Richard Lawson· Host0:44

    Yeah.

  11. Alison Willmore· Host0:44

    If I broke your heart as a friend- Uh-huh ... and a collaborator- Yeah ... and went off to- Not, A- Alison, when ... when- [laughs] ... I break your heart as a friend and collaborator- Yeah ... and, uh, and then, uh, leave you in silence for 10 years while I go off to enormous podcasting fame and fortune- Yeah ... but then came back to you and was like, "Richard, please, I need to record an episode with you." [laughs] "Only you know me as I truly am." Okay, first question.

  12. Richard Lawson· Host1:08

    Yeah.

  13. Alison Willmore· Host1:08

    Would you say yes? Second question.

  14. Richard Lawson· Host1:10

    Yeah.

  15. Alison Willmore· Host1:11

    Would you deliberately do a really bad job of reassuring me all of the time that this is the best work I, that we've ever done together?

  16. Richard Lawson· Host1:16

    Oh, I mean, uh, y- yes to the first question. Second question, probably, but maybe inadvertently do a bad job. [laughs] [laughs] But it would... Here's the, here's the thing.

  17. Alison Willmore· Host1:27

    Yes.

  18. Richard Lawson· Host1:27

    It would definitely be in a barn.

  19. Alison Willmore· Host1:28

    Okay. [laughs] Sure, sure.

We value your privacy

We use cookies to understand how you use our platform and to improve your experience. Click "Accept All" to consent, or "Decline non-essential" to opt out of non-essential cookies. Read our Privacy Policy.