Mike “McBeardo” McPadden, author of TEEN MOVIE HELL – A CRUCIBLE OF COMING-OF-AGE COMEDIES FROM ANIMAL HO– USE TO ZAPPED! joins me for fantastic pizza from Gino’s East River North (a true Chicago classic). We tackled a fantastic deep dish “Gino’s Supreme” and had scant few leftovers to speak of by the time we left the car!

We talked at length about teen coming-of-age comedies, and:

• We didn’t use plates; we went “full animal.”
• The “Slobs vs. the Snobs.”
• Mike’s book is perfect for bathroom reading.
• What leads a 50-year-old man to collect all this information on coming-of-age teen comedies?
• The quintessential teen movie moment: Phoebe Cates in “Fast Times.”
• Why does “Fast Times” hold up better than most films in the genre?
• Mike takes aim at “Ferris Bueller,” the “sacred cow” of coming-of-age movies.
• How does a book like “Teen Movie Hell” in the “Me Too” era?
• Teen movie archetypes: The jock! The nerd! The cheerleader! The fascistic authority figure! Chronic masturbator!
• The massive talent of Rodney Dangerfield.
• I like Gino’s pizza so much I decided to wear it home.
• There were four “Revenge of the Nerds” movies. WHYYYYY?
• My main problem with “The Breakfast Club.”
• Are coming-of-age movies still being made, or made well?
• Some of the more obnoxious movie titles, including Gimme an F!
• “Meatballs” is the moment when Bill Murray became Bill Murray.
• “Snowballing” is the second-best title in teen movie history.
• The fantastic soundtrack to “Valley Girl.”

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