Nathan Fielder Goes Even Fuller Cringe

Nov 22, 2023

Guest Nathan Fielder, co-producer of The Curse, discusses the cringe-worthy series. The panel also reviews The Holdovers and a memoir by Dwight Garner. They reflect on Jezebel's closure and media for women. Plus, endorsements of a nature documentary and a funny sketch with Emma Stone on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

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Introduction

00:00 • 2min

Critique of 'The Cursed'

02:12 • 12min

Show Review and Progressive Insurance Sponsor Ad

14:28 • 2min

Exploring Women's Media and Prep School Dynamics

16:48 • 12min

Movie Promotion, Apple Card Benefits, New Star Series, and Book Critic Introduction

29:11 • 2min

Exploring the Link Between Food and Literature

31:15 • 12min

Whimsical Reflections on Authors and Food, with a Hint of Silly Questions

43:05 • 2min

Exploring Life on Our Planet and a Hilarious Sketch

45:01 • 4min

Discussion of Vivian Gornek's Humorous Essay on Kemu's America Book Tour

48:56 • 2min

This week, the panel begins by reviewing The Curse, a cringe-worthy Showtime series co-produced by Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie. Fielder and Emma Stone star as Asher and Whitney Siegel, a newlywed couple at the center of a reality HGTV show built on narcissism, gentrification, and lies. Then, the three jump into Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, which Dana describes as a “sadsack Christmas classic,” starring Paul Giamatti as a curmudgeonly misanthrope professor alongside newcomer Dominic Sessa and Da’Vine Joy Randolph. The three play misfits being held over at a prep school during the winter break of 1970. Finally, the trio is joined by Dwight Garner, book critic for The New York Times, to discuss his delightful new memoir, The Upstairs Delicatessen: On Eating, Reading, Reading About Eating, and Eating While Reading.

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel commemorates Jezebel, the now-shuttered women-focused news and cultural commentary site, and reflects on their relationships with media geared towards women overall.

Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

Endorsements:

Dana: Life on Our Planet on Netflix, a nature documentary narrated by Morgan Freeman that tells the four-billion-year story of life on Earth. It’s perfect for at-home family viewing over the holidays.

Julia: A hilarious bit Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone did on Jimmy Kimmel Live! while promoting The Curse. In response to a less-than-glowing review of his acting skills in The New York Times, Fielder shows up in-character as a nonchalant, totally not stilted bad boy alongside Stone’s non-acted self.

Stephen: “Camus on Tour,” an excellent tour de force essay by Vivian Gornick in The New York Review of Books, in which she covers Camus’ Travels in the Americas: Notes and Impressions of a New World.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Kat Hong.

Hosts

Dana Stevens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf

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