168. Baywatch (with Caleb Hogan) (Summer of Rock)

There were big expectations in 2017 for the Baywatch movie. 21 Jump Street had shown that raunchy, irreverent takes on cheesy '80s and '90s TV shows could earn bofo box office, and with the dual star power of Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron, it looked as if Baywatch couldn't miss. But critics hated it and the movie was a flop at the box office, canceling Paramount’s big plans for a Baywatch Cinematic Universe. So, what happened? And is the movie really as bad as its reputation?

What does this movie think it is? Is it a raunchy R-rated comedy that wants to mock its source material? Or is it a loving tribute to the most-watched series in the world in the 1990s? It’s… kind of neither. Does The Rock make any sense in the lead role of Lieutenant Mitch Buchanan, or has he fully entered the “most boring actor in every movie he’s in” portion of his career? Why does the movie suddenly start working as a surprisingly functional comedy when The Rock inexplicably disappears from the movie for 25 minutes and Efron takes over as the lead?

Join Laci, Matt, and our official Zac Efron correspondent Caleb for a spirited debate about a movie we’re actually pretty divided on. Plus a deep dive into the history of Baywatch and an in-depth look at Dwayne Johnson’s extended business empire. 

The Summer of Rock is our summer 2025 miniseries covering the movie career of Dwayne Johnson through nine movies, presented in chronological order. Starting with his attempt at crossing over from the world of wrestling, The Rock’s career got off to a bumpy start before finally taking off in the 2010s. But it wasn’t long before the bumps returned, and we’ll be telling the story for you all summer long! 

Bonus video: Matt takes us through movies (like Baywatch) that explicitly promise a sequel and then never end up getting a sequel: https://youtu.be/2pUm5aHkssE

Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! https://patreon.com/loadbearingbeams 

 

Time stamps:

• 00:04:03 — Our personal histories with Baywatch the TV series AND the movie
• 00:17:55 — History segment, part 1: The creation of Baywatch (the TV series), and its unlikely rise to become the most-watched show in the world
• 00:30:30 — History segment, part 2: The production of Baywatch (the movie) under director Seth Gordon
• 00:47:45 — History segment, part 3: An in-depth look at Dwayne Johnson’s business empire, insatiable appetite to own the world, potential presidential ambitions, and relationship with Vince McMahon
• 01:11:20 — Discussing the 2017 Baywatch movie at length
• 02:41:10 — Final thoughts and star ratings

 

Sources:

• “The Drive (and Despair) of The Rock: Dwayne Johnson on His Depression, Decision to Fire Agents and Paul Walker’s Death” by Stephen Galloway | Hollywood Reporter (2014) - https://bit.ly/3JdxLgy  
• “Dwayne Johnson lets his guard down” by Chris Heath | Vanity Fair (2021)  - https://bit.ly/45qy3rI  
• “How ‘Baywatch’ Went From an Early Belly Flop to the Big Screen” by Chris Lee | New York Times (2017) - https://bit.ly/41yxmeP  (reprinted in the Austin American-Statesman: https://bit.ly/45gTDjT)
• “The Inside Story Behind Baywatch, The TV Phenomena That Owned The '90s” by Brian Boone | Looper (2023) - https://bit.ly/4fyTaNb  
• “‘Baywatch’ Origin Story: How One Lifeguard Turned His Dream Into A Hassle That Paid Hoff” by Michael Schneider | IndieWire (2017) - https://bit.ly/40Y00WM  
• “How ‘Pirates’ & ‘Baywatch’ Are Casualties Of Summer Franchise Fatigue At The Domestic B.O.” by Anthony D'Alessandro & Anita Busch | Deadline (2017) - https://bit.ly/412Na9G  
• “Dwayne Johnson once fired his agents because they didn't agree he could be bigger than Will Smith and George Clooney. Now his movies have made more money than theirs.” by Ayomikun Adekaiyero | Business Insider (2024) - https://bit.ly/3UpMUha  
• “Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson bemoans 'woke culture,' declines to endorse presidential candidate” by Naledi Ushe | USA Today (2024) - https://bit.ly/4mnSP2D  
• "Boss of the Beach: For 40 years, the city’s lifeguard corps has been mired in controversy, and for 40 years it’s been run by one man: Peter Stein" by David Gauvey Herbert | New York Magazine (2020) - https://bit.ly/3Jy86PK  

 

Artwork by Laci Roth.

Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC).

Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode:

• “Summer of Rock” - https://youtu.be/dvRY72jNIEE  
• “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM 
• “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg 
• “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ 

"Summer of Rock" theme song credits:
Words and music by Matt Stokes
Engineered, mixed, and mastered by TJ Barends | Bare Sounds

 

Personnel:

• TJ Barends - backing vocals
• Wade Hymel - drums/guitar/backing vocals
• Laci Roth - vocals
• Matt Stokes - vocals/guitar/bass
   

Follow Wade on Instagram: @wadealready

Follow TJ on Instagram: @baresoundstwitaj

 

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