Maltin on Movies

Legendary film critic Leonard Maltin and his daughter Jessie are the ultimate movie fans. They love talking about movies, especially with people who share their enthusiasm—from living legends like Mel Brooks, Al Pacino, Angela Lansbury and Quincy Jones to such contemporary artists as Amy Adams, Tim Burton, Laura Dern, and Jordan Peele. You’ll meet all kinds of interesting people and hear their recommendations of unsung movies you ought to know...

Craig Brewer 12/19/2025

Craig Brewer With a terrific new movie called Song Sung Blue opening on Christmas day, writer-director Craig Brewer adds another bull’s-eye to his filmography, which includes Hustle and Flow, the remake of Footloose, and Eddie Murphy’s Dolemite is My Name. Although completely self-taught, he had a great mentor in the late John Singleton and an ability to glean the best lessons to be derived from reading all the film-related books he could while punching a clock at Barnes and Noble. /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/39457430

Bryan Fuller 12/06/2025

Bryan Fuller Bryan Fuller has written, produced and directed more TV series than we can count—including popular shows like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Discovery, as well as cult-audience favorites Dead Like Me and Pushing Daisies. Now he’s unveiling his debut theatrical feature as writer and director, Dust Bunny, starring Mads Mikkelsen (with whom he made the Hannibal TV series) and it will not disappoint his loyal followers. Leonard and Jessie enjoyed listening to such an eloquent filmmaker also who also happens to be an articulate film buff. DUST BUNNY will be In Theaters December 12, 2025. /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/39308040

Revisiting Mel Brooks 11/14/2025

Revisiting Mel Brooks Can it really be nine years since Leonard and Jessie sat down with Mel Brooks? He’s still going strong at age 99 and we wish him another happy hundred years. In the meantime, enjoy this intimate conversation with one of the funniest men who ever walked the earth. /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/39030070

The Houghton Brothers of Big City Greens 10/24/2025

The Houghton Brothers of Big City Greens One of the mainstays of Disney+ and the Disney Channel is a delightfully funny show called Big City Greens. Like all great cartoons, it’s not just for kids. It’s bright and funny, and once you hear the two brothers who created it you’ll know why. Chris (who also voices the main character, Cricket) and Shane draw on their own experiences as country boys who moved to the city to make good—and they have done just that. Their heartfelt ambition and positivity are an inspiration to fans like Leonard and Jessie. /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/38764580

Patrick Stump 10/11/2025

Patrick Stump Patrick Stump is no stranger to success. He's been the lead singer for Fall Out Boy for 24 years and just completed their latest tour. He's done voice acting and scored a number of film and television shows, but in our household he reigns supreme as the writer and performer of the theme song for Spidey and his amazing Friends on Disney Jr. He truly loves both the film and music world and happily chats about both in our conversation. /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/38549740

Sean Whalen 09/19/2025

Sean Whalen From instant—and enduring—recognition for a TV commercial to the present day, Sean Whalen has forged his own path as an actor. You can see him in the new release Traumatika, or you can surf any channel and come upon him in movies and TV shows: he has more than 200 credits on IMDB! He has written and directed two feature films for himself, and become a genuine star in the newest medium, TikTok, where he has more than 400,00 followers. Leonard and Jessie applaud his upbeat, can-do outlook, even when sharing stories of being cut from movies like Men in Black at the last minute. /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/38287690

Caitriona Balfe 09/08/2025

Caitriona Balfe Outlander fans have been cheering Caitriona Balfe for years, and she’s made a strong impression on film buffs who have seen her in Belfast and Ford v. Ferrari as well. The Irish-born actress is now appearing opposite Orlando Bloom in a raw, extremely tough movie called The Cut that is now playing in theaters. In real life she is charming and easy to talk to. It turns out she and Jessie are raising toddlers of the same age, which of course worked its way into our lively conversation. /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/38124785

Disney Legend Bob Gurr 08/29/2025

Disney Legend Bob Gurr It’s not just a compliment, it’s a fact: Bob Gurr is a bona fide Disney Legend and at age 93 he shows little sign of slowing down. With a background in automobile design, Walt Disney sought him out in 1954 and immediately put him to work. For the next twenty years he had a hand in almost every major attraction in Disneyland, beginning with Autopia. He then opened his own shop and worked for theme parks around the globe. Jessie has vivid memories of the 30-foot King Kong he built for Universal. She and Leonard were delighted to spend an hour with such an inspiring man. /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/37975535

Leonard and Jessie Catching Up 08/19/2025

Leonard and Jessie Catching Up If you’re wondering why we’ve been revisiting so many programs instead of posting new interviews, there is a reason: Leonard did himself one heck of a mischief. But now he’s back, and he and Jessie thought it was a good time to take stock of what’s been going on in the worlds of movies and television. That’s the purpose of this catch-up episode and we hope you enjoy it. The occasional howling of our two dogs are included at no additional charge. /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/37883395

Revisiting Michael Westmore 07/14/2025

Revisiting Michael Westmore /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/37395335

Revisiting Danny Trejo 07/04/2025

Revisiting Danny Trejo The meanest-looking man on screen, the star of Robert Rodriguez’s Machete and its sequels, is perhaps better known Trejo’s Cantina and other food emporiums have revealed the truth: despite his violent background he has reinvented himself as a good guy and plays that role extremely well, onscreen and off. (He also headlines a new streaming movie, Seven Cemeteries.) Leonard and Jessie enjoyed meeting him (via Zoom) and hearing the story of how he accidentally broke into movies and wound up working with some of the biggest names in the business. /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/37281895

Steven Weber 06/03/2025

Steven Weber He’s been a familiar face on television for years, on the long-running comedy Wings and the current Chicago Med. He grew up in a show-business family so it shouldn’t be surprising that he loves to perform. His range is limitless and his credits attest to that: everything from Mel Brooks’ stage musical The Producers to the TV adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining. He and Leonard enjoy exchanging old show-business trivia, and never seem to run out of material. Steven is an articulate connoisseur of comedy…and then some. /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/36840815

Dan Bucatinsky 05/23/2025

Dan Bucatinsky Dan is what Hollywood used to call a multi-hyphenate. He’s an actor (with an Emmy to prove it), producer, director, and writer, and successful in each arena. As Lisa Kudrow’s longtime partner he produced her forward-thinking web series Web Therapy as well as the savvy sitcom The Comeback. Most recently he worked on the hilarious comedy series Hacks and Mid-Century Modern. He shares some of his hard-earned wisdom with Leonard and Jessie. /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/36690445

Eli Craig 05/13/2025

Eli Craig As diehard fans of Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, Leonard and Jessie are always rooting for writer-director Eli Craig, whose latest blood-stained outing is called Clown in a Cornfield. It's very different in tone, and its satiric point is muted until the climax. You can see it now in theaters. We also spoke to Eli about his unusual upbringing, living mostly with his brother and dad in Oregon, but casting an eye on the fight for success that made his mother, Sally Field, an enduring star. /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/36554440

Chris Nichols 05/06/2025

Chris Nichols As the longtime senior editor of Los Angeles magazine, Chris Nichols has accumulated more knowledge about this city than anyone else we know. As an author and frequent tour guide, he loves sharing his discoveries, which is why his newest book BowlaRama (Angel City Press, written with Adriene Biondo) is so much fun. Leonard and Jessie enjoy diving into the fad-like growth of bowling alleys in the Baby Boom years of the 1950s and early 1960s. (Leonard is still mourning the loss of his Pepsi Cola bowling team shirt.) Chris’s enthusiasm for everything he does is positively infectious. /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/36448180

Revisiting casting director Avy Kaufman 04/18/2025

Revisiting casting director Avy Kaufman Avy Kaufman’s name should be familiar to anyone who reads credits, as we do. She has cast scores of films and television series, from The Ice Storm to Succession, and launched many a career along the way. You can hear the pride in her voice when she recounts how she brought young Haley Joel Osment to meet the star and director of The Sixth Sense. Recent credits include some of the most talked-about television shows of our time: Mare of Easttown, Under the Banner of Heaven, Billions, and Fellow Travelers, which could earn her a fourth Emmy Award. (She has three: one for Damages and two for Succession). Avy wears her passion on her sleeve and that makes for great conversation. /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/36213650

Revisiting Frank Oz 04/11/2025

Revisiting Frank Oz Last year, Leonard and Jessie got a rare opportunity to interview Frank Oz at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas before a live audience. His alter egos are world-renowned, but Leonard and Jessie didn’t focus on Miss Piggy or Yoda in this conversation. The main topic was directing movies, which Oz has done so well for so many years: The Muppets Take Manhattan, Little Shop of Horrors, In & Out, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Bowfinger, and What About Bob? are just a few of his credits. What is the through-line, if any, from puppetry to filmmaking. Listen and hear what the amazing Oz has to say. /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/36099670

Harry Medved 03/21/2025

Harry Medved He’s an author, film buff, publicist, and now the host of a web series called Locationland that brings us to the spots around Los Angeles where memorable movies were shot—fromGrease to Plan 9 From Outer Space. Harry is a lifelong cinephile lover who first made his mark writing about the worst movies of all time, which led to the Golden Turkey Awards—now reincarnated as the Razzies. He and Leonard shared the same career-defining book editor ages ago in New York City. They also share a fascination with finding the answers to questions about who shot what and where. You can learn more at or. Harry also works with the National Association of Theater Owners (formerly known as NATO) which, newly dubbed Cinema United, will be staging CinemaCon in Las Vegas the week of March 31. /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/35795070

Jon Seda 03/14/2025

Jon Seda For Jessie, busy actor Jon Seda will always be Selena’s loving husband Chris Pérez, but he’s had many memorable roles in films and television: The Pacific, Chicago PD, Homicide: Life on the Streets, Treme, and La Brea, to name just a few. If you’re a fan you already know that he was heading for a career in boxing when he was hired to appear in Gladiator, which was literally a life-changing experience. As you will hear, he’s an unpretentious guy who enjoys what he does, appreciates the people he works with, and goes home to his wife and four children knowing he’s earned an honest day’s pay. His latest movie, Into the Deep, also stars Richard Dreyfuss and is available on demand right now. ... /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/35623185

Danny Elfman 03/07/2025

Danny Elfman As a boy, Danny Elfman showed no interest in music, but he’s made up for it ever since, earning Grammy and Emmy awards, Oscar nominations, and the roar of the crowd in live concerts around the world. His historic collaboration with director Tim Burton began with Pee-wee’s Big Adventure and shows no signs of stopping. His theme music for The Simpsons is just one way he remains in our consciousness between film scoring gigs. Leonard and Jessie love his passion for what he does—and does so well. /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/35577095

Anson Williams and Sharon Scott Williams 03/02/2025

Anson Williams and Sharon Scott Williams He will be forever known as Potsie from Happy Days, but his memories of that much-loved TV series are all positive, especially his relationship with the show’s creator Garry Marshall. Having begun in the theater and turned director (with dozens of TV shows to his credit) he is now piloting his wife’s new play Crazy Mama: A True Story of Love and Madness at the celebrated Rubicon Theatre in Ventura, California. It’s based on her own experience living with a mother who suffered from severe mental illness. Linda Purl plays 16 roles in this provocative one-woman show. Details are at Anson also shares some of his earliest show-business encounters with Leonard and Jessie. /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/35503265

Patrick Wilson 02/21/2025

Patrick Wilson Patrick Wilson wears many show-business hats. Fans of his Tony-nominated work on Broadway may not know of his involvement in the spooky Insidious and The Conjuring movies. (He even made his directorial debut on Insidious: The Red Door.) And horror/supernatural fans might have missed his star performances in the celebrated arthouse hit Little Children and the Mike Nichols-directed miniseries version of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America for HBO. Leonard and Jessie are longtime fans of his—even more so after this congenial conversation. See him in Edward Burns’ new movie Millers in Marriage now in theaters and on digital platforms /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/35373855

Revisiting Al Pacino 02/14/2025

Revisiting Al Pacino AL PACINO needs no introduction. In 2018 he joined us for a relaxed conversation that centered on his documentary “Wilde/Salome,” about his stage production of an Oscar Wilde play featuring a newcomer named Jessica Chastain. But without much prompting he also discussed his career at large, from The Godfather and Dog Day Afternoon onward. His recently published autobiography taps into his way of thinking…but you’ll get a taste of that here, as Leonard and Jessie chat up one of the greatest actors of our time. /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/35285655

Revisiting Sean Baker 01/31/2025

Revisiting Sean Baker The man whose latest film, Anora, is an awards-season favorite and an Oscar candidate, first joined us in 2017 to discuss his unpredictable career, which began on public-access television in Manhattan. He caused a stir when he shot his feature, Tangerine, on iPhones, and he won new fans with The Florida Project, which featured Willem Dafoe. He has a big heart, which is evident in every one of his films (including Red Rocket and Anora, which were still in the future when this interview took place). /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/35092605

Revisiting Billy Bob Thornton 01/24/2025

Revisiting Billy Bob Thornton Billy Bob Thornton is in a class by himself. If you haven’t seen Season 1 of his new show Landman on Paramount Plus, you’re missing out. It’s a perfect follow-up to his earlier seriesGoliath and his unforgettable turn on the first season of Fargo. Leonard and Jessie are longtime fans and delight in talking to him about finding his place in Hollywood, working with the Coen Brothers, playing the President of the United States in Love, Actually, and much, much more. This 2017 conversation doesn’t cover his most recent work but it’s a pleasure to listen to. /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/34986990

Revisiting Vince Vaughn 01/17/2025

Revisiting Vince Vaughn On the heels of a terrific new Apple+ TV series, BAD MONKEY (which will film its second season in the near future), let’s revisit our last chat with him, recorded in front of a live audience at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas in September of 2017. Vince was at the festival with his then-brand-new movie Brawl in Cell Block 99, but had no hesitation in reviewing his career and the film that launched it, Swingers. /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/34896855

Doug Jones 01/03/2025

Doug Jones Doug Jones’s face is often hidden behind elaborate makeup, yet somehow, through his eyes and body language he always create memorable characters. A favorite of filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro, he was the sea creature inThe Shape of Water and had key roles in Hellboy, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, and Pan’s Labyrinth. He spent five seasons on Star Trek: Discovery and is currently having a ball making the last season of What We Do in the Shadows. He is also proud of Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, now streaming and available on Blu-ray—and not to be confused with the other current remake of the German silent classic. Doug is as nice as he is talented, and Leonard and Jessie are delighted to have him on the podcast. /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/33789447

David Krumholtz 12/27/2024

David Krumholtz In recent times, David Krumholtz has appeared in Oppenheimer onscreen and Leopoldstadt on Broadway…but Jessie and Leonard first became fans watching him in films like The Santa Clause, Liberty Heights, 10 Things I Hate About You, and Slums of Beverly Hills. He is the very definition of a working actor—on stage, film and television (where he spent five years as the star of NUMB3RZ), with a healthy outlook on his profession and its peccadilloes. /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/34626280

Becky Ann Baker 12/20/2024

Becky Ann Baker Becky Ann Baker has played moms—on popular shows like Girls, Ted Lasso and Freaks and Geeks. But pigeonholing her is foolish given her theatrical training and can-do approach to life and career (alongside her equally talented husband, Dylan Baker). She’s worked for everyone from Sam Raimi to Steven Spielberg to You can see her right now with Rob Huebel in All Hapy Families on VOD, but if you just wait a bit she’ll turn up in another high-profile movie or TV show. What a delight for Leonard and Jessie to spend time in her company. /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/34543135

Rob Huebel 12/06/2024

Rob Huebel Rob Huebel can currently be seen in the comedy feature film All Happy Families (costarring Josh Radnor and Becky Ann Baker) on VOD, but he is never out of sight for long. An improv comedian and actor par excellence who honed his chops at Upright Citizens Brigade, he frequently works with such pals as Rob Riggle, Paul Scheer, and Will Arnett. His movie credits include I Love You, Man, The Descendants and Keanu and his TV resume is packed with shows like Transparent, Arrested Development and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Leonard and Jessie found Rob to be whip-smart, warm and funny…in short, a perfect guest. /episode/index/show/maltinonmovies/id/34312595

Maltin on Movies

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