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PODCAST

In Front of Ira

Sabrina Mittermeier & Torsten Kathke

Welcome to “In Front of Ira,” the podcast in which historians, friends, and lovers… of rom-coms Sabrina Mittermeier and Torsten Kathke discuss how the romantic comedy genre has evolved, what it can tell us about society, and whether this movie is worth watching. Find us @infrontofira on social media and drop us a line at infrontofirapod@gmail.com

tv & film film history

All Episodes

00:59:16

40. Don’t Worry, We’re “Keeping the Faith”

In Front of Ira ·

2026/01/02

Torsten and Sabrina are following the adventures of religious throuple Jenna Elfman, Ben Stiller, and Edwart Norton (the latter in his directorial debut to boot!)They talk about a few things you may want to check out:– The New York Times Review of the film when it came out: https://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/14/movies/film-review-religion-and-hormones-surrounded-by-a-triangle.html– Variety’s review of the movie: https://variety.com/2000/film/reviews/keeping-the-faith-2-1200460816/Welcome to “In Front

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01:04:46

39. You’ve Found This Episode, What “Serendipity”!

In Front of Ira ·

2025/12/26

Torsten and Sabrina are not writing down the title of this John Cusack/Kate Beckinsale movie in hopes that fate will let them see it anyway down by the ice skating rink in Central Park.They talk about a few things you may want to check out:– Kate Beckinsale giving an interview about the movie: https://www.vulture.com/2020/04/kate-beckinsale-answers-all-our-questions-about-serendipity.html– Director Peter Chelsom talks about the impact of 9/11 on the opening of the film:

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00:46:23

38. We Go “Round and Round” for Hanukkah

In Front of Ira ·

2025/12/19

Sabrina and Torsten want the Dreidel Extended Universe to be a thing as they accompany Vic Michaelis and Bryan Greenberg through a holiday time travel romcom.They talk about a few things you may want to check out:– Decider’s review of the movie: https://decider.com/2023/12/10/round-and-round-hallmark-channel-review/– Another review from NPR: https://www.npr.org/2023/12/15/1219585032/one-last-hanukkah-gift-from-hallmark-round-and-round-is-a-really-fun-romcom– Vic Michaelis’s show “Very Important

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01:04:27

37. What If “The F-Word” Was Also Called “What If”?

In Front of Ira ·

2025/05/02

Torsten and Sabrina are charmed by Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan (and Adam Driver and Mackenzie Davis and Megan Park…) in an indie romcom out of Toronto that more people should have seen, but also more people than we thought have seen. Ok, a medium amount of people have seen this. It’s great, be one of them.They talk about a few things you may want to check out:– Variety’s review of the movie: https://variety.com/2013/film/global/the-f-word-review-toronto-1200607906/– Another review from The Wrap:

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00:54:57

36. “Never Been Kissed” by the Teacher (Thank God)

In Front of Ira ·

2025/04/25

Sabrina and Torsten have never been kissed by Michael Vartan, which is a thing they have in common with Drew Barrymore’s character in this teen movie that can’t quite decide what it wants to be, except somehow both charming and problematic. The 90s, man…They talk about a few things you may want to check out:– IFoI mainstay Roger Ebert’s review of the movie: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/never-been-kissed-1999– The cultural reckoning the movie had post Me Too:

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00:50:39

35. “The Proposal”: Escapism Is a US–Canadian Love Story

In Front of Ira ·

2025/04/18

Sabrina and Torsten go to Alaska with Canadian Sandra Bullock and American Ryan Reynolds so she can get a Green Card. High jinx ensue, except all jokes about the U.S. immigration system hit different these days.They talk about a few things you may want to check out:– IFoI mainstay Roger Ebert’s review of the movie: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-proposal-2009– A few more facts about the movie: https://www.movieinsider.com/m2964/the-proposalWelcome to “In Front of Ira,” the podcast in which

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01:03:37

34. Remodeling, Having an Affair? “It’s Complicated”

In Front of Ira ·

2025/04/11

Torsten and Sabrina tackle another Nancy Meyers romcom in which the stars are not in their twenties. There is, of course, a kitchen, but there’s also Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, and Steve Martin.They talk about a few things you may want to check out:– Reviews of the movie: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/its-complicated-200R– The lost art of director’s commentary: https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/streaming-killed-the-video-star/Welcome to “In Front of Ira,” the podcast in which historians,

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00:46:19

33. Steal a Boat and Go to “Fire Island”

In Front of Ira ·

2025/04/04

Sabrina and Torsten are still in Sabrina’s kitchen, but really they're on Andrew Ahn’s “Fire Island” (2022) watching Joel Kim Booster and Bowen Yang put the Pride in “Pride in Prejudice.” They hope not to catch Lyme disease in the outdoors while looking for constellations.They talk about a few things you may want to check out:– Author/Star Joel Kim Booster on his romcom journey: https://ew.com/movies/joel-kim-booster-fire-island-pride-cover-story/– Actor Bowen Yang on the movie:

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00:50:51

32. No But Really, “Say Anything”

In Front of Ira ·

2025/03/28

Torsten has joined Sabrina in her kitchen to say something about “Say Anything,” the 1989 Cameron Crowe directorial debut starring Ione Skye and John Cusack that features THAT boombox in front of the window scene. They neither want to buy anything, sell anything, or process anything as a career. As a career, they don’t want to do that.They do, however, talk about a few things you may want to check out:– Roger Ebert's review of the movie when it came out:

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00:45:59

31. Wedding is a Greek Word! Let’s Go to “My Big Fat...

In Front of Ira ·

2025/03/21

Sabrina and Torsten still sit on a couch and talk about Nia Vardalos’s one woman show turned successful indie romcom, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” Stock up on Windex and discover why every word is really from the Greek.They talk about a few things you may want to check out:– Reviews of the movie when it came out: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/my-big-fat-greek-wedding-2002 / https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2002/sep/20/artsfeatures3Welcome to “In Front of Ira,” the podcast in which historians,

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00:48:22

30. Dear “Bridget Jones’s Diary”

In Front of Ira ·

2025/02/14

Sabrina and Torsten sit on a couch and discuss the first movie in the “Bridget Jones” series, 2001’s “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” certainly one of the best thirty films of the year. Starring an American with a convincing British accent (Renée Zellweger), a smarmy Hugh Grant, and a very Darcy Colin Firth.They talk about a few things you may want to check out: – Reviews of the movie when it came out: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/apr/13/helenfielding /

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01:03:23

29. Bro! We’re Talking About “Bros,” Bro!

In Front of Ira ·

2025/01/10

Torsten and Sabrina visit the National LGBTQ+ museum in New York to look at the audio-animatronic bisexuals in the first gay major studio romcom starring Billy Eichner and Luke MacFarlane.They talk about a few things you may want to check out: – The discourse surrounding the movie when it was released: https://www.them.us/story/bros-movie-box-office-performance-billy-eichner – The fictional LGBTQ+ museum in the film:

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00:55:38

28. We Have an Invite to “My Best Friend’s Wedding”

In Front of Ira ·

2025/01/03

Sabrina and Torsten join in for a sing-along to “I Say a Little Prayer” at a seafood restaurant with Rupert Everett, Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, and Cameron Diaz in this unorthodox late 90s classic romcom that stars all your favorite actors who got famous later on. (Including Carrie Preston and Paul Giamatti.)They talk about a few things you may want to check out: – The likeability of the Jules character:

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00:49:48

27. Want to Meet at “Rye Lane”?

In Front of Ira ·

2024/12/27

In the second low-budget independent romcom set in South London on this podcast (what are the odds?), Sabrina and Torsten follow David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah as they wander around Rye Lane Market and drink deeply from the well of London romcom lore.They talk about a few things you may want to check out: – Director of Photography Olan Collardy’s stunning cinemmatography in this movie: https://filmmakermagazine.com/118964-interview-dp-olan-collardy-rye-lane/ – Director Raine-Allen Miller’s

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00:42:10

26. Bite into the Snowman Cookie, “Hot Frosty”!

In Front of Ira ·

2024/12/20

Crime doesn’t pay in Hope Springs, New York, where Lacey Chabert magics a hot snowman (Dustin Milligan) to life in this joyously bonkers Christmas romcom written by Russell Hainline and directed by Jerry Ciccoritti. Craig Robinson and Joe Lo Truglio co-star as scenery-chewing small-town cops. (Hallmark mainstay Chabert’s first venture into the Netflix Holiday Cinematic Universe rocketed straight to number 1 on the streamer’s charts.)They talk about a few things you may want to check out: – “Hot

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01:04:58

25. We’re Going on “The Holiday”

In Front of Ira ·

2024/12/13

Sabrina and Torsten are ready for the holidays (plural), so they’re going on “The Holiday” (singular). Join them in both L.A. and Surrey where they spend time with Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jack Black, and Jude Law in this least kitchen-y of all Nancy Meyers movies.They talk about a few things you may want to check out: – “The Holiday’s” stature as a Christmas classic: https://slate.com/culture/2023/12/the-holiday-movie-christmas-love-actually-cast.html – The rising popularity of the term “meet

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01:04:46

24. “You’ve Got Mail,” Meg and Tom!

In Front of Ira ·

2024/12/06

Don’t you love New York in the fall? Torsten and Sabrina give each other bouquets of pencils as they discuss how neoliberalism is ruining book shop owner Kathleen Kelly’s life in this Nora Ephron romcom from the late 90s (neoliberalism also goes by the name of Joe Fox, F-o-x). Of course this stars Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, and there’s a lot of Starbucks references.They talk about a few things you may want to check out: – The Ernst Lubitsch movie “Shop Around the Corner” on which this is based:

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01:02:45

23. We Go on a “Chicken Shop Date” with Marisa Kabas

In Front of Ira ·

2024/10/20

“It’s called flirting, Amelia!” Sabrina and Torsten welcome Marisa Kabas to a special episode about a viral real-life romcom: the “Chicken Shop Date” of Amelia Dimoldenberg and Andrew Garfield.They talk about a few things you may want to check out: – Amelia and Andrew at the Golden Globes: https://youtu.be/E6O0wq6GNn8?si=OJ0hcR0IXDlTDtvr – The titular Chicken Shop Date: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFS5vxYlfY8&pp=ygUkYW1lbGlhIGFuZHJldyBnYXJmaWVsZCBmaXJzdCBtZWV0aW5n – Nicholas Quah at Vulture

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00:47:21

22. Chemistry With “Anyone But You”

In Front of Ira ·

2024/08/09

Torsten and Sabrina join Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney for a destination wedding in Australia featuring butt-grabbing and Shakespearean hijinks. Hopefully, no one needs to send a helicopter to save them from drowning in a movie that should work so much better than it does.They talk about a few things you may want to check out: – The fake dating rumors surrounding the movie’s leads: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/sydney-sweeney-admits-to-actively-fueling-glen-powell-dating-rumors – The Netflix

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00:53:07

21. We Find “10 Things I Hate About You” and None Are...

In Front of Ira ·

2024/08/02

Sabrina and Torsten head to Seattle (or is that Tacoma?) to join an all-star teen heart throb cast from the late 1990s take on Shakespeare. Plus, Allison Janney is there. Yes, they watched “10 Things I Hate About You,” counted all the things and noticed… hey… your eyes have a little green in them.They talk about a few things you may want to check out: – The soundtrack for the movie: https://www.discogs.com/de/master/171251-Various-10-Things-I-Hate-About-You-Music-From-The-Motion-Picture – The

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