Not Playing With Lex And Dan

Lex is a gruff-but-loving family man. Dan is a maverick on the edge. Together, they team up for a mission only they can accomplish: watching the 1987 buddy-cop classic Lethal Weapon. Which Lex has never seen—otherwise he’d know exactly how that mission turns out. Hot topics include Mel Gibson’s hair, strange birthday rituals, L.A. traffic, and dealing with the dichotomy of the sometimes terrible things people do and whether that should be viewed as distinct from the art they create. You can support Not Playing by streaming the movie from Amazon, or ordering it on DVD or Blu-Ray. Prefer to show your support via iTunes? Grab Lethal Weapon there instead.

As the singer once sang, “Holiday ro-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-ad.” Join us as we in turn join the Griswolds on their road trip across the United States in 1983′s comedy classic Vacation. The question: Will Dan, who’s never seen the Chevy Chase film, actually enjoy it? Hot topics include casual 1980’s movie racism, Anthony Michael Hall, girls in Ferraris, slapstick comedy, and…Steve Jobs? You can support Not Playing by streaming the movie from Amazon, or ordering it on DVD or Blu-Ray. Prefer to show your support for podcasters via iTunes? Snag Vacation there instead. We’ll get rich!

This week we travel through time. It’s 1989’s Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, which Dan feels confident Lex will love. Time travel, comedy, and Keanu Reeves—what’s not to love?! Hot topics include Back to the Future, the later careers of fine comic character actors (like So-crates), and the best time travel moment in cinematic history. You can support Not Playing by watching Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure on Amazon, or on Blu-ray, or on DVD. Prefer iTunes? Support us that way, instead!

Up this week is 1987’s Mannequin, one of Lex’s favorite ’80s comedies. It’s the story of Andrew McCarthy meeting Kim Cattrall, the woman of his dreams, even though she is mostly inanimate. And James Spader is at his weirdest, which is really saying something. Hot topics include the appeal of window displays, the ancient Egyptians, and tolerance. Oh, and “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.” Don’t have the movie? Support Not Playing by snagging the two-disc set with Mannequin and Mannequin 2 from Amazon. Baby, we can make it if we’re heart to heart.

It’s another homage to the heyday of 1989 this week, as Dan takes Lex on a trip—through the imagination!—to a land called Iowa, and a sport called baseball. Yes, we’re watching Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams. Hot topics include the rules of magic, the death of an American icon, and arguing with your parents. Don’t have the movie? Why not support Not Playing by picking up the Field of Dreams (Blu-ray + DVD) or just streaming it online from the fine folks at Amazon.

If you’ve never seen the 1989 cult classic UHF, well, you’re in good company. This week, Lex leads Dan through the wonderful world of Weird Al. Hot topics include kitchen accessories, paragons of acting, and the surprising curriculum vitae of ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic.

What better way to kick off the holiday season than with Bruce Willis’s star-making turn as an everycop? Dan introduces Lex to the best Christmas movie ever, 1988′s Die Hard. Hot topics include Alan Rickman’s death scene, expletives in movies, and the many lives of Alexander Godunov.

It’s true: Neither Lex nor Dan had ever seen Beverly Hills Cop before 2013. For the debut episode of Not Playing, they sit down together to watch the 1984 Eddie Murphy classic. Hot topics include vests, asses, and who exactly is the title character.