WHAT WENT WRONG

A week researched show about movies and sometimes, scandals in Hollywood. Hosts bring a sensitivity to subject matter that needs it. Love hearing how they come to know each movie & I feel like I know how each film is made, despite this show being about “what went wrong”. Highly recommend to any movie buff!

Lizzie and Chris are funny, sincere, intelligent, and kind. Best of all, they love movies and everyone who makes them. I highly recommend this podcast if you're a movie fan (and even if you're not).

This may truly be my favorite podcast, full stop! I am a movies “superfan” who took several film-related courses in college and obsessively reads the IMDB trivia page for every movie I watch. I still learn something new from every episode of “What Went Wrong.” Chris and Lizzie clearly love the movies, and bring the right combination of appreciation for the craft, experience in the industry, professional dedication, and humor to every episode. Their research is extremely thorough, drawing on multiple sources and covering all phases of a movie’s creation, as well as all departments on a production. When they have to cover difficult topics, they do so with tact and humility. Unlike many movie podcasts, they do not waste time bantering or catching up at the beginning of each episode — they have a good rapport, but focus their discussions on the movie, not themselves. Jokes and interjections, when made, have an actual point that connects with the topic being discussed. Episodes are usually under an hour and never feel padded.

This is without a doubt my absolute favorite movie podcast. I watched blade runner for the first time in 2024 in the late summer. It was the first movie that truly made me think. I felt so immersed in the world. I started researching and WWWs episode came up pretty quickly. After I was hooked. Some of their best episodes r ALMOST as good as the movies. Evil dead, the godfather, Blair witch… stellar. I’d encourage anyone interested in movies to give them a shot. They do a great job balancing their own opinions and stories. Pls ignore the slop reviews saying Chris is to conservative or Lizzie is to liberal. Stupid. They balance each other wonderfully. It’s 10/10. Thanks for making my work not as dull! Asher

I started listening to What Went Wrong because I love movies. I wanted an entertaining podcast about the films I enjoy, the stories behind their production, and what made them memorable. Unfortunately, Lizzie’s repeated injections of her personal political views have increasingly taken away from what could be a terrific podcast. Whether it’s overanalyzing Back to the Future decades later to suggest that Marty McFly’s ending is somehow sad, or opening the Independence Day episode by saying, “Let’s go back to a time when we used to be proud to be an American,” the commentary often feels unnecessary and completely disconnected from why people tune in. That last remark was particularly disappointing. You can dislike a president, disagree with an administration, or have strong political opinions and still be enormously proud to be an American. Those things aren’t mutually exclusive. I don’t care whether the hosts lean left or right. I simply don’t want their politics constantly inserted into a podcast about movies. If the goal is political or cultural commentary through film, that’s fine—but make that the premise of the show. There’s a reason so many people have grown tired of political speeches and ratings have tanked at entertainment awards shows. We turn to movies for entertainment, enjoyment, and sometimes a little escape from the constant political noise. A podcast about movies should offer that same opportunity. What Went Wrong has an interesting concept and plenty of potential. I just wish the hosts would trust the movies and the fascinating stories behind them to be entertaining enough on their own.

Addendum to my previous review: Originally I gave this podcast a very high rating. You can see the earlier review below. Unfortunately, at this point, I have to stop supporting this podcast. I alluded to their seeming support of abusive directors and others in the film industry before, but this latest episode on Three Kings sealed the deal. One of the hosts acknowledged that David O. Russel admitted to abuse of a minor. However, she will continue to watch his films. In my opinion, supporting an active director by watching their movies is what empowers people like this to continue their abusive behavior. Roman Polanski didn’t stop. In fact, he was celebrated. And he continued his behavior. People who opposed him were seen as less elevated. There’s a long list of people who continued to abuse victims because we decided to separate the art from the artist. This is a completely ridiculous stance in my opinion. If you are supporting the art, you are supporting the artist. You are granting them more power and money to help conceal and continue their behavior. They can hire better lawyers and gain more influence. My earlier review: To start with, the hosts are extremely knowledgeable and funny. And I mean both of the hosts are funny. That’s kind of rare. Their insights into filmmaking are informative and welcome. I’ve learned so much and it helped me sympathize with some of the actors, especially the child actors. They bring a pretty unique and welcome contribution to film review podcasts. Also, the length of the podcasts are appropriate. I’ve never felt that they were too long or full of filler material. Greta job. Okay, I would have given a 5 star review. But I think they can do better in some areas. The hosts are right to point out some of the misogyny and just plain terrible things that were done to women, children, film crew, and actors during the making of these films (I love that people are finally starting to realize there is more and more: “art” isn’t more important than people). However, while they are quick to point out the responsibility of the men involved, I’m not sure they always hold some of the women as accountable. Case in point: as atrocious as Richard Burton’s behavior was (sorry for being judgmental) to his wife, Elizabeth Taylor was also an adult woman. She had agency as well. In the hosts’ defense, I think they were commenting on the tabloids and their single minded focus on Mrs. Taylor’s role in the affair. Also, the comments about whitewashing don’t seem to be consistent. If Gal Gadot had actually made Cleopatra, that would have been whitewashing as well. I think one of the hosts said they would be looking forward to the movie if it came to fruition (after referring to the whitewashing in Elizabeth Taylor’s Cleopatra). The hosts are pretty straight forward and intellectually honest. I hope they are as honest and forthcoming about current actors (though this would be risky career-wise) and directors. I could name a few who continued to support Roman Polanski and are still unapologetic about their support and continue to make movies with the man. All in all, I wish I could give a 4.5 star or 5 star review with an asterisk. Honestly, in two days, I’ve listened to probably 10 or more episodes. Great show!