Summary
Overview
The How Did This Get Made podcast team—Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas—along with guest Julie Klausner, perform a live show at Brooklyn's Bell House discussing the 1997 film The Devil's Advocate. They dissect the film's excessive runtime, Al Pacino's over-the-top performance as the devil, problematic content, bizarre character choices, and convoluted plot twists involving Keanu Reeves as a lawyer tempted by Satan.
Opening the Pedophile Trial
The hosts introduce the film's opening courtroom scene where Keanu Reeves defends a pedophile teacher who masturbates during testimony. They discuss the disturbing nature of this opening and question why Keanu's character seems more upset about the teacher's public arousal than the actual crime. The scene also features an odd moment where Keanu removes his wedding ring to wash his hands in a bathroom, which the hosts identify as obvious foreshadowing.
- Film opens with Keanu defending a pedophile who masturbates during a young girl's testimony
- Keanu goes to bathroom to wash his face and punches wall, removes wedding ring—obvious foreshadowing
- The hosts question if anyone actually splashes cold water on their face when stressed
- Keanu successfully gets the pedophile acquitted despite his courtroom behavior
" Our protagonist getting off a pedophile is dicey but not too far away from the truth. "
" Has anybody ever gotten so stressed out and so overwhelmed that you had to go to a bathroom and splash cold water on your face? "
Moving to New York and Al Pacino's Introduction
After winning the case, Keanu and Charlize Theron move to New York to work for Al Pacino's law firm. The hosts mock the unrealistic lifestyle upgrades, including an instantly decorated Florida-style loft and comments about 'the best jogging in New York.' They discuss Al Pacino's bizarre character introduction, including his office with no windows, infinity pools on a skyscraper, and his immediate negging of Charlize Theron about her appearance.
- Pacino recruits Keanu to New York, giving him a $400/hour job but spending money like he's a multimillionaire
- Real estate agent touts 'the best jogging in New York' as selling point in late 90s
- Pacino has an oval office with no windows and infinity pools on the side of a building
- Pacino negs Charlize about her appearance, talks about necks and shoulders in creepy detail
" This is the best jogging in New York. "
" Your neck's a border town. You want to find out what's inside. "
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