NOTE: This episode contains MAJOR spoilers. If you haven’t seen the film yet, you might want to hit pause and come back when you’re ready.

Hal Ashby’s Harold and Maude is a dark romantic comedy wrapped in bright absurdity—a film where death is performance, institutions are theater, and love becomes an act of rebellion. In this episode of The Minimum Commitment, we explore how the film uses existentialism and counterculture theory to strip away convention and reveal something stranger, wilder, and more alive. From Harold’s fake suicides to Maude’s unapologetic joy, we examine how their relationship redefines freedom—not as escape, but as surrender to the chaos of living.

This isn’t just a story about a young man falling in love with an older woman. It’s a funeral for conformity. And a celebration of what grows in its place.

Recommended Reading:

The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus

A foundational text in existentialist thought, Camus explores what it means to live in an absurd world and still choose joy, defiance, and meaning. For anyone who sees Harold’s transformation as a rejection of passive despair, this essay deepens the film's emotional and philosophical core.

R.I.P. Bud Cort. Thank you for what you gave us in cinema.

Produced, recorded, and edited by Donn Lawler

Music by iTMR

NOTE: This episode contains MAJOR spoilers. If you haven’t seen the film yet, you might want to hit pause and come back when you’re ready.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love is a romantic comedy only in structure, not in tone. Strange, quiet, and emotionally volatile, the film subverts the genre by filtering love through anxiety, shame, and bursts of unexplained violence. In this episode of The Minimum Commitment, we explore how Anderson bends traditional narrative into something more abstract and expressive. Where lens flares carry emotion, sound design fractures space, and color becomes internal weather. Through the lens of auteur theory, masculinity studies, and surreal formalism, we’ll examine Barry’s relationship with silence, rage, and the absurdity of trying to be “normal” in a world designed to unsettle him.

Produced, recorded and edited by Donn Lawler

Music by iTMR

NOTE: This episode contains MAJOR spoilers. If you haven’t seen the film yet, you might want to hit pause and come back when you’re ready.

In this episode, we explore how David O. Russell’s unconventional romantic comedy redefines mental health, portraying it not as a crisis but as a form of genuine connection. Using rapid editing, authentic performances, and a lively, unpredictable rhythm, the film illustrates how two damaged individuals cease performing for others and begin truly showing up for each other.

Produced, recorded and edited by Donn Lawler

Music by iTMR

The exploration of connection, grit, and perseverance will be vividly portrayed through a diverse selection of films that evoke powerful emotions and provoke profound questions about the nature of humanity.

As Season 1 draws to an end, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has tuned in over the past year. Throughout this journey, I have gained valuable insights and truly enjoy witnessing how the show has transformed—from simple, templated ideas for upcoming episodes to rich, multi-platform media experiences. I look forward to welcoming you back next year when Season 2 premieres on February 5, 2026.

Until then, THANK YOU for listening and for being part of this small but rapidly growing community. I deeply appreciate your support.

See you next time!

NOTE: This episode contains MAJOR spoilers. If you haven’t seen the film yet, you might want to hit pause and come back when you’re ready.

John Milius’s Conan the Barbarian is more than just a sword-swinging adventure; it is a myth told through the power of muscle, blood, and silence. In this episode of The Minimum Commitment, we examine Conan’s epic journey through the lens of Joseph Campbell’s monomyth, then dive deeper into semiotics and formalism to reveal how concepts of power are crafted, challenged, and reshaped.

Steel symbolizes strength. Flesh embodies belief. Fire signifies transformation.

But what occurs when the myth turns its reflection back onto the one who wields it?

Through sinister serpent cults, blazing resurrection fires, and imposing temples of obedience, Conan the Barbarian immerses us in a brutal world where the gods fall silent, leaving only the indomitable will to survive to carve out the story..

Recommended Reading:

“Myths to Live By” by Joseph Campbell

A powerful collection of essays that explores how ancient mythologies continue to shape human behavior, belief systems, and cultural identity. Campbell’s work offers a vital framework for understanding how films like Conan the Barbarian reinterpret classical motifs for modern audiences.

NOTE: This episode contains MAJOR spoilers. If you haven’t seen the film yet, you might want to hit pause and come back when you’re ready.

Matthew Robbins’ Dragonslayer is more than a monster movie. It’s an elegy. A tale of collapsing systems, vanishing gods, and the quiet transition from wonder to order. In this episode of The Minimum Commitment, we explore how the film reflects the dying breath of magic in a world slowly overtaken by belief, power, and institutional control.

Using structuralist theory and the lens of cultural hegemony, we’ll break down how symbols change as they pass from myth to machinery. The dragon is more than a beast, it’s a metaphor for the old ways. Ulrich’s death is more than sacrifice, it’s the extinguishing of mystery. And Galen doesn’t become a legend. He becomes a witness. One who understands that history doesn’t remember magic. It replaces it.

Recommended Reading:

“The Uses of Enchantment” by Bruno Bettelheim

A landmark work in myth and psychology, Bettelheim’s book explores how fairy tales help children understand moral conflict, identity, and cultural transition. For viewers of Dragonslayer, it provides insight into why stories of sacrifice, transformation, and magical inheritance still resonate, and what they teach us about the systems that raise and rule us.

NOTE: This episode contains MAJOR spoilers. If you haven’t seen the film yet, you might want to hit pause and come back when you’re ready.

David Lowery’s The Green Knight offers a fresh and intricate retelling of a classic myth, weaving unfamiliar consequences into the narrative fabric. This episode explores the story through the lens of post-structuralist theory, presenting Gawain’s journey not merely as a straightforward triumph of courage but as a complex exploration of performance, fear, and the elusive construction of meaning. Through distorted symbols, fragmented timelines, and a world crafted from poetry and peril, The Green Knight compellingly reminds us that stories do not provide definitive answers—only a series of pivotal choices that shape our understanding and destiny.

Recommended Reading:

“The Postmodern Beowulf” (ed. E. L. Risden)

Includes essays examining how mythic texts are reinterpreted in contemporary culture and media, including comparisons between Beowulf and The Green Knight.