“Sometimes the most beautiful things in life don’t make sense.”
Join Ian & Liam, along with BFF of the BFE: Ariannah (Who Loves BFE the Most™), for our 303rd episode as we ride through the heart and humanity of Peter Bogdanovich’s Mask (1985) — the moving, funny, and unforgettable story of Rocky Dennis, his extraordinary mother, and the people who refused to let difference define them.
This week we discuss:
<ul>
<li>How Mask walks the perfect line between sentiment and sincerity without tipping into melodrama.</li>
<li>Cher’s powerhouse performance — fierce, fragile, and absolutely magnetic but was she well directed (or even well written?)</li>
<li>Eric Stoltz’s stunning transformation and how the film lets his humanity shine through the prosthetics.</li>
<li>Why this might be the most compassionate film of the 1980s — and what it still teaches us about empathy today.</li>
<li>Ariannah joins us to talk about how disability and difference are portrayed on screen, and why this one hits harder than most.</li>
<li>The use of music (and that classic Springsteen debate) — how the soundtrack shapes the film’s emotional DNA.</li>
<li>We rip on Bogdanovich’s simplistic direction and how his brevity is far from the film's greatest strength.</li>
<li>Ian wonders whether the film’s emotional punches still land as powerfully for modern audiences.</li>
<li>We talk about how Mask redefined expectations for family drama and biopic storytelling.</li>
<li>And finally, whether Mask (1985) is the Best Film Ever — or just one of the most human films we’ve ever covered.</li>
</ul>
Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at <a href='https://www.patreon.com/BFE'>https://www.patreon.com/BFE</a>.


We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:
<ul>
<li>Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM</li>
<li>Hermes Auslander</li>
<li>James DeGuzman</li>
<li>Synthia</li>
<li>Shai Bergerfroind</li>
<li>Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most</li>
<li>Andy Dickson</li>
<li>Chris Pedersen</li>
<li>Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)</li>
<li>Randal Silva</li>
<li>Nate The Great</li>
<li>Rev Bruce</li>
<li>Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)</li>
<li>Richard</li>
<li>Ryan Kuketz</li>
<li>Dirk Diggler</li>
<li>Stew from the Stew World Order podcast</li>
<li>NorfolkDomus</li>
<li>John Humphrey's Right Foot</li>
<li>Timmy Tim Tim</li>
<li>Aashrey</li>
<li>Paul Komoroski</li>
</ul>
Buy some BFE merch at <a href='https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/'>https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/</a>.
Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.
Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at <a href='https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/'>https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/</a>

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