Episode #139
Ep. 139 - Anna Faris (Feat. Mike Van de Voort)
The Munsons are thrilled to welcome back guest Munson Mike Van de Voort for a celebration of one of modern comedy’s most recognizable stars: Anna Faris. We trace Faris’s path from children’s theater in Washington to the audition that changed her life, when she used her mother’s airline miles to fly to Los Angeles and land the role of Cindy Campbell in Scary Movie. That leap launched a billion-dollar franchise and a career built on fearless timing, strange voices, committed physical comedy, and an uncanny ability to remain the grounded center of total absurdity. Along the way, Mike shares a spectacularly uncomfortable childhood experience watching Scary Movie, we debate whether Waiting… is a disgusting masterpiece or simply a restaurant-industry documentary, defend Brokeback Mountain from the cultural shorthand that has followed it for two decades, and discover that The House Bunny may be Faris’s true movie-star performance. We also explore her natural fit for voice acting, her chemistry with Allison Janney on Mom, Case’s increasingly convincing Goldie Hawn comparison, and a filmography that critics often dismiss even as its modest budgets and enormous returns make Faris one of the strongest financial performers we’ve covered. We’re also forced to confront Mama’s Boy and the cinematic crime scene known as Movie 43 before finding an Anna Faris performance Aubrey loves inside a romantic comedy he absolutely hates. Is Faris an underrated comedic star whose projects never fully showcased her range, or did she simply find the profitable entertainment lane that suited her best? How does she rank on the Munson Meter? Listen to find out.
