37 – The Worst Italian Vacation Ever

Never the Twins Shall Meet

This week, we’re taking a trip to 1950s Italy as we discuss Patricia Highsmith’s classic thriller The Talented Mr. Ripley and its acclaimed 1999 adaptation directed by Anthony Minghella. Topics of discussion include the novel’s iconic con artist protagonist, the twisty plot, homoerotic subtext, and how Minghella put his own spin on the themes and characters.

Media Mentioned

• Scrapper (2023) dir. Charlotte Regan (note: Lulu was wrong, the lead actress’s name is actually Lola Campbell, not Lola Chambers)
• Aftersun (2022) dir. Charlotte Wells
• The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
• Dune by Frank Herbert
• The Artful Dodger (2023), starring Thomas Brodie-Sangster, David Thewliss, and Maia Mitchell
• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
• Saltburn (2023) dir. Emerald Fennell
• Do Revenge (2022)
• These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever
• The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
• “Patricia Highsmith” by Richard Brooks for the Guardian
• The Bourne Identity movies
• Nimona by N.D. Stevenson
• Sorry to Bother You (2018) dir. Boots Riley
• The Celluloid Closet (1995) dir. Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman
• Hannibal (2013-2015)
• King Arthur: Legend of the Sword dir. Guy Ritchie
• Ripley (upcoming Netflix show)
• BBC Sherlock
• And Don’t Look Back by Rebecca Barrow
• All the Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley

Content Warnings: discussions of antisemitism, racism, murder, violence, homophobia, gaslighting, suicide, and classism.