Overview of The Avengers LIVE! w/ Tom Scharpling (HDTGM Matinee)
This is a live How Did This Get Made? (HDTGM) matinee recorded at the Casper Podcast Lounge in New York. Hosts Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael and Jason Mantzoukas, joined by guest Tom Scharpling, roast—and try to make sense of—the 1998 big‑budget adaptation of the British TV series The Avengers (starring Ralph Fiennes, Uma Thurman, Sean Connery, Eddie Izzard and Jim Broadbent). The episode mixes scene-by-scene critique, reciting baffling moments, audience Q&A (including a surprise proposal), sponsor reads, and plugs for related content.
Who’s on the episode
- Hosts: Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, Jason Mantzoukas
- Guest: Tom Scharpling (The Best Show)
- Live audience at the Casper Podcast Lounge (C‑P‑L)
- Producer/notes referenced: Blake Harris (wrote an in-depth /Film piece interviewing the director)
What movie they’re dissecting
- Film: The Avengers (feature adaptation of the British 1960s/70s TV series)
- Key facts discussed: original cut reportedly ~120 minutes, studio cut to ~84–88 minutes after poor test screenings; major plot and exposition removed in editing
Key criticisms and recurring jokes
- Plot incoherence: the film never clearly explains major beats; edits remove essential exposition (hosts watched it twice and still felt lost).
- Over‑editing: alleged heavy cuts reduced runtime and created structural problems—endings that feel like a mid‑movie climax, missing motivations.
- Inconsistent tone/design choices: mixture of 60s/retro, 90s tech and anachronistic touches; film supposedly set in 2043 (absurdly).
- Sparse worldbuilding: almost no extras—empty London streets, lack of reaction shots, making the setting feel sterilized or dystopian.
- Bad staging and choreography: sloppily shot and staged fight sequences, questionable stunt safety (flimsy cables), and baffling escape/gadget choices (hot air balloon getaway, giant wasp drones).
- Costume and production oddities: giant bear costumes for security, sheep with two heads, bagpipes for villains, reusable props that make no functional sense.
- Casting/chemistry problems: sexual innuendo that reads badly on-screen (notably the “boot” scene), mismatched romantic pairings, stilted performances and accents.
- Plot oddities: clones/robots (Tuma vs Uma), weather‑control villain (Sean Connery) revealed late, questions about motive and logistics (selling weather, customer service joke), and inexplicable scenes like coke lines and a Goldfinger‑style Grace Jones end‑tune.
- Humor targets: the hosts repeatedly lampoon the film’s logic, editing, props, and the decision to hire or not use certain actors to their strengths.
Memorable lines & bits called out
- “If this movie was a cup of tea, it would be coffee.” (captures the film’s mismatched tone)
- “The movie feels like a Jenga tower that has been played for many hours.” (metaphor for missing structural pieces)
- Boot/foreplay sequence described as awkward sexual metaphor (boot going on, not off)
- Sean Connery’s villain speech: “You will buy your weather from me” (ridiculous late reveal and diatribe)
- Recurrent gag: relentless references to “tea” and stale British tropes
- Hosts riff on odd props: two‑headed sheep, globe hit with a walking stick, bear‑costumed security
Audience Q&A highlights (live)
- Questions about: Invisible Jones (credit prominence), what the Avengers were avenging, whether the flower prop looked like a vagina, whether Uma/Tuma were robots or clones, the film’s tea obsession, weird prop choices, and whether characters were blind/daredevil.
- Surprise live moment: audience member proposed during the Q&A and the guest got a “yes” — big crowd reaction.
- Audience members pressed the hosts for explanations; hosts mostly reinforce that the film is incoherent but wildly entertaining via its failures.
Notable behind‑the‑scenes/context notes mentioned
- Director interview: Blake Harris’s /Film piece (he interviewed the director; the director reportedly wanted to re‑edit the film).
- Original plans and casting: David Fincher was once attached; earlier casting choices rumored (Mel Gibson/Nicole Kidman originally mentioned by hosts as a “what if”).
- Studio intervention: film cut down post‑test screenings (cited as reason for missing exposition).
Sponsors & plugs (read during episode)
- Squarespace, Philo, IM8 (I Am Eight health), Mint Mobile, Babbel, Audible (The Space Within), Amazon/Alexa Plus, Opportunity at Work / Ad Council promos, Vibe Check podcast — several mid‑show ad reads and host plugs.
Takeaways & recommendations
- Bottom line on the movie: The hosts consider the film a baffling, tonally confused mess—structural edits and bizarre creative choices make it almost unwatchable as a serious narrative but rich fodder for comedians and cult curiosity.
- Why listen to the episode: The live energy, audience interaction (including a marriage proposal), Tom Scharpling’s presence, and the hosts’ ongoing deconstruction of WTF filmmaking choices make this episode entertaining whether or not you’ve seen the film.
- If you want context: read Blake Harris’s /Film interview with the director to learn more about what was cut and why the movie ended up this way.
- If you liked this episode: check other HDTGM live episodes, Tom Scharpling’s The Best Show (and Gems on iTunes), and the hosts’ other projects (June plugs Grace and Frankie / Lady Dynamite; Paul and Jason plug their shows and the HDTGM feed).
Quick listening pointers
- Best for listeners familiar with the 1998 Avengers film (or fans of “so‑bad‑it’s‑funny” film commentary).
- Expect plenty of digressions, live‑audience riffs, audio clips and reenactments, and long sponsor sections — the episode balances review with comedy rather than a straight synopsis.
- For factual deep dive, follow the /Film article mentioned by the hosts for production history and cut details.