Movie of the Year

Movie of the Year: 2006
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
The Borat Podcast Phenomenon: Satire, Shock Value, and Staying Power
The Borat podcast from Movie of the Year explores one of 2006's most controversial and talked-about films. Sacha Baron Cohen's mockumentary arrived as a cultural earthquake. Audiences had never seen anything quite like it. The film presented itself as a documentary following a fictional Kazakhstani journalist through America. In reality, it weaponized satire in ways that still provoke debate today. The Borat podcast episode digs into how Cohen achieved this effect. We examine the craft behind the chaos. Furthermore, we ask whether the shock value overshadowed the actual social commentary. Above all, this is a film that demands to be discussed.
About the Film
Directed by Larry Charles, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan premiered at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. The Borat podcast traces the film's journey from festival premiere to cultural phenomenon. The film followed Borat Sagdiyev, a television reporter from Kazakhstan, as he traveled across the United States. Nominally, he was researching American culture. In practice, he spent the film creating uncomfortable, often hilarious interactions with unsuspecting Americans. The film was partially scripted and partially improvisational. Cohen's performance art approach meant that real people became unwitting participants in elaborate pranks. Consequently, the picture sparked immediate controversy about consent, cultural sensitivity, and the ethics of mockumentary comedy.
The film grossed over $260 million worldwide and became a cultural phenomenon virtually overnight. By contrast, most independent comedies barely reach a fraction of that audience. Learn more about Borat on IMDb, or read the full Wikipedia entry.
The Satire, the Method, and the Cultural Impact
At its core, Borat operates as a Trojan horse. The film pretends to be a fish-out-of-water comedy. However, it's actually a scathing critique of American attitudes. The Borat podcast digs into this contradiction at length. Cohen's character exposes racism, sexism, and anti-Semitism by drawing them out of ordinary people. The satire works because audiences laugh before they realize what they're laughing at. Additionally, viewers must grapple with complicity. They enjoyed the comedy, yet that comedy often relies on humiliating real people. This tension is precisely the point.
The method behind Borat borrows heavily from Andy Kaufman's tradition of transgressive performance art. Cohen spent years developing the character before filming began. He remained in character between takes. Furthermore, he worked with a skeleton crew to maintain the documentary illusion. Most of the "interviewees" had no idea they were being filmed for a narrative feature. This approach blurs the line between documentary and fiction in unprecedented ways. Notably, it also raises serious ethical questions that the film itself never fully addresses. The cultural impact proved enormous. Within weeks, Borat became shorthand for a particular brand of boundary-pushing comedy. College students quoted the film constantly. Yet critics remained divided on whether the satire was sufficiently incisive or merely cruel.
The film's influence on comedy cannot be overstated. It opened doors for films like Brüno and The Dictator. Nevertheless, it also sparked a conversation about the ethics of pranking that continues today. By contrast, most comedies fade from cultural memory. Borat remains present in discourse because it asks uncomfortable questions.
IP Freely on the Borat Podcast: What If a 2006 Director Made a Marvel Movie?
Here's a thought experiment: Imagine Larry Charles directing a Marvel property in 2006. The result would be radically different from what the MCU eventually became. Charles brings a documentary aesthetic and deep discomfort into every frame. He's drawn to morally ambiguous situations. Therefore, his Marvel film would prioritize character awkwardness over spectacle. Consider this scenario: Charles directs Iron Man in 2006 with a 2004-era approach to superhero casting. The tone would be satirical, maybe even mockumentary-styled. Robert Downey Jr.'s character would feel less like a hero and more like a flawed businessman uncomfortable with his own mythology.
Alternatively, picture Sacha Baron Cohen as a Marvel character in 2006. The studio would never allow his anarchic energy into their carefully controlled franchises. Yet imagine if they had. Cohen could have been a Thor-like character who doesn't understand Earth. His fish-out-of-water routine would align perfectly with fish-out-of-space storytelling. The scenes with other Avengers would crackle with uncomfortable tension. Baron Cohen thrives in social friction. A Marvel movie would provide an entire world of characters for him to destabilize. The result would feel more like a Kaufman film than anything in the MCU canon. Such a project would be too unpredictable for Marvel's brand management.
PopFilter Hall of Fame
The Taste Buds inducted Borat into the PopFilter Hall of Fame. This honor recognizes films that transcend their moment and become part of pop culture permanently. Borat earned this status for several reasons. First, the film's central character became a recognizable reference point. People who never saw the movie know who Borat is. Moreover, the film demonstrated that mockumentary could be both commercially viable and culturally significant. Additionally, it showed that comedy could be provocative and still find a massive audience. Finally, the picture's impact on subsequent comedy filmmaking cannot be understated. Every awkward-comedy and cringe-comedy film since 2006 owes something to this picture's approach.
Hall of Fame status also reflects longevity. Rewatching Borat today feels different than it did in 2006. The film has aged in unexpected ways. Some jokes land harder because they reflect genuine changes in American discourse. Others feel more uncomfortable because our cultural standards have shifted. Specifically, the film's treatment of certain communities provokes more heated debate now. Nevertheless, the picture remains relevant. It remains a text people genuinely discuss in 2024. That staying power justifies Hall of Fame recognition.
Why Borat Still Matters
Fifteen years after its release, Borat remains essential viewing. The Borat podcast episode demonstrates this staying power. The film documents a specific moment in American history. The movie captures mid-2000s attitudes with uncomfortable clarity. Furthermore, it serves as a mirror. What the film reveals about American culture in 2006 says as much about us as viewers as it does about the people on screen. The picture represents peak mockumentary filmmaking. Few films since have matched its ability to make audiences simultaneously laugh and cringe.
Beyond its comedic achievements, Borat represents a risk-taking moment in mainstream cinema. The film was genuinely dangerous to make. Cohen and Charles put themselves in real physical danger. Moreover, they put others in uncomfortable situations without consent. This raises questions that remain unresolved. Can art justify its methods? When does comedy become cruelty? These aren't just academic questions. They're central to the film's power. Borat doesn't let audiences off easy. It forces us to think about what we're laughing at. Ultimately, that's why the film continues to matter. It demands engagement rather than passive consumption.
Related Episodes from Movie of the Year: 2006
Movie of the Year 2006: Podcast Intro, Part 1
Movie of the Year 2006: Bracket Reveal
2006 Mixtape, Part 1
All Movie of the Year episodes

FAQ: Borat Podcast and Film
What is the Borat podcast episode about?
The Borat podcast explores Sacha Baron Cohen's 2006 mockumentary as a work of satire, examining the methods Cohen used to expose American attitudes. The Borat podcast episode discusses the film's cultural impact, its boundary-pushing approach to comedy, and why it remains relevant today. The Borat podcast also features segments imagining a Marvel movie directed by the film's director Larry Charles, and we induct Borat into the PopFilter Hall of Fame.
What is the film Borat about?
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan is a mockumentary that follows a fictional Kazakhstani journalist through the United States. The film presents itself as a documentary but is actually a carefully constructed satire designed to provoke reactions from real people. Sacha Baron Cohen's performance exposes uncomfortable truths about American culture through...

Movie of the Year: 2006
The Prestige (feat. Kenny McMillan from the Frame and Reference pod!)
The Prestige Podcast: Nolan's Obsession with Magic, Ambition, and Deception
The Prestige podcast brings one of Christopher Nolan's most intricate achievements to the center of discussion. Released in 2006, The Prestige stands as a masterclass in misdirection—both thematically and narratively. On this episode of the The Prestige podcast, Ryan, Mike, and Greg explore how the film's structure itself becomes a magic trick, with Kenny McMillan from Frame and Reference offering cinematographic insight into Nolan's visual storytelling. This episode of The Prestige podcast examines why The Prestige has aged into a richer, more rewarding experience than initial audiences may have recognized.
About The Prestige
The Prestige follows two rival magicians, Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman), whose competitive obsession spirals into tragedy and revenge. Set in Victorian London, the film weaves illusion, science, and sacrifice into a narrative that demands multiple viewings. Directed by Christopher Nolan from a screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and David S. Goyer, the film is based on Christopher Priest's 1995 novel. The cast includes Scarlett Johansson as the central illusion Olivia, Michael Caine as the mentor Cutter, and David Bowie in a pivotal role as inventor Nikola Tesla. The film explores the cost of ambition and the blurred line between performance and reality.
Nolan and Structure: How The Prestige Podcast Uncovers the Architecture of Misdirection
Christopher Nolan's approach to The Prestige mirrors the film's central conceit: the three-act structure of a magic trick. The exposition sets up the trick, the turning point misdirects the audience, and the prestige reveals the truth. Nolan employs this framework to build narrative tension that rewards attentive viewers. Moreover, the film's editing and pacing function as visual sleight of hand, concealing crucial details in plain sight. The director's command of chronology and revelation transforms structural mechanics into thematic content. Additionally, the cinematography by Hoyte van Hoytema reinforces this architecture through framing choices that obscure as much as they reveal. Consequently, viewers who dismiss the film on first viewing often discover entirely new dimensions upon rewatching—a quality that separates The Prestige from conventional period dramas.
Magic and Ambition: The Prestige Podcast Explores the Psychology of Obsession
At its core, The Prestige interrogates the price of ambition through the lens of performance and sacrifice. The Prestige podcast digs into how both Borden and Angier pursue mastery of the transported man illusion, but their methods diverge fundamentally. Borden's sacrifice is existential; Angier's is technological. The film suggests that true magic—or true achievement of any kind—requires a willingness to lose something irreplaceable. Furthermore, the duality that defines both characters extends beyond performance into identity itself. The film examines what performers owe to their craft and what craft demands of performers. In particular, the female perspective through Olivia complicates the male rivalry at the narrative's center. Meanwhile, the film positions Nikola Tesla as the ultimate embodiment of ambition unmoored from morality, a cautionary figure whose genius destabilizes the rules governing the Victorian world.
Twins: Doubling, Duality, and Deception
The Prestige operates through systematic doubling. Twin magicians, a transported man illusion that exploits identical performers, and the fundamental duality of Christian Bale's Alfred Borden structure the film's central mystery. The screenplay leverages the audience's familiarity with magic mechanics—particularly the "double" as a common trick device—to guide viewers toward false conclusions. Meanwhile, the film treats twinning not merely as plot mechanism but as philosophical premise. Both main characters pursue versions of themselves that are more successful, more admired, or more powerful than their authentic selves. Additionally, the Tesla machine introduces a horrifying literalization of doubling: what happens when your double is not your collaborator but your replacement? The film's treatment of identity as something that can be split, cloned, or discarded raises questions about the self that persist long after the final reveal.
Mount Rushmore: Scandals of '96
The Taste Buds rank the most shameful, embarrassing, or otherwise scandalous cinematic moments of 1996. Though The Prestige arrived a decade later, the conversation extends naturally to the ethical compromises and moral failings embedded in the film itself. Both Borden and Angier engage in forms of deception that approach criminality. The death of a stage assistant, the exploitation of Olivia, and the casual cruelty with which both men pursue victory constitute a catalog of wrongs that the film neither excuses nor entirely condemns. This section invites listeners to debate the film's moral landscape and the extent to which audience sympathy with these characters implicates us in their misconduct.
Shopping Spree: The Best of 2006 Cinema
The Shopping Spree segment celebrates the feast of cinema that 2006 offered. The Prestige competes in a year alongside Little Miss Sunshine, The Devil Wears Prada, Brick, and Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story. The conversation weighs Nolan's technical and narrative ambition against the year's other standouts, examining what makes 2006 a genuinely competitive year for the tournament. Furthermore, the panelists consider which films have endured most meaningfully and which have faded in critical esteem over two decades. Notably, The Prestige has sustained and even deepened its reputation as audiences have grown more sophisticated about Nolan's structural innovations.
Why The Prestige Podcast Resonates: What Makes This Film Endure
Twenty years after its release, The Prestige remains relevant because it articulates anxieties about technology, identity, and performance that have only intensified. The film's treatment of the Tesla machine as a science-fiction intrusion into a historical setting prefigures contemporary concerns about artificial consciousness and the ethics of duplication. Beyond its formal brilliance, the film speaks to the human capacity for self-deception and the stories we tell ourselves to justify our ambitions. Additionally, Nolan's commitment to practical effects and in-camera illusions—a philosophy that runs through his career—makes The Prestige feel increasingly precious in an age of digital manipulation. The film argues, implicitly, that authentic magic resides not in technological wizardry but in the human desire to believe. Ultimately, The Prestige endures because it demands intellectual engagement while delivering emotional and sensory satisfaction—a balance that few contemporary films achieve. This is precisely why the Prestige podcast episode deepens with each listen, revealing new dimensions in both the film and its broader cultural significance.
Related Episodes from Movie of the Year: 2006
2006 Intro Part 1: Bracket Reveal
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
Brick
2006 Mixtape Part I
The Puffy Chair
The Devil Wears Prada
Little Miss Sunshine
All Movie of the Year Episodes

Guest Panelist: Kenny McMillan
Kenny McMillan is the host and producer of Frame and Reference, a cinematography podcast featuring long-form, unstructured conversations with working cinematographers about their craft, influences, and current projects. Through Frame and Reference, McMillan has interviewed leading cinematographers working across film and television, exploring how visual storytelling shapes narrative impact. His deep engagement with cinematographic practice brings technical expertise and artistic sensibility to film discussion. McMillan's work on the podcast has established him as a thoughtful voice in cinematography education and criticism, emphasizing the collaborative relationship between director and cinematographer. His perspective on Nolan's visual strategy in The Prestige—particularly Hoyte van Hoytema's contributions to the film's...

Movie of the Year: 2006
Little Miss Sunshine (feat. Don Shanahan from Every Movie Has a Lesson!)
Little Miss Sunshine Podcast: The Hoovers Hit the Bracket
The Little Miss Sunshine podcast episode has arrived, and the Taste Buds are packing into the VW bus. This week, Movie of the Year puts one of 2006's biggest indie success stories through the tournament. Ryan, Mike, and Greg welcome film critic Don Shanahan to help judge the Hoover family's run at the crown. Together, the panel digs into the family dynamics, the unforgettable ending, the film's surprising philosophical streak, and the husband-and-wife directing team behind it all. Additionally, the crew squares off in a round of Trivia and builds a fashion-themed Rushmore. Can a sunny yellow bus carry this movie deep into the 2006 bracket? Push, hop in, and find out.
About the Film
Little Miss Sunshine follows the Hoover family on an 800-mile road trip from Albuquerque to Redondo Beach. Seven-year-old Olive has qualified for the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant, and the whole dysfunctional clan piles into a failing Volkswagen bus to get her there. The passenger list includes a failed motivational speaker, a suicidal Proust scholar, a Nietzsche-obsessed teen who refuses to speak, a heroin-snorting grandpa, and one very determined mom. Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris from Michael Arndt's screenplay, the film premiered at Sundance in January 2006. It became a box office sensation, grossing over $101 million on an $8 million budget. Moreover, it earned four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. Alan Arkin won Best Supporting Actor, and Arndt took home Best Original Screenplay. RogerEbert.com called it a gentle family satire in the tradition of the countercultural comedies of the 1970s. Now the film faces its toughest challenge yet: the Movie of the Year 2006 bracket.
Guest Panelist: Don Shanahan
The Taste Buds welcome film critic Don Shanahan to the panel. Don is a Chicago-based, Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and the founder of the long-running review site Every Movie Has a Lesson. He also serves as Editor-in-Chief and Content Supervisor of the film department at Film Obsessive. Furthermore, Don co-hosts the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast on the Ruminations Radio Network. A school teacher by day, he writes his reviews with life lessons in mind, from the serious to the farcical. Don is a director and co-founder of the Chicago Indie Critics and a voting member of the Critics Choice Association and the Online Film Critics Society. Consequently, few guests arrive better equipped to grade a movie about winners, losers, and everything in between.
The Hoover Family at the Heart of the Little Miss Sunshine Podcast
Every great road movie needs great passengers, and this one has six. The panel starts with the family itself. Richard preaches his nine-step winning program while his own career collapses. Sheryl holds everyone together with fried chicken and sheer will. Frank arrives fresh from a suicide attempt, and Dwayne has taken a vow of silence until he becomes a fighter pilot. Meanwhile, Grandpa coaches Olive's pageant routine with methods no pageant has ever approved. The Little Miss Sunshine podcast crew debates what makes this dysfunction feel so real. Notably, the film establishes the entire family in one legendary twenty-minute dinner scene. The Taste Buds and Don break down how each Hoover carries a private definition of failure. Ultimately, the group asks the big question: is this the best movie family of 2006?
Breaking Down the Ending on the Little Miss Sunshine 2006 Podcast
You know the scene. Olive takes the stage at the pageant, "Super Freak" drops, and the movie explodes. The panel dedicates a full segment to one of the most famous endings of the decade. By contrast with the polished pageant contestants, Olive's routine is pure chaos, and the family's response is pure love. The Hoovers stop trying to win and start dancing. Don and the Taste Buds debate whether the finale earns its catharsis or leans on shock value. In addition, the crew discusses how the ending flips the film's winners-and-losers thesis on its head. Does the dance number seal the film's bracket run, or does it divide the panel? The episode holds nothing back.
Nietzsche, Proust, and the Philosophy of Losing
Few crowd-pleasers smuggle in this much philosophy. Dwayne worships Nietzsche and wears his contempt for conformity on his sleeve, or at least on his t-shirt. Frank, meanwhile, claims the title of preeminent Proust scholar in America. The panel unpacks why Michael Arndt built his comedy on these two thinkers. Frank's hospital-parking-lot speech about suffering becomes the film's secret thesis: the years of struggle are the years that make us. However, the movie never turns into a lecture. Instead, it hides its ideas inside gas station stops and highway breakdowns. The crew debates whether the philosophy holds up or simply decorates the road trip. Specifically, they ask what Nietzsche would think of a nine-step program for winning.
The Directors: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
Husband-and-wife team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris spent decades directing music videos before this debut feature. Their work with bands like The Smashing Pumpkins and R.E.M. sharpened an eye for visual storytelling on tight budgets. As a result, Little Miss Sunshine looks sun-bleached, precise, and effortlessly funny. The panel examines how the duo directs comedy through reaction shots rather than punchlines. The famous bus-pushing sequence becomes a masterclass in physical comedy and ensemble blocking. Additionally, the group traces the pair's later career through Ruby Sparks and Battle of the Sexes. Why did two music video veterans wait so long for a second film? The panel has theories, and some of them are even kind.
Trivia
No Movie of the Year episode is complete without Trivia. The Taste Buds and Don test each other on all things Little Miss Sunshine. Production history, casting near-misses, pageant facts, and VW bus mechanics are all fair game. The film's six-year development saga and its record-setting Sundance sale provide plenty of ammunition. Who takes the crown this week? Listen and find out.
Rushmore: Fashion
This week's Rushmore segment tackles fashion. Each panelist carves their personal Mount Rushmore of movie fashion into the mountainside. Little Miss Sunshine gives the category a strong starting point. Olive's oversized glasses and red cowboy boots, Dwayne's brutal statement tees, and Richard's aggressively beige wardrobe all deserve consideration. Nevertheless, the panel ranges across all of film history for their picks. Expect passionate defenses, questionable taste, and at least one choice that starts an argument.
Why Little Miss Sunshine Still Matters
Twenty years later, Little Miss Sunshine remains the gold standard for the crowd-pleasing indie. It proved a tiny comedy could outgross blockbusters and crash the Best Picture race. Furthermore, its skepticism about hustle culture and toxic winning has only grown more relevant. Richard's nine steps sound like half the internet in 2026. The film also launched Abigail Breslin, revived Alan Arkin, and showed the world Steve Carell could break hearts. Above all, it argues that losing together beats winning alone. That message keeps the Little Miss Sunshine podcast conversation alive two decades after the bus first rolled. For more from the season, check out the Movie of the Year 2006 intro episode and the 2006 Mixtape.
Related Episodes from Movie of the Year: 2006
Movie of the Year 2006: Intro Part 1
Movies of 2006: Bracket Reveal and Sweet 16
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
2006 Mixtape Part I
All Movie of the Year Episodes

FAQ: Little Miss Sunshine Podcast and Film
What is the Little Miss Sunshine podcast episode about?
The Taste Buds and guest critic Don Shanahan judge Little Miss Sunshine in the Movie of the Year 2006 bracket. Topics include the Hoover family, the ending, the film's philosophy, and directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris.
What is Little Miss Sunshine about?
A dysfunctional family drives a broken-down VW bus from New Mexico to California so young Olive can compete in a beauty pageant. Along the way, every member confronts their own definition of failure.
Who directed Little Miss Sunshine?
Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris directed the film. The married duo made their feature debut after a celebrated career in music videos.
Who wrote Little Miss...

Movie of the Year: 2006
The Devil Wears Prada (feat. Katie Walsh!)
The Devil Wears Prada Podcast Episode: Fashion, Power, and the Best of 2006
Welcome to The Devil Wears Prada podcast episode from Movie of the Year: 2006. This week, the Taste Buds enter the gleaming offices of Runway magazine. Furthermore, they bring backup. Film critic Katie Walsh joins Mike, Greg, and Ryan to decide whether David Frankel's fashion-world comedy can survive the 2006 bracket. Along the way, the panel debates feminism in the workplace, the myth of the suffering artist, and the eternal question of Andy's terrible friends. Additionally, the episode features a full Anne Hathaway Career Retrospective bracket. Consequently, this one runs deep on both style and substance.
About the Film
The Devil Wears Prada arrived in the summer of 2006 and promptly stole it. Director David Frankel adapted Lauren Weisberger's bestselling novel about a young journalist grinding through an impossible job. Anne Hathaway stars as Andy Sachs, an aspiring writer who lands a position at Runway magazine. Her boss is Miranda Priestly, the most feared editor in fashion, played by Meryl Streep in an Oscar-nominated performance. Moreover, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci deliver career-launching supporting turns. The film earned over $300 million worldwide and near-universal acclaim. Notably, Roger Ebert praised Streep's icy, understated Miranda as the engine of the whole picture. For more background, the Wikipedia entry on The Devil Wears Prada covers its production and legacy in detail. The film now faces its toughest challenge yet: the Movie of the Year 2006 bracket.
Guest Panelist: Katie Walsh
The Devil Wears Prada 2006 podcast episode welcomes a genuine authority to the panel. Katie Walsh is a Los Angeles-based film critic who reviews weekly releases for the Tribune News Service and the Los Angeles Times. Additionally, she serves as Vice President of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Her writing has appeared in GQ, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Vulture, Slate, and The Playlist. She co-hosted the podcast Miami Nice and has guest-hosted Switchblade Sisters. Furthermore, she frequently appears on KCRW's Press Play and has taught film criticism at Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. In practice, that means the Taste Buds must actually defend their takes this week. Someone in the room knows what she is talking about.
Feminism and the Workplace
Is Miranda Priestly a feminist icon or a cautionary tale? The panel digs into how the film frames women, power, and ambition. Miranda runs an empire, yet the film punishes her with a collapsing marriage. Meanwhile, Andy gets scolded by nearly everyone for taking her job seriously. The episode asks whether the movie critiques workplace sexism or accidentally reproduces it. Notably, Katie Walsh brings a critic's perspective to how 2006 audiences read Miranda versus how we read her now. Two decades of think pieces have flipped the film's villain into its hero. Ultimately, the panel debates whether that reversal says more about the movie or about us.
Can Art Only Come from Suffering?
Andy suffers for a job she claims to hate, all in service of her writing dreams. Consequently, the Taste Buds tackle a bigger question: does great art require misery? The film suggests that paying dues at Runway makes Andy a better journalist. However, it also shows the cost. She loses friends, a boyfriend, and nearly herself. The panel weighs the romantic myth of the starving artist against the reality of creative work. By contrast, some of the best art comes from stability, support, and cerulean-blue sweaters chosen by someone else. Above all, this segment asks what we actually owe our ambitions.
Andy's Friends: The Worst People in Fashion
Every rewatch of The Devil Wears Prada produces the same realization: Andy's friends are monsters. They mock her job, demand free designer swag, and play keep-away with her work phone. Meanwhile, her boyfriend Nate pouts because she missed his birthday party for her career. Therefore, the panel litigates the great question of the film's second act. Are these people grounding Andy in reality, or are they sabotaging her? Specifically, the group ranks the friends from least to most insufferable. Nevertheless, at least one Taste Bud attempts a defense of Nate. It does not go well.
Anne Hathaway Career Retrospective: The Bracket
Special segment time. The Devil Wears Prada podcast crew builds a full bracket to determine Anne Hathaway's most iconic role. The field spans her entire career. The Princess Diaries, Brokeback Mountain, Rachel Getting Married, Les Misérables, The Dark Knight Rises, and Interstellar all enter the arena. Additionally, deep cuts and dark horses make surprise appearances. Seeding arguments get heated. Upsets happen. As a result, friendships within the panel are tested. Does Andy Sachs herself take the crown, or does an Oscar-winning turn steal it? You will have to listen to find out. Check Anne Hathaway's full filmography on IMDb and play along at home.
Why The Devil Wears Prada Still Matters
Twenty years later, The Devil Wears Prada refuses to fade. The film remains a Rosetta Stone for conversations about work, ambition, and the price of excellence. Miranda's cerulean monologue is still the definitive speech about how culture actually functions. Moreover, the movie launched Emily Blunt, redefined Anne Hathaway, and gave Meryl Streep one of her signature roles. A 2026 sequel proved the appetite never left. In addition, the film's questions have only grown sharper in the era of hustle culture and quiet quitting. Is Miranda a monster or simply held to a different standard? Ultimately, that debate keeps the film alive, and it makes for a fierce competitor in the Movie of the Year 2006 tournament.
Related Episodes from Movie of the Year: 2006
Catch up on the season so far, from the 2006 season introduction to the music that defined the year:
Movie of the Year 2006: Intro Part 1
The 2006 Bracket Reveal: Meet the Sweet 16
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
The 2006 Mixtape, Part I
All Movie of the Year episodes

FAQ: The Devil Wears Prada Podcast and Film
What is this episode of The Devil Wears Prada podcast about?
The Taste Buds and critic Katie Walsh debate whether The Devil Wears Prada deserves to advance in the Movie of the Year 2006 bracket. Topics include workplace feminism, art and suffering, Andy's awful friends, and a full Anne Hathaway career bracket.
What is The Devil Wears Prada about?
Aspiring journalist Andy Sachs takes a job assisting Miranda Priestly, the tyrannical editor of Runway magazine. Consequently, Andy must decide how much of herself she will trade for success.
Who directed The Devil Wears Prada?
David Frankel directed the film. He later directed Marley & Me and worked extensively on Sex and the City. Aline Brosh McKenna wrote the screenplay from Lauren Weisberger's novel.
Who stars in The Devil Wears Prada?
Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci lead the cast. Streep earned an Academy Award nomination for playing Miranda Priestly.
More Questions About The Devil Wears Prada
Is Miranda Priestly based on Anna Wintour?
Widely, yes. Author Lauren Weisberger worked as an assistant to Vogue editor Anna Wintour, and Miranda is broadly understood as her fictional counterpart. However, Streep has said she modeled the performance on powerful men she knew rather than on Wintour.
Who is the guest on this episode?
Film critic Katie Walsh joins the panel. She reviews films for the Tribune News Service and the Los Angeles Times and serves as Vice President of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
What is the Anne Hathaway Career Retrospective?
It is a bracket-style special segment. The panel seeds Anne Hathaway's most famous roles against each other and votes round by round until one iconic performance remains.
Why does The Devil Wears Prada still matter?
The film remains the defining movie about ambition, mentorship, and toxic workplaces. Moreover, its cultural conversation keeps evolving, as the 2026 sequel proved.

Movie of the Year: 2006
The Puffy Chair
The Puffy Chair Podcast Hits the Road
The Puffy Chair podcast episode sends the Taste Buds on a road trip through the Duplass brothers' scrappy 2006 breakout. Ryan, Mike, and Greg buckle up to decide whether this mumblecore landmark deserves a deep run in the Movie of the Year 2006 bracket. Moreover, they bring serious backup this week. Critic and author Keith Phipps joins the panel to help unpack a movie made for the price of a used car. Together, the group digs into fragile relationships, DIY filmmaking, and one very symbolic recliner. Can a $15,000 indie outmuscle the blockbusters of 2006? Press play and ride along.
About the Film
The Puffy Chair follows Josh, a struggling New York booking agent played by Mark Duplass. Josh wins an eBay auction for a burgundy recliner that matches the one his dad owned years ago. Consequently, he plans a road trip to deliver the chair as a birthday gift. His girlfriend Emily, played by Katie Aselton, comes along for the ride. His free-spirited brother Rhett, played by Rhett Wilkins, joins them on the way. Naturally, the trip tests every relationship in the van.
Jay Duplass directed the film, which he created with his brother Mark. The brothers shot it for roughly $15,000 borrowed from their parents, and the cast earned $100 a day. The movie premiered at Sundance in January 2005 and later won the Audience Award at South by Southwest. Roadside Attractions and Netflix released it theatrically on June 2, 2006. As a result, it qualifies for our 2006 bracket, and it arrives with real critical pedigree. Check the full credits at IMDb and the reviews roundup at Metacritic. New to the season? Start with our Movie of the Year 2006 introduction.
Guest Panelist: Keith Phipps
Keith Phipps brings nearly three decades of film criticism to the panel this week. He joined The A.V. Club in 1997 and became its editor in 2004, helping build it into a cultural institution. Later, he co-founded the beloved film site The Dissolve and served as editorial director for film and TV at Uproxx. His byline has appeared in Rolling Stone, Slate, GQ, Vulture, and The New York Times, among many others. Currently, he writes The Reveal, a film newsletter he created with longtime collaborator Scott Tobias. He also co-hosts The Next Picture Show, a biweekly podcast in the Filmspotting family that pairs classic films with modern successors. Additionally, Phipps wrote the acclaimed book Age of Cage: Four Decades of Hollywood Through One Singular Career, an NPR Books We Love selection. Few guests know indie film history better, so the Taste Buds put him straight to work.
Josh and Emily (and Rhett)
Every road movie needs passengers, and this one packs the van with tension. The panel starts with Josh and Emily, a couple fluent in baby talk but allergic to honest conversation. Their relationship anchors the film, and the podcast crew debates whether Josh ranks among 2006's most frustrating boyfriends. Emily wants commitment and emotional validation. Josh wants to deliver a chair and dodge every hard question along the way. Meanwhile, Rhett climbs aboard and scrambles the whole dynamic. His impulsive romanticism works as comic relief, yet it also lights the fuse under Josh and Emily's slow-motion breakup. Keith Phipps helps the Taste Buds weigh how the improvised performances make these fights feel painfully real. Ultimately, the group asks a simple question. Do we root for this couple, or do we root for the exits?
Filmmaking Style on The Puffy Chair 2006 Podcast
Style takes center stage in the second discussion topic. The Duplass brothers shot with handheld cameras, natural light, and a whole lot of improvisation. Critics soon filed the film under mumblecore, a label built on low budgets, naturalistic dialogue, and twentysomething malaise. However, the panel debates whether that label helps or flattens the movie. The Puffy Chair podcast crew also examines the famous snap zooms, the cramped framing, and the brothers' choice to cast their actual parents. Furthermore, Phipps places the film within the mid-2000s indie boom that he covered firsthand as a critic. The $15,000 budget becomes a character in itself. Does the rough look create intimacy, or does it simply look cheap? Notably, the panel connects this DIY approach to the music of the era covered in our 2006 Mixtape Part I.
The Chair
What about the recliner itself? The chair works as the film's MacGuffin, its symbol, and arguably its best supporting player. Josh buys it because it resembles the chair from his childhood living room. Therefore, the purchase says less about his dad and more about Josh's own nostalgia. The panel unpacks what the chair represents: arrested development, misplaced sentimentality, and the gap between a grand gesture and genuine care. Along the journey, the chair suffers indignities that mirror the crumbling relationships around it. By contrast, the film's quietest moments reveal what an honest gift might have looked like. The Taste Buds and Keith Phipps debate whether the chair earns its title billing. No spoilers here, though. The chair's final fate stays a surprise for listeners.
Genre Blast
The episode also features a Genre Blast segment, a PopFilter favorite. The Taste Buds zoom out from the film and blast through its genre lineage. Is The Puffy Chair a road movie, a romantic comedy, a breakup drama, or the founding text of mumblecore? Each label carries its own history, and the panel traces them all. Specifically, the crew connects the film to decades of American road pictures and indie relationship stories. Keith Phipps adds critical context from his years covering the movement's rise and fall. Listen to the full episode to hear where the genre conversation lands.
Why The Puffy Chair Still Matters
Twenty years later, this tiny film casts a surprisingly long shadow. The Duplass brothers parlayed it into a remarkable career spanning Cyrus, Safety Not Guaranteed, Togetherness, and Room 104. Mark Duplass and Katie Aselton became one of indie film's great creative couples. Meanwhile, the movie's distribution deal made history of its own. Netflix co-released it theatrically in 2006, an early experiment that hinted at the streaming future to come. The mumblecore movement it helped launch reshaped American independent film and influenced a generation of DIY creators. Above all, The Puffy Chair podcast conversation proves the film still sparks real debate. Its questions about commitment, communication, and growing up have not aged a day. The AFI Catalog preserves the film's place in the historical record. Our bracket will decide its place in 2006.
Related Episodes from Movie of the Year: 2006
Movie of the Year: 2006 Intro Part 1
Movies of 2006 Bracket Reveal and Sweet 16
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
2006 Mixtape Part I
All Movie of the Year Episodes

FAQ: The Puffy Chair Podcast and Film
What is The Puffy Chair podcast episode about?
The Puffy Chair podcast episode features the Taste Buds and guest Keith Phipps evaluating the Duplass brothers' 2006 film for the Movie of the Year bracket. Topics include the Josh and Emily relationship, the film's mumblecore style, the symbolism of the chair, and a Genre Blast segment.
What is The Puffy Chair about?
The film follows Josh, who wins an eBay auction for a recliner matching his dad's old chair. He road-trips to deliver it as a birthday gift, joined by his girlfriend Emily and his brother Rhett. Consequently, the journey exposes every crack in their relationships.
Who directed The Puffy Chair?
Jay Duplass directed the film, which he made with his brother Mark Duplass, who wrote, produced, and starred. Many sources credit the brothers as a filmmaking team, and the movie launched their careers.
Who stars in The Puffy Chair?
Mark Duplass stars as Josh, Katie Aselton plays Emily, and Rhett Wilkins plays Rhett. Notably, the Duplass brothers' real parents appear as Josh's parents.
Is The Puffy Chair a mumblecore movie?
Yes, critics widely consider it a founding film of the mumblecore movement. Its low budget, improvised dialogue, and naturalistic performances defined the style. However, the Duplass brothers have expressed mixed feelings about the label, a tension the episode explores.
How much did The Puffy Chair cost to make?
The