Movie of the Year

Movie of the Year: 2006
The Finale, Part III
Inside the Movie of the Year 2006 Championship Podcast
The Movie of the Year 2006 championship podcast brings the season to its final stretch. Ryan, Mike, and Greg, better known as the Taste Buds, have spent months inside the 2006 bracket. Now only the Elite Eight remain.
Part III picks up where the Sweet 16 left off. Furthermore, the stakes have never been higher. Every vote from here on cuts a contender from the race for the 2006 crown.
This episode also carries the biggest awards haul of the finale. The Taste Buds hand out five honors: Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Sex, Best Violence, and Best Musical Moment. As always, every result stays in the audio.
About the 2006 Finale
Movie of the Year is a bracket-style film podcast on the PopFilter network. Each season, the Taste Buds choose one film year and hunt for its single best movie. The 2006 season opened with 128 films. Then the 2006 season intro began cutting the field down.
Next, the Sweet 16 reveal locked in the bracket. Most of those sixteen films earned full episodes, many with guest critics. After that, the finale began. Finale Part I settled the top half of the bracket. Meanwhile, the second finale episode finished the bottom half and set the Elite Eight.
Now the field is small enough that every film is a real threat. Consequently, the arguments get sharper. A favorite can fall on a single bad matchup. In practice, this is where seasons are won and lost.
The Sweet 16: Every Film in the 2006 Finale
The Movie of the Year 2006 championship podcast started with sixteen films. Half of them have already gone home. However, this page will not tell you which ones. Here is the full Sweet 16, so you can guess along before you listen.
The Top Half: Finale Part I
The Departed brought Martin Scorsese his long-awaited Oscar. Letters from Iwo Jima showed Clint Eastwood's war from the Japanese side. Additionally, Dreamgirls and Volver gave the bracket two star vehicles for great actresses. Borat and Little Miss Sunshine brought the comedy. Finally, Slither and Stranger Than Fiction rounded out the top half.
The Bottom Half: Finale Part II
Children of Men and Pan's Labyrinth anchored the bottom half. Moreover, The Prestige and Casino Royale added blockbuster muscle. The Devil Wears Prada brought Meryl Streep at her iciest. Then came the wild cards: Brick, Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story, and The Puffy Chair.
Eight of these films survived. Which eight? That answer lives in the first two finale episodes.
Best Actor of 2006
The first award in the Movie of the Year 2006 championship podcast goes to the best lead actor of 2006. Notably, this field is crowded. Leonardo DiCaprio gave one of his best performances in The Departed. Oddly, the Academy nominated him for Blood Diamond instead.
Meanwhile, Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman spent The Prestige trying to out-obsess each other. Daniel Craig redefined James Bond in a single film. By contrast, Sacha Baron Cohen never once broke character as Borat. Clive Owen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt also gave career-defining turns. Who takes the trophy? Listen to find out.
Best Actress of 2006
Next, the Taste Buds crown the best lead actress of 2006. Penélope Cruz earned an Oscar nomination for Volver. Likewise, Meryl Streep earned one for The Devil Wears Prada. Beyoncé led the Dreams in Dreamgirls, even as Jennifer Hudson took the Oscar spotlight.
Additionally, a young Ivana Baquero carried Pan's Labyrinth on her shoulders. Anne Hathaway held her own opposite Streep in nearly every scene. Ultimately, the Taste Buds' ballot may look nothing like the Academy's. The winner is in the episode.
Best Sex of 2006
Movie of the Year has never been shy about this category. Best Sex honors the most memorable romantic or sexual moment of the film year. Specifically, "memorable" can mean steamy, awkward, or deeply strange.
The year 2006 offers all three. Bond and Vesper Lynd turn flirtation into a full-contact sport in Casino Royale. On the other end of the spectrum, Borat features a nude hotel-room brawl that nobody asked for and nobody forgets. Therefore, this category could go almost anywhere. The panel's pick stays in the audio.
Best Violence of 2006 in the Championship Podcast
The Movie of the Year 2006 championship podcast then turns to the year's most impactful violence. Few film years can match 2006 here. Above all, the bracket itself is packed with shocking moments.
The Departed delivers an elevator scene that still makes audiences gasp. Casino Royale opens with a brutal bathroom fight shot in grainy black and white. In addition, Children of Men stages a car ambush in one unbroken take. Pan's Labyrinth may hold the most wince-inducing scene of all, involving a wine bottle. Which moment wins? The Taste Buds settle it in the episode.
Best Musical Moment of 2006
The final award celebrates the best musical moment of 2006. This category rewards scenes where music does the heavy lifting. Sometimes that means a show-stopping number. Other times, it means a perfect needle drop.
Dreamgirls brings the year's biggest vocal performance. Meanwhile, Little Miss Sunshine ends with a talent show dance that brought down the house. Furthermore, The Departed leans on the Dropkick Murphys and plenty of classic rock. Even the 2006 Mixtape episodes (Part I and Part II) showed how much great music the year produced. The winner, as always, waits in the audio.
Why the 2006 Championship Podcast Still Matters
This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the 2006 film year. That distance changes how these movies look. Some films that dominated awards season have faded. Others that struggled at the box office now sit on lists of the century's best.
Children of Men is the clearest example. It failed to earn back its budget, yet critics now treat it as a modern classic. Similarly, Brick and Slither launched directors who went on to run major franchises. Roger Ebert's own best films of 2006 list offers a fascinating snapshot of how the year looked at the time.
That gap between then and now is the whole point. This finale asks which films truly hold up today. For the official record, the 79th Academy Awards offer one answer. The Taste Buds are building their own. Ultimately, the 2006 crown belongs to whichever film survives the argument.
Related Episodes from Movie of the Year: 2006
The Finale, Part I
The Finale, Part II
Movies of 2006: Intro Part 1
2006: The Sweet 16 Revealed
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
Slither

Movie of the Year: 2006
The Finale, Part II
The 2006 Film Bracket Podcast Reaches the Elite Eight
The 2006 film bracket podcast returns for the second half of the Sweet 16. Ryan, Mike, and Greg, better known as the Taste Buds, finish what they started in Part I. Four more battles remain. Eight films enter, and only four will join the Elite Eight.
Furthermore, this episode is loaded with hardware. The Taste Buds hand out three awards along the way: Best Comedic Performance, Best On-Screen Duo, and Biggest Shithead.
If you missed Part I of the 2006 finale, start there first. Four films already punched their tickets. Now the other half of the bracket gets its turn. As always, the results stay in the audio.
About the 2006 Finale
Movie of the Year is a bracket-style film podcast on the PopFilter network. Each season, the Taste Buds pick one film year and hunt for its single best movie. The 2006 season opened with 128 films. The 2006 season intro cut the field in half. Then the Sweet 16 reveal locked in the bracket.
Since then, the panel has spent months with these films. Most earned full episodes, many with guest critics and fellow podcasters. Now the finale does something different. Instead of studying one film at a time, the Taste Buds weigh films against each other. As a result, every argument becomes a comparison. Can a mumblecore road movie take down a Nolan puzzle box? Can a fairy tale outlast the end of the world?
Four Battles, Eight Films: The Bottom Half of the 2006 Bracket
The bottom half of the 2006 Sweet 16 may be the tougher draw. Notably, it holds two of the most acclaimed genre films of the century, a Bond reboot, and three scrappy wild cards. Here are the eight films fighting for the Elite Eight.
The Heavyweights
Children of Men is Alfonso Cuarón’s dystopian chase through a Britain without children. Cuarón and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki built it around long, unbroken takes, and it earned three Oscar nominations. Meanwhile, Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth sets a dark fairy tale against fascist Spain in 1944. It won three Academy Awards, and Roger Ebert named it the best film of 2006. Additionally, The Prestige pits Hugh Jackman against Christian Bale in Christopher Nolan’s duel between rival magicians.
The Crowd Pleasers
Casino Royale rebooted James Bond with Daniel Craig and a bruising, back-to-basics 007. Director Martin Campbell traded gadgets for a poker table and a broken heart. By contrast, The Devil Wears Prada took audiences inside Runway magazine. Meryl Streep earned an Oscar nomination as Miranda Priestly, and Emily Blunt stole nearly every scene she touched.
The Wild Cards
Brick marks Rian Johnson’s debut, a hard-boiled noir staged in a California high school. Joseph Gordon-Levitt leads it with total commitment. Meanwhile, Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story opened the 2006 season. Michael Winterbottom, Steve Coogan, and Rob Brydon tackle a famously unfilmable novel by filming the attempt itself. Finally, The Puffy Chair is the Duplass brothers’ scrappy mumblecore breakout. Few brackets would ever put a micro-budget road movie beside a Bond film. Ultimately, that is the point.
Best Comedic Performance of 2006
The first award of Part II honors the best comedic performance of 2006. Comedy turned up everywhere that year, including in films that are not comedies at all. Some of the year’s best laughs came from deadpan cruelty, awkward silence, and grown men doing impressions at each other.
The Academy has no category for this, of course. That is exactly why the Taste Buds do. Their nominees reflect a full season of rewatching and arguing. Will they reward a broad, big-swing performance, or a quiet one that only lands on the second viewing? The winner is in the episode.
Best On-Screen Duo of 2006
Next, the panel turns to the best on-screen duo of 2006. This half of the bracket alone is built on pairs. Angier and Borden spend The Prestige trying to destroy each other. Bond and Vesper Lynd trade barbs on a train before trading much more. Miranda and Andy define an entire workplace genre. Moreover, Coogan and Brydon turn a period film into a two-man comedy act.
Whether any of them makes the Taste Buds’ ballot is another matter. The best duos in 2006 came from every corner of the year, not just this round. Consequently, this category could produce the most heated vote of the episode. Listen to find out which pair takes home the award.
Biggest Shithead of 2006
Finally, the Taste Buds hand out one of their most beloved recurring awards. Biggest Shithead recognizes the most memorably awful person in the film year. Notably, this award rewards commitment. Nominees do not simply do bad things. They do them with style, conviction, and a total lack of self-awareness.
2006 offers no shortage of candidates. This half of the bracket alone features a fascist army captain, a banker for terrorists, and a fashion editor who can end a career with a glance. However, the Biggest Shithead is not always the biggest villain. Sometimes pettiness wins. The answer, as always, is in the episode.
Why the 2006 Film Bracket Podcast Still Matters
Twenty years later, this half of the bracket reads like a map of modern filmmaking. Christopher Nolan went on to win Best Picture and Best Director for Oppenheimer. Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuarón both became Oscar-winning directors. Additionally, Rian Johnson moved from a high school noir to Star Wars and Knives Out.
Some of these films never really left. The Devil Wears Prada 2 arrived in May 2026 and opened to $77 million in North America. Meanwhile, Children of Men looks less like science fiction every year.
That is why this 2006 film bracket podcast matters. The bracket forces a simple question: which of these movies still holds up today? Therefore, every vote becomes an argument about memory, taste, and time. Above all, the Elite Eight is now set, and the road to the 2006 champion continues in the next episode.
Related Episodes from Movie of the Year: 2006
The Finale, Part I
Movies of 2006: Intro Part 1
2006: The Sweet 16 Revealed
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
Slither
Brick
2006 Mixtape, Part I
2006 Mixtape, Part II
The Puffy Chair
The Devil Wears Prada (feat. Katie Walsh)
Little Miss Sunshine
The Prestige (feat. Kenny McMillan)
Borat
Volver
The Action Figure Draft, Part I
The Action Figure Draft, Part II
Stranger Than Fiction
Casino Royale

Movie of the Year: 2006
The Finale, Part 1
Inside the 2006 Film Finale Podcast
The 2006 film finale podcast begins here, as Movie of the Year starts crowning the best film of 2006. Ryan, Mike, and Greg, better known as the Taste Buds, have spent months inside this bracket. Now the head-to-head battles finally begin.
Part I covers four battles. Eight beloved films enter, and only four will move on. Furthermore, the Taste Buds hand out two acting awards along the way: Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.
This is the payoff for an entire season of debate. Every guest, game, and argument has led to this point. However, nothing is settled yet. You will have to listen to find out which movies of 2006 survive.
About the 2006 Finale
Movie of the Year is a bracket-style film podcast on the PopFilter network. Each season, the Taste Buds pick one film year and search for its single best movie. The 2006 season started with a field of 128 films. The 2006 season intro cut that list in half. Then the Sweet 16 reveal locked in the bracket.
Since then, each contender has earned its own full episode. Some featured guest critics and fellow podcasters. Others brought special segments, drafts, and games. Meanwhile, the panel took detours for the 2006 Mixtape and the Action Figure Draft.
The finale works differently. Instead of studying one film, the Taste Buds weigh films against each other. As a result, every argument becomes a comparison. Can a horror comedy beat a Best Picture winner? Can a satire outlast a war epic? For a refresher on the year itself, Wikipedia's overview of 2006 in film covers the major releases.
Four Battles, Eight Films: The 2006 Finale Podcast Field
This round features some of the most celebrated movies of 2006. Notably, the field mixes Oscar winners, cult favorites, and box office surprises. Here are the eight films fighting for a spot in the next round.
The Heavyweights
The Departed brought Martin Scorsese his long-awaited Oscar for Best Director. The Boston crime epic also won Best Picture. Roger Ebert gave it a four-star review. Letters from Iwo Jima offers Clint Eastwood's Japanese-language look at World War II. Additionally, Dreamgirls delivers Bill Condon's lavish Motown-inspired musical.
The Crowd Pleasers
Little Miss Sunshine packed the Hoover family into a yellow VW bus and became an indie smash. Meanwhile, Borat turned Sacha Baron Cohen's mockumentary stunts into a cultural earthquake. Stranger Than Fiction showed a quieter, sadder side of Will Ferrell.
The Wild Cards
Volver brings Pedro Almodóvar's warm ghost story and a towering Penélope Cruz performance. By contrast, Slither marks James Gunn's gooey, gleeful directorial debut. Few brackets would ever put these films side by side. Ultimately, that clash is exactly what makes the finale fun.
Best Supporting Actor of 2006
The first award of the finale honors the best supporting actor of 2006. The year offered plenty of scene stealers. In fact, several of them appear in this very round.
The Academy had its own opinion, of course. At the 79th Academy Awards, Alan Arkin won for Little Miss Sunshine. He beat Eddie Murphy in Dreamgirls and Mark Wahlberg in The Departed. Jackie Earle Haley and Djimon Hounsou rounded out the category.
However, the Taste Buds do not answer to the Academy. Their nominees reflect a full season of rewatching and arguing. Will they side with Oscar, or will they reward a performance the voters ignored? The answer arrives in the episode.
Best Supporting Actress of 2006
Next, the panel turns to the best supporting actress of 2006. This category brings some of the year's most memorable moments.
Jennifer Hudson took home the Oscar for her film debut in Dreamgirls. Her rendition of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" stopped audiences cold. Moreover, the Academy's field included Abigail Breslin from Little Miss Sunshine. Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi earned nods for Babel, and Cate Blanchett for Notes on a Scandal.
Still, the Movie of the Year ballot looks at the entire year. Consequently, the Taste Buds' choice could look very different. Listen to hear who takes home the award.
Why the 2006 Film Finale Podcast Still Matters
Twenty years later, 2006 looks stronger than critics first believed. Several of these films launched careers that still shape Hollywood. James Gunn now runs DC Studios. Additionally, Jennifer Hudson became an EGOT winner and a daytime talk show host.
Other films aged in more complicated ways. Borat reshaped political comedy, for better or worse. Meanwhile, Letters from Iwo Jima still stands as a rare American war film told from the other side.
That is why this 2006 film finale podcast matters. The bracket forces a simple question: which of these movies still holds up today? Therefore, every vote becomes an argument about memory, taste, and time. Above all, the finale shows how a film year changes once two decades pass.
Related Episodes from Movie of the Year: 2006
Movies of 2006: Intro Part 1
2006: The Sweet 16 Revealed
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
Slither
Brick
2006 Mixtape, Part I
2006 Mixtape, Part II
The Puffy Chair
The Devil Wears Prada (feat. Katie Walsh)
Little Miss Sunshine
The Prestige (feat. Kenny McMillan)
Borat
Volver
The Action Figure Draft, Part I
The Action Figure Draft, Part II
Stranger Than Fiction
Casino Royale
Children of Men
The Departed (feat. Adam Kempenaar)
Letters from Iwo Jima
Dreamgirls
All Movie of the Year Episodes

FAQ: 2006 Film Finale Podcast and the Films
What is the 2006 film finale podcast about?
Part I opens the...

This week's Dreamgirls podcast brings Bill Condon's 2006 Motown musical into the Movie of the Year bracket. Ryan, Mike, and Greg, better known as the Taste Buds, welcome two guests for this one. E, host of The Cinematic Soul, joins the panel alongside author and podcaster Nate Ragolia. Together, they dig into one of the biggest musicals of the decade.
Dreamgirls arrived with enormous expectations. It had a star-studded cast, a Tony-winning source, and a massive awards campaign. Moreover, it introduced the world to Jennifer Hudson as a screen actor. The panel asks whether the film lives up to all that hype twenty years later. Additionally, they debate where it belongs among the best films of 2006.
About the Film
Dreamgirls is a 2006 musical drama written and directed by Bill Condon. It adapts the 1981 Broadway musical by composer Henry Krieger and lyricist Tom Eyen. DreamWorks and Paramount released it nationwide on December 25, 2006.
The story begins in 1962 Detroit. Effie White, Deena Jones, and Lorrell Robinson perform as a girl group called the Dreamettes. Car salesman Curtis Taylor Jr. (Jamie Foxx) spots them at a talent show and becomes their manager. Soon, he lands them a gig singing backup for R&B star James "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy). As the group climbs toward pop stardom, Curtis pushes the slimmer Deena (Beyoncé Knowles) to the front. Consequently, Effie (Jennifer Hudson) loses her spot, her man, and eventually her place in the group.
The cast also features Danny Glover, Anika Noni Rose, and Keith Robinson. You can find full credits on IMDb and the AFI Catalog. Notably, the film grossed $155.4 million worldwide and earned eight Academy Award nominations.
For more from this season, start with our 2006 season intro or browse the full Movie of the Year archive.
Guest Panelist: E
E hosts The Cinematic Soul, a weekly film history podcast about Black cinema and storytelling. A film lover from the South Side of Chicago, E blends deep analysis with humor and a healthy dose of nostalgia. The show has covered classics like Love & Basketball, Eve's Bayou, Boomerang, and Claudine. Furthermore, E has broken down newer work, including Ryan Coogler's Sinners. Each episode looks at how these films reflect Black life, love, and legacy. That perspective makes E an ideal guide to a film rooted in Motown history. You can follow the show on Instagram and Threads at @cinematicsoulpod.
Guest Panelist: Nate Ragolia
Nate Ragolia is an author, editor, publisher, and podcaster based in Colorado. He has published three books: There You Feel Free (2015), The Retroactivist (2019), and One Person Can't Make a Difference (2022). In addition, he co-founded the indie press Spaceboy Books. At the literary nonprofit F(r)iction, he serves as a senior editor and leads communications and marketing.
Meanwhile, Nate co-hosts Debut Buddies with Kelly Attaway and Chelsea Hollander. The fortnightly show explores firsts: first films, first albums, first video games, and more. Fittingly, Dreamgirls marks one of the most famous film debuts of the 2000s. Nate brings a sharp eye for origin stories to the conversation.
Jennifer Hudson and the Making of Effie White
Effie White is the emotional center of Dreamgirls. Therefore, the casting process for the role was intense. A total of 783 singers auditioned, including several American Idol alumni and Broadway stars. Ultimately, Condon chose Jennifer Hudson, a former Idol contestant with no film experience.
Her big moment comes with "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going." The production saved the number for the very end of the shoot. Originally, it was scheduled for one day. In practice, it took four, because Hudson's voice would give out after hours of full-power takes.
The payoff was historic. Hudson won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her debut performance. However, the panel also wrestles with a thornier question. The studio campaigned Hudson as a supporting player while promoting Beyoncé for Best Actress. As a result, the awards push echoed the film's own story about who gets pushed to the front.
Motown, the Supremes, and the Story Behind Dreamgirls
Dreamgirls never names the Supremes or Motown. Nevertheless, the parallels are hard to miss. Deena mirrors Diana Ross, while Effie draws on Florence Ballard. Curtis Taylor Jr. stands in for Motown founder Berry Gordy. Likewise, Jimmy Early channels James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and Marvin Gaye.
The film leans further into this history than the stage show did. For example, Condon moved the setting from Chicago to Detroit, Motown's hometown. He also gave Curtis his own record label, Rainbow Records, modeled on Motown. Even some album covers in the film borrow designs from real Supremes records.
Not everyone appreciated the homage. Smokey Robinson publicly objected to the villainous portrayal of the Gordy figure. Consequently, DreamWorks and Paramount issued an apology to Gordy just before the Oscars. By contrast, Supremes co-founder Mary Wilson attended the Los Angeles premiere and said the film moved her to tears. The Dreamgirls podcast panel weighs how much of this real history the film actually earns.
From Broadway to the Big Screen
Dreamgirls spent decades in development. In the late 1980s, David Geffen explored a version starring Whitney Houston. Later, Warner Bros. planned an adaptation with director Joel Schumacher. Neither project made it to production.
The success of Chicago in 2002 finally opened the door. Condon had written that film's screenplay, and Dreamgirls was a longtime dream project. Specifically, he restructured the second act and added four new songs, including "Listen" for Beyoncé. Additionally, DreamWorks gave the film an old-fashioned roadshow release with reserved seats and souvenir programs.
Despite all that effort, the Academy left it out of the Best Picture race. Remarkably, it became the first film to lead the year in Oscar nominations without a Best Picture nod. Our 2006 Dreamgirls podcast panel debates whether that snub was fair.
Rushmore: Ghostbusters
This episode also features a Rushmore segment, where each panelist carves four faces into the mountain. This time, the topic is Ghostbusters. Everyone makes their picks, defends them, and takes some heat from the rest of the table. Listen in to hear who makes the cut and who gets slimed.
Dreamgirls Trivia
Next, the panel puts its knowledge to the test with a round of Dreamgirls trivia. The questions cover the cast, the music, and the long road from Broadway to Hollywood. Above all, this segment rewards anyone who stayed through the end credits. Play along at home and see how your score compares to the Taste Buds and their guests.
Why Dreamgirls Still Matters
Dreamgirls still matters because it put Black artistry and Black music history at the center of a major studio musical. With a budget near $80 million, it ranked among the most expensive films ever made with a predominantly Black cast. Furthermore, it launched Jennifer Hudson into a career that now includes an Oscar, Grammys, and her own talk show.
The film also asks hard questions about the music business. Who gets to be the face of a hit? What does crossover success cost the artists who make it possible? Those questions feel just as relevant today. Ultimately, Dreamgirls endures because its biggest musical moments still bring audiences to their feet.
Related Episodes from Movie of the Year: 2006
Movie of the Year: 2006 Intro, Part 1
Movies of 2006: The Bracket Reveal
The 2006 Mixtape, Part I
All Movie of the Year Episodes

FAQ: Dreamgirls Podcast and Film
What is this Dreamgirls podcast episode about?
This Movie of the Year episode covers Dreamgirls (2006) as part of PopFilter's 2006 bracket. Hosts Ryan, Mike, and Greg welcome guests E of The Cinematic Soul and Nate Ragolia of Debut Buddies. The episode also includes a Ghostbusters Rushmore segment and a round of Dreamgirls trivia.
What is Dreamgirls (2006) about?
Dreamgirls follows a Detroit girl group called the Dreamettes from 1962 into the 1970s. Their manager, Curtis Taylor Jr., turns them into pop stars but replaces lead singer Effie White with Deena Jones. The film tracks the fame, betrayal, and reconciliation that follow.
Who directed Dreamgirls?
Bill Condon wrote and directed Dreamgirls. He previously wrote the screenplay for Chicago (2002) and directed Gods and Monsters and Kinsey.
Is Dreamgirls based on a true story?
Dreamgirls is fiction, but it draws heavily on the history of Motown and the Supremes. Deena echoes...

Movie of the Year: 2006
Pan's Labyrinth
The Pan's Labyrinth Podcast from Movie of the Year
The Pan's Labyrinth podcast episode of Movie of the Year steps into Guillermo del Toro's darkest fairy tale. Ryan, Mike, and Greg take on the 2006 Spanish-language fantasy this week. The film follows a young girl caught between a brutal war and a hidden magical world. Furthermore, it remains one of the most celebrated films of its decade. This week, the Taste Buds explore how del Toro blends fascism and fantasy. Next, they tour his gallery of unforgettable monsters. Meanwhile, they size up Captain Vidal, the very human villain at the center of the story. Additionally, the panel recasts the movie and casts a PopFilter Hall of Fame vote. Notably, this entry in the 2006 bracket shares the year with heavyweights like Children of Men and The Departed.
About Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
Pan's Labyrinth is a 2006 dark fantasy film written and directed by Guillermo del Toro. Its original Spanish title is El laberinto del fauno. The story takes place in 1944, five years after the Spanish Civil War ended. Ivana Baquero stars as Ofelia, a bookish girl who loves fairy tales. She travels with her pregnant mother, Carmen, to a remote military outpost. There, her new stepfather, Captain Vidal, hunts rebels hiding in the mountains. Near the old mill, Ofelia discovers an ancient stone labyrinth. Inside, a mysterious faun tells her she is a lost princess. However, she must complete three dangerous tasks to return to her kingdom.
Sergi López, Maribel Verdú, Ariadna Gil, and Álex Angulo round out the cast. Doug Jones plays both the Faun and the Pale Man under heavy prosthetics. The film premiered in competition at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. As a result, it built strong buzz before its US release that December. Moreover, it won three Academy Awards for Cinematography, Art Direction, and Makeup. Critics embraced it as well. Jim Emerson ranked it among the great screen fantasies in his RogerEbert.com review. Roger Ebert later named it the best film of 2006. You can find the full cast and crew on IMDb.
Fascistic Fantasy: How the Pan's Labyrinth Podcast Reads Franco's Spain
Pan's Labyrinth opens in the shadow of Franco's victory. Small bands of rebels still fight from the hills. Meanwhile, Vidal's outpost controls the food, the medicine, and the roads. Del Toro places a fairy tale inside that machinery of control. As a result, the fantasy never feels like a simple escape. Instead, both worlds test the same question. Will Ofelia obey?
The Taste Buds trace how disobedience drives the entire film. Dr. Ferreiro defies Vidal and tells him that blind obedience belongs to men like him. Mercedes secretly smuggles supplies to the rebels. Similarly, Ofelia breaks the Faun's rules more than once. Each act carries a cost, yet each one marks a character as free. In this Pan's Labyrinth podcast segment, the panel weighs how directly del Toro links fairy tales and fascism. Notably, he first explored the Spanish Civil War in The Devil's Backbone (2001). Furthermore, we ask whether the film's fantasy offers hope or only grief. Ultimately, del Toro suggests that imagination itself can resist tyranny.
Del Toro's Monsters: A Pan's Labyrinth 2006 Podcast Creature Feature
Few filmmakers love monsters like Guillermo del Toro. His career runs from Cronos and Hellboy to The Shape of Water and Frankenstein. However, Pan's Labyrinth may hold his most famous creations. First comes the Faun, a towering guide built from bark, horn, and moss. He helps Ofelia, yet he never feels fully trustworthy. Then comes the giant toad that chokes the roots of an old fig tree.
Above all, the Taste Buds dig into the Pale Man. He appears during Ofelia's second task and stays on screen for only a few minutes. Nevertheless, those minutes have fueled nightmares for twenty years. The Pale Man sits motionless before a lavish feast, with his eyes resting on a plate. Once he wakes, he slots those eyes into the palms of his hands. Then he lurches after Ofelia through the hall. Doug Jones reportedly saw through the creature's nostrils during filming. Consequently, every step carries real uncertainty. Moreover, the feast mirrors Vidal's own dinner party in the real world. In both scenes, powerful men gorge while others go hungry. The panel asks what the Pale Man truly represents. Is he fascism, the church, or simple childhood fear?
Captain Vidal: The Human Monster of Pan's Labyrinth
If the Pale Man embodies fear, Captain Vidal embodies cruelty. Sergi López plays the Francoist officer with chilling precision. He shaves with a straight razor, polishes his boots, and obsesses over his father's pocket watch. Everything in his world must run on time. As a result, his calm surface makes his violence even more shocking.
The Taste Buds revisit the scene that defines him. Early on, soldiers drag in a farmer and his son. The men claim they were only hunting rabbits. Without waiting for proof, Vidal beats the son to death with a bottle. Then he shoots the father. Afterward, a search of their bag turns up dead rabbits. By contrast, Vidal shows no remorse at all.
The panel also examines his obsession with legacy. According to legend, Vidal's father smashed his watch at the moment he died in battle. That way, his son would know the exact hour a brave man fell. Vidal denies the story, yet he carries the watch everywhere. Later, Mercedes slashes his face, and he stitches the wound himself. In practice, Vidal wants to control even his own memory. Above all, his final moments deliver one of the most satisfying rebukes in 2006 cinema.
Recast: Rebuilding the Pan's Labyrinth Podcast Cast List
Next, the Taste Buds play a round of Recast. Each host rebuilds the cast of Pan's Labyrinth from scratch. The challenge sounds simple, but this film makes it tricky. Notably, del Toro cast mostly Spanish actors in a Spanish-language story. Therefore, every pick forces the panel to weigh authenticity against star power. Who could match Sergi López's icy menace as Vidal? Furthermore, who could carry the film the way Ivana Baquero does as Ofelia? Doug Jones presents an even bigger puzzle. His work as the Faun and the Pale Man draws on decades of creature performance. In practice, few actors could step into those prosthetics. Listen to the episode to hear each Taste Bud's dream lineup and the debate that follows.
PopFilter Hall of Fame
Finally, the PopFilter Hall of Fame doors swing open once again. In this segment, the Taste Buds debate a new nominee and decide whether it earns a permanent spot. Pan's Labyrinth gives the panel plenty to consider. The film earned six Oscar nominations and won three. Moreover, fans still rank it among the best fantasy films ever made. However, the Hall of Fame bar sits high, and the panel takes the vote seriously. Each host makes a case before casting a ballot. Tune in to hear the verdict.
Why Pan's Labyrinth Still Matters
Pan's Labyrinth still matters because it treats fairy tales as serious tools for resistance. Ofelia's final choice rejects blind obedience in both worlds. Consequently, the film's fantasy and history speak the same language. Additionally, the movie proved that a Spanish-language genre film could win over global audiences. It earned more than $80 million worldwide on a budget of roughly $19 million. Moreover, it paved the way for del Toro's Best Picture win with The Shape of Water.
The film also anchors a remarkable year for Mexican filmmakers. Alfonso Cuarón released Children of Men in 2006. Meanwhile, Alejandro González Iñárritu released Babel that same year. Together, the three friends reshaped Hollywood's idea of genre and prestige. Ultimately, the Pan's Labyrinth podcast conversation returns to one idea. Twenty years later, Ofelia's quiet defiance still feels urgent. For more debates like this, browse the full Movie of the Year archive.
Related Episodes from Movie of the Year: 2006
If you enjoyed this episode, catch up on the rest of the 2006 season.
Letters From Iwo Jima
The Departed (feat. Adam Kempenaar)
Children of Men
Casino Royale
Stranger Than Fiction