What Went Wrong Podcast: The Messy Business Of Movie Making

Why are there so many movie review podcasts? As I've said before, there are no certifications needed, movies tend to provoke stimulating conversation, and the hosts don't even need expertise. There's the perception that anyone can do it.

Of course, we know that's wrong. There are plenty of excellent movie review podcasts such as Filmspotting, Verbal Diorama, and Every Single Sci-Fi Film Ever. 

Then there are those movie review podcasts with three friends who were fraternity brothers who try to inject sophomoric humor into cursory examinations of films. The goal in these movie podcasts is fun first, film analysis second. The thematic premise of the film being reviewed in that episode is often secondary to what one of the co-hosts did over the weekend. Beer run? Flag football?

I am happy to report that What Went Wrong is a movie review podcast that is a credit to its genre. The co-hosts blend movie analysis with and historical heft like the perfect Manhattan --  two ounces rye whiskey, one ounce sweet vermouth, two dashes of Angostura bitters, and a brandied cherry.

 What Went Wrong is a podcast by Sad Boom Media. Their elevator pitch is: "The podcast explores the behind-the-scenes of Hollywood's most disastrous movie productions. Each episode, the hosts examine a new film to explore the reasons why making a movie is nearly impossible. Some of the films covered on the podcast include The Sixth Sense, Below The Line - Armorer (Django Unchained), The Crow, Boyz n the Hood, and Lost."

The show has produced 105 episodes to date.

In each episode, hosts Lizzie Bassett and Chris Winterbauer dive into a new film to explore the mind-blowing (and sometimes numbing) reasons why making a movie is nearly impossible (especially a good one).

 What Went Wrong was conceived by Chris Winterbauer, Lizzie Bassett and David Boman in 2019 at the Veggie Grill next to the now defunct ArcLight Hollywood. Five fateful (and often ill-advised) words (“we should start a podcast”) spawned a bi-weekly exploration of the unbelievably complex, maddening and often hilarious roads your favorite films took to get to the big screen.

 Lizzie Bassett Boman is a podcast host, writer, producer, and connoisseur of exquisitely disastrous cinema. She's previously worked for IMDb, Good Mythical Morning, and a show called YouTube Nation. No one watched it, but she made a lot of friends.

And that's what really counts. When she's not researching why James Cameron punched his safety diver in the face, she's probably spending time with her dog, two cats, or husband. In that order.

 Christopher Winterbauer is an award-winning (and losing) screenwriter and director known for directing Moonshot (2022), for writing and directing Wyrm (2019), and for (just) writing this biography.

He was born in Seattle, Washington, was raised by lawyers, and worked for Intel (in corporate finance) prior to pursuing a career in the film industry.

 David Boman is a film composer and audio aficionado with a background in emergency medicine and dog whispering.

He is known for scoring a number of feature films, including What Happens Later (2023), Moonshot (2022) and Wyrm (2019). He also writes music and sound designs podcasts and video games.

The format of the podcast is straightforward. The tale of any movie from conception to completion is, more often than not, a chaotic, feral process in which dreams are crushed and also made.

Consider The Princess Bride episode in October 2023. In the show, Winterbauer and Bassett Boman hand over several Easter eggs to us. First, William Goldman the author of The Princess Bride novel and screenplay expressed multiple times that despite writing Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All The President's Men, and many other well-known screenplays, The Princess Bride was his proudest achievement. It took 14 years for the book to make it to film.

Second, the co-hosts explain the extensive training that actors Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin went through to stage the key sword fight without the use of doubles. Third, tales of Andre The Giant were numerous and snort-worthy, with stories of his ability to drink prodigious amounts of alcohol, his legendary farts that topped jet engine decibel levels, and, sadly, his severe back pain.

The May 27, 2024 episode about Ghostbusters revealed a series of horror stories that ranged from the film not owning the rights to the title, Ghostbusters, the "should he be committed" itinerant lifestyle of Bill Murray, and the agony felt by actor Ernie Hudson when he reported to the set to discover that his major role had been sliced and diced to just a few scenes and lines.

So far, the podcast has tackled Jaws, Shrek, Tombstone in two parts, The Exorcist, and many more.   

The success of the podcast really rests in the voices and with of the two co-hosts. Winterbauer and Bassett Boman have crazy good chemistry.

They are funny, yet without straining to be, and they follow-up on each other's cleverest lines. They both have superb narrative skills and don't rush to unwind the tale of a movie's birth. Their research is extensive and they turn over many rocks to unearth the juiciest stories that happened before, during, and after production.

Check out What Went Wrong. It is one of the best movie podcasts in the podcasting universe. In addition, Winterbauer and Bassett Boman demonstrate perfect pitch for hosting a movie podcast.