• Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans
• Drive

• First Blood
• A History of Violence

• Hell or High Water
• Zodiac

This week, we tackle Godsend, a psychological horror-thriller that somehow manages to be neither. Starring Greg Kinnear, Rebecca Romijn, and Robert De Niro as a shady fertility doctor, the film follows a grieving couple who clone their dead son—only to discover something is deeply wrong with their 'miracle' child. We break down the absurd twists, baffling logic, and failed attempts at horror in this early-2000s misfire.

Wikipedia page for Godsend.
 
Films recommended this episode:

• The Pope’s Exorcist
• Hereditary

Follow Mike and Mike on Letterboxd @mikebackatyou and @mikethefab and email them at ourherodeniro@gmail.com.

Next week: The Alto Knights

• Demolition Man
• Creed

• Blackhat
• Civil War

• Mindhunter
• The Diplomat

In the longest episode of Our Hero De Niro yet, the Mikes take on Dirty Grandpa, a raunchy road trip comedy starring Robert De Niro and Zac Efron. They break down the film’s relentless shock humor, bizarre character choices, and surprising box office success despite critical panning. Tracking every laugh (or lack thereof), they debate whether the movie works as a comedy, discuss De Niro’s commitment to the role, and question the logic—or absence of it—behind the film’s wildest moments.

Wikipedia page for Dirty Grandpa.

Films recommended this episode:

• Freddy Got Fingered
• Grandma's Boy

Follow Mike and Mike on Letterboxd @mikebackatyou and @mikethefab and email them at ourherodeniro@gmail.com.

Next week: Zero Day (Part 1)

In the film 15 Minutes, Robert De Niro portrays a media-savvy detective who is on the hunt for fame-hungry criminals who turn murder into entertainment. While the film aims to critique sensationalism, it unintentionally touches on issues related to immigration—though this isn’t always deliberate. Balancing exaggerated satire and a stylized early 2000s buddy cop thriller, we explore whether 15 Minutes offers meaningful commentary on media and justice or simply exploits the culture it seeks to criticize.

Wikipedia page for 15 Minutes.

Films recommended this episode:

• Spy Game
• Blow

Follow Mike and Mike on Letterboxd @mikebackatyou and @mikethefab and email them at ourherodeniro@gmail.com.

Next week: Dirty Grandpa

For the first time on Our Hero De Niro, we have a special guest—Mike’s cousin Ashley! She helps us make sense of the 2022 "thriller" Savage Salvation. Does this film offer any commentary on America's opioid epidemic, or is it just a tax write-off? How does Robert De Niro look with a mustache? And who is director Randall Emmett, anyway? Join us as the three of us try to unravel it all while attempting to salvage what's our sanity.

Wikipedia page for Savage Salvation.

Films recommended this episode:

• L.A. Confidential
• Emily the Criminal
• Rebel Ridge
• Walking Tall

Follow Mike and Mike on Letterboxd @mikebackatyou and @mikethefab and email them at ourherodeniro@gmail.com.

Next week: 15 Minutes

Supplemental links:

• Granny (Looney Tunes)
• Vulture Article on Geezer Teasers

What happens when two of cinema's greatest actors reunite after a decade, only to find themselves in a film that doesn’t match their caliber? You get Righteous Kill. This episode kicks off our exploration of Al Pacino’s work, marking the first of four films featuring the legendary actor. Plus, it’s likely the only time we’ll be discussing the unique on-screen presence of Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson.

Wikipedia page for Righteous Kill.

Films recommended this episode:

• Insomnia
• Justified (okay, this is a TV show)

Follow Mike and Mike on Letterboxd @mikebackatyou and @mikethefab and email them at ourherodeniro@gmail.com.

Next week: Savage Salvation

Supplemental links:

• You Wouldn't Steal a Car
• Improv - The Office

It's a battle of good vs. evil, law enforcement vs. gangsters, and Costner vs. De Niro in this week's episode, where Mike and Mike review Brian De Palma's crime film set during Prohibition, The Untouchables.

Wikipedia page for The Untouchables.

Films recommended this episode:

• Public Enemies
• The Iron Claw

Follow Mike and Mike on Letterboxd @mikebackatyou and @mikethefab and email them at ourherodeniro@gmail.com.

Next week: Righteous Kill

For their 20th episode, Mike and Mike take a break from De Niro recaps to reflect on how the podcast has evolved, which episodes and performances stood out, and what it means to be a citizen of De Niro Nation. They revisit favorite (and least favorite) films, compare their average ratings, and answer listener questions ranging from movie theater economics to how De Niro will be remembered. Grab an ice-cold brewski and come along for the ride.

Supplemental links: 

• Caroline's lawn sign
• De Niro on Sesame Street

Mike and Mike watch Robert De Niro's newest screen credit in the 2023 comedy-drama film Ezra, in which Bobby Cannavale abducts his son across state lines.

Wikipedia page for Ezra.

Films recommended this episode:

• Boiling Point
• American Fiction

Follow Mike and Mike on Letterboxd @mikebackatyou and @mikethefab and email them at ourherodeniro@gmail.com.

Next week: The Untouchables

Supplemental link(s):

• "Which Robert De Niro Character Are You?" Quiz

In the inaugural episode of Our Hero De Niro, Mike and Mike review Robert De Niro's first credited role in Brian De Palma's 1968 black comedy film, Greetings.

Wikipedia page for Greetings.

Films recommended this episode:

• Putney Swope
• Clerks

Follow Mike and Mike on Letterboxd @mikebackatyou and @mikethefab and email them at ourherodeniro@gmail.com.

Next week: Ezra (2023)

Supplemental link(s):

• A Portrait of Donald J. Trump, by Vic Berger

• Bram Stoker's Dracula
• Megalopolis
• Crimson Peak
• Poor Things

• Manchester By The Sea
• The Emperor's New Groove

• One of Mike’s gross toe videos

• Three Kings
• I Heart Huckabees

• Point Break (2015) Trailer

• The Rainmaker
• Titanic

• The French Connection
• The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

• ASMR Mukbang Eating 10 Foods

This week, Mike and Mike watch The Score (2001), a heist film starring Robert De Niro, Edward Norton, Angela Bassett, and Marlon Brando in his final role. The Mikes dive into Frank Oz’s directorial career, debate the film’s ending, and assess whether this forgotten caper deserves more love.

• Thief
• Heat

• Tropic Thunder

In this episode of All Mike'd Up, the Mikes double-feature The Smashing Machine and Tron: Ares, trading immediate post-movie reactions and Letterboxd scores. They spar over whether Safdie’s wrestling biopic is a slow-burn character study or just another sports movie cliché, debating The Rock’s prosthetics, the film’s subdued drama, and how well the documentary-style visuals actually work.

Switching to Tron: Ares, they talk IMAX spectacle, the Nine Inch Nails soundtrack, and the franchise’s chronic struggle to make anyone care about the Grid. Along the way: thrill ride heart rates, Radiohead analogies, and the ongoing search for a truly great legacy sequel.

• Miami Vice
• Interstellar

• Tenet Fight Scene Explained

This week on Our Hero De Niro, the Mikes dive into Guilty by Suspicion, a sobering drama about the Hollywood blacklist era, starring Robert De Niro as a principled director navigating loyalty, fear, and career collapse during the Red Scare. They examine the film’s historical framing, De Niro’s restrained performance, and how the story avoids big courtroom theatrics in favor of quieter moral tension. Plus: Breaking Bad montages, the war on TikTok brain rot, and whether or not the Mikes would flip during the Red Scare.

Wikipedia page for Guilty by Suspicion.

Films recommended this episode:

• Oppenheimer
• Hail, Caesar!

Follow Mike and Mike on Letterboxd at @mikebackatyou and @mikethefab, email them at ourherodeniro@gmail.com, and follow them on Instagram at @ourherodeniro.

Next week: Mean Streets

Supplemental Links:

• MikeBackAtYou’s 10 Best Films of the 21st Century
• Mikethefab’s 10 Best Films of the 21st Century
• Chronol-Oppenheimer

This week on Our Hero De Niro, the Mikes discuss Men of Honor, the inspirational military drama starring Cuba Gooding Jr. as Carl Brashear, the first Black U.S. Navy Master Diver, and Robert De Niro as his grizzled, racist-turned-mentor. They unpack the film’s classic biopic formula, its effective performances, and the tension between its uplifting message and Hollywood gloss. Plus: inspirational yelling, underwater acting, and military racism as a fixable personality flaw.

Wikipedia page for Men of Honor.

• Ali
• Six Days Seven Nights

Next week: Guilty by Suspicion

This week on Our Hero De Niro, Mike and Mike tackle Shark Tale, DreamWorks’ aggressively early-2000s animated mob comedy where Robert De Niro voices a mafia shark and Will Smith plays a fast-talking fish with debts to pay. They unpack the film’s wild tonal dissonance, endless pop culture references, and questionable audience—while asking: who exactly was this movie for? Plus: DreamWorks vs. Pixar, cursed animation choices, and the eternal mystery of how this thing made $375 million.

Our Hero De Niro is now on Instagram @ourherodeniro!

• Enemy of the State
• The Incredibles

Next week: Men of Honor

Follow Mike and Mike on Letterboxd: @mikebackatyou and @mikethefab, and email them at ourherodeniro@gmail.com.

Next week: Shark Tale

• Zoey’s Shark Tale fan art
• Chant by The Benedictine Monks
• A Bane Grindset TikTok

• Beverly Hills Cop
• Blue Collar

• The Insider
• The Martian

• The Death of Stalin
• Dr. Strangelove
• The Truman Show

• Knuckles
• Bump in the Night

• The Exorcist III
• Chinatown

• Mike Does Sky Jump Las Vegas

• Nickel Boys
• Fargo

• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
• Click

• Mike and Mike’s 2019 Mo-Cap Costumes

• Legend Has It - Run The Jewels
• Send It Up - Kanye West
• If You Know You Know - Pusha T
• Mantra - Bring Me The Horizon
• Children of Sorrow - HEALTH

• We Like to Party - Vengaboys
• Tubthumping - Chumbawumba
• Jump Around - House of Pain
• Pump Up the Jam - Technotronic
• Walkin’ on the Sun - Smash Mouth
• Move Your Body - Eiffel 65
• Tarzan Boy - Baltimora

• Crimson Tide
• Field of Dreams

• The Transporter
• “Any episode of 24”

In this episode of Our Hero De Niro, the Mikes take on New York, New York, Martin Scorsese’s bold attempt to blend gritty postwar realism with old-Hollywood musical style. They dig into De Niro’s performance as the charming but infuriating saxophonist Jimmy Doyle, the film’s uneasy tone, and whether the visual grandeur justifies the runtime. Plus: Liza Minelli discourse, Scorsese's attitude during production, and whether or not the Mikes are jazz men.

• After Hours
• Inside Llewyn Davis

In the second episode of All Mike’d Up, the Mikes dedicate the show to listener mail—reading and responding to letters from several friends of the pod. The discussion covers everything from movie rating philosophy and steak portion sizes to toxic masculinity and the challenges of translating Japanese film genres to the West. Along the way, they debate anonymity on the internet, nerd out over Paul Schrader’s Mishima, and digress into personal Letterboxd rankings and the “vibes” factor in movie ratings.

• Ghost in The Shell
• 2001: A Space Odyssey

• The Sator Square

This week on Our Hero De Niro, the Mikes take on Raging Bull—Martin Scorsese’s brutal, black-and-white character study of boxer Jake LaMotta, played by Robert De Niro in one of his most iconic performances. They dig into the film’s punishing tone, disorienting boxing cinematography, and the way it portrays violence as both performance and punishment. Plus: Paul Schrader appreciation, libertarian time machines, and a new challenge for the citizens of De Niro Nation.

Wikipedia page for Raging Bull.

Films recommended this episode:

• Foxcatcher
• Lenny

Follow Mike and Mike on Letterboxd: @mikebackatyou and @mikethefab, email them at ourherodeniro@gmail.com, and follow them on Instagram at @ourherodeniro.

Next week: The Matrix

This week on Our Hero De Niro, Mike and Mike are joined by their friend Andrew for a deep dive into Mean Streets, Scorsese’s raw, Catholic guilt–soaked breakthrough and Robert De Niro’s first iconic role as the chaotic Johnny Boy. Together, they discuss the film’s wandering structure, evocative street-level style, and what it means to live with sin when absolution isn’t coming. Plus: the nature of expressionism, needle drop overload, and Tyler Perry vs. Ernest Films.

Wikipedia page for Mean Streets.

Films recommended this episode:

• Bad Lieutenant
• The Godfather
• Empire Records

Follow Mike and Mike on Letterboxd: @mikebackatyou and @mikethefab, email them at ourherodeniro@gmail.com, and follow them on Instagram at @ourherodeniro.

Next week: Raging Bull

Supplemental Link:

• MikeBackAtYou, Andrew, and Mikethefab
• Caroline's Mean Streets episode fan art

In the first episode of All Mike’d Up, Mike and Mike ditch De Niro and settle into a looser, anything-goes conversation. They read listener emails from friends of the pod, cover Shark Week memories, and discuss proper theme park bathroom etiquette. It’s the podcast-within-a-podcast that's part catching up and part comedy free-for-all.

Supplemental Link:

• Mikethefab's Seattle sushi dinner

• Wind River
• No Country For Old Men

Follow Mike and Mike on Letterboxd @mikebackatyou and @mikethefab, email them at ourherodeniro@gmail.com, and follow them on Instagram @ourherodeniro.

Next week: Stanley & Iris