Agents of SMOOCH
Hosted by Annette Wierstra
A podcast that’s looking for love in all the right places. Join the Agents of SMOOCH as we delve into the romance of sweeping epics and classic romcoms. Our mission is to investigate the important questions: Should they or shouldn’t they? Is there such a thing as One True Love? Did that smooch have any chemistry? We might not have all the answers, but we know you had us at “Hello.”
121 The Box Agenda
For our last mission of Season 5, we are going back to the eighties with Desperately Seeking Susan. This is Madonna just being Madonna and adding her perfect fashion sense to this film. Add Rosanna Arquette and Aidan Quinn with a splash of amnesia and mistaken identities and it’s a delightful 80s romcom. Our agents were happy to revisit this movie and find that it reflects a more modern sensibility than we expected. Get out of the box and help us find the elusive Susan.
Previous Episodes
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June 7, 2024 Argylle Movie
120 Save the Cat!
It’s another Romance in Action mission with Argylle. Let’s be honest. Our Director mandated this mission purely for the cat content which she rates very highly. Follow cat-loving novelist Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) as she is pulled out of her fictional imaginings into the IRL world of spy craft with the mysterious stranger Aiden (Sam Rockwell). Warning: This mission will contain rainbow fog.
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May 24, 2024 The Fall Guy (2024)
119 Throw the Thumbs Up
We’ve got more Romance in Action with The Fall Guy movie. Get ready for comedy, stunt action, and romance from Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. Our Agents went on this mission to the theatre and later recorded this episode in person. The Agents thought the meta references to the movie industry, with the right dash of mystery and romance made for perfect escapism. Will we watch it again? Definitely.
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May 10, 2024 Good Omens (TV Series)
118 The Kiss That Broke the Internet
It’s our Director’s birthday! She is using her power to make the Agency do a mission about Aziraphale and Crowley in Good Omens. If you like seeing Angels and Demon romance each other in a gentle comedy about the end of the universe, this is the episode for you.
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April 26, 2024 Dirty Dancing
117 I Carried a Watermelon
Return to the Eighties’ version of the Sixties as we explore summer camp, first loves, progressive politics, and never putting Baby in a corner. After this week’s Dirty Dancing mission, we’re saying forget cop/not-a-cop pairings, let’s have more dancer/not-a-dancer matchups.
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April 12, 2024 Footloose (1984)
116 Dangerous Things on Tractors
Our agents are kicking off their Sunday shoes for this mission. It’s time to fight for your prom and get Footloose. This mission explores how teenagers gonna teenage and whether Footloose still holds up 40 years later. Join our discussion of sex, religion, politics, and shaking your bootie in a rainfall of glitter. Back to the Future makes several surprising cameos, but it all makes sense—trust us. So get up off of your knees and everybody cut footloose.
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March 29, 2024 Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2024)
115 Kick Your Butt, Buttercup
Our Agents were so excited about Mr. & Mrs. Smith, that they just jumped right back in with the 2024 series. This is not a chronological episode but entirely based on what the Agents are excited about. This is another intense relationship in an intense fantastical situation and literal booms exploding. We dig deep into love and communication while making wild speculations about what could come next for John and Jane if we get a season 2.
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March 15, 2024 The Buccaneers
114 Full of Wild Notions
For today’s mission, our Agents take on The Buccaneers, an Apple TV series that is scandal-laden and somewhat historical. The modern sensibility and soundtrack laid over the historical invasion of rich American debutants into cash-strapped British upper-class society make for an energetic vibe. If you missed it, our Agents recommend catching up before joining us for a good gossip about the collection of characters. In lieu of research, these Agents have chosen to go for wild historical speculations.
Warning! The Director permitted Agent Kirsten to swear and she took advantage so this episode is NSFW.
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March 1, 2024 Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)
113 A Metaphorical Solution
Our Agents are back with another Romance in Action mission with Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Part 1). We are starting with the 2005 movie that shows Great Truths Hidden Under the Fantastical. On the surface, this is a movie about two married spies flirting by trying to kill each other. Underneath the fantasy, this movie is about the safety of expressing your feelings and true self to your partner. Grab your hidden stash of weapons, it’s about to get dangerous-metaphorically. Don’t blow up your house, Agents.
This mission includes a bit of a discussion about the Mr. & Mrs. Smith TV show, but we hold on to those thoughts until Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Part 2) comes to a mission near you soon.
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February 16, 2024 The Big Easy
112 And Boy, Will They
We are back with a classic Romance in Action from 1986: The Big Easy. We have Dennis Quaid practicing the art of seduction with Ellen Barkin amid a murder investigation. With a seedy 80s vibe, they follow a trail of clues that lead them deeper into a corrupt mess in New Orleans. The investigation keeps pulling them apart making us wonder: Will they or won’t they?
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February 2, 2024 Paging Mr. Darcy: Writer Interview
111 A Lack of Malevolence
Our Director Annette Wierstra interviews playwright and writer Reina Hardy in advance of the release of her Hallmark movie Paging Mr. Darcy. They discuss Jane Austen, conferences, Regency dancing, and casting Austen heroes. They also dive into how one gets into writing a Hallmark movie, the logistics of writing a screenplay, and the experience of having your script come to life.