The Show
Dude, what?! a movie Review Podcast is an audio Experience for Movie Lovers. Started in 2017 by Brian Sumner & Jim Miller in Evansville, Indiana.
It doesn’t take long to discover that Dude, What?! isn’t your typical movie review podcast. The show is for the everyday movie lover more than the film critic. A “normal” episode involves some catching up, movie talk, What’s In The Box?!, a Review, Dude Scale ranking, and a choice of categories for the next episode.
Each episode Brian reviews at least one movie he hasn’t seen but should have already seen. The movie categories come from every genre and typically are considered a pop culture favorite, cult classic, blockbuster hit, or anything in between. Most of America has seen these films but for some reason Brian hasn’t yet. There are many of the reveals that will have you saying, “Dude, What?!”
what’s In the Box?!
A major piece that makes things exciting on Dude, What?! a Movie Review Podcast is the What’s In the Box?! segment. At the end of each episode Brian gives Jim three categories and after Jim chooses a category Brian will give a list of three movies. At least one of the three Brian hasn’t seen but he doesn’t reveal it until the next episode. The way it is revealed to Jim on each episode is by having Jim open an old shoe box with the movie inside. After Jim is revived and done verbally thrashing Brian they hit pause on recording, go watch the movie and then come back and Brian gives his review.
The Dude Scale
Everybody has a way of measuring, ours is the Dude Scale.
Our Scale ranks 5 as the best and 1 as the worst
#5 on the Dude Scale: The Big Lebowski
When putting together the ranking scale for our podcast, I wanted the 5 spot (the best possible ranking) to be represented by a movie that meets all the criteria for being a great film; Plot, Story, Directing, Character Interaction, Character Development, Overall execution of script, Music, etc. I also wanted the films that would represent each level of ranking to have a sound bite that made some reference to the word “Dude.” With regard to our scale, The Big Lebowski was a no-brainer due to how fantastic the movie is and the fact the lead character is actually called “The Dude.” Because this movie does check off every box to being a great film, it has now become the representation of our highest score on the official “Dude, What?!” Ranking Scale.
“I’m The Dude...so that’s what you call me, yanno....
#3 On The Dude Scale: Back to the Future III
Back to the Future Part III is a film that always falls in the middle for some people. Having had to follow the success of Part 1 and Part 2, it was unrealistic to think that a third installment could live up to the hype. However, it’s really not a bad movie at all! It falls victim to being the final part of a trilogy after two really great movies preceded it and because of that tall shadow of success from the original, sometimes Part 3 gets lost in the shuffle. Which isn’t fair, but it is what it is. I chose it to be a three on our ranking scale because while I feel it’s a great movie, there are others who don’t share that opinion, which makes it the ideal movie to represent that middle road between leaning towards being a bad movie or being a good movie. It’s not terrible. It’s not great. It’s just ok for the most part.
“What’s yer name, Dude?!”
#1 On The Dude Scale: Dude, Where’s My Car?
It’s really hard to write about a movie that really sucks. The 1 Ranking on our scale was never meant to be used because to be a 1 Ranking, you’re really bad. It’s the worst of the worst. A dumpster fire. A manure factory explosion. A Donny and Marie Osmond Reunion Tour. It’s the absolute worst! So when picking a film to represent the 1 Ranking that embodies all of that horrid, worthlessness, it had to not only be god awful, but also incorporate the word “Dude” into its lore. “Dude, Where’s My Car?” literally checks all the boxes for what a 1 Ranking film should be and it hurts me to even talk about.
“Dude, where’s your car? It’s not funny dude, my car’s gone! Yeah....
#4 On the Dude Scale: Tropic Thunder
Placing Tropic Thunder at a 4 on our scale and not a 5 may seem like a downgrade but that’s not really the case. Not all films will hit all the viewers the same way. A 4 to one person might be a 5 to another and vice versa. Tropic Thunder is one of those films that dances to the edge of a 5 but for some people doesn’t quite cross the line. It’s good, don’t get me wrong. It’s really good. But there are aspects of some of the characters that don’t help the movie flow in some spots and certain parts of the story kinda drag and the overall feel, for me, just doesn’t have the same effect of a full fledged 5 ranking. Tropic Thunder is a solid 4 all day long and leans either way depending on the viewer which is what makes it the perfect movie to represent a 4 Ranking.
“I’m a dude...playing a dude...disguised as another dude!!”
#2 On The Dude Scale: Along Came Polly
It’s hard to get excited to write about a movie that isn’t great. Imagine having to sit through a movie that isn’t great and then having to critique and rank such a film immediately afterwards. Along Came Polly is one of those films that isn’t quite a dumpster fire because it does have some redeeming comedic elements to it, but as a whole, the movie is just not good. Which is sad because of the star power alone. It finds itself representing a 2 ranking on our scale because while as a whole it may not entirely fail, it still falls well short of its potential. It might be passable for one viewing, but after that, you’ll burn the dvd immediately.
“No, dude, this is serious...I just sharted.
The Homers Radio Network
If you listen to our early episodes you will learn quickly that Without the Homers Radio Network there would be no Dude, What?!
What was the Homers Radio Network?
Homers Radio was started as a Social Media and live podcast outlet to cover local sports in the greater Owensboro area back in 2015. It actually started, well before then. In the summer of 2014, the guys decided to start an NFL podcast to highlight all of the comedy of everyone getting together on Sunday’s to watch their respective NFL teams play. The Podcast was known as, The Displaced Diehards. After a few months of growing the podcast on YouTube, public access TV and social media, they were offered a weekly spot on the local sports station, 102.7 The Game. They took their podcast format and condensed it into a weekly 30 minute NFL radio show that played in the timeslot just before Monday Night Football. The show got enough traction for the station to offer the guys a larger role on 102.7, covering local sports. Thus, The Homers were born.
The guys took the same approach to local sports, using social media to drive attention to their weekly radio show. It did not take long to notice the response was overwhelmingly positive. The Homers quickly became a fixture around local sports in the winter of 2014/2015. As their popularity rose, so did the friction between the guys and the station manager at 102.7. After multiple disagreements around the creative process and the financial compensation of the show, the guys decided to leave 102.7 and start their own venture using an internet exclusive platform. During the summer of 2015, Homers Radio was created on the platform known as Mixlr.
After a year of growing the Homers Show on the Mixlr platform, as well as social media, the guys decided to expand the overall platform from just local sports. They had a vision to bring multiple shows to the Mixlr app on a nightly basis. They wanted to make Homers Radio an actual internet radio station and not just focus on local sports on the station. They drew shows such as the Kentucky Sports Guys, Skol Show, Cats Kast, School of Smothers and the Dude What Podcast to their nightly schedule in 2017-2018.
In the spring of 2019, Steve was offered a deal to return to 102.7 The Game to host a daily sports show called Live at 5. He decided to take the offer with a vision of some day expanding into the Nashville radio market. 102.7 The Game is owned by Cromwell Radio Group in Nashville and he saw this as an opportunity to possibly grow from local to regional. At the time, he had still planned to continue with Homers Radio and had a deal to promote the Homers Network on 102.7 The Game. It did not take long, however, to realize that the daily show on 102.7 was the better opportunity. Eventually the guys joined Steve at 102.7 to continue to build their Homers Show platform. In doing so however, Homers Radio became no more. The guys have continued to evolve and push toward a show in the Nashville market. Even with the setbacks of Covid-19 in the spring of 2020, the guys are still with 102.7 The Game now, continuing to evolve what they do with the ultimate goal of reaching that regional Nashville market. You can hear them daily, Live at 5, on 102.7 The Game
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