True Romance – It’s White Boy Day

Written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Tony Scott, True Romance is everything we love about the lawless ass 90s. It's unapologetically profane and violent, more than a bit dated, but also utterly rewatchable.

This is due in large part to its incredible cast. From Gary Oldman as Rastafarian pimp Drexl, to a pre-Sopranos James Gandolfini as mafia heavy Virgil, to Brad Pitt as stoner Floyd, this movie is overflowing with stars in the making. And those three are barely even in it.

That's how incredible this cast is. Christian Slater, who stars as Clarence Worley, and Patricia Arquette, who plays his love interest Alabama, are surrounded by top-tier performances.

From the opening, you could probably also guess that True Romance is exceptionally written and confidently directed. Thus, despite some of its more cringeworthy (i.e. offensive) sensibilities, this is a stroll down 90s memory lane worth taking.

Shockingly, though, even with strong reviews, True Romance flopped. It grossed just over $13 million on a budget of $12.5 million. Imaginary Elvis (Val Kilmer) does not approve.

Now, sit back, casually sip a Narwhal Imperial Stout from Sierra Nevada, and enjoy the Sonny Chiba marathon! I, the Thunderous Wizard (@WriterTLK), Chumpzilla, and Capt. Cash are auditioning for the TJ Hooker revival. Wish us luck!

This Week’s Segments:

• Introduction/Plot Breakdown – Not since Bonnie and Clyde have two people been so good at being bad! (00:00)
• Lingering Questions – After a word from our brothers in beer at Hop Nation USA, we discuss our favorite performances and scenes from True Romance. (33:51)
• The "White Boy Day" Trivia Challenge – The Double Turn Podcast tags in, and then Chumpzilla challenges the field to trivia about the movie. (1:06:57)
• Recommendations – We offer our picks for the week and next up: We continue "Hops and Heartthrob Flops" with Scott Bakula's 90s masterpiece Necessary Roughness! (1:18:48)

And, as always, hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to check out all the interesting factoids—how True Romance evolved and more—from this week’s episode!

You can find this episode of Hops and Box Office Flops on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean, Spotify, Acast, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, Vurbl, Amazon Music, and more!