Project Hail Mary

JR flies solo to review Project Hail Mary (2026), the sci-fi film directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, based on Andy Weir's novel. Starring Ryan Gosling, Sandra Bullock, James Ortiz, and Lionel Boyce, the film became the third highest-grossing movie of 2026 at $668 million worldwide on a ~$200M budget. JR breaks down the plot, the surprising alien friendship at the heart of the story, and why it's one of the best films he's seen in years.

Timestamped Show Notes:

• 0:00 — Cold open: Teasing the film and its directors
• 0:20 — Show intro by King Jerm / Pod Saved Our Marriage
• 0:48 — JR introduces the solo episode and Project Hail Mary
• 1:21 — Box office & production overview: budget, cast, streaming release
• 1:49 — Plot breakdown: Ryan Gosling as Raylan Grace, waking up alone in space
• 2:16 — Introduction of Rocky, the alien companion
• 3:11 — The one-way mission to save Earth; Grace and Rocky's shared goal
• 3:58 — Cultural exchange between Grace and Rocky; the planetarium scene
• 4:37 — Emotional depth: the alien develops human-like emotion and sacrifice
• 5:09 — The feel-good quality that sets this film apart
• 5:44 — JR's recommendation: open your senses and immerse yourself
• 6:12 — Who can relate to Raylan Grace (teachers, loners, drifters)
• 6:33 — Disclaimer: requires a good attention span; one of the best films of 2026
• 7:05 — JR's 2026 movie streak; looking ahead to the next review
• 7:30 — Thanks to listeners; show charts milestone (Apple Film Review Top 200, 128+ days)
• 7:56 — Outro: Connect on Threads, feedback welcome, sign-off