185. True Lies

About this episode

Laci and Matt discuss the 1994 film True Lies, its production history, and its impact on the action genre.

Laci and Matt go through True Lies (1994), James Cameron's "normal" movie. The most expensive movie ever made at the time of its production. It could've just been a straightforward spy thriller, but instead Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger decided to put in every action movie idea they'd ever had. And the results are glorious . Well, okay, the movie goes on for one act too long, and Jamie Lee Curtis steals the show and is then shown the door. But it's fun as heck, is what we're saying. Next week: Our Oscars previews begin, as we talk about every movie nominated for a major award. Next week (March 6) is part one, and the following Friday (March 13) is part two. Time stamps: 00:03:30 — History segment: Original French film La Totale! ; Arnold Schwarzenegger options film and brings his buddy James Cameron aboard; Jamie Lee Curtis's career; Eliza Dushku's allegations of abuse against a True Lies crewmember; legacy of True Lies and attempts at a sequel 00:37:25 — Movie discussion 01:39:07 — Final thoughts & star ratings Sources: "I'll Be Bond: Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron's Everything or Nothing Shot at the James Bond Title" by Tim Pelan | Cinephilia Beyond…

People in this episode

Hosts: Laci Roth, Matt

Topics covered

• True Lies
• James Cameron
• Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Jamie Lee Curtis
• action movies
• Oscars

Keywords

• 1994
• spy thriller
• Eliza Dushku
• sequel

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: True Lies, La Totale, I'll Be Bond: Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron's Everything or Nothing, True Lies', Titanic, "Every James Cameron Movie, Explained by James Cameron, Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story, PodJob: A James Bond Podcast, The Joy of Averages, Winston-Salem

More episodes of 1-Week Rental: A Movie Podcast

• 190. Hellraiser (1987) · April 17, 2026 · 2h 16m
• 189. Can't Hardly Wait · April 10, 2026 · 1h 56m
• 188. Fifty Shades Of Grey · April 3, 2026 · 2h 3m
• 187. Sideways · March 27, 2026 · 2h 9m
• 186. Nothing But Trouble (1991) · March 20, 2026 · 1h 28m
• Marty Supreme | Sinners | Bugonia (Oscars Special - Part 2) · March 13, 2026 · 1h 51m