Is ‘Digger’ the Tom Cruise Movie We’ve Been Waiting For? Plus: Our Top 10 Tom Cruise Performances.

Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins dive deep into Alejandro González Iñárritu's 'Digger,' a Tom Cruise vehicle that has divided audiences and critics. The hosts unpack their "complicated feelings" about the film and make a case for experiencing it in theaters, suggesting it's a significant work despite its divisiveness. After a spoiler warning at the 13-minute mark, they spend a substantial portion of the episode (roughly 40 minutes) discussing the film itself. The conversation then expands to examine Iñárritu's broader career trajectory and filmography, exploring what drew Cruise to this particular project and what it means for his career positioning. A notable segment examines where Cruise's performance in 'Digger' fits within the current Best Actor Oscar race, contextualizing the film within the awards season landscape. The episode concludes with an extensive ranked list of the hosts' 10 favorite Tom Cruise performances across his career, offering retrospective analysis of his most memorable roles. The structure is well-organized with clear chapter markers, allowing listeners to navigate between the 'Digger' discussion, Iñárritu analysis, awards context, and the career retrospective. The episode promises both immediate film criticism and broader career/industry perspective, positioning itself as essential listening for Tom Cruise fans, Iñárritu enthusiasts, and awards season followers.

Verdict: A well-structured, substantive episode that delivers exactly what the title promises with engaging hosts and multiple layers of analysis, though the depth of critical insight and insider knowledge remains unclear from available information.

TV & Film rubric

• Critical insight 3/5 20%

  Hosts unpack 'complicated feelings' and make cases for the film's merit, but show notes don't reveal depth of analysis—appears to be discussion-based rather than deeply critical examination.

• Behind-the-scenes knowledge 2/5 20%

  Discussion of why Cruise made the film and Iñárritu's career suggests some industry perspective, but no indication of interviews, insider access, or craft-specific knowledge.

• Entertainment 3/5 15%

  Two engaging hosts discussing a divisive film and ranking Cruise's career should be enjoyable, though the show notes don't indicate particular humor or liveliness.

• Substance 4/5 15%

  Nearly two hours covering the film itself, director's career, awards context, and a ranked top-10 list suggests dense content; structure indicates substantive segments rather than filler.

• Delivers on its title 5/5 15%

  Title promises discussion of 'Digger' and Tom Cruise's top 10 performances; episode delivers both explicitly with clear chapter markers and extended segments for each.

• Value for time 3/5 15%

  Nearly two hours is substantial; while well-organized with clear segments, the length and multiple topics (film, director, awards, career retrospective) may feel padded for some listeners.

How we score TV & Film

Worth it if you're interested in Tom Cruise's career, Iñárritu's filmmaking, or want informed discussion of 'Digger' before seeing it in theaters.

Based on the episode description. AI-generated; it can be wrong.