The Family Pictures Podcast

Jim Groom, Michael Branson Smith
  • 5.0 (2)
  • TV & FILM

A podcast exploring the best and worst family dynamics on screen – the cinematic highs and lows of family behavior, from heartwarming moments to unforgettable dysfunction. Hosted by Jim Groom and Michael Branson Smith

  1. No Ordinary Family – Shadow of a Doubt

    3H AGO

    No Ordinary Family – Shadow of a Doubt

    Jim Groom and Michael Branson Smith examine Hitchcock’s favorite film, where the myth of the average family becomes both shield and blindfold, and menace arrives not as a stranger but as a beloved relative.

    1h 7m
  2. Damn It I Want This Family To Love Me – The Royal Tenenbaums

    FEB 23

    Damn It I Want This Family To Love Me – The Royal Tenenbaums

    Jim Groom and Michael Branson Smith unpack Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums as a story about adult children trapped inside the myth of their own childhood genius and a father desperate to rewrite himself back into relevance, while asking whether Anderson’s ironic stylization deepens or dilutes the emotional stakes of estranged parents and adult children.

    1h 1m
  3. This Is For Your Own Good – The Savages

    FEB 16

    This Is For Your Own Good – The Savages

    Jim Groom and Michael Branson Smith take on caregiving, cold winters, and fluorescent-lit reckoning in Tamara Jenkins' The Savages, where estranged children are forced into proximity with each other and with a father they barely know.

    1h 1m
  4. Just in the Nick of Time – On Golden Pond

    FEB 9

    Just in the Nick of Time – On Golden Pond

    Jim Groom and Michael Branson Smith explore On Golden Pond (1981), a film about identity at the end of life, the persistence of childhood hurt, and the possibility of connection in the shadow of death.

    1h 4m
  5. The Wish to be Free – Tokyo Story

    FEB 2

    The Wish to be Free – Tokyo Story

    Jim Groom and Michael Branson Smith unpack Tokyo Story as a quiet reckoning with aging parents, drifting children, and the emotional cost of modern life moving too fast to look back.

    1h 14m
  6. Everyone Is Doing Their Best – Make Way For Tomorrow

    JAN 19

    Everyone Is Doing Their Best – Make Way For Tomorrow

    Jim Groom and Michael Branson Smith discuss Make Way for Tomorrow (1937) and how ordinary decency, practicality, and exhaustion slowly erode responsibility toward aging parents.

    1h 13m
  7. The Lie of Simple Answers – Weapons Reloaded

    JAN 12

    The Lie of Simple Answers – Weapons Reloaded

    Jim Groom and Michael Branson Smith return to Weapons, correcting a rushed first recording and unpacking its abuse allegory, generational parasitism, and the dangerous desire for simple answers.

    1h 3m
  8. 2025 Family Pictures Podcast Awards

    JAN 5 · BONUS

    2025 Family Pictures Podcast Awards

    Jim Groom and Michael Branson Smith recap the year with their first ever awards show.

    1h 50m
See All (55)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

A podcast exploring the best and worst family dynamics on screen – the cinematic highs and lows of family behavior, from heartwarming moments to unforgettable dysfunction. Hosted by Jim Groom and Michael Branson Smith

Information

  • Creator
    Jim Groom, Michael Branson Smith
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    55
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Show Website
    The Family Pictures Podcast