When On Cinema began in 2011, it was a simple, innocent parody of podcasting. Episodes were typically under two minutes, with comedians Tim Heidecker and Gregg Turkington reviewing then-current films and the occasional classic, from Saving Private Ryan to Ghostbusters. The show’s punchline was obvious to anyone familiar with the absurdist comedy of Heidecker, best known for Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, and Turkington, who often performs as Neil Hamburger. The hosts of On Cinema discussed films without actually discussing anything—the self-indulgent hallmark of most contemporary criticism.
But the world has changed, and On Cinema changed with it. The show, now a video series, just completed its tenth season and is embarking on a tour, On Cinema Live! Over the years, Heidecker’s persona on the show has evolved from a subtle, slightly dumber extension of his real self into a composite caricature of modern American idiocy. The Heidecker of On Cinema appears to view the show as a platform to express petty personal grievances and advance right-wing conspiracy theories. Meanwhile, Turkington’s character has more or less stayed the same. Technically the show’s “special guest” (he appears in every episode, the implication being that Heidecker can’t find anyone else willing to participate), Turkington is a self-declared “film buff” who loves the 1996 Michael Keaton film Multiplicity and obsessively catalogues his bargain-bin VHS tapes. He fights to retain On Cinema’s focus as a movie-review show, causing a deep (and deeply fictitious) rift.