The Odyssey and What's Making Us Happy
episodePreviously titled “The Odyssey And What's Making Us Happy” — renamed by the publisher on Aug 2, 2026
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The last time Antonio Mays Sr. heard from his son, it was in a note the 16-year-old left in the family's garage. He told me he was going to make me proud. Antonio Jr. left home to join a protest in Seattle. A week later, he was shot and killed there. I need some arrest made, justice for my son. Listen to We Keep Us Safe on the Embedded podcast from NPR.
Maybe you read The Odyssey in school, and that process can turn Homer's epic adventure full of gods and monsters, magic and murder, love and some very bloody revenge into a pretty dry and dusty academic exercise. Well, Christopher Nolan is here to remedy that. The Odyssey is a sprawling, gorgeous, spectacular take on the material that's also pure Hollywood, bursting with big names like Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, and Zendaya. Hi, I'm Glenn Weldon. Joining me today on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour is my co-host Stephen Thompson. Hey, Stephen. Hello, Glenn. Also with us is the co-host of NPR's daily economics podcast, The Indicator, from Planet Money, Waylon Wong. Hey, Waylon.
Hi, guys.
Also with us is writer and host of the film-spotting podcast movie Deathmatch. We saved him for last because he's going to do a bit. Chris Klemek. Hey, Chris. Look at that horse. Look at that horse. Look at that horse, Glenn. There you go. Well, y'all know the Odyssey. There's this guy, Odysseus, which is funny because it's like his name is Trip.
What is Christopher Nolan’s vision for The Odyssey and how does it update Homer’s epic?
He was the hero of the Trojan War. And now he's trying to get back home. That's Matt Damon. Specifically, he's trying to get back to his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus. They're played by Anne Hathaway and Tom Holland. But he's been gone so long that dozens of men have taken up residence in his castle, feasting on his food and attempting to convince Penelope that she should marry one of them. The guy campaigning the hardest is the oiliest and most sniveling of the bunch, Antinous, played by Robert Pattinson. Of course. Odysseus, meanwhile, can't seem to get home, and it's not like he doesn't stop to ask directions. No, it's just that the Aegean Sea is a dangerous place full of cyclops and giant cannibal warriors and witches and sirens and nymphs and whirlpools and sea monsters.
The whole thing is filmed entirely in IMAX and clocks in at just under three hours. Steven, what'd you make of it? Well, Glenn, you know, this summer on Pop Culture Happy Hour, I have been tasked with leading discussions of films such as Scary Movie, Jackass Best and Last, Minions and Monsters, the Moana remake. And I had only one ask. After I had covered all those films, I said, just let me do this one. Just something a little different. And darned if it isn't a massive, sprawling, beautifully made, not entirely without flaws, but I found very enjoyable. epic adventure film that still felt true to, you know, what I had managed to glean from an early and failed attempt to read the Odyssey. It felt true to the endless kind of echoes and revelations
Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. It's a Christopher Nolan film, but I really, really enjoyed it. I was swept away by it. Not every performance fully resonated with me, but man, you know, everybody is somebody in this movie. Every face is a familiar face. It's true. I found it to be gripping and interesting, and I think it came to some really interesting ideas about regret and heroism. There you go. All right. What about you, Waylon?
Oh, yeah, I like this a lot. I think it takes a little while to get going. But then I felt like once it locked in, then I was like all in. And then the rest of it just absolutely flew by. And it was completely riveted. And I actually reread the poem very recently in preparation for this movie because I was so hyped for it. And so I was constantly thinking back to the poem, which I had a great time reading. And I really liked Christopher Nolan's treatment of the material. Like, I was very aware of what he had added and subtracted since I'd read it so recently. But I think it was—they were all really smart choices, kind of in support of the specific kind of story and the themes he wanted to bring out, which I really liked.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–1:27
2
What is Christopher Nolan’s vision for The Odyssey and how does it update Homer’s epic?
1:27–5:21
3
Which actors headline Nolan’s The Odyssey and how are their roles reinterpreted?
5:21–7:22
4
How does Nolan balance spectacle, monsters and gods in his film adaptation?
7:22–14:31
5
What themes of regret, heroism and moral complexity does the movie explore?
14:31–28:20