This episode features the hosts of Five-Four podcast - Peter, Rhiannon, and Michael - reviewing the 2024 film Average Joe. Five-Four is a podcast that analyzes Supreme Court cases and their societal impact.

The film centers on Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, a 2022 Supreme Court case where Joe Kennedy, a public high school football coach, won the right to pray on the field during games based on First Amendment grounds.

The episode begins with discussion of media consolidation, specifically Paramount's potential acquisition of Warner Brothers, before transitioning to the main topic of reviewing the Supreme Court-themed film.

The hosts explain this is part of their holiday tradition of reviewing Supreme Court-related movies, though they acknowledge such films are rare and this particular one has significant structural and storytelling problems.

Kennedy v. Bremerton: The Case Behind the Film

The 2022 Supreme Court case involved Joe Kennedy, a football coach at a public high school who began praying in the middle of the field during games

The school district challenged Kennedy's actions citing separation of church and state concerns, but Kennedy argued it was a First Amendment freedom issue

"Look, I'm a Marine, and the Constitution means something to me. It's always been a freedom thing" - Joe Kennedy, as quoted in the film

The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in Kennedy's favor, establishing precedent for religious expression by public school employees

Average Joe: Film Format and Structure

Average Joe was released in 2024 and uses a meta-documentary format featuring Coach Joe Kennedy and his wife as narrators

The hosts describe the film as "muddled Christian propaganda" that fails to understand basic principles of film structure and visual storytelling

"A bunch of Christian dipshits who don't understand how a film needs to be structured in order to be coherent or bright" - Peter, describing the filmmakers

The film is described as "only kind of about the Supreme Court" despite centering on the 2022 ruling

Five-Four Podcast's Holiday Movie Tradition

The podcast has established a tradition of reviewing Supreme Court-themed movies during the holiday season

The hosts acknowledge that Supreme Court-themed films are rare, making their annual tradition challenging to maintain

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