Criterion’s long-running Criterion Closet series of online shorts get a lot of their cineaste mileage out of seeing the people who make movies be dropped into the role of starry-eyed fans, selecting their favorites while standing in the film curation company’s cramped little alcove o’ films. Sometimes, the videos can be a window into the mind of an actor or creator you might not have pegged as a hardcore cinephile—but sometimes they’re just plain cute, as with a just-released installment in which married couple Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen are about as adorable as humanly possible while making their picks.
Sure, a lot of the video is focused on the duo reflecting on their famous friends, as Steenburgen talks about spending times with folks like Barbra Streisand or Hal Ashby, or getting a list of film recommendations from Jack Nicholson. But there are also lots of very fun moments where the duo hop in to complete each other’s stories in a very lived-in way, or where you can catch Danson just kind of looking at his wife lovingly. (When he’s not complaining that Criterion’s library obviously skews more toward the work of his Oscar-winning spouse than his own, more televised, oeuvre. Criterion release of Three Men And A Little Lady when?)
Besides walking away with a pretty good collection of films—including David Lynch’s Inland Empire, which Steenburgen has a fun story about cameoing in, and the first film appearance from Danson’s old Bored To Death buddy Jason Schwartzman—the pair also just reminds the audience, in the span of about five minutes, why their chemistry in the most recent season of A Man On The Inside felt so incredibly genuine. It’s a nice window into their relationship and a solid reminder that we’re probably due a Being There rewatch some time soon; what’s not to like?