Episode Details

Girls Like Girls

Val, Lisa, and Courtney review the coming-of-age film Girls Like Girls, a late-summer story about grief, first love, and the messiness of being young in a small town. They dig into the film’s 2006 setting, its roots in Hayley Kiyoko’s viral music video, and why the father-daughter relationship becomes the emotional center of the movie.

Key topics

• The film’s nostalgic 2006 setting and how life before social media shapes the characters’ choices
• Cole’s grief, isolation, and adjustment to life with a father she barely knows
• The story’s path from Hayley Kiyoko’s 2015 music video to the YA novel and feature adaptation
• Cole and Sonia’s attraction, secret hangouts, and complicated relationship
• Small-ship
• own pressure, identity, and the tension between safety and authenticity
• The hosts’ discussion of controlling behavior and relationship red flags
• Why the father-daughter relationship stands out as one of the film’s most moving elements
• The difference between representation and a healthy relatioship

• Timestamps

  00:00 – Getting settled

  04:53 – Valerie’s dirt-biking injury

  09:04 – Introducing Girls Like Girls and its 2006 setting

  15:22 – The music video origins

  19:04 – Why the pre-social-media setting matters

  23:27 – Cole meets Sonia

  29:15 – Grief, image, and fitting in

  33:32 – Secret hangouts and honest conversations

  36:35 – Relationship tension builds

  38:55 – Safety versus authenticity

  41:55 – Cole’s fear of vulnerability

  46:10 – The father-daughter relationship

  48:35 – What would you do in Cole’s position?

  52:13 – How realistic is the relationship?

  55:28 – How spicy is the movie?

  58:26 – Representation and relationship health

  66:13 – What’s coming up on the show

• You need to be your authentic self 

• “We need to look at the quality of the relationship and the healthiness of the people engaged in the relationship

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Intro and Leg Injury Banter
• (00:02:31) - ADHD and Hypermobility Tangent
• (00:04:15) - Hula Hoop Class Plans
• (00:04:42) - Intro to Girls Like Girls Movie
• (00:05:41) - 2000s Nostalgia: MP3 Players and Pirating
• (00:06:32) - Movie Synopsis and Origin Story
• (00:09:24) - Nostalgia: Banana Seats and Bikes
• (00:12:39) - How Cole and Sonia Meet
• (00:15:45) - High School Boys Discussion
• (00:18:09) - Cole and Sonia's Contrasting Worlds
• (00:20:04) - Relationship Deepens and First Kiss
• (00:24:39) - The Party Confrontation
• (00:25:32) - Coming Out Pressures in Small Town Oregon
• (00:27:34) - Cole's Grief and Vulnerability
• (00:32:46) - The Father-Daughter Relationship
• (00:35:53) - What Would You Do Discussion
• (00:39:13) - Realism and Relationship Longevity Predictions
• (00:40:40) - 2006 Cultural Context and Marriage Equality
• (00:42:13) - Spiciness and Favorite Lines
• (00:44:51) - Does This Story Matter - Final Thoughts
• (00:50:30) - Disclaimer and How to Reach Us
• (00:52:01) - Coming Up Next Episode Previews