SEATTLE — Here's a problem I had when I was prepping to review the new "Top Gun: Maverick" movie: I'd never seen the original one.
In fixing that, I thought it would be more fun if I watched it with the biggest Tom Cruise fan I know. My friend and fellow movie media person Marc Rivers — a producer for NPR's "Morning Edition" — has seen both movies and just recently appeared on the NPR podcast "Pop Culture Happy Hour" talking about the sequel.
So I asked him to rewatch the original with me for my first time, and discuss these movies, masculinity, militarism and Tom Cruise. (At the time of this conversation, I hadn't yet experienced anything "Top Gun" related, ever.)
