A bus. A bomb. And one very important rule: don’t drop below 50 mph.

This week on A Reel Pain, it’s John’s Millennial pick as he introduces Matthew to the 1994 action classic Speed, starring Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Dennis Hopper and Jeff Daniels. John grew up with this one—but can a Gen Z first-time viewer get past the ridiculous physics, impossible bus jumps and peak ’90s action-movie logic?

Turns out, Matthew might be a lot more on board than John expected. From Keanu’s one-liners and Sandra Bullock’s performance to the practical effects, the subway finale and one of the greatest uses of “shoot the hostage” ever put on screen, we’re breaking down everything that makes Speed such a ridiculously fun ride.

Does Speed still deserve to be called an action classic more than 30 years later? And more importantly… did the Millennial finally pick a movie Gen Z couldn’t tear apart?

Subscribe to A Reel Pain for new episodes every week as a Millennial and Gen Z trade movies from their generations and decide which ones actually deserve to be called classics.

It’s time for one of Gen Z’s sacred childhood movies. Matthew makes John watch Diary of a Wimpy Kid for the first time, a movie Matthew remembers being so convincing as a kid that it genuinely made him nervous about going to middle school. Now, more than 15 years later, does the movie still hold up without the nostalgia?

John and Matthew revisit the Cheese Touch, Rowley’s undeniable greatness, Rodrick and Löded Diper, the surprisingly massive number of memes this movie created, and one very important question: Are we actually supposed to be rooting for Greg Heffley? Matthew also makes the absolutely outrageous comparison between Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules and Terminator 2… which goes over about as well as you’d expect.

Two generations. One movie. Very different childhoods. Watch until the end to see where John and Matthew’s ratings land—and stick around for John’s next Millennial pick: Speed with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock.

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Some movies survive purely on nostalgia. School of Rock might actually be better than we remembered.

This week on A Reel Pain, John introduces Matthew to the 2003 Jack Black classic School of Rock — a movie that somehow slipped completely past a music-loving Gen Z kid. From Dewey Finn’s questionable substitute-teaching methods and the ridiculously talented kids to Joan Cusack, “sticking it to the man,” and one of the most fun endings ever put on film, there’s a lot here that still absolutely rocks.

But does a movie built around landlines, CDs, rock bands, and casually sneaking children out of school still work more than 20 years later? Matthew expected to find plenty to criticize. Instead, he walked away wishing School of Rock had been part of his childhood — and John might have somehow talked himself into liking the movie even more.

Watch the full episode to see where School of Rock lands in the final ratings, and let us know in the comments: Does this movie still rock, or is nostalgia doing some heavy lifting?

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