Billy Bob Thornton’s Guilty Pleasure Is This ‘Horrible’ Sci-Fi Movie | Sorry Not Sorry

Created by Taylor Sheridan and inspired by the Boomtown podcast, Landman has been a ratings winner for Paramount Plus. 

If you enjoyed what Sheridan did with Yellowstone, settling in with Tommy Norris and his family, and watching the drama unfold is the logical next step. There are now two seasons of the show to enjoy, and a third will surely follow.

WATCH: You'll Never Guess Billy Bob Thornton's Guilty Sci-Fi Pleasure - YouTube

Landman might be a show about the dramatic world of West Texan oilfields, but when it comes to guilty pleasures, its cast opt for very different genres of entertainment. During the promotion for Landman’s second season, the quartet of Billy Bob Thornton, Sam Elliott, Michelle Randolph, and Ali Larter shared their go-to guilty pleasures. The results were far from expected, with half of the team showing a love of classic science-fiction, and the other a kinship for girly romances.

‘Landman’s Father And Son Share A Love Of ‘50s Science-Fiction

In typical leading man fashion, Landman’s Billy Bob Thornton was the first to share his guilty pleasure, and it seems that even he doesn’t quite understand the amount of times he has seen it. After a little thought he responded with, “there’s a movie called Robot Monster. We watch it fairly often, which is kind of a sad commentary on my life”. 

While Thornton might watch it often, most people are unaware of Robot Monster. Released in 1953, Robot Monster is a traditional B-movie science-fiction film, complete with wobbly sets and unfortunate continuity and production errors. Its scrappiness is part of the charm for Thornton, who adds: “You know how they used to have the old paper spaceship on a string going across the screen? In this one there’s a guy doing it and you actually see the tips of his fingers come into the side of the frame.” 

Running at only 66 minutes, Robot Monster is a short and sweet slice of sci-fi nostalgia, the story focusing on Ro-Man, whose attempts to annihilate the last family on Earth are put into crisis when he falls in love with the daughter. Unlike some of its ‘50s sci-fi peers, such as Forbidden Planet and The Day the Earth Stood Still, Robot Monster is a much deeper cut, but one that Billy Bob Thornton implores us all to watch, “Robot Monster, everybody go out and get Robot Monster.” 

Newly anointed Landman cast member, Sam Elliott, decided to follow in the footsteps of his on-screen son for his guilty pleasure selection, saying: “If we’re going to stick with the sci-fi stuff, I’ll pick The Creature from the Black Lagoon.” A far better known film than Robot Monster, The Creature From the Black Lagoon forms part of Universal Pictures’ classic monster series and tells of a group of scientists who encounter Gill Man during their work on the Amazon river. 

Elliott told JustWatch: “It was very formative for me.” Although he didn’t expand as to how, we have no doubt he’s keeping an eye on the news that James Wan is trying to get a remake of the classic movie off the ground.

The ‘80s And Millennial Classics That Ali Larter And Michelle Randolph Adore 

In contrast to their male co-stars, Ali Larter and Michelle Randolph, who play mother and daughter on Landman, prefer cosy chick flicks over sci-fi. Both of them opted for movies that women of their generations will immediately agree with. 

First up, Michelle Randolph declared A Cinderella Story to be her favourite movie, telling us: “A Cinderella Story with Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray. It’s my favourite movie.” As the title suggests, A Cinderella Story is a modern reworking of the Cinderella fairy tale and is a core movie for millennials of a certain age. Set in California, A Cinderella Story is wonderfully over-the-top and cheesy, and certainly has rewatch appeal, with Randolph sharing, “I could watch it over and over and over again, and I do.”

Whereas Randolph’s pick is one for the millennial girlies, Ali Larter’s choice – Dirty Dancing – is a titan of the ‘80s. A film synonymous with the decade, Dirty Dancing finds shy teen Baby on a family vacation to the Catskills thanks to the guidance of her dreamy dance instructor, Johnny. For Larter, the viewing of Dirty Dancing is a whole-family ritual, adding: “My sisters are here, just heat up those mozzarella sticks, and put on some Dirty Dancing for these Jersey girls.”

This Underrated ‘80s Movie Is The Perfect Marriage Of Sci-Fi And Romance

While science-fiction and chick flicks don’t typically go hand-in-hand, there is one movie that could bridge the gap for the Landman cast: Earth Girls Are Easy. Starring Geena Davis, Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carrey, and Damon Wayans, this 1988 movie has all the trappings of a ‘50s sci-fi, with a healthy dollop of cheesy romance. 

In Earth Girls are Easy, Davis’ SoCal nail technician, Valerie, is nursing a broken heart when she encounters a trio of humanoid aliens. She begrudgingly agrees to take them in, but soon finds herself falling for one of the group. Camp, kitsch, and with its heart in the right place, Earth Girls are Easy is the perfect marriage of outer space and romance, making it a great choice for date night.