In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:33:04Read transcript
- The review called the screenplay smart, subtle, and ruthless.
- The hosts especially valued Ebert’s point that tempting others can carry greater blame than being tempted.
Categories & segments
Most Rewatchable Scene
No consensus: Van Doren–Stempel game/montage; Goodwin–Van Doren friendship/Connecticut
In the discussion (16)
Approx. transcript time · 00:35:38Read transcript
- The Chrysler opener was praised, though its Sputnik button was criticized as overly obvious.
- Stempel’s first appearance inside the 1950s quiz-show set was nominated.
- Van Doren’s interview and the producers’ uncertainty about whether he took the bait were nominated.
- The Paymer–Azaria comedy-team exchanges were nominated.
- Stempel learning he must lose, including the $70,000 humiliation line, was nominated.
- Van Doren beating Stempel after recognizing the audition question was nominated for its “what would you do” tension.
- The “things are looking up for Charles Van Doren” montage was nominated.
- The fake shoe-tie used to delay the limousine was nominated.
- The chocolate-cake confrontation between Charles and his father was nominated.
- Stempel’s testimony was nominated.
- The network president lobbying Van Doren and warning that speculation becomes fact was nominated.
- Charles confessing to his father and Schofield’s reaction were nominated.
- Van Doren’s statement about borrowed wings and an unbuilt foundation was nominated.
- The ending was included among the candidates.
- One preference was the stretch from Van Doren beating Stempel through the montage and shoe-tie.
- A competing preference was the Goodwin–Van Doren near-friendship from the club through the Connecticut visit.
The Big Kahuna Burger Award for Best Use of Food and Drink
The chocolate cake
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:40:07Read transcript
- The chocolate-cake scene was nominated as best use of food or drink.
- Geritol was offered as the competing choice.
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:44:13Read transcript
- Rob Morrow receiving top billing over Ralph Fiennes was nominated.
- Martin Scorsese at that precise career moment was selected.
- Geritol, “beatnik,” and “Gentiles and Jews” were discussed as specifically 1950s details.
What’s Aged the Best?
The class world, father–son relationship, rigged-reality prescience, character actors, and enduring craft all drew praise.
In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 00:46:36Read transcript
- The 1950s upper-class circles and outsider seduction were praised.
- The father–son dynamic was praised for communicating weight and deference with little screen time.
- The film’s treatment of rigged reality shows was seen as newly resonant.
- Children wanting to grow up to be Joe DiMaggio was enjoyed as authentic period texture.
- Barry Levinson’s performance aged well.
- Martin Scorsese’s performance aged well.
- The surviving footage of Stempel intentionally missing the answer was praised as revealing source material.
- Paul Attanasio’s decision to make the fixed loss the dramatic climax was praised as screenwriting craft.
- Geritol’s once-ubiquitous brand presence was enjoyed as vanished commercial history.
- Mark Van Doren’s poker-table sucker maxim was praised and recognized as an unconscious precursor to Rounders.
- Goodwin’s line about not knowing which end of an ace is up was praised.
The Great Shot Gordo Award for Most Cinematic Shot
The opening NBC/quiz-show camera movement and editing
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:54:08Read transcript
- The opening sequence’s moving camera and editing were praised as cinematic and immersive.
Chest Rockwell / Brock Landers Award for Best Character Name
Charles Van Doren
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:54:32Read transcript
- Charles Van Doren was praised as an exceptionally WASP and powerful-sounding real name.
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:54:52Read transcript
- Stempel’s volume and presence slightly reduce rewatchability for one host.
- The counterpoint was that Stempel represents the little man and Turturro is great.
What’s Aged the Worst?
Morrow’s accent, Geritol’s claims, damage to quiz shows, and altered history
In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 00:55:39Read transcript
- Rob Morrow’s Boston accent was the first cited problem.
- Geritol’s fatigue claims were effective only for people with anemia, according to the cited FTC history.
- Geritol’s “my wife, I think I’ll keep her” comeback campaign was recalled as controversial.
- The scandal caused stricter quiz-show laws and a long genre slump.
- The film compressed roughly three years of scandal into one.
- The film made Van Doren choose his wrong answer when NBC actually made that choice.
- The film simplified the tied-game sequence and implied it ended sooner than it did.
- Goodwin’s investigative importance was enlarged over the people who had already done much of the legwork.
- Van Doren objected that the closing text erased his continued teaching after the scandal.
- Van Doren’s 2008 New Yorker defense was read as evidence that ego, fame, and money still shaped his account.
The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
Rob Morrow should have become a movie star; releasing a year later might have won Best Picture and Director
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:59:52Read transcript
- Rob Morrow should have become one of the world’s biggest movie stars after this performance.
- Had the film opened in 1995, it could have beaten Braveheart for Picture and Director.
Casting What-Ifs
Redford’s Van Doren search, Paul Newman declining Mark Van Doren, and an uncertain Soderbergh/Tim Robbins path
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:02:39Read transcript
- Redford sought an American for Charles Van Doren, considered William Baldwin, and landed on Ralph Fiennes.
- Paul Newman reportedly declined Mark Van Doren.
- Steven Soderbergh’s attachment was accepted as true; the Tim Robbins detail remained uncertain.
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:04:35Read transcript
- Turturro was identified as the only plausible choice despite broad praise for the performance.
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