Apex Mountain
Spielberg (one of several peaks); child actors except Barrymore; Wallace; friendly aliens; penis-breath insult; Speak & Spell; organic product placement (qualified)
In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 00:14:59Read transcript
- The child ensemble is proposed as a possible Apex, with Stand by Me as a competing benchmark.
- Spielberg receives an affirmative choice for the Raiders/E.T./Poltergeist period, while 1993 and multiple career peaks remain plausible alternatives.
- Every child actor except Barrymore is assigned this peak; her later rom-com years, Fever Pitch,50 First Dates and The Wedding Singer are alternatives.
- Wallace receives an affirmative choice amid a strong run; discussion corrects assumptions about her age to 34.
- Aliens broadly are rejected in favor of Alien, but friendly aliens receive a yes.
- Children’s movies are disputed: E.T. may be a favorite, but Toy Story’s industry influence and Star Wars compete.
- Cute little-girl performers brings Barrymore versus Shirley Temple; semi-degenerate California children prompts Repo Man, and stealth divorce movies is proposed without a settled answer.
- The penis-breath insult and Speak & Spell receive affirmative choices, with the insult’s post-film popularity recalled.
- Merchandising is rejected in favor of Star Wars; Grogu and the connected Star Wars/E.T. period complicate the friendly-alien discussion.
- Reese’s Pieces earns a qualified product-placement Apex for feeling organic; Coke, Coors and V 8 illustrate additional brands.