The Butch’s Girlfriend Award for the Weakest Link in the Film
Fabienne’s twelve-minute stretch
In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 01:20:20Read transcript
- The twelve-minute stretch with Butch’s girlfriend is selected as the weak link.
- Fabienne is defended as necessary to show Butch’s domestic side before he returns to violence. — Bill Simmons
- The performance, potbelly discussion, and forgotten watch are criticized; the claim about one-sided sexual behavior is disputed. — Bill Simmons
- Her breakfast choices are criticized and defended, and the entire stretch is described as skippable and the film’s weakest section.
- A possible pregnancy is considered and rejected as unsupported by the scene.
- Juliette Binoche is suggested if Fabienne remains French. — Sean Fennessey
- Salma Hayek is suggested as a Latin American alternative. — Sean Fennessey
- Jennifer Beals is suggested as an American alternative; the argument is that another performer could make the same writing work. — Sean Fennessey
- The potbelly conversation and private baby talk are defended as deliberately intimate and uncomfortable, citing Tarantino's stated intention that viewers feel they are intruding. — Chris Ryan
- Butch's attraction to the taxi driver and commitment to Fabienne are questioned. Sending Fabienne back for the watch is proposed and rejected as unlikely to succeed; skipping this stretch on a family viewing illustrates the pacing objection. — Chris Ryan