What’s Aged the Best?
Subtle character growth; Breaking Training; Kentucky Fried Chicken; Kelly; Tanner; Ahmad; Engelberg; Los Angeles; poster; youth sports; beer; pitching; Carmen; baseball analytics
In the discussion (19)
Approx. transcript time · 00:29:30Read transcript
- Buttermaker’s changes unfold subtly without explanatory speeches; reconnecting with Ahmad in the tree is a rare visible turning point. — Bill Simmons
- Breaking Training is praised as a rare naturally satisfying sports sequel, featuring the unsupervised drive to Houston and the Astrodome. — Bill Simmons
- Lying to children while parenting is praised. — Van Lathan
- The Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket looks unusually appetizing; the full name is considered more evocative than KFC and compared with Popeyes. — Van Lathan
- Kelly’s believable age, motorcycle, smoking, jacket and coordination make him an archetypal cool troubled kid; Bender and a doomed soldier are comparisons. — Bill Simmons
- Tanner is compared with Culkin crossed with Bill Burr. — Bill Simmons
- Ahmad is appreciated as a then-uncommon Black child character with distinct sibling insecurity, Hank Aaron admiration and a successful bunt. — Bill Simmons
- Ahmad subverts the assumption that the Black child must be the best athlete, with sibling comparisons and Muslim identity adding individuality. — Bill Simmons
- Engelberg’s comedy, hitting and trash talk are praised, including the flood-the-valley pool joke; the sequel actor and Sandlot analogue are compared. — Bill Simmons
- Mid 1970 s Los Angeles and Jack Davis’s illustrated poster are appreciated. — Bill Simmons
- A parental lawsuit creating a team for excluded players anticipates later youth-sports entitlement and feels specifically Los Angeles. — Bill Simmons
- Chico’s Bail Bonds is described as a real business incorporated into the film. — Bill Simmons
- Turner’s intentional walks anticipate analytical strategy. — Bill Simmons
- Cheap Igloo coolers, removable beer tabs and large cans evoke the era; unbelted convertible rides are recalled with ironic affection. — Bill Simmons
- Turner’s overbearing youth-coach behavior feels increasingly relevant as private training and parental pressure grow. — Van Lathan
- Real beer brands are praised over invented labels; the spoken list includes Coors, Lucky Lager, Mickey’s, Pabst, Schlitz, a garbled brand, Miller High Life and Budweiser while claiming seven. — Bill Simmons
- O’Neal’s pitching is convincing; she reportedly trained for weeks and performed most throws with occasional doubling. — Bill Simmons
- Bizet’s Carmen music is considered central to the film. — Bill Simmons
- Ogilvie’s statistics, walks and defensive shifts anticipate Bill James and Moneyball; the Joey-Engelberg rivalry is also praised. — Bill Simmons