The Ice Storm poster
The Ice Storm

What’s Aged the Best?

Self-abuse talk; key parties; split-level house; Nixon shadow; Kline and Weaver pairing; bong scenes; Maguire and Holmes debuts; dorm posters; Francis and Paul; Weaver

In the discussion (12)
Approx. transcript time · 00:51:29Read transcript
  • Ben’s awkward self-abuse advice to his son is the first pick.
  • Key parties as a pop-culture gimmick age well; CBS’s Swingtown tried and failed, and Mad Men had adultery but no key party.
  • The 1970s house with a single step up between rooms is a style never seen again, recalling the sunken living room in Help!
  • The Nixon and Watergate shadow is cited again.
  • Kline and Weaver, who played a president and first lady four years earlier, reuniting as adulterers is enjoyed.
  • Bong scenes and the Amaretto-and-brandy combination are enjoyed.
  • This was the Paul actor’s breakout before Pleasantville and Katie Holmes’s first film, before Dawson’s Creek and Disturbing Behavior; admiration for Holmes and a sneaky-tall anecdote follow.
  • Paul’s boarding-school posters, including Planet of the Apes, the Doors, and Nixon, reward set-dressing attention.
  • Francis and Paul’s roommate banter, including their reading-recommendation exchange, is a welcome change of gear.
  • Sigourney Weaver is picked out of simple love for her.
  • Asked who should have been Oscar-nominated since the film had no acting nominations, the hosts agree on Joan Allen, citing her tearing up when the Reverend hits on her.
  • Reviewing that year’s supporting-actress field, the Titanic nomination is called an abomination that took Allen’s spot, and Heather Graham in Boogie Nights is also raised.