‹ All movies

The Rewatchables ·

All the President’s Men

year 1976decade 70sdirector Alan J. Pakulagenre Thrillergenre Drama
host Bill Simmonshost Sean Fennesseyhost Chris Ryan
All 14 categories

Most Rewatchable Scene · 24:59

Bradlee’s closing scenes and Woodward’s six-minute phone call

Bernstein trying to take over Woodward’s story is nominated for establishing their complementary talents and rivalry

Bill Simmons: Woodward’s six-minute, single-take calls to Dahlberg and McGregor are nominated; a mistaken name at the end was retained

The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie · 1:11:30

Follow the money

Bill Simmons: The smoking question, Run that baby, Follow the money, notebook demand, danger warning, Haldeman rebuke, and First Amendment speech are nominated

The film

All the President’s Men (1976)

Directed by Alan J. Pakula · Thriller

138 minutes

IMDb Find on JustWatch Find on Rotten Tomatoes
Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Dustin Hoffman Carl Bernstein
Robert Redford Bob Woodward
Jack Warden Harry M. Rosenfeld
Martin Balsam Howard Simons
Hal Holbrook Deep Throat
Jason Robards Ben Bradlee
Jane Alexander The Bookkeeper
Stephen Collins Hugh W. Sloan Jr.
Ned Beatty Martin Dardis
Meredith Baxter Deborah Murray Sloan
Penny Fuller Sally Aiken (based on Marilyn Berger)
Penny Peyser Sharon Lyons
Lindsay Crouse Kay Eddy
Robert Walden Donald Segretti
F. Murray Abraham Sergeant Paul Leeper
David Arkin Eugene Bachinski
Richard Herd James W. McCord
Henry Calvert Bernard Barker (Watergate Burglar)
Dominic Chianese Eugenio Martínez

Everything from the episode

In the order the hosts got to it. Open a row for the discussion.

24:59

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bradlee’s closing scenes and Woodward’s six-minute phone call

Bradlee’s closing scenes and Woodward’s six-minute phone call

In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 00:24:59Read transcript
  • Bernstein trying to take over Woodward’s story is nominated for establishing their complementary talents and rivalry
  • Woodward’s six-minute, single-take calls to Dahlberg and McGregor are nominated; a mistaken name at the end was retained — Bill Simmons
  • The gentle post-interview exchange about Sloan’s new baby is appreciated because it shows the reporters returning to ordinary human conversation — Sean Fennessey
  • The Library of Congress research montage is nominated for depicting labor now replaced by digital search — Bill Simmons
  • Bradlee first buying into the story is nominated — Bill Simmons
  • Bernstein’s coffee interview with the bookkeeper is nominated — Bill Simmons
  • The final Deep Throat garage meeting and visit to Bradlee’s home are nominated — Bill Simmons
  • The first Bradlee red-pen edit is nominated for showing the newsroom hierarchy through costume and body language — Chris Ryan
  • Bradlee’s final speech is selected as the favorite Robards scene — Chris Ryan
  • The visit to Bradlee’s house and speech are separately selected for their tension and management style
  • The six-minute Redford phone call is selected as best for difficulty, while the Robards scene remains a favorite — Bill Simmons
Share this discussion More Most Rewatchable Scene answers
41:27

What’s Aged the Best?

Newspaper craft, accountability reporting, political paranoia, Washington, and Gordon Willis

Newspaper craft, accountability reporting, political paranoia, Washington, and Gordon Willis

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 00:41:27Read transcript
  • The fully reconstructed Washington Post newsroom, period desks, ambient typewriters, phones, and chatter are praised
  • Political suspicion and the role of journalists in challenging power are praised as enduring
  • The story’s patient, stepwise reporting and high cost of error are praised
  • Washington is praised as a character created through locations and Gordon Willis’s shadowed cinematography
  • Gordon Willis’s 1970s work is credited with shaping collective visual memory of the decade — Chris Ryan
Share this discussion More What’s Aged the Best? answers
51:27

What’s Aged the Worst?

Newsroom homogeneity and pervasive smoking

Newsroom homogeneity and pervasive smoking

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:51:27Read transcript
  • The newsroom leadership is criticized as entirely white and male through a contemporary lens — Bill Simmons
  • Smoking in elevators, cars, and throughout the newsroom is placed in both Aged Worst and Aged Best
Share this discussion More What’s Aged the Worst? answers
52:59

Casting What-Ifs

Katharine Graham, Deep Throat, and Al Pacino alternatives

Katharine Graham, Deep Throat, and Al Pacino alternatives

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:52:59Read transcript
Share this discussion More Casting What-Ifs answers
54:14

The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

Hal Holbrook

Hal Holbrook

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:54:14Read transcript
Share this discussion More The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance answers
58:12

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

Martin Balsam

Martin Balsam

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:58:12Read transcript
Share this discussion More The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award answers
59:13

Half-Assed Internet Research

Screenplay dispute, invented Florida scene, Robards background presence, overlapping lines, and Redford handedness

Screenplay dispute, invented Florida scene, Robards background presence, overlapping lines, and Redford handedness

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 00:59:13Read transcript
  • Goldman reported that Bernstein and Nora Ephron secretly drafted an alternate screenplay that elevated Bernstein and contained inaccuracies
  • The Florida office sequence is described as the only wholly invented scene retained from that draft — Bill Simmons
  • William Goldman skipped his Butch Cassidy Oscar ceremony for a Knicks game
  • Jason Robards reportedly stayed in Bradlee’s office on non-shooting days so his character remained visible in the newsroom background — Bill Simmons
  • Redford and Hoffman reportedly memorized each other’s dialogue to overlap naturally — Bill Simmons
  • Left-handed Redford performs close-up writing and dialing right-handed — Sean Fennessey
  • Redford and Hoffman split billing, with Redford leading marketing and Hoffman leading the film credits — Bill Simmons
Share this discussion More Half-Assed Internet Research answers
1:03:29

Apex Mountain

Redford, Robards, Watergate, Pakula, and Goldman

Redford, Robards, Watergate, Pakula, and Goldman

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:03:29Read transcript
Share this discussion More Apex Mountain answers
1:08:44

Is This Movie Better With…?

Steve Buscemi as Donald Segretti

Steve Buscemi as Donald Segretti

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:08:44Read transcript
Share this discussion More Is This Movie Better With…? answers
1:09:01

The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award

The FBI agent

The FBI agent

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:09:01Read transcript
  • The FBI agent is selected as hot-headed for no reason
  • Jack Warden and the comic-strip salesman receive honorable mentions
Share this discussion More The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award answers
1:10:21

Picking Nits

The count-to-ten confirmation and invented Florida-office trick

The count-to-ten confirmation and invented Florida-office trick

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:10:21Read transcript
  • The count-to-ten phone confirmation is criticized as overcomplicated and overly cute for the film
  • The invented Florida-office deception is criticized as inconsistent with the reporters’ methods elsewhere — Chris Ryan
Share this discussion More Picking Nits answers
1:11:30

The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie

Follow the money

Follow the money

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:11:30Read transcript
  • The smoking question, Run that baby, Follow the money, notebook demand, danger warning, Haldeman rebuke, and First Amendment speech are nominated — Bill Simmons
  • Follow the money is identified as the iconic line — Bill Simmons
  • The Ben Bradlee phone message, paranoia line, and demand to hype with facts are further favorites
Share this discussion More The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie answers
1:12:30

Probably Unanswerable Questions

New York Times omission, Deep Throat identity, and modern political sabotage

New York Times omission, Deep Throat identity, and modern political sabotage

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:12:30Read transcript
  • The film is criticized for minimizing the New York Times’s competing Watergate reporting — Bill Simmons
  • Whether life would be more fun if Deep Throat remained unidentified receives agreement, though disclosure is defended as helping Mark Felt’s family
  • Revealing Felt is said to rebut suspicions that Woodward invented or combined Deep Throat — Bill Simmons
  • Whether Watergate tactics supplied a blueprint for later Russian election interference is debated — Sean Fennessey
Share this discussion More Probably Unanswerable Questions answers
1:19:43

Who Won the Movie?

Jason Robards

Jason Robards

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:19:43Read transcript
Share this discussion More Who Won the Movie? answers

More from the conversation

The film is framed as both a Watergate gateway and an enduring depiction of conspiracy, accountability, and reporting.
Approx. transcript time · 00:02:29Read transcript
Redford’s production role is placed in a lineage of movie stars using commercial power to create serious popular work.
Approx. transcript time · 00:06:22Read transcript
Personal journalism anecdotes describe shorthand notes, newspaper smells, placement battles, and memorable bylines.
Approx. transcript time · 00:28:51Read transcript
Goldman’s newsroom research and Howard Simons’s reduced screen role are discussed as evidence that many editors shaped the reporting beyond Bradlee.
Approx. transcript time · 00:36:00Read transcript
Jane Alexander is praised for conveying empathy and vulnerability through quiet physical performance.
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:39Read transcript
The winner discussion reviews Robards’s stage stature, consecutive supporting Oscars, later roles, difficult personal history, and lived-in screen presence.
Approx. transcript time · 01:20:14Read transcript
George Clooney is proposed as a modern Ben Bradlee if styled with the heavier, less polished look of Syriana.
Approx. transcript time · 01:22:50Read transcript

Mentions across The Rewatchables