Costner and Travolta for Lovell; Pitt and Kilmer for Swigert
In the discussion (8)
- Costner is reported as the original Lovell choice
- Hanks is said to have declined Jumanji
- Travolta requested Lovell and was declined; Premiere is cited for losing Gene to Harris as well
- Cusack, Swayze, Pesci and Moranis are listed online for Fred Haise, with Pesci and Moranis explicitly doubted
- Brad Pitt reportedly chose Seven over Swigert
- Kilmer is also reported to have declined Swigert
- Sinise reportedly chose Mattingly when offered his pick of roles
- The Grammer and Christopher Lloyd stories for Gene are explicitly disbelieved
☆★☆★☆★☆★
Roger Ebert’s review is discussed: 4 stars
In the discussion (3)
- The panel reports Ebert’s four-star rating
- They discuss his praise for technical clarity and extraordinary work under pressure
- They discuss his sense that reducing space ambitions cost America part of its vision
Trade Hanks’s earlier Oscars for his Apollo 13 performance
In the discussion (6)
- Amanda calls this the essential and best Hanks performance
- She praises the silent communication of ambition, loss, fear and dignity
- The moon-landing reaction and navigation anecdote support her case
- Cast Away is offered as a harder solo performance
- A compromise gives Oscars to Apollo 13 and Cast Away
- The panel believes Hanks deserved at least a nomination here
Reentry and the CO2-filter solution divide favorite and most-rewatchable choices
In the discussion (15)
- Hanks watching Armstrong land is nominated
- Jim’s explanation of the Apollo 1 fire to his son pays off later
- Mattingly being removed from the mission is nominated
- Swigert’s failed simulator attempt and retry are nominated
- The launch and Harris’s introduction build excitement
- Docking gives the rookie a success
- The oxygen leak and sudden silence establish the crisis
- Clint Howard’s explanation sets the stakes
- The loss of the moon and the astronauts’ argument are discussed
- The improvised CO2 filter initially gets broad agreement
- The manual burn with Earth in the window is nominated
- Mattingly restoring power is nominated
- Reentry’s extended wait and the control-room celebration are praised
- Final choices distinguish a favorite CO2 sequence from the most-rewatchable reentry
- Lovell giving Swigert the pilot seat completes his confidence arc
Ed Harris entering mission control
In the discussion (2)
- The film waits roughly thirty minutes before introducing Harris
- His cigarette and immediate command of the room are praised
The overwhelmingly white cast
In the discussion (3)
- Opening graphics and Hanks’s period look are alternatives
- The panel argues a modern production would notice the near-exclusively white speaking cast
- The lone Black orderly and his treatment are criticized
Gene’s white vest, Lovell declining to look at the moon and the man left behind
In the discussion (4)
- Amanda enjoys the mission vest and Harris’s gestures with it
- Lovell’s inscrutable hesitation to look at Mount Marilyn is admired
- Mattingly’s left-behind role is compared with Ralph Cox in Miracle and Rudy
- The prompt is explicitly explained as something you simply enjoy
Houston, we have a problem; the score; and collective problem-solving
In the discussion (13)
- The famous line’s cleaned-up wording and lasting use in sports are discussed
- The film’s use of the number thirteen leads to a superstition debate
- Paxton’s rhinoceros line is enjoyed and its Busey/Point Break connection is reported
- James Horner’s score and Annie Lennox’s vocals are praised
- Supportive spouses are discussed
- Harris’s hairpiece and military haircuts are enjoyed
- The Hanks–Sinise reunion and Clint Howard’s role are praised
- Walter Cronkite’s archival reactions give history emotional weight
- Astronaut longevity is discussed with reported fitness and continuing medical monitoring, not verified health conclusions
- Slingshotting around the moon is admired as comprehensible science
- Lovell’s polo shirts are praised
- Switching equipment on in the right order remains relatable
- Gathering to watch a non-sports world event is missed
The wide shot of the control-room celebration
In the discussion (3)
- The panel agrees on the shot
- The angled camera position captures the whole room erupting
- The set is reported as purpose-built instead of using NASA’s offered room
Jell-O floating in space, with zero-gravity vomit as an inversion
In the discussion (4)
- The playful food during the televised broadcast is nominated
- Food avoidance and water rationing are discussed
- The vomit is suggested as a striking effects showcase
- A production anecdote describes a crew member vomiting onto Paxton during a zero-gravity flight
Spirit in the Sky
In the discussion (1)
- The song is selected without a competing nomination
Keep Apollo 13
In the discussion (2)
- The simple title is preferred
- Houston, We Have a Problem would preempt the line and feels like modern search-driven titling
Flight surgeon horseshit
Flex pick · Amanda Dobbins
In the discussion (2)
- Amanda chooses Lovell’s complaint to Deke
- She explains how the phrase applies to school forms, travel bureaucracy and arbitrary administrative rules
The older children, with disagreement about the ending
In the discussion (8)
- Rob and another participant choose the teenagers
- The younger child’s door question is defended
- The older son’s close-ups lack the emotional force of Hanks’s
- Reducing the number of children is proposed
- The grandmother is criticized by one speaker and warmly defended by others
- Bill wants a homecoming reunion with Sinise and Harris
- Others defend ending early and the real Jim Lovell cameo
- The children remain the leading weak-link choice
The portrayal of Jack Swigert as underprepared
In the discussion (9)
- The repeated courting of thirteen is questioned
- Fade-to-black transitions feel dated
- Marilyn’s hair and the oldest daughter’s crying are criticized
- The panel says real Swigert was an experienced backup rather than the risky rookie depicted
- The dramatic distortion is discussed as unfair to his family
- Heat-shield concerns are raised in comparison with contemporary missions
- Some small launch effects show their age
- The teenage daughter’s blame of Paul for the Beatles breakup is criticized
- The panel compares difficult teenage-daughter roles with Moneyball, Homeland and The Americans
Henry the press officer
In the discussion (3)
- Lovell’s flight-surgeon outburst is proposed but defended as appropriate
- The press officer is criticized for leaning too hard into antagonism and concern for Nixon
- The hosts do not identify the actor by name
Jean Speegle Howard as Jim’s mother
Flex pick · Rob Mahoney
In the discussion (5)
- Rob defends the grandmother’s washing-machine line
- The reversal of a frightened child being reassured by the grandmother moves him
- Her casting as the director’s mother fits the Estelle Reiner namesake
- She reportedly removed dentures to appear older
- Other Howard family appearances are discussed
Mount Marilyn on the moon
In the discussion (3)
- Amanda chooses a lunar landmark named for a loved one
- She distinguishes this from buying a name in a star directory
- The panel recalls Hopper’s house as their Speed real-estate choice
America needs a rival to recover its ambition
In the discussion (5)
- A speaker argues the end of the Soviet rivalry left American ambition unfocused
- Bill provocatively offers respect for Musk’s space ambitions; the others question the claim
- They debate the appeal and purpose of Mars exploration
- Amanda refers back to her earlier Hanks/Oscar take
- Political and current-event comments remain attributed episode opinions
Todd Louiso, with the mission-control ensemble recognized
In the discussion (6)
- Todd Louiso is remembered from Jerry Maguire
- Loren Dean is recognized from Gattaca
- Joe Spano is remembered from Hill Street Blues
- Clint Howard is treated as too well known
- Several other mission-control actors are recognized without names
- Todd Louiso is the stated answer
Walter Cronkite
In the discussion (3)
- Clint Howard and Jim’s mother are shortlisted
- Cronkite is accepted as eligible and chosen
- The panel discusses the authority of television science explainers
Gene Hackman, Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore and a Flight crossover
In the discussion (6)
- Hackman is considered for Gene but Harris’s performance is defended
- Pitt is considered as a higher-star-power Swigert without displacing Hanks
- Cruise as Swigert would be fun, though his crisis of confidence might be hard to believe
- Moore is imagined delivering Marilyn’s defiant line
- Bill proposes Denzel’s troubled pilot from Flight in the Swigert part
- These are hypothetical recasts, distinct from reported casting history
Buzz and Neil arriving at the Lovell home
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (3)
- Craig chooses the understated arrival of Armstrong and Aldrin
- Their first names alone establish their stature
- Their silent presence raises the stakes
Zero-gravity filming, practical sets and the origins of Failure Is Not an Option
In the discussion (10)
- Spielberg is credited with suggesting parabolic-flight filming
- The actors filmed in brief zero-gravity intervals during long flights
- Full-size modules and a chilled set are reported
- The splashdown was reportedly filmed in a Universal lot lake
- The USS New Orleans substituted for the unavailable Iwo Jima
- Bacon praises Hanks’s intensive astronaut training
- Failure Is Not an Option is reported as wording created for the movie, later used by Kranz as a book title
- Mission-control leadership is said to have been consolidated, leaving Glynn Lunney out; the transcript renders the name imperfectly
- Marilyn’s lost ring is said to have been recovered in real life
- Bacon’s repeated Jack/Jackie character names are listed across seven productions
Hanks’s mid-1990s summit, Quinlan’s nomination and Houston’s championship era
In the discussion (11)
- Hanks’s Forrest Gump–Apollo 13–Toy Story period is a leading choice
- Later freedom to direct or take unusual roles is offered as another measure of Hanks’s power
- Howard’s A Beautiful Mind acclaim is preferred
- Sinise’s Forrest Gump–Apollo 13 period is accepted
- Bacon’s Footloose breakthrough is preferred
- Houston’s back-to-back Rockets titles alongside the film are favored over the Beyoncé-birth alternative
- Harris’s peak is placed somewhere between this and The Truman Show
- Quinlan’s Oscar nomination supports her apex
- Grazer is considered without a firm conclusion
- Space movies are rejected because of Star Wars and 2001
- American idealism and ingenuity are debated in relation to 1970 versus 1995
Hanks
In the discussion (2)
- Hanks is chosen for this film
- Cruise as Swigert is again offered as a way to have both
Ed Harris’s collapse and double thumbs-up
In the discussion (4)
- Harris’s relieved collapse is nominated
- The subsequent double thumbs-up is suggested as an even better GIF
- Hanks delivering Houston, We Have a Problem is nominated
- Sinise’s quiet fist pump is an alternative
Ed Harris
In the discussion (3)
- Harris’s committed cigarette performance is honored
- The control-room pipes and closing cigars are appreciated
- A related made-hotter-by-smoking prompt is mentioned as an alternative under consideration
Not enough smoking, children watching reentry and floor salad
In the discussion (5)
- The panel thinks a 1970 control room and home would have contained more smoking
- Changed dialogue and astronauts arguing are acknowledged as dramatic liberties
- Allowing very young children to watch potentially fatal reentry is questioned
- Mary Haise is given little to do
- Women are seen putting spilled salad back into its bowl
Untouchable
In the discussion (1)
- The film is declared untouchable for a remake or expanded adaptation
Wayne Jenkins as an astronaut is briefly imagined
In the discussion (2)
- Some participants are content to skip without Chris Ryan
- A Wayne Jenkins reaction to Jack landing is imagined
Best Picture, with Hanks and adapted screenplay also supported
In the discussion (4)
- Amanda initially favors Hanks, consistent with her hottest take
- Best Picture is a leading choice
- Adapted screenplay is praised for turning technical procedures into drama
- The conversation settles toward Best Picture over Braveheart
Would Mattingly’s presence change the accident, and would Cameron make a better film?
In the discussion (6)
- Does this have an unusually high number of white speaking roles?
- Would the malfunction still happen with Mattingly instead of Swigert?
- Would Mattingly have noticed a warning before stirring the tanks?
- Which astronaut is best at the job?
- James Cameron directing would change the spacecraft emphasis, exposition and mission-control balance
- The panel concludes Howard was well suited to the historical and ensemble requirements
First Man, Gravity, The Martian and Rocky IV
In the discussion (4)
- First Man is proposed as a contrasting portrait of ambition, marriage and reaching the moon
- Gravity is another double-feature choice
- The Martian is chosen for another problem-solving survival story
- Craig adds Rocky IV for the Cold War/American-competition theme
The white vest, gold flight jacket, flight suits and Hanks’s astronaut suit
In the discussion (4)
- The white vest returns as a favorite
- The gold jacket and rescued astronauts’ suits are alternatives
- Hanks’s screen-worn astronaut suit is considered the most valuable object
- Sinise’s sleeveless shirt and beer bottle are smaller-scale ideas
Work the problem
In the discussion (2)
- Work the problem is the shared practical lesson
- A disaster can become a finest hour if the crucial final step succeeds
Tom Hanks
In the discussion (1)
- “Hanks” is repeated three times as the answer (the transcript renders it as “Thanks”); individual voices are not separated
Craig finds Apollo 13 warmer and more effective than on previous watches
In the discussion (5)
- Craig reports not having seen it in ten to fifteen years
- He praises the practical Los Angeles production and the warmth of Hanks and Howard
- The last hour had him standing and pacing despite knowing the ending
- Family scenes and the child’s door question land more strongly now
- He comes away with renewed appreciation for Hanks
Casting What-Ifs
