The opening scene was not in the script: it was added late because Bay wanted more Smith-Lawrence scenes, was basically ad-libbed, and uses a cool yellow coloring for Miami.
Highlights include the carjacker's 'I'm a stand-up comedian and I suck' line and the Porsche argument ending in 'a shiny dick with two chairs in it' over the missing cup holder; it is one of the better four-minute openings for an action movie.
The partners staging an argument as a diversion before overpowering someone starts here, feels ad-libbed, and borrows an old Eddie trick from Beverly Hills Cop.
The opening is argued to be the best scene: it sets the push-pull brotherly relationship and answers whether audiences would buy Will as an action star.
The woman used as the decoy in the opening is identified as former Playboy playmate Lisa Boyle.
The first four minutes establish a Running Scared-style dynamic where the partners love each other but bust each other's balls; Running Scared is called the great lost buddy-cop movie.
Other favorites: finding the dead guy while Martin tries not to throw up, Julie's apartment chase by two inept men, the office 'zoo' argument, and Marcus's phone call with his wife.
The masseuse and dog-on-the-furniture stretch and the short liquor-store robbery with its tropical fruit Bubblicious and 'some Skittles' punchline are praised; the fake argument returns there.
The hotel lobby shootout with Smith running in slow motion, shirt open, and the low camera looking up after the getaway is peak Michael Bay establishing his style.
The ending drive is basically a Porsche advertisement, with the role reversal of Martin doing it.
Pick: the final gunfight before the car chase, where everything comes to a head after the dirty cop is revealed, with Martin's 'you forgot your boarding pass' shot; the studio should have given Bay the extra money for it. — Logan Murdock
Favorite scenes are the comedic ones; the pick is the baloney scene, where Julie describes how bologna is made until Marcus is disgusted, and the film is really a comedy-action more than an action comedy. — Van Lathan
Julie's sexual tension is with Mike Lowry as an idea, even after her best friend is killed.
A final most-rewatchable pick is the first scene, exciting to catch when flipping channels.

What’s Aged the Best?

Younger Will Smith; the music; rival-cop banter; Chet the doorman; Me Against the World; Passenger 57 references; Max; 1994 Porsche 911 Turbo; Miami backdrop; the comedic banter

In the discussion (7)

Approx. transcript time · 00:52:03Read transcript

A point held for this category is raised early: Lethal Weapon 2 has vanished from TV because of Mel Gibson's behavior, which has helped Bad Boys feel fresher.
The Tupac song Me Against the World and the Jordan-retired joke were held for this category because they root the film in early 1995.
Younger Will Smith, the music, the rival cops busting each other's balls as Running Scared mastered, and Chet the doorman.
A whole point about Me Against the World, plus the Passenger 57 references that pay off later.
Maxie, aka Max, has only two movies on IMDb but remains a big-time model; she's delightful and should have been in the movie more.
The 1994 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6, the last rear-wheel-drive Porsche Turbo, makes this an iconic car movie; Bay put his rare car at risk on set.
Miami as the backdrop is independently named by two participants, along with the banter, such as the 'your mama snorted up all the heroin' joke.

What’s Aged the Worst?

Michael Jordan retirement joke; Joey Pants basketball scene; kids snitching on their father; internal affairs character; no OJ joke; Volvo hatchback undercover car

In the discussion (10)

Approx. transcript time · 00:56:19Read transcript

The Jordan joke ('retired like him too') aged worst in five seconds because Jordan had already returned before release.
Carjacking scenes feel less special than in the 90s, though being surprised by one is argued to have almost aged best; modern cars and phones make them unlikely.
Joey Pants shooting hoops with a cigar, his shots sailing over the backboard, is baffling.
The Club Hell car chase is called shoehorned, with a counterpoint that it is needed so Marcus's family sees him on the news.
Kids snitching on their father aged worst; the reply is that kids are snitches who sell out dad for mom.
The internal affairs character played by Helgenberger, who had a strong career, is a wet blanket like the Lethal Weapon psychologist; a counterpoint says the role is needed for urgency, but it needed someone funny.
Julie tagging along with her call-girl friend is questioned, with others labeled Julie defenders and a reminder to protect sex workers.
With no OJ joke, a stealth reference would have pinned the film in early 1995; it was likely filmed in summer 94.
Martin's outfits, especially the vest over a tank top, are called terrible; a counterpoint says people dressed like that, with an eighth-grade vest story.
A Volvo hatchback is too slow for an undercover car, like having a Prius.

Casting What-Ifs

Dana Carvey and Lovitz; Arsenio Hall; Laurence Fishburne

In the discussion (5)

Approx. transcript time · 01:05:30Read transcript

This is a Don Simpson-Jerry Bruckheimer movie, and the hosts say Simpson was unraveling with substance issues at the time.
The hosts say Dana Carvey and Lovitz were first wanted in a film written for them called Bulletproof Hearts; Carvey backed out after a Vegas trip with Simpson, and the project moved from Disney to Columbia.
Bay wanted Will Smith, and Arsenio Hall reportedly turned down Mike Lowry and calls it his worst mistake; nobody can picture Arsenio in the opening or the open-shirt run.
Martin Lawrence reportedly told a magazine that Fishburne also turned down Lowry; Fishburne is said to have turned down Jules in Pulp Fiction and Die Hard 3, about seven iconic roles in five years.
Fishburne would have made this a different movie; he was born to play Jules, a cold pill to swallow until Morpheus.

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

Joey Pants

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 01:08:40Read transcript

Everyone is ineligible: under a house rule, if Joey Pants is in the movie he automatically wins the Joey Pants Award.
The French bad guy, whose name nobody can say and who is also in The Patriot, would otherwise be this movie's That Guy.

Brandy Booth Award for Best Performance by a Pet

Julie's dog, zero out of 10

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 01:09:13Read transcript

After about 20 movies with the award, this is the first zero out of 10 given to a pet.
The dog ruins Mike's apartment, barks annoyingly, and chasing the dogs during the shooting almost got everyone killed; Will Smith at least knocks it off the couch.

The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

Max; Jojo; the captain

In the discussion (7)

Approx. transcript time · 01:10:05Read transcript

The class is loaded: Joey Pants, Imperioli as Jojo with the 'you're selling tires' exchange, the liquor store guy, and John Salley, whose standing up is a sight gag.
Max gets the award: her death hurts every time, and Will Smith is attached to her while juggling many women.
Chet the doorman is in the conversation but is not the pick.
Pick: Jojo, the Imperioli character, a dopey informant played by a young actor with great things ahead; Chet was hysterical too, but it goes to Jojo. — Van Lathan
The only answer is the captain, who is in about three scenes and kills it every time with the 'you are Mike Lowry... you be you, but not in front of her' routine.
The captain is felt to be better in the next movie and a bit muted here, though his Michael Jordan reference is a buzzer-beater and no one but Martin goes at Will like he does.
The captain is conceded as the correct answer, yet Max remains a personal pick; an objection says this is the Dion Waiters Award, not a DJ Banga Award, and the reply is about being as upset as Will Smith every time Max dies.

Recasting Couch

Halle Berry as Julie; Jennifer Aniston as Julie; Snipes and Eddie Murphy as the leads

In the discussion (4)

Approx. transcript time · 01:13:59Read transcript

If the film were recast, the picks would have been Snipes and Eddie Murphy. — Logan Murdock
Halle Berry in the Leoni part is an interesting world because her comedic side went untapped, as Wesley noted on the Boomerang episode, though brunette Leoni still works.
Berry's charisma would make Julie's mistakes forgivable, where the original Julie is just annoying.
Julie is also recast with Jennifer Aniston, citing her snide energy in She's the One; she would have been less grating, and 94 was the right time for her.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Dark cheap sets; improvised scenes; 'I love you too' argument; fake urine recipe; Bay-funded explosion; Leoni knocked out on set

In the discussion (6)

Approx. transcript time · 01:16:16Read transcript

An early step into research: Bay convinced Smith to run with his shirt open in the hotel lobby shootout, telling him it would make him a movie star, and later said he should get half of Smith's salary.
The research says the sets were cheap, with the heroin heist the biggest example, and anything dark in the movie was to save money.
The research reports improvisation: Smith unexpectedly calling Lawrence a bitch so Lawrence actually got mad, Leoni's gay-couple assumption, and the whole liquor store scene.
According to Bay, Smith didn't want to say 'I love you too' at the end; they argued for half a day until Bay guilt-tripped him into it.
For the Club Hell urinal gag, the research says Bay used Gatorade crossed with Coca-Cola as urine.
The big explosion reportedly cost $25,000 from Bay's pocket, and Leoni was accidentally knocked out by Martin Lawrence's stunt double and went to the hospital, slowing filming.

Apex Mountain

Club Hell

In the discussion (6)

Approx. transcript time · 01:18:17Read transcript

Will Smith gets a no.
Martin Lawrence is debated: one view says yes because of Martin and this hit, while others argue a second life with Life as a possible Apex, before conceding he never had as much juice as coming out of this film.
This was Club Hell's Apex Mountain; it never got better, and it sounds like a club Stefan would make up on SNL.
Michael Bay no; mid-1990s Porsches yes; Leoni no.
Is it the Apex for Miami movies? Miami is like Gene Hackman, always perfect, so the case is no.
A follow-up asks whether mid-90s Porsches are the Apex and answers not the Apex Mountain, then asks whether another hit buddy-cop movie came after; Rush Hour counts.

Picking Nits

Julie not being told about the switch sooner; police malpractice; Martin jumping on a taxi; Julie missing obvious clues

In the discussion (6)

Approx. transcript time · 01:21:09Read transcript

All nits are Julie-related: why not tell her sooner that Mike was Marcus and Marcus was Mike? The subplot plays like a weird French comedy but makes no sense.
The misunderstanding is an homage to Three's Company, but the film is better if it ends 20 minutes earlier and lets Mike and Julie have sexual tension.
Police malpractice: entering the house with no warrant and shooting a fleeing dealer in the back without reading Miranda rights; Martin jumping on a taxi should have gotten him killed.
Julie sees photos of Mike throughout his life and he can't find his own light switch, yet she is only 40% there.
Why was Julie rooming with a call girl? A high-end Miami call girl wouldn't need a roommate; counterpoints say Julie is a broke out-of-work photographer staying with her friend, with calls to protect sex workers.
Julie wears the same clothes with no makeup for six days and still looks great; the counter is that she was chased out with no time to pack and grabbed her dogs.

Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake

In the discussion (1)

Approx. transcript time · 01:27:29Read transcript

Could this be remade as a 10-episode Netflix show? The answer is no, thank you; another voice adds no, not into it.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Face/Off connection; Julie and the real Mike Lowry; the captain and internal affairs officer's past; Marcus's kids; Mike's trust fund

In the discussion (5)

Approx. transcript time · 01:27:29Read transcript

Did this premise lead to Face/Off? It is the same style of movie, and Lisa Boyle was also in Face/Off.
Did Julie ever get with the real Mike Lowry? It wasn't set up as a foregone conclusion; a knowing look or kiss would have helped.
Did the captain and the internal affairs officer have a past? The film hints they should get a room.
What happened to Marcus's kids in the sequels? The daughter comes back, but the boys are not remembered.
What did Mike's dad do to make so much money? The trust fund is only alluded to; either go all in on it or don't bring it up.

Who Won the Movie?

Will Smith

In the discussion (4)

Approx. transcript time · 01:30:30Read transcript

Will Smith: he needed politics to get into the movie and took second billing to Martin, then went from the safe, non-cursing guy to Independence Day and Men in Black.
Martin won the battle, Will won the war: Independence Day was Will's Thriller, and he became the biggest movie star of his generation, though Martin had big films right after. — Van Lathan
A case exists for Michael Bay, since this launches 25 years of Michael Bay, but it has to be Will Smith, the biggest star in the world within three years.
Bruckheimer could make a case too, going on to be the biggest guy in town; Leoni doesn't win.

Podcast choices

Speaker not identified: Will Smith
Van Lathan: Will Smith

More from the conversation

Ringer network plug for Sound Only and 10 Questions with Kyle Brandt, then a trailer cold open for the film.

Approx. transcript time · 00:00:23Read transcript

Van Lathan and Logan Murdock are introduced; Logan says he was born in 93, before the 95 release; the theatrical viewing is recalled in Framingham, Massachusetts.

Approx. transcript time · 00:01:26Read transcript

Wikipedia premise: Miami detectives Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowry must recover 100 million of seized heroin stolen from a police vault within five days; the premise is called flawless.

Approx. transcript time · 00:02:06Read transcript

Asked where the film sits in the Will Smith canon, Logan describes first seeing it in TV syndication and working backward through Smith's career; Smith's arrival is compared to Eddie Murphy's 80s run and LeBron's 07 playoff breakthrough.

Approx. transcript time · 00:03:03Read transcript

Will Smith is called the first celebrity seen going into and coming out of a cocoon; an older sister and her friends are said to have only found Smith attractive after this film.

Approx. transcript time · 00:04:14Read transcript

The buddy-cop timeline runs from 48 Hrs through Running Scared, Lethal Weapon, Stakeout, Turner and Hooch, The Last Boy Scout and Tango and Cash, noting this was the first with two Black leads after 14 years.

Approx. transcript time · 00:06:44Read transcript

Asked why it took until 1995, the answer is that Hollywood always lags on two Black leads and still hasn't made a big-budget Black rom-com; the Leoni character is called annoying throughout the rewatch.

Approx. transcript time · 00:07:48Read transcript

The film is argued to differ from Do the Right Thing, Boyz n the Hood or Poetic Justice because, directed by Michael Bay, it was seen as an action movie with Black leads rather than a Black movie, which broke barriers.

Approx. transcript time · 00:09:44Read transcript

The research says the film was meant to be set in New York but Miami was cheaper; Miami is used as a character after Miami Vice and Manhunter, and Bay's film is credited with a Miami renaissance.

Approx. transcript time · 00:11:34Read transcript

The film is placed within a mid-to-late-90s Miami renaissance alongside Miami Rhapsody and the Ocean Drive fashion scene.

Approx. transcript time · 00:13:30Read transcript

Shooting in Miami instead of New York is called a blessing in disguise; Miami is undefeated as a movie city, and DC, San Francisco, Vegas and New Orleans are named as other cities that become characters, with Tightrope as a New Orleans example.

Approx. transcript time · 00:13:43Read transcript

Martin Lawrence gets top billing; Will Smith had flops like Made in America, and Lawrence is said to have vouched for him; Lawrence's Boomerang, You So Crazy and Martin sitcom are called his 'kit'.

Approx. transcript time · 00:15:29Read transcript

Smith's run of Bad Boys, Independence Day, Men in Black and Enemy of the State is argued as close to the greatest start to a movie career; a counterargument says Eddie Murphy's 48 Hrs, Trading Places, Best Defense and Beverly Hills Cop start was better, with Hanks's 90s four-film run also raised.

Approx. transcript time · 00:17:28Read transcript

Martin Lawrence's stock is debated: one view says it peaks here, another says Big Momma's House (about $174 million) and Blue Streak made him a bigger 2000s star.

Approx. transcript time · 00:19:53Read transcript

Only three Bad Boys films were made because both stars got too big; Bad Boys for Life, released this year, reportedly made around $440 million and is compared to Dr. Dre's Compton: nice to have them back.

Approx. transcript time · 00:21:07Read transcript

This was Michael Bay's first film after music videos including Meat Loaf's I'd Do Anything for Love and the Divinyls' I Touch Myself.

Approx. transcript time · 00:22:26Read transcript

The hosts say the film had a $17 million budget and tight schedule; Bay fronted about 25K for a stunt, lent his own Porsche as Lowrey's car, and some scenes are dark to cut corners.

Approx. transcript time · 00:23:26Read transcript

Bay's limited budget is argued to make this his best-directed film; the stars improvised over a script they hated, and it is called a favorite Michael Bay movie, with the DNA of later self-parody visible.

Approx. transcript time · 00:24:23Read transcript

The film is called a shadow remake of Lethal Weapon 2, with Martin as a more comic Murtaugh figure opposite a solo loose-cannon partner.

Approx. transcript time · 00:27:00Read transcript

The hosts say the film cost $17 million, made $141.4 million, and launched 25 years of Michael Bay.

Approx. transcript time · 00:31:22Read transcript

Sponsor read for 10 Questions with Kyle Brandt.

Approx. transcript time · 00:32:01Read transcript

The first apartment scene plays nearly the whole Tupac song Me Against the World; the song choice and a Jordan-retired reference are called the two most early-95 things in the film.

Approx. transcript time · 00:41:29Read transcript

The liquor store robber is identified by description only as the doctor who helps Tony Stark build the suit in Iron Man; no actor name is spoken.

Approx. transcript time · 00:43:05Read transcript

The mid-90s era was so supermodel-heavy that many models tried acting, with Naomi Campbell, Tyra, Crawford, Kathy Ireland, Elle Macpherson and Porizkova named.

Approx. transcript time · 00:53:34Read transcript

Closing plugs: Logan on the Ringer NBA show on Mondays; Van deep into season three of his Wire rewatch and on Higher Learning with Rachel Lindsay.

Approx. transcript time · 01:32:54Read transcript

Outro says two Rewatchables are coming next week, including a 'one for us' next Wednesday.

Approx. transcript time · 01:33:38Read transcript