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Batman

year 1989decade 80sdirector Tim Burtongenre Fantasygenre Actiongenre Crime

126 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Michael Keaton Bruce Wayne / Batman
Jack Nicholson Jack Napier / The Joker
Kim Basinger Vicki Vale
Robert Wuhl Alexander Knox
Pat Hingle Commissioner Gordon
Billy Dee Williams Harvey Dent
Michael Gough Alfred Pennyworth
Jack Palance Carl Grissom
Jerry Hall Alicia Hunt
Tracey Walter Bob the Goon
William Hootkins Lt. Max Eckhardt

Batman | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanhost Sean Fennessey
Explore episodeClose episode

Producer credits not yet identified.

Roger Ebert's review

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 00:35:41Read transcript
  • Roger Ebert gave the film two stars.
  • Excerpts praise the Gotham City design as distinctive and atmospheric but regret that nothing more memorable happens there.
  • The review calls the Joker the most important character in impact and screen time and finds Keaton’s Batman and Bruce Wayne so monosyllabic and impenetrable that viewers must remind themselves to cheer.
  • The review calls it a hostile, mean-spirited movie about ugly, evil people, lacking the euphoria of Superman or Indiana Jones, and not for kids despite its rating.
  • The review feels like one and a half stars, likely bumped to two for the look; Ebert also disliked the sequel.
  • A rebuttal says Ebert missed the point about design and character psychology, and that a nighttime parade whose giant balloons poison the city is memorable.
  • Ebert is described as a plot and story guy, and the story comes and goes here.

Most Rewatchable Scene

Drive into the Batcave; Party Man museum scene

In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 00:37:14Read transcript
  • The opening rooftop introduction with “I'm Batman” is nominated; Keaton reportedly wrote that line.
  • Knox and Vicki visiting Bruce Wayne’s office and Batman foiling the Joker’s gang ahead of the fall into the vat are listed.
  • “Wait till they get a load of me” is offered as the film’s most famous line, with the rhubarb line as a jokey rival.
  • The first Batmobile sequence and the drive into the Batcave, with Vicki fearing she will be killed, is called a favorite part of the movie and impressive for 1989.
  • The flashback revealing that the Joker killed Bruce’s parents is called well done.
  • The newscasts, the Smilex ad, and the parade with the poison gas are nominated; the parade is called completely bonkers but effectively the climax.
  • The Vicki-Joker scenes are grouped: the museum date, the “let’s get nuts” showdown, and the bell tower, whose violent Joker fall was traumatizing as a child.
  • The bell tower was left off because it is long, inexplicable, and geometrically confusing.
  • Final pick: driving into the Batcave.
  • Final pick: the Party Man scene where the Joker dances and defaces the museum art. — Sean Fennessey

Picking Nits

Bell tower geometry; unrevealed Batcave entrance; obvious secret identity; cathedral origin; Vicki’s weight; comic departures; unintimidating goons; chemical plant security; newscaster boils

In the discussion (12)
Approx. transcript time · 00:40:44Read transcript
  • The bell tower fall geometry, with the Joker pulling them over without falling, is a huge nitpick.
  • The goons are not intimidating, a point deferred to picking nits.
  • Vicki walking into the Batcave to find Bruce is Batman has no reveal or payoff; Burton reportedly stated in 1992 he was killed for it, said he went too far, and called it a mistake.
  • Batman revealing his identity in the first movie is an odd choice.
  • Nobody recognizes the same jawline and eyes under the mask; Superman’s glasses are worse.
  • The cathedral reportedly came from Peters and Nicholson seeing Phantom of the Opera; it also echoes Vertigo.
  • Vicki states her weight as 108 pounds though the actress is about 5’10”.
  • Comic fans objected to the Joker killing the Waynes instead of Joe Chill, to naming him Jack Napier, and to Alfred letting Vicki into the Batcave.
  • Fan outrage is discussed as possibly beginning here, with jokes about listener complaints over the previous month.
  • The Joker’s gang would intimidate no one, looking like bouncers at Planet Hollywood.
  • The chemical plant needed better security.
  • Newscasters developing boils within days of giving up tainted beauty products is implausible.

What’s Aged the Best?

Keaton’s lower Batman voice; Kim Basinger; Nicholson as the Joker; the Batcave; the rushed Christmas teaser; making a Batman movie; Burton gamble; low angst; Bruce’s armor room

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 00:41:29Read transcript
  • Keaton using a lower voice for Batman than for Bruce Wayne was smart and widely copied.
  • Kim Basinger’s looks are singled out, while her acting is not evaluated.
  • Nicholson as the Joker, framed as Jack Torrance playing the Joker, is called probably the favorite thing about the movie.
  • The Batcave is praised.
  • Peters reportedly rushed out a trailer played in theaters around Christmas after reading of fan anger over Keaton; it created huge excitement and is still on YouTube.
  • The role as an exclamation point on Nicholson’s pop-culture career is added.
  • Making a Batman movie at all, and taking a chance on Burton, look smart given how many followed.
  • The relative lack of angst compared with the Nolan, Snyder, and Reeves films is praised.
  • Bruce’s office and armor display room are added, prompting a joke about needing one at home.

What’s Aged the Worst?

Dated effects; darkness; Vicki Vale framing; Keaton-Basinger romance; casting uproar; Prince soundtrack; Gotham Globe newspaper; Keaton’s hair; wasted Billy Dee Williams; Pat Hingle; Robert Wuhl as Knox

In the discussion (12)
Approx. transcript time · 00:42:06Read transcript
  • The framing of Vicki Vale is flagged as weird and reserved for this category.
  • Some special effects, like the bat plane flight, feel very 1989.
  • The film is too dark and literally hard to see in places; The Batman is said to be darker still.
  • The Keaton-Basinger scenes feel rough; a defense says they convey chemistry and that the Joker is crude and after her.
  • Keaton’s Bruce is an odd, untraumatized weirdo, so the romance raises the question of why she likes him beyond his money; he is compared to a tech billionaire with a Steve Jobs look, though he had great chemistry with Michelle Pfeiffer in the sequel.
  • The uproar over casting Keaton, with a reported 50,000 protest letters, is hard to explain today and is contrasted with modern tweet-based hate.
  • The Prince soundtrack is named, while Trust and Party Man are defended as good songs.
  • The importance of the Gotham Globe newspaper has dated; the setting feels like both 1989 and 1948, and Gotham is a composite of many cities.
  • Keaton’s hair sometimes looks like a wig.
  • Billy Dee Williams is wasted as Harvey Dent and was later replaced by Tommy Lee Jones; Morgan Freeman is floated but his fit as Two-Face is debated.
  • Pat Hingle as Commissioner Gordon would be recast; William Hootkins as the lieutenant is defended.
  • Robert Wuhl as Knox is the worst part: he is in too many scenes after Bull Durham, which is called the most unfortunate part of the movie.

Recasting Couch

Phil Hartman as Knox; Morgan Freeman as Harvey Dent

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:49:37Read transcript

Casting What-Ifs

Batman contenders; Joker alternatives; Vicki Vale recasting; Grissom refusal; Adam West

In the discussion (13)
Approx. transcript time · 00:52:10Read transcript
  • Casting what-ifs are deferred past the break; the film is said to have as many as any of the 226 editions, rivaling The Godfather.
  • Nearly every 1980s star was reportedly considered for Batman, including Mel Gibson, Kevin Costner, Charlie Sheen, Tom Selleck, Bill Murray, Harrison Ford, and one further name garbled in the transcript, with uncertainty over what is real.
  • Pierce Brosnan reportedly met Burton but did not want to play a comic-book hero.
  • Bill Murray, with Ivan Reitman directing, was earlier buzz that Peters favored for years; the hosts are glad it did not happen. An Eddie Murphy as Robin rumor is doubted.
  • Damon Wayans, met by chance, reportedly denied the research claim that he and Bruce Willis feuded on The Last Boy Scout, illustrating the unreliability of casting research.
  • Nicholson was reportedly the studio’s top Joker choice since 1980, and Willem Dafoe reportedly stated in 2009 he had been in talks.
  • Robin Williams was reportedly offered the Joker to pressure Nicholson, released once Nicholson agreed, and then refused Warner roles such as the Riddler without an apology; the apology detail is doubted.
  • Dead Poets Society was 1989’s third-biggest film; swapping Nicholson and Williams would make both films worse, and “he stole my balloons” is called a favorite line.
  • Nicholson’s reported conditions included top billing, a share of earnings including merchandise, capped work hours, and no work on Lakers home playoff games; his fee dropped from $11 million to $6 million, but he may have made $90 million.
  • Martin Landau reportedly turned down Carl Grissom for Crimes and Misdemeanors, and Jack Palance in that role is imagined as bad.
  • Sean Young was cast as Vicki Vale and replaced after a horse-riding injury; the Knox actor later claimed she sabotaged a read-through, which is doubted. Her Catwoman costume audition for Batman Returns is recalled.
  • The Knox actor also claimed Keaton blocked Peters’ choice of Michelle Pfeiffer because they had dated, which is doubted since she is in the sequel.
  • Adam West was publicly disappointed not to be asked to reprise Batman.

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:03:28Read transcript
  • Tracey Walter as Bob the Goon is called a clear winner; Nicholson reportedly negotiated his casting, and Repo Man is cited as a favorite Walter role.
  • He is not a very intimidating gangster, a point saved for picking nits; his was the sixth-biggest part, secured by Nicholson’s juice.

The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award

Keaton’s “Let’s get nuts”; Jack Palance’s death scene

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:04:53Read transcript
  • Nicholson has moments and the Prince-song scene is a candidate, but Keaton’s “you want to get nuts” outburst in the Joker showdown is highlighted.
  • Palance’s dramatic death after being shot is the platonic ideal of overdone dying; he is called bad here, indescribable in Tango and Cash, and undeserving of his City Slickers Oscar.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Costs, Pinewood secrecy, Palance clash, makeup time, body count, Aspen horseback ride

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:06:32Read transcript
  • The Batman suit reportedly cost $250,000 and the 38-foot cathedral $100,000; filming at Pinewood Studios in England kept Nicholson’s Joker secret.
  • Palance reportedly had a hearing problem; after Burton cut a take he missed, Palance boasted of making over 100 films, and Burton later called it a scarring experience.
  • Nicholson’s Joker makeup took two hours, and Keaton reportedly recalls that basketball games were taped on VHS for him to watch in the chair.
  • The film has 56 dead bodies.
  • To win over Nicholson, Burton was taken horseback riding with him in Aspen despite not riding horses.

Apex Mountain

Michael Keaton; Jon Peters and Peter Guber

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 01:08:05Read transcript
  • Keaton is a yes: the biggest movie ever when released, and his juice got Pacific Heights made.
  • A joke asks whether Damon Wayans understood Apex Mountain.
  • Pacific Heights is defended as great, prompting a joke to schedule it.
  • Basinger could be argued yes given her fame and coming Alec Baldwin romance, but L.A. Confidential is offered instead; she worked little after it.
  • Nicholson is a no; his apex is elsewhere.
  • Peters and Guber are a yes, since this success helped them take over Sony before it fell apart.
  • The Knox actor gets an “absolutely”, but it is immediately deferred to Arli$$ as his apex.
  • For Burton, this film is possible but Batman Returns is preferred as the better movie he fully controlled; it has great performances throughout, with no bad Palance turn. — Sean Fennessey
  • For Batman movies, the answer is no: The Dark Knight.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Nicholson’s most important role; the Dr. J theory of Batmen; most disappointing Batman

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:18:38Read transcript
  • Whether this was secretly Nicholson’s most important movie is recalled as already discussed.
  • Dr. J theory: Keaton’s Batman is Dr. J, Bale’s is Michael Jordan, and the Reeves films start a LeBron era; Keaton invented the low Batman voice, and Dr. J was not bad for basketball. — Sean Fennessey
  • Clooney is the most disappointing Batman, saddled with the worst film; he might have been good with a better director.
  • More comparisons follow: Val Kilmer as Hakeem Olajuwon, Affleck as Karl Malone or Kawhi Leonard, Zoe Kravitz as the Steph Curry, Adam West as Paul Arizin, and Cesar Romero as George Mikan.
  • Julie Newmar’s Catwoman and Burgess Meredith’s Penguin are remembered from the TV show, and the 1966 movie featured all the villains.

Who Won the Movie?

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:23:35Read transcript
  • Nicholson is proposed and accepted; Burton is also floated.
  • Burton wins the next film instead, because he was unhappy with so much here and it is surprising he returned.
  • The choice closes on Nicholson.
Podcast choices
Speaker not identified
Jack Nicholson
Speaker not identified
Jack Nicholson

Producer review

Nicholson as disengaged scene-stealer; parody-like tone

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:23:50Read transcript
  • The producer was born long after the film and watched The Batman about 24 hours before this one.
  • Nicholson is scene-stealing and charismatic but seems to do every scene in one take without caring.
  • The film looks like a Scary Movie-style parody of today’s serious Batman, especially the museum dance to Prince.
  • The hosts counter that its lack of self-seriousness is what makes it fun; the producer assumed Batman was always serious and dark.
  • A mock question about a Jerry Seinfeld Batman sitcom is quickly revealed as a joke.

More from the conversation

The 1989 film is covered because the newly released The Batman is out and the older film started the superhero boom and modern action-movie marketing.
Approx. transcript time · 00:02:23Read transcript
Ages in 1989 were just turning seven and twelve; for the twelve-year-old it was the biggest movie experience up to that point, later matched by Jurassic Park.
Approx. transcript time · 00:02:36Read transcript
The film is framed as studios discovering intellectual property and integrated merchandising, after Superman in 1978 failed to launch a comic-book wave in the 1980s.
Approx. transcript time · 00:03:42Read transcript
Superman II is praised, the first Superman is called slow, and Superman III and IV are panned; the Adam West TV series shaped the older host’s Batman.
Approx. transcript time · 00:04:35Read transcript
The nine-month hype is called the blueprint for later franchise excess; the complaint is aimed at never-ending serialized storytelling, while this film is praised as a lean two-hander.
Approx. transcript time · 00:06:34Read transcript
Burton had made only two films, the Keaton casting nearly caused a riot, and Nicholson lent credibility.
Approx. transcript time · 00:07:52Read transcript
Merchandise reportedly sold about $750 million; the MTV steal-the-Batmobile contest and a Stallone quote about visuals replacing the individual star are cited, and blaming comics for the end of his era is dismissed.
Approx. transcript time · 00:09:06Read transcript
Batman as a darker vigilante fits the move from Reagan-era Superman into the 1990s; the character’s popularity as a psychotic billionaire is called fascinating.
Approx. transcript time · 00:10:26Read transcript
Robin’s absence disappointed a TV-show fan.
Approx. transcript time · 00:11:40Read transcript
Summer 1989 releases are read week by week, from Road House through License to Kill and When Harry Met Sally; Do the Right Thing and Karate Kid III opening together is called an insane double feature.
Approx. transcript time · 00:11:56Read transcript
A theory holds that the 1980s ended with the Prince-scored museum defacement scene.
Approx. transcript time · 00:13:07Read transcript
On rewatch this is the Joker’s movie rather than Batman’s; Nicholson’s total commitment made it work, and The Departed calls back to it.
Approx. transcript time · 00:14:39Read transcript
Nicholson’s history of on-screen meltdowns makes him irreplaceable; his Joker is likened to Jack Torrance in The Shining.
Approx. transcript time · 00:15:58Read transcript
His reported $11 million salary was really about $6 million plus a percentage that a biographer estimated at up to $90 million.
Approx. transcript time · 00:17:17Read transcript
This is argued to be Nicholson’s biggest pop-culture crossover role, though Heath Ledger’s Joker later topped it; the film reportedly grossed $250 million in 1989 and set an opening-weekend record.
Approx. transcript time · 00:17:53Read transcript
Nicholson, Pacino in Dick Tracy, and De Niro in The Untouchables took villain roles for pop-culture reach and money after their prestige peaks.
Approx. transcript time · 00:20:00Read transcript
Nicholson should have received an Oscar nomination in some category; the 1989 fields are listed, and he was nominated at the Golden Globes in the comedy or musical actor category.
Approx. transcript time · 00:23:22Read transcript
Burton pitched a darker story about moral decay and a damaged Bruce Wayne; the film is literally dark and set the anti-hero template.
Approx. transcript time · 00:25:54Read transcript
After the three-hour The Batman, this film seems poppier and brighter, with Art Deco soundstage design; the electrocuted mobster’s shrunken head now looks quaint.
Approx. transcript time · 00:26:58Read transcript
This film began an obsession with Burton, whose first six films are praised; the Oscar-winning production design still looks great, unlike most superhero movies.
Approx. transcript time · 00:27:51Read transcript
Beetlejuice is praised as a five-star movie that revived Keaton’s career; Burton is placed between directing generations and compared with mainstream 1980s tentpole directors.
Approx. transcript time · 00:28:57Read transcript
Burton’s detachment from comics is contrasted with today’s superhero directors, and he reportedly saw the story as a duel between two disturbed freaks.
Approx. transcript time · 00:32:05Read transcript
A Lawrence Kasdan month is joked about.
Approx. transcript time · 00:33:15Read transcript
Film producers Jon Peters and Peter Guber are named; Peters pushed tie-ins and Prince songs and built a $100,000 cathedral set Burton did not know about.
Approx. transcript time · 00:34:19Read transcript
Credits recap: art direction won an Oscar, Bob Ringwood’s Batsuit went unnominated, Danny Elfman scored, and a writers’ strike forced rewrites of Sam Hamm’s script; reported budget $48 million and gross $411.6 million.
Approx. transcript time · 00:34:49Read transcript
Burton is quoted saying the forced Prince songs tainted how he felt about the artist; one host thinks the Joker needs theme songs.
Approx. transcript time · 00:48:52Read transcript
A joke says Chris Ryan negotiates Sixers and Liverpool playoff clauses with Rich Paul as his agent.
Approx. transcript time · 00:59:46Read transcript
A joke promotes a 100-episode Arli$$ rewatch podcast with the Knox actor; Clippers tickets are shared with an Arli$$ creator.
Approx. transcript time · 01:02:41Read transcript
Closing credits: Sean on The Big Picture, jokes about the Arli$$ rewatch pod and Cyberdust, and a promise of another big movie next week.
Approx. transcript time · 01:25:44Read transcript