Our guy gave it three stars, saying it captures the fact dimly sensed by undergraduates that the college years are the happiest of their lives.
Whether college is still the happiest time of life now is doubted, since college has gotten more complicated and students cannot go right now.

Most Rewatchable Scene

Balcony Prague conversation at the graduation party; airport scene; bow-hunting scene

In the discussion (17)

Approx. transcript time · 00:30:33Read transcript

The pick is narrowed from the opening cocktail party to Josh Hamilton and Olivia Diaba on the balcony, where she says she is going to Prague and he claims he has been to Prague; it introduces their relationship.
Prague was a mythical post-Berlin-Wall destination heard about on campuses, requiring a Fodor's book, a visa and travelers checks, so "going to Prague" became a thing in itself.
A college roommate came back from a Prague junior year abroad judging everyone; skipping a semester abroad is a regret; the movie was seen on Thayer Street in Providence before the first Starbucks there.
The graduation party is up there with the wedding in The Godfather for getting to know every character, Skippy, Max and Otis.
The "You never even been to Prague" exchange riffs on the stop-shaving-your-armpits, read-The-Unbearable-Lightness-of-Being version of Prague.
The book club scene, added because Eric Stoltz had to be shoehorned in with ad-libbed scenes, has about seven laugh-out-loud lines about All the Pretty Horses.
Hollywood roller coaster: Stoltz was removed from Back to the Future, and ten years later this movie could not get money without him.
Further nominations: Grover confronting Max about sleeping with Miami, with Chet sneaking back in; Skippy confronting Max; and Grover and Chet at the bar, where Chet saw it as a postponement of his life until realizing it was his life.
The final airport scene is spectacular: Grover's roughly three-minute monologue on a whim to go to Prague, with the camera on him.
Hamilton's airport performance echoes Dustin Hoffman banging on the church at the end of The Graduate.
If asked at the end of 1995 which five young actors to bet on, Chris O'Donnell, Damon and Omar Epps would have been on the list along with Hamilton; the part could easily have been a Matt Damon part, but Hamilton is perfect in it.
Hamilton suffers on Google from the Texas Rangers ballplayer of the same name and is part of the 90s New York theater crew with Billy Crudeup, Ethan Hawke and Robert Sean Leonard.
Jessica Hacked, who was on Friends as the lesbian lover of Ross's ex-wife, is great as the stewardess in the airport scene.
The flashbacks work, perhaps as the story Grover is writing, and the ending goes straight into the Fridi Johnson song Bad Reputation, a needle drop that hits like a bomb.
The last line, "let's pretend we're an old couple," happens before everything chronologically, and they do not actually kiss.
The airport scene is one pick, with a special shout-out to the entire graduation party as a meet-everyone-at-a-gathering opening.
Every scene is equally rewatchable because the tone is so consistent, but the shout-out goes to the scene where he would rather be bow hunting.

Max's lines; broken glass sign; Max's date with Kate; bar-hopping; post-college home decor; Otis packing the remote twice; evergreen college moments; Bad Reputation; Otis's video store job; video store manager; answering machine plot device; Grover's smoking; Grover's dad's sports messages; Parker Posey; Jessica Hecht; Grover's C-plus love life; Perrey Reeves cameo; no internet or cell phones; Baumbach's cameo

In the discussion (19)

Approx. transcript time · 00:45:07Read transcript

Max nominees: "I'm nostalgic for conversations I had yesterday" and "What I used to be able to pass off as a bad summer could now potentially turn into a bad life," urged as a yearbook quote.
More Max lines: the date-book line, "Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the futon," and "Isn't it bad enough to be whipped by your own mother" aimed at Otis, plus the jackanapes and "Jane 2, Electric Bugaloo" jokes.
Max carefully writing a "broken glass" sign over broken glass is called the truest moment of a host's life as represented in the movie.
The favorite Max moment is his date with Kate, from meeting her at the mess hall to the pickup-truck confrontation where she threatens to break the guy's legs. — Chris Ryan
Chris Eagerman deserves the veneration an earlier generation gave Redford, Newman and Poitier, as that guy in Metropolitan, Barcelona and this movie.
His sitcom, pitched as an LA Seinfeld with Jennifer Gray, is first recalled as lasting a handful of episodes, then two years; he should have had a younger-Frasier-style show.
A reunion screening at BAM about eight years earlier suggested the cast chose New York lives, whether pushed or by choice.
Always talking about the next bar while drinking in one, from the Penguin to the Hole, holds up, a topic also raised when they did Swingers.
The film captures post-college home decor: dark beat-up furniture, street finds and thrift-store items, like a Mission Hill house with an air hockey table hung as art.
Otis packs his poster, maybe from a John Wu movie such as The Killer, and the remote control twice.
Evergreen college things: the Euro guy, the fan used only the first three weeks, and getting drunk in the middle of the day.
Fridi Johnson's Bad Reputation has to be on any mid-90s playlist.
Otis working in a video store, with a second interview at Video Planet, and the manager throwing heat about his version of Lolita.
The answering machine as a plot device, Grover's smoking as affectation become habit, the broken glass sign, and Grover's dad leaving sports messages.
Parker Posey had enormous sway over the mid-90s; her breakup with Skippy is a tornado that injects manic emotion into an intellectual movie.
Jessica Hex had Seinfeld, Friends, this and Party of Five in about a year; Grover grading his love life a C plus; and a Perry Reeves cameo before Mrs. Ari on Entourage.
No internet or cell phones helps: emails would make it a different movie, and the characters feel isolated on moon base alpha.
The category ends with an offer to give it to Fridi and a suggestion to give it to Max's character, which is agreed.
Bombach's own cameo as the guy asking whether people would rather have sex with a cow or kill their mother is added to aged best.

What’s Aged the Worst?

Will Ferrell's 2005 Kicking & Screaming title; Josh Hamilton's baseball namesake; Max dating a 17-year-old; trivia and made-up games; boredom of finishing infomercials; faded heavy blue jeans; impetuous travel on a whim

In the discussion (10)

Approx. transcript time · 00:57:14Read transcript

Will Ferrell's 2005 movie also called Kicking and Screaming is infuriating and causes brand confusion; the episode title needs "1995" in parentheses.
Bomback reportedly considered fighting the title and later said he was lucky none of Ferrell's brilliant movies were called Kicking and Screaming.
It would be like Matt Damon being the troubled Rangers slugger.
Max dating a 17-year-old is number one; the "17 tomorrow" line is cringeworthy and she could have been an appropriate age.
The 90s were different, with Kobe Bryant and Jerry Seinfeld cited as dating 17-year-olds.
Playing trivia and dumb games to pass time, with unverifiable memories like the go bots, since nothing could be Googled.
Finishing the stain remover commercial shows how bored people could be; hungover Saved by the Bell and Days of Our Lives viewing and the OJ trial as time killers.
The faded, heavy blue jeans went out about ten years ago.
The impetuous freedom to buy a ticket and fly to Prague tomorrow is moved to aged worst.
Having bought on-a-whim airport tickets while dating someone outside Boston, it did not work out. — Bill Simmons

Casting What-Ifs

No affirmative selection

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 01:01:12Read transcript

There is not much to cast; another actor, never identified, was scheduled for the lead and dropped out at the last minute, which led to Eric Stoltz joining.
Ethan Hawk as Grover is floated as a guess, with the speaker saying he is sure he is wrong; Omar Epps is named among a group of six or eight actors.

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

Jason Wiles

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 01:02:56Read transcript

The pick is Jason Wiles as Skippy, who the same year played Jenny Garth's coke-addict boyfriend on 90210 who got her hooked.
Buono is raised, but may not be a that guy after The Sopranos and Stranger Things.

The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

Cara Buono

In the discussion (5)

Approx. transcript time · 01:04:03Read transcript

Nominees: Carabuono; Elliot Gould with one scene and answering-machine messages; Eric Stoltz is in it too much to be eligible; Perry Reeves throws heat in two scenes.
Parker Posey is argued to be the pick if eligible, but her eligibility is questioned as one of the six main characters.
Buono comes out of nowhere, from the first scene to the dining hall to threatening a bow hunter with a tire iron, and is allowed at about four scenes.
Casting Elliot Gould as the father of a clearly Jewish character played by a non-Jew is saluted.
"So Carabuno wins that one."

Picking Nits

Knicks preseason phone calls; small airport with no international flights

In the discussion (6)

Approx. transcript time · 01:05:39Read transcript

Grover's dad calling about Knicks preseason in late August is odd since preseason starts a month later and fathers do not discuss it.
Grover's dad seems to ask whether Pat Riley is happily married; it was filmed in Riley's last Knicks season, and the Knicks worry is tied to the 1995 Pacers loss when Ewing missed a finger roll.
Why did the roommates not erase her answering machine message? Answered: he took the tape and listens to it on his boom box.
Who is calling Max and how Grover and Max pay for things is asked, and answered with the theory that Max is underwriting the rent.
Chet serves them at the Penguin right after they announce going there; explained as a shift takeover.
The airport has no international flights, like Burbank, so getting to Prague from there is doubtful; countered that a shuttle to JFK could connect.

The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award

Christopher Reed as Friedrich

In the discussion (1)

Approx. transcript time · 01:07:29Read transcript

It goes to the crazy foreign guy, Friedrich, who dials it up the whole time as if on steroids; agreed.

Recasting Couch

Casting left intact

In the discussion (6)

Approx. transcript time · 01:07:42Read transcript

The movie is perfectly cast and none of the top eight would be recast; names are offered for the Olivia Diabo role.
Heather Graham is rejected, with a joke that her in this, Boogie Nights and Swingers would have meant moving to LA.
Kate Winslet is interesting and could probably have made it work at 20, but as a stage-style actor she might have performed the quirks and made it a different movie.
Diabo's gawky, flawed performance, with the retainer and the country-western dance, is imperfectly perfect for him to lose himself over.
Joey Lauren Adams would have felt cliche; Gwyneth Paltrow, not yet famous and the right age, is called the best alternative, though her star charisma might not fit the "you didn't notice me" line.
Samantha Mathis is probably too old; early Chloe is raised.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Occidental College filming; false festival-cut rumor; Steve Martin letter; Baumbach on pop-culture dialogue; small appearances

In the discussion (5)

Approx. transcript time · 01:11:12Read transcript

Most of the movie was shot at Occidental College, hard to believe given how East Coast and Vassar-based it feels.
An internet rumor that a festival, heard as "a con," accepted the film if Bomback cut 15 minutes is not true.
Jason Blum got financing after family acquaintance Steve Martin endorsed the script in a letter sent around with it.
In his own words, Bomback was writing comedic versions of what he and his friends talked about, with pop-culture references and trivia then novel.
Small appearances: Marissa, Giovanni Revisi's twin sister, as the last freshman; Bombach's father Jonathan as the professor, who inspired the Squid and the Whale father; and Bombach himself asking the cow-or-mother question.

Apex Mountain

Jason Wiles; Carlos Jacott; the Bad Reputation singer; would-be-professor tweed-jacket look; Eric Stoltz's clout; Prague as an unseen movie destination

In the discussion (11)

Approx. transcript time · 01:13:43Read transcript

Jason Wiles may be the all-time Apex Mountain the category has covered, ripping off this and 90210 at once.
Josh Hamilton has had a respected career; since the movie did not do well, his Apex might instead be a supporting role like Alive.
Carlos Jakat, a Bombach friend who shows up in his later movies, gets an Apex Mountain yes; the food-in-his-beer scene is the biggest laugh.
Bombach no; Chris Aigman probably not, since Barcelona may be his best and showiest performance, though this one is sweeter.
Olivia Diabo no, because of The Wonder Years.
Fridi Johnson yes, for his song ending a movie out for 25 years, recalled alongside Can You Fly and Village Voice hype.
Jessica Heck's great career includes being on Friends when this came out.
Whether it is Apex Mountain for non-over-the-top college movies is debated against Animal House, Old School, Everybody Wants Some, Shithouse, School Days, Higher Learning and Blue Chips; it is only "definitely in the conversation."
The would-be-professor tweed-jacket look is the Apex Mountain of that style, with sport coats also in Bright Lights Big City and The Last Days of Disco.
Eric Stoltz: a year after Pulp Fiction, the movie could only be made with him, so it is the Apex Mountain of his clout and the best use of him.
Prague as a movie destination never actually seen is the pick, noting Arthur Phillips's novel Prague about people in Budapest.

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

"How do you make God laugh? Make a plan."; "I like a bartender who drinks. Otherwise, I feel like I'm being poisoned."; "From Howard Beach to Crown Heights, we witness acts of hatred."; "Don't even start with me because I've had a day."

In the discussion (4)

Approx. transcript time · 01:25:25Read transcript

Most quotes were already mentioned; the unmentioned "how do you make God laugh, make a plan" is added.
"I like a bartender who drinks. Otherwise, I feel like I'm being poisoned" is agreed with; being recognized by a bartender feels great.
Friedrich's "racism spans the globe, from Howard Beach to Crown Heights" and Max's "from the living room to the dining room" retort.
Also: the Renfair guy in the dining hall saying "don't even start with me because I've had a day."

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

Yes, as a series

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 01:27:32Read transcript

It would probably have been his goal to turn it into a Netflix or Amazon series; it is so consistent and well written he could have kept going.
It would need Jane back and more time with Frederick.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Is Prague overrated?; What happens to these guys?; Are Max and Grover still friends?

In the discussion (8)

Approx. transcript time · 01:28:39Read transcript

Should Josh Hamilton have been a bigger movie star was already covered.
Is Prague overrated? A visitor found it beautiful but not the hyped vibes, and Paris was still Paris; absinthe was the draw and Amsterdam is wilder.
A Eurail arrival in Prague meant following a stranger to a ninth-floor walkup shared with two backpackers from Finland; another stay was in an ex-USSR dormitory.
A Before Sunset-style sequel with Grover's first book tour could have worked, opening what happens to these guys.
In 2010-11 Grover could have covered the Knicks for Grantland after a critically acclaimed but under-read book about LaTrell's Freewell; his last name is Carey; joke headline about two months with Andrea Bargnani.
Baumbach skipped characters in their 30s; a sequel could be Grover in LA adapting his book, a less toxic Greenberg.
Max and Grover are still best friends; they lost touch with Otis.
Miami is the most successful, ahead of the culture; she declined Grantland to write for the New Yorker.

Who Won the Movie?

Chris Eigeman; Noah Baumbach

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 01:34:49Read transcript

The first answer is Aigman, since without him it is not the same movie.
Another voice agrees but wants to vote for Bombach, adding "I have Bomback as well," since he made this at 25 and it may remain a favorite of his movies.

Podcast choices

Speaker not identified: Chris Eigeman
Speaker not identified: Noah Baumbach

More from the conversation

Pre-roll note: the full archive of more than 150 movies is exclusive to Spotify, and the recording levels were botched so Zoom audio is used.

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Movie-clip cold open before the episode introduction.

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Introduced as the Gen X crew; the film is called probably the best Gen X movie ever made though not intended as one, released 25 years ago this week as Noah Baumbach's first movie.

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The movie is described as deeply formative: seen at the Avon theater freshman year of college, and as having the most profound effect on a host's actual life of any Rewatchables film, inspiring a wish for those friends, that girlfriend and a writing life.

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The film is called one of a host's 10 favorite movies ever; a host recalls seeing it in October 1995 at the Boston University campus theater during a low point, with Grover felt as an on-screen alter ego.

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The ending is praised: she goes to Prague, he finally decides to follow on a whim but lacks his passport and the moment is gone, which is called what real life is like.

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The film is made by a young person who is not romantic about youth; that sad ending is what keeps it on Apex Mountain for all of us, and a host holds back burning his Apex Mountain for sports jackets.

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Compared with Diner, Dazed and Confused, Everybody Wants Some and Animal House, these characters are miserable and it is empty, which feels honest; affectations like smoking become who you are.

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Chet, Eric Stoltz's perennial student, is who none of them want to become, though he is actually happy; relationships blow up when Skippy confronts Max in the bar about sleeping with Parker Posey's character.

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Before the internet there were few people to share this stuff with, so a movie like this had outsized impact; the speaker and Greenwald met in summer 1996 at the Borders in Philly where Andy worked, over a shared band t-shirt, and later talked by phone between Boston and Rhode Island.

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The phones: no texting, missed messages and meandering calls; the scene where Grover, drunk in a freshman dorm, calls his friend and they just ping each other is called touching and sad.

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Reality Bites was the Hollywood version and Singles tried to be this movie; Baumbach wrote it around 1991 at Vassar and spent four years getting it made, and his college roommate Jason Blum made it his first production.

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Recurring Baumbach themes: divorced dads, screwed-up kids, fear of commitment; after Mr. Jealousy he was nearly in director jail and took his name off a butchered film called something like Highball.

Approx. transcript time · 00:14:37Read transcript

A host recalls a late-night Avenue A Sushi dinner in New York where Sean Howe brought Noah, who seemed one of the saddest people, mentioning writing something with Wes; Wes Anderson later co-wrote with him and helped with The Squid and the Whale financing.

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The characters dress like old souls in tweed jackets; the hosts debate when people stopped dressing up, attributing it to Updike-style posing and 90s thrift-store shopping.

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The graduation cocktail party seems too nice; Max is supposed to be rich, and his dad casually offers his Greenwich Village apartment and leaves the cable.

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The film belongs to an unintentional cohort of sensitive-white-people-talking movies: Singles, Bodies, Rest & Motion, Sleep with Me, Reality Bites, The Brothers McMullen, Beautiful Girls and Chasing Amy, with Eric Stoltz in several.

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It nails the person who gets away with no hope of reunion, unlike Before Sunrise; many people tried to write their own version and none pulled it off.

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Parker Posey told a host in a Grantland interview she was bummed she could not be one of the guys; the women still call the men on their bullshit, and Jane's influence on Grover shapes his identity.

Approx. transcript time · 00:20:22Read transcript

Like Superbad and Dazed, the film has iceberg-coming moments: they know they are in purgatory; at that age things just happen to you, as when Jane gets into a program and leaves.

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The mid-90s were less inclusive, illustrated by an all-male fantasy league and Skippy asking Kate to leave during his nervous breakdown.

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The house scene where Chet mercilessly scolds Max and sneaks back in when Grover asks how she was is called one of the most authentic scenes; whether Max would have slept with Miami is a possible nitpick.

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It bombed on a $1.3 million budget, making $718,000, and launched no stars, yet is revered; producer Craig, half a host's age, loved it and it feels timeless.

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Low budget helps it not date: people in rooms talking, one or two tracking shots; the bar names are perfect and The Hole was a real place at Vassar.

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Baumbach said in about 2015 the Gen X label was a drag since he wrote it about himself and his friends; it played the New York Film Festival, Newsweek named him one of 10 new faces of 1996, and it built a following on DVD and Sundance.

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The movie was originally called Fifth Year, which the hosts like more than Kicking and Screaming; Jason Blum said that today it would be made for $50,000.

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Brooklyn and Park Slope, where Baumbach grew up, were not yet on young people's radar in 1995.

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Closing: the screenplay would be fun to read as a book; 1995 was the perfect year, before Beautiful Girls and Chasing Amy tried their versions; the film is a monument to a specific feeling made with enough self-awareness not to suck.

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Sign-off thanks Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald, calls it one of a host's favorite movies ever, and repeats the Spotify archive note; no producer credit is spoken.

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