The opening tracking shot wins over the party, Rialto murder, Habeas Corpus pitch and ending, awards speech, and Pasadena interrogation.
In the discussion (14)
- The 7:47 opening tracking shot is nominated and ultimately selected.
- The opening includes Buck Henry pitching The Graduate Part II.
- The opening’s rapid movie-pitch mashups are praised.
- Fred Ward discussing Touch of Evil while admitting gaps in his movie knowledge is praised.
- The large party where Sidney Pollack appears is nominated.
- The Burt Reynolds party exchange is praised.
- Griffin confronting David Kahane at the Rialto and the ensuing murder are nominated.
- The hotel-pool Habeas Corpus pitch is nominated.
- Griffin’s generic black-tie speech about movies as art is nominated.
- The one-year-later Habeas Corpus ending with Julia Roberts and Bruce Willis is nominated.
- The final in-car pitch of The Player and Griffin’s homecoming are nominated.
- The Pasadena interrogation with Lyle Lovett and Whoopi Goldberg is nominated.
- Whoopi Goldberg’s tampon exchange is highlighted.
- The lineup scene and Whoopi Goldberg’s pressure on the witness are praised.
Early-1990s Los Angeles, the no-stars pitch, cameos, Randall Batinkoff, anonymous threats, and Hollywood-insider jokes lead aged-best.
In the discussion (14)
- The pre-internet early-1990s Los Angeles movie world is praised.
- Executives recoiling from a movie with no stars is praised.
- Jeremy Piven’s pre-hairpiece appearance is highlighted.
- Anjelica Huston and John Cusack visibly disliking Griffin is a favorite cameo moment.
- Randall Batinkoff’s funny supporting role and failed star trajectory are highlighted.
- The mystery-person postcard device is praised as reliably effective.
- Brion James’s studio-chief presence is praised.
- Larry Levy attending AA meetings to make deals despite not drinking is praised.
- Malcolm McDowell’s cameo is praised.
- The movie marks Sidney Pollack’s return to acting before a later run.
- The running assumption that Julia Roberts and Bruce Willis fit every movie is praised.
- The Pasadena insult is highlighted.
- Griffin being served a different bottled-water brand in each venue is highlighted.
- The movie’s insider view of powerful institutions is connected to later storytelling.
Spelling Entertainment, car phones and fax machines, the rattlesnake, Griffin’s police-station laugh, June’s characterization, clothes, and the Range Rover draw criticism.
In the discussion (10)
- Spelling Entertainment’s credit alongside its television slate is treated as incongruous.
- Car fax machines and giant mobile phones are dated.
- June Gudmundsdottir’s unusually long name is questioned, then explained as common in Iceland.
- The rattlesnake-in-the-car torment is questioned.
- Griffin’s police-station laughing scene is considered overly broad.
- June’s motivations and lack of suspicion toward Griffin are questioned.
- The panel disputes whether the problem is Greta Scacchi’s performance or the character writing.
- June is read as an intentionally distant noir-artist archetype.
- The double-breasted clothes are criticized.
- The Range Rover as a power vehicle is treated as dated.
Leah Ayres wins over Richard E. Grant.
In the discussion (2)
- Richard E. Grant is the runner-up for his manic Habeas Corpus pitch.
- Leah Ayres, identified through Bloodsport, is selected because the hosts recognize her but did not know her name.
Bonnie’s climactic confrontation, played by Cynthia Stevenson, is the overacting choice.
In the discussion (1)
- Cynthia Stevenson’s final confrontation is selected as the moment when the casting starts to come apart.
Whoopi Goldberg wins the heat check; Richard E. Grant and Dean Stockwell are alternatives.
In the discussion (3)
- Whoopi Goldberg is selected for dominating a small number of scenes.
- Richard E. Grant is nominated for his pitch performance.
- Dean Stockwell is nominated.
Altman, Cynthia Stevenson, Leeza Gibbons, double-breasted suits, and several performers receive distinct apex judgments.
In the discussion (15)
- Tim Robbins is judged short of an overall career apex.
- Vincent D’Onofrio’s Law & Order work is suggested as his apex.
- Robert Altman’s Nashville and immediate post-MASH power are weighed.
- Cynthia Stevenson is explicitly judged at her apex.
- The Player competes with other Hollywood-industry satires.
- Peter Gallagher is judged not at his apex.
- Double-breasted suits are called a period apex, with hope that the style stays buried.
- Leeza Gibbons is judged at her apex in 1992.
- Fred Ward is judged not at his apex.
- Brion James is judged probably not at his apex.
- Whoopi Goldberg’s Ghost and Sister Act period is identified as the apex context.
- Greta Scacchi’s Presumed Innocent period is compared.
- Outdoor Los Angeles meals and drinks are placed at a 2020–2022 apex.
- Randall Batinkoff’s School Ties, Buffy, and The Player run is judged his apex.
- Murdering a screenwriter is rejected as an apex-worthy behavior.
A ten-episode contemporary adaptation could expand the novel and industry world, though the panel doubts it would improve on Altman.
In the discussion (4)
- A ten-episode version could spend more time with the different characters.
- A contemporary version could update the story with the internet.
- The mystery element is offered as a reason an episodic version could sustain binge viewing.
- The hosts would adapt the book rather than remake Altman’s movie.
The M poster, Griffin’s suit and Rolls-Royce, the Rialto cinema, and the studio jeans are proposed.
In the discussion (5)
- The M poster is proposed.
- Griffin’s suit is proposed.
- Griffin’s Rolls-Royce is proposed.
- The Rialto cinema or its sign is proposed.
- The conspicuous studio jeans are proposed.
Robert Altman wins the movie by consensus as a major comeback.
In the discussion (2)
- The panel immediately agrees that Altman wins.
- The win is framed as another major Altman comeback.
Most Rewatchable Scene
