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Apollo 13

year 1995decade 90sdirector Ron Howardgenre Dramagenre History

140 minutes

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Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Tom Hanks Commander Jim Lovell
Bill Paxton Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise
Kevin Bacon backup Command Module Pilot Jack Swigert
Gary Sinise prime Command Module Pilot Ken Mattingly
Mark Wheeler Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong
Larry Williams Apollo 11 Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin
David Andrews Apollo 12 Commander Pete Conrad
Ben Marley Apollo 13 backup Commander John Young
Brett Cullen capsule communicator (CAPCOM) 1 "Andy" (a composite astronaut
Ned Vaughn CAPCOM 2 (a composite astronaut)
Ed Harris White Team Flight Director Gene Kranz .
Chris Ellis Director of Flight Crew Operations Deke Slayton
Joe Spano NASA Director
Marc McClure Black Team Flight Director Glynn Lunney
Clint Howard White Team Electrical
Ray McKinnon White Team Flight Dynamics Officer (FIDO) Jerry Bostick
Todd Louiso White Team Flight Activities Officer (FAO)
Gabriel Jarret White Team Guidance
Andy Milder White Team Guidance Officer (GUIDO)
Jim Meskimen White Team Telemetry
Loren Dean EECOM John Aaron
Christian Clemenson Flight Surgeon Dr. Charles Berry
Carl Gabriel Yorke SIM (Simulator) 1
Xander Berkeley Henry Hurt
Endre Hules Günter Wendt
Kathleen Quinlan Marilyn Gerlach Lovell
Mary Kate Schellhardt Barbara Lovell
Max Elliott Slade James "Jay" Lovell
Emily Ann Lloyd Susan Lovell
Miko Hughes Jeffrey Lovell
Rance Howard (Ron Howard's father) the Lovell family minister
Tracy Reiner Mary Haise
Michele Little Jane Conrad
Jim Lovell appears Captain Leland Kirkemo of the recovery ship USS Iwo Jima ; Howard had intended to make him an admiral
Jeffrey Kluger appears a television reporter.
Horror film director Roger Corman , a mentor of Howard, appears a congressman being given a VIP tour by Lovell of the Vehicle Assembly Building
Cheryl Howard (Ron Howard's wife) and Bryce Dallas Howard (Ron Howard's eldest daughter) uncredited background performers in the scene where the astronauts wave goodbye to their families.

Apollo 13 | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Amanda Dobbinshost Rob Mahoneyproducer Craig Horlbeckproducer Chia Hao Tatproducer Eduardo Ocampproducer Matt Pevic
Explore episodeClose episode

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Trade Hanks’s earlier Oscars for his Apollo 13 performance

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 00:36:04Read transcript
  • 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

Most Rewatchable Scene

Reentry and the CO2-filter solution divide favorite and most-rewatchable choices

In the discussion (15)
Approx. transcript time · 00:44:02Read transcript
  • 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

The most "year the movie came out" thing

The overwhelmingly white cast

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:51:35Read transcript
  • 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

What’s Aged the Best?

Houston, we have a problem; the score; and collective problem-solving

In the discussion (13)
Approx. transcript time · 00:54:40Read transcript
  • 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 Great Shot Gordo Award for Most Cinematic Shot

The wide shot of the control-room celebration

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:03:17Read transcript
  • 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

The Butch’s Girlfriend Award for the Weakest Link in the Film

The older children, with disagreement about the ending

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 01:06:39Read transcript
  • 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

What’s Aged the Worst?

The portrayal of Jack Swigert as underprepared

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 01:09:26Read transcript
  • 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

The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award

Henry the press officer

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:12:58Read transcript
  • 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

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

America needs a rival to recover its ambition

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:15:58Read transcript
  • 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

Apex Mountain

Hanks’s mid-1990s summit, Quinlan’s nomination and Houston’s championship era

In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 01:30:37Read transcript
  • 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

Just One Oscar

Best Picture, with Hanks and adapted screenplay also supported

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:39:41Read transcript
  • 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

What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?

The white vest, gold flight jacket, flight suits and Hanks’s astronaut suit

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:45:36Read transcript
  • 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