An initial guess of three out of four is corrected to three and a half stars.
The review is quoted as calling the film much more ambitious and successful than expected, a comedy with the heart of truth, a tear in the eye along with the belly laugh, funny and adding up to something.
Craig is teased that he just doesn't have a soul, said to echo an earlier CR take.

Picking Nits

Mitch's Mets allegiance; Ed's young wife; Bonnie choosing Phil; Curly's shallow grave; the refund celebration

In the discussion (10)

Approx. transcript time · 00:34:56Read transcript

Mitch's Mets fandom is the number one nit: at seven in 1959 the Mets did not exist, and nobody that overwhelmed by the Yankees would switch; the explanation offered is a Mets donation to Comic Relief, plus Mandel and Ganz being Mets fans.
Nobody flips out like this at 39; it should be about 46, when mortality kicks in, which draws 'I beg to differ.'
Helen Slater's character carrying on alone after her friend cancels is doubted, countered that it is more believable in 1991 without cell phones.
Bruno Kirby's character being married to a 25-year-old lingerie model while running a sporting goods store is called absurd, after a nod to his alpha look.
Helen Slater's character choosing Phil, about to be economically destitute after sleeping with a 20-year-old, is troubling.
Curly was not buried nearly deep enough.
A favorite: everyone cheers the ranch owner's refund after one guide dropped dead and the other two tried to kill them.
The Mets hat still can't be gotten over.
The centrality of baseball, like arguing Clemente versus Aaron, is called wild and antiquated, but also something enjoyed about the movie; today they would argue NBA player empowerment and Kyrie.
A skipped nit: Helen Slater's character and Phil never interact before leaving together; she is probably reckless.

Casting What-Ifs

Charles Bronson as Curly; Rick Moranis as Phil

In the discussion (5)

Approx. transcript time · 00:56:01Read transcript

By the account attributed to Crystal, Palance was the first choice but had another film; Charles Bronson was contacted and said no because the character dies; Palance then got out of the other movie.
Crystal's story of Bronson on the phone insisting 'I don't die' is great given the movie turns on Curly dying, Palance won the Oscar, and Palance came back as a twin anyway.
Bronson, younger than Palance but in the same Western-hero space, would have been good.
Curly should not have died since the movie falls apart after; alternatives like a broken leg are floated, countered that Ganz and Mandel's rules require testing the main character.
Rick Moranis was originally cast as Phil but left because his wife became ill with cancer; Stern was added about three weeks before filming, and Moranis left movies for 25 years, returning in a Honey, I Shrunk the Kids sequel said to be called Shrunk.

Recasting Couch

Daniel Stern and Jeffrey Tambor switch parts

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 01:02:11Read transcript

Stern and Tambor switching parts would make a better movie, which draws 'that would be pretty funny.'
Another recasting idea bleeds into a 10-episode Netflix remake and is saved for that.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Fantasy-vacation TV origin; plot borrowed from The Cowboys; Jake Gyllenhaal's debut; the true best-day story; 10 or 11 Normans; river-crossing trouble; Lindsay Crystal as Mitch's daughter

In the discussion (5)

Approx. transcript time · 01:02:11Read transcript

Crystal got the idea from a TV show about middle-aged men on life-changing fantasy vacations, borrowed the plot from John Wayne's The Cowboys, and hired Lowell and Babaloo.
Ten-year-old Jake made his film debut as Crystal's son, and a Crystal quote about him always performing and singing South Pacific is read and questioned.
Kirby's horse allergy is repeated, defended as half-assed internet research.
Crystal's best-day story really happened, 10 or 11 cows played Norman, and Norman's birth scene was shot in three states.
The river crossing was the toughest to shoot because the cows kept mounting each other, and Mitch's daughter was Crystal's real daughter Lindsay, called the best casting ever.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Distance from civilization; the ranch owner's finances; Norman's fate in New York; the calf at the airport; would CR run with the bulls; Palance's cigarette; retiring out West

In the discussion (8)

Approx. transcript time · 01:08:43Read transcript

How far are they from civilization? Parts of Wyoming, Colorado and Montana are that remote.
If the ranch owner lost the cattle, would his life be over? Patricia Wedig's character would sue him, and refunding everyone is a terrible business.
What happened to Norman in New York City? He probably goes to a petting zoo.
The family leaves the airport with a calf in the van with no questions about how it got on the flight; Mitch's big tip shows he isn't cheap, and airports allowed hanging out then.
Asked whether CR is man enough to run with the bulls, the answer is yes. — Sean Fennessey
The response to running with the bulls is that avoiding unforced errors and not dying come first, with a Grantland 10th-anniversary piece joke.
How did Palance keep the cigarette dangling but not burning? It might have been a stunt cigarette.
Would you retire to this part of the country? No; cities, restaurants and sporting events matter, though Nuggets games are close.