The first trade call, with Tom eating pancakes and negging Brian Drew, is the first nominee; it ends with "enjoy your pancakes, Tom," though real executives would not talk this confrontationally.
Chadwick Bozeman's first scene as Vante Mac is the second nominee.
Sonny telling the war room about the third first-round pick takes the air out of the room; asking Ali about the cap only after the trade is mocked, as is Allie's Super Bowl trivia, likened to Uma Thurman in Beautiful Girls.
The Coach Penn scenes and Frank Langella as owner Anthony Molina are praised, including the owner saying his quarterback prospect will be the son he never had.
Vante telling Sonny to watch the tape, and the war-room tape review with instantly cued footage, a sports-movie trick compared to Blue Chips, are liked.
The Browns taking Vante Mac is liked for his stunned joy and the war room freaking out over trading three first-rounders for a linebacker.
Sonny demanding his picks back and David Putney leads to the "pancake eating motherfucker" line, called the movie's only f-bomb.
The Ray Jennings draft call is raised but bothers the co-host because Ariad Foster's character never responds, and Vante never gets a call at all.
Ralph's birthday-party reveal and the $100-bill playbook reveal, ending with Sonny shouting not to tell him who the other player was, are in the consideration set.
The pick is the second trade with the Seahawks to get back the number ones: lines like "It's Jeff Carson, Tom," a clock-like score and the bookend to the first trade make it the closest thing to flawless.
The other host agrees 100% and would always keep watching when that part comes on TV.

Cable and streaming rewatch value; Chadwick Boseman as Vontae Mack; the versatile-linebacker profile; ESPN draft-telecast integration; Frank Langella as the owner; the Browns' draft-day chaos; Kevin Costner's throwback performance; NFL media cameos

In the discussion (14)

Approx. transcript time · 00:41:28Read transcript

The movie has aged best as a cable, on-demand, streaming or airplane movie that maybe never needed a theatrical release, like Million Dollar Arm, which the host helped produce.
In 2020 it would be a Netflix movie released two weeks before the NFL draft.
Split screen is offered as aged best because so much of the film is phone calls.
The split screens are countered as aged worst: the logic from the making-of is sound, but the effect is distracting and dated; the first host stays pro split screen.
Chadwick Bozeman as Vante Mac comes across super likable and realistic despite limited screen time, though he is the smallest guy in several rooms.
His undersized, versatile build is added as aged best for the era of flexible defenders, citing Derwin James and Isaiah Simmons falling in the recent draft.
The ESPN telecast is used well, even Berman; filming at the actual 2013 draft at Radio City with real analysts and Goodell captures the event, plus good helicopter shots.
Dennis Leary as a head coach is kind of liked and seen as realistic.
Frank Langella as the owner is great, his second sports-owner role after Eddie, reunited with Kevin Dunn from Dave, and wearing sunglasses almost throughout.
The Browns doing crazy things on draft day has obviously aged best.
Sonny's "don't Twitter" advice is called aged best by one host; the co-host has it as aged worst because the NFL now wants players building online personas, though she backs never-tweet advice.
Jacksonville having a terrible GM is offered as aged best; the co-host cites Jalen Ramsey and Josh Allen but notes the real 2014 Jags took Blake Bordell's.
Costner in a sports movie is the top aged-best item: he is undefeated, the Michael Jordan of sports movies, and the only actor the movie works with; Brad Pitt and Denzel are floated as the only alternatives.
The NFL media cameos, including Chris Berman, Rich Eisen, John Gruden and Mike Mayock, are called aged best by both hosts.

What’s Aged the Worst?

P. Diddy as a sports agent; Jennifer Garner as the salary-cap expert; the 'how important is winning' call; a running back taken with a top-10 pick; Roger Goodell's cheered cameo; NFL involvement sapping the edge; Sonny's unpreparedness; the reliable-quarterback premise; Sonny bullying intern Rick

In the discussion (10)

Approx. transcript time · 00:53:55Read transcript

P. Diddy as a high-powered sports agent is unconvincing; the Bo Callahan scenes are meant to be stilted, but any Wire actor, such as Jamie Hector or Bunk, would be better.
Jennifer Garner as the football-savvy salary-cap expert is worse: no chemistry with Costner, scenes in closets, pregnancy pressure that makes him less likable, and a 90s-style casting cliche.
The co-host likes seeing a woman executive but not the illicit affair and the coach testing her football knowledge in the cafeteria, which feels like 1987.
A GM dating the cap expert would get both fired now; the co-host jokingly supports them, and the subplot is called ludicrous.
The "how important is winning to you" call is called idiotic.
Taking a running back with a top-10 pick, combined with a linebacker at No. 1, is "bold font, not in today's NFL," especially given the Browns' 2012 Trent Richardson pick and Coach Penn's 28th-ranked offense.
Ray Jennings's father was a Cleveland great, though the Browns had few great moments after 1993-94.
Every Roger Goodell cameo has aged worst: fans cheer him at a time he was booed after bounty gate and the referee strike; they should have used a different commissioner.
NFL involvement lends authenticity but saps the edge; a Ballers route would be better, the film is too chaste with one f-bomb, and Ballers and Uncut Gems show permission was not needed.
Sonny is sold as a genius who knows nothing, not knowing who drafts fourth or the Jags GM's name and not scouting Callahan; the reliable-quarterback premise, Coach Penn's sexism and bullying intern Rick are added.

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

Patrick St. Esprit

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 01:09:08Read transcript

Kevin Dunn, Terry Cruz, the Veep actor and a transcribed Chee McBride are ruled out as not that guys.
Tom, the Seattle GM, wins; his name had to be looked up (transcribed as Patrick St. St. A. Spirit).
The co-host's nominees are W. Earl Brown as Ralph, also Dan from Deadwood and Warren from Something About Mary, and Brad William Henke as the strength coach.

The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award

Denis Leary

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 01:10:08Read transcript

Dennis Leary is the only nominee, a runaway, shown by his rant to Sonny about choosing to coach this team.
The making-of has a cryptic line about whom he consulted for the role; it feels like an older Jim Harbaugh.

The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

Sam Elliott; Chadwick Boseman

In the discussion (4)

Approx. transcript time · 01:11:30Read transcript

The Browns' strength and conditioning coach comes in hot and hits a couple of threes in one scene.
Chadwick Bozeman is named as a pick for being great in only about four scenes.
Sam Elliott dominates his one scene with charisma and the "Don't overthink this like your dad would have" line, which affects Sonny the rest of the way.
Frank Langella is floated, but he is thought to have too many scenes; Sam Elliott is confirmed as coming in hot, with a wished-for Wisconsin sequel.

Apex Mountain

No affirmative selection

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 01:17:46Read transcript

A hedged case is made that this is the Apex Mountain for the 21st-century Browns: after the franchise left for Baltimore and 21 years of misery since 1999, the last 15 minutes might be their happiest moment this century.
The co-host calls it compelling but says the Ringer's Trust the Browns' Process Week hype may have been the most excited Browns fans got this century.
It is otherwise nobody's Apex; Roger Goodell is floated and rejected, since his Apex is the recent quarantine draft.

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

No; a draft-focused Hard Knocks instead

In the discussion (1)

Approx. transcript time · 01:31:47Read transcript

Absolutely not, though a Hard Knocks around the draft, focused on a team or an elite prospect, would be compelling.

Who Won the Movie?

Kevin Costner

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 01:36:46Read transcript

Costner obviously won the movie.
Costner's making-of description of the pancake line as absolute justice and poetry is shared, and he is called maybe the most beloved actor in the Ringer universe.

Podcast choices

Speaker not identified: Kevin Costner