Most Rewatchable Scene · 54:30
The Billy Batts sequence through Tommy’s mother’s house (two choices)
Bill Simmons: The opening trunk murder is nominated.
Bill Simmons: Young Henry’s first arrest and celebration are nominated.
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29:08
47:13
1:50:32
1:59:37
2:00:06
2:16:22
2:25:46
The Rewatchables ·
Goodfellas
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Who won the movie
Martin Scorsese
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Roger Ebert
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Dion Waiters Award
Frank Vincent
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“That Guy” Award
Mike Starr
The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson · 29:08
Ten darkly comic lessons about made men, post-heist spending, airports, mob ownership, cocaine, violence, loyalty, dating, crew executions, and divorce
Do not kill a made man, because it will come back to hurt you.
Cast
Selected cast credits · Film reference
Robert De Niro
James "Jimmy" Conway
Ray Liotta
Henry Hill
Christopher Serrone
Young Henry
Joe Pesci
Tommy DeVito
Joseph D'Onofrio
Young Tommy
Lorraine Bracco
Karen Hill
Paul Sorvino
Paulie Cicero
Frank Sivero
Frankie Carbone
Tony Darrow
Sonny Bunz
Mike Starr
Frenchy
Everything from the episode
In the order the hosts got to it. Open a row for the discussion.
29:08
Top Ten List
Life lessons from Goodfellas: 1 Don't whack a made man; 2 After a massive heist, don't buy anything fancy, lay low; 3...
Life lessons from Goodfellas
- 1 Don't whack a made man
- 2 After a massive heist, don't buy anything fancy, lay low
- 3 Whenever you need money, rob an airport
- 5 Don't make a mob boss your silent restaurant partner
- 6 Don't use coke if you're also selling coke
- 7 If you really hate someone, shoot them in the face (no open casket)
- 8 Never rat on your friends, always keep your mouth shut
- 9 If your new boyfriend pistol-whips someone in front of you, don't end up with him
- 10 If you're part of a crew, nobody ever tells you they're going to kill you
In the discussion (12)
Approx. transcript time · 00:29:08Read transcript
- The segment is introduced as the ten best lessons from Goodfellas, with the list deferred until after an ad break. — Bill Simmons
- Lesson number one is not to kill a made man. — Bill Simmons
- After a large heist, the advice is to avoid buying anything conspicuous and to lie low. — Bill Simmons
- Another lesson says to rob an airport when money is needed. — Chris Ryan
- The machine transcript jumps from lesson number one to an explicit lesson number five; no fourth ordinal is inferred. — Bill Simmons
- Lesson number five is not to make a mob boss a silent restaurant partner because the partner will steal from the business and ultimately destroy it. — Bill Simmons
- A later lesson says not to use cocaine while also selling cocaine. — Bill Simmons
- If someone is going to be murdered, the list grimly advises preventing an open-casket funeral. — Bill Simmons
- The list repeats the rule never to inform on friends and always to keep quiet. — Bill Simmons
- Seeing a new boyfriend assault someone is offered as a reason not to remain with him. — Bill Simmons
- A crew member is warned that nobody announces a plan to kill them. — Bill Simmons
- A bonus lesson advises against divorce and says to make the relationship work.
47:13
Roger Ebert's review
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:47:13Read transcript
- Ebert gave Goodfellas four stars and named it his best film of 1990.
- Ebert wrote that no finer film about organized crime had been made, including The Godfather. — Sean Fennessey
- He described Scorsese as America’s finest filmmaker at the peak of his form. — Sean Fennessey
1:50:32
Casting What-Ifs
De Niro’s choice of Jimmy, Malkovich and William Petersen alternatives, Liotta and Sean Penn possibilities, Sorvino’s...
De Niro’s choice of Jimmy, Malkovich and William Petersen alternatives, Liotta and Sean Penn possibilities, Sorvino’s self-discovery, and Cruise/Madonna rumors are discussed.
In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:50:32Read transcript
- De Niro was offered Jimmy or Tommy, chose Jimmy, and his commitment secured financing. — Bill Simmons
- John Malkovich and William Petersen are discussed as reported Jimmy alternatives. — Bill Simmons
- Liotta’s Something Wild work helped establish him for Henry, and he reportedly turned down Harvey Dent in Batman. — Bill Simmons
- Sean Penn is discussed as a possible Henry. — Bill Simmons
- Paul Sorvino reportedly considered leaving until he saw a frightening expression in the mirror and found Paulie. — Bill Simmons
- Tom Cruise and Madonna are discussed as reported alternate star casting, though the panel questions how real the offers were. — Bill Simmons
1:59:37
Recasting Couch
Linda Fiorentino as Janice or a gumar
Linda Fiorentino as Janice or a gumar
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:59:37Read transcript
- Linda Fiorentino is proposed and selected. — Bill Simmons
- Annabella Sciorra is proposed as an alternative. — Chris Ryan
2:00:06
Half-Assed Internet Research
The Scorsese–Pileggi call, Henry Hill payment, a pistol-whip accident, filmmakers’ relationships, Imperioli’s injury,...
The Scorsese–Pileggi call, Henry Hill payment, a pistol-whip accident, filmmakers’ relationships, Imperioli’s injury, the painting, Oscar-winning killer roles, the closing shot, music planning, made-man rules, ratings edits, and profanity
In the discussion (13)
Approx. transcript time · 02:00:06Read transcript
- Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi’s reciprocal “waiting for this” phone-call lines are recounted. — Bill Simmons
- Henry Hill was reportedly paid $480,000. — Bill Simmons
- The actor pistol-whipped by Henry describes Liotta maintaining rage between takes and accidentally getting too close. — Bill Simmons
- Scorsese dating Illeana Douglas and Lorraine Bracco’s marriage to Harvey Keitel are discussed. — Bill Simmons
- Michael Imperioli broke glass in his hand, and hospital staff initially thought it was a gunshot wound. — Bill Simmons
- Scorsese predicted Imperioli would tell the injury story on Jay Leno, which he later did. — Bill Simmons
- Tommy’s mother’s painting was reportedly based on a 1977 National Geographic image. — Bill Simmons
- Five actors said to have won Oscars for portraying real-life killers are counted. — Bill Simmons
- Pesci shooting at the camera is connected to The Great Train Robbery and Henry always looking over his shoulder. — Bill Simmons
- The music editor said Scorsese planned songs years before shooting and included them in the script. — Chris Ryan
- A 2000 change to made-man ancestry rules is described. — Bill Simmons
- Scorsese reportedly removed ten frames of blood to secure an R rating. — Bill Simmons
- The movie is reported to contain 321 uses or derivatives of “fuck.” — Sean Fennessey
2:16:22
Picking Nits
Age mismatches, Sonny confronting Tommy publicly, absent strip clubs, prison meals, a mannequin-like assault victim, ...
Age mismatches, Sonny confronting Tommy publicly, absent strip clubs, prison meals, a mannequin-like assault victim, post-wedding housing, Billy Batts’s party, Lufthansa associates who fail to flee, Karen locating Henry, and payphones
In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 02:16:22Read transcript
- Liotta and Pesci are judged much too old for the early ages they portray. — Bill Simmons
- Sonny discussing the restaurant bill in front of Tommy’s friends is questioned. — Bill Simmons
- The absence of an obligatory strip-club scene is questioned.
- The elaborate prison meals are questioned but accepted as fun.
- The pistol-whipping victim stands like a mannequin. — Bill Simmons
- Henry and Karen living with her mother after receiving substantial wedding cash is questioned, then defended as living off-grid. — Bill Simmons
- Billy Batts’s sparsely attended party and friends leaving him with a rival crew are questioned; Jimmy may have kept him there and drunk.
- Lufthansa associates fail to flee despite participating in Jimmy’s other murders. — Bill Simmons
- How Karen knows Henry is at Morrie’s shop after Bruce assaults her is questioned.
- Mobsters repeatedly using the same supposedly untraceable payphone is questioned.
2:25:46
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Liotta, Bracco, bodies, cocaine acting, and Jimmy’s plan for Karen
Liotta, Bracco, bodies, cocaine acting, and Jimmy’s plan for Karen
In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 02:25:46Read transcript
- Why did Ray Liotta’s career not produce more roles at this level?
- Why did Lorraine Bracco’s movie career not become larger?
- Did the smell of Billy Batts’s corpse ever leave Henry’s trunk?
- How much of Liotta’s cocaine performance was method or physical technique?
- Was Jimmy truly planning to kill Karen? — Chris Ryan
Mentions across The Rewatchables
Recorded movie reference
Cop Land
The Rewatchables · aired June 2, 2022
Ten De Niro pantheon performances
Transcript time unavailableRead transcript
Source 1