Many candidate scenes are called too painful to be rewatchable, and a separate label like the one used for Ordinary People is suggested.
Joanna leaving is nominated: Ted is too absorbed in work to hear her, and the elevator-door line that she no longer loves him lands almost as an afterthought.
The first French toast scene is nominated as a generous portrait of how hard it is to be a mom, building toward the silent breakfast routine; the breakfast scene is considered good but not rewatchable.
The ice cream confrontation and the late-night talk that follows are called among the best scenes, though not rewatchable; parts were reportedly improvised.
The restaurant confrontation with the thrown wine glass is praised for Ted moving from hopeful to enraged within two minutes, but not something to rewatch repeatedly.
Ted forcing a same-day hiring decision at the Christmas party is called well constructed and shows why he is good at business.
Streep on the stand is called one of the best-acted sequences of her career, and the switch between the rehearsed direct examination and the hostile cross-examination, mirrored in Hoffman's testimony, is loved.
The pick is declared as the courtroom stretch with the two courtroom scenes, and another participant agrees it is the pick.
For the record, Ted reading Joanna's letter to Billy, the run to the hospital and the ice cream scene with its aftermath are named as scenes thought about most often. — Mallory Rubin
The trial is again called the probable pick among many pantheon scenes, with a joke that Ted should have read the letter before reading it aloud.
The bicycle scene blew this participant away, with new-kid energy from just having a kid. — Sean Fennessey

What’s Aged the Best?

Young Meryl Streep; the title; the poster; the opening score; JoBeth Williams nude scene; Justin Henry; Halloween play; Billy picking the Celtics; Billy reading comics

In the discussion (7)

Approx. transcript time · 01:25:47Read transcript

Young Streep, with three 1979 films, is praised as leaving the 1970s on a high.
The title, the moment it is spoken, the happy-family poster and the opening score with guitar players are all praised.
Another item is a talk-show shag-marry-kill game about Redford, De Niro and Hoffman, in which the Streep answer reportedly kills Hoffman.
The JoBeth Williams nude scene is called one of the funnier nude scenes, though staging it with a child would draw objections today.
Justin Henry is noted as the youngest Oscar nominee ever, at eight, and his performance is argued to be the best in the film because of its degree of difficulty; his haircut and the Halloween play are also praised.
The divorce genre itself is mentioned as a fertile subject.
Billy choosing the Celtics over the Knicks and reading comics at breakfast are added as items that aged well.

All-white cast; a movie like this never again topping the box office; kitchen and bathroom hygiene; bell bottoms; milk at every meal; Shaunessy's courtroom cruelty; Jim O'Connor's treatment of Ted; one-day hiring process

In the discussion (7)

Approx. transcript time · 01:29:09Read transcript

Beyond the on-set conduct already discussed, the film has zero minorities, not even a Black judge, which probably occurred to no one making it in 1979.
The fact that a simple, sincere, small film like this will never again be the biggest movie in the culture is lamented; around 1984 is proposed as the turning point toward blockbusters. — Sean Fennessey
The appalling bathroom and kitchen hygiene, with no flushing or hand-washing before making breakfast, is the first of several items. — Mallory Rubin
Bell bottoms and milk at every meal are added as relics of another age. — Mallory Rubin
John Shaunessy's harsh legal approach is named.
Jim O'Connor's consistently unsympathetic response to Ted as a single parent, from suggesting relatives take Billy to firing him, is called authentic to 1979 but tough to watch.
The one-day hiring with a two-minute interview is mocked; in 2022 kissing a stranger at the Christmas party would get him fired immediately.

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

George Coe

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 01:39:07Read transcript

The answer has to be George Coe, who plays Ted's boss and appeared in first-season SNL sketches when older actors were needed; he is also remembered as the judge in The Mighty Ducks.
Craig is cited as always saying the category gets really tough when they go this late for a movie.
Howard Duff is floated as an alternative and praised for one of the great voices; a possible Dallas run is raised but not confirmed.

The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award

Howard Duff

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 01:39:55Read transcript

The film is called impeccably acted, so the award is initially declined.
Howard Duff is reluctantly nominated, since his courtroom character deliberately works the room with staged drama, and the award is given to him.

The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

JoBeth Williams; the job recruiter

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 01:40:40Read transcript

JoBeth Williams, in and out of the film in four minutes with the nude scene, is called hard to top.
Special tribute is paid to the job recruiter, who has about three minutes and gets flustered as Ted pressures him; the call is endorsed.

Apex Mountain

Dustin Hoffman; Justin Henry; Entenmann's; divorce movies; French toast; jungle gym accidents

In the discussion (9)

Approx. transcript time · 01:42:58Read transcript

Hoffman gets a yes over Tootsie: for about a year he takes the belt from Pacino and De Niro with the number one movie and an Oscar sweep; the same conclusion is recalled from the Rain Man episode.
Streep is a no, called possibly ineligible because she has been on the mountain for 40 years.
Justin Henry is a definite yes.
Entenmann's is a yes, with the film showing the height of grocery-store baked-goods breakfasts; crumb cake and powdered donuts are recalled fondly.
Divorce movies get a yes, with this film on the genre's Mount Rushmore and likely number one; The Squid and the Whale, Marriage Story, Irreconcilable Differences and Bye Bye Love are also named in an informal three-or-four-film list.
Jane Alexander is a no, with All the President's Men probably her apex.
French toast is at its apex given its starring role in several key scenes, although the missing cinnamon is previewed as a nitpick.
Jungle gym accidents are definitely at apex.
Benton is raised, with two Oscars and the number one film of the year called pretty good, without an explicit yes.

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

Ten-episode Netflix series

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 01:51:04Read transcript

The answer moves from no to yes, and the series is called potentially intriguing, with Scenes from a Marriage cited as a recent example of the same material.
A modernizing twist is expected, such as making both parents women.
Joking episode ideas include a whole episode of Ted working on his big campaign and Joanna's California awakening.

What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?

Framed to-do list; the eye Billy lost; rescue chopper toy or one of Billy's drawings

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 01:56:41Read transcript

A framed copy of Ted's list is proposed.
The eye Billy supposedly lost falling off the jungle gym is requested as a joke.
From the same list-writing scene, the toy rescue chopper or one of the drawings on Billy's wall, which shows his growth, is chosen.

Who Won the Movie?

Meryl Streep

In the discussion (4)

Approx. transcript time · 01:58:03Read transcript

Hoffman is framed as hard not to say, because viewers leave rooting for him having won his son, unaware of the on-set conduct.
Hoffman is conceded as the obvious answer, but over the years Streep is picked because the film falls apart if her character does not work.
The same case is made for Billy, since a bad child performance would sink the film.
Streep's case is supported: she had little film work before, appeared in only about five scenes and was excellent in all of them.

Podcast choices

Speaker not identified: Meryl Streep