The 1979 box-office chart is read as a countdown from number ten: The Muppet Movie, Moonraker, The Jerk, 10, Apocalypse Now, Alien, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Rocky II and The Amityville Horror at number two.
Kramer vs. Kramer was number one, reportedly earning at least $20 million more than every other film on the list.
The list is used to argue that a quiet domestic drama outgrossing an iconic war movie, horror movie, comedy and sports sequel is astonishing; a guess of eleventh to twentieth place would have seemed more plausible.

Roger Ebert's review

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 00:56:46Read transcript

The review is reported as four stars.
The quoted review says the film is touching because personalities seem to change and decisions seem to be made as viewers watch; it is described as a long, glowing review.
The critic is joked to be on a run of positive takes across recent Rewatchables episodes.

Casting What-Ifs

James Caan, Al Pacino and Jon Voight for Ted; Kate Jackson, Faye Dunaway and Jane Fonda for Joanna; Gail Strickland as Margaret

In the discussion (9)

Approx. transcript time · 01:34:24Read transcript

Hoffman initially did not want the role, and James Caan reportedly declined over fears the film would flop.
Al Pacino reportedly turned it down as not right for him; seeing him in the role would have been welcome.
Jon Voight reportedly declined because he was already in The Champ, another divorced-parent story whose ending is called one of the saddest.
Hoffman changed his mind after meeting Jaffe and Benton in a London hotel.
By her own claim, Kate Jackson was offered Joanna but could not take it because of Charlie's Angels; the story is treated as only mostly true.
Faye Dunaway was reportedly offered the role and did The Champ instead; Jane Fonda, earlier said to have been talked about for the role, is mentioned again; Ali MacGraw is named only with the judgment that she would have butchered it, without saying she was considered.
Streep was originally meant for the JoBeth Williams role before being cast as Joanna.
Gail Strickland was cast as Margaret but reportedly fired after Hoffman taunted her on set, and Jane Alexander replaced her.
Earlier, a Kate Jackson version of Joanna is dismissed as unable to reach Streep's level, with casting what-ifs promised for later.

Recasting Couch

Burt Lancaster or George C. Scott in Howard Duff's lawyer role

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 01:41:05Read transcript

The lawyers are the one place the film could have cast bigger; James Mason as in The Verdict is floated as possible double duty for Joanna's side.
Howard Duff is described as a discount Burt Lancaster, so Lancaster himself, a barrel-chested, deep-voiced courtroom presence, is proposed; George C. Scott is another option.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Avery Corman novel; darkened nude scene; Justin Henry improvising at seven; Library of Congress omission; J.G. Melon location; Streep pregnant during filming

In the discussion (6)

Approx. transcript time · 01:41:43Read transcript

The source novel was by Avery Corman, and Jaffe and Benton bought it.
The JoBeth Williams nude scene was optically darkened to avoid an R rating.
Justin Henry was seven when filming began and improvised a lot with Hoffman, who was reportedly nice to him.
As of 2020 it was reportedly the only 1970s Best Picture winner not selected by the Library of Congress for preservation, which puzzles the hosts.
The wine-glass scene was filmed at J.G. Melon on East 74th Street and Third Avenue, which displays a framed photo from the film.
Streep was reportedly pregnant during filming, hidden by a raincoat, having met the sculptor Gummer shortly after John Cazale died.

Ted not knowing Billy's grade; unattended jungle gym; Christmas firing; cross-examination attacking Ted's career; Joanna watching from the cafe window; Ted not recognizing Joanna's voice; Billy sleeping through fights; French toast without cinnamon

In the discussion (10)

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

Ted not knowing what grade his son is in is called the dumbest, most ludicrous moment, even as a signal of self-absorption.
Any parent would get a child down once he climbs the jungle gym holding an object.
Firing Ted just before Christmas is hard to buy; a company would not do that rather than wait until mid-January.
Anything else is declined, but several scenes, especially the firing, seem designed to create narrative tension in a way that strains belief. — Sean Fennessey
The cafe would likely ask Joanna to stop pressing against its window, and Ted failing to recognize his former wife's voice on the phone is called insane.
The biggest nit is how Billy sleeps through every shouting match in the apartment; this is rebutted as realistic because young children, unlike babies, sleep through anything.
The cross-examination is called the film's fatal flaw: attacking Ted's career when he struggles because he is caring for his son would be a merit in family court, and it strains credulity.
Ted never angrily points out on the stand that Joanna left and he cared for Billy for 15 months; a devil's advocate reply says the unfairness is the emotional point.
Jane Alexander's character is blamed for letting Billy fall from the jungle gym while telling her story, and joked to be a plant for Joanna.
The French toast has no cinnamon or vanilla.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

What was first on Ted's list; did Ted and Phyllis have dinner; Billy's future with fried chicken; Norman's future; Ted's actual job; how long until Joanna changed her mind again

In the discussion (8)

Approx. transcript time · 01:52:11Read transcript

The first item on Ted's pro-con list is hidden by his pen but visible in another shot as money; the pro column is empty because Billy himself is the pro.
Jokes follow about extra cons in a director's cut and about Phyllis walking into the hallway naked.
Whether Ted and Phyllis actually had dinner is questioned, given the ashtray and flat wine by the bed.
Whether Billy's future romances all revolved around fried chicken after meeting Phyllis is asked.
Norman's future after being put on the big account is imagined as bright.
What Ted actually does is unclear, creative director or vice president; his portfolio suggests a Don Draper-type role.
How long until Joanna changed her mind again, perhaps by the time she got upstairs, is previewed as an unanswerable question.
Whether Jane Alexander's character was really a good friend is noted as another unanswered question.