Candidates offered include Andy's makeover, the Harry Potter book scene, Miranda without makeup and the Paris double cross.
Andy's initial outfit with the Chanel boots splits the panel: one hates the jacket with too many studs, another would wear it.
Miranda without makeup is called the Oscar-reel moment.
The blue sweater speech is proposed as one of two iconic scenes: an exhilarating Streep put-down, called 'my Braveheart speech', that lives outside the movie as shorthand for how the fashion industry works.
The other proposed scene is the Stanley Tucci 'wake up, sweetheart' speech; he is called really good in this movie.
The Tucci speech is read as a lecture to a proto-millennial, about five years ahead of think pieces about that generation's work ethic.
The two speech picks are teased as revealing a tough-love leadership style with Miranda as hero.
Asked to break the tie, the tiebreaker picks the Harry Potter scene for seeing Andy be industrious, and admires her green dress, though the belt could be minimized.

What’s Aged the Best?

Boss being mean to an assistant plot; Meryl Streep's hair; Emily Blunt's breakout role; Andy's pre-makeover sweaters; Foreshadowing of the millennial workplace; Anna Wintour's reputation

In the discussion (7)

Approx. transcript time · 00:30:39Read transcript

The boss-being-mean-to-an-assistant plot is called great and realistic; Set It Up is mentioned as this week's two-assistant version.
Meryl Streep's hair and look are called stylish, cool and probably her best look; Emily Blunt's breakout role is also named.
Andy's pre-makeover sweaters are praised, but her Steve Madden-esque loafers and black tights with slingback heels are a hard no.
The film's picture of how that generation works at the office is called prescient foreshadowing of millennials.
Anna Wintour's reputation (transcribed 'Anna Winter') is said to have aged best because of the film, which was based on a book by her former assistant, citing an Alison Herman piece for The Ringer; others are not positive that is the case.
A Teen Vogue sequel idea leads to a tangent about The Hills, where bosses came out worse.
The final pick is the boss being mean to an assistant, called the best version of that plot; being able to sympathize with the boss is credited.

What’s Aged the Worst?

Adrian Grenier's performance; Simon Baker's hotshot writer; The soundtrack; Andy's friend group; Hats and accessories

In the discussion (13)

Approx. transcript time · 00:33:51Read transcript

Adrian Grenier is called not just a poorly written part but bad in it, like Vince Chase in a bad movie, with no romantic chemistry with Hathaway.
A counterpoint: the character is a classic college boyfriend you are not supposed to believe she cares about, but the missing chemistry still sinks it.
His cook character, with the port wine reductions and a job at Bubbies in Tribeca, is noted, along with his odd availability at night.
A joke suggests crediting him as Vincent Chase, the kind of synergy that would happen in 2018.
The hotshot reporter played by Simon Baker is picked apart: a writer on the side of a bus with no clear beat, never a girlfriend, always available to hit on Andy; one panelist had him for unintentional comedy but still enjoys the fun-bad character.
Media careers are made to look cool on screen; in real life that guy is in the corner of the party tweeting about being at the party.
The soundtrack is called garbage generic top-40, part of a pattern in movies targeted at women including Ocean's 8; paying for Vogue was the great exception.
Movies targeted at women are said to skimp on the DP, soundtrack and lighting; City of Blinding Lights and 'Crazy' are cited, and a defender is swayed that the soundtrack is distinct because it is bad, while the opening song is still called good.
A tangent praises the soundtrack of A Lot Like Love as a lost great movie of the 2000s.
The Grenier concept is seconded; the Rich Summer (as transcribed) appearance and the whole friend group, including the best friend known from the Rent movie, feel like people who would never be together.
The gay friend is never mentioned again, and Andy makes no work friends, explained as the isolating assistant position.
Lily judging Andy and calling her a glamazon at the party is called bad friend behavior.
Andy's hats and the accessories, including jewelry that looks plastic and a Fendi bag Miranda carries early, are not on par with the clothes budget.

Casting What-Ifs

Meryl Streep as the only choice for Miranda; Rachel McAdams turning down Andy; Juliet Lewis and Claire Danes auditioning for Andy; Thomas Lennon turning down Nigel

In the discussion (8)

Approx. transcript time · 00:42:45Read transcript

Meryl Streep was the only person they went to for Miranda; they needed her or it was maybe not worth doing.
A Variety quote has Streep calling the offer not reflective of her actual value to the project; it was doubled, to a reported $4 million.
The panel thinks she was worth far more, noting 'Cruz' (as transcribed) would have gotten 20 in 2006.
Rachel McAdams turned down the lead despite being approached multiple times.
Juliet Lewis (as transcribed) and Claire Danes auditioned for Andy and are called not right.
Hathaway went aggressive for the role, dressing like the character and writing 'hire me' in a casting person's Zen sand garden, which is why she fit and Rachel McAdams did not.
Thomas Lennon turned down Nigel because of scheduling conflicts with Reno 911.
Newer movies have few casting what-ifs because at only 12 years old there is only the actual info.

The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

Gisele Bündchen

In the discussion (4)

Approx. transcript time · 00:48:00Read transcript

Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci are ruled ineligible: the award cannot go to an integral part of the movie and has to be someone who comes in hot.
The only answer is Giselle, whose eyelash-curler line is quoted.
She left the panel wanting more, like playing six minutes for 12 points and 10 rebounds, with calls to release more of her scenes.
She has never been dislikable; she could have been brought to Paris, but the amount was just right, the definition of the award.

Anna Wintour's reaction; Designer cameo warning; Tucci marrying Felicity Blunt; Costume budget; Clint Eastwood-inspired whisper; 'Everybody wants to be us' line change; Deleted thank-you scene; John Krasinski's 75 viewings

In the discussion (15)

Approx. transcript time · 00:49:26Read transcript

Anna Wintour (transcribed 'Anna Wintor') reportedly liked the movie despite initial skepticism and enjoyed Streep for her decisive nature.
Tabloid talk about her divorce is attributed to the New York Post; the movie is said to have rehabilitated her and corrected the book's portrayal, so she probably likes it.
She reportedly warned designers invited to cameo that they would be banished from the magazine; nobody knows whether that is true, but Vogue and other magazines avoided mentioning the book.
Streep was not on the cover of Vogue for a very long time after the movie, though she was recently.
Six years after filming, Stanley Tucci married Felicity Blunt, Emily Blunt's sister; the transcript also has a belief that he broke up with 'E. Falco' for her.
The first bag Miranda carries is a Prada bag.
Giselle agreed to be in the movie only if she did not have to play a model.
Costuming cost over a million dollars despite designer loans, under Patricia Field of Sex and the City, who got an Oscar nomination; the panel thinks that is low.
Hathaway went from a size six to a size four during filming.
Streep told Variety in 2006 she took Miranda's soft speaking style from Clint Eastwood, who never raises his voice so everyone leans in; the whisper is called what makes the performance.
Bosses who stay insanely calm are said to destabilize the people around them.
Miranda's line about everybody wanting to be 'us' originally said 'me'; Streep changed it as too self-involved.
A double standard is argued: men respected as difficult method actors versus Streep and Hathaway labeled problem children, though Streep is called an anomaly nobody can overrule.
A deleted scene where Andy saves Miranda and Miranda thanks her was cut for making her seem likable; it surfaced online two years ago, and one panelist refuses to watch it, likening it to the Almost Famous extended cut.
In one more piece of research, John Krasinski has reportedly watched the film 75 times, which ties one panelist.

Apex Mountain

Anne Hathaway; Stanley Tucci; Adrian Grenier

In the discussion (11)

Approx. transcript time · 00:56:51Read transcript

Asked whether this is Hathaway's Apex, the first answer is no; Rachel Getting Married, Ocean's 8 (admitted recency bias) and 'intercellar' (as transcribed) are floated.
The correct answer is declared to be that this is her Apex, since she becomes a top star with her whole career ahead; this is accepted, and she gets 'the Dark Night' (as transcribed) because of it.
Emily Blunt's Apex is said to be happening right now, with A Quiet Place leading into Mary Poppins; one panelist is nervous about Mary Poppins.
A tangent debates whether anyone under 40 knows Julie Andrews' Mary Poppins, and one panelist shames musicals.
For Meryl Streep a yes is offered; one panelist recounts fighting with her husband over calling this Streep's greatest performance.
Sophie's Choice is called the iconic example, and Streep is argued to be the best actor ever, male or female.
Her best performance is said to have to be something like Sophie's Choice, though she lacks a Vito Corleone-type mainstream role, with Miranda the closest.
A March 2009 column called her the best actor ever; she is compared to LeBron for durability, and Adaptation and The Hours back to back are praised.
Stanley Tucci: absolutely his Apex, with a joke that his Apex is his cookbook.
Simon Baker is called rough, now making a lot of money on a CBS show as The Mentalist.
A case for Adrian Grenier is first rejected because Entourage was his apex, then accepted because this came during Entourage, putting him on the mountaintop.

Unintentional Comedy Award

Simon Baker

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 01:04:59Read transcript

Simon Baker is the unintentional comedy pick, with his lines to Andy quoted.
Every time he is on screen as the hotshot journalist, he is not what one looks for in a handsome, dashing journalist.

Picking Nits

Andy sleeping with the hotshot reporter; Enforceability of the list that saves her job

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 01:05:13Read transcript

Everything else was covered earlier; the remaining question is whether Andy had to sleep with the hotshot reporter rather than just make out, conceded as plot movement since she has to be in his room to find the mock-up.
Would the list work in real life? At the end, a list of editors, photographers, models and writers who would follow her is presented to save her job; the answer is no, likened to leaving ESPN and not everyone following.

The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie

"Everybody wants this. Everybody wants to be us."; "She's not happy unless everyone around her is panic, nauseous or suicidal."; "By all means, move at a glacial pace. You know how that thrills me."; "The tales of your incompetence do not interest me."; "Please bore someone else with your questions."; "No, I shant."

In the discussion (4)

Approx. transcript time · 01:06:04Read transcript

The first quote offered is Miranda's line that everybody wants this and wants to be us, followed by the line about her not being happy unless everyone around her is panic, nauseous or suicidal.
More Miranda lines are offered: move at a glacial pace, the tales of your incompetence, and please bore someone else with your questions; they are joked to be things one panelist wishes she could say to her employees.
An Emily Blunt line from the Harry Potter sequence: when Hathaway's character asks her to wish her luck, she answers 'No, I shant' in her English accent.
The panel concludes one co-host is really Anna Wintour (transcribed 'Anna Wintor'), or would like to be.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Was Stanley Tucci's character gay?; Who should have played Adrian Grenier's role?; Was this Meryl Streep's greatest role?; Who else could have played Miranda?

In the discussion (7)

Approx. transcript time · 01:07:18Read transcript

Was Stanley Tucci's character gay? Called unanswerable even after googling; one online claim that he looks at male models an extra second is dismissed.
One panelist cannot remember that character in the book.
Adrian Grenier's role: they should not have gone white male in 2006; John Cho or young Dave Chang are suggested, making a Korean dish instead of mac and cheese.
Was this Streep's greatest role? One says yes; another says Sophie's Choice, and Julia Child is also mentioned.
Nobody else would have made the panel even 70% as happy as Streep; in the spirit of the podcast Candice Bergen is offered, but she was too old in 2006.
Julia Roberts with aged hair is where it could have gone most wrong; Sandra Bullock could do it now or later, with doubts about whether she is mean enough.
Kate Blanchett (as transcribed) and, now, Kate Winslet are also suggested.

Who Won the Movie?

Not named ('no contest')

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 01:11:22Read transcript

Asked who won the movie, the answer is 'no contest, nothing to discuss'; no name is spoken in the transcript.
For the number-two winner, Emily Blunt is offered first, then Hathaway is chosen because the film proves her as a mainstream lead.
Hathaway had the much harder part and Emily Blunt the easier one, though she brought pizzazz; since the film starts both careers, maybe they tie.

More from the conversation

The show tag leads into a cold open of film dialogue.

Approx. transcript time · 00:00:20Read transcript

Dobbins and Juliet (transcribed 'Manda Davins' and 'Julia Libman') are introduced; one co-host says she has been training her whole life for this episode, while the other is teased as lukewarm on the film.

Approx. transcript time · 00:01:15Read transcript

Theories for the lukewarm co-host: she is not a Sex and the City fan (she is rewatching season two), grew up in New York so the bright-lights aspiration does not appeal, and is nice, so the meanness does not speak to her.

Approx. transcript time · 00:02:14Read transcript

One co-host says she took a job at a women's magazine basically because of this movie, having seen it at a formative time.

Approx. transcript time · 00:02:54Read transcript

Andy went to Northwestern; a co-host who also attended mocks Medill journalism students as 'Middildos'.

Approx. transcript time · 00:03:46Read transcript

The 2003 source novel is called not as good; the adaptation threw out about half the book, which is basically a revenge plot for the assistant character.

Approx. transcript time · 00:04:04Read transcript

Four screenwriters worked on the film; it made over $300 million and is called the most successful normal Meryl Streep movie, with musicals such as Mamma Mia and Into the Woods excluded.

Approx. transcript time · 00:04:35Read transcript

A Washington Post 10th-anniversary piece credited Miranda with starting the female anti-heroine, but a co-host objects that Miranda is not wrong, just good at her job and mean.

Approx. transcript time · 00:05:04Read transcript

One co-host roots for Miranda 100 percent; the other is unsure and roots for Emily Blunt.

Approx. transcript time · 00:05:48Read transcript

This is called a favorite and arguably the best Streep performance, starting a phase of her career (Julia Child, Margaret Thatcher, Into the Woods) and marking an inflection point.

Approx. transcript time · 00:06:21Read transcript

Most Streep movies are not ones you would watch five times (Sophie's Choice once); The River Wild and The Bridges of Madison County come up, and this film is called the definition of a rewatchable.

Approx. transcript time · 00:06:57Read transcript

Emily Blunt was reportedly picked out of a parking lot after being heard talking; it was her breakout, and she seems fully formed.

Approx. transcript time · 00:07:45Read transcript

Miranda is framed as the first pop-culture 'lady boss' people cheered; earlier female bosses cited include Amanda from Melrose Place, Valerie Malone, Murphy Brown, Susan Day (as transcribed) on L.A. Law, Allie McBeal (as transcribed) and Working Girl.

Approx. transcript time · 00:08:36Read transcript

Streep has three Oscars and 21 nominations; favorite performances named are this and Kramer vs. Kramer, which Streep herself compared to this role as a character you are supposed to hate instantly.

Approx. transcript time · 00:09:43Read transcript

Hathaway told a talk show that during the Paris car scene Streep shut down her small talk; a co-host counters that Hathaway is a method actress and cites stories of Streep and Christine Bransky (as transcribed) partying during Mamma Mia.

Approx. transcript time · 00:10:55Read transcript

A co-host recounts sitting next to Meryl Streep and her family at a Broadway performance of Gypsy about eight or nine years earlier; the family seemed close and normal, and Streep's laugh echoed through the theater after every laugh line.

Approx. transcript time · 00:12:07Read transcript

Streep reportedly insisted for years on working in or near L.A.; her daughters, including Grace (in Frances Ha) and Mamee Gummer (as transcribed), are discussed.

Approx. transcript time · 00:13:08Read transcript

The panel says nobody will reach 21 Oscar nominations again, partly because of a 20-year stretch without good parts for women; Streep could drag any movie into the Oscar conversation like LeBron in the East.

Approx. transcript time · 00:13:50Read transcript

Streep should not have won for The Iron Lady but should have won for this; she lost to Helen Marin (as transcribed) in The Queen, with Penelope Cruz, Judy Dench and Kate Winslet also nominated.

Approx. transcript time · 00:14:05Read transcript

Anne Hathaway was not nominated and had to wait for Rachel Getting Married; Emily Blunt was not nominated either, called 'bullshit', while Jennifer Hudson won supporting actress for Dreamgirls.

Approx. transcript time · 00:14:42Read transcript

The best movie nominee field (The Departed, Babel, Letters from Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine, The Queen) is listed; the panel thinks the film would definitely be nominated in the current era.

Approx. transcript time · 00:14:57Read transcript

A host remembers seeing it at the Grove with his wife and leaving super happy.

Approx. transcript time · 00:15:27Read transcript

The film is pitched as weirdly in the conversation for one of the 21st century's best movies: well acted, still on cable 12 years later, lucrative, and alongside The Social Network, Almost Famous and The Departed as movies that kept their steam.

Approx. transcript time · 00:15:55Read transcript

Men like it too: Emily Blunt, Anne Hathaway, mean dynamics, makeovers and trying on dresses; the bangs are debated.

Approx. transcript time · 00:16:52Read transcript

It lasted because commercially appealing movies are hard to do well; the stacked performances and a sneakily smart script help.

Approx. transcript time · 00:17:42Read transcript

The soundtrack fits the movie: Madonna's Vogue is a very good moment, and the singer transcribed as 'Katie Tensel' had a big 2006 with Grey's Anatomy and this film.

Approx. transcript time · 00:18:04Read transcript

Hathaway is comfortable not looking polished (also in Rachel Getting Married) and convincingly carries an awkwardness that does not match her looks; this was her first grown-up role after the Princess Diaries films.

Approx. transcript time · 00:18:51Read transcript

The Oscars damaged Hathaway for a while, but Ocean's 8 is called a turning point where she is basically getting the Miranda part.

Approx. transcript time · 00:20:34Read transcript

Emily Blunt may be the more bankable A-list actress now, citing Edge of Tomorrow, the coming Mary Poppins movie, and A Quiet Place, after a rocky blockbuster period.

Approx. transcript time · 00:21:23Read transcript

Emily Blunt's rom-com and weaker films come up: a bride movie is floated and rejected, prompting a bad-bangs aside about Kate Hudson; the five-year engagement movie is called terrible and The Girl on the Train a would-be Gone Girl moment; she would have been great in Gone Girl, and Rosamone Pike's (as transcribed) later film Beirut with John Hamm is noted.

Approx. transcript time · 00:22:07Read transcript

Host promos after the ad: another BS Podcast coming Friday, next week's Rewatchables on Jaws, and Ringer NBA free-agency coverage for the coming weekend.

Approx. transcript time · 00:24:19Read transcript

A Patrick Wilson tangent: Hollywood did him wrong or he made bad choices; the panel is pro his Girls episode and likes Little Children and his Fargo season.

Approx. transcript time · 00:45:00Read transcript

Kate Winslet is on a podcast wish list along with Adele and more English guests heading into 2019; a previous Irish guest is praised.

Approx. transcript time · 00:46:01Read transcript

The Talented Mr. Ripley tangent: Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Gwyneth Paltrow praised; listeners asked whether it should be on the list.

Approx. transcript time · 01:10:11Read transcript

John Krasinski has reportedly watched the film 75 times, framed as one more piece of half-assed internet research; tangent about celebrity crushes (Gwyneth Paltrow, Michael B. Jordan).

Approx. transcript time · 01:12:17Read transcript

Michael B. Jordan is said to be coming on the pod in November; next week is Jaws; sign-off thanks Zach (first name only).

Approx. transcript time · 01:13:07Read transcript