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The Pelican Brief poster

The Pelican Brief

year 1993decade 90sdirector Alan J. Pakula

141 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Julia Roberts Darby Shaw
Denzel Washington Gray Grantham
Sam Shepard Thomas Callahan
John Heard Gavin Verheek
Tony Goldwyn Fletcher Coal
James B. Sikking Denton Voyles
William Atherton Bob Gminski
Robert Culp President
Stanley Tucci Khamel
Hume Cronyn Justice Rosenberg
John Lithgow Smith Keen
Anthony Heald Marty Velmano
Cynthia Nixon Alice Stark
Jake Weber Charles Morgan (Garcia)

The Pelican Brief | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanhost Sean Fennesseyhost Amanda Dobbins
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Producer credits not yet identified.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Romance decision; budget and gross; preparation; shared set; Oscars

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 00:15:43Read transcript
  • The claim that the studio prohibited an interracial romance is rejected: Roberts supported Washington’s casting and the romance, while he reportedly opposed it out of concern for his audience.
  • The stated budget is $45 million and gross $193 million.
  • The White House set was also used in Dave.
  • Grisham reportedly wrote Darby with Roberts in mind, though the convenient casting claim draws skepticism.
  • Roberts attended Tulane law classes and Washington visited the Washington Post to prepare.
  • After her own Best Actress win, Roberts presented Washington his Best Actor Oscar the following year.

Picking Nits

Security; editor decisions; convenient discoveries; unexplained details

In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 00:31:18Read transcript
  • Giving Mattiece scenes might supply a stronger antagonist, although using the president as the plot’s visible representative is defended.
  • Security for a Supreme Court justice seems insufficient, although Khamel’s exceptional assassin skills are offered as an explanation.
  • The newspaper gives Darby Gray’s cabin address after she merely claims to be his sister.
  • The editor’s obstruction and reassignment demands are so irrational that he initially seems part of the conspiracy.
  • The FBI’s alarm over an unverified brief seems excessive.
  • Verheek’s stated height and weight divide opinion rather than producing agreement.
  • The parking-garage escape depends on a dog attacking the pursuing woman; her affiliation also briefly confuses the discussion.
  • A conveniently placed registrar’s-office bystander supplies the information Gray needs.
  • The student on medical leave is distractingly handsome for the brief part.
  • The video affidavit’s basement contains an oddly large number of saws.

Roger Ebert's review

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:31:51Read transcript
  • Ebert gives three stars and credits the director’s stars, visual style and ominous music with elevating ordinary source material.
  • Ebert dismisses Grisham’s literary reputation, viewing his plots and characters as functional material for films.

Most Rewatchable Scene

Verheek murder/Riverwalk sequence; classroom scene; all Shepard scenes

In the discussion (14)
Approx. transcript time · 00:34:48Read transcript
  • The two judicial murders open the candidates; the first setting is corrected from a nursing home to a private home with a nurse.
  • Darby researches the common ground between the justices and presents her theory to Callahan.
  • Callahan’s car explodes after his remark that Michelle takes his breath away.
  • Verheek’s murder and Khamel’s subsequent attempt on Darby form a favored sequence.
  • Darby meets Gray in New York and explains that everyone she told about the brief is dead.
  • The newsroom scenes reunite Washington and Lithgow.
  • Coal warns the president in the limousine that the brief will not disappear.
  • Retrieving the safe-deposit box leads to the parking-garage chase.
  • The president finds Coal watching in the camera room.
  • The farewell hug and Gray’s television interview conclude the story.
  • The final meeting with Voyles feels like the most triumphant moment.
  • The Riverwalk assassination is a final choice, especially the crowd scattering after the shooting.
  • Callahan’s classroom scene is another final choice for its distinctly 1990s atmosphere.
  • All of Shepard’s scenes together are the remaining final choice.

What’s Aged the Best?

Shepard; Sneller routine; disguises; chemistry; Goldwyn; newspapers; secret room; New Orleans; following a cab; names; Pakula; conspiracy theorists; jogging clothes; FBI pressure; barking dog

In the discussion (15)
Approx. transcript time · 00:42:38Read transcript
  • Sam Shepard’s presence and romantic appeal remain strong.
  • The covert Mr. Sneller contact routine remains appealing.
  • Darby’s pigtails, sunglasses, wig and Knicks cap make her disguises memorable.
  • Roberts and Shepard have strong chemistry despite the problematic professor-student relationship.
  • Tony Goldwyn is effective as an unpleasant schemer.
  • A newspaper-centered thriller remains appealing.
  • The secret room used to film the boss is a memorable feature.
  • New Orleans is an excellent filming location.
  • The request to follow another taxi is a classic pleasure.
  • Darby Shaw and Gray Grantham are admired character names.
  • Pakula’s later career revival restores his standing as a thriller director, though Tony Scott is preferred by one response for the 1990s.
  • Self-publishing conspiracy theorists are a joking affirmative selection.
  • Jogging outfits and shorter men’s shorts have returned to fashion.
  • Presidential pressure on the FBI recalls modern disputes over investigative independence.
  • A dog suddenly barking at an already endangered character remains an effective thriller device.

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

More assassins; Roberts miscast; possible CIA conspiracy; awkward Washington jogging

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:53:16Read transcript
  • Washington’s jogging looks awkward and effortful despite his athleticism.
  • Mattiece should be able to hire more and better assassins, especially after the replacement loses to bouncers.
  • Roberts is considered miscast and insufficiently allowed to use her charisma; Sandra Bullock and Jennifer Jason Leigh are suggested alternatives.
  • The unresolved CIA presence inspires a speculative theory that it engineered the plot and used Mattiece and Darby as decoys.

The Vincent Chase Award: Are We Sure This Character Is Actually Good at Their Job?

Coal; officials and editor broadly; Gray disputed

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:56:00Read transcript
  • Coal is the initial choice for failing to contain a disastrous presidential scandal.
  • The FBI, CIA, Verheek, president and editor are broadly condemned as incompetent; even Gray’s competence is questioned.
  • The editor’s wish to send Gray to campaign coverage instead of investigating two judicial assassinations is especially implausible.

What’s Aged the Worst?

Scandal response, disputed; runtime; Culp casting, disputed; dated media; Callahan; frightened whisper; Morgan search

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 00:57:26Read transcript
  • Diminished public capacity for scandal is proposed, but others argue the killings would still dominate coverage.
  • The 141-minute runtime and repeated surveillance shots are excessive.
  • Robert Culp’s presidential casting divides opinion: more prominent alternatives are proposed, while his television persona is defended as appropriate.
  • Floppy disks and expandable files mark the film’s dated technology.
  • Porn theaters have largely disappeared.
  • Callahan’s conduct as a professor is criticized.
  • Darby’s sustained frightened whisper becomes a one-note performance choice.
  • The Curtis Morgan search takes too long and its intermediate steps feel far-fetched.

Casting What-Ifs

Roberts was Grisham’s choice

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:14:29Read transcript
  • Grisham wanted Roberts for Darby, a choice treated as unsurprising given her popularity.

Recasting Couch

Zendaya; gender-swap with Holland; Gyllenhaal/Driver; Davidson disputed; Goldwyn as president

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:17:03Read transcript
  • Zendaya is proposed for Darby; a gender-swapped version would pair her reporter with Tom Holland’s law student.
  • Jake Gyllenhaal and Adam Driver are considered for Gray.
  • Pete Davidson is proposed for Gray but receives immediate resistance.
  • Goldwyn could return as the president.

Apex Mountain

Tulane, qualified; John Grisham

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 01:19:17Read transcript
  • Tulane receives a qualified affirmative nomination.
  • Grisham’s ability to sell unwritten ideas as films supports an affirmative selection.
  • Conspiracy movies are rejected.
  • The return-from-the-plane farewell hug loses to The Bodyguard.
  • Edwin Newman is proposed, but his SNL hosting appearance offers a competing peak.
  • A later Washington peak is preferred; the title is unclear in the transcript.
  • Roberts’s Pretty Woman period is preferred, with Notting Hill and Erin Brockovich another strong stretch.
  • Adult theaters are considered, with a later Nicholson theater scene offered as the counterexample.
  • John Heard’s Big, Home Alone and After Hours roles displace this film.

Is This Movie Better With…?

J. T. Walsh as Mattiece

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:29:38Read transcript
  • J. T. Walsh as Mattiece is the selected improvement.
  • Wayne Jenkins and Byron Mayo inspire additional comic impersonations.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Heald’s range; Gray’s relationships; Darby’s refuge; Pulitzer; privacy

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:31:51Read transcript
  • Could Anthony Heald convincingly escape his sneering-villain typecasting?
  • Gray’s relationship history is unexplained, with divorce considered plausible.
  • Darby’s flight destination and eventual refuge are uncertain, with the Caribbean favored.
  • Whether Darby and Gray win a Pulitzer, and whether she attends, remains unresolved.
  • How long can Gray protect Darby’s location from determined investigators?

What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?

Desktop computer; original brief; Callahan’s car; Howard T-shirt; Knicks cap

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:36:25Read transcript
  • The editor’s green-and-black-screen desktop computer is one choice.
  • The original brief is another choice.
  • Callahan’s car is requested despite the usual resistance to car selections.
  • Washington’s Howard University T-shirt and Darby’s Knicks cap are further choices; Mets is corrected to Knicks.

Who Won the Movie?

John Grisham (two choices); Denzel Washington; conspiracies

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:37:33Read transcript
  • John Grisham receives two explicit final choices after a provisional Shepard suggestion.
  • Denzel Washington is chosen for crossing into self-sufficient top-tier stardom.
  • Conspiracies are chosen as the enduringly rich subject of the film.
Podcast choices
Speaker not identified
John Grisham
Speaker not identified
John Grisham
Speaker not identified
Denzel Washington
Speaker not identified
Conspiracies

More from the conversation

The future cold-weather tour announces Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia and New York; this is promotion rather than a live-episode designation.
Approx. transcript time · 00:02:05Read transcript
The film’s stars, Grisham source and childhood nostalgia explain its appeal; Pakula’s familiar thriller techniques elevate imperfect material.
Approx. transcript time · 00:03:49Read transcript
The premise of two apparently unrelated Supreme Court killings solved by a young law student is praised as immediately marketable.
Approx. transcript time · 00:05:03Read transcript
Although initially less successful as an adaptation than The Firm, the film has become comfortable casual viewing.
Approx. transcript time · 00:05:39Read transcript
Roberts returns after a two-year hiatus and a turbulent early-star period, though her full renewed dominance is placed later in 1997.
Approx. transcript time · 00:06:10Read transcript
Contemporary magazine interviews are strikingly confrontational about rumors, while Roberts responds with unusual openness and defiance.
Approx. transcript time · 00:06:53Read transcript
A Premiere interview recounts Roberts criticizing Herbert Ross’s treatment of her on Steel Magnolias.
Approx. transcript time · 00:08:09Read transcript
Roberts’s independent, strong-willed persona complicates the America’s-sweetheart label and helps explain her appeal.
Approx. transcript time · 00:08:47Read transcript
A hypothetical 1970s version with Redford, Lange and Gordon Willis is considered, but the script is viewed as the central issue rather than the era.
Approx. transcript time · 00:10:05Read transcript
The story remains relevant because Supreme Court politics endure; it might fit alongside Pakula’s paranoia films without replacing them.
Approx. transcript time · 00:10:36Read transcript
The Clinton-era faith that young idealists might overcome institutional corruption offers a reason the story fits 1993.
Approx. transcript time · 00:11:26Read transcript
Darby’s painstaking pre-internet research is contrasted with contemporary online conspiracy culture.
Approx. transcript time · 00:12:05Read transcript
The JFK anniversary prompts a digression about documentaries, contested assassination theories and an earlier Rewatchables episode; claims remain the discussion’s assertions.
Approx. transcript time · 00:12:39Read transcript
The Pelican Brief and Philadelphia in the same month are treated as Washington’s breakthrough into sustained top-tier stardom alongside the biggest white stars.
Approx. transcript time · 00:14:45Read transcript
The absence of romance is defended as appropriate to the partnership, journalistic ethics and Darby’s recent bereavement.
Approx. transcript time · 00:17:13Read transcript
Intimate staging and romantic scoring nevertheless invite a kiss; the farewell recalls The Bodyguard.
Approx. transcript time · 00:18:13Read transcript
Giving Gray a wife is proposed as an explanation for avoiding romance, but added domestic scenes are resisted.
Approx. transcript time · 00:19:00Read transcript
Washington’s suit-wearing professional roles represent a deliberate move toward mature authority after Mo’ Better Blues.
Approx. transcript time · 00:19:44Read transcript
A comparison with All the President’s Men turns into a joke about Bernstein’s romantic reputation.
Approx. transcript time · 00:20:26Read transcript
An unwatched Mission: Impossible sequel prompts a dispute about franchise repetition and movie-viewing priorities.
Approx. transcript time · 00:21:18Read transcript
The brief links the murdered justices through environmental rulings that threaten an oil tycoon’s drilling plans in pelican habitat.
Approx. transcript time · 00:22:03Read transcript
The premise raises an uneasy question about whether judicial assassinations could be used to change policy in real life.
Approx. transcript time · 00:22:53Read transcript
Modern Supreme Court succession battles and threats against justices reinforce the premise’s continuing relevance.
Approx. transcript time · 00:23:33Read transcript
Grisham’s strong premises and memorable character names prompt frustration that later novels have not generated more films.
Approx. transcript time · 00:24:16Read transcript
Tucci’s assassin is an early memorable encounter with the actor, though the generic Middle Eastern terrorist label has aged poorly.
Approx. transcript time · 00:25:18Read transcript
Jokes about a final Rewatchables episode name Kiss of Death, Almost Famous and Pulp Fiction, without announcing an actual ending.
Approx. transcript time · 00:26:26Read transcript
The supporting cast’s depth includes Lithgow, Cronyn, Heald, Nixon, Sikking and Shepard.
Approx. transcript time · 00:27:21Read transcript
Pakula’s producer apprenticeship, paranoia trilogy, collaborators and skill with stars are praised; his career is compared with Pollack’s.
Approx. transcript time · 00:27:54Read transcript
Faithfulness to popular, plot-heavy Grisham novels may explain the adaptations’ length; knowing The Firm’s book initially reduced its surprises.
Approx. transcript time · 00:29:11Read transcript
The Firm is considered more fun and rewatchable, while this film’s grief and elusive antagonist create a sadder experience.
Approx. transcript time · 00:30:36Read transcript
The drawn-out search for Curtis Morgan arrives too late and slows an otherwise enjoyable film.
Approx. transcript time · 00:32:25Read transcript
John Heard’s brief appearance is compared with his other strong supporting work in In the Line of Fire.
Approx. transcript time · 00:37:13Read transcript
Roberts’s frightened physical performance includes difficulty unbuttoning her wrap dress.
Approx. transcript time · 00:38:33Read transcript
The Washington–Lithgow reunion reverses their hostile Ricochet relationship while returning Pakula to newsroom territory.
Approx. transcript time · 00:39:06Read transcript
Shepard’s weathered romantic appeal is connected with Baby Boom and an ideal of a solitary, experienced American man.
Approx. transcript time · 00:42:38Read transcript
Shepard’s possible movie-star career is weighed against his playwriting achievements, personal difficulties and performance as Chuck Yeager.
Approx. transcript time · 00:43:33Read transcript
A hypothetical Shepard-led Sleepless in Seattle would bring a darker romantic presence.
Approx. transcript time · 00:44:48Read transcript
Shepard’s later grizzled roles, especially Mud, and earlier Days of Heaven and The Right Stuff are praised.
Approx. transcript time · 00:45:33Read transcript
Khamel’s wardrobe logistics invite questions about advance planning, changing disguises and storing a removable toupee.
Approx. transcript time · 00:46:04Read transcript
Darby’s Riverwalk clothes feel newly fashionable, while the Pretty Woman polo dress remains an especially admired Roberts look.
Approx. transcript time · 00:48:02Read transcript
A hypothetical real-life experiment would test whether taxi drivers actually follow another cab on request.
Approx. transcript time · 00:50:13Read transcript
Robert Patrick’s Terminator 2 sprinting is praised as unusually convincing.
Approx. transcript time · 00:54:15Read transcript
Mount Vernon tourism inspires an imagined solo travelogue.
Approx. transcript time · 00:55:08Read transcript
The film withholds Darby’s theory before revealing more than its investigators know, unlike the stepwise discovery of All the President’s Men.
Approx. transcript time · 00:58:34Read transcript
Delaying the stars’ first shared scene until sixty-eight minutes is defended as making their meeting momentous.
Approx. transcript time · 01:02:58Read transcript
The theater scene prompts a question about seating etiquette and a personal college anecdote about abruptly leaving a porn theater.
Approx. transcript time · 01:04:57Read transcript
Memorable porn-theater scenes are recalled from The Departed, Philadelphia, this film and Hardcore; the list is unranked.
Approx. transcript time · 01:07:03Read transcript
The CIA-versus-FBI discussion mixes hypothetical career preferences with jokes and contested Kennedy-assassination assertions.
Approx. transcript time · 01:13:35Read transcript
Pakula’s fatal highway accident and the career documentary Going for Truth prompt appreciation of his collaborators’ affection.
Approx. transcript time · 01:18:38Read transcript
A claim that a football broadcaster rewatches Home Alone annually inspires skepticism and an imagined commentary.
Approx. transcript time · 01:21:19Read transcript
The tropical refuge raises questions about Darby’s money, equipment and living arrangements.
Approx. transcript time · 01:28:54Read transcript
An imagined Grisham-universe sequel connects Darby with The Firm, followed by a fanciful story about clues hidden in Grisham’s books.
Approx. transcript time · 01:33:21Read transcript
A first-time viewer defends the stars’ restrained performances as sustaining attention through a long, murky, dialogue-heavy thriller.
Approx. transcript time · 01:38:57Read transcript
The film’s episodic feel renews interest in a television remake and leads to a digression over Oppenheimer’s length and complexity.
Approx. transcript time · 01:39:54Read transcript
Closing announcements promote a Christmas Eve episode and the future tour rather than tagging this recording as a holiday or live event.
Approx. transcript time · 01:41:22Read transcript