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The Perfect Storm

year 2000decade 00sdirector Wolfgang Petersengenre Disastergenre Drama

130 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

George Clooney Billy Tyne
Mark Wahlberg Bobby Shatford
John C. Reilly Dale "Murph" Murphy
Diane Lane Christina "Chris" Cotter
William Fichtner David "Sully" Sullivan
John Hawkes Michael "Bugsy" Moran
Allen Payne Alfred Pierre
Karen Allen Melissa Brown
Bob Gunton Alexander McAnally III
Michael Ironside Bob Brown
Cherry Jones Edie Bailey
Dash Mihok Sgt. Jeremy Mitchell

The Perfect Storm | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryan format 20th anniversary
Explore episodeClose episode

Producer credits not yet identified.

Roger Ebert's review

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:24:54Read transcript
  • Ebert is quoted calling The Perfect Storm a well-crafted example of a film of pure sensation.
  • The hosts joke that Ebert is all about the story, a point they say came up in the Fletch episode, and note the review shouts out Wolfgang Petersen.

Most Rewatchable Scene

The wave crushing the boat

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 00:28:56Read transcript
  • The crow's nest scene where Clooney tells the crew they are going back out introduces Diane Lane and many characters.
  • The crow's nest bar is called the happiest bar ever on the North Shore; a real North Shore bar would be quiet, with Red Sox games on, smoking and drinking, a sign the director was not from there.
  • Clooney's speech to Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio's Linda is another pick; he delivers it with no Boston accent, and the dialect coach is called one of the big losers of the movie.
  • The walkthrough also picks Wahlberg and Clooney together as the boat sets sail, Fickner saving Riley after he goes overboard, Clooney driving through the storm and blowtorching the anchor off, and Wahlberg saving John Hawks.
  • The boat flipping through a wave and the sun coming out, with Clooney saying they made it, is praised as heartbreaking because it is a false reprieve.
  • The most rewatchable scene is when the wave actually crushes them.
  • It is called the best scene in the movie, with a question whether "rewatchable" fits something so dark.
  • A first viewing without knowing the real story made the sun going back behind the clouds devastating; in 2000 the ending could still be kept secret.
  • The last hour is called really strong, though much of the Coast Guard material is not liked.

What’s Aged the Best?

Gloucester; Reed Rothschild and Dirk Diggler reunion; Wahlberg's accent, facial hair and attitude; smoking on deck; the music; the Riley-Fickner feud; crow's nest interactions; Ironside's payout scene

In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 00:36:46Read transcript
  • Gloucester is picked as an underrated part of Massachusetts; the shooting locations are guessed as partly Dedham and largely Gloucester, and the crow's nest is thought to exist in real life.
  • Riley and Walberg reunite four years after Boogie Nights, framed as a Reed Rothschild and Dirk Diggler reunion.
  • A joke proposes a Jack Horner fake trailer recasting Perfect Storm footage as a Boogie Nights porn film.
  • Walberg's accent, facial hair and attitude are called a tour de force, and John Hawks is also mentioned.
  • The crew smoking cigarettes on deck is a favorite; the boat must have smelled terrible from dead fish and chili.
  • The music is praised for matching the tension on the boat.
  • The Riley-Fickner feud is liked because it is never explained, just two men sick of each other in close quarters, which adds tension; a deleted scene has Riley handing Fickner a phone with "a dead man on the other line."
  • Fickner is hard to see as anyone but his Armageddon character.
  • The early crow's nest interactions, including the old man at the bar telling war stories, are picked.
  • Ironside's payout scene shows how small the margins are and why the crew risks their lives to make rent.

What’s Aged the Worst?

Ironside's accent; Clooney's inconsistent accent; Riley's son; Diane Lane's accent and character

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 00:42:09Read transcript
  • Ironside's accent is rough; a real Massachusetts actor, or even someone making no accent attempt, would have been better, with Dickie Barrett suggested.
  • Clooney's accent comes and goes and then disappears, and he never coordinated with Mastrantonio, while Walberg and John Hawks are committed to theirs.
  • John C. Riley's son is a pet peeve: the dad talks about how much the kid means, and the kid just stares blankly; a counterpoint says an eight-year-old would be intimidated.
  • Diane Lane's accent is called legendary and usually the first mentioned in worst-Boston-accent conversations, alongside Kevin Koster in 13 Days and Jeff Bridges in Blown Away.
  • Diane Lane is loved, but she is called too beautiful for the role, and nobody in Massachusetts ever acted like that.
  • A joke notes that both of these characters are named Chris, prompting a riff on Chrises from Massachusetts.
  • The character lacks a real flaw beyond hating when her boyfriend goes fishing, which makes Bobby leaving hard to believe.
  • The attempt is admired because the Boston accent is half attitude, but nothing about it feels authentic.
  • Her lines read like Hallmark speeches, such as the curtains and pillows from J.C. Pennies, and she is compared to the wet-blanket girlfriend from a sports movie.

Casting What-Ifs

Ben Affleck and Nick Cage as Bobby; Clooney as Bobby; Harrison Ford and Mel Gibson as Billy

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:48:52Read transcript
  • The segment says Ben Affleck was originally sought to play Wahlberg's character and said no, and Nick Cage signed on but backed out because of other commitments.
  • Cage is suggested as a good Billy or a Captain Ahab, or as the old guy at the bar.
  • The segment says Clooney also wanted to play Bobby, but Wolfgang wanted him as Billy, and Harrison Ford and Mel Gibson turned down Billy.
  • Gibson is said to have wanted "$25 billion" (as spoken) to play Billy.

Recasting Couch

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:51:39Read transcript
  • The proposal replaces William Fickner's part with Ben Affleck, letting him use his accent.
  • An objection says it would turn Affleck into a character actor; the reply is that he was already a movie star after Armageddon.
  • If Affleck is in a Boston movie, he has to die saving someone, so he dies saving John C. Riley.
  • Affleck is said to have needed a fourth-lead part like this during his 97 to 03 run, agreed with a Kevin Bacon in Apollo 13 comparison.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Animatronic fish; the real Linda Greenlaw; the families' lawsuit; discrepancies with the real events; Beau Goldman writing credit; Clooney's practical jokes

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 00:52:46Read transcript
  • The research says none of the fish were real; they were rubber or animatronic, and no fish were harmed.
  • The research says the real Linda Greenlaw, Mastrantonio's character, turned to swordfishing in 2008 as part of a Discovery Channel series.
  • The research says family members of Billy Tyne and Dale Murphy did not like the movie and sued Time Warner in 2000, and the case did not go anywhere.
  • The discrepancies cited are that Linda never placed a distress call and that there was no romance between the Clooney and Mastrantonio characters.
  • The hosts suggest the Tyne family objected because, as they describe it, the boat was already heading back when the storm hit, and they say Greenlaw did not see it as arrogance; they note that version is less dramatic.
  • A triumphant score contrasts with an on-screen Billy Tyne portrayed as a captain driven to oblivion.
  • The research says Beau Goldman received an on-screen co-writing credit.
  • The research says Clooney played practical jokes on set that Hawks, Wahlberg and Diane Lane called funny without specifics; water movies are said to be miserable to film.

Apex Mountain

No affirmative selection

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:56:01Read transcript
  • It is called the best Gloucester movie, and "Apex Mountain for Gloucester" is proposed.
  • John C. Raleigh, Wahlberg and Clooney are each ruled out.
  • A case for traditional-movie-star Clooney is floated with the expectation of pushback.
  • One view is that there is no Apex Mountain here other than biggest wave in a movie, offered with "I don't know."

Picking Nits

John Hawks and the woman at the crow's nest; Clooney's plan to drive through the storm; the Coast Guard and sailboat plot; no 1991 Red Sox on TV

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 00:56:39Read transcript
  • John Hawks picking the bitter, chain-smoking woman at the crow's nest is inexplicable, especially her appearance at the funeral after one bar conversation.
  • Clooney's plan to drive through the storm is likened to Mike D'Antoony in a playoff series and later to a late-period Philly coach; the hosts say that in the movie, the captains on both boats are basically dooming them.
  • The Coast Guard plot with Cherry Jones, Bob Gutten and Karen Allen has no setup and pulls away from the boat; it is called the biggest flaw, as if from a version about the whole storm.
  • The first 45 minutes invest in the Andrea Gale crew, so the shift to the rescue story is surprising; the movie is about the six guys on the boat, not the Coast Guard.
  • The film is thought to be set in 1991, but no Red Sox, Clemens or a Patriots preseason game appears on the bar televisions, which bothers a Massachusetts viewer.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Dying in the storm or missing Boston's titles; what each would do under the waves

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:02:28Read transcript
  • The one question: is dying in the perfect storm a bigger bummer than missing the 12 Boston titles and the end of the Red Sox curse.
  • Billy is joked to be a possible early Marlins fan because he calls Sarasota home, and a 2017 epilogue at the bar is proposed.
  • Asked what they would do, one says the ocean calls the shots, and dumping the fish to live gets an immediate yes; in real life, per the discussion, the crew had no idea the storm was coming.

Who Won the Movie?

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:04:19Read transcript
  • Peterson is picked for In the Line of Fire and for set pieces and structure that rise above the accents and sappiness, despite the unnecessary Coast Guard time.
  • The second pick rejects Peterson over the missing 91 Red Sox footage and Diane Lane's accent, choosing Wahlberg as the best character and performance, going toe to toe with Clooney and launching the next 20 years.
Podcast choices
Speaker not identified
Wolfgang Petersen
Speaker not identified
Mark Wahlberg

More from the conversation

A Ringer Podcast Network plug promotes a podcast launched this week and The Camp Chronicles, six episodes hosted by Tyler Tynes, coming mid-July.
Approx. transcript time · 00:00:00Read transcript
A movie-trailer cold open plays clips of the Andrea Gale heading to the Flemish Cap and the storm forecast.
Approx. transcript time · 00:00:24Read transcript
The episode marks the 20th anniversary of a movie more successful than remembered and weirdly rewatchable despite everyone dying; catching it on cable locks you in.
Approx. transcript time · 00:01:29Read transcript
Clooney was being pushed as an A-plus lister with mixed results while Wahlberg, ten years younger, had the better part; in another era the two would swap roles.
Approx. transcript time · 00:02:53Read transcript
Clooney is framed as better as a megastar in small or offbeat films, always playing George Clooney, with a heater but no curve or slider.
Approx. transcript time · 00:04:05Read transcript
Clooney is compared to Harrison Ford as a would-be action star; The Peacemaker is called his attempted franchise.
Approx. transcript time · 00:05:37Read transcript
Clooney's path runs from ER's phenomenon through 95-98 misses to Out of Sight, called perhaps his best movie and his best romantic chemistry, then Thin Red Line, Three Kings, O Brother and Perfect Storm; his directing is judged unsuccessful.
Approx. transcript time · 00:06:43Read transcript
After failed blockbusters Clooney chose filmmakers first (the Cohen brothers, David O. Russell, Alexander Payne, Soderberg), then settled into one good film for every three average-to-bad ones.
Approx. transcript time · 00:08:51Read transcript
Asked about small-screen baggage, the ER fan answer says Doug Ross was a signature role, especially the flood episode, but Clooney was too big a star for the show.
Approx. transcript time · 00:09:38Read transcript
Clooney's trade value around 98 was compared to Leo and Matt Damon; he had many misses, a meta career after Ocean's 11, and unlike Brad Pitt rarely transformed physically except in Siriana.
Approx. transcript time · 00:10:58Read transcript
His best Oscar chance is placed in the Descendants year; in NBA terms he could reach a conference final but not win a title, with Tracy McGrady as the comp.
Approx. transcript time · 00:13:08Read transcript
Wahlberg's 96-2000 run from Basketball Diaries through Boogie Nights and Three Kings made him a movie star; he was expected to follow a Nick Cage-style action path.
Approx. transcript time · 00:14:38Read transcript
The Perfect Storm is called the model for later Peter Berg and Wahlberg true-story films such as Lone Survivor and Patriot Day.
Approx. transcript time · 00:16:56Read transcript
The deep cast is praised, with John Hawks and John C. Riley as character-actor lottery wins, compared to Armageddon's cast.
Approx. transcript time · 00:17:26Read transcript
The movie made $328 million; per the hosts, it was inspired by Hurricane Grace in late 1991 taking out a Gloucester boat with six people, and it was largely faithful because the event was traumatic for Gloucester.
Approx. transcript time · 00:19:19Read transcript
"Based on a true story" is mocked as a loaded, fluid phrase, with a joke about a Craig Horlebeck story about the podcast.
Approx. transcript time · 00:19:48Read transcript
The movie is based on the Sebastian Younger book; it balances the dockside sentimentality with not pulling punches, since no rescue comes.
Approx. transcript time · 00:21:13Read transcript
Stuck-at-sea favorites include White Squall, Master and Commander, Deadcom, Titanic, Open Water, The Shallows, Castaway, The Reef and All Is Lost; seasickness makes boats a deep fear.
Approx. transcript time · 00:21:45Read transcript
Sleeping with the Enemy prompts a proposed From Hell week or month, plus a recommendation of Domestic Disturbance.
Approx. transcript time · 00:23:54Read transcript
Wolfgang Peterson is praised for set pieces and pacing, holding the storm for about an hour and a half; a Tony Scott version would have a mutiny.
Approx. transcript time · 00:25:13Read transcript
The trailer teased one shot of the giant wave, making it like the shark in Jaws; the deck scenes feel real despite the CGI.
Approx. transcript time · 00:26:32Read transcript
During That Guy, a question about the sailboat and Coast Guard plotlines is held for Picking Nits.
Approx. transcript time · 00:50:02Read transcript
Craig is invited in: he had not seen the movie, found it too stressful during a global pandemic, and expected John C. Riley to die but not everyone.
Approx. transcript time · 01:05:14Read transcript
A Tarantino-version joke follows; asked whether Liz cried, the answer is no, and the viewing is described as sad and absorbing.
Approx. transcript time · 01:05:48Read transcript
Next week is undecided between St. Elmo's Fire and Flatliners, with a mention that Joel Schumacher died a couple days ago.
Approx. transcript time · 01:06:26Read transcript