Some people believe the spitting was improvised and that Billy Zane did not know it was coming.
Jack and Rose are fictional, most supporting characters are accurate, and the wreck footage is real from Cameron's 12 dives; a J. Dawson gravestone was discovered after filming.
Captain Smith's death is disputed; there is basically no evidence third-class passengers were barricaded below deck; the band played ragtime rather than solemn music near the end.
The on-ship runtime of two hours 40 minutes matches the time from the iceberg to the sinking, intentionally.
The film omits the nearby SS Californian, which had its radio off, prompting the complaint that 20 seconds could have been spared for it.
The staircase flooding had to be filmed in one take; Cameron drew Jack's sketches; worn-out prints required replacement reels.
Crew disliked Cameron's alter ego, nicknamed Midge, Jim backward, and put on shirts; the ship and tank cost $150 million; a planned 138-day shoot ran to 160 days; the code name was Planet Ice.
Winslet skipped a wetsuit, got pneumonia and a kidney infection, and almost quit; many cast and crew were miserable.
Cameron gave backstories to around 150 extras, and a necklace used in the film was reportedly auctioned for $2.2 million for Princess Diana's charity.

Casting What-Ifs

Johnny Depp; Jared Leto; Claire Danes; Jeremy Sisto; Billy Crudup; Gwyneth Paltrow; Winona Ryder; Matthew McConaughey; Enya; Robert De Niro

In the discussion (8)

Approx. transcript time · 01:11:55Read transcript

Johnny Depp reportedly turned down Jack over the script; Jared Leto was reportedly favored but would not audition, and the actress transcribed as Claire Daines was supposedly wanted for Rose.
Jeremy Sisto auditioned multiple times and is lamented as never finding the right part; Billy Crudup was considered but was committed to Without Limits.
DiCaprio excelled in testing, and Winslet reportedly lobbied hard, telling Cameron to pick DiCaprio even if not her.
Gwyneth Paltrow and Winona Ryder were reportedly in the mix; Paltrow might have been decent but is judged too regal, and Winslet remains the best choice.
The Cal role was reportedly offered to Matthew McConaughey, who turned it down.
McConaughey as Cal is judged unworkable; a report that he was also offered Jack is doubted.
Cameron reportedly wanted Enya for the music before settling on Celine Dion.
Robert De Niro was reportedly offered Captain Smith but declined due to a gastrointestinal infection; he would have been fun in the role.

Recasting Couch

Young Ben Affleck as Cal

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 01:15:58Read transcript

1997 Matt Damon of School Ties is proposed for Cal but judged too similar to DiCaprio; Zane works as a dark, East Coast contrast.
Brendan Fraser is floated but may be too nice; young Ben Affleck is judged a perfect fit with a size difference from DiCaprio.

Picking Nits

Perfectly fitting borrowed tuxedo; stereotyped steerage party; broke family's fine things; untried shared debris; lucky rescue sequence; surviving Picasso; poker stakes for tickets

In the discussion (7)

Approx. transcript time · 01:24:02Read transcript

Molly Brown's tuxedo fits Jack perfectly, a recurring movie problem with borrowed clothes.
The steerage party depicts poor people only square dancing, arm wrestling, and drinking stout; the other host accepts any depiction of European parties.
Rose's family is secretly broke yet still has fine things to auction; their Philadelphia elite status is joked about given the city's sports-fan reputation.
Jack and Rose might both have fit on the floating debris after only one attempt; Jack should have kept trying since he knew staying in the water was fatal.
Rose finding the handcuffed Jack from vague directions, finding an axe, and hitting the chain in three feet of water all rely on luck before he dies anyway.
A real Picasso painting mentioned by Rose appears to go down with the ship yet still exists.
Jack and his friend were broke, so it is unclear what they staked against the tickets in the poker game; Cameron is joked not to understand poker.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Rose's fate at the end; the car hand-print position; climate change and icebergs; Jack and Rose's longevity; DiCaprio passing on Boogie Nights

In the discussion (5)

Approx. transcript time · 01:31:14Read transcript

Whether Rose is alive and dreaming or dead at the end; Cameron leaves it open.
What sex position produced the hand on the car window without his head in frame, with a joking MythBusters-style reenactment proposal.
Whether the film is an argument that climate change would prevent icebergs, asked as a joke.
How long Jack and Rose would have lasted if both survived; both hosts think they would marry.
DiCaprio turning down Boogie Nights for Titanic is judged a good call; Paul Thomas Anderson reportedly agreed it worked out, and Dirk Diggler is called Wahlberg's Apex Mountain.

Producer review

Rebuttal defending Rose against each demerit

In the discussion (13)

Approx. transcript time · 01:36:43Read transcript

Producer Craig is brought in because he objected to the segment, calling it Rose slander.
He says he switched on a proper mic, calls the demerits baseless slander after obligatory praise, and offers a rebuttal to each. — Craig Horlbeck
The cheating charge is rebutted because her fiance was abusive and practically arranged. — Craig Horlbeck
The hosts concede the cheating rebuttal is fair.
Her delay in defending Jack is attributed to a lifetime of being told to stay quiet and difficulty explaining a suicide attempt. — Craig Horlbeck
The hosts reject the delay defense, insisting a friend should be defended without waiting.
Seeing Jack first in heaven is defended because he urged her to have babies and a long life, which she did. — Craig Horlbeck
The hosts counter with marital commitment and the brevity of the two-day romance.
A nightstand photo does show her husband and two children at the beach. — Craig Horlbeck
The other photos are described as adventures Jack urged, and the reply is that the husband barely appears in them.
Dropping the necklace is defended as closure, finally letting go of Jack before she dies. — Craig Horlbeck
The hosts argue it makes no difference to Jack and the necklace could have been donated or displayed.
The hosts note the defense skipped Rose letting Jack freeze and remain unconvinced; other complaints are said to have been let slide.