Per the hosts, Ebert gave the film three stars and, in his review, agreed that viewers know every beat the movie is going to hit.
The review is quoted as saying there are few movie actors audiences simply like, Marilyn Monroe being one, and that on the basis of Speed and While You Were Sleeping Sandra Bullock may be another.
A host defers to Ebert as a man of Chicago but counters that Monroe is remembered partly for her sex appeal, alongside her screen presence.

Casting What-Ifs

Demi Moore; Harrison Ford; Dennis Quaid; Patrick Swayze; Nicole Kidman; Matthew McConaughey; Pierce Brosnan

In the discussion (11)

Approx. transcript time · 00:44:47Read transcript

Julia Roberts is rumored to have passed; one of the writers is quoted saying lots of big actresses passed, which a host believes he told BuzzFeed UK in 2015. A host thinks it is described as one of her most regrettable decisions, but the hosts doubt she was ever seriously considered.
The hosts say the Vanity Fair article reports Demi Moore was wanted, which would have been her first rom-com; she would have made it more serious and anxious.
The Washington Post oral history is cited for Davis passing, funny because she and Pullman were married in A League of Their Own; when the director signed on, Harrison Ford and Davis were attached and both backed out.
Harrison Ford would have been great, if more of a jerk and less believable as the spare brother.
The hosts cite the Washington Post as saying Dennis Quaid was rumored for Jack; a host speculates he and Meg Ryan shared representation.
Patrick Swayze, also mentioned for Jack, is a no: too much charisma for a reticent role, leading into a tangent about Dirty Dancing and Ghost.
The hosts report Nicole Kidman was also mentioned for Lucy but deemed too pretty, which the hosts call mean to Sandra Bullock.
Matthew McConaughey was reportedly a top choice for Jack until his Texas accent got in the way; a host calls it a hard yes and invents a Texas-family fix, noting the grandmother's British accent goes unexplained.
The hosts report Pierce Brosnan was rumored for Peter; his accent hardly matters since Peter is asleep, and Peter Gallagher plays a yuppie better than almost anyone.
James Spater (as transcribed) was mentioned somewhere on the list, probably for Jack, but a host thinks he should have been Peter.
The Jack role could have worked with several actors, which is a testament to the writing; Jack is probably the best-written character even if Bullock sells hers best.

Recasting Couch

Rachel McAdams

In the discussion (8)

Approx. transcript time · 00:56:43Read transcript

Only Lucy is recast; it is hard because asking an actress to be universally likable is no longer how female actors are thought of.
Florence Pugh is floated in bangs and a beanie; she would be more aggressive, a "fire hose" in a Big Picture colleague's phrase, committing to the intensity and the slapstick.
Victoria Justice is suggested as a Nickelodeon star who might have remade herself five years ago, though probably not a good enough actress.
Rachel McAdams brings the same antic, determined energy seen in Morning Glory, a shared favorite, and could sell the implausible elements; the choice amounts to recasting for Bullock herself.
Elizabeth Olson (as transcribed) is raised but rejected, since the role needs someone who fills the space of doubt and goes on offense.
Emma Stone is floated for physical comedy, but her wryness would make the audience too aware that the circumstances are wrong; "it's just a no."
Rachel McAdams is named the best answer.
A second closing "final answer" is garbled in the transcript ("I'm going on a stone") and may name Emma Stone; the speaker and choice are unresolved.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Coma Guy working title; gender-flipped premise; original New York setting; train-track electricity precautions; improvised Oreo moment; Gallagher's real head injury

In the discussion (6)

Approx. transcript time · 01:02:20Read transcript

The hosts report the working title was Coma Guy.
The hosts report the premise was originally a man in love with a woman in a coma, flipped as too lecherous and creepy; the hosts think the movie could not be made now at all because of Google.
The hosts report the film was originally set in New York with Joe Jr. an over-the-top Brooklyn Italian, which a host calls a stereotype.
The hosts report that, shooting on location in Chicago, the crew turned off the track electricity and, worried about conduction in the platform rescue, filmed the train in reverse.
The hosts report Bullock is allergic to cats despite Lucy's cat, and say dunking her Oreo in the cat's milk was her improvised idea, echoing Two Weeks Notice.
The hosts say Peter Gallagher really hit his head filming the train scene, recounted in both the Washington Post and Vulture pieces.

Picking Nits

Lucy's lie to the family; lax hospital; Jack pursuing his brother's fiancee; murky timeline; rushed printed invitations; hospital wedding

In the discussion (11)

Approx. transcript time · 01:11:39Read transcript

Baskin-Robbins is not an ice cream flavor, and no one should carry a passport around at all times. — Amanda Dobbins
Elsie's heart attack gets attention and is then dropped, and the hospital's visiting rules are very loose.
The family does not know their son is engaged, and Lucy lies to them at length, which a host thinks is attempted fraud.
Nurse Wanda never intervenes, which a host believes violates medical-information rules, while unsure whether they existed in 1995.
Saul as the lone Jewish neighbor hanging around is called weird (a host assumes they wanted Jack Warden); he never tells the family, which is understandable but not sound.
Feeding the cat is technically trespassing, repeated bedside visits border on stalking, and the hospital verifies nothing beyond the testicle test.
Jack immediately hits on his brother's fiancee, making him a bad sibling; neither lead makes sound decisions.
The timeline between Christmas and New Year's is murky, and the little sister prompting a mistletoe kiss has the whole family encouraging it.
Printed wedding invitations arrive in the week after New Year's; the timeline is called the number one problem.
Why hold the wedding in the hospital, and why can Peter not put his arms through his jacket?
The hosts are willing to overlook it all, a testament to the movie; don't do this at home.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Why we don't learn more about Lucy's mom; whether it is a Christmas movie; whether it has the most crimes of any rom-com

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 01:22:14Read transcript

Why don't we learn more about Lucy's mom? The voiceover intro efficiently establishes her loss; more parent material would shift focus from her loneliness.
It is not a Christmas movie: the climactic event needs to be at Christmas, and this one peaks too soon.
Is this the most crimes ever committed in a rom-com? Nothing in the Nora Ephron or Nancy Myers (as transcribed) canons compares; How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days has bribery and betting, but this still takes the cake.