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Stats
- Episodes featuring their films
- 12
- Movies in this archive
- 12
Rewatchables episodes featuring Denzel Washington’s films
The Pelican Brief
1993 film
Bill Simmons · Chris Ryan · Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins
Aired December 12, 2023
Displaying all 12 episodes
Mentioned in discussions
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:21:03Read transcript
- The answer repeats Denzel twice, followed by a question about whether he ever did not win the movie. Only one ballot is guaranteed without separate speaker evidence. — Bill Simmons
- Past and possible future episode winners are discussed; they do not add votes here. Philadelphia is only a forecast and Training Day a recalled result. — Chris Ryan
Podcast choices
The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson
Do not cross Denzel, avoid the late-night encounter, and accept the mud with the rain.
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:20:48Read transcript
- Three choices are voiced: do not cross the lead, do not speak to the women in the diner at3am, and the rain-and-mud proverb. These are discussion opinions, not endorsed advice. — Bill Simmons
Just One Oscar
Unresolved; probably Denzel
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:22Read transcript
- The first prompt is interrupted by more casting and travel discussion. — Chris Ryan
- The repeated who gets it prompt has an answer transcribed then so, probably Denzel in context; exact choice remains uncertain pending recording. — Bill Simmons
Recasting Couch
Josh: Norton or Hamilton; Jimmy: Affleck or Damon; Lee, Hauser, Casey Affleck and Sean Astin considered; star-casting jokes
In the discussion (15)
Approx. transcript time · 01:18:42Read transcript
- Affleck is considered for Josh but may be too conventionally handsome; his Mallrats persona is closer to Des. — Sean Fennessey
- Norton is endorsed for Josh. — Sean Fennessey
- Jason Lee is considered closer to the Eigeman role. — Bill Simmons
- Affleck is preferred over Mackenzie Astin despite praise for the existing performance. — Sean Fennessey
- Damon is another proposal for the Astin role.
- Tom Hanks is a joking escalation of the star-heavy casting suggestions.
- Denzel Washington is another joking escalation.
- Cole Hauser is considered too gritty for the part.
- Casey Affleck is proposed then dismissed as too young; the stated age is a conversational estimate.
- Sean Astin is another suggestion.
- Josh Hamilton is endorsed over Keeslar for empathy and a reunion with Eigeman.
- Washington replacing Keeslar is a joking counterproposal.
- Newman’s availability is jokingly raised.
- Sidney Poitier as Josh continues the star-casting joke.
- Denzel Washington in the Mackenzie Astin role continues the star-casting joke.
In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:59:30Read transcript
- Ray Allen receives the first winner vote.
- Denzel receives an alternate vote for his performance. — Logan Murdock
- The case for Ray Allen is that the movie changed his cultural standing more than it changed Denzel's career.
- A comparison with Reggie Miller reinforces the importance of the film to Ray Allen's legacy.
- A further participant joins the Ray Allen choice.
- Spike Lee is proposed because few directors could make the film without losing its force.
- Jill Kelly, Chasey Lane, and Heather Hunter receive a joking final alternative.
Podcast choices
Just One Oscar
Denzel Washington for acting; Public Enemy’s title song for Best Original Song
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:52:50Read transcript
- Denzel receives the immediate acting Oscar choice. — Bill Simmons
- Public Enemy is proposed for Best Original Song.
- The omission of the title song is questioned against that year's nominated songs.
- Later hip-hop Oscar wins are discussed as changes in the Academy's openness to rap songs. — Van Lathan
Is This Movie Better With…?
Samuel L. Jackson as Jim Brown’s partner or the high-school coach
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:51:21Read transcript
- Samuel L. Jackson is proposed as the high-school coach, Jim Brown's role, Big Time, or Uncle Bubba.
- Jim Brown's partner is preferred because it would create a Denzel-Samuel L. Jackson scene.
- The panel assumes scheduling was the likely obstacle during Samuel L. Jackson's high-output period. — Bill Simmons
Apex Mountain
Travis Best; the performers observed as Chasey Lane and Jill Kelly; 1990s SportsCenter; Air Jordan 11s
In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 01:39:44Read transcript
- Training Day is treated as Denzel's likely Apex because of the Oscar and star status.
- Ray Allen's Apex is placed at his championship-saving shot rather than this film.
- Travis Best receives an immediate film-specific Apex choice. — Bill Simmons
- Walter McCarty and John Wallace are added as basketball-player candidates. — Bill Simmons
- Spike Lee is considered and rejected as being at his Apex here. — Bill Simmons
- The observed Chasey Lane and Jill Kelly receive an emphatic Apex answer.
- Abraham Lincoln High School basketball is raised but left unresolved.
- SportsCenter in the Dan/Keith/Kilborn/Stuart Scott era receives a strong Apex verdict. — Bill Simmons
- Air Jordan 11s, rather than the movie's 13s, are declared the shoe line's Apex.
- Pre-gentrification Brooklyn is raised without enough knowledge for a verdict. — Bill Simmons
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:21:44Read transcript
- Ray Allen is praised for sustaining dramatic scenes opposite Denzel rather than merely appearing as an athlete cameo. — Bill Simmons
- The discussion argues that Denzel had to give more within their scenes to support an inexperienced costar. — Bill Simmons
What’s Aged the Best?
The premise, Denzel's 1998 look and jump shot, the Air Jordan 13s, young Ray Allen and Rosario Dawson, and the stature of college coaches
In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:35Read transcript
- The seven-day furlough to persuade a recruit to choose a school is praised as a strong premise. — Bill Simmons
- Denzel's hair, clothes, and basketball outfit are praised as specifically evocative of 1998. — Bill Simmons
- The old-school jump shot coming from behind his head is praised. — Logan Murdock
- The Air Jordan 13s are praised as product placement that became part of the movie's identity.
- The shoes were reportedly released early to Spike Lee for filming before their public release.
- Young Ray Allen and the observed Rosario Dawson both receive praise. — Bill Simmons
- The montage of prominent college coaches is valued as a record of an era when those coaches carried broad cultural weight. — Bill Simmons
- The story that Denzel unexpectedly scored five points against Ray Allen enhances the final game's appeal. — Bill Simmons
Floyd Gondolli Enjoyment Award
Watching Denzel kill guys
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:03:32Read transcript
- Watching Denzel kill guys is explicitly called a Floyd Gundoli moment. — Chris Ryan
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:18:07Read transcript
- Winner discussion starts with an explicit Denzel choice, then rejects the assumption of Fanning and opens a case for Tony Scott. — Chris Ryan
- Tony Scott is praised for hallucinatory style retaining a clear plot, but a final for-me-it-is-Denzel declaration follows; Denzel, Fanning, Scott and Walken form a praised four-person group, not four ballots. — Bill Simmons
Podcast choices
Displaying discussions 25 - 36 of 101 in total
Films in the archive
American Gangster
2007
Crimson Tide
1995
Flight
2012
He Got Game
1998
Inside Man
2006
Man on Fire
2004
Philadelphia
1993
Remember the Titans
2000
The Equalizer
2014
The Pelican Brief
1993
Training Day
2001
Unstoppable
2010