Meryl Streep and Jane Alexander are proposed for Lahti’s part, though a more serious presence might make the character even more irritating. — Wesley Morris
Margot Kidder is proposed, initially considered too daffy and later reconsidered as potentially effective. — Wesley Morris
Kidder’s overt energy might overwhelm the role or make its fence-sitting neutrality unbelievable, contrasting with Lahti’s less assertive presence.
What was first on Ted's list; did Ted and Phyllis have dinner; Billy's future with fried chicken; Norman's future; Ted's actual job; how long until Joanna changed her mind again
The first item on Ted's pro-con list is hidden by his pen but visible in another shot as money; the pro column is empty because Billy himself is the pro. — Bill Simmons
Jokes follow about extra cons in a director's cut and about Phyllis walking into the hallway naked. — Mallory Rubin
Whether Ted and Phyllis actually had dinner is questioned, given the ashtray and flat wine by the bed. — Mallory Rubin
Whether Billy's future romances all revolved around fried chicken after meeting Phyllis is asked. — Mallory Rubin
Norman's future after being put on the big account is imagined as bright. — Mallory Rubin
What Ted actually does is unclear, creative director or vice president; his portfolio suggests a Don Draper-type role.
How long until Joanna changed her mind again, perhaps by the time she got upstairs, is previewed as an unanswerable question. — Mallory Rubin
Whether Jane Alexander's character was really a good friend is noted as another unanswered question. — Bill Simmons
Ted not knowing Billy's grade; unattended jungle gym; Christmas firing; cross-examination attacking Ted's career; Joanna watching from the cafe window; Ted not recognizing Joanna's voice; Billy sleeping through fights; French toast without cinnamon
Ted not knowing what grade his son is in is called the dumbest, most ludicrous moment, even as a signal of self-absorption. — Bill Simmons
Any parent would get a child down once he climbs the jungle gym holding an object. — Bill Simmons
Firing Ted just before Christmas is hard to buy; a company would not do that rather than wait until mid-January. — Bill Simmons
Anything else is declined, but several scenes, especially the firing, seem designed to create narrative tension in a way that strains belief. — Sean Fennessey
The cafe would likely ask Joanna to stop pressing against its window, and Ted failing to recognize his former wife's voice on the phone is called insane. — Mallory Rubin
The biggest nit is how Billy sleeps through every shouting match in the apartment; this is rebutted as realistic because young children, unlike babies, sleep through anything.
The cross-examination is called the film's fatal flaw: attacking Ted's career when he struggles because he is caring for his son would be a merit in family court, and it strains credulity. — Sean Fennessey
Ted never angrily points out on the stand that Joanna left and he cared for Billy for 15 months; a devil's advocate reply says the unfairness is the emotional point.
Jane Alexander's character is blamed for letting Billy fall from the jungle gym while telling her story, and joked to be a plant for Joanna. — Bill Simmons
The French toast has no cinnamon or vanilla. — Mallory Rubin
Hoffman gets a yes over Tootsie: for about a year he takes the belt from Pacino and De Niro with the number one movie and an Oscar sweep; the same conclusion is recalled from the Rain Man episode. — Bill Simmons
Streep is a no, called possibly ineligible because she has been on the mountain for 40 years. — Bill Simmons
Entenmann's is a yes, with the film showing the height of grocery-store baked-goods breakfasts; crumb cake and powdered donuts are recalled fondly.
Divorce movies get a yes, with this film on the genre's Mount Rushmore and likely number one; The Squid and the Whale, Marriage Story, Irreconcilable Differences and Bye Bye Love are also named in an informal three-or-four-film list.
Jane Alexander is a no, with All the President's Men probably her apex.
French toast is at its apex given its starring role in several key scenes, although the missing cinnamon is previewed as a nitpick. — Mallory Rubin
Jungle gym accidents are definitely at apex. — Mallory Rubin
Benton is raised, with two Oscars and the number one film of the year called pretty good, without an explicit yes.
Hoffman initially did not want the role, and James Caan reportedly declined over fears the film would flop. — Bill Simmons
Al Pacino reportedly turned it down as not right for him; seeing him in the role would have been welcome. — Mallory Rubin
Jon Voight reportedly declined because he was already in The Champ, another divorced-parent story whose ending is called one of the saddest.
Hoffman changed his mind after meeting Jaffe and Benton in a London hotel. — Bill Simmons
By her own claim, Kate Jackson was offered Joanna but could not take it because of Charlie's Angels; the story is treated as only mostly true. — Bill Simmons
Faye Dunaway was reportedly offered the role and did The Champ instead; Jane Fonda, earlier said to have been talked about for the role, is mentioned again; Ali MacGraw is named only with the judgment that she would have butchered it, without saying she was considered. — Bill Simmons
