Close Encounters of the Third Kind
1977 film
Bill Simmons · Chris Ryan · Sean Fennessey
Aired May 20, 2025
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Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Star Wars: A New Hope
Trading Places
Alien
Big
Misery
Ordinary People
What About Bob?
Mr. Holland's Opus
Film credit
Richard Dreyfuss
Stats
- Episodes featuring their films
- 6
- Movies in this archive
- 6
Rewatchables episodes featuring Richard Dreyfuss’s films
Displaying all 6 episodes
Mentioned in discussions
Apex Mountain
Dreyfuss, post-New-Hollywood UFO movies, and UFO-related sunburns: yes
In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 01:41:15Read transcript
- Steven Spielberg is considered and immediately rejected as being at his apex here. — Bill Simmons
- Richard Dreyfuss is placed at his apex because he won an Oscar and starred in major films during this run.
- The film is selected as the apex of UFO movies in the post-New-Hollywood era. — Sean Fennessey
- UFO-related sunburns are given an apex here. — Sean Fennessey
- François Truffaut is rejected as being at his apex here.
- Melinda Dillon is considered near her apex because Close Encounters and Slap Shot arrived the same year.
- Mashed potatoes and their use as construction material receive an apex nomination. — Bill Simmons
- Movie fathers losing control is rejected in favor of The Shining and Goodfellas examples. — Bill Simmons
- Muncie, Indiana is proposed as reaching its screen apex here.
- Teri Garr's apex is deferred to her Tootsie and talk-show era.
- Bad parenting in a major hit is debated against This Boy's Life and other examples.
Casting What-Ifs
Steve McQueen, James Caan, Pacino, Hoffman, Hackman, Nicholson, Streep, Irving, and others
In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:28:53Read transcript
- Steve McQueen is reported to have declined because he could not cry on cue despite admiring the script. — Sean Fennessey
- James Caan, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, and Gene Hackman are reported to have declined the lead, while Jack Nicholson had conflicts. — Bill Simmons
- Richard Dreyfuss is reported to have lobbied Spielberg persistently before salary demands briefly stalled the deal. — Bill Simmons
- Hackman's troubled marriage and reluctance to leave Los Angeles, along with Caan's price, are given as reasons the alternatives failed.
- Teri Garr wanted Jillian but was cast as Ronnie; Meryl Streep and Amy Irving also auditioned for Ronnie. — Bill Simmons
- Hal Ashby is reported to have recommended Melinda Dillon, who was cast only days before filming. — Bill Simmons
- Carrie Guffey reportedly lost the chance to play Danny Torrance because he was committed to other films. — Bill Simmons
Casting What-Ifs
The original casting search is reviewed across Luke, Leia, Han, Obi-Wan, Vader, Chewbacca, and physical Vader.
In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 01:05:10Read transcript
- Lucas and De Palma auditioned actors together for Star Wars and Carrie, producing overlapping candidates. — Bill Simmons
- John Travolta, William Cat, Robby Benson, Kurt Russell, and Charles Martin Smith are among the discussed Luke possibilities.
- Andrew Stevens is said to have competed with Hamill for both The Oregon Trail and Star Wars. — Bill Simmons
- Karen Allen, Amy Irving, Cindy Williams, Linda Pearl, and Joe Foster are discussed as Leia possibilities, with uncertainty around some claims. — Bill Simmons
- Russell is said to have auditioned for both Luke and Han because his age placed him between the roles. — Bill Simmons
- Jack Nicholson is an intriguing Han thought experiment, while James Kahn and Al Pacino later claimed to have declined the role. — Bill Simmons
- Richard Dreyfuss was reportedly considered for the voice of one of the droids. — Bill Simmons
- The lead actor from many Kurosawa films reportedly declined the mentor role because he feared it would diminish samurai cinema. — Bill Simmons
- Orson Welles was considered for Vader’s voice but rejected as too recognizable; James Earl Jones was used without an initial screen credit. — Bill Simmons
- Peter Mayhew and David Prowse were offered a choice between Chewbacca and physical Vader and selected the good and bad roles respectively. — Bill Simmons
Richard Dreyfuss Award for Blackface in the Movie
Aykroyd’s train disguise
The panel proposes a new category here.
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:52:43Read transcript
- A Richard Dreyfuss Award for Blackface in the Movie is proposed, applied to Aykroyd’s disguise.
What’s Aged the Best?
Trailer; tactile future; Weaver; burial; collaborative craft; restraint; humor; company; Cartwright; franchise
In the discussion (15)
Approx. transcript time · 00:28:52Read transcript
- The trailer is praised as a model for later thriller and horror advertising, using cutting and sound to generate urgency despite a cast without major stars.
- Spacesuited exploration and the concise opening information card have aged well, establishing mission and crew without an explanatory scene.
- The tactile, worn spaceship and visibly tired crew make the future feel used and believable, contrasting with cleaner, brighter science-fiction settings. — Bill Simmons
- Young Weaver is an aged-best selection. — Chris Ryan
- The body's space burial is an aged-best selection. — Chris Ryan
- Walter Hill’s contribution is praised alongside the indispensable work of Giger, O’Bannon, Weaver and Scott; the film’s success is collaborative rather than attributable to one person.
- Scott’s principle of showing little of the monster and letting viewers’ imagination work is praised as enduring advice. — Chris Ryan
- Scott’s later technology-heavy Alien films are said to violate that restraint, while some awkward staging of Lambert and Parker’s deaths exposes the original’s practical limitations. — Sean Fennessey
- The first-hour humor, Kane’s opening remark about feeling dead and biblical or creation imagery gain resonance through later films. — Chris Ryan
- Ash’s corporate function recalls HAL, while the minimally explained company becomes a lasting theme; facehugger and chestburster are production terms adopted by audiences despite not being spoken in the film. — Chris Ryan
- Cartwright's terrified reactions are an aged-best choice. — Sean Fennessey
- An unranked five-film list groups Alien, The Birds, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Witches of Eastwick and Inserts as Cartwright in an auteur's nightmare. — Bill Simmons
- Inserts is corrected as involving Jessica Harper and Richard Dreyfuss rather than Margot Kidder; a Cartwright SVU appearance is also recalled.
- The franchise and especially Aliens are enduring benefits; Aliens is considered more fun but sometimes too long, while Alien is scarier. — Sean Fennessey
- Concept artist Ron Cobb reportedly originated the alien's acid blood; the panel praises both the idea and the shot of acid burning through the ship. — Bill Simmons
Casting What-Ifs
De Niro; Ford; Winger; Quaid (uncertain); Dreyfuss; Penn; Travolta
This discussion recalls a choice from an earlier episode.
In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 00:16:36Read transcript
- De Niro reportedly was attached as Josh and helped the film get greenlit; the panel strongly rejects him as a fit despite admiration for his acting.
- Spielberg briefly considered directing with Ford; the idea is partly defended but challenged as too sexually charismatic, with Regarding Henry a comparison.
- Brooks reportedly brought Marshall aboard after her departure from Peggy Sue Got Married; a female version with Winger was considered, but Marshall's quoted contemporary objection says the reversed sexual premise would be unacceptable. — Bill Simmons
- Quaid reportedly told Larry King he declined Big for Everybody's All-American; the report is treated as possible rather than certain. — Bill Simmons
- Jared Rushton reportedly read with Richard Dreyfuss for Josh. — Bill Simmons
- Rushton reportedly also read with Sean Penn, considered an especially strange Josh possibility. — Bill Simmons
- Travolta reportedly wanted Josh but the studio rejected him during his career slump; the panel thinks his comic innocence might have worked, though not as well as Hanks. — Bill Simmons
Casting What-Ifs
Many actors declined Annie Wilkes and Paul Sheldon; several alternative Paul Sheldons are debated
In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 00:29:38Read transcript
- Anjelica Huston and Bette Midler are identified as actors offered Annie Wilkes — Bill Simmons
- Richard Dreyfuss is proposed as a believable writer but possibly insufficiently physical — Brian Koppelman
- Robin Williams is proposed for his sympathy, physicality, and caged energy — Brian Koppelman
- Robert Duvall and Michael Douglas are proposed as strong alternatives — Bill Simmons
- Donald Sutherland is proposed as another alternative — Bill Simmons
- William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Michael Douglas, Harrison Ford, Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Richard Dreyfuss, Gene Hackman, and Robert Redford are listed as having declined Paul Sheldon — Bill Simmons
- Richard Dreyfuss and Bette Midler are said to have later expressed regret — Bill Simmons
Casting What-Ifs
Robert Redford as Calvin; Gene Hackman as Calvin; Richard Dreyfuss as Dr. Berger; Natalie Wood as Beth
In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 01:26:51Read transcript
- The studio wanted Redford to play Calvin; he declined as too predictable, and the hosts think he would have overpowered or sunk the film. — Bill Simmons
- Hackman as Calvin is intriguing, recalling his surprising turn in The Firm. — Bill Simmons
- The EW oral history links Hackman to both the Berger and Calvin parts; research indicates it was the Sutherland part. — Bill Simmons
- Per Redford, he wanted Richard Dreyfuss as the psychiatrist, but the reply was that Dreyfuss was having a nervous breakdown; Sutherland then said he wanted the husband rather than the psychiatrist. — Bill Simmons
- Hackman was cast as Calvin but dropped out over compensation, per a Chicago Tribune article; Sutherland was told it was him or Hackman. — Bill Simmons
- Elizabeth McGovern got special permission from Juilliard to be in the film. — Bill Simmons
- Per Redford, he found Judd Hirsch on Taxi, which the hosts note was a top show, and saw Mary Tyler Moore alone on a Malibu beach, a story half believed. — Bill Simmons
- Natalie Wood reportedly wanted to play the mother and had worked with Redford in the 60s; they never spoke again after Mary Tyler Moore was cast. — Bill Simmons
In the discussion (16)
Approx. transcript time · 01:02:49Read transcript
- During filming Hoffman and Cruise called the movie two schmucks in a car and constantly worried it would not work. — Bill Simmons
- Principal photography happened during the 1988 Writers Guild strike, so the final scene was apparently winged without writers. — Bill Simmons
- The ending is questioned as unsatisfying for a Best Picture winner, since it lacks a sappy payoff where Raymond stays with Charlie. — Sean Fennessey
- A sentimental Amtrak scene always lands for someone who spent the 80s riding Amtrak between a mom's house and a dad's house. — Sean Fennessey
- Card counting is meant to be the climax that brings the brothers close and saves Charlie's business; the ending is neither victory nor defeat, and its ambiguity is liked. — Chris Ryan
- Jokes imagine a modern version with Raymond as a Marvel superhero, a Wallbrook driveway epilogue, or Lenny killing Charlie.
- Airline versions deleted the airline-accident scene, except on Qantas. — Bill Simmons
- Choosing a flight at the airport and hopping on last minute was possible through the late 90s. — Bill Simmons
- Three weeks in, Hoffman thought the movie was a disaster and told Levinson to get Richard Dreyfuss; Dreyfuss is described as Hoffman on steroids in the asshole department. — Bill Simmons
- The film was written by Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass; Morrow created Raymond after meeting real-life savant Kim Peek. — Bill Simmons
- Hoffman beat Gene Hackman for Best Actor and hugged him; they were playhouse classmates who shared Hackman's apartment on 2nd Avenue and 26th Street, where Hoffman slept on the kitchen floor before moving in with Robert Duvall on West 109th Street. — Bill Simmons
- The three as roommates is pitched as a documentary or original series, compared to LeBron, Wade and Carmelo on one AAU team. — Bill Simmons
- Asked whose career they would rather have, one voice picks Duvall and Hackman is picked as well; Hackman was the most liked by other actors; Denzel and Will Smith took movies to work with him. — Bill Simmons
- Hackman won a second Oscar for a supporting part in Unforgiven, something Hoffman never did. — Bill Simmons
- Duvall is picked as the best storyteller of the three, with Godfather and Apocalypse Now stories.
- The Replacements is called a top-five Hackman performance, with scenes apparently done in one take. — Bill Simmons
Apex Mountain
Charlie Korsmo’s acting career and “death therapy”
In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 01:08:21Read transcript
- Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss receive explicit negative Apex verdicts. — Bill Simmons
- Julie Haggerty also receives a negative Apex verdict. — Bill Simmons
- Charlie Korsmo receives an acting-apex verdict even though his later academic career may be a larger achievement. — Bill Simmons
- The movie’s “death therapy” concept is proposed as an apex. — Bill Simmons
- Good Morning America receives a possible case based on the era’s cultural centrality of morning shows. — Van Lathan
- Lake Winnipesaukee is proposed but left unresolved. — Sean Fennessey
- Patient-therapist movies are compared, with Analyze This favored because it was a large hit and important to De Niro. — Bill Simmons
- Bob being foisted onto Leo is proposed as a Foist Apex candidate. — Bill Simmons
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:53:13Read transcript
- Dreyfuss is the immediate choice because he really dials the performance up several times. — Bill Simmons
Who Won the Movie?
Dreyfuss
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:24:15Read transcript
- Dreyfuss explicit choice addressed Sean,career capstone and Oscar nomination;teachers tiny-case alternative,not settled second ballot. — Bill Simmons
Podcast choices
Displaying discussions 1 - 12 of 17 in total
Films in the archive
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
1977
Jaws
1975
Mr. Holland's Opus
1995
Stand by Me
1986
The American President
1995
What About Bob?
1991