Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling (Crazy Stupid Love, La La Land) is the favorite re-pairing because they could make another completely different movie now. — Bill Simmons
The script is called well-constructed and well-written, with a shout-out to the writers, including Richard Price for the screenplay. — Bill Simmons
The kidnappers, by shorthand, are Lieutenant Dan, the bald Californication guy, New Kid on the Block number two, the HBO narrator guy and Lily Taylor; Lily Taylor is praised. — Bill Simmons
Early email as a plot device, when getting an email signaled that he must be really rich. — Bill Simmons
The crew is a sneaky good cast who all played their positions; Donnie Wahlberg was stunt casting in 1996 and has since become a successful actor on Blue Bloods. — Van Lathan
The narrative of the dirty cop as the lead villain has aged best. — Van Lathan
Was there a second attacker?; How did Leonard's wife die?; Joe Pantoliano as Eddie Moscone; Memento in the phone-video era; Is Leonard in a mental institution?; Did it borrow from Mr. Short-Term Memory?; Why no sequels?
Was there a second attacker? One view says no, meaning Leonard is Sammy Jankis. — Chris Ryan
How his wife died is debated: an attack causes his memory loss, and his memory of grabbing her thigh leads him to insist she did not take insulin. — Chris Ryan
Nolan has said people refuse to believe Teddy because he is so oily, yet Teddy elsewhere tells elaborate stories that prove false; the conclusion leans toward Leonard being Sammy Jankis after an attack on his wife. — Chris Ryan
In the era of phone video Leonard could vlog every interaction, which might be the Netflix series, though he would keep forgetting to charge his iPhone. — Chris Ryan
The shot where Sammy in the mental institution is replaced by Leonard in the chair leaves open whether Leonard is institutionalized. — Bill Simmons
Did the film take from Tom Hanks's Mr. Short-Term Memory sketch on SNL, perhaps discussed on the Nolan brothers' road trip? — Bill Simmons
Why no ten sequels like Saw? A Memento 2 should have happened, such as a Super Bowl plot or one set inside the Patriots during Spygate. — Bill Simmons
Disguise premises; early-90s working-mom character; runtime; 37 minutes before Mrs. Doubtfire appears; Dude Looks Like a Lady montage; indoor smoking; teen poster; theme-park score; bag left by the toilet
The internet ruined disguise-and-makeup plots: it is absurd that the family would not recognize Mrs. Doubtfire or that anyone would spend the daily makeup time, as with Tom Hanks's Boosom Buddies; why not just ask to watch the kids from three to seven? — Bill Simmons
Counter: he does ask and she says no, apparently because he has proven unreliable, though she is written as a one-dimensional, hateful character.
The early-90s working-mom character, with lines about corporate clones and an oddly corporate interior-decorating job, is an unflattering portrayal with no empathy for the mom, cast as the homework killjoy. — Amanda Dobbins
She is called the only villain of the movie, working too hard and keeping the kids from a cool husband; it is a tough part for Sally Field, though she comes around at the end. — Bill Simmons
At two hours and eight minutes the film is too long and a strong 90-minute contender; he does not become Mrs. Doubtfire until the 37-minute mark. — Bill Simmons
The 'Dude Looks Like a Lady' montage; the song itself has not aged, compared with Pat on SNL. — Bill Simmons
Cigarette smoking inside a studio is jarring. — Bill Simmons
A teenage girl's poster (transcribed as 'YouTube') is raised as aging badly, likened to a moment in Taken. — Bill Simmons
The score sounds like being on a Disney ride the whole time, even while the parents fight.
Watching Madman and the Miami Vice TV show made smoking seem cool, conceding that on-screen smoking can influence viewers. — Bill Simmons
Another aged-worst item: leaving the bag next to the toilet while switching back and forth; now the restaurant would be cleared out in two minutes. — Bill Simmons
Tom Hanks in 1995 had a second Oscar for Forrest Gump, Apollo 13 and Toy Story within five months, and was filming his directorial debut That Thing You Do; it is called a historic Apex Mountain, with Denzel as the only comparison. — Sean Fennessey
Steve Jobs, executive producer on the brink of returning to Apple, gets a thumbs down from one participant, against an argument that he deserves credit for Pixar's rise and 2006 sale. — Sean Fennessey
Asked if this is the Apex Mountain for toys, one vote is no, choosing the Robin Williams movie Toys instead. — Sean Fennessey
It was the first animated movie nominated for Best Original Screenplay, prompting an "Eat shit, Chris Ryan" joke. — Sean Fennessey
Sid Phillips is said to be inspired by a former Pixar employee with the same last name who took apart toys to build bizarre creations. — Sean Fennessey
Hanks recorded during breaks of Sleepless in Seattle and A League of Their Own but not Philadelphia or Forrest Gump, avoiding comedy amid serious roles. — Sean Fennessey
Sid's carpet shares the Overlook Hotel's hexagonal pattern from The Shining. — Sean Fennessey
Hasbro refused the G.I. Joe name for a toy Sid blows up, so it became Combat Carl; the toolbox trapping Woody is a Binford, as on Tim Allen's sitcom. — Sean Fennessey
Toy Story employed 110 people in full production versus 800 for The Lion King. — Sean Fennessey
Disney pushed for a musical; Lasseter wanted a buddy comedy, and the compromise was songs at key moments not sung by characters; Pixar's first musical came with Coco 22 years later. — Sean Fennessey
The shark's "Look, I'm Woody. Howdy, howdy" references a Far Side strip with a cowboy-eating vulture. — Sean Fennessey
An early possible title was You Are a Toy, and Buzz was originally Lunar Larry; he is named after Buzz Aldrin. — Sean Fennessey
The Luxo Jr. lamp that became Pixar's logo sits on Andy's desk. — Sean Fennessey
The internet is full of such trivia; a Harry and the Hendersons homage in the fourth minute is thrown out loosely. — Sean Fennessey
Bruce Willis gets a thumbs up with doubts, and his Look Who's Talking voice work is praised. — Shea Serrano
Tim Allen has said Pixar wanted Jim Carrey for Buzz and Paul Newman for Woody but could not afford them, meant to reflect new Hollywood taking over old; Newman later voiced Doc Hudson in Cars. — Sean Fennessey
Michael Keaton is said to have turned it down as too confusing, regretted it, and ended up in Multiplicity with Ramis and Andy McDowell. — Bill Simmons
Eddie Murphy would have wanted the part in the mid-to-late 80s but not by 1993 after Boomerang; a circa-1990 Murphy would have been really good, Keaton also would have been good, but Bill Murray ended up perfect. — Bill Simmons
The hosts say Andy McDowell almost did not get the role because it was going to Tori Amos, amid a groundswell, before they played it safe; Sex, Lies, and Videotape is named as her breakthrough. — Bill Simmons
The Sarandon case: more mustard on the fastball playing off Bill Murray, the right age, and believable as an ambitious TV producer. — Sean Fennessey
The Sarandon idea draws pushback that she always feels older and was probably too old in 1993. — Sean Fennessey
Meg Ryan is floated and described as very sweet and so blonde. — Issa Rae
If Eddie Murphy were the lead, Whitney Houston is floated; the early 90s are called a tough era for actresses, Sandra Bullock too young though great, and Julia too big a star; the role is called a prop. — Bill Simmons
After the break, the guest's Eddie Murphy idea is revisited as an awesome 80s Eddie Murphy, with doubt he pulls it off in the 90s. — Bill Simmons
Lucy's monologue is pretty unassailable among rom-com speeches, if not at the level of "I'm just a girl" or Tom Hanks at the end of You've Got Mail.
Coming in the first third, it sets up a more nuanced, human heroine motivation and innovates on the form.
Ashley Bartlett-Bacon, Peter's real fiancee, has a killer line calling him a one-balled bastard and could have been a heat-check nominee alongside Wanda. — Juliet Litman
Jack's speech on leaning versus hugging is a good rom-com trope, though Pullman is preferred less verbose. — Juliet Litman
The hosts agree on the monologue; an act-one monologue is called revolutionary.
