‹ All people
Alien
Deliverance
The Player
The Player
Bridesmaids
The Bourne Identity
Fletch
Crimson Tide
Pretty Woman
Broadcast News
Die Hard
Film credit
Burt Reynolds
Stats
- Episodes featuring their films
- 4
- Movies in this archive
- 4
Rewatchables episodes featuring Burt Reynolds’s films
Displaying all 4 episodes
Mentioned in discussions
Recasting Couch
James Caan as Dallas
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:23:01Read transcript
- James Caan is the favored hypothetical Dallas replacement, imagined as a larger 1970s star in the role. — Sean Fennessey
- Tom Berenger is proposed for Dallas but may have been too young. — Sean Fennessey
- Burt Reynolds is considered too big a star for the Dallas replacement. — Chris Ryan
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:29:19Read transcript
- Reynolds is selected for first-half star power and a second participant agrees. — Ryen Russillo
- Georgia’s landscapes are floated, then the speaker explicitly returns to Reynolds. — Ryen Russillo
- Before full stardom, Bert Reynolds could be taken out halfway through the movie by a broken leg; later he would want Lewis to win the day. — Chris Ryan
Podcast choices
- Speaker not identified
- Burt Reynolds
- Speaker not identified
- Burt Reynolds
Just One Oscar
Burt Reynolds or Boorman
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:25:04Read transcript
- Burt Reynolds is one choice; Boorman is another for physically demanding direction, with The Longest Yard preferred as a Reynolds performance.
Half-Assed Internet Research
Production accounts cover the actors’ boundaries, improvisation, and Altman’s rationale for the film’s nudity.
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:19:43Read transcript
- Greta Scacchi reportedly negotiated limits on nudity. — Bill Simmons
- Burt Reynolds reportedly improvised material during the opening shot. — Bill Simmons
- Altman reportedly explained Cynthia Stevenson’s nude scene as part of exposing Hollywood’s power imbalance. — Bill Simmons
- A Paul Newman anecdote is quoted to illustrate performers negotiating exposure and control.
Most Rewatchable Scene
The opening tracking shot
In the discussion (14)
Approx. transcript time · 00:32:47Read transcript
- The 7:47 opening tracking shot is nominated and ultimately selected. — Bill Simmons
- The opening includes Buck Henry pitching The Graduate Part II. — Bill Simmons
- The opening’s rapid movie-pitch mashups are praised.
- Fred Ward discussing Touch of Evil while admitting gaps in his movie knowledge is praised. — Wesley Morris
- The large party where Sidney Pollack appears is nominated. — Bill Simmons
- The Burt Reynolds party exchange is praised. — Bill Simmons
- Griffin confronting David Kahane at the Rialto and the ensuing murder are nominated. — Bill Simmons
- The hotel-pool Habeas Corpus pitch is nominated. — Bill Simmons
- Griffin’s generic black-tie speech about movies as art is nominated. — Bill Simmons
- The one-year-later Habeas Corpus ending with Julia Roberts and Bruce Willis is nominated. — Bill Simmons
- The final in-car pitch of The Player and Griffin’s homecoming are nominated. — Bill Simmons
- The Pasadena interrogation with Lyle Lovett and Whoopi Goldberg is nominated. — Wesley Morris
- Whoopi Goldberg’s tampon exchange is highlighted. — Wesley Morris
- The lineup scene and Whoopi Goldberg’s pressure on the witness are praised. — Sean Fennessey
Half-Assed Internet Research
Two weeks of cast improvisation; Maya Rudolph's concealed pregnancy; Hamm uncredited; Ted's 90210 house; title troubles; Jill Clayburgh's last film; Vegas rewrite after The Hangover; Rebel Wilson and her on-screen brother as roommates; McCarthy's Guy Fieri model
In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 01:24:03Read transcript
- The cast improvised together for two weeks, much of it used in the film. — Bill Simmons
- Maya Rudolph was pregnant during filming, concealed with belts and props. — Bill Simmons
- Going uncredited was a choice by Hamm so audiences would not be confused, being seen as a serious actor then. — Bill Simmons
- Ted's house is the same house as Kelly Taylor's from 90210. — Bill Simmons
- Apatow did not want the title Bridesmaids; Maid of Honor was planned until a Patrick Dempsey movie took it. — Bill Simmons
- Titles are hard: The Ringer's name was debated on a whiteboard in a Taft Street house in 2015, while Mina's podcast added her dog Lenny's name. — Bill Simmons
- It was Jill Clayburgh's last movie; her late-70s Burt Reynolds film Starting Over is one of the best Boston movies. — Bill Simmons
- The original script reached Las Vegas for a bachelorette, but after The Hangover Apatow had it rewritten so Annie melts down on the plane. — Bill Simmons
- Rebel Wilson and the actor playing her brother ended up living together as roommates. — Bill Simmons
- McCarthy told GQ she modeled the role on Guy Fieri and wanted short, bleached, spiky hair, per the GQ oral history. — Mallory Rubin
Casting What-Ifs
Burt Reynolds was attached to an earlier version; Liman later approached Brad Pitt, Russell Crowe, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Cruise, Sylvester Stallone, and Sarah Polley before the final casting.
This discussion recalls a choice from an earlier episode.
In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 00:55:36Read transcript
- Universal planned a 1983 version starring Bert Reynolds, but schedule conflicts stalled it. — Chris Ryan
- Doug Liman pursued Brad Pitt, who chose Spy Game instead. — Chris Ryan
- The panel calls Pitt's decision a missed franchise opportunity while acknowledging that his later life and career worked out. — Chris Ryan
- Russell Crowe was approached after Gladiator. — Chris Ryan
- The panel prefers Damon's everyman quality to Crowe's post-Gladiator superhero stature for Bourne. — Chris Ryan
- Arnold Schwarzenegger was approached. — Chris Ryan
- The panel finds Schwarzenegger hard to imagine in the role because of his age. — Chris Ryan
- Tom Cruise declined because he already played Ethan Hunt. — Chris Ryan
- Sylvester Stallone was reportedly considered because the book version of Bourne is older. — Chris Ryan
- Sarah Polley was Liman's preferred female lead, but her career choices favored smaller work and directing over a-list fame. — Chris Ryan
Casting What-Ifs
Burt Reynolds, Jeff Bridges, Charles Grodin, Mick Jagger, Barry Bostwick, Richard Dreyfuss and George Segal were considered
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:52:18Read transcript
- The hosts read that Bert Reynolds, Jeff Bridges, Charles Grotto, Mick Jagger and Barry Bostwick were considered; the author had rejection rights and turned down Reynolds and Jagger. — Bill Simmons
- The hosts read that original producer Jonathan Burroughs wanted Richard Dreyfus after Chase's managers rejected the part; Dreyfus would not have worked. — Bill Simmons
- Bostwick had one of the worst possible career outcomes, 'market corrected' over and over again by other white guys. — Bill Simmons
- George Siegel is said to have been considered and to have turned it down; he might have been good in the late 70s. — Bill Simmons
Casting What-Ifs
Val Kilmer; Al Pacino as Ramsey; Brad Pitt as Hunter; Warren Beatty; Tommy Lee Jones as Ramsey; Tom Cruise as Hunter
In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 00:55:59Read transcript
- The hosts say Simpson and Bruckheimer offered Val Kilmer a headlining role, which he declined and later regretted; the role was never specified. — Bill Simmons
- Guesses for the Kilmer role are Viggo's part or Hunter, possibly turned down for not being big enough; he could have played every part except Hackman's. — Bill Simmons
- Al Pacino was originally offered Captain Ramsey and would have dialed it up to 90 in his Vincent Hanna zone. — Bill Simmons
- Brad Pitt wanted to play Hunter when Pacino might be Ramsey, then passed when Pacino dropped out. — Bill Simmons
- Warren Beatty was courted, another case of Beatty flirting with a part for a year before declining, as with the Burt Reynolds part in Boogie Nights, which is called the bigger miss; he would not have fit this movie. — Bill Simmons
- Tommy Lee Jones passed on the Hackman part; he would have worked, having done something similar in Under Siege. — Bill Simmons
- Per a Don Simpson interview at Santa Anita, Pitt and Tom Cruise were considered for Denzel's part; Cruise was the first call for such parts for a decade, but it worked out perfectly. — Bill Simmons
Casting What-Ifs
Burt Reynolds, Al Pacino, John Travolta, Albert Brooks and Sylvester Stallone as Edward; Molly Ringwald, Diane Lane and Meg Ryan as Vivian
In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 00:55:43Read transcript
- Called the all-time record list: "Bert" Reynolds declined Edward and in 2012 said he made a mistake after seeing the love-making scenes. — Bill Simmons
- Al Pacino turned down Edward after a screen test with Roberts; that movie does not work. — Bill Simmons
- John Travolta auditioned, and had turned down American Gigolo, which made Gere a star. — Bill Simmons
- Read as half-assed internet research: Gere was about to turn the part down when Roberts slid him a "please say yes" Post-it; the hosts doubt it. — Bill Simmons
- Gere turned down Gordon Gecko in Wall Street; Michael Douglas is floated for this movie, and Robert "Radford," who did a similar role in Indecent Proposal five years later.
- Albert Brooks and Stallone also turned Edward down; a Jewish Edward Levin remake is joked about. — Juliet Litman
- Demi Moore turned down Kit, the right choice given her St. Elmo's Fire role.
- For Vivian: Uma Thurman and "Brookshield's" auditioned, Winona Ryder was deemed too young, and Marshall wanted Karen Allen or Meg Ryan, who declined; Meg Ryan would not work. — Bill Simmons
- Vivian needs to be early 20s, and her height towering over Jason Alexander matters. — Bill Simmons
- Molly Ringwald turned it down and regrets it; Diane Lane nearly played Vivian but pulled out over scheduling; "Michelle Fife" turned it down. — Bill Simmons
- Several other actresses allegedly turned it down, which the hosts do not believe. — Bill Simmons
Half-Assed Internet Research
Albert Brooks phoned James L. Brooks at 3 a.m. after seeing a CNN reporter sweat, creating the sweating scene; Nicholson went unpaid at his own request; the sweating scene took 24 takes; Switching Channels (1988) flopped as a competitor; Brooks and Hurt ambushed Holly Hunter with an ad-libbed cab-ride alternate ending that was spoiled by a crew member
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:05:57Read transcript
- Albert Brooks was watching CNN when a reporter he had never seen before or since began sweating badly; he phoned James L. Brooks at three in the morning to say Aaron had to start sweating, which became the sweating scene, with the makeup lady's 'Jesus' a highlight; Jack Nicholson was not paid for his role at his own request.
- James Brooks made them do 24 takes of that scene, which he does not usually do, because he thought it was the key part of the movie and wanted it perfect; Switching Channels, made in 1988 with Kathleen Turner and Burt Reynolds, was almost a competitor, a critical and box-office failure that started a Kathleen Turner slide.
- The alternate ending is on YouTube; Brooks told Premiere he was open to who Jane ends up with, and during the cab scene he and William Hurt planned to surprise Holly Hunter by having Hurt jump in and ad-lib for two minutes, trusting she would not break character, but a crew member gave it away by saying 'Bill' just before the roll; Hurt and Hunter later felt the movie should have ended that way, while Brooks himself felt it was not right.
- Flagged earlier as stepping on internet research: the Holly Hunter character is based on a woman Brooks met in 1984 at the conventions who was dating two men who worked in TV at the same time; he never said who, and the hosts imagine a Deep Throat reveal after they die.
Casting What-Ifs
Bruce Willis was chosen after an extraordinary list of stars; Sam Neill was considered for Hans Gruber, while Tom Berenger and Don Johnson are the panel’s plausible McClane alternatives.
In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 00:28:56Read transcript
- Stallone, Harrison Ford, Robert De Niro, Charles Bronson, Nick Nolte, Mel Gibson, Richard Gere, Don Johnson, Burt Reynolds, and Richard Dean Anderson are reported as McClane possibilities. — Chris Ryan
- Because the source novel followed an earlier Roderick Thorp book adapted with Frank Sinatra, Sinatra reportedly held a contractual right of refusal.
- Tom Berenger and Don Johnson are proposed as alternatives who could have worked, though the released film would have been less iconic.
- Nick Nolte is rejected as physically and tonally wrong for the required action.
- Sam Neill is reported as considered for Hans Gruber, but Alan Rickman is treated as impossible to replace after seeing the performance. — Chris Ryan
- The panel wonders whether Chris Rock or a Wayans brother was considered for Argyle and asks what the final Argyle shortlist looked like; the transcript does not resolve it. — Bill Simmons
Displaying discussions 13 - 24 of 26 in total
