Casting what-ifs is announced, then paused so one more thing about what aged worst can be said. — Bill Simmons
Casting information was hard to find and many actors were rumored for Gil; Robin Williams is the interesting alternative who could have handled the Little League scene, though Robards as his father might have felt odd.
Woody Allen was approached for Leo and possibly directing or rewriting; Patrick Stewart was also considered for Leo, and Robin Williams was the first choice for Bob.
A case is made that Robin Williams is at Apex Mountain: coming off a six-year run with five top-10 movies, maybe never a bigger star than in 1993, with a huge comedy that is not recognizable IP. — Amanda Dobbins
His Good Will Hunting Oscar is probably the last conceivable Apex Mountain, though this may be where he had tremendous success and still had options. — Amanda Dobbins
Only Jurassic Park made more domestically in 1993, ahead of The Fugitive, The Firm, Sleepless in Seattle, The Pelican Brief, Schindler's List, Cliffhanger and Groundhog Day; 1993 is called a great movie year. — Bill Simmons
Pro Last Action Here: it came 20 years too early but is great to watch. — Shea Serrano
Sally Field: no. Pierce Brosnan: no. Addendum: Brosnan's chest hair, yes; Brosnan in a bathing suit, yes.
Tries to recall Brosnan in a bathing suit in the Bond movies and The Thomas Crown Affair, and plans to keep replaying those scenes. — Amanda Dobbins
Chris Columbus: yes, after Home Alone, Home Alone 2 and this film's $441 million; he could make whatever he wanted, then tailed off. — Bill Simmons
Old-school San Francisco houses: yes, on a run with Pacific Heights, Full House and this movie. — Bill Simmons
Divorce comedies: yes, the main reference point in the 90s. — Bill Simmons
No huge overactor stood out at first. — Bill Simmons
Picks Sally Field reluctantly: the material is terrible, but she leans into the frustrated working mom and yells a lot, as judged by a connoisseur of parents fighting in movies. — Amanda Dobbins
Another participant will 'sign off on that' pick. — Amanda Dobbins
Whether Robin Williams is eligible is raised; he is just being Robin Williams, no replacement could be conceived, and he has inherent vulnerability, eyes that water on command and a rubbery face. — Shea Serrano
Mara Wilson, who was in a Ringer Films documentary (transcribed 'ShowBiscuits'), won the little girl's role over Blake Lively; she is called electric, with the line reading of the decade. — Bill Simmons
Two aged-best items carried over from the scenes: the party scene for its early-90s over-the-top quality, and the opening credits. — Bill Simmons
'Jump Around' used non-ironically in a movie, perhaps for the last time before it became ironic. — Bill Simmons
No sequel ages well; attempts ran from about 2000 to 2014, but Williams refused unless the script made sense and then passed away. — Bill Simmons
A sequel about the Mrs. Doubtfire TV show becoming successful would probably have been bad, the kids would be older, and as Mary Poppins 2 shows you only need one magical family-saving movie. — Bill Simmons
The grim divorced-dad apartment, with a mousetrap in the middle of the floor, is a classic divorce trope, and the apartment gets remade. — Bill Simmons
A personal divorced-dad apartment had ant traps and a couch bled on after a Bruins loss, not replaced for six months. — Bill Simmons
The apartment is both a trope and realistic, since a dad moving out grabs the cheapest place and stuff; it closes with a shout-out to the speaker's dad. — Bill Simmons
Pre-internet San Francisco, likened to Boston on the West Coast, is the final pick and leads into a separate category. — Bill Simmons
The anti-smoking PSA the Robin Williams character inserts in the first scene is offered as a flip side that has aged well. — Bill Simmons
The job interview where he does all the voices is enjoyed as a case of turning the cameras on and letting Robin Williams go, probably filmed for hours. — Bill Simmons
The fake calls Daniel makes to undermine other applicants for the maid job, using different voices, are also enjoyed. — Bill Simmons
Williams is called probably the best any-voice comedian of the last 40 years; the distinct Mrs. Doubtfire voice, saying 'dear' with an English accent, is like the best version ever of an SNL sketch. — Bill Simmons
The scene of Harvey Firestein creating Mrs. Doubtfire is praised; Harvey, also in Independence Day, is called an icon, and John Levitz used to do a Harvey impression on SNL. — Bill Simmons
The frosting scene with the apartment lady is floated as a possible pick; the icing melting off was reportedly caused by set heat, and the setup recalls Three's Company misunderstanding plots. — Bill Simmons
Sally Field's character telling Mrs. Doubtfire she is better without Daniel is an intense, well-written scene: the wife explains everything wrong with the marriage to her disguised husband. — Bill Simmons
The stated pick is the double duty at the dinner, an absurd scene that works, with bathroom costume changes and teeth falling into the wine glass (reportedly ad-libbed); it runs 12 or 13 minutes and nobody pays for the dinner. — Bill Simmons
Adds two: presenting catered food as a home-cooked dinner, which seemed the peak of luxury as a child, and the emotional final speech about love. — Amanda Dobbins
Asked for a pick, the run-by fruiting is offered and the pool scene is called the single best scene in the movie: it swerves expectations with the Brosnan character while making him more likable, with Daniel hiding behind the plant.
Picks the opening, with Daniel voicing cartoons in the booth at full Robin Williams and quitting over the smoking bird, showing he is a caring dad with morals; also likes the house party with a pony inside. — Shea Serrano
The party also features House of Pain and two three-year-olds jumping on the couch in a sugar coma.
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
The hosts say Charlie Sheen was considered for Brian Flanagan, which makes sense, and that Robin Williams also was, perhaps when the character was older. — Bill Simmons
IMDb suggests every white actor of the late 80s was considered; only Charlie Sheen is believed. — Bill Simmons
The hosts say Heather Graham was offered Jordan Mooney but declined because she was committed to License to Drive with Corey Haim. — Bill Simmons
Asked whether the movie is better with Shue or a young Heather Graham, the answer is that it is great with Shue, and another agrees. — Bill Simmons
S'mores monologue; Wendy Peffercorn's name; Ham Porter; James Earl Jones; Kenny's Kansas City Monarchs hat; nicknames; retro fashion; on-the-nose music
The s'mores monologue lives on: the host's son recited it by age eight, and it has a new YouTube life.
Ham's s'mores setup resembles a caterer's station at a wedding, never explained. — Mina Kimes
Things the film taught an eight-year-old viewer: s'mores, tree houses, flashlight-under-the-chin stories, the word 'bitchin', and cannonballs. — Mina Kimes
The 'biggest pickle of my life' line recurs, teaching a generation that pickles are a big part of baseball, which they are not. — Mina Kimes
S'mores quibble: the chocolate must be allowed to melt; you can't rush the s'more.
Wendy Pfeffercorn (as transcribed) is the classic one-beautiful-person legend of a movie town, and her name is a great one. — Bill Simmons
Ham Porter could have been Oscar-nominated, carries scenes like Robin Williams in Good Morning Vietnam, and is the best performance in the film. — Bill Simmons
Ham walked so Jonah Hill could run; in an alternate universe Ham becomes an Apatow-era star. — Bill Simmons
James Earl Jones has a very high PER; seeing him is a pleasure, as with his Field of Dreams turn.
Kenny's Kansas City Monarchs hat is a subtle nice touch, though Kenny's role on the mound is unclear. — Bill Simmons
Mr. Myrtle's Negro Leagues background is noted; the hosts cite a 1993 New York Times article in which a Negro league historian said major leaguers barnstormed with Negro leaguers and Ruth played against them. — Mallory Rubin
Ham Porter, the Great Hambino, gets better every year. — Mallory Rubin
Nicknames in general and the retro fashion of tees, jeans and Chuck Taylors or PF Flyers hold up.
The music is on the nose but perfect for kids: This Magic Moment for the lifeguard scene, Green Onions against the rivals, Tequila, Wipe Out for chases; the score is by David Newman. — Mina Kimes
