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Out of Sight
Stats
- Episodes featuring their films
- 4
- Movies in this archive
- 5
Rewatchables episodes featuring George Clooney’s films
Displaying all 4 episodes
Mentioned in discussions
Casting What-Ifs
Johnny Depp, George Clooney, and Steve Martin reportedly wanted appearances, but Sacha Baron Cohen declined
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:03:43Read transcript
- Johnny Depp, George Clooney, and Steve Martin reportedly wanted appearances, but Sacha Baron Cohen declined — Bill Simmons
Casting What-Ifs
George Clooney; Robert Downey Jr.
This discussion recalls a choice from an earlier episode.
In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 00:23:01Read transcript
- Clooney reportedly wanted the film while at peak stardom, but Payne declined and later cast him in The Descendants. — Bill Simmons
- Whether Clooney wanted Miles or Jack is disputed; one participant accepts Jack but not Miles. — Bill Simmons
- Clooney as Jack could have played against his image and echoed his earlier television career.
- Clooney’s star wattage could distract from the ordinary specificity that Church’s career gives Jack. — Sean Fennessey
- Downey reportedly read for Miles, though how close he came is unclear. — Chris Ryan
- Downey might capture the addiction but his energy could undermine the depression; his Zodiac journalist is a proposed model.
Recasting Couch
1991-era George Clooney as Brian
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:01:56Read transcript
- George Clooney is proposed as a 1991 replacement for Brian. — Bill Simmons
- The idea uses Clooney's youthful Facts of Life image rather than his later leading-man persona. — Bill Simmons
- Clooney's charisma could explain how Brian met Annie in Italy and quickly won her over. — Bill Simmons
- A more threatening Brian would intensify George's suspicion without necessarily stealing focus from the family story. — Bill Simmons
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Clooney, Casey Affleck or Damon as Mendez; a 2021 Mendez casting; which of the six you would be; learning a cover identity in 30 hours
In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:18:24Read transcript
- The movie is not better with George Clooney as Mendez; Affleck is really good. — Chris Ryan
- Casey Affleck did not seem old enough in 2012. — Bill Simmons
- Damon as Mendez is also a no. — Chris Ryan
- A 2021 version would likely cast Mendez according to his ethnic background. — Chris Ryan
- Which of the six would you be: Scoot questioning everything and smoking, Tate Donovan with too much Zeppelin and scotch, or Cleo Duval? — Chris Ryan
- One answer would demand to know why Mendez used a fake name and ask about his past missions, likened to a David Kahn joke; the other would ask him to share more about himself. — Bill Simmons
- Learning a new identity would be crammed the night before, with jokes about the all-star game and When the Levee Breaks on repeat. — Bill Simmons
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:17:03Read transcript
- The hosts recount that the project began with Clooney's company winning the bidding war for a 2007 Wired article, and that Clooney planned to write, direct and play Tony Mendez before Affleck got involved. — Bill Simmons
- The Mendez role would have seemed perfect for Clooney. — Bill Simmons
- The hosts found no casting what-ifs beyond the Clooney history. — Bill Simmons
Recasting Couch
Mullet George Clooney as the new boyfriend
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:57:00Read transcript
- The mullet-beard boyfriend has to be recast; young Thelma & Louise-era Brad Pitt as the drama teacher with a goatee is floated but may be too good looking. — Van Lathan
- Early George Clooney, four years before ER and with a mullet, is chosen: the movie is better with mullet George Clooney. — Van Lathan
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:44:52Read transcript
- The first answers given are Lopez and Soderberg. — Bill Lawrence
- Soderberg won because people thought he was a flash in the pan who couldn't make a commercial movie; without it he doesn't get Ocean's 11. — Bill Lawrence
- A two-tiered answer: Lopez wins the actual movie with the hardest job, but big picture Soderberg wins, since this didn't lead to the Lopez career that was wanted. — Bill Simmons
- The movie cemented Clooney as a top movie star, yet none of them feel he won; it did the most for Soderberg, and with Sondafeld it would not have been the same movie. 'So Soderberg, we'll go with that.' — Bill Simmons
Podcast choices
- Speaker not identified
- Steven Soderbergh
- Speaker not identified
- Steven Soderbergh
What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?
Jennifer Lopez's Marino jersey; the lighter
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:42:33Read transcript
- The Lopez Marino jersey, to hang up as game-worn. — Bill Simmons
- The lighter, because you can buy one and tell everybody it is the Clooney lighter as a party trick.
- No pick; the lighter is said to have had a much bigger role in the second 45 minutes because it had to be set up for the end. — Ryen Russillo
Picking Nits
Back-and-forth chronology; fantasy set in the real hotel room; the report she couldn't have written; Foley going back for the maid; Ripley bragging about diamonds
In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 01:14:27Read transcript
- Never seeing the scenes of Clooney's loyal buddy calling his sister, only hearing about them secondhand, is flagged as a picking-nits item. — Bill Simmons
- The back-and-forth chronology was a little confusing on first viewing, though time stamps might have broken the flow. — Bill Simmons
- Lopez's bathtub fantasy cheats by being set in the exact hotel, in the same color scheme, where Clooney and Rames are actually staying, though she has never been there. — Bill Lawrence
- A high-angle hotel shot after the Lompoc flashback signals the return to the present; the Mad Men fever dream is cited as a delicate case. — Ryen Russillo
- One speaker is anti-dream sequence and anti-narrator unless proven to work. — Bill Simmons
- A nitpick read online: when did she write the report her boss is reading if she was unconscious after the crash? — Bill Lawrence
- Would Jack Foley really go back for the maid? He is fundamentally not a good guy, so the moment may not be earned. — Bill Simmons
- Why would Albert Brooks's titan-of-industry character tell these guys about $5 million in diamonds? — Bill Simmons
- Returning to the maid point: the movie takes pains to show Foley won't hurt anyone, knocking out the guard with a vase rather than killing him. — Bill Lawrence
Apex Mountain
Steaks in a fridge
In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:33:02Read transcript
- George Clooney: no; Ocean's 11 was his pinnacle. — Bill Simmons
- Lopez's Apex probably came about two years later with an album and multimedia stardom. — Bill Simmons
- Soderberg: no. Ving Rames: probably Pulp Fiction. — Bill Simmons
- Elmore Leonard: Get Shorty stands out more from the decade and was more in the zeitgeist, though this is cooler. — Bill Simmons
- Steaks in a fridge: yes. — Bill Simmons
- Detroit: no; its Apex was the mid-80s with Isaiah Thomas, Axel Foley, Tommy Hearns, WrestleMania 3 at the Silver Dome and the Kronk Jim.
- Detroit's cold look is compared to The Revenant; the snowy trip to Albert Brooks's house shows stunning suburbs.
Casting What-Ifs
Sandra Bullock as Karen Sisco; Barry Sonnenfeld as director; Danny DeVito or Garry Shandling as Ripley
In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:18:47Read transcript
- Sandra Bullock was supposed to play Karen Sisko; a quote from the director says she and Clooney had great chemistry but for the wrong movie, not Elmore Leonard energy, so they landed on Lopez; the pair later made Gravity. — Bill Simmons
- The film was offered to Barry Sonafield first; he dropped out to do Men in Black, and his Get Shorty shows how different the tone would have been. — Bill Lawrence
- Luck matters: a different director can make a movie great, and Eddie Murphy almost got fired from 48 Hours. — Bill Simmons
- Chemistry screen tests are explained as a last hurdle in couple-driven romantic comedies; rumor says Lopez's test was shot at Clooney's house, and TV shows sometimes rewrite when leads lack chemistry. — Bill Lawrence
- Danny Davidow and Garris Shandling were considered for Ripley; Shandling as Ripley is an intriguing what-if, though he might have glanced at the camera and needed a different edge for the office scene.
- Shandling never found the right movie part; his Mike Nichols movie was a legendary disaster. — Bill Simmons
What’s Aged the Worst?
Karen Sisco spinoff; Albert Brooks's bald cap; character name Adele
In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:29Read transcript
- The Karen Sisko spinoff on ABC, because of stock in Carla Gugino, who never found the right thing. — Bill Simmons
- Albert Brooks's bald cap looked wrong, like a rushed sketch-show wig from 1968 rather than 1999. — Ryen Russillo
- How fake Clooney was running a pick in the pickup game because he didn't want to stink at basketball is offered. — Ryen Russillo
- A counter-reading says he was meant to look older and tired on his second stay; the original speaker calls that a good point.
- One more wish for 75 more seconds of pickup basketball. — Bill Simmons
- A character named Adele (said to be Viola Davis's) now evokes the famous singer, who wasn't famous then. — Bill Simmons
Displaying discussions 1 - 12 of 42 in total
