Mr. Mertle's blindness feint; the director's narration; no breakout star; Karen Allen's faded weight; the parenting; steak on a black eye; overly elaborate erector set; unconvincing Babe Ruth; color end photo; the Wendy Peffercorn kiss
Mr. Myrtle's 'you went blind' line plays as a feint where 'you're black' was expected, and the film is called whitewashed.
The Negro Leagues history could have been addressed in about 30 seconds. — Bill Simmons
The setting is said to be the San Fernando Valley though filmed in Utah; race and the era of segregated pools go unaddressed. — Mina Kimes
The narrator is bad because it is the writer-director; someone like Tim Robbins should have been hired, and half the lines are about the biggest pickle. — Bill Simmons
No cast member became a breakout star, unlike a movie with a future star as sixth lead. — Bill Simmons
Karen Allen as the mom mattered more in 1993, 11 years after Raiders of the Lost Ark; the stepdad actor is now better known. — Bill Simmons
The parenting: the stepdad ignoring Smalls's requests to play catch, and the mother making him feel like a loser for being smart and calling him an egghead. — Mallory Rubin
Smalls might have founded a tech company without the pressure to play baseball; instead he became an announcer, perhaps with invention income on the side. — Mallory Rubin
Smalls's father died; the stepdad barely engages and is angry when called dad. — Bill Simmons
Putting a frozen steak on a black eye would never happen now. — Bill Simmons
The erector set catapult seems too elaborate for 1962. — Bill Simmons
The Babe Ruth dream actor does not seem like Ruth, and his Field of Dreams role lingers. — Bill Simmons
The host's son's pick: the end photo of the kids would not be in color in 1962. — Bill Simmons
Roping the lifeguard into a kiss, grabbing her head and tricking her would not fly today, and the narration adds to the cringe. — Mallory Rubin
The pool sequence follows the Fast Times tradition later homaged in Stranger Things, but its conclusion does not age well. — Mallory Rubin
The ending's marriage-and-nine-kids wink and the boys saying she knew what she was doing feel emotionally beyond such young kids. — Mina Kimes
Was Omar from The Wire inspired by Frank White? Avon Barksdale is suggested instead, or Frank split into several characters; the film may be missing an Omar-type gunfighter Frank keeps on ice.
Did Walken's subway muggers come back for a job? Yes, Harold Perrineau is seen later at the Plaza and in the Schoolly D scene.
Why does it take filmmakers so long to tap people who are obviously stars, as with Grantland and Ringer writers? The answer is the actors spent a decade building toward the right role, and most directors know only already-known actors.
While casting Reservoir Dogs, the speaker recalls casting director Ronnie Eskell (as heard) telling him, 'Quentin, if this directing thing doesn't work, I will give you half my business.' — Quentin Tarantino
Game recognizes game: Ferrara and the NYPD Blue team (Bocchco and Milch) recognized Caruso was ready; Tim Robbins recounted being promised The Player despite funding pressure.
On Jackie Brown, Paul Newman, Gene Hackman, Robert Forster and John Saxon were the four Max Cherry ideas; Forster got the role after an Alligator rewatch and a chance restaurant meeting, before bigger names could ask.
Pam Greer was baked into that project; Travolta was first considered for the Eric Stoltz role while Michael Madsen was expected as Vincent, then became the backup when that fell through.
For the last movie, casting Brad Pitt needed availability, a deal, and Rick cast first so his double Cliff would be realistic.
Elmo Blatch wins for embellishing his confession with twitchy laughter and aggressive delivery.
Gil Bellows throwing away his GED test and storming off is another candidate.
Tim Robbins is considered for the speech about the cornfield and box, but the panel says he has to play it that way.
Robbins’s final prison conversation prompts an early suggestion of a low-key Rubinek subcategory, with a defense that the scene requires this performance.
Tom Hanks was offered Andy but could not accept because of Forrest Gump; the panel prefers Tim Robbins because the role became inseparable from him.
Kevin Costner was offered Andy and is considered a credible alternate, although the panel thinks Robbins better preserves doubt about Andy.
Tom Cruise attended table readings but declined over the director's inexperience; the panel thinks his intensity would distort Andy.
Brad Pitt was intended for Tommy before Thelma & Louise created other opportunities; the panel thinks his presence would make Tommy disproportionately prominent.
Redford should not be in the first 20 minutes: he and Glenn Close are 20 years older than their characters, the weird lighting does not hide it, the train shots of young and older Roy look identical, and the Pittsburgh lefty or the boy who plays his son could have been 18-year-old Roy.
Nothing is worse than someone who cannot throw in a baseball movie: Roy's son is in the finals with Costner's dad in Field of Dreams for worst throwing motion, Tim Robbins gets a half pass for a torn rotator cuff, and the kid carries his glove around the living room yet cannot throw or catch.
Bump Bailey dying by running through a wall is ludicrous, recalling Fred Lynn hitting the Fenway wall in the 1975 World Series before padding went up; the death is explained by the Greek mythology and the need to remove him from Memo, plays 100% comedic with the ashes scattering, and Roy shows no emotional response.
Women are either destroyers or saviors, like the current Damien Chazelle experience; the Iris and Hobbs scenes are awkward and stilted with little chemistry, while he has more chemistry with Memo, with whom he has sex in a glass phone booth in a hotel lobby.
The stretch from the poisoning to 'suit up' is about 20 minutes of maternity ward with no mystery that Roy will play, like the hospital flaw in Rocky 2; it could be done in 10 minutes.
Nobody can figure out who Roy is without baseball reference or the internet, even though he was in an attempted murder and suicide with three other murders and Max, who prides himself on encyclopedic knowledge, literally met him; the same actor playing both ages makes it worse.
Ballpark security letting the note through, the ball and strike calls with no pitch framing, and the complete lack of diversity, set before Jackie Robinson, are also raised; one host asks why the 1984 film had to be set in 1939 rather than moved forward, the other likes the railroads and the Shoeless Joe hangover.
The final pick is how old Robert Redford is, with the son's throwing motion a good second, and the other host agrees Redford is too old for the first 20 minutes.
