Locations, literary and film influences, announcer voices, cast scheduling, Hackman's behavior, Bill Murray, the real house, period products, and Margot's cigarettes
The address 111 Archer is a real Harlem location near 144th Street. — Chris Ryan
Royal's unnamed hotel is represented by the Waldorf Astoria. — Chris Ryan
The film presents itself as an adaptation of a book that never existed, including visible page turns. — Chris Ryan
The discussion cites Louis Malle, the French New Wave, and Orson Wells among the film's influences; other names in the segment are sensitive to transcription errors. — Chris Ryan
An internet claim says Danny Glover, Luke Wilson, and Owen Wilson declined Ocean's Eleven roles to appear in this film; the speaker explicitly labels the claim uncertain. — Chris Ryan
The shoot was arranged around the cast's limited availability. — Chris Ryan
The pre-credit character introductions establish the family through a stylized montage before the plot begins. — Chris Ryan
Royal's blunt response to Margot's childhood play is funny because he refuses to soften his criticism for a child.
Margot meeting Richie at the pier is elevated by Nico's version of These Days and the slow-motion entrance. — Chris Ryan
Royal's first secret meeting with Ari and Uzi is praised for his awkward introduction and inappropriate compliment about their mother. — Chris Ryan
Richie's tennis collapse uses the announcers and seventy-two unforced errors to make his emotional breakdown visible. — Chris Ryan
Every Eli Cash scene is considered rewatchable, including the mescaline introduction and his affected novelist persona. — Chris Ryan
The montage of Royal and his grandsons scrapping, yelling, and mixing it up is a principal repeat-watch choice. — Chris Ryan
Henry exposing Royal's fake cancer through tic tacks and cheeseburgers is singled out. — Chris Ryan
Richie confronting Royal outside the house leads to the exchange that Royal was never dying but is going to live. — Chris Ryan
Royal's confession to Etheline changes rapidly from a false death claim to a request for time, making the scene uncomfortably funny. — Andy Greenwald
Hackman and Angelica Houston play the confession in a wide shot without relying on close-ups. — Andy Greenwald
The Margot background-file montage is praised for combining exposition, visual detail, the private investigator, and Bill Murray's deadpan response. — Chris Ryan
Richie's suicide attempt is called the most affecting scene Wes Anderson had shot, even though one participant does not find it casually rewatchable. — Andy Greenwald
Elliott Smith's Needle in the Hay makes the suicide sequence especially difficult and powerful. — Andy Greenwald
Margot and Richie's tent conversation is selected as an exceptionally tender moment. — Andy Greenwald
The opening montage is praised for introducing a large unfamiliar world without the drag associated with long television introductions. — Andy Greenwald
Margot's background-file montage becomes one participant's final choice because of its effortless style, detail, exposition, and Ramones song. — Chris Ryan
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
The first pick is Bill Murray, a personal choice that may not be objectively defensible, based on his performance and cultural influence. — Sean Fennessey
The second pick is Ted Knight, who had the hardest part while the others played their one character; if his villain is not funny the movie falls apart, and he still gets the biggest laughs. — Bill Simmons
Bill Murray is acknowledged as the one who got the most out of the movie, including Pebble Beach and 40 years of mileage. — Bill Simmons
Cases are raised for Ramis, whose first directed movie led to more classics, and for Chevy's iconic Ty Webb, though Chevy forfeits for returning in Caddyshack II. — Sean Fennessey
Caddyshack II is debated: Jackie Mason replacing Rodney is reprehensible, Dangerfield reportedly could not agree to a contract, and Robert Stack is a bright spot. — Bill Simmons
Ted Knight is restated; a Rewatchables Twitter poll among Knight, Dangerfield, Chase and Murray is proposed. — Bill Simmons
Craig, called in, says he independently chose Ted Knight, thinking of "well, we're waiting", and is teased for brown-nosing. — Bill Simmons
The poll will be posted on the Rewatchables Twitter feed. — Bill Simmons
Michael O'Keefe is at Apex, coming off The Great Santini into the funniest movie of the year; with Tim Hutton he was a young actor to watch before Sean Penn's class eclipsed them. — Bill Simmons
Dangerfield's Apex is placed in the mid-80s with Back to School, when he became a draw, plus HBO specials breaking Sam Kinnison and Bill Maher; both participants agree. — Bill Simmons
Ted Knight: career-wise no, since Mary Tyler Moore is his Apex, but retroactively this became his legacy; Too Close for Comfort gets love. — Bill Simmons
Cocaine is argued as at Apex, before its damage was widely known and while it fueled the film's disjointed creativity; the other participant is uncomfortable placing it on the mountain. — Bill Simmons
Baby Ruth bars peak with Goonies instead. — Sean Fennessey
Golf is argued for 1980, citing Jack Nicholas winning two majors, Tom Watson the British and a rising star taking the Masters; the Tiger Woods Mike Douglas appearance is checked; the reply is a hesitant "yes, I guess." — Bill Simmons
Groundhog bites and rabies shots; the groundhog-lair idea; good Phil or bad Phil; stopped diner clocks; Woodstock, Illinois filming; script origins; 25 takes of the ending; religious readings
Bill Murray was reportedly bitten by the groundhog two or three times and needed anti-rabies injections after a bad bite right after the groundhog-stealing scene. — Bill Simmons
Bill Murray and groundhogs are called the greatest actor-animal connection, across two iconic groundhog movies; Turner and Hooch is offered as a rebuttal. — Bill Simmons
Research is cited that, either in the movie shoot or the original script, the kidnapping went further, with him entering the groundhog's lair to blow it up, which was realized to be too close to the earlier Murray groundhog material. — Bill Simmons
According to Ramis, Murray would ask only "good Phil or bad Phil"; the research also says the diner clocks are all stopped and the film was shot in Woodstock, Illinois, about 50 miles from Murray's hometown, with plaques for the puddle curb and Ned's corner. — Bill Simmons
The hosts say the original script opened with Phil already mid-loop and that Ramis changed it, which is judged the right call. — Bill Simmons
The hosts say writer Danny Rubin's big break came from reading Interview with the Vampire and thinking about living forever. — Bill Simmons
Tobolowsky is quoted that it was a mediocre Bill Murray movie until shooting turned it into a classic. — Bill Simmons
The hosts say they shot 25 takes of the closing wake-up and Ramis polled cast and crew, who voted to keep them in their clothes; one host would rather have implied sex, calling the movie chaste apart from the Nancy Taylor love scene. — Bill Simmons
The woman dressed as a maid at the movies with the man-with-no-name costume is questioned as a possible call girl who is simply dropped. — Sean Fennessey
The hosts say Buddhists, Hindus, Jews and Christians all found significance: mitzvahs before returning to earth, and purgatory with winning Andy McDowell's character's love as heaven. — Bill Simmons
Such interpretation is rare for a popular comedy; the filmmakers likely did not expect religions to claim it, similar to The Big Lebowski. — Bill Simmons
Ramis's earlier films were direct comedies, while Multiplicity reflects a man in crisis; the film may have tripped a wire for its makers. — Sean Fennessey
Multiplicity is called polarizing: a mid-90s roommate named Ricky loved it, and it resembles the mediocre Bill Murray movie Tobolowski described, starring Michael Keaton. — Bill Simmons
Andy McDowell's performance is offered as aged best: she cannot overpower Bill Murray and has to be sweet, almost a prop. — Bill Simmons
Strong disagreement: the character felt too pristine, toasting world peace, not a prize and annoying, though it is no reflection on Andy McDowell herself. — Issa Rae
One remark says it felt like a female character written by a man; another view is that the character was intentionally pristine, and "I think you're both right". — Issa Rae
One voice finds her hot; the reply "Is she, though?" cites her 80s hair.
The Ned Ryerson introduction is quoted; "needle-nosed Ned, Ned the head" is among the most memorized words, and the actor is called a that guy. — Bill Simmons
The $1,000 first piano lesson, with the teacher shoving the kid out the door and the slow walk, is a favorite. — Bill Simmons
Phil trying to save the homeless man day after day is loved; Michael Shannon's first-movie cameo is noticed as overacting and deferred to a later category. — Bill Simmons
The entire premise of waking up to the same day, timely now as the Atlantic noted, and the redemption arc are called the best part. — Issa Rae
After the break, the criticism of Andy McDowell is revisited: a pristine, boring love interest suits a bored Phil who talks himself into her, but a smarmy Pittsburgh weatherman falling for such a dull lady is doubted; whether she is intentionally uninteresting is left at possibly. — Bill Simmons
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
The Roger Ebert segment states he gave the film three stars initially, then circled back 12 years later and upgraded it to four stars. — Bill Simmons
The quoted later review says tomorrow will come whether or not it is always February 2nd, that we can learn to be better people, and that the point is not that Phil has come to love Rita but that he has learned to see the angel. — Bill Simmons
The do-over is called forgivable because rewatching is the premise of the movie and the film seems deeper with each viewing; many first treated it as a silly Bill Murray romantic comedy. — Sean Fennessey
Comedies are said to be unfairly dismissed as unserious; early reactions saw Bill Murray being funny rather than the writing and directing. — Sean Fennessey
William Goldman is cited as complaining that comedies get the shaft, arguing There's Something About Mary deserved a best film nomination. — Bill Simmons
Seeing it in a Massachusetts theater, one host thought it really good but did not expect it to be discussed 27 years later; comedies reveal their rhythm over repeat viewings while dramas hit hardest the first time. — Bill Simmons
