Melinda Dillon · RewatchVault

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Spielberg is rejected before Dreyfuss and post-New-Hollywood UFO movies receive apex status.

In the discussion (11)

Approx. transcript time · 01:41:15Read transcript

Steven Spielberg is considered and immediately rejected as being at his apex here.
Richard Dreyfuss is placed at his apex because he won an Oscar and starred in major films during this run.
The film is selected as the apex of UFO movies in the post-New-Hollywood era.
UFO-related sunburns are given an apex here.
François Truffaut is rejected as being at his apex here.
Melinda Dillon is considered near her apex because Close Encounters and Slap Shot arrived the same year.
Mashed potatoes and their use as construction material receive an apex nomination.
Movie fathers losing control is rejected in favor of The Shining and Goodfellas examples.
Muncie, Indiana is proposed as reaching its screen apex here.
Teri Garr's apex is deferred to her Tootsie and talk-show era.
Bad parenting in a major hit is debated against This Boy's Life and other examples.

Steve McQueen, James Caan, Pacino, Hoffman, Hackman, Nicholson, Streep, Irving, and others are reviewed.

In the discussion (7)

Approx. transcript time · 01:28:53Read transcript

Steve McQueen is reported to have declined because he could not cry on cue despite admiring the script.
James Caan, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, and Gene Hackman are reported to have declined the lead, while Jack Nicholson had conflicts.
Richard Dreyfuss is reported to have lobbied Spielberg persistently before salary demands briefly stalled the deal.
Hackman's troubled marriage and reluctance to leave Los Angeles, along with Caan's price, are given as reasons the alternatives failed.
Teri Garr wanted Jillian but was cast as Ronnie; Meryl Streep and Amy Irving also auditioned for Ronnie.
Hal Ashby is reported to have recommended Melinda Dillon, who was cast only days before filming.
Carrie Guffey reportedly lost the chance to play Danny Torrance because he was committed to other films.

The direction, practical effects, Dreyfuss, Dillon, child performance, and suburban wonder have aged best.

In the discussion (13)

Approx. transcript time · 01:02:25Read transcript

The film preserves wonder about UFOs while the panel debates whether extraterrestrial visits have occurred.
Recurring maps, crossroads, and shots of Roy moving against crowds are praised as visual expressions of his inner life.
Melinda Dillon's performance and the mission-control worker who solves the coordinate problem are separate Aged Best choices.
The film's combination of cynicism, wonder, spectacle, and family story is credited with influencing later event filmmakers.
Motion-control photography, Douglas Trumbull's effects, Bob Baker's marionette, and Spielberg's limited writing credits receive craft praise.
Gene Siskel's description of the film as a fairy tale for adults is praised as its best concise description.
Small-town suburban America is praised as a durable setting inherited by later adventure stories.
The film's refusal to explain the alien compulsion literally is said to keep it timeless.
Roy's half-face sunburn and Barry's performance are praised as memorable character details.
Spielberg is reported to have elicited Barry's reactions by slowly opening presents above the camera.
The giant globe, Devil's Tower plot, numbered youth shirts, and the family's domestic setting receive further period appreciation.
The long Spielberg-Michael Kahn editing partnership is reported to have begun on this film.
Melinda Dillon's 1977 work and her appearances in two famous mashed-potato scenes are praised.

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1977

1977 film

Bill Simmons · Chris Ryan · Sean Fennessey

Aired May 20, 2025

Displaying 1 episode