Close Encounters of the Third Kind
1977 film
Bill Simmons · Chris Ryan · Sean Fennessey
Aired May 20, 2025
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Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Slap Shot
Slap Shot
Film credit
Melinda Dillon
Stats
- Episodes featuring their films
- 3
- Movies in this archive
- 3
Rewatchables episodes featuring Melinda Dillon’s films
Displaying all 3 episodes
Mentioned in discussions
Apex Mountain
Dreyfuss, post-New-Hollywood UFO movies, and UFO-related sunburns: yes
In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 01:41:15Read transcript
- Steven Spielberg is considered and immediately rejected as being at his apex here. — Bill Simmons
- 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. — Sean Fennessey
- UFO-related sunburns are given an apex here. — Sean Fennessey
- 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. — Bill Simmons
- Movie fathers losing control is rejected in favor of The Shining and Goodfellas examples. — Bill Simmons
- 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.
Casting What-Ifs
Steve McQueen, James Caan, Pacino, Hoffman, Hackman, Nicholson, Streep, Irving, and others
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. — Sean Fennessey
- James Caan, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, and Gene Hackman are reported to have declined the lead, while Jack Nicholson had conflicts. — Bill Simmons
- Richard Dreyfuss is reported to have lobbied Spielberg persistently before salary demands briefly stalled the deal. — Bill Simmons
- 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. — Bill Simmons
- Hal Ashby is reported to have recommended Melinda Dillon, who was cast only days before filming. — Bill Simmons
- Carrie Guffey reportedly lost the chance to play Danny Torrance because he was committed to other films. — Bill Simmons
What’s Aged the Best?
The direction, practical effects, Dreyfuss, Dillon, child performance, and suburban wonder
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. — Chris Ryan
- Melinda Dillon's performance and the mission-control worker who solves the coordinate problem are separate Aged Best choices. — Chris Ryan
- The film's combination of cynicism, wonder, spectacle, and family story is credited with influencing later event filmmakers. — Sean Fennessey
- Motion-control photography, Douglas Trumbull's effects, Bob Baker's marionette, and Spielberg's limited writing credits receive craft praise. — Sean Fennessey
- 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. — Sean Fennessey
- The film's refusal to explain the alien compulsion literally is said to keep it timeless. — Sean Fennessey
- Roy's half-face sunburn and Barry's performance are praised as memorable character details. — Sean Fennessey
- Spielberg is reported to have elicited Barry's reactions by slowly opening presents above the camera. — Sean Fennessey
- The giant globe, Devil's Tower plot, numbered youth shirts, and the family's domestic setting receive further period appreciation. — Bill Simmons
- The long Spielberg-Michael Kahn editing partnership is reported to have begun on this film. — Bill Simmons
- Melinda Dillon's 1977 work and her appearances in two famous mashed-potato scenes are praised.
What’s Aged the Worst?
Censored television versions, the sequels, the swastika helmet and dated cultural associations.
In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 00:52:52Read transcript
- Potentially nine-hour bus rides if Charlestown is Pennsylvania, although the setting seems intended as New England. — Bill Simmons
- Bad daytime television: Hawaiian showcase, soap operas and bowling. — Bill Simmons
- Edited television versions mutilate the film, including darkening the bottom of Dillon's nude scene. — Bill Simmons
- Seeing Melinda Dillon later as the mother in A Christmas Story creates a jarring association with Suzanne. — Bill Simmons
- The claim that the Hanson performers rejected a Universal spinoff is treated skeptically; the later sequel is dismissed. — Bill Simmons
- The harsh language and Jerry Houser's later role as Marcia Brady's husband are cited. — Bill Simmons
- Putting a bounty on an opponent now recalls the Saints' Bountygate scandal. — Bill Simmons
- Maxim's 1998 declaration of Slap Shot as the best guy movie feels dated, as do the two sequels. — Bill Simmons
- The bus driver's swastika helmet. — Chris Ryan
- The decline of Dickie Dunn's sentimental sportswriting is disputed: similar columns and credulous sourcing still exist. — Sean Fennessey
- Dickie Dunn's dismissive response to his daughter's complaint about being insulted. — Chris Ryan
What’s Aged the Best?
Hockey footage, the cast, Reggie’s clothes, local sports culture and the Hansons.
In the discussion (13)
Approx. transcript time · 00:47:10Read transcript
- The hockey footage's wide shots and close action look remarkably convincing; helmetless players help. — Bill Simmons
- The arena's plain War Memorial name is preferred to corporate naming rights. — Chris Ryan
- The scrappy team versus ownership story remains a strong sports trope, and the cast is full of recognizable emerging actors. — Chris Ryan
- Newman's fur-trimmed leather jacket and brown leather leisure suit. — Bill Simmons
- Awkward local sports interviews and Crouse with Newman before The Verdict. — Bill Simmons
- Francine's distinctly 1970 s appearance, and the fashion-show threat to expose oneself followed by offscreen screams. — Bill Simmons
- The Deep Throat and Meatball double-feature marquee. — Bill Simmons
- Reggie's unbothered reply to McCracken's sexual insult. — Bill Simmons
- The obnoxiously horny teammate is an enduring type, though his conduct would now violate workplace rules.
- The talented player who refuses to fight, compared with real hockey stars and their enforcers.
- The mass mooning at Hyannisport.
- Melinda Dillon's nude scene is recalled as an early formative movie experience. — Bill Simmons
- The unranked early movie-nudity roster includes Melinda Dillon, Lacey Underall in Caddyshack, the Shining bathtub woman, the Animal House women, Airplane’s faceless topless woman, Phoebe Cates, Jamie Lee Curtis, Linda Hamilton, Apollonia in Purple Rain, Joyce Heiser (ASR) in Just One of the Guys, Apollonia Corleone and Total Recall’s three-breasted woman. The Shining room number is corrected from 217 to 237. — Bill Simmons
Displaying all 5 discussions
