An aside objects that great acting now means playing real people, as with I, Tonya, the Roger Ailes film and Richard Williams, suggesting a best adapted performance Oscar; Meryl Streep as Thatcher and Saturday Live celebrity impressions are cited. — Wesley Morris
Brad Pitt's original character in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is more interesting; Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is floated as Robbie's Apex 'right now', immediately qualified that it doesn't feel like it has happened yet. — Bill Simmons
New Orleans movies: no. B.D. Wong: no, despite Law & Order and And the Band Played On. — Bill Simmons
Super Bowl movie scenes: definitely not. Gambling scenes: up there, in the conversation, alongside The Sting and Maverick. — Bill Simmons
Maverick is called a caper movie; a Maverick anniversary piece was written as a special request, and it tapped a rarely seen Jody Foster. — Wesley Morris
One host tried to get creative with picks rather than the obvious ones; the other says this category requires playing the hits. — Bill Simmons
The first armored-car robbery: the truck hitting the armored car is one of the loudest, most terrifying sounds in a theater, and the shaped charge blowing out all the car windows at once is 'the coolest thing in the world'. — Bill Simmons
The robbery crew are clearly professionals until Waingro stares at the bleeding guard and kills him, forcing them to shoot everyone. — Bill Simmons
The Big Boys diner with Waingro ('I had to get it on, man. He was making a move'); a newly noticed detail is Michael moving to the counter while Trejo leaves to ready the plastic-lined trunk. — Chris Ryan
No customers react when Neil slams Waingro's head on the counter; De Niro is called vintage and purposeful in the scene. — Bill Simmons
Eady and Neil's first meeting ('Lady, why are you so interested in what I read or what I do?') is called their scene; it is believable because she is new and lonely in L.A. — Bill Simmons
In the meet-cute she lays out her Scotch-Irish Appalachian family tree and he answers only 'I'm from the Bay Area'. — Chris Ryan
Neil's crew debating the bank job ('The bank is worth the risk ... I need it, brother'); Sizemore heat-checks De Niro, like Reggie Miller against Michael Jordan, and lands 'for me, the action is the juice'. — Bill Simmons
Vincent realizing the crew has turned the surveillance around ('You know what they're looking at? ... Us ... We just got made'). — Bill Simmons
The diner scene between Neil and Vincent is introduced and called one of the most famous scenes of the 90s, or of the last 40 years, likened to LeBron and Kobe guarding each other in a Finals shown only in one-on-ones. — Bill Simmons
Square TVs showed one actor at a time, fueling a ten-year internet legend that the two were not in the scene together; widescreen disproved it. — Bill Simmons
Research cited says the scene was take 11 and was never rehearsed, at De Niro's request. — Bill Simmons
The exchange is compared to the two of them having a podcast; jokes about Vincent commandeering an LAPD helicopter just to get Neil to coffee. — Bill Simmons
De Niro listening and looking away before 'there's a flip side to that coin' is one of his favorite De Niro performances, though 'that's the discipline' is called his only bad acting moment. — Bill Simmons
Asked who wins the scene 25 years later, one host says Pacino and expects the other to say De Niro. — Chris Ryan
The hosts say Pacino later revealed his character was on cocaine throughout, a thread Mann cut from early scripts, which explains his darting eyes scanning the restaurant. — Chris Ryan
The other calls the scene a split decision, 115 to 114, possibly a draw. — Bill Simmons
The bank-robbery shootout is called probably the GOAT bank shootout that every later bank robbery homages; Den of Thieves is a flat-out rip-off and Inside Man the least like Heat. — Bill Simmons
Research cited says military units study how Kilmer and De Niro reload; Sizemore is rarely shown shooting; the hosts say Mann placed microphones to capture the gunfire live. — Bill Simmons
Shootout nits: the masked robber's 'we're not here for your money' reassurance, and Kilmer's slow 25-yard walk while Pacino drives in and gets out, which always drives one host nuts. — Bill Simmons
Neil killing Waingro and walking away from Eady is a tough breakup after she gave notice and packed to emigrate to New Zealand. — Chris Ryan
The hosts say production almost could not shoot at LAX because of a Unabomber threat. — Chris Ryan
Vincent versus Albert: Albert's salt-mine, pit-bull, hot-car-lot hideout and 'where's your empathy?'; Pacino is so off-menu the editing can't keep up, with audio from a different take. — Chris Ryan
Waingro's meeting with Van Zant: Van Zant has been living in his office, and 'I got some moves I can make here' is joked about as an NBA GM's trade pitch. — Chris Ryan
Vincent at BJs on Alvarado at 2 a.m., where everyone dances to silence because the music was dubbed in; Piven's Dr. Bob is also floated. — Chris Ryan
Stated answer: the most rewatchable scene is the diner scene, the second most is the bank shootout, and all other nominations are accepted. — Bill Simmons
Terry Garr is called not good, not really a good actress, in a part that is interesting in the right hands and which she is not interested in exploring; the defense offered is that the script gives her little material.
She could have played it sexier or more mom-ish, but the character is hard to describe: not really a mom, throwing the kids away for an hour, showing up frazzled, never asking about them or her husband until he gains weight and she throws darts, leaving the question of what is supposed to be likable about her.
A millennial brain trained that women should be ambitious says she should get on the plane after convincing a guy to spend $12 million, yet the film sets up a recession and a layoff and then treats it as no big deal; if she is ambitious, it is never clear in the first hour, so the character is undercooked in both script and performance, and she has no chemistry with Keaton, who has more with Angelian (as transcribed).
It is hard to believe she becomes successful at work since she seems like a clueless dipshit, going from two years of advertising experience and years at home to a high-powered executive, which is not how the workplace treats women after kids.
Michelle Pfeiffer is the replacement: it changes the whole dynamic and makes it interesting, but then the creep must be recast too, since Martin Mull is no threat to her, so Richard Gere; there are five more interesting versions of this film, and the Pfeiffer version ends with the mom leaving the family or having an affair while the husband watches soap operas.
Jack should have been much madder when Martin Mo (as transcribed) answers Carolyn's hotel phone in front of his friend and the kids, which is never resolved, and Carolyn finding Joan lying on her own bed is waved off too easily; Pfeiffer, queen of the 80s, 90s and 2000s, looks fantastic on the Maleficent 2 press tour.
There is a reason Terry Garr's career never exploded through the 80s, although she is good in Young Frankenstein and great in Tootsie; the frustration is that Tootsie Terry Garr is a character while this is only a sitcom mom, with Keaton given the fun things to do.
Meryl Streep is offered as one more idea, a fun part since she did weighty movies in the 80s, but she brings guilt and shame wherever she goes and would need a scene crying over missing Bobby's violin recital, which one host wanted and the other did not.
A parent who missed seven soccer games and a graduation during four weeks on the road at the NBA playoffs says the film never taps into that; the other host's mother, a successful lawyer who traveled, felt guilty, whereas this character does not care about her children at all, and Halloween, the best day for kids apart from birthdays, is the proof, though the $12 million pitch is conceded as a reason she has to be there.
Lindsay Lohan nearly cast as Jade but judged too young by Phillips; Jack Black turned down Alan; Paul Rudd turned down Phil; Jeremy Piven turned down Stu; Mike Tyson refused until he learned Phillips made Old School; Alan was written as a Jonah Hill-type younger brother and Thomas Hayden Church (as transcribed) was considered
Lindsay Lohan was almost cast as Jade; Phillips decided she was too young and is adamant about it, while Lohan's version is that she turned it down and it was the biggest regret of her career.
Lohan in the movie would have felt very 2009 and not a good version of her; Heather Graham is perfect, and being a little older makes the part work better.
One host is not as much of a believer in the theory that Lohan was a great Goldie Hawn-esque movie star whose talent was frittered away. — Sean Fennessey
The reaction is 'Oh, how dare you?' and 'This is your worst take you've ever had', with Parent Trap offered as proof: she plays two people, one with an English accent, like a 17-year-old Meryl Streep in training; Freaky Friday is weaker.
The Heather Graham conversation runs License to Drive, Twins, Drugstore Cowboy, Six Degrees of Separation and Swingers, by which point one host was in love, then Austin Powers; she may have been his number one 90s crush, Ed Burns dated her, and Boogie Nights, Even Cowgirls Got the Blues, Diggstown, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, Scream 2, Two Girls and a Guy and Bowfinger show she was always in good stuff and good at sending up her persona; another gets her confused with Terry Polo.
Her ABC show Emily's Reasons Why Not never worked; Grey's Anatomy is raised as a show she might have led, but she is a comic actress who thrives in comedy; she is good here and way better than Lohan would have been, her 35 making more sense than weird 25-year-old energy.
Jack Black turned down Alan, thank God, since he would have overpowered the other three; Paul Rudd turned down Phil and would have been doing Brian Fantana and Sex Panther while making fun of it, whereas you believe Cooper as a shit bag even greeting his wife at the wedding; Rudd has not played a guy like that outside Neil LeBute (as transcribed) plays.
Jeremy Piven turned down Stu, thank God, probably because he was at the height of Ari Gold; Stu is the third lead.
Mike Tyson refused to appear and changed his mind on learning Phillips directed Old School; the Galifianakis character was written as a younger brother-in-law of the Jonah Hill type until Phillips realized an older brother was funnier, and Thomas Hayden Church (as transcribed) was the other option, a different movie.
Jason Patric turned down Mitch two years before Speed 2; Cruise was probably Plan B and expensive, the biggest star in the world at the time.
Gene Hackman joined late because the producers wanted to gender-swap Avery and cast Meryl Streep until John Grisham objected; one host thinks it might be a better movie without the beach scene, but another says Hackman is why the film makes sense, and Streep never played that older, divorced, sexualized, secretly bad character.
Robin Wright turned down Abby, as she seemed to for every movie, and Halle Berry auditioned for the woman on the beach, which one host would have preferred.
Was Stanley Tucci's character gay?; Who should have played Adrian Grenier's role?; Was this Meryl Streep's greatest role?; Who else could have played Miranda?
Was Stanley Tucci's character gay? Called unanswerable even after googling; one online claim that he looks at male models an extra second is dismissed. — Bill Simmons
One panelist cannot remember that character in the book. — Amanda Dobbins
Adrian Grenier's role: they should not have gone white male in 2006; John Cho or young Dave Chang are suggested, making a Korean dish instead of mac and cheese. — Bill Simmons
Was this Streep's greatest role? One says yes; another says Sophie's Choice, and Julia Child is also mentioned. — Bill Simmons
Nobody else would have made the panel even 70% as happy as Streep; in the spirit of the podcast Candice Bergen is offered, but she was too old in 2006. — Amanda Dobbins
Julia Roberts with aged hair is where it could have gone most wrong; Sandra Bullock could do it now or later, with doubts about whether she is mean enough. — Amanda Dobbins
Asked whether this is Hathaway's Apex, the first answer is no; Rachel Getting Married, Ocean's 8 (admitted recency bias) and 'intercellar' (as transcribed) are floated. — Amanda Dobbins
The correct answer is declared to be that this is her Apex, since she becomes a top star with her whole career ahead; this is accepted, and she gets 'the Dark Night' (as transcribed) because of it. — Bill Simmons
Emily Blunt's Apex is said to be happening right now, with A Quiet Place leading into Mary Poppins; one panelist is nervous about Mary Poppins. — Amanda Dobbins
A tangent debates whether anyone under 40 knows Julie Andrews' Mary Poppins, and one panelist shames musicals. — Amanda Dobbins
For Meryl Streep a yes is offered; one panelist recounts fighting with her husband over calling this Streep's greatest performance. — Amanda Dobbins
Sophie's Choice is called the iconic example, and Streep is argued to be the best actor ever, male or female. — Amanda Dobbins
Her best performance is said to have to be something like Sophie's Choice, though she lacks a Vito Corleone-type mainstream role, with Miranda the closest. — Bill Simmons
A March 2009 column called her the best actor ever; she is compared to LeBron for durability, and Adaptation and The Hours back to back are praised. — Bill Simmons
Simon Baker is called rough, now making a lot of money on a CBS show as The Mentalist. — Amanda Dobbins
A case for Adrian Grenier is first rejected because Entourage was his apex, then accepted because this came during Entourage, putting him on the mountaintop. — Bill Simmons
Meryl Streep as the only choice for Miranda; Rachel McAdams turning down Andy; Juliet Lewis and Claire Danes auditioning for Andy; Thomas Lennon turning down Nigel
Meryl Streep was the only person they went to for Miranda; they needed her or it was maybe not worth doing. — Bill Simmons
A Variety quote has Streep calling the offer not reflective of her actual value to the project; it was doubled, to a reported $4 million. — Amanda Dobbins
The panel thinks she was worth far more, noting 'Cruz' (as transcribed) would have gotten 20 in 2006. — Amanda Dobbins
Juliet Lewis (as transcribed) and Claire Danes auditioned for Andy and are called not right. — Amanda Dobbins
Hathaway went aggressive for the role, dressing like the character and writing 'hire me' in a casting person's Zen sand garden, which is why she fit and Rachel McAdams did not. — Bill Simmons
Boss being mean to an assistant plot; Meryl Streep's hair; Emily Blunt's breakout role; Andy's pre-makeover sweaters; Foreshadowing of the millennial workplace; Anna Wintour's reputation
Andy's pre-makeover sweaters are praised, but her Steve Madden-esque loafers and black tights with slingback heels are a hard no. — Bill Simmons
The film's picture of how that generation works at the office is called prescient foreshadowing of millennials. — Amanda Dobbins
Anna Wintour's reputation (transcribed 'Anna Winter') is said to have aged best because of the film, which was based on a book by her former assistant, citing an Alison Herman piece for The Ringer; others are not positive that is the case. — Amanda Dobbins
A Teen Vogue sequel idea leads to a tangent about The Hills, where bosses came out worse. — Amanda Dobbins
The final pick is the boss being mean to an assistant, called the best version of that plot; being able to sympathize with the boss is credited. — Amanda Dobbins
