The plane-to-driving vomit montage is offered; the drug-den shotgun scene with beard and sunglasses is also enjoyed and compared to Terminator’s club attack. — Bill Simmons
The beard is thought to look fake and badly colored, though a real beard or dye is considered; its absurd appearance is still enjoyed. — Bill Simmons
The travel sequence earns praise for the broken-pencil threat, Angela Bassett’s brief flight-attendant appearance and Schwarzenegger’s confused response to his partner’s vomiting. — Kyle Brandt
The first classroom day is remembered for the anatomy line, ocean warning, chaos, shouted orders and resort to the ferret. — Bill Simmons
The father/job questions and tumor exchange let the children become distinct personalities; more material like the overalls/bathroom gag is desired. — Bill Simmons
Reducing Crisp’s screen time to add a children’s play or rehearsal is proposed; Schwarzenegger’s repeated “come on” delivery is enjoyed. — Kyle Brandt
The milk-and-nap scene and nightmare doze-off are liked for their tenderness and comic effect. — Bill Simmons
The scene where he nearly attacks his partner’s fiance leads to criticism of the unexplained post-sex pasta and overused eating jokes. — Bill Simmons
The child-abuser confrontation and approving principal are celebrated as forceful entertainment while recognized as unlikely to survive modern studio notes. — Bill Simmons
The principal’s praise of him as a teacher is described as unexpectedly moving. — Bill Simmons
The climax is enjoyed despite mocking Crisp’s plan to start a library fire, grab a child amid the chaos and go upstairs without an escape. — Bill Simmons
Final choices favor the tumor exchange and opening classroom speech/first day. — Kyle Brandt
The unnamed ferret is questioned because children would immediately give it a name. — Bill Simmons
For Sydney Sweeney’s husband, a younger Adam Driver is considered; Glen Powell is rejected as too attractive and Miles Teller is viewed as a better candidate. — Mallory Rubin
Jacob Elordi and Paul Mescal are rejected as too attractive for the desired contrast; Elordi’s height is also noted. — Bill Simmons
A producer identified in the transcript as Linda Oakes describes Harrelson’s appeal to women as both adorable and adventurous; the name remains uncertain. — Bill Simmons
Rory Culkin is proposed before the Succession actor is corrected to Kieran; Jeremy Strong follows, but the age gap with Sweeney draws an objection.
Brad Pitt is favored over “Leo” (surname not spoken) for Gage because of his resemblance to and career association with Redford. — Bill Simmons
143minutes too long;117–118minutes ideal. — Bill Simmons
Bus station plot:parents absent,midnight Portland–New York trip,leave before graduation and uncomfortable prolonged side-mouth kiss;teacher-support rewrite proposed.
Naming composition Rowena and lying Greek goddess then inviting wife to program implausibly careless potential adulterer behavior. — Van Lathan
All-black cast remote-button fantasy,Danny Glover/Angela Bassett confrontation;era marital power imbalance considered but personal flaws emphasized.
Anti-sign-language stance and dismissing deaf son understanding Lennon death brutal. — Bill Simmons
Dreyfuss post-opus career decline despite age49 and nomination;W and Krippendorfs Tribe exceptions discussed. — Sean Fennessey
Lisa Bonet is proposed as Q's mom for more star power, noted as 33 at the time and able to play 38; the other participant vetoes it. — Bill Simmons
A second actress (name garbled in the transcript) and Angela Bassett are offered for Q's mom; Bassett is accepted as better, with Waiting to Exhale as proof she could play a wronged strong woman. — Jemele Hill
For Monica, Regina King and Jada Pinkett Smith are offered; Jada is questioned as too small, and the pushback is that Lathan's newness let her be Monica while King already carried history. — Jemele Hill
Lathan's earlier roles are recalled as The Wood, The Best Man and a small part in Life; King had already made her turn in earlier films; the disagreement is left standing. — Jemele Hill
Apex Mountain is called too tough to say for Coogler and Jordan. — Bill Simmons
With the Black Panther performance polarizing, there is a chance Creed could be Jordan's Apex Mountain; who knows.
Jordan's path: Wallace on The Wire as a vision of lost innocence, Vince Howard on Friday Night Lights, a Parenthood stretch and a nothing part in Chronicle. — Sean Fennessey
Fruitvale made him a star, then Fantastic Four as Johnny Storm and That Awkward Moment raised worries it was over.
Denzel's first ten years had shaky choices too (Carbon Copy, Virtuosity), but those mistakes were interesting while Jordan's are conventional because they are the only options now. — Wesley Morris
Next to more seasoned actors, including his Black Panther co-star, Stallone and Rashad, some layers are missing; Jordan is hungry and intense, compared to Angela Bassett at 10 all the time. — Wesley Morris
A joke says he needs a Man on Fire-style detective role.
His Killmonger is a maximum-intensity read of a radical character among classically trained co-stars; the hope is he works with other directors and then returns to Coogler. — Wesley Morris
The pairing is compared to Scorsese and De Niro; one panelist says that is unfair to Jordan because De Niro was positioned by filmmakers; Coogler communicates differently from media-trained people, 'so bay.'
Midnight Run is named a favorite De Niro performance, with a debate over favorite versus best.
