An earlier version paired Bridget Fonda with an actor whose name is transcribed as Kyle McLaughlin; Rebecca De Mornay is proposed as a period alternative, and Jodie Foster and Jeff Bridges were later attached or offered major roles.
This discussion recalls a choice from an earlier episode.
Leading into the couch, asked whether Don Johnson or Michael Douglas would be better in the role, the answer is Douglas, though Don Johnson's smoking would have been great.
Nothing needs changing; the movie is perfect from a well-done or unintentional-comedy standpoint. — Bill Simmons
Whether the movie is better or worse with Pacino is asked; Pacino in sexual situations is called uncomfortable, and one of his earlier roles is essentially the same guy. — Bill Simmons
Nilsen is acknowledged, but the pick is Michael Douglas for "Stop riding me, man" and "Who has access to my goddamn file?"
Douglas goes Brick Tamland a bunch, his most overacting outside one other role; the hosts joke that fellow cops accept his cocaine use because he worked undercover.
Another pick is Gus for all the yelling and every "Hoss." — Mallory Rubin
The opening murder is ruled out as a most rewatchable scene because a man gets brutally stabbed to death. — Bill Simmons
The first visit to Catherine's house is nominated: the cliffside drive and the house itself, which a half-assed internet research lookup suggested was listed for $52 million, though that is flagged as possibly untrue. — Bill Simmons
The first interview has exchanges like "Are you a pro?" "I'm an amateur" and "Are you sorry he's dead?" "Yeah, I liked fucking him," and is called one of the best character introductions ever.
The setting is symbolic: beautiful and serene on top, choppy water and jagged rocks over the edge. — Mallory Rubin
Her lines scandalize the detectives, men in their 40s; in 1992 there were no characters like this who were in complete control. — Bill Simmons
The second house visit is nominated too: she changes in front of them, the cigarette exchange in the car, and the new book about a detective who falls for the wrong woman. — Bill Simmons
The police interrogation, featuring Newman from Seinfeld and Eddie Harris from Major League, with the cocaine question, the crotch shot and the lie detector, is called the most rewatchable eight to nine minutes of the movie. — Bill Simmons
More lines are added from the interrogation; the cuts are brilliant, she is in command though nominally in their power, and the scene would have been a meme machine in the GIF era. — Mallory Rubin
The leg-cross is called one of the great movie star scenes of the last 30 years; Kathleen Turner and Faye Dunaway are floated as comparisons, but doubted as able to command the room the same way. — Mallory Rubin
The hosts say the leg-cross was Verhoeven's idea in the room and not in the script; Stone claimed she did not know the shot would be used, while he said they had discussed it; they say it would be a huge deal in 2020. — Bill Simmons
The hosts relay the story that Verhoeven told her the underwear was reflecting the lights, and debate whether the character wore underwear given the earlier dressing scene. — Mallory Rubin
Stone is praised for speaking openly about the lack of permission and its impact on her career, while the moment is still held up as iconic. — Mallory Rubin
The shot is called invasive because of the interrogation power dynamic, even though she is fully naked later in the film. — Chris Ryan
Catherine stopping by Nick's place, taking the ice pick and his cigarette, and calling him Shooter is liked, as is the pre-cell-phone habit of waiting on a stoop.
The nightclub: Nick is the oldest guy by 18 years in the V-neck, the three-person cocaine stall scene is called the all-time best, and Roxy's dancing is praised. — Bill Simmons
The hosts say the sex scene took five days to shoot; first-time viewers wonder whether he will be murdered, and Michael Douglas's butt is the funniest part. — Bill Simmons
The hosts say Verhoeven wanted full frontal nudity from Douglas, whose contract prohibited it. — Mallory Rubin
A director's cut viewing claims a side-angle glimpse and dwells on the strained eye contact during oral sex, which is called hilarious. — Mallory Rubin
Verhoeven is paraphrased as saying men think they know how women have sex but do not know how other men have sex. — Mallory Rubin
The ceiling mirror, fingers in mouths, the white scarf and the back scratch with no blood on white sheets are called ludicrous and mesmerizing. — Mallory Rubin
Nick visiting Catherine the next day ("a pretty good beginning," "I'm in love with you already, but I'll nail you anyway") is nominated as a great Basic Instinct scene. — Bill Simmons
A production flaw is noted: there is no sand beach at her property, so the hosts guess the beach part was filmed elsewhere; no later scene is seen as rewatchable once the whodunit kicks in.
Other nominations: the homicidal-impulse conversation that reveals how much Catherine knows about Nick, the Gus and Beth murder sequence and case wrap-up as near comedy, and the suspenseful final scene. — Mallory Rubin
The pick is the nightclub scene by far, lumped with the sex scene, including the dancing and Roxy getting mad. — Chris Ryan
Another pick is the car ride through the police interrogation, for the Bay Area and her command of the room.
A third participant calls the interrogation legendary but sides with Chris on the sex scene, with the club scene as the cherry on top. — Mallory Rubin
Douglas’s combination of this film, Wall Street and an Oscar is endorsed as his career peak. — Bill Simmons
Close’s commercial peak is distinguished from her best acting, with Dangerous Liaisons favored for performance and its Oscar loss lamented. — Wesley Morris
Archer is endorsed for her performance and appeal; swapping her and Close would undermine the film.
Bedford receives a yes. Female thriller villains are considered through the film’s influence, with concern about less sophisticated successors. — Wesley Morris
Lyne is endorsed for his best film, director nomination and proximity to Nine 1/2 Weeks; gated elevators win over Unfaithful.
Hydration during sex; Michael Douglas; Anne Archer and her hair; styling; Bedford house; Volvo; bunny trope; Meatpacking District; father’s reaction; Playland; casting
Yes for Gere, with Internal Affairs the same year and a nice run after; another says little good followed and he moved toward the Michael Douglas type, then accepts it.
Yes for Elizondo, absolutely, with Chicago Hope praised.
Roberts was already decided as not her apex, placed in the My Best Friend's Wedding era, though she is excellent and stunning here. — Bill Simmons
Yes for "David Morris" (the character David Morse), "whoever played that guy"; otherwise not a lot of apex. — Bill Simmons
Called the all-time record list: "Bert" Reynolds declined Edward and in 2012 said he made a mistake after seeing the love-making scenes. — Bill Simmons
Al Pacino turned down Edward after a screen test with Roberts; that movie does not work. — Bill Simmons
John Travolta auditioned, and had turned down American Gigolo, which made Gere a star. — Bill Simmons
Read as half-assed internet research: Gere was about to turn the part down when Roberts slid him a "please say yes" Post-it; the hosts doubt it. — Bill Simmons
Gere turned down Gordon Gecko in Wall Street; Michael Douglas is floated for this movie, and Robert "Radford," who did a similar role in Indecent Proposal five years later.
Molly Ringwald turned it down and regrets it; Diane Lane nearly played Vivian but pulled out over scheduling; "Michelle Fife" turned it down. — Bill Simmons
Several other actresses allegedly turned it down, which the hosts do not believe. — Bill Simmons
Alec Baldwin was the first choice to play Richard Kimble; he had also been first offered Ford's Patriot Games role, which suggests Baldwin had more juice than Ford in 1992-93.
Baldwin reportedly wanted control of his career and too much money and did not want to be a franchise pawn; Patriot Games is contrasted with Hunt for Red October.
A correction: this was not the end of Ford's heyday because Air Force One was still ahead; Six Days, Seven Nights, overshadowed by a controversy around its co-star, is called the real end.
Michael Douglas, Kevin Costner and Andy Garcia were also considered for Kimble; only Costner is found believable because Kimble needs something wholesome, while Douglas and Baldwin seem like they might have done it.
Walter Hill wanted to direct with Nick Nolte, who thought he was too old; one participant would have loved a Walter Hill version but thinks it worked out.
The script was written in 1990 with Sly Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger in mind as the leads; the hosts agree that would have been horrible given the bodies, faces and accents, wondering how the vocal box would handle Arnold's or Sly's accent.
Joel Silver then optioned it wanting Michael Douglas and Harrison Ford, which some think would have been incredible but more like a sexual thriller going to a weird place; this detours into Michael Douglas's publicly stated claim about the sexual cause of his throat cancer, which one host insists is a true story to Google and others call a suburban legend and a humble brag.
Johnny Depp was in until he found out it was not a hockey movie, treated as true because it is on the internet, with jokes about whether he thought Pirates of the Caribbean or Edward Scissorhands were hockey movies too; Bruce Willis and Alc Baldwin (as transcribed) were teamed up at one point, which might actually have worked since Baldwin would dial it up.
The funniest pairing, apparently a real thing, was Van Damme and Steven Seagal, two of the greatest Russian moles America has to offer.
Would most have wanted to see Stallone and Schwarzenegger, because it does not make any sense and he needs to see that. — Jason Concepcion
Would want Douglas and Ford, who would have had so much contempt for the material, unable to believe they needed another ranch in Montana this badly. — Chris Ryan
Goes with Van Damme and Seagal (as transcribed 'Van Dammen to go'). — Shea Serrano
The others knew that pick was coming and call it the worst one of all of them.
Mark Wahlberg turned down the role of Castor's brother Pollux; the movie is better with Wahlberg if he is dialing it up, and Pollux's weird hairdo already looks like Wahlberg's Gambler character; Julianna Margulis (as transcribed) turned down the Gina Gershon part because she was filming ER, probably a good choice at that moment, since Gershon does not go around asking whether people saw her in Face Off.
