No Apex for the three stars; Jaime King is tentatively considered. — Bill Simmons
The Gambler remains ahead among sports-gambling movies; White Chicks and Pearl Harbor challenge the Jaime King suggestion. — Bill Simmons
Central Park humiliation and premium-phone lines are raised without a clear affirmative decision. — Bill Simmons
Ghost is rejected as a 900-number example; Reality Bites is offered and this film’s heavy use considered. — Bill Simmons
Childhood premium calls included wrestling, immediate sports scores and other less-admirable numbers. — Chris Ryan
A junior newspaper job included answering callers seeking sports scores. — Cousin Sal
Delayed newspaper box scores left fantasy matchups unsettled until Wednesday; phone calls filled the gap, with trades but no waivers recalled. — Bill Simmons
A fantasy-advice business and blind fantasy without instant statistics are proposed.
Immediate fantasy-score checking and unwanted alerts reduce enjoyment; an analog return appeals.
Swingers remains the peak use of You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You. — Chris Ryan
Piven may be at his career peak between Entourage’s first two seasons as his profile rises. — Bill Simmons
The film may be the leading use of USFL footage. — Chris Ryan
Heat remains ahead in the joking category of Pacino characters whose partners see other men.
An added Apex question compares injury-derailed fictional football players, beginning with Jason Street and Johnny Utah. — Bill Simmons
The injured-player comparison adds Joe Pendleton, Jimmy Dix and Paul Crewe but focuses on Johnny Utah’s proven college status versus Jason Street’s high-school promise, without a clear shared winner. — Chris Ryan
The character’s reported basis in Stu Feiner is an aged-best choice, with the real personality’s continuing visibility noted. — Chris Ryan
A newcomer’s arrival in New York has a Wizard of Oz quality; the toilet-mouth insult, family-dysfunction dialogue and Winged Foot difficulty are praised. — Chris Ryan
The announced eleven-candidate list is Vedder and Ament as one entry, Stoltz, Horton, Pullman, Piven, Giamatti, LeGros, Walker, Burton, Skerritt and McDaniel; alternatives remain unranked. — Bill Simmons
McDaniel and Piven are an initial toss-up, while Stoltz is acknowledged as an obvious award choice. — Van Lathan
Piven receives final choices for the intensity of his arrival and pregnancy-test reaction; Stoltz receives a separate choice for making the smoking mime memorable.
The garage-door-opener detail and the Xavier McDaniel sexual-distraction scene became clearer and funnier with age. — Van Lathan
Steve’s drunken club phone call once seemed as romantic as Lloyd Dobler’s boombox gesture. — Chris Ryan
Linda’s betrayal by the apparently mysterious Luis is a gutting opening that establishes emotional chaos before Steve enters. — Van Lathan
Linda insisting she will not lose another garage opener and Steve resolving to focus on work express defensive certainty before romance disrupts it. — Van Lathan
The Peter Horton negotiation and the “popcorn with half this city” line remain memorable. — Van Lathan
Janet’s adoration cuts to Cliff’s Hendrix posturing and Touch Me I’m Dick, then his insistence that he sees other people meets her refusal to believe him. — Bill Simmons
Stoltz’s bitter talking mime provides an excellent transition into Alice in Chains performing.
Steve seeing Linda at the club is a love-struck reversal of his declared disinterest, followed by the sharp rejection that not having an act is itself his act.
The first date reveals Steve’s albums, wall decorations and X-Man poster, then his supertrain pitch meets Linda’s attachment to her car.
The Andy flashback establishes the sensitive-ponytail man and his emotional-larceny line. — Bill Simmons
The parking-underneath callback and Steve admitting he was nowhere near Linda’s neighborhood deepen the first-date sequence. — Bill Simmons
Xavier McDaniel’s basketball clip becomes the sexual-distraction cameo ending in the instruction not to come.
The café discussion that casual sex is lethal, with Cliff reacting as though he needs a clinic, is praised as the apparent blueprint for Friends’ dating-neighbors coffee-shop setup. — Bill Simmons
Vedder reading the devastating Citizen Dick review while Cliff tries to remain positive is a favorite short sequence; the review attacks his mediocre talent and urges him to leave town. — Bill Simmons
Piven’s fan recognizes Steve and invites him to DJ, demonstrating the Elvis Costello–Public Enemy mix; the short cameo felt authentic in 1992.
Debbie’s dating video and Tim Burton’s aspiring-director cameo are singled out as especially funny early-nineties material. — Bill Simmons
Depressed Steve passes the mime, then Soundgarden and the phone-booth call create another strong sequence. — Bill Simmons
Janet visiting the withdrawn Steve leads through the parallel-universe couple line into Drown. — Bill Simmons
The implant consultation is a final favorite: Pullman’s refusal to manipulate Janet’s body helps her recognize her worth, and he seems a better match than Cliff. — Van Lathan
The concluding “What took you so long?” reunion is admired as an early example of Crowe’s climactic romantic line, later echoed in Jerry Maguire. — Van Lathan
The whole Alice in Chains sequence, including the car ride, mime and Linda’s no-act rejection, receives two final scene choices. — Chris Ryan
The film says its own title naturally when Diane tells Lloyd he can say anything to her. — Bill Simmons
Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes,” the Replacements, Living Colour, Fishbone, and the observed Red Hot Chilipvers create an era-specific soundtrack that still works.
The hosts read that after filming concluded by August 2013, Jeremy Piven was added and extra scenes were shot, but he does not appear in the finished film; they call it an editing what-if. — Sean Fennessey
Piven's energy would not have worked, though a liked comedian popping up in J Squad would have been welcome. — Sean Fennessey
A sarcastic line about marveling that Tom Hardy was in J Squad leads to the point that none of the J Squad actors have become big names in six years. — Sean Fennessey
The hosts read that Brad Pitt was originally considered for Cage; it would need the winking Pitt of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood or Mr. and Mrs. Smith rather than the self-serious World War Z version, and Cruise is judged the better fit. — Chris Ryan
The hosts read that Ryan Gosling was also considered because Cage is younger in the novel; comic Nice Guys Gosling would work, but blank Drive, Only God Forgives or Blade Runner Gosling would not. — Sean Fennessey
The hosts read that an actress best known for The Artist was up for Rita, which seems odd; she is called a good actor, possibly also in a Bond movie, and both hosts are glad they got Blunt. — Sean Fennessey
Michael Mann gets a yes from two voices ('I would go yes. Me too.'); the diner gets a yes; L.A. bank robbery movies get a yes. — Bill Simmons
Not Pacino overall, but over-the-top late-prime Pacino: everything from Sea of Love on is Apex Mountain, and he is better in Heat than in Scent of a Woman. — Bill Simmons
The late-prime run is listed as Glengarry, Scent of a Woman, Carlito's Way, Heat, City Hall, Donnie Brasco, Devil's Advocate, The Insider and Any Given Sunday, whose speech is also iconic. — Bill Simmons
Not Val Kilmer's Apex, which is placed earlier around Tombstone; by Dr. Moreau the wheels come off, but it all starts here. — Bill Simmons
The Eady actress is proposed as absolutely Apex (NYPD Blue then Heat, leading to Judging Amy) but is vetoed. — Bill Simmons
Character actor Voight: yes, as the start of his character-actor journey and a favorite Voight performance. — Bill Simmons
Tom Sizemore: Saving Private Ryan may be a more developed role, though Heat plus Ryan is a nice mid-90s run. — Chris Ryan
