Half-Assed Internet Research
Recruitment; box office; title; dialogue; slap; costumes; pilot; kiss; rating; soundtrack rights; deleted violence
In the discussion (16)
Approx. transcript time · 00:15:36Read transcript
- Witherspoon’s first name is reported as Laura, prompting agreement that Reese works better professionally. — Juliet Litman
- Roger Kumble reportedly begged Witherspoon over a drunken dinner to accept a fifteen-day shoot, with her boyfriend Phillippe encouraging her. — Bill Simmons
- The film is reported to have earned $76 million and spawned two sequels, after an initial mistaken attribution to Dangerous Liaisons is corrected. — Bill Simmons
- An apparent Jessica Chastain appearance among the students is investigated during the discussion but not found; it is treated as a lookalike, not a confirmed cameo. — Bill Simmons
- Baranski reportedly accepted because her daughters loved Buffy and she wanted to impress them. — Amanda Dobbins
- The original title Cruel Inventions was reportedly changed after test audiences associated it with science fiction. — Bill Simmons
- Witherspoon reportedly spent a week revising Annette’s dialogue and adding depth and quirks with Kumble, who praised her ability. — Bill Simmons
- The breakup slap reportedly surprised Phillippe, whose reaction was genuine; the intensity allegedly made him vomit after the take. — Bill Simmons
- Cecile’s red hoodie reportedly invoked Little Red Riding Hood. — Bill Simmons
- An NBC pilot centered on Sebastian and Annette’s son Bash Casey was developed, with Gellar agreeing to return before the network declined it; the group welcomes that cancellation. — Bill Simmons
- The Gellar–Blair kiss won an MTV best-kiss award; Gellar reportedly praised Blair’s soft skin and contrasted it with irritation from other screen kisses. — Bill Simmons
- Blair is reported as three to five years older than the other young leads. — Bill Simmons
- Producer Neal Moritz reportedly contracted for an R rating rather than a softer classification. — Bill Simmons
- The escalator/intimacy sequence originally sought the Smashing Pumpkins song To Sheila, but Billy Corgan refused permission. — Bill Simmons
- A filmed scene of Sebastian hitting Kathryn was removed to leave her later claim ambiguous; the group argues that showing it would defeat his rapid redemption. — Bill Simmons
- Bittersweet Symphony reportedly cost nearly $1 million, about ten percent of the budget, after roughly 200 alternatives failed; the precise timing of the Rolling Stones rights dispute remains uncertain. — Bill Simmons