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Podcast Host, The Ringer
Van Lathan
Van Lathan is billed as a participant in the official Rewatchables episode feed. Further biography has not been verified for this prototype.
Also referred to as Ben Lanthan, Bane Latham, Van
Stats
- Episodes credited in this archive
- 79
- Movies in this archive
- 78
- Attributed podcast choices
- 13
Across the table
Appearing on these Rewatchables episodes
Searching for Bobby Fischer
1993 film
Bill Simmons · Van Lathan · Charles Holmes
Aired January 2, 2024
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
1989 film
Bill Simmons · Chris Ryan · Sean Fennessey · Van Lathan
Aired December 19, 2023
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
1991 film
Bill Simmons · Chris Ryan · Van Lathan
Aired November 7, 2023
A Bronx Tale
1993 film
Bill Simmons · Chris Ryan · Sean Fennessey · Van Lathan
Aired September 19, 2023
Displaying episodes 37 - 48 of 79 in total
Mentioned in discussions
Flex pick · Joanna Robinson
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:58:48Read transcript
- The flex category honors Van Lathan: did this movie need more black people? — Joanna Robinson
- It's set in Detroit and it did: the community college teacher, maybe one of the sex workers and the two cops are about it, and Naomi Aki (as transcribed) is second billed in the sequel.
- The category ran with Van for Friday the 13th, where he did his movies that didn't need black people; this one at least had a couple.
How Would Van Lathan Get Out of This One?
Own being the date doctor and defend the good it creates.
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:43:43Read transcript
- Van says he would admit directly that he is the date doctor because the work supports him. — Van Lathan
- He would defend the work by pointing to relationships, weddings, and children it helped create. — Van Lathan
- He would attack the gossip reporter’s work as intrusive and negative. — Van Lathan
- The other speakers object that the defense does not solve the relationship problem and still loses the woman.
Five Movies Not Getting Greenlit in 2026
1. Soul Man; 2. The Birth of a Nation (1915); 3. Juwanna Mann; 4. Tropic Thunder; 5. The Ringer.
Flex pick · Van Lathan
In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 01:34:18Read transcript
- The Ringer ranks fifth on the list of five movies not getting greenlit in 2026. — Van Lathan
- Tropic Thunder ranks fourth because the intact film is doubted as a present-day greenlight. — Van Lathan
- Juwanna Mann ranks third because a man dominates the women’s league. — Van Lathan
- The Birth of a Nation ranks second, specifically the 1915 film rather than the later film with the same title. — Van Lathan
- Soul Man ranks first and is considered impossible to make in 2026. — Van Lathan
- The film’s anti-racist conclusion is offered as a counterargument, but another speaker argues that viewers cannot get past its premise to reach that lesson.
- The Crying Game is proposed as another film likely to be attacked today, particularly because its secret would be deliberately spoiled.
- Fight Club is proposed as difficult to release now because preview coverage would expose its twist; the counterdiscussion focuses on lost secrecy rather than whether production itself is impossible.
- The Blair Witch Project is rejected as workable under the same modern secrecy conditions. — Van Lathan
- American History X is considered still makeable. — Van Lathan
How Would Van Lathan Get Out of This One?
Defend seeing Catherine as support for a female author
Flex pick · Mallory Rubin
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:22:44Read transcript
- The assigned Van Lathan escape-scenario flex imagines Nick defending his relationship with Catherine as support for a female writer and blaming criticism on insecurity. — Bill Simmons
Flex pick · Van Lathan
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:04:45Read transcript
- Van’s explicitly introduced top-five fictional bands are, from fifth to first: Josie and the Pussycats, the Wonders, Spinal Tap, the Five Heartbeats and Stillwater; Eddie and the Cruisers is intentionally excluded from this episode’s list. — Bill Simmons
- A follow-up distinguishes best fictional band from best music: the Five Heartbeats, Wonders, Eddie and the Cruisers and Stillwater are compared, with Fever Dog considered a weaker signature than On the Dark Side or That Thing You Do!. — Van Lathan
- The Revolution and the Time are excluded as actual bands despite Purple Rain’s fictional framing; Sex Bob-omb is suggested as an additional candidate.
- Additional fictional-band candidates include Sex Bob-omb, the EuroTrip band, Hey That’s My Bike, CB4 and Citizen Dick; the Dan Band is distinguished as real and Citizen Dick’s onscreen performance is disputed.
The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
Better chemistry than La La Land; Stone’s inevitable rise; marriage halftime disputed
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:17:49Read transcript
- Mina’s early hottest take is that Gosling and Stone have better chemistry here, and a better romantic scene, than in La La Land. — Mina Kimes
- An early hottest-take discussion treats Stone’s rise as visibly inevitable, comparing early Streep, Roberts and Cruise breakthroughs; Superbad is defended as an immediate star signal. — Bill Simmons
- Van’s hottest take asks whether marriage needs a halftime. The others challenge the analogy because cheating was not mutual consent and one partner might prefer separation; nine partners makes reconciliation harder. — Bill Simmons
- The marriage-halftime debate also considers Cal’s complacency and contrasts the film’s reunion with real-life returns after disappointing dating experiences.
Flex pick · Mina Kimes
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:15:11Read transcript
- Van’s Damn He Got It list has five ranks: Larenz Tate in Love Jones fifth, Gosling in Drive fourth, Will Smith in Hitch third, Brad Pitt in Legends of the Fall second and Billy Dee Williams in Lady Sings the Blues first. Other Pitt roles are alternatives, not his selected entry. — Bill Simmons
- Redford and Clooney are additional examples; a debate compares Clooney’s fame and film choices with Gosling’s, then discusses late-blooming actors. — Bill Simmons
- Van recalls his father admiring Billy Dee Williams; the hosts discuss men openly acknowledging other men’s attractiveness and remember Colt 45 ads. — Bill Simmons
The Butch’s Girlfriend Award for the Weakest Link in the Film
Babysitter plot; the shared pickup bar
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:07:47Read transcript
- Weak-link choices include the babysitter plot and the shared bar where Hannah never encounters Cal; the mixed-age pickup setting is doubted. — Bill Simmons
- Van and Bill describe discomfort being older than colleagues at bars, reinforcing objections to Jacob repeatedly using the same venue. — Bill Simmons
- Phoenix is proposed as a more plausible recasting city. The babysitter’s photos and crush on unkempt Cal are criticized, with the historical framing and online consequences discussed. — Bill Simmons
- The hosts discuss changes in dating, fear of public rejection and social-media exposure, while Mina gives a qualified nostalgic defense of Jacob’s approach. — Bill Simmons
Is There a Better Title for This Movie?
The Wingman; The Makeover; How to Pick Up Women; original title defended
Flex pick · Mina Kimes
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:05:27Read transcript
- Mina explicitly selects the better-title flex, criticizing the title and misleading poster. Carell’s reported objection and working title The Wingman are discussed. — Mina Kimes
- Van defends the title’s narrative progression. Alternative titles are The Makeover and How to Pick Up Women, the latter a double meaning for the lift. — Bill Simmons
Van Lathan Award for Did This Movie Need More Black People?
A Black David Lindhagen
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:02:42Read transcript
- Van says the film needs a Black David Lindhagen. Idris Elba and Taye Diggs are deemed too handsome, Ice-T rejected, and Keenen Ivory Wayans and Giancarlo Esposito proposed.
- Esposito is disputed as too sinister; Underwood, Haysbert and Chris Rock are considered, with age and scene-dominance objections. Bacon’s ordinary likability is defended. — Bill Simmons
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:36:51Read transcript
- Van answers no to more Black people, praising the minor characters’ distance from the conspiracy. — Bill Simmons
How Would Van Lathan Get Out of This One?
A motel visit framed as adult political and cultural outreach
Flex pick · Van Lathan
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:15:45Read transcript
- Van explicitly selects How Would Van Get Out of This One, inventing a defense of a motel visit as political/cultural outreach with adult college fans; the lengthy story is a comic hypothetical, not an event. — Van Lathan
Displaying discussions 1 - 12 of 57 in total
Flex picks
The Proof of Life / David Caruso Award for a Character Who Should Have Been Spun Off into Their Own Sequel
Giancarlo Esposito’s Cassius Clay Sr., watching his son’s rise
Flex pick · Van Lathan
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:34:27Read transcript
- The flex category explicitly asks which character deserves a sequel. — Van Lathan
- Cassius Clay Sr.’s perspective across his son’s transformation is the chosen story. — Van Lathan
Five Movies Not Getting Greenlit in 2026
1. Soul Man; 2. The Birth of a Nation (1915); 3. Juwanna Mann; 4. Tropic Thunder; 5. The Ringer.
Flex pick · Van Lathan
In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 01:34:18Read transcript
- The Ringer ranks fifth on the list of five movies not getting greenlit in 2026. — Van Lathan
- Tropic Thunder ranks fourth because the intact film is doubted as a present-day greenlight. — Van Lathan
- Juwanna Mann ranks third because a man dominates the women’s league. — Van Lathan
- The Birth of a Nation ranks second, specifically the 1915 film rather than the later film with the same title. — Van Lathan
- Soul Man ranks first and is considered impossible to make in 2026. — Van Lathan
- The film’s anti-racist conclusion is offered as a counterargument, but another speaker argues that viewers cannot get past its premise to reach that lesson.
- The Crying Game is proposed as another film likely to be attacked today, particularly because its secret would be deliberately spoiled.
- Fight Club is proposed as difficult to release now because preview coverage would expose its twist; the counterdiscussion focuses on lost secrecy rather than whether production itself is impossible.
- The Blair Witch Project is rejected as workable under the same modern secrecy conditions. — Van Lathan
- American History X is considered still makeable. — Van Lathan
Flex pick · Van Lathan
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:04:45Read transcript
- Van’s explicitly introduced top-five fictional bands are, from fifth to first: Josie and the Pussycats, the Wonders, Spinal Tap, the Five Heartbeats and Stillwater; Eddie and the Cruisers is intentionally excluded from this episode’s list. — Bill Simmons
- A follow-up distinguishes best fictional band from best music: the Five Heartbeats, Wonders, Eddie and the Cruisers and Stillwater are compared, with Fever Dog considered a weaker signature than On the Dark Side or That Thing You Do!. — Van Lathan
- The Revolution and the Time are excluded as actual bands despite Purple Rain’s fictional framing; Sex Bob-omb is suggested as an additional candidate.
- Additional fictional-band candidates include Sex Bob-omb, the EuroTrip band, Hey That’s My Bike, CB4 and Citizen Dick; the Dan Band is distinguished as real and Citizen Dick’s onscreen performance is disputed.
How Would Van Lathan Get Out of This One?
A motel visit framed as adult political and cultural outreach
Flex pick · Van Lathan
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:15:45Read transcript
- Van explicitly selects How Would Van Get Out of This One, inventing a defense of a motel visit as political/cultural outreach with adult college fans; the lengthy story is a comic hypothetical, not an event. — Van Lathan
Flex pick · Van Lathan
In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:41Read transcript
- The top five begins with Running Scared fifth and Reggie/Jack fourth; the latter placement is disputed. — Van Lathan
- Vincent/Jules rank third and Sidney/Billy second, with the action-comedy boundaries explicitly stretched. — Van Lathan
- Riggs/Murtaugh rank first; 48 Hours is defended as the influential prototype, and the ranking remains disputed. — Van Lathan
- Honorable mentions are Django, Men in Black, The Last Boy Scout and Money Talks; Men in Black could replace Running Scared. — Van Lathan
- Wilder/Pryor are qualified, while Crockett/Tubbs raises the distinction between movie and television duos.
How Would Van Lathan Get Out of This One?
Rick separately reframes Kevin’s betrayal to his wife and sets boundaries with his girlfriend.
Flex pick · Van Lathan
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:23:14Read transcript
- The speaker chooses Rick and tells his wife that Kevin’s betrayal proves her prior suspicions right. — Van Lathan
- For Monique, the speaker proposes reasserting that their time apart is separate and offering a later hotel visit. — Van Lathan
- The panel questions why Rick must arrange the late-night pizza and jokes about how both women might resist his framing. — Van Lathan
Did This Movie Need a Random Sports Scene?
Yes: a Halloween-night homecoming football gathering could let Michael attack players and even suit up as an unstoppable tight end.
Flex pick · Van Lathan
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:10:27Read transcript
- A football game or team gathering would widen Haddonfield beyond the hospital and give Michael athletic victims. — Van Lathan
The Den of Thieves Benihana Award for Scene-Stealing Location
Clarksdale and the American South
Flex pick · Van Lathan
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 02:12:00Read transcript
- Clarksdale and the American South are praised for textured beauty and convincingly old buildings. — Van Lathan
- A Mississippi drive past cotton fields illustrates the South’s brutal beauty and its uneasy historical associations. — Van Lathan
Did This Movie Need a Random Sports Scene?
Yes—a Yankees game
Flex pick · Van Lathan
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:24:47Read transcript
- The flex proposes an actual Yankees game during the stadium scene. The baseball strike may explain access, but the film could mention it; the Mets’ stadium is another option.
The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
An accidental Luke–Leia sexual relationship; Han mistreats Luke; Star Wars is great art and a damaging industrial precedent
Flex pick · Van Lathan
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:01:11Read transcript
- The trilogy is said to become darker and better if Luke and Leia unknowingly have sex before learning they are siblings.
- The imagined guilt is argued to give Luke a stronger pull toward the dark side. — Van Lathan
- Star Wars is called both one of the best films ever and one of the worst things to happen to Hollywood because of its industrial influence.
- Han is called a cock-blocking dickhead who pursues Leia and tells Luke not to get cocky after Luke's success. — Chris Ryan
Paulie Award for Asshole of the Film
Paulie
The panel proposes a new category here.
Flex pick · Van Lathan
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:07:04Read transcript
- Van explicitly selected flex Paulie Award for Asshole of Film, Paulie winner. Discusses sequel power-of-attorney financial ruin, objection Rocky V never happened; modest defense Rocky IV his best version.
- Paulie flex continued: treats sister as commodity, blames her for unmarried life, insults her, destroys Thanksgiving turkey while keeping leg and coerces date. Rocky partly complicit in coercion; exaggerated wished-for retaliation. — Chris Ryan
- Paulie flex: no redeeming deep-down goodness; proposed Paulie/Panino why-character-awful naming, neighbors would tire of yelling.
Top Five List
Top five "white people solve racism" movies
Flex pick · Van Lathan
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:57:09Read transcript
- The explicitly ranked white-people-solve-racism list begins with The Blind Side at number five and A Time to Kill at number four. — Van Lathan
- Number three is described as everyone being racist and beautiful, referring to the current film in context; The Help is second and Driving Miss Daisy first. — Van Lathan
- The Help and Driving Miss Daisy are mocked as self-congratulatory, while The Help’s actors are praised; a bookstore colleague deliberately called the book The Hep. — Joanna Robinson
Displaying all 12 flex picks