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Advanced analytics
Across 478 episodes of The Rewatchables.
Top Directors
People who directed the most films covered on the show.
- 01Michael Mann9 films directed
- 02Steven Spielberg9 films directed
- 03Martin Scorsese8 films directed
- 04Tony Scott8 films directed
- 05David Fincher7 films directed
- 06Rob Reiner7 films directed
- 07Robert Zemeckis6 films directed
- 08Brian De Palma6 films directed
- 09Ivan Reitman5 films directed
- 10Ridley Scott5 films directed
Top Actors
People who starred in the most films covered on the show.
- 01Tom Cruise17 films starred in
- 02Robert De Niro14 films starred in
- 03Al Pacino12 films starred in
- 04Denzel Washington12 films starred in
- 05Tom Hanks11 films starred in
- 06Sylvester Stallone11 films starred in
- 07Matt Damon10 films starred in
- 08Bill Murray9 films starred in
- 09Kevin Costner9 films starred in
- 10Keanu Reeves8 films starred in
Top Decades
Which decade the covered films come from.
Top Genres
The genres of the films covered.
Top Referenced Movies
Movies mentioned most across all episodes — usually films other than the one being discussed.
- 01Heat654 mentions
- 02Rocky563 mentions
- 03Die Hard506 mentions
- 04Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope486 mentions
- 05Top Gun450 mentions
- 06Fargo429 mentions
- 07Jaws419 mentions
- 08John Wick394 mentions
- 09Goodfellas389 mentions
- 10Pulp Fiction369 mentions
Covered More Than Once
Films the show has come back to — 16 so far. A two-part episode counts as one visit; every episode is listed.
- Heat (1995) — covered 3× · August 7, 2017 · January 24, 2020 · November 2, 2021
- Blue Chips (1994) — covered 2× · August 7, 2017 · March 25, 2025
- Jerry Maguire (1996) — covered 2× · August 7, 2017 · May 14, 2024
- A Few Good Men (1992) — covered 2× · August 10, 2017 · August 1, 2023
- The Departed (2006) — covered 2× · August 17, 2017 · October 5, 2021
- The Silence of the Lambs (1991) — covered 2× · September 14, 2017 · October 15, 2024
- Speed (1994) — covered 2× · September 21, 2017 · August 18, 2026
- Titanic (1997) — covered 2× · September 28, 2017 · March 15, 2022
- Zodiac (2007) — covered 2× · December 14, 2017 · January 26, 2026
- Good Will Hunting (1997) — covered 2× · January 25, 2018 · April 1, 2025
- Forrest Gump (1994) — covered 2× · June 21, 2018 · February 13, 2024
- Rounders (1998) — covered 2× · September 11, 2018 · February 27, 2024
- Den of Thieves (2018) — covered 2× · October 15, 2019 · January 7, 2025
- Basic Instinct (1992) — covered 2× · April 14, 2020 · April 14, 2026
- Creed (2015) — covered 2× · January 4, 2022 · February 19, 2024
- The Fugitive (1993) — covered 2× · January 4, 2022 · February 6, 2024
Top Hosts
Who has appeared on the most episodes.
- 01Bill Simmons438 episodes
- 02Chris Ryan285 episodes
- 03Sean Fennessey173 episodes
- 04Van Lathan77 episodes
- 05Mallory Rubin39 episodes
- 06Craig Horlbeck38 episodes
- 07Amanda Dobbins38 episodes
- 08Shea Serrano33 episodes
- 09Kyle Brandt31 episodes
- 10Wesley Morris25 episodes
Top Host Combinations
The exact host panels that recur most often.
- 01Bill, Chris & Sean94 episodes
- 02Bill & Chris47 episodes
- 03Bill, Chris & Van29 episodes
- 04Bill & Kyle15 episodes
- 05Bill & Van14 episodes
- 06Bill, Chris & Craig11 episodes
- 07Bill & Mallory9 episodes
- 08Bill & Sean9 episodes
- 09Amanda, Bill & Juliet8 episodes
- 10Bill, Chris & Shea7 episodes
Host Patterns
Which hosts gravitate to which genres and directors.
When Bill’s away, the show gets younger and artier
2010s films 2.0× · Wes Anderson both times · Nolan 3/4 · sci-fi & rom-coms up, thrillers & ’90s dramas down. Sean & Chris cover the 8% Bill misses.
Sean Fennessey is the auteur guy
Tarantino 5/5 · PTA 4/4 · Scorsese 8/9 · Spielberg 8/9 · Fincher 7/8
Chris Ryan owns the action stylists
Michael Mann 10/10 · Tony Scott 9/9 · Friedkin 5/5 — they’ve done Heat three times
Juliet Litman = rom-coms
Romance 4.8× the show’s rate · Comedy 2.6×
Jason Concepcion = the genre / nerd lane
Sci-Fi 4.8× · Adventure 3.4× · Action 3.0×
Amanda Dobbins = rom-coms, too
Romance 3.6× · a Rob Reiner streak (3/8)
Van Lathan = James Cameron & fantasy
Cameron 3/5 films · Fantasy 3.2×
Mallory Rubin = mysteries
Mystery 1.9× the show’s rate
Categories
Every recurring segment, by the numbers — open a category page for the full answer list.
Apex Mountain
Career peak debate for actors/directors.
Appears in 417 episodes
Most-debated careers
- 01Eddie Murphy14
- 02Tom Cruise13
- 03Keanu Reeves12
- 04Seth Rogen12
- 05Robert Redford11
- 06Tom Hanks11
- 07Leonardo DiCaprio11
- 08Sylvester Stallone11
- 09Brad Pitt11
- 10Al Pacino10
Films most often crowned someone’s apex
- 01Titanic11
- 02Forrest Gump8
- 03Back to the Future7
- 04Terminator 2: Judgment Day7
- 05La La Land6
- 06Wedding Crashers6
- 07Jerry Maguire5
- 08The Bourne Identity5
- 09The Social Network5
- 10Ordinary People5
Flip-flops — same host, same person, different peak
Casting What-Ifs
Alternate casting possibilities.
Appears in 392 episodes
Actors most often reimagined into another role
Who Won the Movie
Who benefits most from the film.
Appears in 397 episodes
Most wins
- 01Tom Cruise21
- 02Sylvester Stallone10
- 03Steven Spielberg9
- 04Al Pacino9
- 05Quentin Tarantino9
- 06Eddie Murphy8
- 07Denzel Washington8
- 08Martin Scorsese7
- 09Tom Hanks7
- 10Leonardo DiCaprio7
See all 11 films Tom Cruise won →
A Few Good Men · Cocktail · Collateral · Days of Thunder · Edge of Tomorrow · Jerry Maguire · Magnolia · Mission: Impossible · Mission: Impossible - Fallout · Top Gun · Top Gun: Maverick
Dion Waiters Award
Best short screen-time performance (heat check).
Appears in 253 episodes
Multiple-time winners (of 214 total)
Joey Pants Award
Best character actor ('that guy' actor).
Appears in 210 episodes
Multiple-time winners (of 202 total)
Joe Pantoliano won his own award 6×.
Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
Most controversial opinion.
Appears in 186 episodes
The hottest takes
Hotness = how much debate a take sparked (reaction-window discussion) blended with an AI spiciness rating — recomputed as new episodes land.
“Tom Hanks is neither the GOAT movie star nor the GOAT actor - not even close. He's made too many movies that suck in the last 20 years”
Catch Me If You Can Sean Fennessey▶ 1:07:42
“Trading Places is the most underrated Christmas movie and is a better Christmas movie than Home Alone”
Trading Places Bill Simmons▶ 1:07:13
“This is Cameron's finest directing work ever, better than Terminator 2, because of his versatility in directing multiple genres within one film”
“Rudy's brother Frank was right about everything - Rudy should have stayed with his wife, job, and stable life instead of pursuing his dream, which ultimately broke up his family and led to him being mocked”
“Animal House caused more copycat damage than any movie ever made — it was the 'gasoline and match' that wrecked two generations of college kids, giving them a blueprint for frat/party chaos and killing more brain cells than any film in terms of its influence on kids' expectations of college.”
Bill Simmons▶ 1:04:07
“Rollerball is better than The Parallax View — it more accurately makes you feel what a paranoid thriller is supposed to make you feel, because everyone watches sports and has felt the game was rigged; 'this movie makes you feel all that shit' (compares it to LJ's four-point play)”
Rollerball Brian Koppelman▶ 1:11:49
“Are we sure this should have won Best Picture? He'd rather watch Out of Sight today, and argues The Truman Show was the most prescient, deserving movie of that year.”
Saving Private Ryan Sean Fennessey▶ 1:26:45
“Two takes: 1) Kevin orchestrates being separated and wants to be alone, is bummed when his mom finds him. 2) Harry and Marv are lovers in a romantic relationship.”
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York Kyle Brandt▶ 1:03:23
Is This Movie Better With
Hosts run through a growing list of recurring 'utility player' actors/characters and decide whether the movie would be improved by their inclusion.
Appears in 170 episodes
Most-invoked utility players
- 01Samuel L. Jackson50 eps
- 02Philip Baker Hall20 eps
- 03Danny Trejo17 eps
- 04Kathryn Hahn16 eps
- 05J.T. Walsh15 eps
- 06Steve Buscemi14 eps
- 07Zane Lowe11 eps
- 08Jon Bernthal10 eps
- 09Doris Burke7 eps
- 10Wilford Brimley5 eps
Best Double Feature
Best companion film pairing.
Appears in 150 episodes
Most-recommended pairing films
Just One Oscar
One award the movie deserves.
Appears in 136 episodes
Multiple-time winners (of 104 total)
Overacting Award
Most exaggerated performance.
Appears in 106 episodes
Multiple-time winners (of 78 total)
Great Shot Gordo Award
Most cinematic shot.
Appears in 91 episodes
Cinematographers who earned the most great shots
Racehorse Name Award
Phrase that sounds like a racehorse name.
Appears in 66 episodes
The 10 funniest
- 1.Bong Mitzvahfrom Pineapple Express
- 2.Screaming Irish Pigfrom The Untouchables
- 3.Historic Chili Dogfrom Singles
- 4.My Son and My Partner HWfrom There Will Be Blood
- 5.No Bullets Bitchfrom Cliffhanger
- 6.Pussy Without the Hairfrom Above the Rim
- 7.Giant Ass Pandafrom Adventureland
- 8.Giant Ass Pandafrom Adventureland
- 9.Lactic Acidosisfrom A Few Good Men
- 10.One on Bumfrom Above the Rim
Hanks or Cruise
Hosts debate whether Tom Hanks or Tom Cruise would have been better in lead roles, often comparing across multiple parts.
Appears in 43 episodes
Tom Hanks
14
category wins
Tom Cruise
25
category wins
Films Cruise was chosen for (12) →
A Few Good Men · Cocktail · Collateral · Days of Thunder · Edge of Tomorrow · Jerry Maguire · Magnolia · Mission: Impossible · Mission: Impossible - Fallout · Rain Man · Top Gun · Top Gun: Maverick
Films Hanks was chosen for (5) →
Big · Cast Away · Forrest Gump · Toy Story · What Lies Beneath
Horlbeck Runtime Scale
Runtime evaluation metric.
Appears in 9 episodes
Over / just right / under
Minus 16 on the Horlbeck scale, likely the shortest movie they've done (84 minutes)
BoratNotes an intro clip is longer than the movie, but says the short runtime is fine and could even be shorter
BoratMovie was 107 minutes, rated a plus-7 on the Horlbeck scale, though it feels like a plus-14
Tropic Thunder119-minute runtime, so plus-19; thinks you could shave 5-10 minutes to make it tighter, but defends keeping the Hitchhiker scene and Jonathan Richmond musical segments
There's Something About MaryWould cut Jonathan Richmond and the Hitchhiker scene, joking it would get the movie down to 'like an hour,' but then walks it back saying the Hitchhiker scene is non-negotiable
There's Something About MaryDoesn't propose cuts; says he loves the Jonathan Richmond stuff and thinks it's a great choice that feels very 90s
There's Something About MaryRates Ghostbusters's runtime as 'hour 45' on the Horlbeck scale, says it's 'kind of perfect' and he wouldn't cut anything
GhostbustersGhostbusters comes in plus-five over the 100-minute Horlbeck scale (~105 min) and that's fine — 'it's amazing'; anything in the hour-40s range is fine.
GhostbustersSays 'anything in the hour 40 is fine' runtime-wise
GhostbustersAgrees 95 minutes is a strength, noting it fit perfectly into HBO's schedule (done at 9:35 into a comedy special), reinforcing the runtime as a plus.
Eddie and the Cruisers