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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.

Is This Movie Better With has run in 170 episodes. The most recent 40 are listed below — open any episode at its timestamp to hear the segment.

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‘Speed’Bill Simmons

Riffs on Barney being on the bus in Speed, imagining him as a passenger interacting with Jack (Keanu Reeves' character), then jokes about doing a 'movie character draft' for who'd be on the Speed bus

‘Speed’Chris Ryan

Frank Booth from Blue Velvet, imagining him bartending at the bomb squad's celebration drinks, mocking Heineken in favor of Pabst Blue Ribbon

‘Speed’Sean Fennessey

Agrees Frank Booth could go on the utility player list, then pivots to suggesting Barney be considered

‘The Italian Job’Chris Ryan

Introduces a new addition to the list: Derek from American History X

‘The Italian Job’Van Lathan

Doesn't explicitly vote yes/no but praises the Derek Vinyard performance and the mini coopers vs helicopters scene, calling it his favorite performance of Edward Norton and the movie 'sublime'

‘The Karate Kid Part II’Bill Simmons

Alexi Lalas (or Tony Romo) as a TV analyst/color commentator criticizing Daniel-san's fighting style after he wins the final fight

‘The Karate Kid Part II’Kyle Brandt

Wilford Brimley - imagines him hired by Sato as a private investigator delivering photographs of Daniel-san's girlfriend to sabotage him

‘Obsession’Bill Simmons

Lists potential utility players (Wayne Jenkins, Zane Lowe, Robert Evans, Dr. Charles Nichols) and praises Chris's Bernthal bit as 'astounding work'; had considered Tony Romo but passes due to his real-life issues

‘Obsession’Chris Ryan

Pitches Jon Bernthal as the customer service voice, playing 'King Menelaus' doing a bit about 'freaky Nicky' (Helen of Troy riff)

‘Obsession’Joanna Robinson

Compliments the bit ('that's a good one'), shifts to reminiscing about Bernthal sparring with Kevin Feige at Comic-Con rather than making a new pick

‘Hitch’Bill Simmons

Suggests maybe Ted Levine (as a Hitch client) and jokes 'that should be Hitch too - he gets Jame Gumb as a client'

‘Hitch’Craig Horlbeck

Couldn't come up with anybody definitive, but riffs on Ted Levine getting advice from Hitch as a funny hypothetical

Episode	Host	Answer
‘Speed’	Bill Simmons	Riffs on Barney being on the bus in Speed, imagining him as a passenger interacting with Jack (Keanu Reeves' character), then jokes about doing a 'movie character draft' for who'd be on the Speed bus
‘Speed’	Chris Ryan	Frank Booth from Blue Velvet, imagining him bartending at the bomb squad's celebration drinks, mocking Heineken in favor of Pabst Blue Ribbon
‘Speed’	Sean Fennessey	Agrees Frank Booth could go on the utility player list, then pivots to suggesting Barney be considered
‘The Italian Job’	Chris Ryan	Introduces a new addition to the list: Derek from American History X
‘The Italian Job’	Van Lathan	Doesn't explicitly vote yes/no but praises the Derek Vinyard performance and the mini coopers vs helicopters scene, calling it his favorite performance of Edward Norton and the movie 'sublime'
‘The Karate Kid Part II’	Bill Simmons	Alexi Lalas (or Tony Romo) as a TV analyst/color commentator criticizing Daniel-san's fighting style after he wins the final fight
‘The Karate Kid Part II’	Kyle Brandt	Wilford Brimley - imagines him hired by Sato as a private investigator delivering photographs of Daniel-san's girlfriend to sabotage him
‘Obsession’	Bill Simmons	Lists potential utility players (Wayne Jenkins, Zane Lowe, Robert Evans, Dr. Charles Nichols) and praises Chris's Bernthal bit as 'astounding work'; had considered Tony Romo but passes due to his real-life issues
‘Obsession’	Chris Ryan	Pitches Jon Bernthal as the customer service voice, playing 'King Menelaus' doing a bit about 'freaky Nicky' (Helen of Troy riff)
‘Obsession’	Joanna Robinson	Compliments the bit ('that's a good one'), shifts to reminiscing about Bernthal sparring with Kevin Feige at Comic-Con rather than making a new pick
‘Hitch’	Bill Simmons	Suggests maybe Ted Levine (as a Hitch client) and jokes 'that should be Hitch too - he gets Jame Gumb as a client'
‘Hitch’	Craig Horlbeck	Couldn't come up with anybody definitive, but riffs on Ted Levine getting advice from Hitch as a funny hypothetical