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‘About Last Night’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Mallory Rubin

August 13, 2026 · Comedy · Romance · 1:54:50 · ▶ Listen on Spotify

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Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 9:13The opening sequence of the film (baseball field, Mother's bar, walking, bike riding through Chicago in summer)
Bill Simmons▶ 52:03The breakup scene — Danny in the dark, Debbie's 'I don't love you anymore' gasp, an incredible movie breakup; later says he's between the breakup and New Year's Eve as his most rewatchable.
Chris Ryan▶ 51:10The New Year's Eve scene — Danny and Debbie planning dinner at home, going out the second the phone rings, Pat flirting, Joan melting down; calls it a tour de force.
Mallory Rubin▶ 54:43Thanksgiving and the bathroom fight after Thanksgiving — the relationship starting to fall apart, the mascara-in-the-porcelain fight; torn with the opening monologue but felt wrong not to pick a Debbie scene.

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 32:05The role of Bernie was always intended to be John Belushi (who originated the role in the stage play 'Sexual Perversity in Chicago'); after Belushi died, William Macy played it in the play for a while before Jim Belushi took the movie role.

Great Shot Gordo Award

Bill Simmons▶ 50:19The snowy subway/New Year's Eve shot referencing the 'refrigerator/Peyton' bit from 1986, with Bernie doing the double shots at Mother's

Den of Thieves Benihana Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:09:01Mother's (the Korean spa/steam bath scene)
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:09:08Agrees it's Mother's, jokes the steam baths scene is full of 'wrinkly tush'

Butch's Girlfriend Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:11:01Joan being with the married guy Gary on New Year's Eve, right when he tells her he's married - felt iffy/inconsistent
Chris Ryan▶ 1:11:29The Swallow City Diner plotline (Danny's diner) - largely there for cheap redemption/future for Danny, full of logic gaps like Flavio letting him slide on rent three times, how he got a loan, and absurdly high burger prices ($4.95 in 1986) that don't make sense for the setting
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:11:14Picks Nick - the logic that if Gary is trying to get his marriage back together, he wouldn't be with his mistress Joan on New Year's Eve, and Joan (being smart) should know she's just the mistress

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:28:33George Dzundza (the actor who played Danny's boss and Bugliosi in Helter Skelter) as a mention, but ultimate winner picked is the actor who played Demi Moore's boss/villain in Summer School

Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:31:28Called it a good hottest take, but pushed back somewhat, noting John's Animal House performance was uniquely funny even if John never carried a movie like Jim does here
Chris Ryan▶ 1:29:33Jim Belushi is funnier than John Belushi has ever been in a movie

Is There a Better Title?

Chris Ryan▶ 1:35:11"Sexual Perversity in Chicago" (though he notes the movie isn't that perverse); also liked "About Last Night" as a title

Picking Nits

Bill Simmons▶ 1:36:56Debbie's friend hitting on Danny never sat right with him; also, it's odd that Debbie still hangs out with the friend afterward without getting mad. Also nitpicks: continuity error with the lights on/off during the breakup scene; Dan wouldn't realistically have $100k to reopen the diner at age 22; wanted to see more of Danny's basketball game (was he a point guard or shooting guard?); thinks Debbie's boss was skeevy but doesn't count that as a real nitpick since it was intentional.
Chris Ryan▶ 1:37:25Movie-breaking nitpick: after Danny is forced to execute Gus and deal with the Chicago fire, no way he'd come home upset to find Demi Moore braless in overalls painting — he'd be thrilled, not annoyed. Also nitpick that Debbie's wardrobe becoming all Bears/Blackhawks/Cubs gear after moving in is unrealistic/funny escalation.
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:37:13The real nitpick is that Debbie still hangs out with the friend after witnessing her hit on Danny — the movie can't decide if they're friends. Also flags Danny's dialogue about his restaurant supply sales career as absurd for a supposedly 24-year-old character, and finds Debbie's hope chest/bandana gift scene overly saccharine, calling Debbie a bit of a 'loon' prone to hysterics.

Sequel/Prequel/Limited Series/Remake

Bill Simmons▶ 1:41:35No good Danny/Debbie check-in sequel makes sense — 'there isn't one that's why it didn't happen'
Chris Ryan▶ 1:41:16Notes there were various real efforts to make a Danny/Debbie check-in movie, and jokes that Bernie is dead so that complicates it
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:41:40Pitches a sequel premise where Danny and Debbie are divorced with a kid, keep running into each other at school/softball events, and fall back into it — says she 'could be convinced'

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:42:06Bernie did not make it to the 2016 Cubs World Series; thinks he got his head caved in at Mother's for talking shit to someone's girlfriend
Bill Simmons▶ 1:44:22Bernie's stories were not real ('of course not')
Bill Simmons▶ 1:45:32Memorabilia he'd want: the Mother's baseball jersey/t-shirt/hat
Chris Ryan▶ 1:42:14Agrees Bernie got killed/his head caved in at Mother's for mouthing off
Chris Ryan▶ 1:44:36Raises unanswerable question of whether all four leads are from Chicago/area, guesses Bernie and Danny are, but Joan might be from Winnetka
Chris Ryan▶ 1:43:42For 'what happened the next day' question, imagines the diner going out of business and the mob owner sicking Chicago mob on Danny/Litko for stealing restaurant supplies
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:44:54Deb is most likely not from Chicago originally—came for college/art school, met Joan as roommates, while Bernie is truly 'of the city'
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:43:55For 'what happened next day,' imagines Alex (the fur coat woman from the motel) calling to say she gave him chlamydia/gonorrhea/genital warts, fulfilling Joan's prophecy
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:45:45Memorabilia: the Jordans (the 1984 'Bred'/Banned colorway) worn in About Last Night, calling them an iconic piece of sneaker history and great investment

Coach Finstock Life Lesson

Mallory Rubin▶ 1:46:32"Don't ever lose your sense of humor, Dan" - the Coach Finstock line

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:46:59Demi Moore — Demi (Moore)
Chris Ryan▶ 1:46:54Belushi

Movies Referenced (43)

Top Gun (1986)

6 mentions · ▶ 19:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Indecent Proposal (1993)

4 mentions · ▶ 1:36:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Aliens (1986)

2 mentions · ▶ 28:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Before Midnight (2013)

2 mentions · ▶ 1:33:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Before Sunrise (1995)

2 mentions · ▶ 47:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Coco (2017)

2 mentions · ▶ 31:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

No Hard Feelings (2023)

2 mentions · ▶ 1:25:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Police Academy (1984)

2 mentions · ▶ 33:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Red Heat (1988)

2 mentions · ▶ 1:31:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tommy Boy (1995)

2 mentions · ▶ 23:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Annie Hall (1977)

1 mentions · ▶ 2:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bird Box (2018)

1 mentions · ▶ 4:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (1)

John Hughes

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Uncle Buck, The Breakfast Club▶ 8:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (14)

Rob Lowe

6 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for St. Elmo's Fire, Behind the Candelabra, The Outsiders▶ 13:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jim Belushi

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin · Known for Red Heat▶ 9:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Belushi

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for National Lampoon's Animal House, The Blues Brothers▶ 1:29:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ashton Kutcher

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for A Lot Like Love▶ 1:41:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bill Murray

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Lost in Translation, Rushmore, Moonrise Kingdom▶ 1:27:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Chuck Norris

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Expendables 2▶ 8:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jane Fonda

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Klute, Coming Home▶ 28:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Judy Greer

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for 13 Going on 30, Jurassic World, Ant-Man▶ 19:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kevin Bacon

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Footloose, Hollow Man▶ 1:22:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Luke Wilson

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Old School, The Royal Tenenbaums▶ 1:24:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Marlee Matlin

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for CODA, Children of a Lesser God▶ 28:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Melissa Leo

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Fighter, Prisoners, Frozen River▶ 1:27:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (3)

Jim Garrison

1 mentions · Mallory Rubin · Known for JFK, The Big Easy▶ 1:21:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 34:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

William Goldman

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, The Princess Bride▶ 52:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗