‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
February 4, 2025 · Before Sunset (2004) · Drama · Romance · 1:46:39 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
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Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill Simmons▶ 19:48Discusses the idealism vs experience themes and calls it his second favorite movie sequel ever, but doesn't specify a most rewatchable scene
Bill Simmons▶ 35:11Jesse's press conference/reading in the Shakespeare and Company bookstore — 'that scene is so well directed', intercutting flashbacks of them memorizing each other's faces with his reaction to seeing Celine — though he added 'I basically just have the whole movie as rewatchable scenes' and also walked through the awkward walk, the cafe, the boat ride ('I don't know how the boat ride doesn't win... but it's not going to'), and the limo freak-out ('magical scene').
Chris Ryan▶ 20:31Reflects on character development between the films and how they change each other, but doesn't identify a specific most rewatchable scene
Chris Ryan▶ 43:47No single declared pick — praised the bookstore scene's cinematic language mirroring the first film's ending montage, loved the 'composite of you and Gretchen' line, and was most affected by the 11th-and-Broadway revelation ('that one fucks me up').
Mallory Rubin▶ 17:32The car scene where they're looking at each other and looking away, he tries to touch her hair but can't, then she reaches to cup the back of his head but can't
Mallory Rubin▶ 36:34No single declared pick — highlighted the bookstore moment where Jesse waves his ringless hand and the 'melding of heartache and euphoria' when he sees Celine, plus the limo scene's 'no joy or laughter in my home' confession.
Sean Fennessey▶ 18:36Discusses the character dynamics and seesaw experience between Jesse and Celine but doesn't specify a particular scene as most rewatchable
Sean Fennessey▶ 36:57No single declared pick — zeroed in on the 1.5-second pause when Jesse spots Celine ('excited and destroyed at the same time') and reflected on the 'you realize it only happens a few times' connection lines.
What's Aged the Best
Bill Simmons▶ 58:24The divorce quote 'I would suffer all the torture to be there for all the minutes of his life' and the cat's performance despite not liking cats
Chris Ryan▶ 57:50The moment when Delpy's on the boat on the Seine and the wind blows her blouse up - 'the hottest anyone's ever looked'
Mallory Rubin▶ 58:11The focus on intimate body parts in their dialogue - touching ankles, scars, the red in his beard - these little pieces of each other
Sean Fennessey▶ 58:56The primacy of bookstores and international book tours - these weren't common in 2004
Butch's Girlfriend Award
Bill Simmons▶ 1:05:31She didn't go the extra mile to find him - by 2004 you could hunt someone down if it was true love
Chris Ryan▶ 1:05:01They could have done a slightly better job of trying to find each other - the lack of effort to reconnect after their missed connection
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:05:59Pointed out she didn't know his last name and questioned how many Jesses there are in Texas, suggesting the search would have been difficult
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:05:51Defended her position, noting she was busy and all-consumed, living in New York for four years
What's Aged the Worst
Bill Simmons▶ 1:06:08Wanting Delpy to take a couple more puffs from the cigarette - she takes one and then doesn't really smoke it
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:07:51The part where Jesse's daughter reminds him of the girl he loses his virginity to is a little weird and odd
Picking Nits
Bill Simmons▶ 1:08:58Jesse volunteering his second novel idea to strangers for workshopping - if you have an idea, the last thing you want to do is ask others what they think because they could steal it
Chris Ryan▶ 1:09:34Jesse fucks over his wife who's home with their five-year-old waiting for him to return from his book tour, and Celine fucks over her war photojournalist boyfriend who's probably in a war zone
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:11:33The movie makes you complicit in rooting for them to commit adultery - questioning whether it's okay to cheat on your spouse to find your first love again
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:11:41Both things are true - you want to see them together but Jesse is clearly destroying his son Henry's life and psyche for the rest of his life
Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:11:52Celine is a terrible cat mom for depositing her cat on the mean streets of Paris every morning to fend for himself
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:13:06The car ride scene is one of the most electrifying scenes of the 2000s, on par with the truck flip in Dark Knight and the briefcase scene in Collateral
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Chris Ryan▶ 1:14:43Is Philippe paid either way or is his job to get Jesse to the airport, and is he assassinated right after the fade out
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill Simmons▶ 1:18:13Movie gets Academy Award nomination; one continuity error where extra in red shirt disappears between camera angles during walk scene
Chris Ryan▶ 1:17:46Jogger in park scene wears Horace Pinker t-shirt (early 90s Arizona pop punk band); final scene was written at 3am the night before filming; 47-minute walk shown as 8 minutes in movie
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:19:37Movie is supposed to be near real-time, approximately 78-80 minutes with some cutting between cafe scenes
Apex Mountain
Bill Simmons▶ 1:18:13Before Sunset is Julie Delpy's Apex Mountain — 'this is it for Delpy, probably,' noting she got Academy Award-nominated for it; Ethan Hawke's apex had already been covered ('we already did Hawk'). (ASR runs unpunctuated: 'apex mountain we already did hawk and delpy i think this is it for delpy'.)
Is This Movie Better With
Bill Simmons▶ 1:27:13Cris Collinsworth — Lists multiple utility players including Wayne Jenkins, Tony Romo, Chris Collinsworth, and others; suggests Collinsworth doing sports commentary on Celine's waltz performance
Chris Ryan▶ 1:27:26Wayne Jenkins - does extended impression of Jenkins commenting on Jesse's auto-fiction writing and telling him to get back to his wife
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:27:37Julie Delpy — Julie Delpy - argues she gets it for this movie in a split where Delpy gets Sunset, Hawke gets Midnight, and Linklater gets Sunrise
Is There a Better Title?
Bill Simmons▶ 1:38:54Endorsed a yacht-rock-styled title suggestion ('if we're going yacht rock, oh that would be good, that would have been better title'), but the actual proposed title falls before the window and is never stated in it.
Who Won the Movie
Bill Simmons▶ 1:39:47Suggests the movie hinges on the waltz scene being good, but acknowledges it's tough to pick and almost can't choose between them
Chris Ryan▶ 1:39:21Ethan Hawke — Initially suggests Hawke won the first movie and Delpy this one, but then says he feels the opposite - watching Hawke through Delpy's eyes
Movies Referenced (32)
Before Sunrise (1995)
15 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Mallory Rubin▶ 2:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Before Midnight (2013)
12 mentions · Mallory Rubin, Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 9:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Sideways (2004)
4 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 25:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Directors Referenced (3)
Richard Linklater
2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Waking Life, Before Midnight, Slacker▶ 12:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Paul Bellany
1 mentions · · Known for The Bourne Ultimatum, Stardust▶ 0:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Actors Referenced (11)
Julie Delpy
6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Two Days in Paris, Before Sunrise▶ 6:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Crazy Town
3 mentions · · Known for Something's Gotta Give, Saving Silverman, Orange County0:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Ethan Hawke
2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Training Day, Before Sunrise, Before Midnight▶ 4:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗
LeBron James
2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Hustle▶ 35:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Luke Wilson
2 mentions · Mallory Rubin · Known for Old School, The Royal Tenenbaums▶ 18:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Jenna Ortega
1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Scream VI▶ 1:23:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Jennifer Aniston
1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for We're the Millers▶ 1:23:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Jennifer Jones
1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The Towering Inferno▶ 1:24:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Kate Winslet
1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Revolutionary Road, Titanic▶ 26:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Nina Simone
1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Point of No Return, Repo Men, Miami Vice▶ 49:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Thomas Hill
1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for The NeverEnding Story, McCabe & Mrs. Miller▶ 52:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗