Home/Episodes/Beverly Hills Cop
‘Beverly Hills Cop’ With Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan
September 17, 2019 · Beverly Hills Cop (1984) · Action · Comedy · Crime · 1:33:06 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
Categories
Apex Mountain
Bill SimmonsEddie Murphy — Beverly Hills Cop is Eddie Murphy's Apex Mountain - suggests renaming the category 'Mount Foley' after this career peak performance▶ 2:16
Chris RyanEddie Murphy — Agrees this was Eddie's peak cultural moment, describing it as a youth obsession on the level of Madonna, Prince, and Bruce Springsteen▶ 2:49
Sean FennesseyEddie Murphy — Emphasizes Eddie's subtle, non-actorly performance and graceful transition to movie stardom, but doesn't explicitly confirm this as his peak▶ 6:23
Wesley MorrisEddie Murphy — Focuses on Eddie's acting quality rather than career peak, praising his presence and naturalness in the role▶ 3:41
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill SimmonsMultiple scenes including: Axel arrives in Beverly Hills and checks into hotel as Rolling Stone reporter, the art gallery scene with Serge, banana in tailpipe scene, strip joint scene with Super Cops monologue, and the ending shootout▶ 31:51
Chris RyanThe cigarette deal scene in the truck at the beginning, praising it as a 'Mean Streets moment' that sets the movie apart from other 80s blockbusters▶ 32:08
Sean FennesseySupports the hotel check-in scene, quoting extensive dialogue from Axel's Rolling Stone reporter con, and the art gallery scene with Serge▶ 32:59
Wesley MorrisFocuses on the hotel scene, analyzing the sophisticated way Eddie Murphy uses race and entitlement simultaneously in the Rolling Stone reporter bit▶ 32:55
What's Aged the Best
Bill SimmonsTaggart and Rosewood because they lay the groundwork for their great performances in Beverly Hills Cop 2, and the 'banana in the tailpipe' guy/mid-80s cop movie rivalries▶ 49:53
Sean FennesseyEddie Murphy working with really good directors early in his career (Walter Hill, Tony Scott, John Landis, etc.)▶ 50:12
What's Aged the Worst
Bill SimmonsThe character name-dropping that he writes for Rolling Stone and is doing a Michael Jackson profile to get into the Beverly Palm▶ 59:25
Chris RyanHow magazines substitute for people's mobile phones - characters reading Time Magazine, Art Forum, National Geographic just to pass time▶ 59:37
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsMickey Rourke — Discusses Mickey Rourke who signed a $400,000 holding contract but left, and Stallone who wanted to make it a straight action film with character named Axel Cobretti and elaborate action sequences▶ 1:01:07
Chris RyanMickey Rourke — Provides details about Mickey Rourke casting process and Stallone's version including a climax with Lamborghini vs freight train sequence▶ 1:01:11
Sean FennesseyMickey Rourke — Notes that Beverly Hills Cop would have fit perfectly in Mickey Rourke's filmography between his strong early 80s films▶ 1:01:50
Wesley MorrisMickey Rourke — Comments that Mickey Rourke was a logical choice in 1984 without needing cocaine-influenced decision making▶ 1:01:29
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill SimmonsMultiple trivia facts: Michael Eisner vs Don Simpson origin story dispute, Beverly Hills Cop theme hit #3 on Billboard, Gilbert Hill was actual Detroit detective, Sean Ryan tried TV show in 2013, same mansion used in Commando▶ 1:06:11
Sean FennesseyEisner's origin story about getting pulled over in a beater car and deciding to buy a Mercedes is 'the privileged thing of all privileged things'▶ 1:07:01
Wesley MorrisGilbert Hill represents the trope of giving black actors powerful roles (police chief) but minimal screen time, starting with 48 Hours▶ 1:08:24
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill SimmonsBeverly Hills Cop 2 was better than Beverly Hills Cop - it's a better story and movie, more fun, with good music and a great director▶ 1:16:49
Chris RyanAgrees Axel was gay, noting Eddie Murphy was playing around with ideas about sexuality in the 80s and citing specific evidence like Axel's disinterest at the strip club▶ 1:24:24
Sean FennesseySupports the theory that Axel was gay, citing evidence like his elated reaction to Mikey breaking into his house and the movie's focus on male pairs with emotional energy▶ 1:22:33
Wesley MorrisYes, Axel Foley was gay - provides detailed evidence including his relationship with Mikey, lack of romantic interest in women, and the movie being about a gay black man avenging his lover's death▶ 1:17:19
Movies Referenced (38)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midnight Run (1988) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Wesley Morris | ▶ 48:03 |
| The French Connection (1971) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Wesley Morris | ▶ 23:33 |
| Top Gun (1986) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Wesley Morris, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 47:13 |
| Die Hard (1988) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Wesley Morris, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 1:12:30 |
| In the Heat of the Night (1967) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Sean Fennessey, Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons | ▶ 25:41 |
| Trading Places (1983) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 2:23 |
| Risky Business (1983) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | ▶ 36:45 |
| Coming to America (1988) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey, Wesley Morris | ▶ 10:29 |
| Conspiracy Theory (1997) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey, Wesley Morris | ▶ 1:24:15 |
| I See You (2019) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Wesley Morris, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 14:47 |
| The Rock (1996) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Wesley Morris | ▶ 36:39 |
| Total Recall (1990) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:04:12 |
Directors Referenced (8)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Hill | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | 48 Hrs., Aliens | ▶ 11:47 |
| John Landis | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | The Blues Brothers | ▶ 8:51 |
| Martin Brest | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Wesley Morris | Scent of a Woman, Midnight Run, Beverly Hills Cop | ▶ 47:55 |
| Michael Ritchie | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey, Wesley Morris | Fletch | ▶ 50:37 |
| Jim Jarmusch | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | Broken Flowers | ▶ 32:08 |
| Sean Penn | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | Mystic River, 21 Grams, Dead Man Walking | ▶ 1:24:31 |
| Tony Scott | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | Unstoppable, True Romance | ▶ 50:19 |
| Woody Allen | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | Annie Hall | ▶ 44:41 |
Actors Referenced (62)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eddie Murphy | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 89 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris, Sean Fennessey | The Nutty Professor, Beverly Hills Cop II | ▶ 0:57 |
| Sylvester Stallone | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 10 | Wesley Morris, Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | Rocky, Rocky IV, Creed | ▶ 16:31 |
| Jonathan Banks | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 9 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Wesley Morris | Gremlins | ▶ 51:54 |
| Don Simpson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | Days of Thunder, Beverly Hills Cop, The Rock | ▶ 21:26 |
| James Russo | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | Django Unchained | ▶ 39:49 |
| Michael Jackson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Wesley Morris | ▶ 11:30 | |
| Damon Wayans | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Wesley Morris | The Last Boy Scout | ▶ 55:16 |
| Mickey Rourke | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | Sin City, The Wrestler, Angel Heart | ▶ 28:45 |
| Jim Carrey | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Wesley Morris, Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Bruce Almighty, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind | ▶ 19:37 |
| Arnold Schwarzenegger | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Wesley Morris, Chris Ryan | Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Terminator | ▶ 8:02 |
| Lisa Eilbacher | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Beverly Hills Cop | ▶ 41:44 |
| Will Ferrell | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Wesley Morris, Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Blades of Glory | ▶ 19:42 |
Writers Referenced (6)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jane Kennedy | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 45:30 | |
| Roger Ebert | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | ▶ 30:06 | |
| Andrew Cosby | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 24:29 | |
| Bruce Springsteen | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | The Wrestler, Philadelphia | ▶ 2:49 |
| Michael Cimino | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Deer Hunter | ▶ 1:04:59 |
| Neil Simon | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 22:15 |
Cinematographers Referenced (2)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Dearborn | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan | Venom, The Killer | ▶ 39:25 |
| Michael Grantland | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Other Guys | ▶ 9:26 |