‘Boomerang’ With Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, and Wesley Morris
May 26, 2020 · Boomerang (1992) · Comedy · Drama · Romance · 2:03:13 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
Categories
Apex Mountain
Bill SimmonsHalle Berry — Career launching/peak moment for multiple actors: launches Halle Berry's career, last good thing for Robin Givens, best movie for David Alan Grier, launches Martin Lawrence's TV and movie career, revives Eddie Murphy's career▶ 6:46
Van LathanEddie Murphy — Launched Leela Rashawn's career and represents Eddie Murphy functioning in a new sphere of blackness, moving beyond his crossover appeal▶ 12:23
Wesley MorrisDiscusses the cultural significance as a big moment for Black people in movies and the pressure on the film, but doesn't specify individual career peaks▶ 7:19
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill SimmonsMultiple scenes: the first lunch with Eddie Murphy, Marcus, and David Allen Greer (asparagus spears scene); Marcus sleeping with Lady Eloise then seeing Robin Givens at work; Eddie and Robin Givens flirting at the party ('when I seduce you' scene)▶ 45:56
Van LathanPraised the lunch scene and Lady Eloise sequence, particularly noting the butler's reactions and how Eddie wrote scenes addressing rumors about himself▶ 48:06
Wesley MorrisDiscussed the breeziness and self-confidence essential to romantic comedy scenes, particularly praising the chemistry between confident characters who challenge each other▶ 50:55
What's Aged the Best
Van LathanAgrees with Halle Berry's performance, noting she displays charisma and star power despite unfair perceptions of her acting ability at the time▶ 1:24:43
Wesley MorrisSupports the Halle Berry pick while discussing broader context about black actors working with black directors and how Berry's best work came in those collaborations▶ 1:25:31
What's Aged the Worst
Bill SimmonsThe racist store clerk's abrupt 'we don't keep cash in the store' line from the shopping scene, though not the entire scene; also mentions disliking Tisha Campbell's one-note performance and the excessive fade to black cuts in the last 45 minutes▶ 1:33:22
Van LathanThe amateurish fade to black cuts, specifically the one after they watch the commercial that was bad even as a kid▶ 1:34:57
Wesley MorrisAcknowledges the racist store clerk scene as problematic but found it comedically effective as a parody of racist things that happen to people in stores▶ 1:33:58
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsHalle Berry — Shared casting facts: Hudlin wanted Halle Berry who got the role after Murphy approved her screen test; Robin Givens was controversial with executives but they fought for her; Vanessa Williams was backup for Jacqueline role▶ 1:35:29
Wesley MorrisVanessa Williams — Agreed that casting Vanessa Williams instead of Robin Givens would have been 'a different movie'▶ 1:37:01
Dion Waiters Award
Bill SimmonsJohn Witherspoon — John Witherspoon - calls it potentially the all-time Dion Waiters performance and suggests renaming the award after him▶ 1:39:17
Van LathanJohn Witherspoon — John Witherspoon - says it belongs in the Dion Waiters Hall of Fame and could be the most memorable scene of the entire movie▶ 1:39:26
Wesley MorrisJohn Witherspoon — John Witherspoon - agrees but suggests keeping the award name as 'Dion Waiters' for Dion's sake▶ 1:40:42
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill SimmonsShared multiple trivia facts: Eddie Murphy created the film idea and took it to his SNL writers; Eartha Kitt was hardest to cast due to offensive material; cut scene of Grace Jones naked at Newark airport was used in perfume commercial; Jules and Jim influenced the love triangle story; Lila Rashad's feet were made to look ugly with makeup▶ 1:43:47
Van LathanReacted to the trivia with surprise about Eartha Kitt doing the film and agreement about David Alan Grier's great performance and career potential▶ 1:44:07
Wesley MorrisFocused on David Alan Grier's performance quality and theorized about his career challenges, suggesting he was unlucky with timing and caught between being overqualified for supporting roles but not quite leading man material▶ 1:45:45
Picking Nits
Bill SimmonsAngela moves in too fast with Marcus and the movie's timeline is confusing - she moves in quickly after hooking up, then four months later they break up and she has a new job with perfume already out, but the overall movie timeline spans at least three years▶ 1:51:00
Wesley MorrisSuggests there's a three hour cut of the movie that would address the pacing issues, but agrees the current two hour version flows well▶ 1:51:41
Who Won the Movie
Bill SimmonsEddie Murphy — Eddie Murphy - calls it his best adult performance and says he uses all the pieces, gets the most out of himself, and makes other people in the movie better▶ 2:00:50
Van LathanHalle Berry — Halle Berry - argues she's the hidden star, this was her stickiest role to date, and her reputation was buoyed by this movie for a long time▶ 1:57:57
Wesley MorrisEddie Murphy — Eddie Murphy - says the movie changes his career trajectory, liberates him to go more interesting places, and reinvests his interest in depicting black family life and culture▶ 1:59:36
Movies Referenced (31)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Instinct (1992) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan | ▶ 24:32 |
| Pretty Woman (1990) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:34:16 |
| Beverly Hills Cop (1984) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Wesley Morris, Van Lathan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 17:52 |
| Sin City (2005) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Van Lathan, Wesley Morris | ▶ 22:18 |
| Coming to America (1988) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan | ▶ 10:47 |
| Do the Right Thing (1989) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Van Lathan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 10:03 |
| Star Trek (2009) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:22:07 |
| 28 Years Later (2025) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 6:13 |
| Sleepless in Seattle (1993) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Van Lathan | ▶ 39:48 |
| Swordfish (2001) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:30:09 |
| You've Got Mail (1998) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Van Lathan | ▶ 39:51 |
| 21 Grams (2003) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Van Lathan | ▶ 57:24 |
Directors Referenced (3)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reginald Hudlin | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 12 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | ▶ 6:00 | |
| Spike Lee | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Wesley Morris, Van Lathan | Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, She's Gotta Have It | ▶ 8:45 |
| Mihir Lath | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 2:02:37 |
Actors Referenced (54)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eddie Murphy | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 84 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Wesley Morris | The Nutty Professor, Beverly Hills Cop II | ▶ 2:59 |
| Halle Berry | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 48 | Van Lathan, Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | Die Another Day | ▶ 4:06 |
| Robin Givens | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 40 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Wesley Morris | Boomerang | ▶ 4:06 |
| Martin Lawrence | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 28 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Wesley Morris | ▶ 4:53 | |
| John Witherspoon | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 27 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris, Van Lathan | Friday | ▶ 45:07 |
| Grace Jones | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 15 | Van Lathan, Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | A View to a Kill, Conan the Destroyer | ▶ 23:00 |
| Mike Tyson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 10 | Van Lathan, Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | The Hangover | ▶ 25:02 |
| Sharon Stone | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 10 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan | Basic Instinct, Casino, The Quick and the Dead | ▶ 24:34 |
| Eartha Kitt | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Van Lathan, Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | Boomerang | ▶ 11:43 |
| Tisha Campbell | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons | Little Shop of Horrors | ▶ 8:08 |
| Angela Bassett | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan | Black Panther | ▶ 32:22 |
| Chris Rock | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan | The Longest Yard | ▶ 6:26 |
Writers Referenced (7)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Allen | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris, Van Lathan | ▶ 45:59 | |
| Roger Ebert | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons | ▶ 37:01 | |
| Harvey Weinstein | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Van Lathan, Bill Simmons | Shakespeare in Love, The Hateful Eight | ▶ 1:36:10 |
| Andrew Cosby | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Van Lathan | ▶ 43:01 | |
| Dana Gills | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Deepwater Horizon | ▶ 35:41 |
| David Sheffield | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Boomerang, The Nutty Professor, Coming to America | ▶ 1:43:50 |
| Nora Ephron | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Wesley Morris | Julie & Julia, When Harry Met Sally... | ▶ 3:49 |
Cinematographers Referenced (2)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bet Rourich | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan | ▶ 4:46 | |
| Michael Grantland | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Other Guys | ▶ 2:51 |