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‘Brokeback Mountain’ With Bill Simmons and Wesley Morris

July 29, 2025 · Brokeback Mountain (2005) · Drama · Romance · 2:26:20 · ▶ Listen on Spotify

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Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 10:11References that there were typical suspects who turned down roles saying 'I'm not doing a movie like that' due to career concerns in the mid-2000s, but doesn't name specific actors
Bill Simmons▶ 1:41:27Ran the research: Gus Van Sant wanted Matt Damon as Ennis (Damon: 'I did a gay movie, then a cowboy movie — I can't follow it up with a gay cowboy movie'); Josh Hartnett and Joaquin Phoenix were looked at (Phoenix says he'd have done it in five seconds); Joel Schumacher was attached with Edward Norton; Ang Lee met Mark Wahlberg, who declined because the script creeped him out; Ledger always wanted Ennis over Jack; Anne Hathaway was asked to read for Alma but insisted on Lureen
Wesley Morris▶ 1:42:45Riffed on the what-ifs: 'knew it' about Schumacher — the 'most tasteless director' nearly getting what Ang Lee made 'a beautiful work of art'; figured a Schumacher version would have meant Colin Farrell (or McConaughey) in it

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 58:58Multiple scenes including the tent scene, Jack and Ennis fight and say goodbye where Ennis throws up and punches the wall, Randy Quaid telling Jack there's no chance for another job, Jack goes to see Ennis when he gets the postcard and they kiss while Alma watches, and the campfire conversation about whether they could end up together

Big Kahuna Burger Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:23:22when they cook the elk
Wesley Morris▶ 1:23:28likes the elk cooking scene or the beans scenes, discusses their expertise with wild animals and beans consumption

Butch's Girlfriend Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:28:15Jack and Ennis making out in the driveway when they see each other after four years
Wesley Morris▶ 1:28:39Defends the driveway scene as believable given the characters' emotional state and lack of control after four years apart

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:36:02Ennis ranks as a 3 out of 10 on the worst movie husbands scale - relatively mild compared to characters like Jack Torrance, Great Santini, Carlo Rizzi, and Close Encounters' Roy Neary
Wesley Morris▶ 1:36:10Agrees Ennis is a 3 out of 10 on the worst husbands scale, acknowledging he's a 'shitty husband' but not nearly as bad as the violent or abandoning husbands they discussed

Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:38:50Heath Ledger had two of the best six or seven acting performances by a male in the 21st century (The Dark Knight and Brokeback Mountain)
Wesley Morris▶ 1:40:28Agrees with Bill's take that Heath Ledger had two of the best performances

Dion Waiters Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:50:36Randy Quaid
Wesley Morris▶ 1:50:38Randy Quaid — Randy Quaid (agrees with Bill)

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 2:00:06Heath Ledger — Heath Ledger - yes (The Dark Knight), Jake Gyllenhaal - no (later with End of Watch/Prisoners), Ang Lee - yes (Brokeback Mountain over Life of Pi), Michelle Williams - no (Manchester by the Sea)
Wesley Morris▶ 2:01:10Ang Lee — Agrees on Ang Lee - yes for Brokeback Mountain, discusses Gay Westerns as having apex mountain status

Hanks or Cruise

Bill Simmons▶ 2:03:20Tom Cruise — Tom Cruise could have played Jack Twist but wouldn't have taken the role due to career concerns, especially in his Top Gun era
Wesley Morris▶ 2:03:14Tom Cruise — Tom Cruise wouldn't have done the movie in any era, but agrees he would have been really good as Jack Twist

Picking Nits

Bill Simmons▶ 2:07:37What did these guys do for a week if they weren't fishing? There's no TV, no other activities mentioned - unless it was just straight sex for 24 hours a day
Wesley Morris▶ 2:06:16Ennis should have used the fishing gear at least once - it's ridiculous that he never even opened it after years of trips

Is This Movie Better With

Bill Simmons▶ 2:14:27Samuel L. Jackson — Suggests Sam Jackson fishing near the characters, and proposes Doris Burke as a commentator analyzing Jack Twist's sheep herding skills
Wesley Morris▶ 2:14:06Samuel L. Jackson — Discusses Sam Jackson potentially replacing David Harbour's character, notes lack of Black actors in the film, and humorously endorses Jack Twist's bean cooking

Just One Oscar

Bill Simmons▶ 2:15:16Brokeback Mountain — The movie (Best Picture) - to honor everybody
Wesley Morris▶ 2:15:19Brokeback Mountain — Agrees with giving it to the movie

Coach Finstock Life Lesson

Bill Simmons▶ 2:18:39Follow your heart/Listen to your heart - when you're in love
Wesley Morris▶ 2:18:56If you can't fix it, then you got to stand it

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 2:19:33Heath Ledger
Wesley Morris▶ 2:20:00Heath Ledger — Heath Ledger (agreed with Bill's pick)

Movies Referenced (65)

Crash (2004)

7 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons▶ 4:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Joker (2019)

7 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons▶ 45:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Moonlight (2016)

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris▶ 8:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Green Book (2018)

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris▶ 1:47:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris▶ 39:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Hulk (2003)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris▶ 33:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Lords of Dogtown (2005)

4 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons▶ 40:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Munich (2005)

4 mentions · Wesley Morris▶ 13:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Prisoners (2013)

4 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons▶ 2:00:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Donnie Darko (2001)

3 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons▶ 40:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

No Country for Old Men (2007)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 20:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

There Will Be Blood (2007)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 20:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (10)

Ang Lee

23 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for The Wedding Banquet, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Life of Pi▶ 28:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Gus Van Sant

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Drugstore Cowboy▶ 1:41:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Joel Schumacher

5 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons · Known for The Phantom of the Opera, Batman & Robin, 8MM▶ 6:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sean Penn

4 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Mystic River, 21 Grams, Dead Man Walking▶ 2:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Douglas Sirk

3 mentions · Wesley Morris▶ 1:21:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

George Clooney

2 mentions · Wesley Morris · Known for The Ides of March, Good Night, and Good Luck., Michael Clayton▶ 53:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ben Affleck

1 mentions · Wesley Morris · Known for Argo, Gone Girl, The Town▶ 1:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Carlo Rizzi

1 mentions · Wesley Morris · Known for Knives Out▶ 1:33:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Christopher Nolan

1 mentions · Wesley Morris · Known for Tenet, Interstellar, Inception▶ 1:19:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Spike Lee

1 mentions · Wesley Morris · Known for Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, She's Gotta Have It▶ 1:53:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (89)

Heath Ledger

69 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Brokeback Mountain, The Dark Knight, A Knight's Tale▶ 3:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jake Gyllenhaal

43 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons · Known for Nightcrawler, Brokeback Mountain, Donnie Darko▶ 11:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Twist

26 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris▶ 15:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Anne Hathaway

19 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for The Dark Knight Rises, Rachel Getting Married▶ 38:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Randy Quaid

17 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Independence Day, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation▶ 25:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michelle Williams

14 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Blue Valentine, My Week with Marilyn, Manchester by the Sea▶ 36:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

David Harbour

12 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons · Known for Revolutionary Road, Black Widow▶ 1:11:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tom Cruise

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Top Gun, Mission: Impossible II, Minority Report▶ 55:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Edward Norton

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Fight Club, American History X, Primal Fear▶ 1:42:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Philip Seymour Hoffman

8 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons · Known for The Master, Capote, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead▶ 52:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Anna Faris

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for The House Bunny, Just Friends, Scary Movie▶ 1:07:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mahershala Ali

6 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons · Known for Moonlight, Green Book, Jurassic World: Rebirth▶ 1:39:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (9)

Truman Capote

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Breakfast at Tiffany's▶ 13:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Danny McBride

5 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons · Known for Underworld▶ 1:18:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Annie Proulx

4 mentions · Wesley Morris · Known for Brokeback Mountain, The Shipping News▶ 17:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Larry McMurtry

2 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons · Known for Brokeback Mountain, The Last Picture Show▶ 30:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 57:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Taylor Sheridan

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Hell or High Water, Wind River▶ 1:00:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Marius Constant

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Manchurian Candidate, Last Action Hero▶ 56:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Melissa Brides

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for A Beautiful Mind, Elf▶ 38:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tom Holland

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Child's Play▶ 1:17:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Michael Grantland

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Taking of Pelham 123, The Other Guys▶ 1:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗