Home/Episodes/Brokeback Mountain
‘Brokeback Mountain’ With Bill Simmons and Wesley Morris
July 29, 2025 · Brokeback Mountain (2005) · Drama · Romance · 2:26:20
Categories
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsReferences 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▶ 10:11
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill SimmonsMultiple 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▶ 58:58
Big Kahuna Burger Award
Wesley Morrislikes the elk cooking scene or the beans scenes, discusses their expertise with wild animals and beans consumption▶ 1:23:28
Butch's Girlfriend Award
Bill SimmonsJack and Ennis making out in the driveway when they see each other after four years▶ 1:28:15
Wesley MorrisDefends the driveway scene as believable given the characters' emotional state and lack of control after four years apart▶ 1:28:39
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill SimmonsEnnis 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▶ 1:36:02
Wesley MorrisAgrees 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▶ 1:36:10
Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
Bill SimmonsHeath Ledger had two of the best six or seven acting performances by a male in the 21st century (The Dark Knight and Brokeback Mountain)▶ 1:38:50
Apex Mountain
Bill SimmonsHeath 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)▶ 2:00:06
Wesley MorrisAng Lee — Agrees on Ang Lee - yes for Brokeback Mountain, discusses Gay Westerns as having apex mountain status▶ 2:01:10
Hanks or Cruise
Bill SimmonsTom 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▶ 2:03:20
Wesley MorrisTom Cruise — Tom Cruise wouldn't have done the movie in any era, but agrees he would have been really good as Jack Twist▶ 2:03:14
Picking Nits
Bill SimmonsWhat 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▶ 2:07:37
Wesley MorrisEnnis should have used the fishing gear at least once - it's ridiculous that he never even opened it after years of trips▶ 2:06:16
Is This Movie Better With
Bill SimmonsSamuel L. Jackson — Suggests Sam Jackson fishing near the characters, and proposes Doris Burke as a commentator analyzing Jack Twist's sheep herding skills▶ 2:14:27
Wesley MorrisSamuel 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▶ 2:14:06
Movies Referenced (67)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joker (2019) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons | ▶ 45:21 |
| Moonlight (2016) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | ▶ 8:47 |
| Green Book (2018) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | ▶ 1:47:27 |
| Carrie (1976) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | ▶ 59:21 |
| 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | ▶ 39:16 |
| Hulk (2003) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | ▶ 33:09 |
| Lords of Dogtown (2005) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons | ▶ 40:35 |
| Munich (2005) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Wesley Morris | ▶ 13:43 |
| Donnie Darko (2001) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons | ▶ 40:15 |
| No Country for Old Men (2007) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 20:45 |
| There Will Be Blood (2007) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 20:45 |
| A Knight's Tale (2001) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Wesley Morris | ▶ 1:50:55 |
Directors Referenced (10)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ang Lee | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 23 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | Life of Pi | ▶ 28:30 |
| Gus Van Sant | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | ▶ 1:41:34 | |
| Joel Schumacher | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons | The Phantom of the Opera, 8MM | ▶ 6:19 |
| Sean Penn | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | Mystic River, 21 Grams, Dead Man Walking | ▶ 2:57 |
| Douglas Sirk | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Wesley Morris | ▶ 1:21:43 | |
| George Clooney | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Wesley Morris | The Ides of March, Michael Clayton | ▶ 53:57 |
| Ben Affleck | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Wesley Morris | Argo, Gone Girl, The Town | ▶ 1:53 |
| Carlo Rizzi | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Wesley Morris | Knives Out | ▶ 1:33:28 |
| Christopher Nolan | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Wesley Morris | Tenet, Interstellar, Inception | ▶ 1:19:27 |
| Spike Lee | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Wesley Morris | Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, She's Gotta Have It | ▶ 1:53:27 |
Actors Referenced (89)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heath Ledger | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 69 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | Brokeback Mountain, The Dark Knight, A Knight's Tale | ▶ 3:41 |
| Jake Gyllenhaal | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 43 | Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons | Nightcrawler, Brokeback Mountain, Donnie Darko | ▶ 11:03 |
| Twist | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 26 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | ▶ 15:10 | |
| Anne Hathaway | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 19 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | The Dark Knight Rises, Rachel Getting Married | ▶ 38:53 |
| Randy Quaid | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 17 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | Independence Day, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation | ▶ 25:30 |
| Michelle Williams | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 14 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | Blue Valentine, My Week with Marilyn, Manchester by the Sea | ▶ 36:44 |
| David Harbour | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 12 | Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons | Revolutionary Road, Black Widow | ▶ 1:11:04 |
| Tom Cruise | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 11 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | Top Gun, Minority Report | ▶ 55:34 |
| Edward Norton | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | Fight Club, American History X, Primal Fear | ▶ 1:42:40 |
| Philip Seymour Hoffman | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons | ▶ 52:54 | |
| Anna Faris | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | Just Friends, Scary Movie | ▶ 1:07:59 |
| Mahershala Ali | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons | Moonlight, Green Book | ▶ 1:39:53 |
Writers Referenced (9)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Truman Capote | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | Breakfast at Tiffany's | ▶ 13:39 |
| Danny McBride | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons | Underworld | ▶ 1:18:53 |
| Annie Proulx | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Wesley Morris | Brokeback Mountain | ▶ 17:00 |
| Larry McMurtry | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons | Brokeback Mountain, The Last Picture Show | ▶ 30:15 |
| Roger Ebert | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 57:48 | |
| Taylor Sheridan | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | Hell or High Water, Wind River | ▶ 1:00:29 |
| Marius Constant | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Manchurian Candidate, Last Action Hero | ▶ 56:08 |
| Melissa Brides | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | A Beautiful Mind | ▶ 38:53 |
| Tom Holland | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Child's Play | ▶ 1:17:40 |
Cinematographers Referenced (1)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Grantland | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Other Guys | ▶ 1:34 |