Home/Episodes/Can't Buy Me Love
‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ With Bill Simmons and Juliet Litman
August 5, 2022 · Can't Buy Me Love (1987) · Comedy · Drama · Romance · 1:26:31
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Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
Bill SimmonsCan't Buy Me Love is one of the most ripped off movies ever - it unlocked the 'I will do anything to be popular' strategy that we've seen for 35 years▶ 3:15
Juliet LitmanAgrees the movie had huge impact and was widely copied, noting it has rare elements in the teen movie pantheon and questioning whether concepts from the film shaped real high school experiences▶ 4:11
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill SimmonsMultiple scenes: Ronald buying/renting Cindy at the store, car wash scene with the terrible poem, airplane graveyard date, African Anteater Ritual dance scene, and Cindy exposing Ronald at the party▶ 27:41
Juliet LitmanAgrees with Bill's picks and emphasizes the Cindy exposing Ronald scene, noting it inspired Can't Hardly Wait and calling it 'pitch perfect'▶ 34:29
What's Aged the Best
Bill SimmonsYoung Patrick Dempsey, Cindy's Volkswagen Cabriolet convertible, 1980s Arizona as a movie locale, the EZA homage connection, Seth Green as the little brother Chucky, and Cindy's moral compass/comebacks▶ 45:08
Juliet LitmanAgreed on Patrick Dempsey becoming A-list, the Volkswagen Cabriolet looking incredible, 1980s Arizona looking awesome with palm trees and Spanish tile, and Cindy's great put-downs▶ 45:19
Big Kahuna Burger Award
Juliet LitmanScoop's Tuxedo of Tucson ice cream and the milkshake that Cindy pours on her boyfriend's head▶ 54:11
Butch's Girlfriend Award
Bill SimmonsRonald's parents - wanted more from them, thought the dad could have been funnier, and all the moms in 80s/early 90s movies were throwaway characters with no personality▶ 55:18
Apex Mountain
Bill SimmonsAmanda Peterson — Dempsey no, Peterson yes, lawnmowers no, high school movies no, popularity/striving for popularity movies maybe yes, Courtney Gaines yes, Tucson Arizona discussed▶ 1:09:30
Juliet LitmanMean Girls — Mentioned Mad Men lawnmower scene, compared high school movies to old NBA player where game has changed, suggested Mean Girls as better example, agreed Tucson could have been apex▶ 1:09:44
Is This Movie Better With
Bill SimmonsPhilip Baker Hall — Philip Baker Hall as Ronnie's dad - suspicious, gruff, businesslike, horrified by his two sons▶ 1:18:25
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill SimmonsMultiple questions: How did they get a Beatles song? Did this movie invent the slow clap? (answered no, credits Brubaker 1980). What happened the next day? How long do the characters date? What memorabilia would you want? (picks the '86 Volkswagen Cabriolet)▶ 1:18:47
Juliet LitmanBeatles song explanation: Michael Jackson owned the catalog and got $110,000. Questions about Ronald's disappointment with space exploration progress and whether he'd work for NASA (though notes he couldn't due to no college counselor)▶ 1:18:50
Coach Finstock Life Lesson
Bill SimmonsNever sell your friends out; Don't borrow your mom's best piece of clothing without telling her▶ 1:21:39
Juliet LitmanDon't put water on suede when you've stained it; Stay yourself, don't change to please people - 'It's hard enough being yourself, so just be you'▶ 1:22:04
Movies Referenced (35)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Can't Hardly Wait (1998) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Juliet Litman, Bill Simmons | ▶ 34:36 |
| Risky Business (1983) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman | ▶ 5:29 |
| Just One of the Guys (1985) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 5:58 |
| Mean Girls (2004) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman | ▶ 14:35 |
| 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Juliet Litman | ▶ 4:32 |
| Children of the Corn (1984) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 36:15 |
| Easy A (2010) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman | ▶ 41:20 |
| Halloween (1978) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 3:27 |
| Pulp Fiction (1994) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 54:30 |
| Sweet Home Alabama (2002) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Juliet Litman | ▶ 13:16 |
| Die Hard (1988) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 3:37 |
| Fargo (1996) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 26:18 |
Directors Referenced (3)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Hughes | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman | Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Uncle Buck, The Breakfast Club | ▶ 5:44 |
| Steven Spielberg | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Juliet Litman, Bill Simmons | Schindler's List, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Saving Private Ryan | ▶ 1:10:41 |
| Dennis Dugan | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Juliet Litman | Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy | ▶ 55:34 |
Actors Referenced (49)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Dempsey | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 28 | Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman | Can't Buy Me Love | ▶ 7:33 |
| Ronald Miller | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 20 | Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman | ▶ 2:21 | |
| Amanda Peterson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 18 | Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman | Can't Buy Me Love | ▶ 7:37 |
| Seth Green | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 11 | Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman | The Italian Job, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery | ▶ 48:30 |
| Big John | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman | ▶ 50:40 | |
| The Beatles | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman | ▶ 52:47 | |
| Kirk Cameron | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 15:54 | |
| Lori Loughlin | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 9:23 | |
| Philip Baker Hall | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Juliet Litman, Bill Simmons | Magnolia, Boogie Nights | ▶ 1:10:38 |
| Dave Matthews | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Juliet Litman, Bill Simmons | Just Go with It | ▶ 55:52 |
| Ethan Hawke | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Training Day, Before Sunrise, Before Midnight | ▶ 41:50 |
| Kid Cudi | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | The Harder They Fall, Don't Look Up, Need for Speed | ▶ 5:52 |
Writers Referenced (5)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Walsh | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman | Mary Poppins | ▶ 2:55 |
| Roger Ebert | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman | ▶ 21:38 | |
| Chuck Lorre | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Juliet Litman | ▶ 1:08:42 | |
| Jeffrey Katzenberg | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Shrek, Just Like Heaven | ▶ 1:08:22 |
| Sam Levinson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:17:02 |
Cinematographers Referenced (1)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Grantland | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Juliet Litman | The Other Guys | ▶ 10:36 |