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‘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 · ▶ Listen on Spotify

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Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Bill Simmons▶ 3:15Can'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
Juliet Litman▶ 4:11Agrees 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
Juliet Litman▶ 1:01:40Her hot take: it's really important - and makes the movie - that Cindy's college boyfriend (Billy) comes back and calls her a prostitute at the pivotal party scene. 'If that's not in the movie, this movie doesn't work. Someone had to say it and I'm glad it was said.'

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 27:41Multiple 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
Juliet Litman▶ 34:29Agrees with Bill's picks and emphasizes the Cindy exposing Ronald scene, noting it inspired Can't Hardly Wait and calling it 'pitch perfect'

What's Aged the Best

Bill Simmons▶ 45:08Young 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
Juliet Litman▶ 45:19Agreed 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

Big Kahuna Burger Award

Bill Simmons▶ 53:49The pizza that Ronnie is eating when she invites the guys over
Juliet Litman▶ 54:11Scoop's Tuxedo of Tucson ice cream and the milkshake that Cindy pours on her boyfriend's head

Den of Thieves Benihana Award

Bill Simmons▶ 54:48The airport graveyard
Juliet Litman▶ 54:51The airport graveyard (Pima County Air Museum)

Butch's Girlfriend Award

Bill Simmons▶ 55:18Ronald'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
Juliet Litman▶ 55:33Acknowledged it's tough but defended Dennis Dugan's importance as a director

Is There a Better Title?

Bill Simmons▶ 1:00:19No, there is no better title

Teddy KGB Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:03:46Seth Green

Dion Waiters Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:04:59Seth Green
Juliet Litman▶ 1:05:00Sharon Farrell — Cindy's mom

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 1:09:30Amanda Peterson — Dempsey no, Peterson yes, lawnmowers no, high school movies no, popularity/striving for popularity movies maybe yes, Courtney Gaines yes, Tucson Arizona discussed
Juliet Litman▶ 1:09:44Mean 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

Hall of Fame Plaque

Bill Simmons▶ 1:10:47The Volkswagen Cabriolet
Juliet Litman▶ 1:10:50The Volkswagen Cabriolet (agrees with Bill)

Racehorse Name Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:11:45Slow Clap
Juliet Litman▶ 1:11:51Tuxedo of Tucson

Is This Movie Better With

Bill Simmons▶ 1:18:25Philip Baker Hall — Philip Baker Hall as Ronnie's dad - suspicious, gruff, businesslike, horrified by his two sons
Juliet Litman▶ 1:18:18Philip Baker Hall — Philip Baker Hall as school principal/teacher

Just One Oscar

Bill Simmons▶ 1:18:41Patrick Dempsey — Dempsey for acting

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:18:47Multiple 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)
Juliet Litman▶ 1:18:50Beatles 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)

Coach Finstock Life Lesson

Bill Simmons▶ 1:21:39Never sell your friends out; Don't borrow your mom's best piece of clothing without telling her
Juliet Litman▶ 1:22:04Don'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'

Movies Referenced (32)

Can't Hardly Wait (1998)

5 mentions · Juliet Litman, Bill Simmons▶ 34:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Risky Business (1983)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman▶ 5:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Just One of the Guys (1985)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 5:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mean Girls (2004)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman▶ 14:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

3 mentions · Juliet Litman▶ 4:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Children of the Corn (1984)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 36:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Easy A (2010)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman▶ 41:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Halloween (1978)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 3:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Pulp Fiction (1994)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 54:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sweet Home Alabama (2002)

3 mentions · Juliet Litman▶ 13:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Teen Wolf (1985)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 5:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Die Hard (1988)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 3:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (3)

John Hughes

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman · Known for Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Uncle Buck, The Breakfast Club▶ 5:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Steven Spielberg

2 mentions · Juliet Litman, Bill Simmons · Known for Schindler's List, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Saving Private Ryan▶ 1:10:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dennis Dugan

1 mentions · Juliet Litman · Known for Happy Gilmore, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, Big Daddy▶ 55:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (49)

Patrick Dempsey

28 mentions · Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman · Known for Can't Buy Me Love, Transformers: Dark of the Moon▶ 7:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ronald Miller

20 mentions · Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman · Known for You Were Never Really Here▶ 2:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Amanda Peterson

18 mentions · Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman · Known for Can't Buy Me Love, Annie▶ 7:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Seth Green

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman · Known for The Italian Job, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery▶ 48:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Big John

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman▶ 50:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Beatles

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman▶ 52:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kirk Cameron

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 15:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Lori Loughlin

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 9:23IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Philip Baker Hall

3 mentions · Juliet Litman, Bill Simmons · Known for Magnolia, Boogie Nights, Hard Eight▶ 1:10:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dave Matthews

2 mentions · Juliet Litman, Bill Simmons · Known for Just Go with It, You Don't Mess with the Zohan▶ 55:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ethan Hawke

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Training Day, Before Sunrise, Before Midnight▶ 41:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kid Cudi

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Harder They Fall, Don't Look Up, Need for Speed▶ 5:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (5)

Bill Walsh

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman · Known for Mary Poppins▶ 2:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman▶ 21:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Chuck Lorre

2 mentions · Juliet Litman▶ 1:08:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jeffrey Katzenberg

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Shrek, Just Like Heaven▶ 1:08:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sam Levinson

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Malcolm & Marie▶ 1:17:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Michael Grantland

1 mentions · Juliet Litman · Known for The Taking of Pelham 123, The Other Guys▶ 10:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗