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‘Disclosure’ With Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, and Wosny Lambre

December 10, 2024 · Disclosure (1994) · Drama · Thriller · 1:48:47 · ▶ Listen on Spotify

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Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Bill Simmons▶ 20:41A Few Good Men is probably Demi Moore's worst performance in a great movie—the Joe Galloway part is a mess.

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 42:54Multiple picks: Tom finding out he might be out of a job and telling his staff (the office banter scene), and the Tom/Meredith wine/seduction scene at her office
Van Lathan▶ 45:30The Tom/Meredith 'drink' seduction scene, which he calls 'the hottest non-nude sex scene ever'
Wosny Lambre▶ 43:53The scene where Tom realizes he got passed over and tells his team, which turns into them debating feminism/workplace dynamics (Dennis Miller cracking jokes)

Great Shot Gordo Award

Van Lathan▶ 50:01Same scene - Demi Moore leaning over in her bra begging Tom to come back into the office, calling it magnetic and showing her as the hottest woman in Hollywood at the time
Wosny Lambre▶ 49:31The office scene where Demi Moore's character, in her bra, begs Tom to come back and finish what he started before he storms out in a moral panic

Den of Thieves Benihana Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:09:07The office building — built from scratch for the movie because Levinson wanted an all-glass set where everyone could see what everyone else was doing (Van: 'and it's really good… they built the whole office' on a million budget)

Big Kahuna Burger Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:11:01The 91 bottle of Paul Masson wine scene
Wosny Lambre▶ 1:11:07The scene where she hands him the glass and he comments she had it 'on deck,' and she says she likes to keep the boys below her happy

Butch's Girlfriend Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:11:44The wife (Sheila/Tom Sanders' wife) is the weak link — she isn't pissed off enough, too dutiful and forgiving, especially the lack of a scene where she furiously confronts him about the sexual harassment situation near the end.
Van Lathan▶ 1:12:02Agrees the wife is the weak link — she's not in Demi Moore's league, doesn't add much, vacillates between being 'ride or die' and a nagging presence, then disappears from the movie.
Wosny Lambre▶ 1:13:18Offers a charitable reading of the wife's role (reflecting how even those closest to you can question your integrity in a harassment case) rather than naming his own distinct weak link pick.

Is There a Better Title?

Bill Simmons▶ 1:16:52No better title exists - 'Disclosure' is perfect as is

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 1:18:45Discussed Milos Forman originally attached to direct before leaving over creative differences, replaced by Levinson. Annette Bening was originally cast as Meredith but got pregnant and dropped out (later did American President with Douglas instead). Demi Moore got the role over Geena Davis and Michelle Pfeiffer; notes Pfeiffer could have worked but questions if she'd do it at that career stage. Also notes Michael Crichton wrote the Dennis Miller-esque character with Dennis Miller in mind.
Van Lathan▶ 1:19:01Agrees Annette Bening is a fantastic, arguably better actress than Demi Moore, but says she 'doesn't quite work' for the role.

Dion Waiters Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:21:16Dennis Miller - not in the movie enough but 'throwing sliders and curveballs' every time he's on screen; most in the spirit of the award, also mentions the two lawyers and the angry laid-off guy on the ferry as candidates
Van Lathan▶ 1:21:27Agrees Dennis Miller clinched it during the dinner scene where he tries to out Michael Douglas to his wife ('Did she get to you?')

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 1:29:40Demi Moore's apex is Disclosure (striptease era, $12M salary record), not Ghost
Van Lathan▶ 1:29:01Agreed Disclosure isn't her most associated movie but went along with reasoning that it's her peak power moment
Wosny Lambre▶ 1:29:21Agreed Demi Moore's apex can't be after Disclosure since people don't think of it as her defining role, but conceded it fits power/career peak timing

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:37:12Elizabeth's son likely became Jeff Bezos or a similar 2000s tech billionaire who was 'right there around the boom'
Bill Simmons▶ 1:37:44Meredith bounces back strong, takes two days to figure out what went wrong, then solves it and does great (possibly becomes a billionaire)
Van Lathan▶ 1:37:54Imagines a Sex and the City-style HBO sequel centered on Meredith taking on the city after the events of the movie
Wosny Lambre▶ 1:37:23Elizabeth's son is 'definitely living off his Apple stock after the iPhone and the iPod go crazy'

Best Double Feature

Bill Simmons▶ 1:38:12The Net - paired as 'here's what we thought the internet was going to be like in 1994' internet movie
Van Lathan▶ 1:39:56Originally said Basic Instinct, then changed to The Game

Coach Finstock Life Lesson

Bill Simmons▶ 1:41:53Don't ever assume what the internet's going to be like
Van Lathan▶ 1:42:19Don't give your boss a shoulder rub ('shoulder up') - nothing good can come of it
Wosny Lambre▶ 1:41:58The Dennis Miller line about needing a forklift to get it hard in 10 years - life lesson that technology changes everything, including that

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:43:49Demi Moore
Craig Horlbeck▶ 1:44:11Didn't name a specific person but praised the movie as a 10/10 cultural artifact, and highlighted Sam Levinson (Barry's son) as having been shaped by watching this film as a kid
Wosny Lambre▶ 1:42:40Barry Levinson, for tackling so many weighty topics (women in the workplace, sexual harassment, technology, corporate culture) with boldness, even if not all conclusions were agreed with

Movies Referenced (38)

Baby Boy (2001)

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan▶ 1:24:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Striptease (1996)

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan▶ 15:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Basic Instinct (1992)

6 mentions · Van Lathan, Bill Simmons▶ 5:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Game (1997)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan▶ 12:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

A Few Good Men (1992)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan▶ 15:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Fatal Attraction (1987)

4 mentions · Van Lathan, Bill Simmons, Wosny Lambre▶ 5:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Den of Thieves (2018)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wosny Lambre▶ 2:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Philadelphia (1993)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:04:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Presumed Innocent (1990)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wosny Lambre, Van Lathan▶ 1:34:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Rain Man (1988)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan▶ 1:22:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

2 mentions · Van Lathan▶ 1:32:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Fargo (1996)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:28:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (5)

David Fincher

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan · Known for Se7en, Gone Girl, Zodiac▶ 1:21:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Barry Levinson

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Craig Horlbeck · Known for Rain Man, Wag the Dog▶ 22:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Singleton

3 mentions · Van Lathan, Bill Simmons · Known for Boyz n the Hood, Four Brothers, Shaft▶ 1:25:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Clint Eastwood

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino, Unforgiven▶ 1:24:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Milos Forman

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus▶ 1:18:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (41)

Demi Moore

36 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Wosny Lambre · Known for Striptease, Indecent Proposal▶ 3:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Douglas

32 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wosny Lambre, Van Lathan · Known for Wall Street, Behind the Candelabra, Romancing the Stone▶ 3:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dennis Miller

19 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wosny Lambre, Van Lathan▶ 14:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Donald Sutherland

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wosny Lambre, Van Lathan · Known for Klute▶ 27:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tom Cruise

10 mentions · Wosny Lambre, Van Lathan, Bill Simmons · Known for Top Gun, Mission: Impossible II, Minority Report▶ 42:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dylan Baker

6 mentions · Van Lathan, Bill Simmons, Wosny Lambre · Known for Revolutionary Road▶ 1:02:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michelle Pfeiffer

6 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Fabulous Baker Boys, What Lies Beneath, Hairspray▶ 1:19:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sharon Stone

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan · Known for Basic Instinct, Casino, The Quick and the Dead▶ 12:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ivana Basic

4 mentions · Van Lathan, Bill Simmons · Known for The Rhythm Section▶ 5:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tom Hanks

4 mentions · Van Lathan, Bill Simmons · Known for Cast Away, Big, Forrest Gump▶ 1:30:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Frank Sinatra

3 mentions · Van Lathan, Wosny Lambre · Known for From Here to Eternity, High Society▶ 56:18IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kathleen Turner

3 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Romancing the Stone, Peggy Sue Got Married, Body Heat▶ 19:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (4)

Michael Crichton

4 mentions · Van Lathan, Bill Simmons · Known for Jurassic Park, Twister, Westworld▶ 24:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 41:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sam Levinson

1 mentions · Craig Horlbeck · Known for Malcolm & Marie▶ 1:44:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Taylor Sheridan

1 mentions · Van Lathan · Known for Hell or High Water, Wind River▶ 42:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗