Home/Episodes/E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
May 17, 2022 · E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) · Adventure · Family · Sci-Fi · 1:47:55
Categories
Apex Mountain
Bill SimmonsHenry Thomas — Discussed Henry Thomas's career peak performance and how the movie's success may have been unfair to his later career, noting he's become an accomplished actor in Mike Flanagan shows▶ 16:33
Sean FennesseyHenry Thomas — Focused on Henry Thomas carrying the burden of making E.T. believable and called his performance remarkable, praising Spielberg's direction of child actors▶ 15:27
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill SimmonsMultiple scenes including Elliot luring E.T. with Reese's Pieces, E.T. meets the siblings, E.T. escapes and explores the house, Gertie dresses up E.T., Halloween bicycle flight across the moon, E.T. phone home sequence, and the final goodbye▶ 40:48
Chris RyanE.T. meets the siblings scene with Gertie screaming, Halloween bicycle flight, and E.T. phone home sequence▶ 42:35
Mallory RubinE.T. phone home sequence, Halloween trick-or-treating and bicycle flight across the moon, and the forest scenes where E.T. actually phones home▶ 48:42
Sean FennesseyE.T. getting drunk and psychically linked with Elliot during the classroom frog dissection and dance sequence imitating The Quiet Man▶ 50:16
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsRalph Macchio — Ralph Macchio almost cast as one of the other kids, Henry Thomas nearly blew audition but got job after crying about his dead dog, Cory Feldman's part eliminated in script rewrite, D Wallace's part possibly offered to Shelley Long who chose Night Shift instead, Harrison Ford could have been the school principal▶ 1:12:05
Chris RyanHarrison Ford — Harrison Ford as the school principal would have taken him out of the movie because you can't have Han Solo in a world where Star Wars exists▶ 1:13:29
Joey Pants Award
Bill SimmonsPeter Coyote — Suggests Peter Coyote as 'that guy' who became known as 'Keys from E.T.' and later mentions Erica Eleniak but ultimately concludes the category is empty since main characters like Drew Barrymore are too prominent▶ 1:14:32
Chris RyanErika Eleniak — Agrees with Peter Coyote discussion, mentions Erica Eleniak from the science class scene who later appeared in Baywatch and Under Siege, but seems to agree the category might be empty▶ 1:17:32
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill SimmonsMultiple questions: How does Gertie show up at the end when only mom, Peter and Keys drove? Was E.T. the beyond burger of aliens (plant-based)? What could have been the worst realistic thing to happen to E.T.?▶ 1:30:05
Chris RyanWhat do the neighbors think is happening during the NASA quarantine? E.T. could have called the wrong aliens and an invading force could have shown up. Where exactly do they live geographically?▶ 1:29:31
Mallory RubinMultiple health and safety questions about quarantine protocol being abandoned after E.T. dies. Why is there a cornfield in Elliott's backyard that disappears? What are all the keys on Keys' key ring for?▶ 1:31:37
Sean FennesseyObservations about Henry Thomas's bike riding skills and how he seemed less sure-footed than the other kids, questioning if it was due to acting limitations or safety concerns▶ 1:34:23
Movies Referenced (57)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aliens (1986) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 15 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | ▶ 34:53 |
| Jaws (1975) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 11 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 10:59 |
| Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 11 | Sean Fennessey, Mallory Rubin, Bill Simmons | ▶ 3:55 |
| Halloween (1978) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Mallory Rubin, Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | ▶ 3:52 |
| Jurassic Park (1993) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | ▶ 31:32 |
| Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | ▶ 23:21 |
| Toy Story (1995) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 2:26 |
| Moon (2009) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Mallory Rubin, Bill Simmons | ▶ 45:32 |
| Elvis (2022) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 55:40 |
| Gandhi (1982) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 26:00 |
| Home Alone (1990) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 2:26 |
| Saving Private Ryan (1998) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 31:37 |
Directors Referenced (10)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Scott | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Unstoppable, True Romance | ▶ 12:41 |
| Steven Spielberg | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | Schindler's List, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Saving Private Ryan | ▶ 1:17 |
| Michael Mann | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | The Insider, Collateral, The Last of the Mohicans | ▶ 33:02 |
| Peter Jackson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan, Mallory Rubin | King Kong | ▶ 32:25 |
| Anthony D. Syracuse | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 23:53 | |
| Cecil B. DeMille | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | The Greatest Show on Earth, Sunset Boulevard | ▶ 27:15 |
| Joe Dante | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | Gremlins | ▶ 1:11:57 |
| John Carpenter | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | Halloween | ▶ 25:06 |
| Paul Weston | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 40:40 | |
| Robert Eggers | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | The Lighthouse, The Witch, Nosferatu | ▶ 27:32 |
Actors Referenced (27)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Thomas | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 17 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Mallory Rubin | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Legends of the Fall | ▶ 15:05 |
| John Williams | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 9 | Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin, Chris Ryan | Jurassic Park, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope | ▶ 39:20 |
| Dee Wallace | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | ▶ 8:30 |
| Drew Barrymore | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Charlie's Angels, 50 First Dates, Never Been Kissed | ▶ 15:15 |
| Harrison Ford | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, The Fugitive | ▶ 24:19 |
| Peter Coyote | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin | A Walk to Remember, Patch Adams | ▶ 18:13 |
| Charles Durning | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Dog Day Afternoon | ▶ 26:28 |
| Jerry O'Connell | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan | Stand by Me | ▶ 1:25:10 |
| Justin Henry | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Kramer vs. Kramer, Sixteen Candles | ▶ 15:09 |
| Michael Jackson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:20:03 | |
| Anna Paquin | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | X-Men | ▶ 27:55 |
| Anthony Hopkins | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | The Silence of the Lambs | ▶ 1:19:03 |
Writers Referenced (6)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Lucas | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, American Graffiti | ▶ 5:50 |
| Mike Flanagan | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 8:16 | |
| Frank Price | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 24:54 | |
| John Sayles | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 29:04 | |
| Raymond Carver | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 12:49 | |
| Tony Kushner | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | Lincoln, Munich | ▶ 35:49 |
Cinematographers Referenced (1)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gordon Willis | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Mallory Rubin | The Godfather Part II | ▶ 56:25 |