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‘Focus’ With Bill Simmons and Wesley Morris

November 16, 2021 · Focus (2015) · Comedy · Crime · Drama · 1:34:35 · ▶ Listen on Spotify

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Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 17:50Will Smith — Questions whether Will Smith could have had a Denzel-like career with more artistic choices, mentions Six Degrees of Separation, Focus, and Pursuit of Happiness as examples of his potential, expresses interest in King Richard as a return to more serious work
Bill Simmons▶ 1:17:32Will Smith - no; Margot Robbie - no, 'I don't feel like she's had her Apex Mountain yet' (her apex right now is Once Upon a Time in Hollywood); New Orleans movies - no; BD Wong - no (Law & Order forever); Super Bowl movie scenes - definitely not; gambling scenes - 'it's up there, it's in the conversation' as a 10-minute stretch (alongside The Sting, Maverick).
Wesley Morris▶ 15:03Will Smith — Discusses Will Smith's career choices and potential, noting Focus as interesting because it shows Will Smith in a different light - his first R-rated movie in 12 years, showing sexual chemistry with Margot Robbie that he doesn't usually display
Wesley Morris▶ 1:17:46On Margot Robbie: her apex 'might not happen - she better hurry up,' folding into his lament that great-acting recognition now goes overwhelmingly to playing real people (I, Tonya, Bombshell, Streep's Thatcher); on BD Wong, cites Kiko the Houseboy and And the Band Played On but rules 'no, it's not his apex.'

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 42:38The Super Bowl scene is one of the most rewatchable scenes of the last 10 years
Wesley Morris▶ 44:38Discusses multiple scenes including the Super Bowl scene positively despite criticizing the fake Super Bowl production quality, and praises the thief audition scene on Bourbon Street

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 1:08:56Ryan Gosling — Discusses the original casting of Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, then Ben Affleck and Kristen Stewart. Questions whether Ben Affleck and Margot Robbie would have had off-screen chemistry. Notes the casting timeline where Kristen Stewart dropped out after Will Smith joined.
Wesley Morris▶ 1:09:03Kristen Stewart — Analyzes why directors would want to work with Gosling/Stone again after La La Land. Discusses Kristen Stewart's subtle sexual energy compared to Margot Robbie's externalized approach, citing The Clouds of Sils Maria as example.

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:13:52BD Wong — Initially picks Adrian Martinez as Farhad, then changes to BD Wong after discussion
Wesley Morris▶ 1:14:18BD Wong

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:26:07Focus 2 sequel concept - Will Smith older trying to get out, one last heist, Margot Robbie bigger star
Wesley Morris▶ 1:26:23Contributed to Focus 2 sequel idea - divorced couple with kid, kid involved in preschool heist

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:28:23Margot Robbie — Margot Robbie - because she goes toe to toe with Will Smith and pulls him out of a movie coma
Wesley Morris▶ 1:27:06Brennan Brown — Farhad/Horst (Brennan Brown) - the character who performs the car crash stunt sequence

Movies Referenced (46)

Wall Street (1987)

7 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons▶ 27:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bad Boys (1995)

5 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons▶ 16:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Men in Black (1997)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 8:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Body Heat (1981)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris▶ 32:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

I Am Legend (2007)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris▶ 5:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Intolerable Cruelty (2003)

4 mentions · Wesley Morris▶ 23:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

King Richard (2021)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris▶ 4:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Out of Sight (1998)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris▶ 21:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Casino (1995)

3 mentions · Wesley Morris▶ 31:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

My Life (1993)

3 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons▶ 8:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Fargo (1996)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 37:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Goodfellas (1990)

2 mentions · Wesley Morris▶ 31:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (8)

Ben Affleck

9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Argo, Gone Girl, The Town▶ 1:10:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Steven Soderbergh

9 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons · Known for Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Traffic, Behind the Candelabra▶ 39:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tony Scott

6 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons · Known for Domino, Unstoppable, True Romance▶ 20:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Richard Williams

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Who Framed Roger Rabbit▶ 4:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

George Clooney

1 mentions · Wesley Morris · Known for The Ides of March, Good Night, and Good Luck., Michael Clayton▶ 23:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Martin Scorsese

1 mentions · Wesley Morris · Known for Taxi Driver, Killers of the Flower Moon, Mean Streets▶ 32:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Mann

1 mentions · Wesley Morris · Known for The Insider, Collateral, The Last of the Mohicans▶ 58:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

R. Kelly

1 mentions · · Known for Space Jam▶ 40:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (63)

Will Smith

50 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Men in Black, I Am Legend▶ 4:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Margot Robbie

27 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Suicide Squad, The Wolf of Wall Street, Barbie▶ 15:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

BD Wong

12 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Jurassic Park, Jurassic World▶ 44:18IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kristen Stewart

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Snow White and the Huntsman, Twilight▶ 1:10:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Spencer Tracy

7 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons · Known for Judgment at Nuremberg, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Bad Day at Black Rock▶ 1:09:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ving Rhames

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Pulp Fiction, Mission: Impossible II, Bringing Out the Dead▶ 1:14:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Catherine Zeta-Jones

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Chicago, The Mask of Zorro, Traffic▶ 22:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Linda Fiorentino

5 mentions · Wesley Morris · Known for The Last Seduction, Men in Black, Dogma▶ 29:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Martin Lawrence

4 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons · Known for Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Bad Boys II▶ 1:32:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Russell Crowe

4 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind▶ 9:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ryan Gosling

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Blue Valentine, La La Land, Drive▶ 36:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sidney Poitier

4 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons · Known for Lilies of the Field, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, In the Heat of the Night▶ 12:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (4)

Roger Ebert

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 37:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Damien Chazelle

1 mentions · Wesley Morris · Known for Whiplash, La La Land, First Man▶ 1:09:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Glenn Ficarra

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 34:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

William Goldman

1 mentions · Wesley Morris · Known for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, The Princess Bride▶ 25:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Michael Grantland

4 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Taking of Pelham 123, The Other Guys▶ 4:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗