‘Forrest Gump’ With Bill Simmons and Sean Fennessey
June 21, 2018 · Forrest Gump (1994) · Drama · Romance · 1:08:43 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
Categories
What's Aged the Best
Bill SimmonsThe redemption of Lieutenant Dan - his character arc and Gary Sinise's performance▶ 26:29
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsHarry Anderson — Lists extensive casting what-ifs: Harry Anderson was first choice for Forrest, Bill Murray/John Travolta/Chevy Chase turned it down, David Alan Greer/Dave Chappelle/Ice Cube turned down Bubba, Tupac auditioned for Bubba, Jodie Foster/Nicole Kidman/Demi Moore turned down Jenny, Terry Gilliam/Barry Sonnenfield turned down directing▶ 33:59
Sean FennesseyHarry Anderson — Reacts to the what-ifs, noting Harry Anderson wasn't famous enough, Ice Cube was too smart for Bubba, Terry Gilliam would have been an amazing but very different version, and Bill Murray doesn't work for the role▶ 34:21
Dion Waiters Award
Bill SimmonsDick Cavett — Initially suggests Michael T. Williamson, Sally Field, and Haley Jo Osmond, then agrees Dick Cavett wins if aging yourself backwards▶ 37:05
Joey Pants Award
Bill SimmonsGary Sinise — Initially said there wasn't a Joey Pants/that guy in the movie, but eventually agreed to give it to Gary Sinise after discussion▶ 38:16
Sean FennesseyGary Sinise — Gary Sinise - argued he might have been 'that guy' since he hadn't done much in movies before this, despite being known in Chicago theater▶ 38:15
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill SimmonsShared multiple trivia facts including Jenny's birthdate matching Trinity Test, running scene inspiration, park bench location, Warner Brothers trade, deleted MLK scene, Nike Cortez shoes, and six Doors songs used▶ 39:54
Sean FennesseyAdded Kurt Russell doing Elvis voice, commented on various trivia facts, and criticized Zemeckis for obvious musical choices in Vietnam scenes▶ 40:57
Apex Mountain
Bill SimmonsTom Hanks — Tom Hanks - yes, this is his Apex Mountain due to back-to-back Oscars and becoming the alpha dog in Hollywood▶ 43:34
Bill SimmonsGary Sinise — Gary Sinise - uncertain, mentions CSI New York but not sure if this tops it▶ 44:46
Sean FennesseyTom Hanks — Tom Hanks - agrees this is probably his most iconic performance and Apex Mountain▶ 44:31
Sean FennesseyRobert Zemeckis — Robert Zemeckis - no, Back to the Future is his Apex Mountain▶ 45:15
Sean FennesseyRobin Wright — Robin Wright - yes, her most complete performance with the most to do▶ 45:55
Best Quote
Bill SimmonsLists multiple quotes including 'Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get' (which he calls the signature quote), 'Bet that never happened in home ec', 'Forrest, you don't know what love is', 'Sorry I had a fight at your Black Panther rally', 'Stupid is as stupid does', and 'I'm not a smart man, but I know what love is'▶ 56:04
Sean FennesseyAgrees that 'Life is like a box of chocolates' is the signature quote but notes that pop culture made it too much of a cliche instantaneously▶ 56:36
Picking Nits
Sean FennesseyTom Hanks breaks character and uses his normal voice when saying 'Done drill sergeant!' during the gun assembly scene in boot camp▶ 1:05:02
Movies Referenced (44)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Back to the Future (1985) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 27:38 |
| Elvis (2022) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | ▶ 17:14 |
| Pulp Fiction (1994) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 1:47 |
| Rain Man (1988) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 2:00 |
| Cube (1997) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 35:08 |
| Philadelphia (1993) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 4:40 |
| Apollo 13 (1995) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 4:56 |
| Black Panther (2018) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 47:55 |
| Cast Away (2000) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey | ▶ 43:48 |
| Jaws (1975) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:08:14 |
| Midnight Cowboy (1969) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 23:37 |
| Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | ▶ 27:55 |
Directors Referenced (8)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Zemeckis | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 13 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Back to the Future, Forrest Gump | ▶ 12:21 |
| Quentin Tarantino | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, From Dusk Till Dawn | ▶ 12:47 |
| Krzysztof Kieslowski | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey | ▶ 13:02 | |
| Woody Allen | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey | Annie Hall | ▶ 6:56 |
| Jacob Hair | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 9:49 | |
| John Carpenter | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | Halloween | ▶ 41:00 |
| Martin Luther King | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 41:47 | |
| Spike Lee | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, She's Gotta Have It | ▶ 15:24 |
Actors Referenced (57)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Hanks | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 33 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Cast Away, Big, Forrest Gump | ▶ 3:13 |
| Robin Wright | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 16 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Forrest Gump, Unbreakable | ▶ 9:12 |
| Gary Sinise | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 11 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Forrest Gump, Of Mice and Men, Apollo 13 | ▶ 26:45 |
| Elvis Presley | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | ▶ 17:14 | |
| Danny Trejo | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Machete, From Dusk Till Dawn, Predators | ▶ 46:22 |
| Dave Chappelle | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons | A Star Is Born | ▶ 34:06 |
| Robin Williams | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Mrs. Doubtfire | ▶ 1:04:05 |
| Sally Field | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | Lincoln, Forrest Gump | ▶ 8:58 |
| Harry Anderson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 33:59 | |
| Jim Hanks | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons | Forrest Gump | ▶ 38:30 |
| Brad Pitt | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | Fight Club, 12 Monkeys, Mr. & Mrs. Smith | ▶ 1:06:02 |
| Dick Cavett | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | Beetlejuice, Forrest Gump | ▶ 17:20 |
Writers Referenced (8)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Letterman | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 5:14 | |
| Eric Roth | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Forrest Gump, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button | ▶ 38:50 |
| Frank Darabont | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, The Mist | ▶ 12:47 |
| Roger Ebert | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 10:13 | |
| Winston Groom | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Forrest Gump | ▶ 38:58 |
| George Lucas | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, American Graffiti | ▶ 27:55 |
| Stephen King | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | ▶ 12:14 | |
| William Goldman | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, The Princess Bride | ▶ 9:33 |