‘Parenthood’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan
February 15, 2022 · Parenthood (1989) · Comedy · Drama · 1:47:52
Categories
Hall of Fame Plaque
Bill SimmonsLowell Gans and Babaloo Mandel screenwriting team - 'My fucking hitters. They never miss.'▶ 34:56
Chris RyanLowell Gans and Babaloo Mandel - compared them to 'if you had Fitzgerald and Hemingway writing your scripts'▶ 35:12
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill SimmonsParenthood was adapted to TV in 1990 with Leo DiCaprio in the Leaf Phoenix role, canceled after 12 episodes; part of late 80s trend of failed movie-to-TV adaptations including Ferris Bueller, Baby Talk, Working Girl, Uncle Buck, Dirty Dancing; Roger Ebert gave Parenthood four stars▶ 36:14
Van LathanDiscussed hackiness of movie-to-TV adaptations, specifically criticized Ferris Bueller TV show's self-referential poster scene with Charlie Schlatter; expressed general skepticism about conversions including Friday Night Lights despite its quality▶ 38:08
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill SimmonsMultiple scenes: opener with Steve Martin and minivan/kids, Larry's hydroponics dinner pitch, principal meeting about Kevin, and the entire birthday party sequence with Cowboy Gil▶ 40:38
Dion Waiters Award
Bill SimmonsSteve Martin — Steve Martin's Little League dance - calls it the best moment of Steve Martin's career▶ 46:52
Van LathanDianne Wiest — Multiple scenes including Diane Wiest going through the pictures, Larry and his father scene, and the vibrator scene▶ 50:16
What's Aged the Best
Bill SimmonsLeaf Phoenix and Keanu Reeves early performances, the thumb trick, grandma inhaling helium scene, Gary's room scene, Phoenix calling his dad scene, The Cure poster in Julie's room, the tense face expression, and Harley Jane Kozak▶ 57:31
Van LathanKanye West referencing Parenthood in his song 'Gone' with the line about Jennifer Aniston▶ 56:46
What's Aged the Worst
Bill SimmonsSchool's handling of Kevin's emotional problems, tower shooting dream sequence, bomb threat joke, and Larry's gambling dialogue▶ 1:07:13
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsRobin Williams — Discussed Robin Williams as alternate for Steve Martin's Gil Buckman role, and Dan Aykroyd as age-appropriate option, but ultimately felt Steve Martin was miscast due to age (44 playing 35) rather than suggesting a definitive replacement▶ 1:13:22
Chris RyanAgreed Steve Martin looked too old for the role but focused more on script issues than casting alternatives▶ 1:13:02
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill SimmonsMultiple questions posed: Would you watch a 2000 sequel about Cool? What's Kevin Buckman's job now? What memorabilia would you want? Answered wanting Robards' car or Tom Hulse's hair as memorabilia▶ 1:36:02
Chris RyanWould watch Cool sequel (pitched as thriller with Cool searching for Larry in Chile), thinks Kevin Buckman is GM of Padres using advanced analytics▶ 1:36:17
Van LathanWould watch Cool sequel, criticized Cool's name as problematic, thinks Kevin Buckman probably works for The Ringer now▶ 1:36:11
Who Won the Movie
Bill SimmonsRon Howard — Ron Howard - coming off the Willow bomb, this opened the door for the next 30 years of movies for him▶ 1:40:06
Chris RyanDianne Wiest — Diane Wiest - she's amazing in every scene, funny and heartbreaking, gets nominated despite less screen time▶ 1:39:05
Van LathanSteve Martin — Steve Martin - this role gives him latitude to show the complete limits of his powers, like a five-tool player showing off every skill▶ 1:40:31
Movies Referenced (42)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amadeus (1984) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:09:58 |
| Apollo 13 (1995) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan | ▶ 26:59 |
| Father of the Bride (1991) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 29:12 |
| Friday Night Lights (2004) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Van Lathan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 37:48 |
| American Graffiti (1973) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 31:35 |
| Gladiator (2000) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Van Lathan | ▶ 56:20 |
| Good Time (2017) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Van Lathan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 53:28 |
| Rachel Getting Married (2008) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 2:51 |
| A Few Good Men (1992) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 33:55 |
| Fargo (1996) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 20:57 |
| Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Van Lathan | ▶ 38:10 |
| Ghostbusters (1984) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:43:18 |
Directors Referenced (12)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ron Howard | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 26 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Chris Ryan | A Beautiful Mind | ▶ 2:18 |
| Amy Hulse | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 9 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Chris Ryan | Only the Brave, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot | ▶ 14:50 |
| Mel Gibson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Van Lathan, Bill Simmons | Braveheart, Lethal Weapon 3, Conspiracy Theory | ▶ 29:30 |
| Ivan Reitman | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Van Lathan | Up in the Air, Ghostbusters | ▶ 1:43:02 |
| Dennis Dugan | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy | ▶ 1:16:42 |
| Barry Levinson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Van Lathan | Rain Man, Wag the Dog | ▶ 25:01 |
| David Lynch | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Van Lathan | ▶ 1:33:23 | |
| Gus Van Sant | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 58:02 | |
| Howard Hughes | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Van Lathan | ▶ 1:23:24 | |
| Jonathan Demme | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia, Rachel Getting Married | ▶ 28:54 |
| Rob Reiner | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Van Lathan | This Is Spinal Tap, The Wolf of Wall Street | ▶ 25:01 |
| Taylor Hackford | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:36:26 |
Actors Referenced (48)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Martin | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 38 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Chris Ryan | The Jerk | ▶ 2:18 |
| River Phoenix | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 22 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Van Lathan | My Own Private Idaho, Stand by Me, The Mosquito Coast | ▶ 15:44 |
| Jason Robards | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 17 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Chris Ryan | All the President's Men, Magnolia, Once Upon a Time in the West | ▶ 9:29 |
| Keanu Reeves | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 12 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan | The Matrix, Speed, Point Break | ▶ 17:05 |
| Harley Jane Kozak | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 10 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Parenthood, When Harry Met Sally... | ▶ 1:04:27 |
| Helen Shaw | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Bill Simmons | Parenthood | ▶ 14:34 |
| Dan Aykroyd | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan | Ghostbusters | ▶ 1:52 |
| LeBron James | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 41:36 | |
| Kathleen Turner | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Chris Ryan | Romancing the Stone, Peggy Sue Got Married, Body Heat | ▶ 1:17:33 |
| Clint Howard | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Chris Ryan, Van Lathan, Bill Simmons | How the Grinch Stole Christmas | ▶ 47:22 |
| John Kruk | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Van Lathan | ▶ 54:27 | |
| Neil Diamond | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:25:58 |
Writers Referenced (4)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tommy Lee | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Chris Ryan | Vanilla Sky | ▶ 55:17 |
| Brian Grazer | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13 | ▶ 35:12 |
| James Cameron | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | Avatar, Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day | ▶ 1:22:28 |
| Roger Ebert | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 39:04 |
Cinematographers Referenced (1)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Grantland | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Van Lathan | The Other Guys | ▶ 26:46 |