‘Project X’ With Bill Simmons, David Jacoby, and Craig Horlbeck
June 28, 2022 · Project X (2012) · Comedy · Thriller · 1:27:35 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
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Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill Simmons▶ 18:49Multiple scenes: spreading the word at high school, meeting Miles Teller in liquor store, getting drugs from T-Rex, party taking off, Robert the neighbor confrontation, cops hiding everyone in backyard
Bill Simmons▶ 26:00The cops showing up while the entire party hides silently in the backyard - 'this might be the best scene of the last 10 years' - flowing into Costa's middle fingers and the Pursuit of Happiness (Kid Cudi/Steve Aoki remix) needle drop as the party turns back on. Also flagged the party taking off, the dog in the bouncy castle, Robert the neighbor getting tased, the roof 'look what we did' scene, T-Rick's flamethrower, and the ending walk through school.
Craig Horlbeck▶ 21:25Contributes to discussion of T-Rex scene and Robert the neighbor scene, notes security guards being like 12 years old
Craig Horlbeck▶ 26:58The moment the best song in the movie drops - the Pursuit of Happiness remix - as the party restarts; argued the 2012-era music might be 'the winner of the movie' and praised Robert-the-neighbor details like the 12-year-old security guards.
David Jacoby▶ 21:23Agrees with T-Rex scene and cops hiding everyone in backyard scene (calls it 'best scene of the last 10 years')
David Jacoby▶ 26:45The payoff when the party roars back on after the silence - 'one of the many crescendos of the film' ('it's all worth it for what happens next'); also singled out the ~45 frames of the dog in the bouncy castle and gave a needle-drop shout-out to Eminem's White Trash Party.
Best Quote
Bill Simmons▶ 36:54JB, why do you have a boner? and various other quotes mentioned throughout discussion
Craig Horlbeck▶ 37:45Discussed quotes like 'you guys fucking suck' and 'hey, you didn't pay us' but no single definitive pick
David Jacoby▶ 31:55We're going to have to let this thing burn out before we think about going back in
Slow Ride Award
David Jacoby▶ 41:24Discusses both Pursuit of Happiness and Heads Will Roll as the two crescendos/peaks of the party without clearly stating a preference
Big Kahuna Burger Award
Craig Horlbeck▶ 42:13Mentions ecstasy and highlights JB offering red wine to a woman who then shotguns beer instead
What's Aged the Worst
Bill Simmons▶ 45:02The disclaimer at the beginning being weird, Costa's inappropriate language, reference to Playboy's Pac-10 issue since Playboy no longer publishes with nudity, and Dax filming people hooking up without consent
Craig Horlbeck▶ 45:05The disclaimer at the beginning - couldn't tell if it was actual disclaimer or bragging about how epic the party was
David Jacoby▶ 46:14Dax non-consensually filming people hooking up - noted it seemed fine originally but feels wrong on rewatch
Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
Bill Simmons▶ 51:51Project XX (college sequel four years later) was one of the biggest missed sequel opportunities of the last decade
Craig Horlbeck▶ 50:52The party was worth it for Thomas - he gained confidence, popularity, and will have a better college experience
David Jacoby▶ 54:54Project X is the greatest piece of art that our species have ever accomplished, surpassing the Mona Lisa, Sistine Chapel, and Schindler's List
Casting What-Ifs
Bill Simmons▶ 55:10Explained the casting process - they avoided solo casting, concentrated on groups of three, and had actors audition together. Noted casting what-ifs 'is just not a lot' for this film.
Craig Horlbeck▶ 56:56Have a low-level pop star like Bobby Brackens (someone weirdly popular in 2012) show up to perform at the party
David Jacoby▶ 56:13Snoop Dogg — Replace Miles Teller with Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, or Flo Rida to diversify the party and add a different element when the celebrity shows up in the Sprinter van
Overacting Award
Bill Simmons▶ 57:36Brendan — The high school bully (Brendan) - says everyone's overacting but calls out the bully's 40-second locker scene as 'a cliche of a cliche of a cliche'
David Jacoby▶ 58:09Brendan — Brendan the cool kid/bully - agrees he was the only one actually acting and was very bad, like something from 1974
Apex Mountain
Bill Simmons▶ 1:02:46Multiple apex mountains: every cast member except Miles Teller, North Pasadena as movie location, movie parties (1-seed candidate), ecstasy in movies (positive portrayal), roof jumps (final four), bouncy castles, Jonah Hill ripoff characters
Craig Horlbeck▶ 1:03:28Movie parties - 'Name me a movie that has a better party scene than this' and 'this is unparalleled'
Just One Oscar
Craig Horlbeck▶ 1:15:14Agrees with editing choice, noting they had thousands of hours of footage to filter through
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill Simmons▶ 1:16:07Why wasn't Wheelchair Robert at the party; wouldn't the dog have died from all the drugs/alcohol; what did Costa's next 5 years look like (thinks he becomes like DJ Khaled or tries to capitalize on the party for years like the real Rudy); did T. Rick live and shouldn't he pay for the damage since he had the flamethrower
Craig Horlbeck▶ 1:16:42Thinks PETA would hate the movie for the dog treatment; suggests Costa creates party cleanup service or ends up showing party videos in college; asks if T. Rick should pay for damage since he burned it down; wonders if this movie paved the way for Euphoria by being first to show gritty teenage drug use up close
David Jacoby▶ 1:16:13Agrees about Wheelchair Robert needing a director's cut storyline; thinks the dog (Milo) doesn't survive; believes Costa becomes a loser in college, ends up as glue guy in worst frat, then runs nightclub at Hooters Casino in Vegas; questions why liability is solely on Thomas when T. Rick brought the flamethrower
Best Double Feature
Bill Simmons▶ 1:21:37National Lampoon's Animal House — Animal House and Project X as bookends, with Risky Business and Project X as an alternative
David Jacoby▶ 1:22:03National Lampoon's Animal House — Project X twice, though also considered Animal House, Risky Business, or Revenge of the Nerds
Coach Finstock Life Lesson
Bill Simmons▶ 1:24:41Parents should never go anywhere when they have kids between 14 and 18 - stay home 365 days a year during those years
Craig Horlbeck▶ 1:25:11Don't tell all your neighbors you're not going to have a party - it doesn't work and is a waste of time
David Jacoby▶ 1:25:40Don't go chasing waterfalls - don't pursue the unattainable (Alexis) when you have something good (Kirby) right in front of you
Who Won the Movie
Craig Horlbeck▶ 1:27:17The music or just the fact that the movie was made; agrees it's 'all of us' and 'humanity'
Movies Referenced (29)
Superbad (2007)
4 mentions · David Jacoby, Craig Horlbeck, Bill Simmons▶ 16:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Directors Referenced (2)
Todd Phillips
4 mentions · Bill Simmons, David Jacoby, Craig Horlbeck · Known for Joker, Due Date, Old School▶ 10:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Kosta Jokic
1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Fair Play▶ 41:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Actors Referenced (36)
Miles Teller
26 mentions · Bill Simmons, David Jacoby, Craig Horlbeck · Known for Whiplash, The Spectacular Now▶ 10:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Rick Shapiro
10 mentions · Bill Simmons, David Jacoby, Craig Horlbeck · Known for Project X▶ 22:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Alexis Knapp
8 mentions · Craig Horlbeck, David Jacoby, Bill Simmons · Known for Pitch Perfect, Project X▶ 46:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Chet Hanks
5 mentions · David Jacoby · Known for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Project X▶ 1:01:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Jonah Hill
4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Craig Horlbeck · Known for 21 Jump Street, 22 Jump Street, The Wolf of Wall Street▶ 16:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Snoop Dogg
4 mentions · David Jacoby, Bill Simmons · Known for Training Day, Soul Plane▶ 39:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Steve Aoki
3 mentions · Bill Simmons, David Jacoby · Known for The Raid 2, Men in Black: International▶ 33:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Burt Reynolds
2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Boogie Nights, Smokey and the Bandit, Striptease▶ 48:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Chris Rock
2 mentions · David Jacoby, Bill Simmons · Known for Top Five, The Longest Yard, Head of State▶ 29:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Writers Referenced (2)
Matt Drake
2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Charlie Countryman, Project X▶ 10:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Michael Bacall
2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Inglourious Basterds, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 21 Jump Street▶ 10:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Cinematographers Referenced (1)
Michael Grantland
3 mentions · Bill Simmons, David Jacoby · Known for The Taking of Pelham 123, The Other Guys▶ 3:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗