‘Rain Man’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
August 24, 2021 · Rain Man (1988) · Drama · 1:38:06 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
Categories
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsDustin Hoffman — Dustin Hoffman could have been Fredo in The Godfather - 'he could have been a great Fredo'▶ 18:48
Sean FennesseyDustin Hoffman — Agreed that Dustin Hoffman 'could have been good Fredo' in The Godfather▶ 18:49
Who Won the Movie
Bill SimmonsSuggests Cruise's part is weirdly harder than Hoffman's part, but doesn't give a definitive winner▶ 23:20
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill SimmonsThe stigma of card counting - they don't win enough money to warrant the casino response, and crowds don't gather behind blackjack winners unless betting a million dollars a hand▶ 51:16
Chris RyanQuestions the economics of the movie's premise and agrees $80k in 1988 would be like $400k today▶ 50:43
Sean FennesseyThe likelihood of being called into the manager's office for card counting after winning that amount seems ridiculous since it's not illegal and not the largest sum ever won▶ 52:09
What's Aged the Worst
Bill SimmonsTom Cruise trying to smoke cigarettes - he holds cigarettes like it's offensive and never actually smokes them, just lights them and lets them dangle▶ 53:02
Chris RyanTom Cruise's cigarette smoking - he's supposed to be a chain smoker but holds cigarettes like he's holding a tree stump, always awkward▶ 53:48
Sean FennesseyAcknowledges the Tom Cruise smoking issue but is less outraged than the other hosts, explaining it makes sense because his body is a temple▶ 55:03
Joey Pants Award
Bill SimmonsNick Mazzola — Nick Mazzola, the blackjack dealer at Caesars Palace who also appeared in Vegas Vacation and Casino and was a real blackjack dealer▶ 57:24
Chris RyanNick Mazzola — Nick Mazzola, agreeing with the pick and praising his IMDB page showing Vegas Vacation, Rain Man, and Casino▶ 57:37
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill SimmonsPresents multiple trivia facts: Hoffman and Cruise called it 'two schmucks in a car', filmed during Writers Guild strike so they winged the final scene, airlines deleted airplane accident scenes except Qantas, Hoffman wanted to quit after 3 weeks, movie based on real savant Kim Peek, and the roommate story of Hoffman, Hackman, and Duvall living together in NYC▶ 1:02:35
Chris RyanResponds to trivia with commentary about the movie's ending, makes jokes about alternate endings, discusses airline travel changes, and participates in the three actors discussion choosing Duvall as preferred career▶ 1:03:38
Sean FennesseyEngages with the trivia by discussing the movie's ending, the three actors' roommate situation, and asking follow-up questions about their careers and personalities▶ 1:03:00
Apex Mountain
Bill SimmonsTom Cruise — Tom Cruise - 1988 (but thinks 1996 is better), Dustin Hoffman - Kramer vs. Kramer, People's Court - late 80s, Barry Levinson - yes (Rain Man period), Valeria Golino - Hot Shots▶ 1:12:21
Chris RyanTom Cruise — Tom Cruise - 1996 (agrees with SPEAKER_01), Valeria Golino - Hot Shots▶ 1:12:52
Movies Referenced (56)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casino (1995) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 51:26 |
| Jerry Maguire (1996) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 33:56 |
| Road Trip (2000) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 29:18 |
| All the President's Men (1976) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 7:07 |
| Mississippi Burning (1988) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 31:37 |
| Die Hard (1988) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 23:59 |
| Midnight Cowboy (1969) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 3:33 |
| Midnight Run (1988) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:17:51 |
| The Graduate (1967) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 5:41 |
| I Am Sam (2001) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 25:25 |
| Top Gun (1986) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 20:35 |
| Death of a Salesman (1951) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 7:23 |
Directors Referenced (7)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barry Levinson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 23 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | Rain Man, Wag the Dog | ▶ 23:03 |
| Mike Nichols | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | The Graduate | ▶ 32:26 |
| Martin Brest | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Scent of a Woman, Midnight Run, Beverly Hills Cop | ▶ 15:37 |
| Michael Mann | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | The Insider, Collateral, The Last of the Mohicans | ▶ 1:04:58 |
| Taylor Hackford | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 8:06 | |
| Tim Burton | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Edward Scissorhands | ▶ 24:03 |
| Tom Brady | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Hot Chick | ▶ 1:07:55 |
Actors Referenced (54)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dustin Hoffman | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 79 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | Rain Man, Tootsie, Midnight Cowboy | ▶ 2:01 |
| Charlie Sheen | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 33 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | Wall Street | ▶ 12:16 |
| Tom Cruise | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 26 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | Top Gun, Minority Report | ▶ 2:02 |
| Gene Hackman | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 19 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | The French Connection, The Royal Tenenbaums, Unforgiven | ▶ 32:32 |
| Robert Duvall | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | The Judge | ▶ 1:07:06 |
| Peter Road | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:17:33 | |
| Jack Nicholson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Chinatown, As Good as It Gets, The Departed | ▶ 2:58 |
| Brian Markinson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 56:54 | |
| Paul Newman | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Road to Perdition, The Verdict | ▶ 3:03 |
| Robert De Niro | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | Cape Fear, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver | ▶ 2:58 |
| Bruce Willis | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | Die Hard, Pulp Fiction | ▶ 32:47 |
| Daniel Day-Lewis | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | There Will Be Blood, The Last of the Mohicans, Lincoln | ▶ 9:55 |
Writers Referenced (9)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carl Bernstein | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | All the President's Men | ▶ 17:21 |
| Roger Ebert | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 36:58 | |
| Ali Bathgate | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | F1: The Movie, Enola Holmes | ▶ 5:24 |
| Barry Morrow | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Rain Man | ▶ 1:06:16 |
| Elmore Leonard | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Out of Sight, Get Shorty | ▶ 7:58 |
| Marie Brenner | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Insider, Richard Jewell | ▶ 13:47 |
| Michael Cimino | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Deer Hunter | ▶ 7:39 |
| Noah Baumbach | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | The Squid and the Whale, Marriage Story | ▶ 4:37 |
| Ron Kovic | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | Born on the Fourth of July | ▶ 33:48 |
Cinematographers Referenced (2)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christophe Legal | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 11:52 | |
| Michael Grantland | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Other Guys | ▶ 1:09:54 |