‘Rollerball’ (1975) With Bill Simmons and Brian Koppelman
August 12, 2025 · Rollerball (1975) · Action · Sci-Fi · Sport · 1:37:08
Categories
Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
Bill SimmonsJames Caan's performance is his single favorite great one-minute, terrible the next-minute performance in sports movies - scenes where he seems checked out and muttering, then becomes Sonny Corleone as a rollerball player with A++ athlete mystique▶ 14:41
Brian KoppelmanDefends Caan's performance as intentional - argues he's playing a guy lulled to sleep by the world he's in, only coming alive during sports, which explains the muttering/zonked out delivery▶ 16:26
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill SimmonsMultiple scenes including the opening/first 10 minutes with credits and music, Jonathan's lecture to the team when Tuffy decides to make a run at him, the interview with Jonathan and his girlfriend with the stats guy, the crazy futuristic party, and Tokyo versus Houston with no penalties▶ 39:12
Teddy KGB Award
Brian KoppelmanRalph Richardson — Sir Ralph Richardson - describes him as being in his own movie, making James Caan totally different, like he's in a Bond comedy while everyone else is in a different film▶ 1:03:38
Butch's Girlfriend Award
Bill SimmonsThe corporation's plan to change the rules instead of just killing Jonathan - should have just killed him outright rather than rigging the game▶ 1:05:43
Brian KoppelmanThe scene where the blonde girlfriend comes in and Jonathan realizes she's turned, similar to Sharon Stone in Total Recall, and when Jonathan almost hurts her▶ 1:06:39
What's Aged the Worst
Brian KoppelmanAgrees about the 2002 remake - watched only 30-40 seconds before shutting it off and refused to see it in theaters▶ 1:08:24
Overacting Award
Bill SimmonsJonathan's ex-girlfriend shooting the fire gun with that crazy look on her face▶ 1:10:45
Brian KoppelmanSeemed to lean toward the coach but didn't give a definitive pick, instead discussed how the director may have focused more on stunts than performance direction▶ 1:10:51
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsGene Hackman — Gene Hackman as Houston coach, Burt Reynolds could do athleticism/swagger, Warren Beatty would be interesting and athletically credible▶ 1:14:06
Brian KoppelmanJames Caan — James Caan better choice than Burt Reynolds because he reads as smarter, Redford not credible athletically, agrees Warren Beatty could work▶ 1:14:18
Apex Mountain
Bill SimmonsJames Caan — James Caan - yes, around this time period; Norman Jewison - no, In the Heat of the Night; John Hausman - no, Paper Chase; Houston as sports city - no clear pick between Jonathan E era vs Hakeem Rockets vs Dallas TV show era; Roller skating movies - yes▶ 1:16:21
Brian KoppelmanNorman Jewison — Norman Jewison - Moonstruck; Roller skating movies - yes, this is the coolest roller skating ever looked▶ 1:17:31
Hanks or Cruise
Brian KoppelmanTom Cruise — Agrees this would have been an amazing Cruise movie, but suggests Hanks could play the Hausman role in a dark turn▶ 1:18:41
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill SimmonsGambling existed in 1975 with spreads being put out, so the movie missed an opportunity not including betting lines on the rollerball games▶ 1:21:15
Brian KoppelmanLooked up the rules penalties - violence was only penalized if it occurred outside the course of gameplay, but was allowed during active play▶ 1:20:19
Is This Movie Better With
Bill SimmonsJohn Cazale — John Cazale - could come over after Jonathan refuses Bartholomew and say 'Johnny, you don't talk to a guy like Mr. Bartholomew like that'▶ 1:23:45
Brian KoppelmanNorm MacDonald — Norm McDonald (for commentary on the game), John Cazale (his character from The Conversation would fit), and 1975 Meryl Streep instead of Maud Adams▶ 1:23:14
Just One Oscar
Bill SimmonsSuggests both production design and stunts, ultimately seeming to favor production design▶ 1:24:36
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill SimmonsDo the Dolans own the New York rollerball team? And what happens the day after - does Jonathan form a players union or does he take down the whole society?▶ 1:28:03
Brian KoppelmanAre the rollerball players robots/androids? References suggest they might all be androids, with Jonathan being a robot who gets rebuilt each time he's destroyed and doesn't know his true nature▶ 1:26:25
Movies Referenced (45)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moon (2009) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 23 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | ▶ 34:21 |
| Charlie's Angels (2000) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 57:08 |
| In the Heat of the Night (1967) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 23:48 |
| The Shining (1980) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | ▶ 41:59 |
| Creed (2015) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | ▶ 53:58 |
| Eyes Wide Shut (1999) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 41:59 |
| Misery (1990) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Brian Koppelman | ▶ 14:11 |
| Munich (2005) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 32:06 |
| Rocky II (1979) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 36:31 |
| Side Effects (2013) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Brian Koppelman | ▶ 0:56 |
| The Longest Yard (2005) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 6:32 |
| Weapons (2025) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Brian Koppelman | ▶ 44:50 |
Directors Referenced (10)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norman Jewison | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 11 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | In the Heat of the Night, Moonstruck | ▶ 9:14 |
| Martin Scorsese | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | Taxi Driver, Killers of the Flower Moon, Mean Streets | ▶ 1:19:02 |
| Oliver Stone | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Brian Koppelman | Born on the Fourth of July, Platoon, JFK | ▶ 31:30 |
| Quentin Tarantino | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Brian Koppelman | Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, From Dusk Till Dawn | ▶ 37:02 |
| Sean Penn | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Mystic River, 21 Grams, Dead Man Walking | ▶ 48:58 |
| Ben Stouffer | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Haunting in Connecticut | ▶ 11:53 |
| John McTiernan | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Die Hard, Last Action Hero | ▶ 1:08:04 |
| Robert Kennedy | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Brian Koppelman | ▶ 1:13:57 | |
| Stanley Kubrick | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Brian Koppelman | A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon | ▶ 1:05:27 |
| Warren Beatty | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Heaven Can Wait | ▶ 1:14:47 |
Actors Referenced (45)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Caan | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 10 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | Thief, Rollerball, Misery | ▶ 5:16 |
| Burt Reynolds | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | Boogie Nights, Smokey and the Bandit, Striptease | ▶ 15:31 |
| Dick Enberg | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons | Heaven Can Wait, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! | ▶ 1:03:05 |
| Mr. T | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | Rocky III | ▶ 53:36 |
| John Cazale | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | Dog Day Afternoon, The Godfather | ▶ 1:23:45 |
| Tik Tok | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:08:48 | |
| Barbara Trentham | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Rollerball | ▶ 1:01:14 |
| Barbra Streisand | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 29:31 | |
| Bruce Lee | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | Enter the Dragon | ▶ 55:27 |
| Harrison Ford | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, The Fugitive | ▶ 14:34 |
| James Mason | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | North by Northwest | ▶ 28:17 |
| Justin Yard | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 6:32 |
Writers Referenced (5)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Kahn | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | ▶ 30:54 | |
| Brian Koppelman | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Runaway Jury, Michael Clayton | ▶ 57:32 |
| Tony Gilroy | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Brian Koppelman | Michael Clayton, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story | ▶ 1:31:49 |
| William Gibson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Brian Koppelman | ▶ 1:22:35 | |
| William Harrison | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Rollerball | ▶ 35:53 |
Cinematographers Referenced (1)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Goodell | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:00:04 |