Grays Almanac

Home/Episodes/Saving Private Ryan

‘Saving Private Ryan’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey

September 6, 2022 · Saving Private Ryan (1998) · Drama · War · 2:00:13 · ▶ Listen on Spotify

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

Categories

Hall of Fame Plaque

Bill Simmons▶ 18:21This is Spielberg's last movie that belongs on his Hall of Fame plaque - it completes his legacy as the best director of his generation and possibly all time
Bill Simmons▶ 1:45:26No — this is not Spielberg's Hall of Fame plaque movie: it's Jaws (with Schindler's List also cited), and it's not Hanks's plaque movie either.
Chris Ryan▶ 16:25This is Spielberg's genius movie that only he could have made - showcasing his technical proficiency and filmmaking mastery
Sean Fennessey▶ 14:49This might be the last of Spielberg's five movies that are in the 100 greatest American films - it closes the door on his status as the most important filmmaker of his generation

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 30:32Giovanni Ribisi — Definitely Apex Mountain for Rabisi

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 36:15Omaha Beach as one long scene, particularly the Pepper sniper sequence; the church conversation scene; Ribisi's death scene; and the Sizemore-Hanks confrontation leading to Hanks' speech

What's Aged the Best

Bill Simmons▶ 52:55Sizemore's Dirt Collection and Young Damon, Young Giamatti, Young Cranston, and Young Diesel
Chris Ryan▶ 53:05Small gestural details and totems the characters pick up, including the Hitler Youth knife given to Mellish and the pencil callback

Dion Waiters Award

Bill Simmons▶ 54:44Dennis Farina — Dennis Farina with three exclamation points and Ted Danson with three exclamation points
Chris Ryan▶ 54:48Dennis Farina — Dennis Farina with five exclamation points and Ted Danson with three and a half exclamation points
Sean Fennessey▶ 55:07Dennis Farina — Agrees with Farina and Danson picks, appreciates the concept of older guys being called back to field duty

Den of Thieves Benihana Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:04:14Initially picks the final battle location/bridge, but acknowledges multiple strong options including the church and Omaha Beach

Great Shot Gordo Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:06:41The underwater shot in the opening battle
Chris Ryan▶ 1:04:58Multiple shots: the mother walking out of kitchen against doorway, heads emerging over the hill, wide shot of five guys on steps listening to record player, and complex handheld choreographed shots
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:05:33Agrees with another host's picks and highlights the helmet/head shot scene and the tank crossing scene in the bridge battle

Ron Burgundy Flute Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:07:07The 13 minutes between the end of Omaha Beach and when Hanks's mission is revealed - the mom in Iowa, the letter, Field General George Marshall

What's Aged the Worst

Bill Simmons▶ 1:19:10Agrees somewhat with another host's position about changed feelings toward the movie
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:19:04Their own feelings about the movie have aged the worst

Is There a Better Title?

Bill Simmons▶ 1:20:02No, there is no better title

Best Quote

Bill Simmons▶ 1:20:04Every man I kill the farther from home I feel
Chris Ryan▶ 1:20:20I don't gripe to you, Rybin. I'm a captain. There's a chain of command. Gripes go up, not down. Always up. You gripe to me. I gripe to my superior officer, so on and so on and so on.

Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:20:47Ed Burns is genuinely excellent in this movie and should have been a major mainstream movie star — he has 'the best movie star part in this movie' and could have taken the Affleck lane (Reindeer Games, Pearl Harbor) if he hadn't kept writing/directing the same rom-com.
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:26:45Are we sure this should have won Best Picture? He'd rather watch Out of Sight today, and argues The Truman Show was the most prescient, deserving movie of that year.

Overacting Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:30:44Nathan Fillion — Nathan Fillion as Fake Private Ryan - who has to fake cry for two minutes
Chris Ryan▶ 1:30:56The German soldier digging his own grave singing the national anthem

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 1:35:52Matt Damon — Matt Damon for Tom Hanks' role in a 2022 version
Chris Ryan▶ 1:35:34Emphasized the role requires someone willing to be a movie star
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:35:25Jake Gyllenhaal — Suggested Jake Gyllenhaal but noted he's too handsome and nervy

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 1:37:34Agrees the Spielberg no-late-entry story didn't pass the 'smell test' and questions its credibility
Chris Ryan▶ 1:37:17Spielberg allegedly made an edict that no one could enter theaters after the movie started (but doesn't believe it's true), and the Lincoln Bixby letter was based on inaccurate information - only two of her sons actually died in battle, not all five
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:38:29Comments on the Lincoln Bixby letter revelation, noting it as another example of 'America built on a foundation of lies'

Racehorse Name Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:45:30Private Ryan, Ugly Tree, Omaha Beach, or Earn this

Is This Movie Better With

Bill Simmons▶ 1:53:11Wayne Jenkins
Bill Simmons▶ 1:54:12Steven Spielberg — Spielberg (and potentially both Spielberg and Hanks)
Chris Ryan▶ 1:53:18J.T. Walsh — JT Walsh or Philip Baker Hall, then Wayne Jenkins as Rybin
Chris Ryan▶ 1:54:05Tom Hanks

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:54:55Did Ryan really earn it?

Coach Finstock Life Lesson

Bill Simmons▶ 1:57:55War is hell, kill the bad guy when you have a chance, and earn this

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:58:22Steven Spielberg
Chris Ryan▶ 1:58:26Giovanni Ribisi — Rabisi and then Hicks

Movies Referenced (87)

Jaws (1975)

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 12:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

25th Hour (2002)

4 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 37:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Minority Report (2002)

4 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 11:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Shakespeare in Love (1998)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 24:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

American History X (1998)

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 29:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dunkirk (2017)

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 18:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Fargo (1996)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 25:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Forrest Gump (1994)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 26:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Heat (1995)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 25:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jurassic Park (1993)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 13:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Life Is Beautiful (1997)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 24:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Out of Sight (1998)

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 28:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (16)

Steven Spielberg

49 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Schindler's List, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Saving Private Ryan▶ 3:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tom Brady

4 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Hot Chick▶ 17:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

George Marshall

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for How the West Was Won▶ 1:07:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Oliver Stone

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Born on the Fourth of July, Platoon, JFK▶ 1:09:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Woody Allen

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Annie Hall, Manhattan, Deconstructing Harry▶ 1:22:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Christopher Nolan

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for Tenet, Interstellar, Inception▶ 19:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Ford

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Quiet Man, The Grapes of Wrath, How Green Was My Valley▶ 18:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mel Gibson

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Braveheart, Conspiracy Theory▶ 21:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Peter Weir

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, The Way Back, Witness▶ 29:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ridley Scott

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Martian, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise▶ 19:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cary Brokaw

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Player▶ 1:41:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Madden

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Shakespeare in Love, Proof▶ 29:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (65)

Tom Hanks

40 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Cast Away, Big, Forrest Gump▶ 3:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Matt Damon

25 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Good Will Hunting, The Martian, The Departed▶ 3:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Barry Pepper

21 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for True Grit, The Green Mile▶ 11:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tom Sizemore

21 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down▶ 3:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dennis Farina

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Get Shorty, Manhunter, Snatch▶ 54:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Vin Diesel

10 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for The Fast and the Furious, Guardians of the Galaxy▶ 38:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Harrison Ford

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, The Fugitive▶ 21:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roberto Benigni

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Life Is Beautiful, Down by Law▶ 24:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Adam Goldberg

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for A Beautiful Mind, Saving Private Ryan, Deja Vu▶ 39:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Paul Giamatti

6 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Sideways, Cinderella Man, American Splendor▶ 45:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Adam Driver

4 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi▶ 1:34:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Max Martini

4 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, Captain Phillips, Pacific Rim▶ 1:32:18IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (6)

Ed Burns

16 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 45:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

William Goldman

15 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, The Princess Bride▶ 26:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Harvey Weinstein

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for Shakespeare in Love, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Hateful Eight▶ 24:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Robert Rodat

4 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Saving Private Ryan▶ 32:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Frank Darabont

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, The Mist▶ 1:28:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Brian Koppelman

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Runaway Jury, Runner Runner, Michael Clayton▶ 39:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (3)

Eric Steelberg

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Saturday Night, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Up in the Air▶ 1:16:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Janusz Kaminski

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Schindler's List, Minority Report▶ 9:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Grantland

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Taking of Pelham 123, The Other Guys▶ 43:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗