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
Categories
Hall of Fame Plaque
Bill SimmonsThis 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▶ 18:21
Chris RyanThis is Spielberg's genius movie that only he could have made - showcasing his technical proficiency and filmmaking mastery▶ 16:25
Sean FennesseyThis 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▶ 14:49
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill SimmonsOmaha 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▶ 36:15
What's Aged the Best
Bill SimmonsSizemore's Dirt Collection and Young Damon, Young Giamatti, Young Cranston, and Young Diesel▶ 52:55
Chris RyanSmall gestural details and totems the characters pick up, including the Hitler Youth knife given to Mellish and the pencil callback▶ 53:05
Dion Waiters Award
Bill SimmonsDennis Farina — Dennis Farina with three exclamation points and Ted Danson with three exclamation points▶ 54:44
Chris RyanDennis Farina — Dennis Farina with five exclamation points and Ted Danson with three and a half exclamation points▶ 54:48
Sean FennesseyDennis Farina — Agrees with Farina and Danson picks, appreciates the concept of older guys being called back to field duty▶ 55:07
Den of Thieves Benihana Award
Bill SimmonsInitially picks the final battle location/bridge, but acknowledges multiple strong options including the church and Omaha Beach▶ 1:04:14
Great Shot Gordo Award
Chris RyanMultiple 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▶ 1:04:58
Sean FennesseyAgrees with SPEAKER_02's picks and highlights the helmet/head shot scene and the tank crossing scene in the bridge battle▶ 1:05:33
Ron Burgundy Flute Award
Bill SimmonsThe 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▶ 1:07:07
What's Aged the Worst
Bill SimmonsAgrees somewhat with SPEAKER_01's position about changed feelings toward the movie▶ 1:19:10
Best Quote
Chris RyanI 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.▶ 1:20:20
Overacting Award
Bill SimmonsNathan Fillion — Nathan Fillion as Fake Private Ryan - who has to fake cry for two minutes▶ 1:30:44
Casting What-Ifs
Sean FennesseyJake Gyllenhaal — Suggested Jake Gyllenhaal but noted he's too handsome and nervy▶ 1:35:25
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill SimmonsAgrees the Spielberg no-late-entry story didn't pass the 'smell test' and questions its credibility▶ 1:37:34
Chris RyanSpielberg 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▶ 1:37:17
Sean FennesseyComments on the Lincoln Bixby letter revelation, noting it as another example of 'America built on a foundation of lies'▶ 1:38:29
Movies Referenced (81)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaws (1975) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 12:13 |
| The Beach (2000) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 10:44 |
| 25th Hour (2002) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 37:39 |
| Minority Report (2002) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | ▶ 11:52 |
| Shakespeare in Love (1998) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 24:51 |
| American History X (1998) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | ▶ 29:07 |
| Dunkirk (2017) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 18:44 |
| Fargo (1996) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 25:35 |
| Forrest Gump (1994) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 26:05 |
| Jurassic Park (1993) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 13:02 |
| Life Is Beautiful (1997) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 24:13 |
| Out of Sight (1998) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | ▶ 28:54 |
Directors Referenced (16)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steven Spielberg | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 49 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | Schindler's List, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Saving Private Ryan | ▶ 3:12 |
| Tom Brady | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | The Hot Chick | ▶ 17:58 |
| George Marshall | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:07:26 | |
| Oliver Stone | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Born on the Fourth of July, Platoon, JFK | ▶ 1:09:05 |
| Woody Allen | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Annie Hall | ▶ 1:22:33 |
| Christopher Nolan | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | Tenet, Interstellar, Inception | ▶ 19:13 |
| John Ford | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 18:30 | |
| Mel Gibson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Braveheart, Lethal Weapon 3, Conspiracy Theory | ▶ 21:47 |
| Peter Weir | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | The Way Back, Witness | ▶ 29:33 |
| Ridley Scott | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | The Martian, Blade Runner | ▶ 19:21 |
| Cary Brokaw | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Player | ▶ 1:41:28 |
| John Madden | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Shakespeare in Love | ▶ 29:29 |
Actors Referenced (65)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Hanks | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 40 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | Cast Away, Big, Forrest Gump | ▶ 3:06 |
| Matt Damon | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 25 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | Good Will Hunting, The Martian, The Departed | ▶ 3:06 |
| Barry Pepper | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 21 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | True Grit, The Green Mile | ▶ 11:17 |
| Tom Sizemore | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 21 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down | ▶ 3:06 |
| Dennis Farina | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 11 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | Get Shorty, Manhunter, Snatch | ▶ 54:44 |
| Vin Diesel | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 10 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | The Fast and the Furious, Guardians of the Galaxy | ▶ 38:40 |
| Harrison Ford | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, The Fugitive | ▶ 21:47 |
| Roberto Benigni | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Life Is Beautiful | ▶ 24:13 |
| Adam Goldberg | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | A Beautiful Mind, Saving Private Ryan, Deja Vu | ▶ 39:44 |
| Paul Giamatti | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Sideways, Cinderella Man | ▶ 45:36 |
| Adam Driver | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:34:32 | |
| Max Martini | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Sean Fennessey | Captain Phillips, Pacific Rim | ▶ 1:32:18 |
Writers Referenced (6)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ed Burns | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 16 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 45:55 | |
| William Goldman | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 15 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, The Princess Bride | ▶ 26:55 |
| Harvey Weinstein | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | Shakespeare in Love, The Hateful Eight | ▶ 24:51 |
| Robert Rodat | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | Saving Private Ryan | ▶ 32:40 |
| Frank Darabont | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, The Mist | ▶ 1:28:39 |
| Brian Koppelman | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Runaway Jury, Michael Clayton | ▶ 39:52 |
Cinematographers Referenced (3)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Steelberg | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Up in the Air | ▶ 1:16:13 |
| Janusz Kaminski | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | Schindler's List, Minority Report | ▶ 9:39 |
| Michael Grantland | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Other Guys | ▶ 43:28 |