‘The Gambler’ (2014) With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan
December 17, 2024 · The Gambler (2014) · Crime · Drama · Thriller · 1:43:37 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
Categories
Most Rewatchable Scene
Chris RyanThe opening gambling scene - 'I could watch that scene, that 10 minutes over and over and over again'▶ 33:05
Butch's Girlfriend Award
Bill SimmonsThe relationship between Brie Larson's character and Jim - doesn't make sense why a 20-year-old bookworm would like a self-destructive professor on a gambling bender▶ 1:04:27
Chris RyanThe lack of sophisticated gambling - there's no real skill or strategy deployed, just stacking and destruction▶ 1:07:27
Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
Bill SimmonsMark Wahlberg has worked with the best collection of very attractive actresses at the perfect times of their career▶ 1:14:20
Chris RyanBookies would not be this permissive - giving Jim $240,000 credit is unrealistic, should be more like $25K▶ 1:15:37
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsBen Affleck — Discusses Scorsese/Leo/Moynihan originally attached, Todd Phillips considered, mentions Ben Affleck was in the mix and would have been right for it at that time▶ 1:17:27
Chris RyanOscar Isaac — Oscar Isaac or Ethan Hawke - wants someone more bookish for the lead role▶ 1:18:23
Apex Mountain
Bill SimmonsLists multiple potential Apex Mountains: cereal conversations, shaving points in movies (Blue chips), Omega watches in film, and agrees with watching basketball indoors with sunglasses on▶ 1:24:21
Chris RyanBrie Larson — Cocktail waitresses in movies, citing Brie Larson and the woman at the horse track scene▶ 1:24:52
Hanks or Cruise
Bill SimmonsTom Cruise — Cruise - calls it 'easily a cruise' and 'the easiest cruise in a while'▶ 1:26:21
Chris RyanTom Cruise — Cruise - agrees and discusses what era of Cruise would be best (around Jerry Maguire/Vanilla Sky era when he's about 35)▶ 1:26:35
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill SimmonsThe giant bag of cash in the locker is ludicrous; the basketball game logistics are idiotic - they're up seven but not fouling or dribbling out the clock, taking early possession shots instead of choking the game out▶ 1:30:03
Chris RyanWhat was Jim's bet? Why is Lamar practicing in a tiny gym that looks like a middle school gym instead of USC's giant gym?▶ 1:29:34
Is This Movie Better With
Bill SimmonsSamuel L. Jackson — Sam Jackson - suggests he wouldn't have been a bad thing in this movie▶ 1:32:50
Chris RyanSamuel L. Jackson — Sam Jackson as Neville - says Sam Jackson and Goodman in the same movie would have been awesome▶ 1:32:53
Best Double Feature
Bill SimmonsTwo for the Money — Two for the Money paired with The Gambler (original), with The Gambler first▶ 1:37:53
Chris RyanTwo for the Money — Two for the Money paired with The Gambler (original), but would watch Two for the Money second as a palate cleanser since the Jimmy Caan movie is very serious▶ 1:38:03
Who Won the Movie
Bill SimmonsJohn Goodman — John Goodman - because if that Goodman part isn't good, the movie falls apart, and it needed someone who wouldn't overact or try too hard▶ 1:39:54
Chris RyanWilliam Monahan — William Monaghan (the screenwriter) - because the movie is unvarnished his thing, with characters speaking from his POV and serving as a vehicle for his musings on society and existence▶ 1:39:44
Movies Referenced (48)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casino (1995) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 10 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 20:05 |
| Den of Thieves (2018) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 18:40 |
| Boogie Nights (1997) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 6:09 |
| Rain Man (1988) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:25:19 |
| The Departed (2006) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 16:31 |
| Miami Vice (2006) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:19:04 |
| The Italian Job (2003) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 21:07 |
| Fargo (1996) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:16:16 |
| Side Effects (2013) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:58 |
| Sideways (2004) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 18:38 |
| The Fighter (2010) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 21:14 |
| 2012 (2009) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 52:31 |
Directors Referenced (10)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rupert Wyatt | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 19:58 | |
| Shabazz Ray | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 48:04 | |
| Ridley Scott | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan | The Martian, Blade Runner | ▶ 16:27 |
| Ben Affleck | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Argo, Gone Girl, The Town | ▶ 1:18:06 |
| Béla Tarr | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:41:43 | |
| Howard Hawks | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:41:18 | |
| Michael Mann | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | The Insider, Collateral, The Last of the Mohicans | ▶ 18:58 |
| Rupert Sanders | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 25:44 | |
| Todd Phillips | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Joker, Due Date, Old School | ▶ 1:17:41 |
| William Friedkin | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | To Live and Die in L.A., The French Connection, The Exorcist | ▶ 43:08 |
Actors Referenced (67)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Wahlberg | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 37 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | The Fighter, Boogie Nights, The Departed | ▶ 5:44 |
| Brie Larson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 28 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Captain Marvel, Short Term 12 | ▶ 12:35 |
| John Goodman | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 25 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | 10 Cloverfield Lane, Barton Fink, Argo | ▶ 12:42 |
| Jack Nicholson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 10 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Chinatown, As Good as It Gets, The Departed | ▶ 4:53 |
| Danny Trejo | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Machete, From Dusk Till Dawn, Predators | ▶ 1:29:42 |
| James Caan | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Bill Simmons | Thief, Rollerball, Misery | ▶ 10:32 |
| Jon Bernthal | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons | The Wolf of Wall Street, King Richard | ▶ 8:51 |
| Gerard Butler | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons | Law Abiding Citizen, The Phantom of the Opera | ▶ 29:06 |
| Jessica Lange | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Tootsie, The Postman Always Rings Twice | ▶ 23:36 |
| William Monaghan | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 19:58 | |
| Domenick Lombardozzi | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:18:32 | |
| Ethan Hawke | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | Training Day, Before Sunrise, Before Midnight | ▶ 9:30 |
Writers Referenced (6)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cormac McCarthy | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan | No Country for Old Men | ▶ 26:26 |
| Roger Ebert | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 27:21 | |
| Dave Schultz | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:09:04 | |
| James Toback | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | The Gambler | ▶ 6:42 |
| Philip Roth | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:06:25 | |
| Sally Rooney | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:38:33 |
Cinematographers Referenced (1)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Grantland | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | The Other Guys | ▶ 4:45 |