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‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Andy Greenwald

August 13, 2024 · The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) · Comedy · Drama · 2:07:07 · ▶ Listen on Spotify

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

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Most Rewatchable Scene

Chris Ryan▶ 43:52Multiple scenes including Gustav greeting the Dowager Countess ('to fucking Lutz'), Gustav showing Zero the ropes, the Lutz train sequence, Gustav in jail meeting Pinky and Ludwig's gang, the 'not agreed' Kovacs scene and chase sequence, and the prison break
Sean Fennessey▶ 44:40Gustav and the Dowager Countess scene, specifically when he says 'this diabolical varnish' about her nail polish

Great Shot Gordo Award

Andy Greenwald▶ 54:35Alpine chase sequence
Chris Ryan▶ 54:17Lobby boy training sequence - introducing zero to the world
Sean Fennessey▶ 54:13Prefers smaller sequences like the first conversation between Zero and Gustav, and Harvey Keitel's prison break explanation scene

Apex Mountain

Andy Greenwald▶ 57:20Ralph Fiennes — Argues this film was reputation reorienting for Ralph Fiennes, showcasing his range beyond his typically brilliant but non-starring roles, and that his career only got better after this
Chris Ryan▶ 58:13Ralph Fiennes — Discusses Fiennes' willingness to take character roles and be versatile throughout his career, but doesn't clearly state if this specific film was his peak
Sean Fennessey▶ 58:54Ralph Fiennes — Yes, this was Apex Mountain for Ralph Fiennes - describes it as part of an amazing 10-year window including Harry Potter, Skyfall, Grand Budapest Hotel

Dion Waiters Award

Andy Greenwald▶ 1:44:36Jeff Goldblum — a shockingly small part that casts an important shadow over the movie; also endorsed Lucas Hedges (Wes flew him to Germany for one scene after Moonrise Kingdom)
Chris Ryan▶ 1:00:42Tom Wilkinson
Chris Ryan▶ 1:45:11Lucas Hedges as the gas-pump attendant for the heat check; split the award into tiers, putting up Ed Norton/Harvey Keitel/Jeff Goldblum as the 'a little more than a Dion, too big to be a That Guy' group (with Larry Pine as his Best That Guy)
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:44:31Harvey Keitel (Ludwig) for the larger-role tier ('I love that performance'); agreed Lucas Hedges' gas-pump attendant is 'the answer' for the heat check

What's Aged the Best

Andy Greenwald▶ 1:05:38Discussion of how Wes Anderson works best with either completely untrained young actors or the best actors in the world - the bell curve theory
Chris Ryan▶ 1:07:55Tilda Swinton's old age makeup, everyone doing their own accents, and the concept of small frequent meals for stamina
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:09:17Tony Revolori's amateur quality being appropriate for his character, and the movie's color palette being influential on graphic design and fashion

Den of Thieves Benihana Award

Andy Greenwald▶ 1:16:32The Zwinger Museum in Dresden (which doubled for the Kunst Museum in the chase scene) and noted the hotel was actually a converted department store
Chris Ryan▶ 1:14:25The brutalism of the 1960s version of the Grand Budapest Hotel
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:15:20The Alpine cable cars and the funicular that runs up into the hotel

Big Kahuna Burger Award

Andy Greenwald▶ 1:18:49Mendel's cake (the Courtesan au Chocolat) - the pastry with cookies shaped like hammers
Chris Ryan▶ 1:19:04Agrees with Mendel's cake as the best, also mentions two ducks roasted with olives, rabbit, and salad
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:18:42Mendel's cake - the pastry inspected by prison guards that's 'too beautiful to destroy'

Butch's Girlfriend Award

Andy Greenwald▶ 1:22:05Acknowledges the romance could be seen as flimsy but defends it as intentionally idealized like Moonrise Kingdom
Chris Ryan▶ 1:21:41Serge X's sister subplot - can skim through that as a weak link
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:22:35The Serge X plot line and the usage of Matthew Amalric

What's Aged the Worst

Andy Greenwald▶ 1:24:15The lingering take that Wes Anderson is just a 'spectrum-y fancy boy playing dress up'; the suggestion in the movie that modern medicine will cure all pandemic type viruses quickly
Chris Ryan▶ 1:24:41The profession of concierges; fascism; Scribes Fever (author's writer's block)

Overacting Award

Andy Greenwald▶ 1:30:00Notes this is a tough category because people aren't allowed to overact in Wes Anderson movies
Chris Ryan▶ 1:30:14Willem Dafoe — Suggests Willem Dafoe is closest to overacting, acknowledging both Dafoe and Adrien Brody are 'dining out' but notes Dafoe is being directed to do that
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:30:03Willem Dafoe — Willem Dafoe - overacts in every Wes Anderson movie with mugging despite not speaking much

Is There a Better Title?

Chris Ryan▶ 1:30:21No

Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Andy Greenwald▶ 1:33:31Tom Wilkinson should have been recast with a different crusty Englishman like John Hurt, Michael Gambon, or Terence Stamp, and questions whether the author character is actually a good writer
Chris Ryan▶ 1:36:08Dimitri was right about Gustav being a con artist who preys on old ladies
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:32:34Owen Wilson could be the lead in every Wes Anderson movie and make them better, except for The Grand Budapest Hotel

Half-Assed Internet Research

Andy Greenwald▶ 1:47:49Harvey Keitel slapped Tony Revolori 42 times for the 'good luck, kid' scene - the one time Wes Anderson went 'full Fincher'
Chris Ryan▶ 1:46:52Multiple facts: painting replacing Boy with Apple is called 'Two Lesbians Masturbating'; Ralph Fiennes improvised Gustav's life story; Jeff Goldblum stayed for most of the shoot despite finishing in a week; crew lived together in Berlin hotel with shared chef dinners

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Andy Greenwald▶ 1:53:39Boy with Apple, are we sure it's good?
Chris Ryan▶ 1:53:14What's more valuable today, two lesbians masturbating or Boy with Apple?

Is This Movie Better With

Andy Greenwald▶ 1:55:57Richard Jenkins — Suggests a connection between 'Henkels' and 'Jenkins', implying Jenkins would be a good addition.
Chris Ryan▶ 1:55:12Wayne Jenkins, Danny Trejo, Sam Jackson, JT Walsh, Byron Mayer, Harling Mayer, Evil Laughing, Ramon Raymond, Philip Raker Hall, Bill Paxton
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:56:02Byron Mayer wanting a ménage with Madame D

Just One Oscar

Andy Greenwald▶ 1:56:42Ralph Fiennes
Chris Ryan▶ 1:56:12Wes Anderson — Suggested Wes Anderson should get it
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:56:24Ralph Fiennes

Best Double Feature

Andy Greenwald▶ 2:00:13The Remains of the Day — Remains of the Day
Chris Ryan▶ 1:59:09Ingmar Bergman's The Silence or Hail Caesar
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:59:17The Lady Vanishes — The Lady Vanishes, The Earrings of Madame D'Eau (Max Ophüls), and Grand Hotel (1932)

Coach Finstock Life Lesson

Chris Ryan▶ 2:02:37The cheaper cuts are the most flavorful

Who Won the Movie

Andy Greenwald▶ 2:03:15Wes Anderson — Wes Anderson - his style of storytelling matters because it pursues something deeper beyond just aesthetic choices
Chris Ryan▶ 2:02:54Wes Anderson — Wes Anderson - for the totality of his vision on screen and translating what he saw in his head entirely to film
Sean Fennessey▶ 2:02:40Wes Anderson — Wes Anderson wins the movie, even though Ralph Fiennes deserves the Oscar

Movies Referenced (39)

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

9 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Andy Greenwald, Chris Ryan▶ 6:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Asteroid City (2023)

5 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 6:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Rushmore (1998)

4 mentions · Andy Greenwald, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 5:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bottle Rocket (1996)

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Andy Greenwald▶ 5:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Hugo (2011)

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Andy Greenwald▶ 2:06:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Spider-Man (2002)

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 1:50:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Deadpool (2016)

2 mentions · Andy Greenwald▶ 21:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Driving Miss Daisy (1989)

2 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 1:38:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Hillbilly Elegy (2020)

2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Andy Greenwald▶ 1:38:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Schindler's List (1993)

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Andy Greenwald▶ 38:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The English Patient (1996)

2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 58:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The French Dispatch (2021)

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Andy Greenwald▶ 37:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (14)

Wes Anderson

79 mentions · Chris Ryan, Andy Greenwald, Sean Fennessey · Known for Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Royal Tenenbaums, Isle of Dogs▶ 1:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Woody Allen

6 mentions · Chris Ryan, Andy Greenwald · Known for Annie Hall, Manhattan, Deconstructing Harry▶ 33:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Alfred Hitchcock

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Andy Greenwald · Known for Psycho, Vertigo, North by Northwest▶ 32:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Howard Hawks

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Andy Greenwald · Known for Rio Bravo, Red River, El Dorado▶ 23:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ernst Lubitsch

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for To Be or Not to Be, The Shop Around the Corner▶ 31:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Billy Wilder

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The Apartment, Some Like It Hot▶ 31:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ingmar Bergman

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Wild Strawberries, The Seventh Seal▶ 1:59:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Iyi Tubi

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Ex Machina, World War Z▶ 1:49:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Ford

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The Quiet Man, The Grapes of Wrath, How Green Was My Valley▶ 23:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Paul Feig

1 mentions · Andy Greenwald · Known for The Housemaid, The Heat▶ 1:10:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Paul Thomas Anderson

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Punch-Drunk Love, Licorice Pizza, There Will Be Blood▶ 1:59:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ridley Scott

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for The Martian, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise▶ 58:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (66)

Ralph Fiennes

17 mentions · Andy Greenwald, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for The Constant Gardener, Schindler's List, The Grand Budapest Hotel▶ 16:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jeff Goldblum

15 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Andy Greenwald · Known for Jurassic Park, The Fly, The Grand Budapest Hotel▶ 40:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Edward Norton

12 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, Andy Greenwald · Known for Fight Club, American History X, Primal Fear▶ 25:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Luke Wilson

7 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Andy Greenwald · Known for Old School, The Royal Tenenbaums▶ 13:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Harvey Keitel

6 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Andy Greenwald · Known for Reservoir Dogs, Bad Lieutenant, The Grand Budapest Hotel▶ 53:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Owen Wilson

6 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, Andy Greenwald · Known for The Royal Tenenbaums, Bottle Rocket, Wedding Crashers▶ 13:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tom Wilkinson

6 mentions · Chris Ryan, Andy Greenwald · Known for Michael Clayton, In the Bedroom, The Full Monty▶ 26:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jude Law

5 mentions · Chris Ryan, Andy Greenwald · Known for The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Grand Budapest Hotel▶ 26:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Willem Dafoe

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Andy Greenwald · Known for Spider-Man, The Florida Project▶ 11:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bill Murray

4 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Lost in Translation, Rushmore, Moonrise Kingdom▶ 19:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

F. Murray Abraham

4 mentions · Andy Greenwald, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Amadeus, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Mighty Aphrodite▶ 19:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mo Brings Plenty

4 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The Revenant▶ 1:28:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (10)

Stefan Zweig

9 mentions · Andy Greenwald, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for The Grand Budapest Hotel, Letter from an Unknown Woman▶ 27:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Hugo Guinness

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Andy Greenwald · Known for The Grand Budapest Hotel, The French Dispatch, Fantastic Mr. Fox▶ 2:06:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

James L. Brooks

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Broadcast News, As Good as It Gets, Terms of Endearment▶ 13:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

David Hare

2 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for The Reader▶ 59:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

JD Vance

2 mentions · Andy Greenwald · Known for Hillbilly Elegy▶ 1:35:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tony Gilroy

2 mentions · Andy Greenwald · Known for Michael Clayton, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story▶ 1:15:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Akira Kurosawa

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Ran, The Hidden Fortress▶ 23:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Doris Kearns Goodwin

1 mentions · Andy Greenwald · Known for Lincoln▶ 2:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roald Dahl

1 mentions · Andy Greenwald · Known for You Only Live Twice▶ 11:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

1 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 38:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (2)

Michael Grantland

1 mentions · Andy Greenwald · Known for The Taking of Pelham 123, The Other Guys▶ 1:23:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tommy Shackles

1 mentions · Andy Greenwald · Known for The Batman, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning▶ 1:52:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗