'The Player' With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Wesley Morris
April 12, 2022 · The Player (1992) · Comedy · Crime · Drama · 1:46:15
Categories
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill SimmonsThe opening scene (7 minutes, 47 seconds) - highlights include Buck Henry pitching The Graduate 2, movie pitch metaphors, Fred Ward not seeing famous movies, and the meta 'Quiet at the Scent at the Top'▶ 34:27
Sean FennesseyAgrees with the opening scene, emphasizing the Russian doll aspects with real filmmakers Joan Tewksbury and Alan Rudolph pitching, plus details like Fred Ward discussing Touch of Evil but revealing he never watches foreign films▶ 35:41
Wesley MorrisSupports the opening scene choice, focusing on Griffin Mill's character complexity - how he pretends knowledge but is actually conversant in films like 'Freaks' when talking to the detective▶ 36:26
Apex Mountain
Bill SimmonsWhoopi Goldberg — Whoopi Goldberg - the era of her coming in hot for a few scenes and stealing them, citing this movie along with Sister Act and Ghost all from 1992▶ 49:48
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsJohn Travolta — Presents casting what-ifs including Chevy Chase wanting Griffin Mill role and Altman considering Travolta, but expresses relief that Travolta didn't get it because Robbins needed this role for his career arc▶ 1:13:41
Wesley MorrisTim Robbins — Discusses Tim Robbins' strong early 90s career including Bob Roberts in 1992 and proximity to Dead Man Walking, suggesting the importance of his casting▶ 1:14:08
Joey Pants Award
Bill SimmonsLeah Ayres — Winner: Leah Ayers (Van Damme's love interest from Bloodsport who plays a studio worker); Runner-up: Richard E. Grant as Tom Oakley▶ 1:15:56
Sean FennesseyRichard E. Grant — Disagreed with the winner, strongly advocated for Richard E. Grant saying he was 'unbelievable in this movie'▶ 1:16:35
Wesley MorrisRichard E. Grant — Praised Richard E. Grant's performance extensively but acknowledged not knowing Leah Ayers' name, which supported the winner choice▶ 1:15:32
What's Aged the Best
Wesley MorrisThe movie's prediction about the death of movie stars and great screenwriting, and how Japanese culture functions in 80s/90s movies as tourists who might colonize but aren't feared▶ 1:28:15
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill SimmonsDid Altman see the future of movies? - Yes, for sure. This feels so ahead of its time now with every piece of this.▶ 1:39:01
Sean FennesseyAgrees Altman saw the future, noting the Tim Robbins speech and 'movies now more than ever' tagline as prescient, but argues this cyclical nature of movie industry doom/revival means Altman was always right about movies▶ 1:39:09
Wesley MorrisAcknowledges Altman's prescience but focuses on concern about whether good movies find audiences, using Underground Railroad as example of great work that 'fell in a forest and nobody heard it'▶ 1:40:53
Who Won the Movie
Bill SimmonsRobert Altman — Altman - described as huge winner and incredible comeback, his fourth comeback▶ 1:44:46
Movies Referenced (42)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sister Act (1992) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons | ▶ 49:58 |
| Wayne's World (1992) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons | ▶ 4:39 |
| Predator (1987) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 29:03 |
| Eyes Wide Shut (1999) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 56:59 |
| Gosford Park (2001) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 11:43 |
| Pretty Woman (1990) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons | ▶ 2:33 |
| The Prestige (2006) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:32 |
| Argo (2012) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:27:00 |
| Bicycle Thieves (1948) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 44:28 |
| Blade Runner (1982) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | ▶ 55:02 |
| Boogie Nights (1997) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 19:59 |
| CODA (2021) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:41:32 |
Directors Referenced (8)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Altman | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 66 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris, Sean Fennessey | Gosford Park | ▶ 2:41 |
| Paul Thomas Anderson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | Punch-Drunk Love, Licorice Pizza, There Will Be Blood | ▶ 19:57 |
| Ben Affleck | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | Argo, Gone Girl, The Town | ▶ 52:43 |
| Sean Penn | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | Mystic River, 21 Grams, Dead Man Walking | ▶ 1:15:02 |
| Fritz Lang | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | Metropolis | ▶ 1:43:59 |
| Kevin Costner | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | Dances with Wolves, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves | ▶ 46:07 |
| Paul Bellany | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Stardust | ▶ 0:00 |
| Warren Beatty | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Wesley Morris | Heaven Can Wait | ▶ 43:05 |
Actors Referenced (90)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fred Ward | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 16 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 35:22 | |
| Julia Roberts | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 15 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | Pretty Woman, My Best Friend's Wedding | ▶ 35:06 |
| Tim Robbins | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 12 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris, Sean Fennessey | Mystic River, The Player, Howard the Duck | ▶ 29:54 |
| Cynthia Stevenson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 11 | Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Home for the Holidays | ▶ 1:16:46 |
| Whoopi Goldberg | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 10 | Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Ghost, Sister Act, The Color Purple | ▶ 47:46 |
| Brian James | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | A Cry in the Dark | ▶ 54:45 |
| Bruce Willis | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | Die Hard, Pulp Fiction | ▶ 35:55 |
| Vincent D'Onofrio | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Bill Simmons | Men in Black, Full Metal Jacket | ▶ 44:24 |
| Nashville Pussy | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | ▶ 11:06 | |
| Burt Reynolds | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Boogie Nights, Smokey and the Bandit, Striptease | ▶ 24:31 |
| Robin Williams | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons | Mrs. Doubtfire | ▶ 13:22 |
| Wayne Gretzky | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | ▶ 4:39 |
Writers Referenced (5)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Holland | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | Child's Play | ▶ 58:23 |
| Adam McKay | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Don't Look Up, The Other Guys | ▶ 31:35 |
| Harvey Weinstein | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | Shakespeare in Love, The Hateful Eight | ▶ 41:17 |
| Peter Morwood | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 52:14 | |
| William Goldman | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, The Princess Bride | ▶ 4:18 |