‘Wall Street’ With Bill Simmons and Brian Koppelman
December 1, 2020 · Wall Street (1987) · Crime · Drama · 1:43:33
Categories
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill SimmonsDiscusses multiple scenes as nominees including Martin Sheen's first scene with Charlie, Gecko's first office scene, the limo pep talk, and the Anacott Steele montage, but acknowledges 'we all know what the most rewatchable scene is going to be' without definitively stating his final pick▶ 41:14
Brian KoppelmanGecko's first office scene when Charlie finally gets into Gecko's office - calls it 'the scene' and says 'to me, that's the scene'▶ 44:16
What's Aged the Worst
Bill SimmonsDave Winfield reference, Gecko's handheld TV and gigantic cell phone, Darian's furniture plan, bad union rep actor, and the Wall Street sequel existing▶ 1:11:43
Brian KoppelmanCigarettes being smoked indoors, especially Gecko lighting up the cigar inside▶ 1:13:26
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsRichard Gere — Richard Gere would have been good as Gecko and could have carried the charisma, though not 100% as good as Michael Douglas. References Gere's performance in Internal Affairs as evidence he could dial it up.▶ 1:14:43
Brian KoppelmanRichard Gere — Richard Gere couldn't have done the verbal pyrotechnics - he's more of a slow burn actor whereas Gecko thinks fast and does page-long dialogue bursts.▶ 1:15:11
Joey Pants Award
Bill SimmonsFranklin Cover — Suggests Franklin Cover (from The Jeffersons) and Josh Mostel as candidates, noting they fit the 'that guy with that face' criteria▶ 1:19:13
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill SimmonsPresents multiple research findings: greed line from Ivan Boesky speech, Douglas smoked 40 cigarettes daily and needed speech instruction, modeled after Pat Riley, Sheen/Young conflict scrapped affair subplot, Diane Lane considered for Darien, real trading floor shoot with actual brokers, moving camera as predator concept, 53-day shoot finished early due to director's strike, Ken Lipper consultant provided Wall Street access▶ 1:26:15
Brian KoppelmanNotes that consultant Ken Lipper appears in the film sitting next to Douglas at the 21 Club scene▶ 1:27:59
Apex Mountain
Bill SimmonsMichael Douglas — Michael Douglas (Wall Street or Fatal Attraction), Oliver Stone (Wall Street because it led to him being able to make any movie including JFK), Charlie Sheen (Two and a Half Men for fame/money but Wall Street as an actor), Sean Young (No Way Out), Daryl Hannah (Wall Street and Roxanne same year), plus various cultural elements like goofy movie robots, Hamptons, steak tartare, and squash▶ 1:28:17
Brian KoppelmanCharlie Sheen — Charlie Sheen's apex was Platoon as an artist (he could have been everything after that), agrees on Wall Street being evergreen/apex for the concept of Wall Street films, agrees on Stop Making Sense for Talking Heads, and steak tartare▶ 1:29:19
Picking Nits
Bill SimmonsMultiple nits: Sir Larry should have noticed Charlie Sheen following him; bad dubbing during Gekko's speech; Bud being dumb enough to trust Gekko about Blue Star; Bud randomly being at Spader's office during pivotal meeting; Sheen crying in handcuffs scene; Gekko should have worried about Bud wearing a wire; missing Emilio Estevez cameo opportunity▶ 1:33:02
Brian KoppelmanMultiple nits: Bud becoming a dick too quickly to his best friend Marv; the 'who am I' moment; suggests Sheen's crying may have been based on real person Dennis Levine; agrees Gekko should have suspected a wire and that an Emilio Estevez cameo would have been good▶ 1:34:04
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill SimmonsPosed three unanswerable questions: whether Charlie Sheen turned into Bud Fox, Gordon Gekko's influence on Trump's billionaire persona, and how switching Cruise/Sheen between Wall Street and Cocktail would affect both movies▶ 1:35:59
Brian KoppelmanAgreed on Gekko's cultural influence leading to celebrating rich people/idiots; argued Cruise makes any movie better and Sheen couldn't handle Cocktail's good-natured requirements; suggested Cruise in Wall Street could have allowed better casting like Duvall as the father▶ 1:36:18
Who Won the Movie
Bill SimmonsMichael Douglas — Michael Douglas - because this movie allows him with Fatal Attraction to become the biggest star in the world▶ 1:40:58
Brian KoppelmanMichael Douglas — Michael Douglas - for having forever one of the most important characters in cinema history and a character who stood in for a period of America▶ 1:41:03
Movies Referenced (32)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platoon (1986) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 12 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | ▶ 1:27 |
| First Blood (1982) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | ▶ 22:24 |
| Scarface (1983) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | ▶ 3:55 |
| Fatal Attraction (1987) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 16:33 |
| Who Am I (2014) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Brian Koppelman | ▶ 18:26 |
| Apocalypse Now (1979) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Brian Koppelman | ▶ 22:56 |
| The Apartment (1960) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | ▶ 4:35 |
| The Beach (2000) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | ▶ 46:20 |
| The Terminator (1984) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | ▶ 34:18 |
| Fargo (1996) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 27:39 |
| Smile (2022) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | ▶ 40:59 |
| Sweet Smell of Success (1957) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Brian Koppelman | ▶ 10:57 |
Directors Referenced (11)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oliver Stone | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 14 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | Born on the Fourth of July, Platoon, JFK | ▶ 2:18 |
| Woody Allen | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | Annie Hall | ▶ 35:12 |
| Warren Beatty | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | Heaven Can Wait | ▶ 1:14:03 |
| Julian Schnabel | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Brian Koppelman | The Diving Bell and the Butterfly | ▶ 1:39:42 |
| Julius Erving | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Philadelphia | ▶ 2:45 |
| Sam Peckinpah | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | ▶ 14:44 | |
| Sean Penn | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Brian Koppelman | Mystic River, 21 Grams, Dead Man Walking | ▶ 1:37:07 |
| Kevin Costner | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Dances with Wolves, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves | ▶ 1:30:41 |
| Paul Guilfoyle | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Brian Koppelman | ▶ 1:31:51 | |
| Spike Lee | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Brian Koppelman | Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, She's Gotta Have It | ▶ 24:24 |
| Steven Soderbergh | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Brian Koppelman | ▶ 47:58 |
Actors Referenced (42)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Sheen | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 35 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | Wall Street | ▶ 2:13 |
| Tom Cruise | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 18 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | Top Gun, Minority Report | ▶ 29:47 |
| Daryl Hannah | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 15 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | Wall Street, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 | ▶ 2:13 |
| Michelle Pfeiffer | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 14 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | What Lies Beneath | ▶ 1:23:18 |
| Richard Gere | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 12 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | Pretty Woman, An Officer and a Gentleman | ▶ 1:14:08 |
| Don Henley | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 10 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:24:55 | |
| Martin Sheen | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 10 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | The Departed | ▶ 2:13 |
| Al Pacino | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | Dog Day Afternoon, The Godfather | ▶ 1:16:15 |
| Dave Winfield | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | ▶ 12:50 | |
| James Spader | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | ▶ 33:37 | |
| Sean Young | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | Blade Runner 2049, Dune, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective | ▶ 33:44 |
| Hal Holbrook | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | Into the Wild, Lincoln | ▶ 33:44 |
Writers Referenced (6)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ken Lipper | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | Wall Street | ▶ 1:27:33 |
| Adam McKay | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Brian Koppelman | Don't Look Up, The Other Guys | ▶ 1:31:01 |
| Brian Koppelman | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Runaway Jury, Michael Clayton | ▶ 2:46 |
| David Mamet | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Brian Koppelman | House of Games | ▶ 24:20 |
| Roger Ebert | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 39:29 | |
| Stanley Weiser | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Wall Street | ▶ 34:54 |
Cinematographers Referenced (1)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Grantland | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Other Guys | ▶ 2:37 |