Apex Mountain

Career peak debate for actors/directors.

Apex Mountain has run in 408 episodes. The most recent 40 are listed below — open any episode at its timestamp to hear the segment.

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‘Pacific Heights’Bill Simmons

Melanie Griffith - this is the tail end of her leading actress run, not really an Apex Mountain pick but discussed as her last major leading role before decline (goes from Body Double, Something Wild, Working Girl to Pacific Heights, Bonfire of the Vanities and then that's it)

‘Pacific Heights’Kyle Brandt

Michael Keaton - this movie is Apex Mountain for him

‘The Good Son’Bill Simmons

Toni Collette's overacting in Hereditary for 'Ruffalo Hannah Rubinic Partridge overacting' word; goes to Kieran Culkin for underacting

‘The Good Son’Sean Fennessey

Elijah Wood (referring to his character) dials up acting a couple times, e.g. throwing food down the disposal

‘Single White Female’Bill Simmons

Says Jennifer Jason Leigh's performance as Hedy in Single White Female is beyond acting and 'ruined her' for him in other roles, implying it's her apex/most iconic performance; also floats the hypothetical of Bridget Fonda playing Hedy instead but concludes it wouldn't have worked as well.

‘Single White Female’Craig Horlbeck

Says he had no prior knowledge of the film and agrees Bridget Fonda's polished, refined look contrasts with Jennifer Jason Leigh's more physical, unsettling performance, supporting the idea that Leigh's Hedy is the standout/apex performance.

‘Single White Female’Mallory Rubin

Discusses Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh in Single White Female; argues Fonda is perfectly cast as Ally (believable as effortlessly fashionable) while most conversation centers on Jennifer Jason Leigh's iconic, 'debauched' performance as Hedy, which she views as a career-defining/apex-level role.

‘Single White Female’Van Lathan

Agrees Jennifer Jason Leigh's Hedy is terrifying and iconic, praising the intensity and focus of the performance as career-peak level, while noting he'd have trouble buying Bridget Fonda in that role.

‘Borat’Bill Simmons

Considers Borat the peak, calling him 'the funniest' character from the Ali G universe and treating the original Borat film as the high point compared to the disappointing sequel

‘Borat’Kyle Brandt

Suggests Borat is Sacha Baron Cohen's apex, calling it possibly the best mockumentary ever (better than Spinal Tap); post-Borat work (Sweeney Todd, Talladega Nights, Chicago 7) always 'funny' but 'never as good as this'

‘There’Bill Simmons

For Cameron Diaz: yes, this (There's Something About Mary) is her Apex Mountain, taking Julia Roberts' rom-com title. For Ben Stiller: 'No, not there yet.' For Matt Dillon: thinks it's in the 80s (Outsiders/Rumble Fish era). For Farrelly Brothers: agrees it's this movie, contrasting Bobby's peak vs Peter's Green Book Oscar win. Also picks Miami Vice as Apex for 'Miami movies' discussion, and Tom Hanks over Cruz for a hypothetical Mary casting.

‘There’Chris Ryan

Agrees There's Something About Mary is the Farrellys' Apex Mountain, arguing it would still sell out a screening today unlike Green Book's legacy. Also agrees Miami Vice is Apex for the Miami movies discussion, and prefers Scorsese/Cape Fear discussion over Spielberg in that comparison.

Episode	Host	Answer
‘Pacific Heights’	Bill Simmons	Melanie Griffith - this is the tail end of her leading actress run, not really an Apex Mountain pick but discussed as her last major leading role before decline (goes from Body Double, Something Wild, Working Girl to Pacific Heights, Bonfire of the Vanities and then that's it)
‘Pacific Heights’	Kyle Brandt	Michael Keaton - this movie is Apex Mountain for him
‘The Good Son’	Bill Simmons	Toni Collette's overacting in Hereditary for 'Ruffalo Hannah Rubinic Partridge overacting' word; goes to Kieran Culkin for underacting
‘The Good Son’	Sean Fennessey	Elijah Wood (referring to his character) dials up acting a couple times, e.g. throwing food down the disposal
‘Single White Female’	Bill Simmons	Says Jennifer Jason Leigh's performance as Hedy in Single White Female is beyond acting and 'ruined her' for him in other roles, implying it's her apex/most iconic performance; also floats the hypothetical of Bridget Fonda playing Hedy instead but concludes it wouldn't have worked as well.
‘Single White Female’	Craig Horlbeck	Says he had no prior knowledge of the film and agrees Bridget Fonda's polished, refined look contrasts with Jennifer Jason Leigh's more physical, unsettling performance, supporting the idea that Leigh's Hedy is the standout/apex performance.
‘Single White Female’	Mallory Rubin	Discusses Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh in Single White Female; argues Fonda is perfectly cast as Ally (believable as effortlessly fashionable) while most conversation centers on Jennifer Jason Leigh's iconic, 'debauched' performance as Hedy, which she views as a career-defining/apex-level role.
‘Single White Female’	Van Lathan	Agrees Jennifer Jason Leigh's Hedy is terrifying and iconic, praising the intensity and focus of the performance as career-peak level, while noting he'd have trouble buying Bridget Fonda in that role.
‘Borat’	Bill Simmons	Considers Borat the peak, calling him 'the funniest' character from the Ali G universe and treating the original Borat film as the high point compared to the disappointing sequel
‘Borat’	Kyle Brandt	Suggests Borat is Sacha Baron Cohen's apex, calling it possibly the best mockumentary ever (better than Spinal Tap); post-Borat work (Sweeney Todd, Talladega Nights, Chicago 7) always 'funny' but 'never as good as this'
‘There’	Bill Simmons	For Cameron Diaz: yes, this (There's Something About Mary) is her Apex Mountain, taking Julia Roberts' rom-com title. For Ben Stiller: 'No, not there yet.' For Matt Dillon: thinks it's in the 80s (Outsiders/Rumble Fish era). For Farrelly Brothers: agrees it's this movie, contrasting Bobby's peak vs Peter's Green Book Oscar win. Also picks Miami Vice as Apex for 'Miami movies' discussion, and Tom Hanks over Cruz for a hypothetical Mary casting.
‘There’	Chris Ryan	Agrees There's Something About Mary is the Farrellys' Apex Mountain, arguing it would still sell out a screening today unlike Green Book's legacy. Also agrees Miami Vice is Apex for the Miami movies discussion, and prefers Scorsese/Cape Fear discussion over Spielberg in that comparison.