Grays Almanac

Home/Episodes/A Few Good Men

‘A Few Good (Re)Men’ Live From L.A. With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey

August 1, 2023 · A Few Good Men (1992) · Drama · Thriller · 1:58:05

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

Categories

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 50:21The scene at the end where Caffey and Dawson reconcile - 'Ten hut. Harold, you don't have to wear a patch on your arm to have honor'
Chris Ryan▶ 47:50The scene where Downey doesn't understand that he's been on every discharge
Sean Fennessey▶ 48:48The courtroom scene where Cruise cuts the guys loose and beats Nicholson - 'And when it went bad, you cut these guys loose'

What's Aged the Best

Bill Simmons▶ 54:30Early 90s Tom Cruise - comparing him to a relative you still like but worry about at family gatherings
Chris Ryan▶ 52:32The scene of lying on the couch with a baseball bat, watching baseball in a Hawaiian shirt, being disconnected from modern political anxieties
Sean Fennessey▶ 54:16Guantanamo Bay as the site of corrupt action - noting how it resonates and plays differently now

Big Kahuna Burger Award

Bill Simmons▶ 55:11the Yoo-Hoo

Den of Thieves Benihana Award

Bill Simmons▶ 55:14Caffey thinking at the monument

Great Shot Gordo Award

Bill Simmons▶ 55:24the wide shot at DC

Butch's Girlfriend Award

Bill Simmons▶ 57:56Multiple elements including Demi Moore's miscasting (though he enjoys it), the 'I strenuously object' scene, Christopher Guest as Dr. Stone, Luther the newsstand guy, Downey's character, and Markinson's suicide letter ending with 'Always'
Chris Ryan▶ 59:51Demi Moore and Tom Cruise's lack of chemistry and sexual vibes, though not unwatchable
Sean Fennessey▶ 59:59Demi Moore's performance with Sorkin dialogue and Luther the newsstand guy scenes as 'absolute horseshit' and 'some of the dumbest shit ever in a Sorkin movie'

Is There a Better Title?

Bill Simmons▶ 1:08:56Suggests 'Code Red' as a potential alternative title, then shifts to discussing porn parody titles like 'Dishonorable Discharge' and 'A Few More Good Men'
Chris Ryan▶ 1:08:59Briefly suggests 'Two Orders' but immediately rejects it because it gives away the plot
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:09:19Nothing But the Truth

Best Quote

Bill Simmons▶ 1:09:56There Is No Markinson

Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:11:28Questions whether Private Santiago deserved to die, suggesting it might have saved lives
Chris Ryan▶ 1:10:40Danny Caffey is the Jimmy Butler of law - bad locker room guy who undermines authority but delivers when it matters. Also questions whether this case is even a big deal, just bullying that got out of hand.
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:11:53Tom Cruise should have been nominated for and won Best Actor, beating Tom Hanks - should have been the first of three Academy Awards he never received

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 1:14:48Jason Alexander — Prefers Jason Alexander over Kevin Pollack for Sam Weinberg role, thinks James Woods would have 'killed us' as Jessup, notes various casting alternatives including Gene Hackman turning down Jessup for Unforgiven
Chris Ryan▶ 1:14:52Kevin Pollak — Disagrees with Bill about Jason Alexander being better than Kevin Pollack for Weinberg, prefers not having to think of George Costanza when watching the film
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:12:46Jason Alexander — Gene Hackman turning down Jessup for Unforgiven was 'obviously a good move' since he won the Oscar, thinks Jason Alexander would have made Weinberg 'more interesting' due to his 'squirmy' quality

Dion Waiters Award

Sean Fennessey▶ 1:15:57Wolfgang Bodison — Discusses Wolfgang Bodison's performance going toe to toe with Cruise in the courtroom scenes

Overacting Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:17:15Tom Cruise — Mentions drunk Tom Cruise as a winner, considers the judge character, and highlights one of three guys interviewing Joe Galloway (played by the 90210 rapist actor)
Chris Ryan▶ 1:17:55Xander Berkeley — Xander Berkeley as Sam and Danny's boss (also Ralph from Heat)
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:18:21Michael DeLorenzo — Michael DiLorenzo (from New York Undercover) who plays Santiago

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 1:23:43Demi Moore — No for Demi Moore

Half-Assed Internet Research

Chris Ryan▶ 1:23:47Connecticut lawyers in the 2010s claimed to be the inspiration for Daniel Caffey character, with one having a website claiming 'you may have seen A Few Good Men, that was me' before removing it when investigated by NY Times
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:25:28William Goldman was on retainer at Castle Rock and kept in office to fix scripts on every project they worked on

Racehorse Name Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:26:21Code Red, Jessup, or Markinson's gone, The Rocco Columbo School for Women
Chris Ryan▶ 1:26:02Lactic Acidosis

Picking Nits

Bill Simmons▶ 1:36:26The all-time movie trope where someone orders 'a beer' and they just bring a beer - never happens in real life
Chris Ryan▶ 1:39:13Nobody seems to care about keeping the case information secret - they're shouting sensitive details in public places like bars, basketball courts, and softball fields
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:39:59Hearing the detailed description of crab eating technique was grotesque and disgusting

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:42:33Multiple questions including: Are we sure Markinson killed himself? How did he get a gun in the hotel room? Can you really make a flight log disappear? What happens if Jessup just never admits the code red?
Chris Ryan▶ 1:45:22What position did Kathy play in softball? Shortstop - he assigned himself shortstop and would pitch, play short, and bat fourth
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:42:42Did Markinson only kill himself because of Santiago's death or was there other stuff? What would Jessup's punishment have been - prison or dishonorable discharge?

Best Double Feature

Bill Simmons▶ 1:49:28The American President — American President (double Sorkin pairing)
Chris Ryan▶ 1:50:20Top Gun — Either Top Gun (Tom Cruise double feature) or Presumed Innocent (legal drama double feature)
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:49:53The Caine Mutiny — Paths of Glory and The Caine Mutiny (military courtroom movies, with Caine Mutiny being his preferred pick)

Coach Finstock Life Lesson

Bill Simmons▶ 1:53:24You don't have to have a patch on your arm to have honor

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:53:54Tom Cruise
Chris Ryan▶ 1:53:45Tom Cruise — Tom Cruise (despite encouraging others to zag)
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:53:50Tom Cruise

Is This Movie Better With

Chris RyanCannot determine position from transcript

Movies Referenced (51)

Heat (1995)

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 4:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Oppenheimer (2023)

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 18:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Top Gun (1986)

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 13:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jerry Maguire (1996)

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 10:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Unforgiven (1992)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 24:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

12 Angry Men (1957)

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 5:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Rain Man (1988)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 13:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Barbie (2023)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 3:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Batman (1989)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 17:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Blue Chips (1994)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:25:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 10:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Broadcast News (1987)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 17:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (5)

Rob Reiner

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for This Is Spinal Tap, The Wolf of Wall Street▶ 2:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

William Hoffa

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Limitless, Furious 7, Creed▶ 17:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jack Daniels

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 41:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Paul Bellany

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Stardust▶ 0:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Stanley Kubrick

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon▶ 1:49:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (61)

Tom Cruise

42 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Top Gun, Minority Report▶ 2:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jack Nicholson

37 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Chinatown, As Good as It Gets, The Departed▶ 2:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Charlotte Caffey

33 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Fast Times at Ridgemont High▶ 8:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Brian Markinson

23 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 33:18IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Demi Moore

15 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Striptease, Indecent Proposal▶ 2:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kevin Bacon

15 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Footloose, Hollow Man▶ 19:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Danny Trejo

14 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for Machete, From Dusk Till Dawn, Predators▶ 32:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Brandon Soo Hoo

9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Tropic Thunder▶ 49:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kiefer Sutherland

9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Phone Booth▶ 19:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

J.T. Walsh

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Sling Blade, Needful Things▶ 20:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Wolfgang Bodison

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for A Few Good Men▶ 33:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Gene Hackman

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for The French Connection, The Royal Tenenbaums, Unforgiven▶ 24:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (5)

Ted Jessup

33 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Ted 2, The Girlfriend Experience▶ 8:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Aaron Sorkin

24 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for A Few Good Men▶ 20:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

William Goldman

12 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, The Princess Bride▶ 7:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 9:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

David Auburn

1 mentions · · Known for Proof, The Lake House▶ 1:44:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Michael Grantland

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The Other Guys▶ 22:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗