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‘Airplane!’ With Bill Simmons and Bill Hader

September 23, 2025 · Airplane! (1980) · Comedy · 1:39:42

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

Categories

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Hader▶ 36:24The Jive Guys with June Cleaver scene
Bill Simmons▶ 36:13Multiple scenes: red zone/white zone argument, Jive Guys boarding the plane, Ted's disco story with the stunt woman fight, the kid bringing coffee scene, Captain Oveur meets Joey, and the Kareem scene

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 41:03Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - literally his apex mountain having just won the 1980 title, had the best game of his life in game 5, finished an incredible 11 year run at the top

What's Aged the Best

Bill Hader▶ 51:34The movie being its own unique thing that you can't compare to anything else
Bill Simmons▶ 50:34Leslie Nielsen being a comedy actor - unleashed him into three Naked Gun movies and Police Squad

Big Kahuna Burger Award

Bill Hader▶ 51:55the poison fish scene with the reaction, him talking about it and puking, featuring Peter Graves doing all the symptoms
Bill Simmons▶ 51:49the poison fish

Great Shot Gordo Award

Bill Hader▶ 52:16the shot where they're in the cockpit when he's telling them you have to land the plane and everything, but the light is very dark and the lighting in the cockpit suddenly changes
Bill Simmons▶ 52:08the water nailing them in on the beach when they get covered in seaweed

Butch's Girlfriend Award

Bill Hader▶ 53:48Disagrees - likes that the movie is short and leaves you wanting more, prefers the brevity over adding more content
Bill Simmons▶ 53:41The movie is too short - could have used five more minutes with scenes like one more with the jab guys, more Steven Stucker in the first half, one more round with kids acting like adults, and something in the airplane bathroom

Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:01:09Lorna Patterson should have been a bigger star

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Hader▶ 1:02:52The casting across the board is perfect - can't imagine anybody else, especially Robert Hayes and Julie Haggerty who play it straight
Bill Simmons▶ 1:03:21Presents extensive casting alternatives but agrees Robert Hayes was perfect for Ted Stryker despite other options like David Letterman, Barry Manilow, Fred Willard, Tim Matheson, and Bruce Jenner

Dion Waiters Award

Bill Hader▶ 1:12:11Stephen Stucker — Stephen Stucker - 'he comes out of nowhere and just owns the movie' and 'steals scenes' in 'one of the funniest movies ever made'
Bill Simmons▶ 1:11:58Nominated Ethel Merman, Kareem, The Jive Guys, Lloyd Bridges, and Stephen Stucker but didn't express a clear preference

Hanks or Cruise

Bill Hader▶ 1:20:50Tom Cruise — Cruise, specifically serious Scorsese-Thunder-era Cruise would be funny in this
Bill Simmons▶ 1:21:07Tom Cruise — Cruise in the Robert Stack part

Is This Movie Better With

Bill Hader▶ 1:27:56Chris Collinsworth - doing his commentary voice about having fish that's making him sick
Bill Simmons▶ 1:27:46Buffalo Bill and Chris Collinsworth

Just One Oscar

Bill Hader▶ 1:28:12Leslie Nielsen — Considers writing or Leslie Nielsen for Best Supporting Actor, but acknowledges Oscars don't respect comedy

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Hader▶ 1:29:25They probably made up the inflatable pilots, and it's best that the topless scene actress identity is left to the imagination.
Bill Simmons▶ 1:29:19Did planes actually have inflatable pilots in 1980 or did they make that up? Also, the mystery of who the actress was in the topless scene - nobody knows and it's truly unanswerable.

Coach Finstock Life Lesson

Bill Hader▶ 1:31:29Stick to your instincts and make what you find funny - like Nathan Fielder or Tim Robinson who just make what they find funny because they can't help it
Bill Simmons▶ 1:31:19Don't forget to zag when you're making a movie - these guys zagged on using actors playing it straight over doing comedy

Best Double Feature

Bill Hader▶ 1:32:02The Naked Gun — Suggests Airplane and Naked Gun, but notes it might be too much laughing; alternatively proposes Zero Hour and Airplane as a pairing

Who Won the Movie

Bill Hader▶ 1:32:22Leslie Nielsen — Steve Zucker or Leslie Nielsen - loves Steve so much in the movie but would say either of them
Bill Simmons▶ 1:32:40Leslie Nielsen — Leslie Nielsen - because it completely changed his career and gave him another 20 years

Movies Referenced (30)

Risky Business (1983)

5 mentions · Bill Hader▶ 1:11:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Knocked Up (2007)

4 mentions · Bill Hader, Bill Simmons▶ 13:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

3 mentions · Bill Hader, Bill Simmons▶ 2:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Back to the Future (1985)

2 mentions · Bill Hader▶ 1:00:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Blazing Saddles (1974)

2 mentions · Bill Hader▶ 3:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Hot Rod (2007)

2 mentions · Bill Hader▶ 13:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Pineapple Express (2008)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 27:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Saturday Night Fever (1977)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 22:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Hangover (2009)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 9:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Untouchables (1987)

2 mentions · Bill Hader▶ 4:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tropic Thunder (2008)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 27:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Young Frankenstein (1974)

2 mentions · Bill Hader▶ 3:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (8)

Jerry Zucker

5 mentions · Bill Hader, Bill Simmons · Known for Airplane!, Ghost▶ 10:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Woody Allen

4 mentions · Bill Hader · Known for Annie Hall, Deconstructing Harry▶ 3:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

David Zucker

2 mentions · Bill Hader · Known for Airplane!, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!▶ 10:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sean Penn

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Mystic River, 21 Grams, Dead Man Walking▶ 53:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Douglas Sirk

1 mentions · Bill Hader▶ 25:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Monty Python

1 mentions · Bill Hader▶ 3:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sam Raimi

1 mentions · Bill Hader · Known for Spider-Man, The Evil Dead, Army of Darkness▶ 16:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

William Hoffa

1 mentions · Bill Hader · Known for Limitless, Furious 7, Creed▶ 1:30:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (70)

Leslie Nielsen

16 mentions · Bill Hader, Bill Simmons · Known for Airplane!, The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!▶ 4:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Robert Stack

16 mentions · Bill Hader, Bill Simmons · Known for To Be or Not to Be, Airplane!▶ 4:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Naked Eyes

9 mentions · Bill Hader, Bill Simmons▶ 4:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Lloyd Bridges

7 mentions · Bill Hader, Bill Simmons · Known for Airplane!▶ 4:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Peter Graves

7 mentions · Bill Hader, Bill Simmons · Known for Stalag 17, Airplane!▶ 5:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Stephen Stucker

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Bill Hader · Known for Airplane!, Trading Places▶ 53:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

LeBron James

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Bill Hader▶ 41:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Chris Farley

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Bill Hader · Known for Tommy Boy, Black Sheep▶ 27:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ethel Merman

5 mentions · Bill Hader, Bill Simmons · Known for It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World▶ 46:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Brian Williams

4 mentions · Bill Hader, Bill Simmons · Known for Toy Soldiers▶ 3:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Anita Bryant

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Bill Hader▶ 47:23IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Barry Manilow

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Bill Hader▶ 10:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (4)

David Letterman

8 mentions · Bill Hader, Bill Simmons▶ 18:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Danny McBride

4 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Underworld▶ 1:38:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 35:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Alec Berg

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 31:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Gordon Willis

1 mentions · Bill Hader · Known for The Godfather Part II▶ 52:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗