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‘Beverly Hills Cop’ With Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan

September 17, 2019 · Beverly Hills Cop (1984) · Action · Comedy · Crime · 1:33:06

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

Categories

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 2:16Eddie Murphy — Beverly Hills Cop is Eddie Murphy's Apex Mountain - suggests renaming the category 'Mount Foley' after this career peak performance
Chris Ryan▶ 2:49Eddie Murphy — Agrees this was Eddie's peak cultural moment, describing it as a youth obsession on the level of Madonna, Prince, and Bruce Springsteen
Sean Fennessey▶ 6:23Eddie Murphy — Emphasizes Eddie's subtle, non-actorly performance and graceful transition to movie stardom, but doesn't explicitly confirm this as his peak
Wesley Morris▶ 3:41Eddie Murphy — Focuses on Eddie's acting quality rather than career peak, praising his presence and naturalness in the role

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 31:51Multiple scenes including: Axel arrives in Beverly Hills and checks into hotel as Rolling Stone reporter, the art gallery scene with Serge, banana in tailpipe scene, strip joint scene with Super Cops monologue, and the ending shootout
Chris Ryan▶ 32:08The cigarette deal scene in the truck at the beginning, praising it as a 'Mean Streets moment' that sets the movie apart from other 80s blockbusters
Sean Fennessey▶ 32:59Supports the hotel check-in scene, quoting extensive dialogue from Axel's Rolling Stone reporter con, and the art gallery scene with Serge
Wesley Morris▶ 32:55Focuses on the hotel scene, analyzing the sophisticated way Eddie Murphy uses race and entitlement simultaneously in the Rolling Stone reporter bit

What's Aged the Best

Bill Simmons▶ 49:53Taggart and Rosewood because they lay the groundwork for their great performances in Beverly Hills Cop 2, and the 'banana in the tailpipe' guy/mid-80s cop movie rivalries
Chris Ryan▶ 51:21Lisa Eilbacher's performance
Sean Fennessey▶ 50:12Eddie Murphy working with really good directors early in his career (Walter Hill, Tony Scott, John Landis, etc.)

What's Aged the Worst

Bill Simmons▶ 59:25The character name-dropping that he writes for Rolling Stone and is doing a Michael Jackson profile to get into the Beverly Palm
Chris Ryan▶ 59:37How magazines substitute for people's mobile phones - characters reading Time Magazine, Art Forum, National Geographic just to pass time

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 1:01:07Mickey Rourke — Discusses Mickey Rourke who signed a $400,000 holding contract but left, and Stallone who wanted to make it a straight action film with character named Axel Cobretti and elaborate action sequences
Chris Ryan▶ 1:01:11Mickey Rourke — Provides details about Mickey Rourke casting process and Stallone's version including a climax with Lamborghini vs freight train sequence
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:01:50Mickey Rourke — Notes that Beverly Hills Cop would have fit perfectly in Mickey Rourke's filmography between his strong early 80s films
Wesley Morris▶ 1:01:29Mickey Rourke — Comments that Mickey Rourke was a logical choice in 1984 without needing cocaine-influenced decision making

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:04:23James Russo
Chris Ryan▶ 1:04:28Michael Champion
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:05:16Stephen Elliott
Wesley Morris▶ 1:04:47James Russo

Dion Waiters Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:05:34Bronson Pinchot

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 1:06:11Multiple trivia facts: Michael Eisner vs Don Simpson origin story dispute, Beverly Hills Cop theme hit #3 on Billboard, Gilbert Hill was actual Detroit detective, Sean Ryan tried TV show in 2013, same mansion used in Commando
Chris Ryan▶ 1:08:16Gilbert Hill was an actual detective in Detroit and appeared in the movie
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:07:01Eisner's origin story about getting pulled over in a beater car and deciding to buy a Mercedes is 'the privileged thing of all privileged things'
Wesley Morris▶ 1:08:24Gilbert Hill represents the trope of giving black actors powerful roles (police chief) but minimal screen time, starting with 48 Hours

Best Quote

Bill Simmons▶ 1:15:43Take those bananas
Wesley Morris▶ 1:15:52Take those bananas

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:16:49Beverly Hills Cop 2 was better than Beverly Hills Cop - it's a better story and movie, more fun, with good music and a great director
Chris Ryan▶ 1:24:24Agrees Axel was gay, noting Eddie Murphy was playing around with ideas about sexuality in the 80s and citing specific evidence like Axel's disinterest at the strip club
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:22:33Supports the theory that Axel was gay, citing evidence like his elated reaction to Mikey breaking into his house and the movie's focus on male pairs with emotional energy
Wesley Morris▶ 1:17:19Yes, Axel Foley was gay - provides detailed evidence including his relationship with Mikey, lack of romantic interest in women, and the movie being about a gay black man avenging his lover's death

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:31:43Eddie Murphy
Chris Ryan▶ 1:31:42Eddie Murphy

Movies Referenced (32)

Midnight Run (1988)

8 mentions · Wesley Morris▶ 48:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Raw Deal (1986)

7 mentions · Wesley Morris▶ 1:11:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The French Connection (1971)

6 mentions · Wesley Morris▶ 23:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Top Gun (1986)

5 mentions · Wesley Morris, Sean Fennessey▶ 47:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Die Hard (1988)

4 mentions · Wesley Morris, Sean Fennessey▶ 1:12:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

In the Heat of the Night (1967)

4 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons▶ 25:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Trading Places (1983)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 2:23IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Risky Business (1983)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris▶ 36:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Coming to America (1988)

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Wesley Morris▶ 10:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Total Recall (1990)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 1:04:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bad Boys (1995)

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 8:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Body Heat (1981)

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:01:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (8)

Walter Hill

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for 48 Hrs., Aliens▶ 11:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Landis

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for The Blues Brothers▶ 8:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Martin Brest

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Wesley Morris · Known for Scent of a Woman, Midnight Run, Beverly Hills Cop▶ 47:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Ritchie

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Wesley Morris · Known for The Golden Child, Fletch▶ 50:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jim Jarmusch

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Broken Flowers▶ 32:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sean Penn

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Mystic River, 21 Grams, Dead Man Walking▶ 1:24:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tony Scott

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Unstoppable, True Romance▶ 50:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Woody Allen

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Annie Hall, Deconstructing Harry▶ 44:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (62)

Eddie Murphy

89 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris, Sean Fennessey · Known for Harlem Nights, The Nutty Professor▶ 0:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sylvester Stallone

10 mentions · Wesley Morris, Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for Rocky, Rocky IV, Creed▶ 16:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jonathan Banks

9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Wesley Morris · Known for Gremlins▶ 51:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Don Simpson

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Days of Thunder, Beverly Hills Cop, The Rock▶ 21:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

James Russo

8 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Django Unchained▶ 39:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Jackson

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Wesley Morris▶ 11:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Damon Wayans

7 mentions · Wesley Morris · Known for The Last Boy Scout▶ 55:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mickey Rourke

7 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Sin City, The Wrestler, Angel Heart▶ 28:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jim Carrey

6 mentions · Wesley Morris, Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Bruce Almighty, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind▶ 19:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Arnold Schwarzenegger

5 mentions · Wesley Morris, Chris Ryan · Known for Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Terminator▶ 8:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Lisa Eilbacher

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Beverly Hills Cop▶ 41:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Will Ferrell

5 mentions · Wesley Morris, Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Blades of Glory▶ 19:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (6)

Jane Kennedy

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 45:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

4 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris▶ 30:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Andrew Cosby

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 24:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bruce Springsteen

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for The Wrestler, Philadelphia▶ 2:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Cimino

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Deer Hunter, Heaven's Gate▶ 1:04:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Neil Simon

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for The Odd Couple, The Goodbye Girl▶ 22:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (2)

Will Dearborn

2 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Venom, The Killer▶ 39:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Grantland

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Other Guys▶ 9:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗