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‘Dirty Work’ With Bill Simmons and Sean Fennessey

September 21, 2021 · Dirty Work (1998) · Comedy · 1:10:53

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Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 34:29Multiple scenes including opening credits with kids as Norm/Artie, frat house prank with fake cops, Chevy Chase scenes, Rickles roast scene, dead hookers with David Koechner, dead fish scene, jail scene, and Farley releasing skunks
Sean Fennessey▶ 39:11Agrees with many of Bill's picks, particularly emphasizing the dead fish scene as traditional comedy like Abbott and Costello, the jail scene, and Chevy Chase's performance throughout

Dion Waiters Award

Bill Simmons▶ 51:57The opera critic

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 54:12Howard Stern — Howard Stern was originally offered Satan role (turned down, went to Sam), Rodney Dangerfield was original choice for Don Rickles part but they switched to get faster insults, thinks they should have brought Dangerfield in anyway as Jack Warden's hospital buddy
Sean Fennessey▶ 54:38Don Rickles — Dangerfield would have been funny but Rickles brought classic lines he'd been doing for years

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 56:18Kevin Farley — Kevin Farley (Chris Farley's brother, the guy in the theater scene)
Sean Fennessey▶ 56:32Kevin Farley — Agrees with Kevin Farley but notes there are many cameos that don't qualify as 'that guys' since they're famous in their own right

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 59:45NBC banned all advertising from the movie when it was in theaters; scenes cut for PG-13 rating including donuts photographed around genitals scene and 'anal rape' dialogue dubbed over
Sean Fennessey▶ 59:52Questioned the NBC advertising ban as potentially being urban myth; shared insight from Norm's 2011 WTF interview about SNL firing being more complex than the Don Ohlmeyer story

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 1:02:10Norm MacDonald — Yes for Norm MacDonald - 1998 when he was biggest he'd ever been, just off SNL
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:02:28Norm MacDonald — The moment they published Norm's first column on Grantland.com

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:07:12How did Artie outlive Norm and Farley? What were the odds in 98? Also asks: Did this movie create Little Nicky?
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:07:22Agrees on the Artie question - 'They are going to have to study Artie in museums' and agrees the movie might have sprung the idea for Little Nicky

Movies Referenced (38)

Big Daddy (1999)

6 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 53:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Happy Gilmore (1996)

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 5:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Snake Eyes (1998)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 32:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

There's Something About Mary (1998)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 3:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Billy Madison (1995)

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 19:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Black Sheep (1996)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 49:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Fargo (1996)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 33:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Little Nicky (2000)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 1:07:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tommy Boy (1995)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 4:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Wayne's World (1992)

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 49:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

12 Angry Men (1957)

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 45:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

All the President's Men (1976)

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 46:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (2)

Warren Beatty

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Heaven Can Wait▶ 46:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bob Saget

4 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 30:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (44)

Norm MacDonald

61 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for Dirty Work, Billy Madison▶ 2:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Chevy Chase

15 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Caddyshack, National Lampoon's Vacation▶ 2:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jack Warden

13 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for 12 Angry Men, All the President's Men, While You Were Sleeping▶ 10:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Don Rickles

12 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Kelly's Heroes, Casino, Toy Story▶ 22:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Howard Stern

10 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Private Parts▶ 23:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Chris Farley

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Tommy Boy, Black Sheep▶ 5:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jim Downey

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 19:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kevin Nealon

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for Happy Gilmore▶ 16:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cannonball

4 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 44:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sean Connery

4 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Dr. No, The Untouchables, The Rock▶ 1:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Christopher McDonald

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Quiz Show, Happy Gilmore▶ 10:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dennis Miller

3 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Net▶ 18:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (8)

Thorne Smith

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 9:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Brita McVeigh

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for Love at First Sight▶ 47:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Lorne Michaels

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:00:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roald Dahl

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for You Only Live Twice▶ 29:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Carl Sagan

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Contact▶ 25:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Fred Wolf

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:03:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Patch Adams

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Patch Adams▶ 32:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 31:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Michael Grantland

3 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Other Guys▶ 29:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗