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‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin

May 17, 2022 · E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) · Adventure · Family · Sci-Fi · 1:47:55

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

Categories

Picking Nits

Bill Simmons▶ 14:50The Speak and Spell becoming a gateway to the tech/communicator is shaky

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 16:33Henry Thomas — Discussed Henry Thomas's career peak performance and how the movie's success may have been unfair to his later career, noting he's become an accomplished actor in Mike Flanagan shows
Chris Ryan▶ 15:21Stand by Me — Apex Mountain for child ensembles, comparing it to Stand By Me
Sean Fennessey▶ 15:27Henry Thomas — Focused on Henry Thomas carrying the burden of making E.T. believable and called his performance remarkable, praising Spielberg's direction of child actors

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 40:48Multiple scenes including Elliot luring E.T. with Reese's Pieces, E.T. meets the siblings, E.T. escapes and explores the house, Gertie dresses up E.T., Halloween bicycle flight across the moon, E.T. phone home sequence, and the final goodbye
Chris Ryan▶ 42:35E.T. meets the siblings scene with Gertie screaming, Halloween bicycle flight, and E.T. phone home sequence
Mallory Rubin▶ 48:42E.T. phone home sequence, Halloween trick-or-treating and bicycle flight across the moon, and the forest scenes where E.T. actually phones home
Sean Fennessey▶ 50:16E.T. getting drunk and psychically linked with Elliot during the classroom frog dissection and dance sequence imitating The Quiet Man

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 1:12:05Ralph Macchio — Ralph Macchio almost cast as one of the other kids, Henry Thomas nearly blew audition but got job after crying about his dead dog, Cory Feldman's part eliminated in script rewrite, D Wallace's part possibly offered to Shelley Long who chose Night Shift instead, Harrison Ford could have been the school principal
Chris Ryan▶ 1:13:29Harrison Ford — Harrison Ford as the school principal would have taken him out of the movie because you can't have Han Solo in a world where Star Wars exists

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:14:32Peter Coyote — Suggests Peter Coyote as 'that guy' who became known as 'Keys from E.T.' and later mentions Erica Eleniak but ultimately concludes the category is empty since main characters like Drew Barrymore are too prominent
Chris Ryan▶ 1:17:32Erika Eleniak — Agrees with Peter Coyote discussion, mentions Erica Eleniak from the science class scene who later appeared in Baywatch and Under Siege, but seems to agree the category might be empty

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:30:05Multiple questions: How does Gertie show up at the end when only mom, Peter and Keys drove? Was E.T. the beyond burger of aliens (plant-based)? What could have been the worst realistic thing to happen to E.T.?
Chris Ryan▶ 1:29:31What do the neighbors think is happening during the NASA quarantine? E.T. could have called the wrong aliens and an invading force could have shown up. Where exactly do they live geographically?
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:31:37Multiple health and safety questions about quarantine protocol being abandoned after E.T. dies. Why is there a cornfield in Elliott's backyard that disappears? What are all the keys on Keys' key ring for?
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:34:23Observations about Henry Thomas's bike riding skills and how he seemed less sure-footed than the other kids, questioning if it was due to acting limitations or safety concerns

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:45:29Steven Spielberg — Spielberg
Chris Ryan▶ 1:45:54E.T. (the alien)
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:45:38Steven Spielberg — Spielberg
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:46:02Aliens (as a concept)

Movies Referenced (52)

Jaws (1975)

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 10:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

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

11 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Mallory Rubin, Bill Simmons▶ 3:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jurassic Park (1993)

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 31:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 23:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Toy Story (1995)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 2:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Gandhi (1982)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 26:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Home Alone (1990)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 2:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jagged Edge (1985)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 1:15:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 31:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Stand by Me (1986)

3 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 15:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

War of the Worlds (2005)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 34:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Basic Instinct (1992)

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 1:06:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (10)

Tony Scott

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Unstoppable, True Romance▶ 12:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Steven Spielberg

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for Schindler's List, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Saving Private Ryan▶ 1:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Mann

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for The Insider, Collateral, The Last of the Mohicans▶ 33:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Peter Jackson

2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Mallory Rubin · Known for King Kong▶ 32:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Anthony D. Syracuse

1 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 23:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cecil B. DeMille

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The Ten Commandments, The Greatest Show on Earth, Sunset Boulevard▶ 27:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Joe Dante

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Gremlins▶ 1:11:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Carpenter

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Dark Star, Halloween▶ 25:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Paul Weston

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 40:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Robert Eggers

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for The Lighthouse, The Witch, Nosferatu▶ 27:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (27)

Henry Thomas

17 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Mallory Rubin · Known for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Legends of the Fall▶ 15:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Williams

9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin, Chris Ryan · Known for Jurassic Park, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope▶ 39:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dee Wallace

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial▶ 8:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Drew Barrymore

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Charlie's Angels, 50 First Dates, Never Been Kissed▶ 15:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Harrison Ford

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, The Fugitive▶ 24:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Peter Coyote

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin · Known for A Walk to Remember, Patch Adams▶ 18:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Charles Durning

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Dog Day Afternoon▶ 26:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jerry O'Connell

2 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Stand by Me▶ 1:25:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Justin Henry

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Kramer vs. Kramer, Sixteen Candles▶ 15:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Jackson

2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 1:20:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Anna Paquin

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for X-Men▶ 27:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Anthony Hopkins

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The Silence of the Lambs▶ 1:19:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (6)

George Lucas

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, THX 1138, American Graffiti▶ 5:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mike Flanagan

4 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 8:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Frank Price

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 24:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Sayles

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Lone Star▶ 29:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Raymond Carver

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 12:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tony Kushner

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Lincoln, Munich▶ 35:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Gordon Willis

1 mentions · Mallory Rubin · Known for The Godfather Part II▶ 56:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗