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‘Focus’ With Bill Simmons and Wesley Morris

November 16, 2021 · Focus (2015) · Comedy · Crime · Drama · 1:34:35

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

Categories

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 17:50Will Smith — Questions whether Will Smith could have had a Denzel-like career with more artistic choices, mentions Six Degrees of Separation, Focus, and Pursuit of Happiness as examples of his potential, expresses interest in King Richard as a return to more serious work
Wesley Morris▶ 15:03Will Smith — Discusses Will Smith's career choices and potential, noting Focus as interesting because it shows Will Smith in a different light - his first R-rated movie in 12 years, showing sexual chemistry with Margot Robbie that he doesn't usually display

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 42:38The Super Bowl scene is one of the most rewatchable scenes of the last 10 years
Wesley Morris▶ 44:38Discusses multiple scenes including the Super Bowl scene positively despite criticizing the fake Super Bowl production quality, and praises the thief audition scene on Bourbon Street

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 1:08:56Ryan Gosling — Discusses the original casting of Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, then Ben Affleck and Kristen Stewart. Questions whether Ben Affleck and Margot Robbie would have had off-screen chemistry. Notes the casting timeline where Kristen Stewart dropped out after Will Smith joined.
Wesley Morris▶ 1:09:03Kristen Stewart — Analyzes why directors would want to work with Gosling/Stone again after La La Land. Discusses Kristen Stewart's subtle sexual energy compared to Margot Robbie's externalized approach, citing The Clouds of Sils Maria as example.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Wesley Morris▶ 1:13:35Speculates about scheduling conflict, notes the actress was busy making a movie or two per year during that period

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:13:52BD Wong — Initially picks Adrian Martinez as Farhad, then changes to BD Wong after discussion
Wesley Morris▶ 1:14:18BD Wong

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:26:07Focus 2 sequel concept - Will Smith older trying to get out, one last heist, Margot Robbie bigger star
Wesley Morris▶ 1:26:23Contributed to Focus 2 sequel idea - divorced couple with kid, kid involved in preschool heist

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:28:23Margot Robbie — Margot Robbie - because she goes toe to toe with Will Smith and pulls him out of a movie coma
Wesley Morris▶ 1:27:06Brennan Brown — Farhad/Horst (Brennan Brown) - the character who performs the car crash stunt sequence

Movies Referenced (46)

Wall Street (1987)

7 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons▶ 27:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bad Boys (1995)

5 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons▶ 16:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Men in Black (1997)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 8:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Body Heat (1981)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris▶ 32:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

I Am Legend (2007)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris▶ 5:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Intolerable Cruelty (2003)

4 mentions · Wesley Morris▶ 23:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

King Richard (2021)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris▶ 4:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Out of Sight (1998)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris▶ 21:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Casino (1995)

3 mentions · Wesley Morris▶ 31:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

My Life (1993)

3 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons▶ 8:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Fargo (1996)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 37:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Goodfellas (1990)

2 mentions · Wesley Morris▶ 31:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (8)

Ben Affleck

9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Argo, Gone Girl, The Town▶ 1:10:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Steven Soderbergh

9 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons · Known for Traffic▶ 39:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tony Scott

6 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons · Known for Unstoppable, True Romance▶ 20:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Richard Williams

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Who Framed Roger Rabbit▶ 4:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

George Clooney

1 mentions · Wesley Morris · Known for The Ides of March, Michael Clayton▶ 23:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Martin Scorsese

1 mentions · Wesley Morris · Known for Taxi Driver, Killers of the Flower Moon, Mean Streets▶ 32:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Mann

1 mentions · Wesley Morris · Known for The Insider, Collateral, The Last of the Mohicans▶ 58:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

R. Kelly

1 mentions · · Known for Space Jam▶ 40:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (63)

Will Smith

50 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Men in Black, I Am Legend▶ 4:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Margot Robbie

27 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Suicide Squad, The Wolf of Wall Street, Barbie▶ 15:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

BD Wong

12 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Jurassic Park, Jurassic World▶ 44:18IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kristen Stewart

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Twilight▶ 1:10:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Spencer Tracy

7 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons · Known for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner▶ 1:09:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ving Rhames

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Pulp Fiction, Bringing Out the Dead▶ 1:14:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Catherine Zeta-Jones

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Chicago, Traffic▶ 22:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Linda Fiorentino

5 mentions · Wesley Morris · Known for The Last Seduction, Men in Black, Dogma▶ 29:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Martin Lawrence

4 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons▶ 1:32:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Russell Crowe

4 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind▶ 9:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ryan Gosling

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris · Known for Blue Valentine, La La Land, Drive▶ 36:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sidney Poitier

4 mentions · Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons · Known for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, In the Heat of the Night▶ 12:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (4)

Roger Ebert

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 37:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Damien Chazelle

1 mentions · Wesley Morris · Known for Whiplash, La La Land, First Man▶ 1:09:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Glenn Ficarra

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 34:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

William Goldman

1 mentions · Wesley Morris · Known for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, The Princess Bride▶ 25:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Michael Grantland

4 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Other Guys▶ 4:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗