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‘Rain Man’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey

August 24, 2021 · Rain Man (1988) · Drama · 1:38:06

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

Categories

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 18:48Dustin Hoffman — Dustin Hoffman could have been Fredo in The Godfather - 'he could have been a great Fredo'
Sean Fennessey▶ 18:49Dustin Hoffman — Agreed that Dustin Hoffman 'could have been good Fredo' in The Godfather

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 23:20Suggests Cruise's part is weirdly harder than Hoffman's part, but doesn't give a definitive winner

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 42:51Vegas blackjack sequence - the seven-minute card counting scene
Sean Fennessey▶ 42:58Vegas blackjack sequence - agrees it's instantly iconic

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 51:16The stigma of card counting - they don't win enough money to warrant the casino response, and crowds don't gather behind blackjack winners unless betting a million dollars a hand
Chris Ryan▶ 50:43Questions the economics of the movie's premise and agrees $80k in 1988 would be like $400k today
Sean Fennessey▶ 52:09The likelihood of being called into the manager's office for card counting after winning that amount seems ridiculous since it's not illegal and not the largest sum ever won

What's Aged the Worst

Bill Simmons▶ 53:02Tom Cruise trying to smoke cigarettes - he holds cigarettes like it's offensive and never actually smokes them, just lights them and lets them dangle
Chris Ryan▶ 53:48Tom Cruise's cigarette smoking - he's supposed to be a chain smoker but holds cigarettes like he's holding a tree stump, always awkward
Sean Fennessey▶ 55:03Acknowledges the Tom Cruise smoking issue but is less outraged than the other hosts, explaining it makes sense because his body is a temple

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 57:24Nick Mazzola — Nick Mazzola, the blackjack dealer at Caesars Palace who also appeared in Vegas Vacation and Casino and was a real blackjack dealer
Chris Ryan▶ 57:37Nick Mazzola — Nick Mazzola, agreeing with the pick and praising his IMDB page showing Vegas Vacation, Rain Man, and Casino

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 1:02:35Presents multiple trivia facts: Hoffman and Cruise called it 'two schmucks in a car', filmed during Writers Guild strike so they winged the final scene, airlines deleted airplane accident scenes except Qantas, Hoffman wanted to quit after 3 weeks, movie based on real savant Kim Peek, and the roommate story of Hoffman, Hackman, and Duvall living together in NYC
Chris Ryan▶ 1:03:38Responds to trivia with commentary about the movie's ending, makes jokes about alternate endings, discusses airline travel changes, and participates in the three actors discussion choosing Duvall as preferred career
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:03:00Engages with the trivia by discussing the movie's ending, the three actors' roommate situation, and asking follow-up questions about their careers and personalities

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 1:12:21Tom Cruise — Tom Cruise - 1988 (but thinks 1996 is better), Dustin Hoffman - Kramer vs. Kramer, People's Court - late 80s, Barry Levinson - yes (Rain Man period), Valeria Golino - Hot Shots
Chris Ryan▶ 1:12:52Tom Cruise — Tom Cruise - 1996 (agrees with another host), Valeria Golino - Hot Shots
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:12:44Tom Cruise — Tom Cruise - 1996 (Mission Impossible and Jerry Maguire)

Movies Referenced (65)

Jerry Maguire (1996)

7 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 33:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

All the President's Men (1976)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 7:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mississippi Burning (1988)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 31:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Die Hard (1988)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 23:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Midnight Cowboy (1969)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 3:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Midnight Run (1988)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 1:17:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Graduate (1967)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 5:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

I Am Sam (2001)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 25:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Big Chill (1983)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 1:01:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Top Gun (1986)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 20:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Working Girl (1988)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 31:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Blue Chips (1994)

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 57:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (7)

Barry Levinson

23 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Rain Man, Wag the Dog▶ 23:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mike Nichols

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for The Graduate▶ 32:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Martin Brest

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Scent of a Woman, Midnight Run, Beverly Hills Cop▶ 15:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Mann

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The Insider, Collateral, The Last of the Mohicans▶ 1:04:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Taylor Hackford

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Dolores Claiborne▶ 8:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tim Burton

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Edward Scissorhands▶ 24:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tom Brady

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Hot Chick▶ 1:07:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (54)

Dustin Hoffman

79 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Rain Man, Tootsie, Midnight Cowboy▶ 2:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Charlie Sheen

33 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Wall Street▶ 12:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tom Cruise

26 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Top Gun, Minority Report▶ 2:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Gene Hackman

19 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for The French Connection, The Royal Tenenbaums, Unforgiven▶ 32:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Robert Duvall

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for The Judge, Tender Mercies▶ 1:07:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Peter Road

6 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 1:17:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jack Nicholson

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Chinatown, As Good as It Gets, The Departed▶ 2:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Brian Markinson

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 56:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Paul Newman

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Road to Perdition, The Verdict▶ 3:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Robert De Niro

4 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Cape Fear, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver▶ 2:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bruce Willis

3 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Die Hard, Pulp Fiction▶ 32:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Daniel Day-Lewis

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for There Will Be Blood, The Last of the Mohicans, Lincoln▶ 9:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (9)

Carl Bernstein

2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for All the President's Men▶ 17:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 36:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ali Bathgate

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for F1: The Movie, Enola Holmes▶ 5:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Barry Morrow

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Rain Man▶ 1:06:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Elmore Leonard

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Out of Sight, Get Shorty▶ 7:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Marie Brenner

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Insider, Richard Jewell, A Private War▶ 13:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Cimino

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Deer Hunter, Heaven's Gate▶ 7:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Noah Baumbach

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The Squid and the Whale, Marriage Story▶ 4:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ron Kovic

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Born on the Fourth of July▶ 33:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (2)

Christophe Legal

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Pink Panther▶ 11:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Grantland

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Other Guys▶ 1:09:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗