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‘Rollerball’ (1975) With Bill Simmons and Brian Koppelman

August 12, 2025 · Rollerball (1975) · Action · Sci-Fi · Sport · 1:37:08

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

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Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Bill Simmons▶ 14:41James Caan's performance is his single favorite great one-minute, terrible the next-minute performance in sports movies - scenes where he seems checked out and muttering, then becomes Sonny Corleone as a rollerball player with A++ athlete mystique
Brian Koppelman▶ 16:26Defends Caan's performance as intentional - argues he's playing a guy lulled to sleep by the world he's in, only coming alive during sports, which explains the muttering/zonked out delivery

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 39:12Multiple scenes including the opening/first 10 minutes with credits and music, Jonathan's lecture to the team when Tuffy decides to make a run at him, the interview with Jonathan and his girlfriend with the stats guy, the crazy futuristic party, and Tokyo versus Houston with no penalties
Brian Koppelman▶ 42:29The crazy futuristic party scene

Best Quote

Bill Simmons▶ 51:13Game! This wasn't meant to be a game! Never!
Brian Koppelman▶ 51:20Game! This wasn't meant to be a game! Never!

What's Aged the Best

Bill Simmons▶ 1:03:05Dick Enberg calling a game

Teddy KGB Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:04:35Ralph Richardson — Agrees with Brian Koppelman's pick of Ralph Richardson
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:03:38Ralph Richardson — Sir Ralph Richardson - describes him as being in his own movie, making James Caan totally different, like he's in a Bond comedy while everyone else is in a different film

Butch's Girlfriend Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:05:43The corporation's plan to change the rules instead of just killing Jonathan - should have just killed him outright rather than rigging the game
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:06:39The scene where the blonde girlfriend comes in and Jonathan realizes she's turned, similar to Sharon Stone in Total Recall, and when Jonathan almost hurts her

What's Aged the Worst

Bill Simmons▶ 1:07:50The 2002 remake of the movie - calls it one of the worst movies ever made
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:08:24Agrees about the 2002 remake - watched only 30-40 seconds before shutting it off and refused to see it in theaters

Overacting Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:10:45Jonathan's ex-girlfriend shooting the fire gun with that crazy look on her face
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:10:51Seemed to lean toward the coach but didn't give a definitive pick, instead discussed how the director may have focused more on stunts than performance direction

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 1:14:06Gene Hackman — Gene Hackman as Houston coach, Burt Reynolds could do athleticism/swagger, Warren Beatty would be interesting and athletically credible
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:14:18James Caan — James Caan better choice than Burt Reynolds because he reads as smarter, Redford not credible athletically, agrees Warren Beatty could work

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 1:16:21James Caan — James Caan - yes, around this time period; Norman Jewison - no, In the Heat of the Night; John Hausman - no, Paper Chase; Houston as sports city - no clear pick between Jonathan E era vs Hakeem Rockets vs Dallas TV show era; Roller skating movies - yes
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:17:31Norman Jewison — Norman Jewison - Moonstruck; Roller skating movies - yes, this is the coolest roller skating ever looked

Hanks or Cruise

Bill Simmons▶ 1:18:38Tom Cruise — Cruise in a walk, it's not even close
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:18:41Tom Cruise — Agrees this would have been an amazing Cruise movie, but suggests Hanks could play the Hausman role in a dark turn

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 1:21:15Gambling existed in 1975 with spreads being put out, so the movie missed an opportunity not including betting lines on the rollerball games
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:20:19Looked up the rules penalties - violence was only penalized if it occurred outside the course of gameplay, but was allowed during active play

Is This Movie Better With

Bill Simmons▶ 1:23:45John Cazale — John Cazale - could come over after Jonathan refuses Bartholomew and say 'Johnny, you don't talk to a guy like Mr. Bartholomew like that'
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:23:14Norm MacDonald — Norm McDonald (for commentary on the game), John Cazale (his character from The Conversation would fit), and 1975 Meryl Streep instead of Maud Adams

Just One Oscar

Bill Simmons▶ 1:24:36Suggests both production design and stunts, ultimately seeming to favor production design

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:28:03Do the Dolans own the New York rollerball team? And what happens the day after - does Jonathan form a players union or does he take down the whole society?
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:26:25Are the rollerball players robots/androids? References suggest they might all be androids, with Jonathan being a robot who gets rebuilt each time he's destroyed and doesn't know his true nature

Coach Finstock Life Lesson

Bill Simmons▶ 1:29:28Corporate society is an inevitability

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:30:42James Caan

Movies Referenced (40)

Rocky (1976)

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman▶ 6:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Charlie's Angels (2000)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 57:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

In the Heat of the Night (1967)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 23:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Shining (1980)

3 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons▶ 41:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Creed (2015)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman▶ 53:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 41:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Misery (1990)

2 mentions · Brian Koppelman▶ 14:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Longest Yard (2005)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 6:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

And Justice for All (1979)

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 23:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Annie Hall (1977)

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 36:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Apocalypse Now (1979)

1 mentions · Brian Koppelman▶ 5:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Citizen Kane (1941)

1 mentions · Brian Koppelman▶ 1:04:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (10)

Norman Jewison

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman · Known for In the Heat of the Night, Moonstruck▶ 9:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Martin Scorsese

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman · Known for Taxi Driver, Killers of the Flower Moon, Mean Streets▶ 1:19:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Oliver Stone

2 mentions · Brian Koppelman · Known for Born on the Fourth of July, Platoon, JFK▶ 31:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Quentin Tarantino

2 mentions · Brian Koppelman · Known for Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, From Dusk Till Dawn▶ 37:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sean Penn

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Mystic River, 21 Grams, Dead Man Walking▶ 48:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ben Stouffer

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Haunting in Connecticut▶ 11:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John McTiernan

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Die Hard, Last Action Hero▶ 1:08:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Robert Kennedy

1 mentions · Brian Koppelman▶ 1:13:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Stanley Kubrick

1 mentions · Brian Koppelman · Known for 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon▶ 1:05:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Warren Beatty

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Heaven Can Wait▶ 1:14:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (44)

James Caan

10 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons · Known for Thief, Rollerball, Misery▶ 5:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Burt Reynolds

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman · Known for Boogie Nights, Smokey and the Bandit, Striptease▶ 15:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dick Enberg

5 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Heaven Can Wait, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!▶ 1:03:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mr. T

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman · Known for Rocky III▶ 53:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Cazale

3 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Dog Day Afternoon, The Godfather▶ 1:23:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tik Tok

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:08:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Barbara Trentham

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Rollerball▶ 1:01:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Barbra Streisand

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Funny Girl▶ 29:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bruce Lee

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman · Known for Enter the Dragon▶ 55:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Harrison Ford

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, The Fugitive▶ 14:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗

James Mason

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for North by Northwest▶ 28:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Justin Yard

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 6:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (5)

James Kahn

6 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons▶ 30:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Brian Koppelman

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Runaway Jury, Runner Runner, Michael Clayton▶ 57:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tony Gilroy

1 mentions · Brian Koppelman · Known for Michael Clayton, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story▶ 1:31:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

William Gibson

1 mentions · Brian Koppelman▶ 1:22:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

William Harrison

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Rollerball▶ 35:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Jason Goodell

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:00:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗