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‘The Gambler’ (2014) With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan

December 17, 2024 · The Gambler (2014) · Crime · Drama · Thriller · 1:43:37

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Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 29:28The opening gambling scene at Mr. Lee's casino
Chris Ryan▶ 33:05The opening gambling scene - 'I could watch that scene, that 10 minutes over and over and over again'

Big Kahuna Burger Award

Bill Simmons▶ 59:17Constant cereal eating
Chris Ryan▶ 59:17The cereal

Butch's Girlfriend Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:04:27The relationship between Brie Larson's character and Jim - doesn't make sense why a 20-year-old bookworm would like a self-destructive professor on a gambling bender
Chris Ryan▶ 1:07:27The lack of sophisticated gambling - there's no real skill or strategy deployed, just stacking and destruction

Is There a Better Title?

Bill Simmons▶ 1:12:36No

Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:14:20Mark Wahlberg has worked with the best collection of very attractive actresses at the perfect times of their career
Chris Ryan▶ 1:15:37Bookies would not be this permissive - giving Jim $240,000 credit is unrealistic, should be more like $25K

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 1:17:27Ben Affleck — Discusses Scorsese/Leo/Moynihan originally attached, Todd Phillips considered, mentions Ben Affleck was in the mix and would have been right for it at that time
Chris Ryan▶ 1:18:23Oscar Isaac — Oscar Isaac or Ethan Hawke - wants someone more bookish for the lead role

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 1:24:21Lists multiple potential Apex Mountains: cereal conversations, shaving points in movies (Blue chips), Omega watches in film, and agrees with watching basketball indoors with sunglasses on
Chris Ryan▶ 1:24:52Brie Larson — Cocktail waitresses in movies, citing Brie Larson and the woman at the horse track scene

Hanks or Cruise

Bill Simmons▶ 1:26:21Tom Cruise — Cruise - calls it 'easily a cruise' and 'the easiest cruise in a while'
Chris Ryan▶ 1:26:35Tom Cruise — Cruise - agrees and discusses what era of Cruise would be best (around Jerry Maguire/Vanilla Sky era when he's about 35)

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:30:03The giant bag of cash in the locker is ludicrous; the basketball game logistics are idiotic - they're up seven but not fouling or dribbling out the clock, taking early possession shots instead of choking the game out
Chris Ryan▶ 1:29:34What was Jim's bet? Why is Lamar practicing in a tiny gym that looks like a middle school gym instead of USC's giant gym?

Is This Movie Better With

Bill Simmons▶ 1:32:50Samuel L. Jackson — Sam Jackson - suggests he wouldn't have been a bad thing in this movie
Chris Ryan▶ 1:32:53Samuel L. Jackson — Sam Jackson as Neville - says Sam Jackson and Goodman in the same movie would have been awesome

Just One Oscar

Bill Simmons▶ 1:33:19John Goodman — Goodman

Best Double Feature

Bill Simmons▶ 1:37:53Two for the Money — Two for the Money paired with The Gambler (original), with The Gambler first
Chris Ryan▶ 1:38:03Two for the Money — Two for the Money paired with The Gambler (original), but would watch Two for the Money second as a palate cleanser since the Jimmy Caan movie is very serious

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:39:54John Goodman — John Goodman - because if that Goodman part isn't good, the movie falls apart, and it needed someone who wouldn't overact or try too hard
Chris Ryan▶ 1:39:44William Monaghan (the screenwriter) - because the movie is unvarnished his thing, with characters speaking from his POV and serving as a vehicle for his musings on society and existence

Movies Referenced (47)

Den of Thieves (2018)

6 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 18:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Boogie Nights (1997)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 6:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Rain Man (1988)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 1:25:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Departed (2006)

4 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 16:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Miami Vice (2006)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:19:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Italian Job (2003)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 21:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Blue Chips (1994)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:24:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Collateral (2004)

2 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 18:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Fargo (1996)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:16:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Flight (2012)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 49:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Focus (2015)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 1:43:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Heat (1995)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 18:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (10)

Rupert Wyatt

4 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 19:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Shabazz Ray

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 48:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ridley Scott

2 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for The Martian, Blade Runner▶ 16:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ben Affleck

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Argo, Gone Girl, The Town▶ 1:18:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Béla Tarr

1 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 1:41:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Howard Hawks

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Rio Bravo▶ 1:41:18IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Mann

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for The Insider, Collateral, The Last of the Mohicans▶ 18:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Rupert Sanders

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Ghost in the Shell▶ 25:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Todd Phillips

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Joker, Due Date, Old School▶ 1:17:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

William Friedkin

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for To Live and Die in L.A., The French Connection, The Exorcist▶ 43:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (66)

Mark Wahlberg

37 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for The Fighter, Boogie Nights, The Departed▶ 5:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Brie Larson

28 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Captain Marvel, Short Term 12▶ 12:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Goodman

25 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for 10 Cloverfield Lane, Barton Fink, Argo▶ 12:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jack Nicholson

10 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Chinatown, As Good as It Gets, The Departed▶ 4:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Danny Trejo

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Machete, From Dusk Till Dawn, Predators▶ 1:29:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

James Caan

8 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Thief, Rollerball, Misery▶ 10:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jon Bernthal

7 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Wolf of Wall Street, King Richard, Fury▶ 8:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Gerard Butler

5 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Law Abiding Citizen, The Phantom of the Opera▶ 29:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jessica Lange

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Tootsie, The Postman Always Rings Twice▶ 23:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

William Monaghan

5 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 19:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Domenick Lombardozzi

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 1:18:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ethan Hawke

4 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for Training Day, Before Sunrise, Before Midnight▶ 9:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (6)

Cormac McCarthy

2 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for The Road, No Country for Old Men▶ 26:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 27:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dave Schultz

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:09:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

James Toback

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for The Gambler▶ 6:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Philip Roth

1 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 1:06:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sally Rooney

1 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 1:38:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Michael Grantland

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for The Other Guys▶ 4:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗