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‘Wall Street’ With Bill Simmons and Brian Koppelman

December 1, 2020 · Wall Street (1987) · Crime · Drama · 1:43:33

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Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 41:14Discusses multiple scenes as nominees including Martin Sheen's first scene with Charlie, Gecko's first office scene, the limo pep talk, and the Anacott Steele montage, but acknowledges 'we all know what the most rewatchable scene is going to be' without definitively stating his final pick
Brian Koppelman▶ 44:16Gecko's first office scene when Charlie finally gets into Gecko's office - calls it 'the scene' and says 'to me, that's the scene'

What's Aged the Worst

Bill Simmons▶ 1:11:43Dave Winfield reference, Gecko's handheld TV and gigantic cell phone, Darian's furniture plan, bad union rep actor, and the Wall Street sequel existing
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:13:26Cigarettes being smoked indoors, especially Gecko lighting up the cigar inside

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 1:14:43Richard Gere — Richard Gere would have been good as Gecko and could have carried the charisma, though not 100% as good as Michael Douglas. References Gere's performance in Internal Affairs as evidence he could dial it up.
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:15:11Richard Gere — Richard Gere couldn't have done the verbal pyrotechnics - he's more of a slow burn actor whereas Gecko thinks fast and does page-long dialogue bursts.

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:19:13Franklin Cover — Suggests Franklin Cover (from The Jeffersons) and Josh Mostel as candidates, noting they fit the 'that guy with that face' criteria
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:20:04Franklin Cover

Overacting Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:21:04Sylvia Miles — Agrees to co-winners, references Sylvia Miles' line
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:20:39Sylvia Miles — Sylvia Miles as the real estate broker

Dion Waiters Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:21:39Terence Stamp — Terrence Stamp as Sir Larry
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:23:04Terence Stamp — Terrence Stamp (after initially suggesting James Caron)

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 1:26:15Presents multiple research findings: greed line from Ivan Boesky speech, Douglas smoked 40 cigarettes daily and needed speech instruction, modeled after Pat Riley, Sheen/Young conflict scrapped affair subplot, Diane Lane considered for Darien, real trading floor shoot with actual brokers, moving camera as predator concept, 53-day shoot finished early due to director's strike, Ken Lipper consultant provided Wall Street access
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:27:59Notes that consultant Ken Lipper appears in the film sitting next to Douglas at the 21 Club scene

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 1:28:17Michael Douglas — Michael Douglas (Wall Street or Fatal Attraction), Oliver Stone (Wall Street because it led to him being able to make any movie including JFK), Charlie Sheen (Two and a Half Men for fame/money but Wall Street as an actor), Sean Young (No Way Out), Daryl Hannah (Wall Street and Roxanne same year), plus various cultural elements like goofy movie robots, Hamptons, steak tartare, and squash
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:29:19Charlie Sheen — Charlie Sheen's apex was Platoon as an artist (he could have been everything after that), agrees on Wall Street being evergreen/apex for the concept of Wall Street films, agrees on Stop Making Sense for Talking Heads, and steak tartare

Picking Nits

Bill Simmons▶ 1:33:02Multiple nits: Sir Larry should have noticed Charlie Sheen following him; bad dubbing during Gekko's speech; Bud being dumb enough to trust Gekko about Blue Star; Bud randomly being at Spader's office during pivotal meeting; Sheen crying in handcuffs scene; Gekko should have worried about Bud wearing a wire; missing Emilio Estevez cameo opportunity
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:34:04Multiple nits: Bud becoming a dick too quickly to his best friend Marv; the 'who am I' moment; suggests Sheen's crying may have been based on real person Dennis Levine; agrees Gekko should have suspected a wire and that an Emilio Estevez cameo would have been good

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:35:59Posed three unanswerable questions: whether Charlie Sheen turned into Bud Fox, Gordon Gekko's influence on Trump's billionaire persona, and how switching Cruise/Sheen between Wall Street and Cocktail would affect both movies
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:36:18Agreed on Gekko's cultural influence leading to celebrating rich people/idiots; argued Cruise makes any movie better and Sheen couldn't handle Cocktail's good-natured requirements; suggested Cruise in Wall Street could have allowed better casting like Duvall as the father

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:40:58Michael Douglas — Michael Douglas - because this movie allows him with Fatal Attraction to become the biggest star in the world
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:41:03Michael Douglas — Michael Douglas - for having forever one of the most important characters in cinema history and a character who stood in for a period of America

Movies Referenced (33)

Platoon (1986)

12 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons▶ 1:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

First Blood (1982)

6 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons▶ 22:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Scarface (1983)

6 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons▶ 3:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Fatal Attraction (1987)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 16:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Apocalypse Now (1979)

3 mentions · Brian Koppelman▶ 22:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

No Way Out (1987)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:30:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Radio Days (1987)

3 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons▶ 35:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Terminator (1984)

3 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons▶ 34:18IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Fargo (1996)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 27:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Something Wild (1986)

2 mentions · Brian Koppelman▶ 1:24:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

2 mentions · Brian Koppelman▶ 10:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Abyss (1989)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:04:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (11)

Oliver Stone

14 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman · Known for Born on the Fourth of July, Platoon, JFK▶ 2:18IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Woody Allen

7 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons · Known for Annie Hall, Deconstructing Harry▶ 35:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Warren Beatty

3 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons · Known for Heaven Can Wait▶ 1:14:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Julian Schnabel

2 mentions · Brian Koppelman · Known for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly▶ 1:39:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Julius Erving

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Philadelphia▶ 2:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sam Peckinpah

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman · Known for The Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs▶ 14:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sean Penn

2 mentions · Brian Koppelman · Known for Mystic River, 21 Grams, Dead Man Walking▶ 1:37:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kevin Costner

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Dances with Wolves, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves▶ 1:30:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Paul Guilfoyle

1 mentions · Brian Koppelman▶ 1:31:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Spike Lee

1 mentions · Brian Koppelman · Known for Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, She's Gotta Have It▶ 24:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Steven Soderbergh

1 mentions · Brian Koppelman · Known for Traffic▶ 47:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (42)

Charlie Sheen

35 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman · Known for Wall Street▶ 2:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tom Cruise

18 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman · Known for Top Gun, Minority Report▶ 29:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Daryl Hannah

15 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman · Known for Wall Street, Kill Bill: Vol. 1▶ 2:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michelle Pfeiffer

14 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons · Known for What Lies Beneath▶ 1:23:18IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Richard Gere

12 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman · Known for Chicago, Pretty Woman, An Officer and a Gentleman▶ 1:14:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Don Henley

10 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons · Known for In America, Space Cowboys, Vertical Limit▶ 1:24:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Martin Sheen

10 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman · Known for The Departed▶ 2:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Al Pacino

8 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons · Known for Dog Day Afternoon, The Godfather▶ 1:16:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dave Winfield

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman▶ 12:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

James Spader

7 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons▶ 33:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sean Young

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman · Known for Blade Runner 2049, Dune, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective▶ 33:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Hal Holbrook

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman · Known for Into the Wild, Lincoln, Capricorn One▶ 33:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (6)

Ken Lipper

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman · Known for City Hall, Wall Street▶ 1:27:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Adam McKay

1 mentions · Brian Koppelman · Known for Don't Look Up, The Other Guys, Vice▶ 1:31:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Brian Koppelman

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Runaway Jury, Runner Runner, Michael Clayton▶ 2:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

David Mamet

1 mentions · Brian Koppelman · Known for The Spanish Prisoner, House of Games▶ 24:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 39:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Stanley Weiser

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Wall Street▶ 34:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Michael Grantland

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Other Guys▶ 2:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗