Blank Check — Patreon: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free)

Published 2023-10-22; 2:36:44 by the feed.

As extracted (engineer-sonnet-2026-10-13)

The extraction calls the show “Blank Check with Griffin & David (Patreon)” and the episode “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free)”.

Hosts: Griffin Newman, David Sims, Ben Hosley. Guests: Richard Lawson.

Subject films: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

On the transcript: Auto-transcription with no speaker labels; many film and actor names are garbled and ad-libbed bits (Orson Bean, Martin Brest, Glenn Powell) are noisy. Speaker attributions are mostly low confidence.

Films that came up

Claims (49)

lineage (adaptation): F. Scott Fitzgerald → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The film is adapted from Fitzgerald's short story, though the speakers say it shares little with it.
“It's quite, it's, it doesn't have too much in common with the film, right?”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:01:30 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
people (performance comparison): Sling Blade → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Pitt is only the second actor nominated for a Sling Blade style performance, after Thornton.
“I was just going to ask if Brad Pitt is the only actor, other than Thornton, obviously, to be nominated for doing a slingblade, slingblade.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:02:46 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
unmapped (joke): Clifford → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The Martin Short version is called basically a Clifford sequel.
“It's basically a Clifford sequel.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:05:04 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
unmapped (attempt at a Gump): Forrest Gump → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The speaker says the cultural narrative is that Benjamin Button is Fincher trying to do Gump.
“but I do think this is like the cultural narrative of this movie is he's trying to do Gump, right?”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:10:05 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
unmapped (attempt at a Gump): Forrest Gump → Big Fish. Studios kept trying to replicate Gump; Big Fish was one attempt.
“And Big Fish is an attempt at a gump.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:10:34 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
unmapped (attempt at a Gump): Forrest Gump → The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Walter Mitty is another attempt at a Gump a couple of years after Button.
“A couple years after this, Walter Middy's an attempt at a gump.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:10:34 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
unmapped (parody): The Curious Case of Benjamin Button → The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. The speaker says Walter Mitty parodies Benjamin Button, as if to say Button got the Gump wrong.
“And Walter Mitty parodies Benjamin Button, almost as if to say, they fucked up.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:10:46 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
unmapped (trailer reception): The Social Network → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Both teasers played with a tone so different that the audience went silent.
“2 great fucking teasers that have such a different tone than everything else that was playing that the audience just went pin drop silent.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:18:21 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
industry (marketing): The Whale → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Both campaigns withheld the star's transformed look.
“The Benjamin button film was even more withholding, you know, and it really worked until it kind of doesn't because you eventually do have to see the thing.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:20:13 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
unmapped (anti-Gump answer): Forrest Gump → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Griffin reads Benjamin Button as a pointed answer to Gump, showing the death behind the Americana.
“But I think it's almost like pointedly an anti-gump.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:22:50 · Griffin Newman (0.60 sure it was them)
programming (unrealized pairing): Brad Pitt → Cate Blanchett. They were supposed to do The Fountain together, which Button realized.
“I mean, he and Blanchard were supposed to do the fountain together.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:24:56 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
people (casting): Jared Harris → Ocean's Twelve. Fincher says he cast Jared Harris because of one moment in Ocean's Twelve.
“Fincher says he cast Jared Harris specifically because of his, like, one moment in Ocean's 12.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:25:03 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
people (casting): Brad Pitt → Tilda Swinton. Pitt recommended Tilda Swinton for the role.
“Pitt recommended Tilda, although I think because of post-production, this must have been shot before burn after reading”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:25:34 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
theme (same star, same theme): Meet Joe Black → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Meet Joe Black is Brad Pitt's other epic about death; the speaker rewatched it right after Button.
“Brad Pitt's other somewhat misbegotten epic about death, meet Joe Black.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:26:08 · Richard Lawson (0.60 sure it was them)
lineage (inspiration): Mark Twain → F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald said the story was inspired by a Twain remark about the best part of life coming at the beginning.
“Fitzgerald said the story was inspired by a remark of Mark Twain.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:34:24 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if): Clifford → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The speaker guesses Martin Short did Clifford after the Oz version fell apart.
“Maybe when Benjamin Button fell apart, Short was like, but I couldn't remember something like that.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:36:20 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
people (attached director): Steven Spielberg → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Spielberg wanted to make it with Tom Cruise at Amblin but did Jurassic Park and Schindler's List instead.
“Spielberg wants to make it. With Tom Cruise.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:37:35 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
unmapped (uncredited rewrite): Charlie Kaufman → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Kaufman supposedly rewrote the script at one point.
“Charlie Kaufman supposedly rewrote the script at one point.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:40:35 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
people (attached director): Being John Malkovich → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Spike Jonze came aboard Button straight off Malkovich.
“It's like after Malkovich, they're Jones like, what do you want?”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:40:57 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
unmapped (rewrite): Robin Swicord → Eric Roth. Roth was the first to start over after Swicord's draft; everyone else built on it.
“Eric Roth is the 1st person post-Swyker to do like a full page one, go back to the adaptation start over, right?”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:41:16 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
lineage (adaptation distance): F. Scott Fitzgerald → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. By the time Roth finished, the film resembles the story in name only.
“By the time he's done with it, the movie has no resemblance to Benjamin Button apart from, it's called Benjamin Button.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:42:01 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
unmapped (tribute): Eric Roth → The Great Gatsby. Roth named the love interest Daisy as a tribute to Gatsby.
“He calls the love interest daisy as a tribute to the Great Gatsby.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:42:11 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
people (shared writer): Forrest Gump → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The same screenwriter, Eric Roth, wrote both, and Roth poured his own grief into Button instead of repeating himself.
“If anyone's going to be able to crack this, have the Gump guy crack it”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:43:08 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
lineage (line origin): Joan Didion → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. A line in the film was something Roth's mother said in the hospital, tied by the speaker to Didion's Year of Magical Thinking.
“Joan Didian's book, the year of magical thinking.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:43:40 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
unmapped (proof of concept): Orville Redenbacher commercial (Fincher, Digital Domain) → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Fincher used a Redenbacher commercial to test whether the film was makeable.
“I'm basically stealing money from Orvell Redbocker to figure out whether this film is makeable or not.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:52:07 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
unmapped (technology spectacle): David Fincher → Robert Zemeckis. Button was Fincher's version of a Zemeckis project, going back to the Gump comparison.
“But this was his kind of Zamecasi going back to the Forrest Gump thing.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:52:24 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
people (considered director): Gary Ross → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Gary Ross was under consideration, and the Pleasantville vibes made sense.
“Gary Ross was at some point under consideration for this job, which makes sense.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:53:31 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
unmapped (enabling technology): Peter Jackson → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Once Gollum worked, scripts once thought unmakable looked possible.
“Post golem was the 1st time where they were suddenly like all these scripts that we used to think were unmakable.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:53:46 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
theme (technology comparison): David Fincher → Peter Jackson. Fincher did not usually pioneer technology for the next generation the way Zemeckis or Jackson did.
“But I do think in that way that's more often the, like, the Zameckis, Peter Jackson”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:54:05 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): Forrest Gump → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Fincher read the similarity to Roth's earlier film as the reverse: an extraordinary man in ordinary circumstances.
“I thought of Benjamin as an extraordinary man in ordinary circumstances”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:57:01 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
theme (look comparison): Brad Pitt → Barry Levinson. On the commentary Fincher said Pitt's tugboat look resembles Barry Levinson.
“And the commentary, Fincher referred to him as looking like Barry Levinson.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:02:01 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
career (career break): Hustle & Flow → Taraji P. Henson. Hustle and Flow put her on Fincher's radar.
“but it was Hustle and Flow that puts her on.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:02:18 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
unmapped (champion): John Singleton → Taraji P. Henson. Singleton cast her in Baby Boy, produced Hustle and Flow with her, and cast her in Four Brothers.
“Singleton really made a concerted effort to try to single-handedly make her a movie star”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:02:29 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
career (career step): The Curious Case of Benjamin Button → House of Cards (TV series). Fincher moved Mahershala Ali from Button into House of Cards.
“But I mean, look, Fincher puts him from this into House of Cards, which is one of the things that definitely levels him up.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:05:36 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
people (repeat collaborators): Kristin Scott Thomas → Scarlett Johansson. Johansson works with Scott Thomas a third time in North Star after Horse Whisperer and The Other Boleyn Girl.
“And it's got Scarlett Johansson, who she's now working with 3 times.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:21:22 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast of symbols): Forrest Gump → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Per Fincher, the hummingbird is the opposite of Gump's feather.
“And he's like, the hummingbird is the exact opposite of the feather.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:26:15 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
unmapped (joke): Dick Tracy → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The brothel line calls Benjamin a regular Dick Tracy.
“That the thing, the sex worker says, is like, you're a regular Dick Tracy.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:27:06 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
theme (character comparison): Being There → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The speaker likens people projecting wisdom onto Benjamin's silence to Chauncey Gardner.
“There's a bit of a Chauncey Gardner where they're like projecting onto his silence.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:35:21 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
theme (comparison): Magnolia → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The car-accident sequence feels a little like Magnolia, but the film is the anti-Magnolia on connectedness.
“This is sort of the anti-magnolia, which is like Ricky J is saying, like, surely these things mean something.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:44:06 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
people (performance comparison): Meet Joe Black → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Pitt's present-tense performances in both are blank and curious.
“like in the present tense of the movie, like kind of blank, curious, but a cold”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:57:31 · Richard Lawson (0.50 sure it was them)
unmapped (joke): U-571 → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The U-boat attack scene is jokingly traced to U-571.
“Right, it turns out that was U571 and it's McConaughey on the other end, right?”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 2:03:21 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
industry (awards rivalry): Slumdog Millionaire → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Slumdog beat Button for Best Picture, which the speakers think Button might otherwise have won.
“I think this would have won.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 2:08:29 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
industry (box office): Marley & Me → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Marley & Me, also about death, won the Christmas 2008 weekend over Button.
“Also about death.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 2:12:28 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
unmapped (joke): Bedtime Stories → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Button is also sort of a bedtime story.
“Benjamin Button, also sort of a bedtime story.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 2:14:05 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
unmapped (joke): Valkyrie → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Button also killed some Nazis, unlike Cruise's Valkyrie.
“Benjamin Button also killed some Nazis.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 2:15:06 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
career (career step): Valkyrie → Christopher McQuarrie. Valkyrie set up Tom Cruise's redemption by teaming him with McQuarrie.
“Weirdly, the movie that then, like, sets up Tom Cruise's Redemption Arc by finally teaming him up with Macquarie”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 2:15:13 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
lineage (sequel): Sin City → The Spirit. The Spirit was presented as sort of a sequel to Sin City.
“The spirit is sort of a sequel to Sin City.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 2:20:49 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
unmapped (paired episodes): David Fincher → Martin Brest. The show pairs every Fincher record with a Martin Brest record, starting with Meet Joe Black.
“We're doing every one of our Fincher records paired as a back-to-back with a breast record.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 2:26:35 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): The Social Network → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Next week's film is called an anti-Benjamin Button.
“Kind of an anti-Benjamin button?”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 2:30:10 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Fun items (24)

fun, about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: The first properly set-up version was Frank Oz directing a Martin Short vehicle.
“the 1st version of this movie to like properly be set up was Frank Oz directing as a Martin Short vehicle.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:04:50 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: A friend's summary of the plot, mid-Katrina, sounds insane when typed out.
“it's sort of related to his, you know, long lost love in a diary while Hurricane Katrina bears down on him.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:16:05 · Richard Lawson (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: The teaser made the audience go silent at Crystal Skull; the speakers say the trailer is a better version of what the movie does.
“2 great fucking teasers that have such a different tone than everything else that was playing that the audience just went pin drop silent.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:18:21 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: The film's clock prologue tested badly until the film grain and crackles were added late in post, after which audiences accepted it as a story being told.
“we added all the filters of the film grain and the pops and the crackles and the distortion and whatever.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:32:43 · Griffin Newman (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about F. Scott Fitzgerald: An anonymous admirer's letter after the story ran: as a short story writer, you would make a good lunatic.
“I read this story, and I wish to say that as a short story writer, you would make a good lunatic.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:34:34 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Charlie Kaufman reportedly rewrote the script at one point, during the stretch Spike Jonze was attached.
“Charlie Kaufman supposedly rewrote the script at one point.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:40:35 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Roth named Daisy as a tribute to Gatsby, and the film otherwise resembles the story in name only.
“He calls the love interest daisy as a tribute to the Great Gatsby.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:42:11 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about Orville Redenbacher commercial (Fincher, Digital Domain): Fincher directed a Redenbacher commercial as a proof of concept for the film's de-aging.
“I'm basically stealing money from Orvell Redbocker to figure out whether this film is makeable or not.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:52:07 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Brad Pitt: Pitt wanted to play as much of Benjamin as he could himself, not hand it off to doubles.
“Pitt's other huge thing is I want to play as much of this person as I can.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:57:59 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: One older body double had mime training, so his motions were too exaggerated for Pitt's still face and scenes were reshot.
“Benjamin was an older man who was like in his 70s but had mime training.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:58:36 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about Mahershala Ali: Before Button he had done a lot of television, and he lost the last part of his first name only years later.
“And it is wild that like he chops the final 25% of his 1st name off and immediately has the transcendent year where people are like, who the fuck is this guy?”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:05:26 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Fincher said the hummingbird is the opposite of Gump's feather because it has its own agency.
“The hummingbird has its own agency.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:26:26 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about Eric Roth: A running joke: Roth should open a soup restaurant called Eric Broth.
“Eric Roth should open a soup restaurant called Eric Broth.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:26:53 · Griffin Newman (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: The body doubles for the aging scenes wore a blue sock over their head and were called smurfs.
“They would call the people who play the body double smurfs because they wore a blue sock over their head.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:28:16 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Fincher's challenge for the Swinton role: if Pitt could not name someone better in five minutes, they would go with Tilda; Pitt called back and conceded.
“And then, like, Pitt called him 3 minutes later and said, tell us one.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:37:02 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about David Fincher: On the commentary Fincher said Benjamin's behavior is largely modeled after his own father, who died shortly before.
“He said that Benjamin Button behavior is largely modeled after his father”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:43:06 · Griffin Newman (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about David Fincher: The hosts invent a Fincher production credit: from the desk of the Finchman.
“From the desk of the Finchman.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:50:35 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Fincher's single biggest fight with Paramount was over Benjamin leaving without a word, which he refused to move on.
“Fincher has said that this was, unsurprisingly, his single biggest fight with Paramount”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:56:01 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about Cate Blanchett: Fincher said her face is so sculpted that the de-aging mostly filled in her cheekbones.
“her face is so sculpted that all we really did was fill in her cheekbones.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 2:00:30 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about Roy Sullivan: Mr. Dawes is based on a real man who was struck by lightning seven times, and Fincher did many takes just to watch the actor.
“Roy Sullivan is the real person that he's based on who was struck by lightning 7 times.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 2:05:06 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about Valkyrie: Tom Cruise told the director not to cut back to Hitler so the audience stays in the tension of the plot seeming to succeed.
“And Cruz said, don't cut back to Hitler.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 2:16:30 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about Yes Man: Jim Carrey took no upfront salary, only back end, as a model nobody tried again.
“And Carrie was like, I'll take no upfront salary only back end.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 2:18:52 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about Quantum of Solace: On the Christmas 2008 box office, the speaker had to go to number 17 to find a sequel.
“I had to go to number 17 to find a sequel and it's quantum of solace.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 2:21:42 · Griffin Newman (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about Criterion Collection: The Criterion Button Blu-ray is a Paramount disc with a licensed Criterion branding.
“And Paramount basically paid to license criterion as branding.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 2:25:05 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Who's talking

Griffin Newman (host): Became a Fincher believer at Zodiac and was all in for Button on the strength of that and the teaser. Reads Button as a deliberate anti-Gump about death rather than a failed weepy. Likes the film's passivity and its refusal to give catharsis.
David Sims (host): Strong Oscar-year recall and box-office knowledge; treats Button as a misunderstood Fincher entry that is still in the bottom half of his filmography.
Ben Hosley (host): Little is said about his taste in this episode. As producer he is the one in the room, the object of the Fashion Week banter and the closing safety note to listeners.
Richard Lawson (guest): Loves Forrest Gump and had snarked at Button as a young Gawker writer; had never seen the film before preparing. Came around on it on rewatch, valuing the sentimental tone and Daisy's regret.

The show's recurring bits

Names the transcriber got wrong

Robin Swatcourt / Sly Court / Swyker → Robin Swicord
Mershal Ali / Mahershal Ali → Mahershala Ali
Taraji Hansen / Raj P. Henson → Taraji P. Henson
Cape Blanchett / Cape Blanchard → Cate Blanchett
Julia Orman / Juliet Roman → Julia Ormond
Elias Codyas → Elias Koteas
Mr. Cake → Mr. Gateau
Agnes Holland → Agnieszka Holland
Spike Jones → Spike Jonze
Drew McQueeney → Drew McWeeny
Al Fanning / Dakota Fanning → Elle Fanning
Siller → Stiller
Macquarie → McQuarrie
Command for Manjiani / Camail → Kumail Nanjiani
Hassan Minaj → Hasan Minhaj
Ricky J → Ricky Jay
Paul Thomas (Magnolia) → Paul Thomas Anderson
Joan Didian → Joan Didion
Dixie → Daisy
Kristen Scott Thomas → Kristin Scott Thomas
Orvell Redbocker → Orville Redenbacher
Cruz → Cruise
the day of yours → The Day the Earth Stood Still
pound 7 → Seven Pounds

Blank Check — Patreon: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free)

As extracted (engineer-sonnet-2026-10-13)

Films that came up

subject (1)

passing (81)

compared (8)

anecdote (6)

Claims (49)

Fun items (24)

Who's talking

The show's recurring bits

Names the transcriber got wrong