The Rewatchables: ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan

Published 2022-10-25; 1:40:36 by the feed.

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

The extraction calls the show “The Rewatchables (The Ringer)” and the episode “The Edge with Bill Simmons and Van Lathan”.

Hosts: Bill Simmons. Guests: Van Lathan.

Subject films: The Edge (1997).

On the transcript: Transcript has no speaker labels and several fragments; speaker attribution is inferred from first-person anecdotes. Ads at the start were skipped.

Awards and segments (78)

Double feature

pick Cliffhanger: Another outdoors survival story, and its opening wide shot mirrors The Edge's.
“Best double feature choice of this movie. I was thinking cliffhanger. You get to be outdoors.”
Bill Simmons · 1:30:40
pick The Ghost and the Darkness: It came out around the same time and has the same man-versus-animals setup, with killer lions.
“You could also talk me to Ghost in the Darkness because this came right around this time or they're chasing the killer lions.”
unknown · 1:30:47
pick Trespass: Offered as a third pairing; the other host agrees it works as a double picture.
“I don't know, for some reason, you remember that movie Trespass?”
Van Lathan · 1:30:56

Most rewatchable scene

pick The opening cabin scene, with the bear warning and Hopkins starting to watch Baldwin and Elle McPherson
“I really like the opening cabin scene.”
Bill Simmons · 0:36:03
pick The surprise birthday in the cabin, with the door slightly open and the ham out
“The surprise birthday, just the drama of that, of the door being slightly open and the hams out and I, it's a really suspenseful scene.”
Bill Simmons · 0:36:24
pick The plane crash after the birds hit the windshield
“I love the helicopter crash.”
Van Lathan · 0:36:34
pick The first bear encounter, with Hopkins hanging over the edge
“This is a really good scene, because they're just like, what's that?”
unknown · 0:38:37
pick Harold dies, impaling himself on the spear with no explanation
“So the next rewatchable scene is Harold dies.”
Bill Simmons · 0:40:25
pick Charles figures it out in the cabin: Baldwin with the gun, drinking, giving himself a pep talk to kill him
“Um, 2 more rewatchable scenes. Charles figures it out in the cabin.”
Bill Simmons · 0:45:21
pick The helicopter rescue at the end
“Last thing I have is the rescue.”
Bill Simmons · 0:49:20
pick Killing the bear, Bart the Bear just doing his thing; the cabin scene is the best scene but not the most rewatchable
“The best scene in the movie is the cabin scene. That's the best scene in the movie, but the most rewatchable scene is Bart the Bear just doing his thing, man.”
Van Lathan · 0:51:11
pick Harold dies, as the funny "we got rid of this guy" moment
“I also like when Harold dies.”
Van Lathan · 0:51:19
floated Survivors stumbling across a remote cabin stocked with whiskey, a knife, a gun and coats
“I also love when people are surviving in the middle of nowhere and they stumble across either a small remote house or a cabin?”
unknown · 0:52:49

Roger Ebert's review · Reading Ebert's review of the film and its star rating.

pick The Edge: Three stars; Ebert disliked the Bart the Bear credit placed right after the emotional ending.
“Roger Ebert, 3 stars.”
Bill Simmons · 0:30:56

What's aged the best · What in the movie holds up today.

pick Outdoor survivor movies in general: Always in for a story of being stuck somewhere and having to get out.
“I'm always in.”
unknown · 0:52:29
pick The aging jealous rich guy with the hot wife
“The aging jealous rich guy with the hot wife always works.”
unknown · 0:54:28
pick Elle McPherson as Mickey: Praise for her in the nightgown; it led to a long digression on Sports Illustrated swimsuit models.
“El McPherson. El McPherson, the nightgown.”
unknown · 0:54:33
pick The homemade compass: Likes movie characters making homemade gadgets, even though the compass didn't work.
“I like when people in movies do like homemade gadget shit that works, even though the compass didn't work.”
unknown · 0:58:27
pick "People die of shame" monologue: He took the idea into his own book and still says it.
“The die of shame concept. Not only did it stick with me, I wrote about it in my book.”
Bill Simmons · 0:58:53
pick Norm McDonald's SNL joke about Bart the Bear
“Bart the bear delivered an outstanding performance and was paid in raw meat, bear whores, and cocaine.”
Bill Simmons · 0:59:38
pick The cuckold angle: Cuckold energy is still part of the culture.
“Uh, just the cuck holding.”
Van Lathan · 0:59:59

Big Kahuna Burger Award · Best use of food and drink in the movie.

winner The bear barbecue
“but it's got to be the bear meat, right?”
Bill Simmons · 1:01:47
nominee The ham sandwich Charles makes for Mickey
“But the ham sandwich that he makes at the beginning for Al McPherson.”
Bill Simmons · 1:01:54

Den of Thieves Benihana Award (scene-stealing location) · Best location in the movie.

winner Alberta in the mountains
“Alberta in the mountains.”
unknown · 1:02:05

Most cinematic shot · The most cinematic shot in the movie.

winner The opening helicopter credits sequence with the wide shot of the wilderness: Compared to the big wide shot at the start of Cliffhanger.
“The opening helicopter credits sequence. I think is really strong when you get that like wide shot of everything we're looking at.”
Bill Simmons · 1:02:14
nominee The mountain shot where they turn around and see everything
“There's also a mountain shot. Where they're walking up and they turn around and they look and you can see everything.”
Bill Simmons · 1:02:32

Butch's Girlfriend Award · The weak link of the film.

winner Elle McPherson as Mickey: A real actress was needed; she had few lines and played the emotional ending badly.
“Sadly, it's Elle McPherson's acting, for sure.”
Bill Simmons · 1:02:43

Mallory Rubin Award (did it need a better sex scene) · Whether the movie needed a better sex scene.

winner Baldwin and McPherson sneaking off to the shed: Both hosts say a scene early on would drive home that Baldwin's character means to kill Hopkins.
“I mean, unquestionably, yeah, they should have had the L Al Baldwin.”
unknown · 1:03:25

What's aged the worst · What in the movie does not hold up today.

pick The Black character dying: The rule-of-three Black-guy-dies trope has held on.
“Fucking black guy dying in the movie thing has kind of held on.”
Van Lathan · 1:00:42
pick Baldwin as a fashion photographer: Doesn't buy Baldwin as a gruff man who handles models; would have made him Hopkins's chief of staff.
“Alec Baldwin is a fashion photographer. I don't know if I could get quite there.”
unknown · 1:04:09
pick Baldwin objectifying the Native man for a photo
“Yeah, another what's aged the worst is like him just objectifying the native man.”
unknown · 1:04:51
pick Baldwin falling into the bear hole and his "I think I've broken my leg" acting
“What age is the worst? Baldwin falling into the bear hole.”
unknown · 1:05:23
pick The awkward rescue homecoming and McPherson's emotional lie: Nobody greets Charles and McPherson cannot sell her grief; a better actress was needed.
“Um, one part with the ending that I don't love, and I won't rewatch this movie a lot.”
Bill Simmons · 1:06:01
pick Killing the Black man (Harold) in the movie
“I think killing a black eye also aged worse.”
Van Lathan · 1:07:32
pick A story with no cell phones or internet: If anything aged poorly it is that a phone would not save you now, and bird strikes may have aged both ways.
“It's almost like a no internet era.”
unknown · 1:07:45

Ron Burgundy Award (best time for a pee break) · The best time in the movie to take a pee break.

winner The slow walking between the first and second bear encounters, before they realize they're lost
“Like between the 1st and 2nd bar encounters. It's a little slow there for whenever they're kind of walking around.”
Bill Simmons · 1:08:14

Was there a better title · Whether a better title for the movie existed, from the producer's brainstorm list.

winner Deadfall: Picked from Art Linson's list of rejected titles; "The Bear in the Brain" called terrible.
“I think I think dead fall could really work.”
unknown · 1:09:17

Best quote · Best quote from the movie.

winner "Never feel sorry for a man who owns a plane."
“Best quote, I'll give you, never feel sorry for a man who owns a plane.”
Bill Simmons · 1:09:49
winner "What one man can do, another can do."
“what one man can do, another can do is like one of my one of my best quotes from that film.”
Van Lathan · 1:10:31

Stephen A. Smith's Hottest Take Award · The host's hottest take about the movie.

pick Bart the Bear deserves reverence and means more to him than Gary Sinise
“I just feel like Bartha Bear should be discussed a little bit reverentially.”
Bill Simmons · 1:10:42

Casting what ifs · Almost-castings and recasts.

pick Harrison Ford as Charles Morse: Everyone wanted him; he would have made it one of the biggest movies in a decade.
“And at that point, it's like, we have to get Harrison Ford.”
Bill Simmons · 0:25:31
pick Bill Pullman as Bob Green: Lined up at the last second when Baldwin wouldn't shave his beard.
“they have Bill Pullman lined up to come in in the Alec Baldwin part last second.”
Bill Simmons · 0:27:38
pick Jeff Goldblum as Charles Morse
“I think Jeff Goldblum could have pulled this off in like in a weird, quirky sort of the rich.”
unknown · 0:28:03
pick Dustin Hoffman as Charles Morse: Turned the role down.
“So Dustin Hoffman turns down the roll.”
Bill Simmons · 1:11:40
pick Robert De Niro as Charles Morse: Went far down the road, including a table read he mailed in, but the bear worried him.
“They go really far down the road with De Niro.”
Bill Simmons · 1:11:44
pick Uma Thurman or Nicole Kidman as Mickey: Would pay a real actress for the McPherson part.
“I'll give you Uma Thurman or Nicole Kidman for the part of Elle McPherson, and we're just dropping a bag.”
Bill Simmons · 1:15:07
pick Uma Thurman as Mickey
“I have Uma too.”
Van Lathan · 1:15:16

Ruffalo Hand of Rubenneck Partridge overacting award · The most over-the-top performance moment.

winner Anthony Hopkins as Charles Morse: Hopkins dials it up out of nowhere with "Should we lay down and die, Bob?"
“Hopkins dials it up out of nowhere.”
Bill Simmons · 1:13:35

Best That Guy award · Best that guy actor in the movie.

winner Harold Perrineau as Stephen: For people under 35 he wins as the Lost dad nobody could name.
“For people under 35, Harold Paranou probably wins this because he's basically lost dad from Lost, but nobody would know his name, but we know his name.”
Bill Simmons · 1:13:51
nominee Gil Myers as the airport mechanic admiring the plane: Known from 90210; the name is as heard in the transcript.
“Gil Myers from 902 and O. is the guy at the beginning who he thinks he's admiring the wife and he's admiring the plane.”
Bill Simmons · 1:14:00
nominee L.Q. Jones as the man who asks for $30 to $40 million: Usually wears a big mustache; here a beard with a scar.
“That's LQ Jones.”
Bill Simmons · 1:14:23
nominee Kathleen (surname not said) as the lady at the cabin: Recognized as the girl from Roadhouse; surname not given in the transcript.
“Oh, yeah, the lady. Kathleen...”
unknown · 1:14:43

Apex Mountain · Where a star's career or performance sits on the mountain.

pick The Edge: Best mainstream bear movie; Hopkins and Baldwin are not at their apex here.
“this is the best mainstream bear movie.”
Bill Simmons · 1:16:52
pick Elle McPherson: Her apex was a few years earlier with the swimsuit issue.
“I think it's probably a few years earlier with the swimsuit issue.”
Bill Simmons · 1:16:57
pick Harold Perrineau: Apex is probably Oz, though Lost is the argument for the largest audience.
“Actually, Oz is probably Harold Per News, Apex Mountain.”
Bill Simmons · 1:17:14
pick The name "the edge" (U2's guitarist)
“Probably U2 is the guitarist, this apex mountain for the edge, right?”
unknown · 1:18:04
pick The Omega Seamaster Chronograph 2296 watch: Called the James Bond watch.
“How about the Omega CMaster Chronograph 2296.”
unknown · 1:18:10

Best racehorse name · Best racehorse name from the movie.

winner Bart the Bear: "The Edge" also named as good; few names in the movie.
“How about naming a horse, Bart the Bear?”
Bill Simmons · 1:18:24

Picking Nits · Nitpicks of a film they love.

pick The nighttime ham sandwich: A supermodel wanting a ham sandwich in bed at night.
“What supermodel wants a sandwich in bed late at night when she hit a nightgown?”
Bill Simmons · 1:18:43
pick How Harold got hurt making a spear
“Uh, mentioned how did Harold get hurt as a picking it?”
unknown · 1:19:41
pick McPherson engraving the watch with the same engraver for two men: He also admits he thought for years that Baldwin planned the cabin trip to kill him.
“No, my my picking nit was the the nitpick I had was the engraver thing.”
Van Lathan · 1:22:03
pick A grizzly runs 30 to 35 miles an hour so the men couldn't outrun it
“Another nitpick is that a grizzly bear can run between 30 and 35 miles an hour.”
unknown · 1:21:26

All Black cast remake · Remaking the movie with an all Black cast, or in a different shape today.

pick Byron Allen as Charles Morse: A billionaire TV honcho who would essentially be playing himself.
“Byron Allen could actually play the part.”
unknown · 1:22:50
pick Queen Latifah, Idris Elba, Tessa Thompson as billionaire, Bob and the wife: Flips the genders: Latifah as the billionaire, Elba as the other man in the wilderness, Thompson back at the cabin; Zoe Kravitz floated as an alternative.
“I got Queen Latifah, Tessa Thompson, Queen Latifah, Idris Alba.”
unknown · 1:24:31
pick Samuel L. Jackson as Harold: Would be funny to see him attacked by a bear after a shark.
“Sam Jackson is the one.”
unknown · 1:25:46

Oscar pick · Who gets the one Oscar.

winner Bart the Bear as the bear: Would have said Hopkins before this; Bart carried the movie.
“I gotta go with Bart. Before this, I would have gone with Hopkins, but Bart carried the movie.”
Van Lathan · 1:26:06

Unanswerable questions · Probably unanswerable what-would-you-do questions.

pick Would you have helped Bob after he fell into the bear hole?: No; he'd leave him there.
“Bob, this is where we part ways.”
Van Lathan · 1:27:17
pick Would you have helped Bob after he fell into the bear hole?: Would maybe get the gun and throw him the whiskey, but be spiteful.
“I'm half Italian. I would have been way more spiteful.”
Bill Simmons · 1:27:48
pick Would Charles have eaten Bob if they hadn't been rescued?: Both agree he would.
“If they didn't get rescued at the end and had to survive for a couple more weeks, would Charles have eaten Bob?”
unknown · 1:28:34
pick Bear or shark attack: Chooses the bear, avoiding drowning and disorientation.
“I'm a go bear.”
Van Lathan · 1:29:08
pick Bear or shark attack: Chooses the shark because it is over in a minute while a bear could maul you for an hour.
“I'm going to make a case for the shark.”
Bill Simmons · 1:29:37

Zihuatanejo Award (what happened the next day) · What happened the next day to the characters.

pick Charles leaves Mickey: He leaves her with a check; she ends up a Housewives type telling the story.
“He's leaving her.”
unknown · 1:31:41

Memorabilia · A prop from the movie they'd want to own.

pick The bear tooth necklace
“The bare tooth necklace.”
Van Lathan · 1:33:13
pick The pocket watch
“I had the pocket watch, but yeah, the bear tooth.”
Bill Simmons · 1:33:16

Coach Finstock Award · Best life lesson from the movie.

winner Don't let your younger wife hang out with a handsome fashion photographer
“It's obviously don't let your younger wife hang out with a handsome fashion photography.”
Bill Simmons · 1:33:26
winner Avoid the piercing-blue-eyed guys around your wife
“Maybe not the really, really piercing blue eyes guys.”
Van Lathan · 1:33:39

Who won the movie · Who won the movie.

winner Bart the Bear as the bear: He is on screen for about 4.5 minutes but it doesn't matter.
“Bart the Bear won the movie.”
Van Lathan · 1:34:04
winner Anthony Hopkins as Charles Morse: Between Hopkins and Baldwin, Hopkins wins even though Baldwin acts slightly better.
“I think Hopkins would be the winner.”
Bill Simmons · 1:34:37

Films that came up

Claims (51)

theme (same genre): The Edge → Cast Away. Man-against-nature survival movies hook the viewer because you imagine what you would do.
“there's very few movies where you're not locked in.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:03:10 · Van Lathan (0.70 sure it was them)
people (same actor): The Edge → Glengarry Glen Ross. Van names Glengarry Glen Ross and Malice as the Baldwin roles closest to his Edge character, the arrogant guy who somehow stays likable.
“An arrogant motherfucker who will stab anyone in the back, but it's kind of like him.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:04:11 · Van Lathan (0.70 sure it was them)
unmapped (social hierarchy): The Edge → Lord of the Flies. Bill says the Edge has no new hierarchy in the wilderness, unlike Lord of the Flies.
“It's not like Lord of the Flies.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:06:13 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
unmapped (zeitgeist): The Edge → Wall Street. Wall Street captured the 80s aspirational billionaire that the Edge still lives in.
“Wall Street really captures it with the Gordon Gecko character.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:10:59 · Van Lathan (0.60 sure it was them)
career (career arc): Anthony Hopkins → The Silence of the Lambs. Silence made Hopkins an A-lister and a strange mainstream path followed.
“Silence of the Lambs became an absolute cultural phenomenon.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:13:25 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
career (career arc): Anthony Hopkins → Hannibal. Hannibal and Red Dragon are late-60s money grabs; Hannibal didn't work for Bill because Hopkins is much older.
“Which didn't work for me because he's so much older than he was in Silence of the Lambs, but it's a prequel.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:17:12 · Bill Simmons (0.75 sure it was them)
craft (structural echo): The Edge → The Bounty. Van says the Edge's ending, walking back to society after being marooned, mirrors the Bounty, with Hopkins as Captain Bligh.
“This movie kind of reminded me of the bounty in a way because of how the 2 characters come back, like, Hopkins is Captain Bligh and all of that.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:17:52 · Van Lathan (0.70 sure it was them)
career (career move): Prelude to a Kiss → Meg Ryan. Prelude was Baldwin trying to get a hit as Meg Ryan's career was exploding.
“I think prelude to a kiss was him trying to get a bona fide hit because everything that she was in at that point was going so huge.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:20:59 · Van Lathan (0.70 sure it was them)
theme (genre copy): Color of Night → Basic Instinct. Bruce Willis's Color of Night was another Basic Instinct era noir with a famous full-frontal moment.
“Everyone, remember Bruce Willis did that movie where he showed his penis?”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:21:57 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)
theme (genre copy): Body of Evidence → Basic Instinct. Mid-90s sexy noir all followed Basic Instinct; Madonna's version was a spoof-level bust.
“That was literally like a basic instinct spoof.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:22:30 · Van Lathan (0.60 sure it was them)
people (same actor): Prelude to a Kiss → Malice. Bill calls Prelude to a Kiss, not Malice or Edge, the Baldwin performance where he finally works as a leading man.
“I think it's my favorite Baldwin performance.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:22:46 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
people (same actor): The Edge → Malice. Baldwin's Malice persona is the other half of the Edge version of Baldwin.
“There's like the malice, the edge version of Baldwin, but then there's like, what is he as a leading man, right?”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:22:48 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
verdict (same career tier): Alec Baldwin → Val Kilmer. Van says Baldwin and Kilmer were both A-listers whose IMDb never matched their talent.
“I think him and Val Kummer occupied this strange space in that kind of 90s, early 2000s where they were A-listers.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:24:01 · Van Lathan (0.60 sure it was them)
theme (sports analogy): Alec Baldwin → Mitch Richmond. Baldwin's 90s are compared to Mitch Richmond: good numbers, never the winning team.
“It was like watching a basketball player. It's like that guy, you know, Mitch Richmond.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:24:17 · Van Lathan (0.60 sure it was them)
lineage (source book): Art Linson → The Edge. Linson, a 90s producer, wrote a book whose big section is the making of The Edge.
“And the big part of the book is about him putting together the edge.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:25:16 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them)
what-if (casting what-if): The Edge → The Fugitive. Harrison Ford, two years after The Fugitive, was the studio's dream lead; with him it becomes a $200 million movie.
“Like, if we get Harrison Ford, there's a $200000000 movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:25:34 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
what-if (casting what-if): Harrison Ford → Anthony Hopkins. If Ford had the Hopkins part the film changes because you blindly root for Ford.
“if Harrison Ford was in the Hopkins spot. First of all, it is, this is a different movie because now I'm rooting for, it's just in, you're blind rooting for Harrison Ford in every movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:26:03 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
what-if (casting what-if): Bill Pullman → Alec Baldwin. Pullman was lined up to replace Baldwin when Baldwin refused to shave his beard.
“they have Bill Pullman lined up to come in in the Alec Baldwin part last second.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:27:38 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them)
what-if (casting what-if): The Edge → Independence Day. Pullman and Goldblum link by Independence Day, offering another route to the Edge's casting.
“Somebody who's in Independence Day with him.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:28:03 · Van Lathan (0.60 sure it was them)
what-if (casting what-if): Jeff Goldblum → Anthony Hopkins. Van suggests Goldblum, a co-star of Pullman in Independence Day, as an offbeat rich guy.
“I think Jeff Goldblum could have pulled this off in like in a weird, quirky sort of the rich.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:28:05 · Van Lathan (0.60 sure it was them)
craft (structural echo): The Edge → The Bounty. Van again: the ending is almost identical to The Bounty's return to civilization.
“But at the end of this movie, when he walks back, it's almost identical to the edge of bounty where William Bly actually finds himself back.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:31:33 · Van Lathan (0.70 sure it was them)
people (same actor): Bart the Bear → Anthony Hopkins. Hopkins worked with Bart twice, in Legends of the Fall and The Edge.
“Anthony Hopkins worked with him twice. He worked with them in Legends of the Fall and in this movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:32:26 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them)
theme (comparison): Bart the Bear → Marlon Brando. Bart is the Marlon Brando of bears and the Michael Jordan of bears.
“Right, he's the Marlon Brando of bears.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:33:34 · Van Lathan (0.55 sure it was them)
unmapped (bear movie): The Edge → The Great Outdoors. Van's favorite bear movie is probably The Edge, though The Great Outdoors is one of his favorites ever; Bart was in both.
“Although the Great Outdoors is one of my favorite movies of all time.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:34:30 · Van Lathan (0.60 sure it was them)
unmapped (plane crash): The Edge → Sully. Sully joins The Edge as a reminder of how terrifying bird strikes are.
“does it make you wonder why there aren't more, like the, like the movie Sully is another one?”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:36:58 · Van Lathan (0.55 sure it was them)
people (same actor): Harold Perrineau → Oz. Perrineau was in every episode of Oz.
“He was in every eyes.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:40:01 · Van Lathan (0.60 sure it was them)
theme (trope): The Edge → Halloween H2O. The rule of three, that the Black guy dies when three are left, was subverted by LL Cool J in H2O and Deep Blue Sea.
“LL Cool J survived twice.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:41:32 · Bill Simmons (0.65 sure it was them)
unmapped (famous death): Deep Blue Sea → Samuel L. Jackson. Sam Jackson's shock death was a promoted star dying, in a scene Van counts among the greats.
“One of the great scenes of all time.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:41:37 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)
craft (survival craft): The Edge → Naked and Afraid. Van uses Naked and Afraid to judge whether the bear trap and rope in the film are plausible.
“So like, I watched naked and afraid.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:43:39 · Van Lathan (0.80 sure it was them)
unmapped (survival rescue): The Edge → Alive. Alive is nominated as the greatest rescue scene; Cast Away punted on the rescue.
“I mean, the fucking alive. It has to be number one, right?”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:49:44 · Van Lathan (0.60 sure it was them)
unmapped (rescue): The Edge → Cast Away. Cast Away skipped the rescue, which wasn't its point.
“Castaway, they kind of punted on it.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:49:48 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)
theme (survival genre): The Edge → Lost. Bill is always in for survival stories: Lost, Castaway, Yellowjackets, this movie.
“I'm just in.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:52:20 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
theme (survival genre): The Edge → Yellowjackets. Yellowjackets is now a whole show about trying to survive.
“and then we have yellow jackets, which now is a whole show about people trying to survive”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:52:23 · Bill Simmons (0.65 sure it was them)
people (same actor): Elle Macpherson → Sirens. Van name-checks Sirens for Macpherson.
“You ever see that movie Sirens?”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:54:42 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)
unmapped (joke): Norm Macdonald → Bart the Bear. Norm's SNL joke on Bart's pay.
“Bart the bear delivered an outstanding performance and was paid in raw meat, bear whores, and cocaine.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:59:41 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
craft (visual echo): The Edge → Cliffhanger. The Edge's opening helicopter wide shot reminded Bill of Cliffhanger's.
“It reminded me of cliffhanger.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:02:21 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
unmapped (on-screen pair): Alec Baldwin → Elle Macpherson. Bill wanted a real actress, e.g. Kidman or Thurman, opposite Baldwin.
“That's where you need like Nicole Kidman.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:07:07 · Van Lathan (0.60 sure it was them)
what-if (title what-if): The Edge → Into the Wild. Into the Wild was one of the studio's spitballed titles for The Edge, later a real wilderness film.
“It's just funny that Into the Wild is on there and that ended up becoming like a really strong wild wilderness film later on.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:09:38 · Van Lathan (0.60 sure it was them)
what-if (casting what-if): Dustin Hoffman → Anthony Hopkins. Hoffman turned down the role Hopkins took.
“So Dustin Hoffman turns down the roll.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:11:40 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
what-if (casting what-if): Robert De Niro → Anthony Hopkins. De Niro went far down the road for the Hopkins part, including a table read, but kept worrying about the bear.
“They go really far down the road with De Niro.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:11:44 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them)
unmapped (fan): Jenna Fischer → The Edge. Jenna Fischer watches The Edge every year.
“Guess who said this is one of her favorite movies ever and she watches it every year.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:16:07 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
unmapped (bear movie): The Edge → The Revenant. Bart the Bear versus the Revenant's bear: The Edge is the best mainstream bear movie; The Revenant is beautiful but too brutal to rewatch.
“this is the best mainstream bear movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:16:52 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
career (career peak): Harold Perrineau → Lost. Harold Perrineau's run on Oz, The Best Man and Lost is called his Apex Mountain; Lost the biggest audience.
“I mean, you could argue lost as probably as Apex mine.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:17:21 · Bill Simmons (0.55 sure it was them)
lineage (all-black remake): Byron Allen → Anthony Hopkins. Byron Allen is the pick to play the Hopkins billionaire in an all-black remake.
“Byron Allen could actually play the part.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:22:50 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)
lineage (all-black remake): Queen Latifah → Elle Macpherson. Remake with Latifah as the billionaire with Idris Elba the photographer-type and Tessa Thompson or Zoe Kravitz as the wife.
“I got Queen Latifah, Tessa Thompson, Queen Latifah, Idris Alba.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:24:23 · Van Lathan (0.60 sure it was them)
what-if (casting what-if): Samuel L. Jackson → The Edge. Sam Jackson attacked by a bear after a shark would be hilarious.
“Watch him get attacked by a bear because then he could have been attacked by a shark and a bear within a two-year span.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:25:47 · Van Lathan (0.60 sure it was them)
unmapped (shark vs bear): The Edge → Deep Blue Sea. Bill and Van argue bear versus shark deaths, Van picking bear, Bill shark.
“I'm going shark.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:30:39 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
programming (double feature): The Edge → Cliffhanger. Cliffhanger is the pick to pair with The Edge, being outdoors.
“I was thinking cliffhanger.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:30:43 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)
programming (double feature): The Edge → The Ghost and the Darkness. Ghost and the Darkness, from around the same time, is another animal-stalking pairing.
“You could also talk me to Ghost in the Darkness because this came right around this time or they're chasing the killer lions.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:30:47 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)
programming (double feature): The Edge → Trespass. Trespass is suggested as a double-bill pick.
“you remember that movie Trespass?”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:30:58 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
unmapped (dramatization): The Edge → What Just Happened. Barry Levinson's 2008 film, drawn from Art Linson's book, fictionalizes the making of The Edge, including the beard fight and De Niro.
“They made a movie based on Art Linson's book, and a lot of it is about making this stupid movie and a big part about him not shaving the beard”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:35:23 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them)

Fun items (25)

fun, about The Edge: Best quote pick, and the show's cold open: kill the bear.
“I'm gonna kill the bear.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:01:00 · Van Lathan (0.60 sure it was them)
fun, about The Edge: Bill's riff on why a billionaire hero is impossible to sell today: no one would root for Jeff Bezos against the bear.
“Like no one's going to root for Jeff Bezos against the bear.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:10:24 · Van Lathan (0.70 sure it was them)
fun, about Alec Baldwin: On set Baldwin refused to shave his beard, so Bill Pullman was lined up to replace him; he then shaved but stopped talking to the director for the shoot.
“And then won't talk to the director for the rest of the shoot.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:27:54 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them)
fun, about David Mamet: Art Linson's book: in the pitch an executive objected that nobody roots for a rich guy, so Mamet added the affair and the cuckold angle.
“nobody's going to root for a rich guy.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:29:14 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
fun, about Roger Ebert: Ebert gave 3 stars but hated the ending credit for Bart the Bear right after the emotional close.
“Now, Bart is one hell of a bear, but this credit in this place is a spectacularly bad idea.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:31:13 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them)
fun, about Bart the Bear: Bart's filmography: Legends of the Fall, The Great Outdoors, 12 Monkeys, Grizzly Adams, presented at the 1998 Academy Awards.
“He was a presenter at the Academy Awards in 1998”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:33:07 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them)
fun, about Bart the Bear: Trainer said Hopkins respected Bart like a fellow actor and would spend hours looking at him.
“acknowledged and respected Bart, like a fellow actor.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:33:48 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them)
fun, about The Edge: Most rewatchable scene versus best scene: Bill's is killing the bear; Van's best scene is Charles figuring out the affair in the cabin.
“The best scene in the movie is the cabin scene.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:51:11 · Van Lathan (0.60 sure it was them)
fun, about The Edge: Die-of-shame monologue is the line that stuck with Bill enough to put in his book.
“Don't die of shame.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 0:59:32 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
fun, about The Edge: The rule of three: when three are left in a horror or action movie, the Black guy dies; Van turned down a Blumhouse cameo for it.
“My character must survive.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:01:05 · Van Lathan (0.80 sure it was them)
fun, about Elle Macpherson: Weak link award: Macpherson's acting; Bill wants Kidman or Uma Thurman.
“She's like fantastically bad.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:03:12 · Van Lathan (0.60 sure it was them)
fun, about The Edge: Title what-if from Linson's book: it was called Bookworm; Deadfall was the favorite alternate; The Bear in the Brain was not.
“This movie was called Bookworm for a long time.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:08:33 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
fun, about The Edge: Best quote picks: never feel sorry for a man who owns a plane; what one man can do, another can do.
“never feel sorry for a man who owns a plane.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:09:49 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
fun, about Robert De Niro: At the table read De Niro kept saying the bear concerned him; Bill does the Jimmy Conway voice.
“The bear still concerns me.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:12:53 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them)
fun, about Gil Myers: Best that guy: Gil Myers of 90210 plays the mechanic; L.Q. Jones asks for $40 million.
“Kil Myra is huge 902 and 0 senior year in high school.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:14:09 · Van Lathan (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about The Edge: Casting recast: Uma Thurman or Nicole Kidman for Macpherson's role, with a bag dropped.
“I'll give you Uma Thurman or Nicole Kidman for the part of Elle McPherson, and we're just dropping a bag.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:15:07 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
fun, about The Edge: Hopkins had a herniated disc and hypothermia; production shut for ten days.
“They had to shut the movie down for like 10 days for Hopkins.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:15:32 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
fun, about The Edge: The film inspired a Brazilian reality show where contestants used Charles Morse's techniques.
“apparently the movie inspired TV reality show in Brazil”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:15:39 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
fun, about Alec Baldwin: In his autobiography Baldwin says Mamet's script was great and became a dumb action movie; he's still mad about The Edge.
“he's still mad about the edge.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:15:56 · Bill Simmons (0.75 sure it was them)
fun, about The Edge: Apex Mountain: nobody from the cast, with Harold Perrineau calling it the Best Man and Lost era instead.
“this is the best mainstream bear movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:16:52 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
fun, about Harold Perrineau: Rewatchable scene: Harold impales himself making a spear; the show's Apex Mountain pick for his career.
“I think in movies, I would say that the best man is probably Harold Paranoos.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:17:02 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about The Edge: Nitpick: Mickey engraved the watch for Bob the same way she engraved her husband's; Bill says the engraver would be blackmailing her.
“Why would she engrave the watch?”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:19:54 · Van Lathan (0.55 sure it was them)
fun, about The Edge: Wikipedia joked that Bart won an Oscar but could not attend, so it went to somebody else.
“Bart the Bear won an Oscar”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:26:25 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
fun, about The Edge: Next-day question: Charles gives away the watch, leaves her, and she becomes a Bravo housewife.
“She's on bravo shows.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:32:24 · Van Lathan (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about The Edge: Who won the movie: Bart the Bear, in the movie 4.5 minutes, as Hopkins was in Silence for about 16.
“Bart the Bear won the movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan · 1:34:04 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)

Who's talking

Bill Simmons (host): Loves survival and wilderness movies, bears, and plot-heavy 90s star vehicles, and has read Art Linson's book on the making of the film. Won't rewatch The Revenant and dislikes bad casting. Sucker for nitpicks like the watch engraver and for sports analogies.
Van Lathan (guest): Loves 90s cable-rotation movies, Alec Baldwin's 20th century run, Prelude to a Kiss, and Naked and Afraid. Can't stand The Revenant's brutality or the 'Black guy dies' trope. Sucker for family jokes and Hopkins' eyes.

The show's recurring bits

Apex Mountain: The moment a star peaks; where on the mountain a performance sits.
Who Won the Movie: The hosts name the person who came out of the film best off.
The Ebert review: Roger Ebert's original review and star rating read aloud. Ebert is cited, never on the show.
Casting what-ifs: Who was almost cast, or who should have been.
Most rewatchable scene: The scene each host would stop on while flipping channels.
Aged best / aged worst: What holds up and what does not.
Picking Nits: The little things in a film the hosts love that they don't think totally work: the nits.
Double feature: The film each host would pair it with; a programming pick.

Names the transcriber got wrong

Alc Baldwin / Al Baldwin = Alec Baldwin
Lee Tanhori = Lee Tamahori
Mammoth = Mamet
Art Litzen / Lynson = Art Linson
Elle McPherson = Elle Macpherson
Harold Paranoid / Perinu = Harold Perrineau
Bart the Bear sometimes Barth
Gil Myers / Kil Myra = an actor from 90210 playing the mechanic; surname uncertain
Bear Levinson = Barry Levinson
Mutiny on the Bounty / just the Bounty = The Bounty (1984)
Windwalker rendered Winwalker