Matt Damon

Made films the shows talk about.

Wikidata Q175535: matched by corpus:resolve, told apart by the only person by that name on Wikidata.

Counted as other. The films the hosts said they were tied to, which the two lists below run through too: Fight Club (1999); Friday Night Lights (2004 film) (2004); Avatar (2009); Torso (unmade). Count them as actor (25 films), producer (1 film) instead.

Draws on

What the speakers say they, or a film of theirs, drew on. Each is a speaker's account: “the maker said so” when they report the maker's own words, “the host's read” when the read is theirs.

Seven (1995): 2 lines

career (career) · through Fight Club (1999), which they were tied to as studio's wished-for narrator; Fincher would not believe him in the role: Seven ⇒ Fight Club (the host's read). Without Se7en's power Fincher does not get to do The Game and Fight Club his way.
“I think without this movie, he doesn't go on this run”
The Rewatchables · ‘Se7en’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:27:28 · Sean Fennessey (0.55 sure it was them)
career (career lever) · through Fight Club (1999), which they were tied to as studio's wished-for narrator; Fincher would not believe him in the role: Seven ⇒ Fight Club (the host's read). Se7en's success is what let Fincher make the seemingly impossible Fight Club.
“But the fight club is him more being like, okay, guys, I know this seems impossible, but I made seven.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Se7en with Mike Mitchell & Nick Wiger (Ad-Free) · 1:05:55 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

The Wizard of Oz (1939): 2 lines

lineage (lineage) · through Avatar (2009), which they were tied to as actor (offered Jake Sully): The Wizard of Oz ⇒ Avatar (the host's read). Avatar is described as a deep Wizard of Oz homage.
“In case you were wondering, this is a deep wizard of a homage, among other things.”
The Big Picture · The Great ‘Avatar’ Debate with Blank Check’s Griffin Newman and David Sims · 0:42:25 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage) · through Avatar (2009), which they were tied to as actor (offered Jake Sully): The Wizard of Oz ⇒ Avatar (the host's read). Avatar is an original story but inspired by Oz and John Ford movies.
“It's just like hugely inspired by not just the Wizard of Oz, but like lots of John Ford movies”
The Big Picture · The Great ‘Avatar’ Debate with Blank Check’s Griffin Newman and David Sims · 0:53:51 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Titanic (1997): 2 lines

career (career) · through Avatar (2009), which they were tied to as actor (offered Jake Sully): Titanic ⇒ Avatar (the host's read). Avatar could only be made because Titanic gave Cameron the clout.
“I'd never have gotten to make it if he hadn't made Titanic.”
The Big Picture · The Great ‘Avatar’ Debate with Blank Check’s Griffin Newman and David Sims · 1:09:04 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
verdict (verdict) · through Avatar (2009), which they were tied to as actor (offered Jake Sully): Titanic ⇒ Avatar (the host's read). Titanic made Cameron so successful that Hollywood let him do anything.
“needed to have this extraordinary amount of success over these decades to conceive an execute of something so crazy as Avatar.”
The Big Picture · The Great ‘Avatar’ Debate with Blank Check’s Griffin Newman and David Sims · 1:45:16 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Aliens (1986): 1 line

craft (craft) · through Avatar (2009), which they were tied to as actor (offered Jake Sully): Aliens ⇒ Avatar (the host's read). Making Aliens (a voiceless monster) is what let Cameron individualize the humans there and flip that in Avatar.
“I wonder if he hadn't made aliens if he could have arrived at that.”
The Big Picture · The Great ‘Avatar’ Debate with Blank Check’s Griffin Newman and David Sims · 1:04:08 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Chuck Palahniuk: 1 line

lineage (adaptation) · through Fight Club (1999), which they were tied to as studio's wished-for narrator; Fincher would not believe him in the role: Chuck Palahniuk ⇒ Fight Club (the host's read). The film adapts Palahniuk's novel; the speaker says the screenplay cribs straight from the book.
“obviously the movie is, the book is very, he's cribbing right from the book.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Fight Club with Alex Ross Perry (Ad-Free) · 1:13:14 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Douglas Coupland: 1 line

lineage (literary lineage) · through Fight Club (1999), which they were tied to as studio's wished-for narrator; Fincher would not believe him in the role: Douglas Coupland ⇒ Fight Club (the host's read). The speaker says the early car-recall section is right out of Coupland and Gen X writing.
“It's right out of like Douglas Copeland or whatever, right?”
Blank Check — Patreon · Fight Club with Alex Ross Perry (Ad-Free) · 1:59:38 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Edgar Rice Burroughs: 1 line

lineage (lineage) · through Avatar (2009), which they were tied to as actor (offered Jake Sully): Edgar Rice Burroughs ⇒ Avatar (the maker said so: Cameron's 1994 80-page treatment). Cameron's Avatar treatment drew on childhood sci-fi reading, Burroughs and Haggard.
“drawing inspiration from, quote, every single science fiction book that he had read in his childhood, and also Edgar Rice Burroughs, H. Rider Haggard.”
The Big Picture · The Great ‘Avatar’ Debate with Blank Check’s Griffin Newman and David Sims · 0:26:06 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)

John Carter of Mars: 1 line

lineage (lineage) · through Avatar (2009), which they were tied to as actor (offered Jake Sully): John Carter of Mars ⇒ Avatar (the host's read). Avatar reads like a John Carter of Mars style story.
“Yeah, it's very like John Carter of Mars or whatever.”
The Big Picture · The Great ‘Avatar’ Debate with Blank Check’s Griffin Newman and David Sims · 0:26:24 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

John Ford: 1 line

lineage (lineage) · through Avatar (2009), which they were tied to as actor (offered Jake Sully): John Ford ⇒ Avatar (the host's read). Same line: Avatar draws on John Ford films and the history of movies.
“lots of John Ford movies and you can see like the history of movies”
The Big Picture · The Great ‘Avatar’ Debate with Blank Check’s Griffin Newman and David Sims · 0:53:51 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Drawn on by

What the speakers say drew on them or a film of theirs, marked the same way.

Friday Night Lights (TV series) (2006): 4 lines

lineage (lineage) · through Friday Night Lights (2004 film) (2004), which they were tied to as what-if casting for Winchell: Friday Night Lights (2004 film) ⇒ Friday Night Lights (TV series) (the host's read). The TV show's excellence overshadowed the film, which has become underrated.
“And then this one, which I think the TV show kind of overwhelmed the movie, and now the movie has become weirdly underrated.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Friday Night Lights’ With Bill Simmons and Mallory Rubin · 0:04:23 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage) · through Friday Night Lights (2004 film) (2004), which they were tied to as what-if casting for Winchell: Friday Night Lights (2004 film) ⇒ Friday Night Lights (TV series) (the host's read). The halftime speech contains the ingredients later assembled into clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose.
“the ingredients for clear eyes, full hearts can't lose are present here”
The Rewatchables · ‘Friday Night Lights’ With Bill Simmons and Mallory Rubin · 0:45:50 · Mallory Rubin (0.80 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage) · through Friday Night Lights (2004 film) (2004), which they were tied to as what-if casting for Winchell: Friday Night Lights (2004 film) ⇒ Friday Night Lights (TV series) (the host's read). Character map from the 88 team and film to the TV show.
“Winchell's mom, Sarah's grandma, Booby is smashed, Billingsley is Riggins, John is Buddy, Gary's Eric, Sharon's, Tammy, et cetera.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Friday Night Lights’ With Bill Simmons and Mallory Rubin · 1:15:37 · Mallory Rubin (0.60 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage) · through Friday Night Lights (2004 film) (2004), which they were tied to as what-if casting for Winchell: Friday Night Lights (2004 film) ⇒ Friday Night Lights (TV series) (the host's read). The bus-ride sequence before the Astrodome game influenced the TV series' team-bus tradition.
“I feel like this is the TV series. I think was the most influenced by this sequence.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Friday Night Lights’ With Bill Simmons and Mallory Rubin · 0:42:24 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)

Panic Room (2002): 3 lines

career (career) · through Fight Club (1999), which they were tied to as studio's wished-for narrator; Fincher would not believe him in the role: Fight Club ⇒ Panic Room (the host's read). Panic Room read as a small antidote to the response to Fight Club.
“This seemed like a little bit of an antidote to that because what's panic room about.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Panic Room’ (Plus a Mini Will Smith–Oscars Recap) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:19:29 · Sean Fennessey (0.60 sure it was them)
craft (craft) · through Fight Club (1999), which they were tied to as studio's wished-for narrator; Fincher would not believe him in the role: Fight Club ⇒ Panic Room (the host's read). The inside-the-house camera moves Fincher started in Fight Club are fully developed in Panic Room.
“And there's a lot of like stuff that he had started to do a little bit with Fight Club is like really like fleshed out in panic room”
The Rewatchables · ‘Panic Room’ (Plus a Mini Will Smith–Oscars Recap) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:20:53 · Chris Ryan (0.45 sure it was them)
unmapped (response to) · through Fight Club (1999), which they were tied to as studio's wished-for narrator; Fincher would not believe him in the role: Fight Club ⇒ Panic Room (the host's read). A host says Panic Room is a conscious response to Fight Club, which flopped and tried to be about everything.
“Yes. And I feel like it's a very conscious response to fight club.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Panic Room with Eva Anderson (Ad-Free) · 0:24:52 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Deadpool 2 (2018): 1 line

unmapped (joke template) · through Fight Club (1999), which they were tied to as studio's wished-for narrator; Fincher would not believe him in the role: Fight Club ⇒ Deadpool 2 (the host's read). A joke that Fight Club is the template Deadpool perfected.
“I walked so that Deadpool could run.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Fight Club with Alex Ross Perry (Ad-Free) · 1:59:03 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Moneyball (2011): 1 line

industry (industry) · through Friday Night Lights (2004 film) (2004), which they were tied to as what-if casting for Winchell: Friday Night Lights (2004 film) ⇒ Moneyball (the host's read). The film points toward the next wave of dramas that happen to be about sports.
“And Friday Night Lights is moving us toward this kind of next iteration of whatever that was, and it's leading to stuff like money ball and win-win and like dramas that also happen to be about sports.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Friday Night Lights’ With Bill Simmons and Mallory Rubin · 0:16:15 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)

RoboCop (1987): 1 line

lineage (lineage) · through Avatar (2009), which they were tied to as actor (offered Jake Sully): Avatar ⇒ RoboCop (the host's read). The robot-waking sequence is beat for beat the first act of Avatar, down to testing the new body's powers.
“It is crazy actually how much this sequence is like beat for beat, the Avatar, right?”
Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:38:34 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

Varsity Blues (1999): 1 line

lineage (lineage) · through Friday Night Lights (2004 film) (2004), which they were tied to as what-if casting for Winchell: Friday Night Lights (2004 film) ⇒ Varsity Blues (the host's read). Varsity Blues ripped off the Boobie Miles injury beat with its Lance Harbor injury, and the TV show flipped it with Jason Street.
“I love varsity blues we've done on the rewatchables, but they rip it off with the Lance Harbor injury.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Friday Night Lights’ With Bill Simmons and Mallory Rubin · 0:35:23 · Mallory Rubin (0.50 sure it was them)

What the speakers said they did

What was said about them, by kind

career (7)

career (career): The Martian → Matt Damon. The Martian is Damon's local-maximum: a post-apex Apex Mountain, the I-still-got-it peak.
“So Matt Damon, the Martians, a great one.”
The Rewatchables · A CR Month Mailbag! · 0:41:14 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
career (career): Brad Pitt → Matt Damon. The group debates whether Damon's best seven films can match Pitt's.
“So the question for me is, could Matt Damon top that with his best seven?”
The Rewatchables · ‘F1’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan · 0:24:51 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
career (career): Matt Damon → School Ties. School Ties is the model for the young Matt Damon part.
“Like a 1993 school ties there, Matt Damon, as Winchell, but he was too old by the time they made this movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Friday Night Lights’ With Bill Simmons and Mallory Rubin · 1:21:58 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
career (career): Matt Damon → The Bourne films. Damon cited his Bourne commitment as the reason he turned down Avatar.
“Apparently he cited his ongoing commitment to the Bourne films as the reason why he ultimately didn't take this, right?”
The Big Picture · The Great ‘Avatar’ Debate with Blank Check’s Griffin Newman and David Sims · 0:16:16 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)
career (career): Matt Damon → The Great Wall. Damon took the Great Wall for the same reasons he supposedly gave for passing on Cameron.
“But he did it for all the reasons that he said he didn't work with James Cameron.”
The Big Picture · The Great ‘Avatar’ Debate with Blank Check’s Griffin Newman and David Sims · 0:16:48 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
career (career): Matt Damon → Interstellar. Interstellar is named as the capper to Damon's run as a supporting actor.
“interstellar being the sort of like beautiful capper to that, right?”
The Big Picture · The Great ‘Avatar’ Debate with Blank Check’s Griffin Newman and David Sims · 0:19:45 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
career (career contrast): Ben Affleck → Matt Damon. Damon did the serious prestige work while Affleck made the big blockbusters.
“Damon was doing the serious prestige stuff with serious filmmakers, and Affleck makes the big dumb blockbusters that people like, but they're not taken seriously.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Gone Girl with Esther Zuckerman (Ad-Free) · 1:00:01 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

industry (1)

industry (accent rivalry): Mark Wahlberg → Matt Damon. Damon's Boston accent is better; Wahlberg overdoes it.
“I think that Damon is better and I think Wahlberg overdoes it.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:30:24 · Chris Ryan (0.80 sure it was them)

programming (1)

programming (programming): Good Will Hunting → Matt Damon. Good Will Hunting plus its Damon/Affleck/Williams Oscar campaign started Amanda's interest in the stories around movies.
“I think the 1st time I was aware of all of that was Goodwill Hunting”
The Big Picture · 300th Episode Ask-Us-Anything Mailbag Spectacular · 0:08:11 · Amanda Dobbins (0.90 sure it was them)

unmapped (3)

unmapped (passed the part): Brad Pitt → Matt Damon. Pitt dropped out of the Damon role and produced; Damon later passed Manchester by the Sea to Casey Affleck in a similar gesture.
“Matt Damon later paying it forward in that same way, giving Casey Affleck, Manchester.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:17:38 · Bill Simmons (0.65 sure it was them)
unmapped (Boston accent): Matt Damon → Good Will Hunting. Damon is the best Boston accent in the cast, going back to Good Will Hunting.
“Goodwill hunting, the part is the best.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:30:09 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
unmapped (creep vs sweetheart): Matt Damon → The Martian. Damon's best work is the creeps like Ripley, and Ryan prefers that to his America's sweetheart phase in The Martian.
“Matt Damon's best performances are always the one where he plays the creeps, like Ripley”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:47:42 · Chris Ryan (0.75 sure it was them)

verdict (1)

verdict (verdict): Matt Damon → Matt Damon. Posed as a recurring Blank Check bit: is Damon better as a supporting actor than a lead.
“is Matt Damon secretly a better supporting actor than he is a leading man?”
The Big Picture · The Great ‘Avatar’ Debate with Blank Check’s Griffin Newman and David Sims · 0:19:49 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

what-if (4)

what-if (what-if): Matt Damon → Friday Night Lights (2004 film). A mid-90s Matt Damon, as in School Ties, would have been ideal for Winchell, but he was too old by 2004.
“And what I realized was that this would have been an amazing mid 90s Matt Damon part.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Friday Night Lights’ With Bill Simmons and Mallory Rubin · 1:21:52 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if): Avatar → Matt Damon. Damon was offered the lead role of Jake Sully, which Sam Worthington ended up playing.
“Matt Damon famously was offered the role of Jake Sully, which Sam Worthington eventually portrayed.”
The Big Picture · The Great ‘Avatar’ Debate with Blank Check’s Griffin Newman and David Sims · 0:15:23 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if): Matt Damon → The Departed. If Damon had spent the mid-2000s on Avatar he might not have been in The Departed.
“maybe he's not in the departed.”
The Big Picture · The Great ‘Avatar’ Debate with Blank Check’s Griffin Newman and David Sims · 0:18:55 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if): Matt Damon → True Grit. Missing True Grit would have been the real cost of Damon making Avatar.
“But then if he's not in true grit.”
The Big Picture · The Great ‘Avatar’ Debate with Blank Check’s Griffin Newman and David Sims · 0:19:08 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Fun items about them

fun, about Matt Damon: Damon reportedly brainstormed his character's impotence issues.
“So supposedly he brainstormed it.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:36:47 · Bill Simmons (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Matt Damon: Matt Damon is shirtless and yoked on the set of The Odyssey, which launches the cold plunge jokes.
“Matt Damon is absolutely yoked out of his mind at the moment.”
The Big Picture · The 1990 Movie Draft · 0:02:40 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Matt Damon: Damon turned down Jake Sully plus 10 percent of the future growth.
“In addition to 10% of the future growth of this movie.”
The Big Picture · The Great ‘Avatar’ Debate with Blank Check’s Griffin Newman and David Sims · 0:15:35 · Sean Fennessey (0.70 sure it was them)
fun, about Matt Damon: David wrote a sarcastic Atlantic article about the Great Wall poster and Damon blamed his own disappointment on the magazine.
“I wrote a sarcastic article and then Matt Damon gave an interviewer.”
The Big Picture · The Great ‘Avatar’ Debate with Blank Check’s Griffin Newman and David Sims · 0:17:11 · David Sims (0.80 sure it was them)