A 2025 Rewatchables Mailbag
Episode
102 min
Read time
2 min
AI-Generated Summary
Key Takeaways
- ✓Smoking Categories: Listeners propose the Sean Penn "I Brought My Own Pack" award for excellence in onscreen smoking and the Tom Cruise "Which End Do I Light" award for terrible smoking performances, with hosts agreeing to track cigarette authenticity and add smoking-related categories as flex spots in future episodes.
- ✓Female Actor Comparison: To complement the existing Cruise versus Hanks category, hosts consider adding Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Nicole Kidman as a four-person comparison group, though they struggle to find a perfect two-person equivalent that matches Cruise-Hanks' iconic status and humor.
- ✓Dan Campbell Scale: New category rates moments where filmmakers take audacious creative risks, measured like football fourth-down attempts (fourth-and-two versus fourth-and-twelve), with examples including the Illuminati orgy in Eyes Wide Shut and Gerard Butler eating a donut off the ground in Den of Thieves.
- ✓Philip Seymour Hoffman Casting: Hosts adopt a recurring segment asking which role Philip Seymour Hoffman could have played in every movie discussed, acknowledging his ability to improve virtually any film marginally, positioning this question immediately after the Cruise versus Hanks category in episode structure.
- ✓Guest Host Month: Listeners suggest "Much to Bill's Chagrin" month where rotating cohosts Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, or Van Lathan select movies without Bill's veto power, forcing him to watch films outside his comfort zone like Lord of the Rings while still participating as cohost.
What It Covers
The Rewatchables podcast hosts Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and producer Craig Horlbeck review listener-submitted mailbag questions proposing new category ideas, theme months, and format changes for their movie podcast's ninth year.
Key Questions Answered
- •Smoking Categories: Listeners propose the Sean Penn "I Brought My Own Pack" award for excellence in onscreen smoking and the Tom Cruise "Which End Do I Light" award for terrible smoking performances, with hosts agreeing to track cigarette authenticity and add smoking-related categories as flex spots in future episodes.
- •Female Actor Comparison: To complement the existing Cruise versus Hanks category, hosts consider adding Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Nicole Kidman as a four-person comparison group, though they struggle to find a perfect two-person equivalent that matches Cruise-Hanks' iconic status and humor.
- •Dan Campbell Scale: New category rates moments where filmmakers take audacious creative risks, measured like football fourth-down attempts (fourth-and-two versus fourth-and-twelve), with examples including the Illuminati orgy in Eyes Wide Shut and Gerard Butler eating a donut off the ground in Den of Thieves.
- •Philip Seymour Hoffman Casting: Hosts adopt a recurring segment asking which role Philip Seymour Hoffman could have played in every movie discussed, acknowledging his ability to improve virtually any film marginally, positioning this question immediately after the Cruise versus Hanks category in episode structure.
- •Guest Host Month: Listeners suggest "Much to Bill's Chagrin" month where rotating cohosts Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, or Van Lathan select movies without Bill's veto power, forcing him to watch films outside his comfort zone like Lord of the Rings while still participating as cohost.
Notable Moment
The hosts reveal they've avoided doing The Hunt for Red October because Chris Ryan refuses to watch it until Bill Simmons watches Inside Moves, creating a years-long standoff where both films remain hostage to this mutual stubbornness despite significant listener demand for the submarine thriller.
Episode Transcript
It's Bill Simmons. If you wanna see the Bill Simmons podcast live in Austin, Texas on Wednesday, February 19 at the Paramount Theater, you can. You can buy tickets at theringer.com/events. Come see us at Austin. This episode is brought to you by United Airlines. Here's something worth watching, the award winning United Airlines app. On every trip, you can flip through time saving travel hacks, like a personalized airport map with door to gate directions, Binge watch real time flight updates, like a live calendar boarding, even if your home screen's locked, and watch it automatically move you from a middle seat to an aisle or a window if one opens up on your flight. Get it before your next trip at united.com/app. This podcast is sponsored by PayPal. Let's talk holiday shopping. Make the most of your money with PayPal. They give you the flexibility to pay in four. No fees. No interest. So whether it's the must have toy or a tiered cheese board, PayPal helps you make the most of your money this holiday. Subject to approval. Learn more at paypal.com/payin for PayPal Inc, n m l s, nine one zero four five seven. Alright. I'm not sure if this is the first rewatch Will's mailbag. Have we ever done this before? Categories mailbag. Repeat Jeff's account. We did. But we refreshed them. We we came up with our listeners sent in Cruz versus Hanks. That's where we got that. Was that before or after I got the vaccine? Jesus. Because I don't remember anything after the vaccine. Is this fire bill? No longer hold back? Yeah. Fuck it. We have no idea how long this is gonna be. It could be one part. It could be two parts. That's producer Craig right there, Craig Horlbeck. CR, Chris Ryan, we've been doing the rewatchables. We had, like was the eight, nine, nine year anniversary Is that right? Of when we did the heat, twenty years of heat, which, by the way, in 2025, thirty years of heat. I was at the Lakers Spurs the other night, and a guy shouted out from the crowd, four heat. That was it. That was that's all you all you brought to the table. Was Victor Wembanyama. What? It's Wembie loves it. Four heat Yeah. And he's like, Neil. I sent you that thing where the backup keeper for Liverpool is a big rewatchables fan. Really? Yeah. How do we get him the starting job? We have to well, I don't want him to get the starting job yet. We have to he's really good, but Allison is the best. Well, Craig's been our producer since for how many years? Since 2018? Yeah. 2018. We had Zach Mack initially, then Craig moved in, and we've woven him into the podcast. He's hosted a couple. We decided he had to be involved in the mailbag. I have a lot of mailbag questions. Thanks to everybody who mailed them into the rewatchables33@Gmail.com. …
Get the full transcript (20,069 words) + summary by email — free
One-time email with the complete transcript and AI summary of this episode. No account needed.
One email, no spam. We’ll also show you what SignalCast does.
You just read a 3-minute summary of a 99-minute episode.
Get The Rewatchables summarized like this every Monday — plus up to 2 more podcasts, free.
Pick Your Podcasts — FreeKeep Reading
More from The Rewatchables
‘L.A. Confidential’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Andy Greenwald
Mar 31 · 150 min
Stuff You Should Know
How Big Bang Theory Works, with Neil deGrasse Tyson
Jun 19
More from The Rewatchables
‘The Nice Guys’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Rob Mahoney
Mar 24 · 89 min
The Daily (NYT)
Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor Say the End of the World is Now on the Table
Sep 12
Books, tools, and gear mentioned in this episode
SignalCast may earn commission on purchases via these links. As an Amazon Associate, SignalCast earns from qualifying purchases.
Books

“forcing him to watch films outside his comfort zone like Lord of the Rings while still participating as cohost”

“and Gerard Butler eating a donut off the ground in Den of Thieves”

“with examples including the Illuminati orgy in Eyes Wide Shut”

“The hosts reveal they've avoided doing The Hunt for Red October because Chris Ryan refuses to watch it until Bill Simmons watches Inside Moves”

“Chris Ryan refuses to watch it until Bill Simmons watches Inside Moves, creating a years-long standoff”
Tools
Products
company
“Sponsor: Searchlight Pictures”
More from The Rewatchables
We summarize every new episode. Want them in your inbox?
‘L.A. Confidential’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Andy Greenwald
‘The Nice Guys’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Rob Mahoney
A CR Month Mailbag!
‘To Live and Die in L.A.’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
‘Fargo’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Kyle Brandt
Similar Episodes
Related episodes from other podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
Jun 19
How Big Bang Theory Works, with Neil deGrasse Tyson
The Daily (NYT)
Sep 12
Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor Say the End of the World is Now on the Table
Stuff You Should Know
Sep 12
Selects: Wasps: Not as cute as bees
All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg
Sep 11
AI Kills Everybody or Doomer Psyop? OpenAI's Math Breakthrough, Nike's $200B Collapse
Modern Wisdom
Aug 29
Mexican Batman, Britain’s Downfall, Mr Bean’s Comeback & Jimmy Carr - Rabbit Hole #5 - #1143
You're clearly into The Rewatchables.
Every Monday, we deliver AI summaries of the latest episodes from The Rewatchables and 192+ other podcasts. Free for one show.
Start My Monday DigestNo credit card · Unsubscribe anytime