‘Days of Thunder’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Kyle Brandt
Episode
123 min
Read time
2 min
Topics
Leadership, Product & Tech Trends, Science & Discovery
AI-Generated Summary
Key Takeaways
- ✓Production Excess: Days of Thunder went $25-30 million over its $60 million budget due to Don Simpson's cocaine-fueled decisions, including building three barns that were never used, converting hotel space into a $400,000 private gym, and rewriting scenes daily with cue cards on windshields during filming.
- ✓Tony Scott Cinematography: The film demonstrates superior vehicle cinematography compared to modern blockbusters, using practical effects and lighting techniques that make NASCAR racing visually compelling on four-k format, with Hans Zimmer's orchestral-electric guitar score elevating mundane racing sequences into cinematic moments worth studying.
- ✓Tom Cruise Prime Analysis: The 1986-1993 period represents Cruise's first prime, pairing him with Oscar-winning actors like Duvall, Newman, Hoffman, and Nicholson in every film, establishing a blueprint later followed by Leonardo DiCaprio of working exclusively with elite talent and directors to build credibility.
- ✓Screenplay Dysfunction: Robert Towne and Tom Cruise received story credits despite having no completed script when filming began, resulting in scenes written day-of-shooting, dialogue delivered through earpieces, and forgetting to film the protagonist crossing the finish line, requiring expensive reshoots after principal photography wrapped.
- ✓NASCAR Authenticity Trade-offs: The production received unprecedented NASCAR cooperation, filming during actual Daytona races with real drivers and teams, but sacrificed accuracy for drama, creating a stylized version of racing culture that inspired Talladega Nights while frustrating purists like Richard Petty who noted only car numbers were correct.
What It Covers
Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Kyle Brandt dissect the 1990 Tom Cruise NASCAR film Days of Thunder, examining its chaotic production under Don Simpson, Tony Scott's cinematography, the Cruise-Kidman romance origin, and comparing it to Top Gun's formula.
Key Questions Answered
- •Production Excess: Days of Thunder went $25-30 million over its $60 million budget due to Don Simpson's cocaine-fueled decisions, including building three barns that were never used, converting hotel space into a $400,000 private gym, and rewriting scenes daily with cue cards on windshields during filming.
- •Tony Scott Cinematography: The film demonstrates superior vehicle cinematography compared to modern blockbusters, using practical effects and lighting techniques that make NASCAR racing visually compelling on four-k format, with Hans Zimmer's orchestral-electric guitar score elevating mundane racing sequences into cinematic moments worth studying.
- •Tom Cruise Prime Analysis: The 1986-1993 period represents Cruise's first prime, pairing him with Oscar-winning actors like Duvall, Newman, Hoffman, and Nicholson in every film, establishing a blueprint later followed by Leonardo DiCaprio of working exclusively with elite talent and directors to build credibility.
- •Screenplay Dysfunction: Robert Towne and Tom Cruise received story credits despite having no completed script when filming began, resulting in scenes written day-of-shooting, dialogue delivered through earpieces, and forgetting to film the protagonist crossing the finish line, requiring expensive reshoots after principal photography wrapped.
- •NASCAR Authenticity Trade-offs: The production received unprecedented NASCAR cooperation, filming during actual Daytona races with real drivers and teams, but sacrificed accuracy for drama, creating a stylized version of racing culture that inspired Talladega Nights while frustrating purists like Richard Petty who noted only car numbers were correct.
Notable Moment
The wheelchair race between injured drivers Cole Trickle and Rowdy Burns, scored by Hans Zimmer with full dramatic intensity, becomes the most entertaining race sequence in the film despite its absurdity, with Michael Rooker physically blocking a nurse from helping Cruise to preserve competitive integrity in a hospital hallway.
Episode Transcript
Hey, Rewatchables fans. You already knew we were coming to Boston for a sold out show on March 27, but what you didn't know is we're sticking around that weekend. We're gonna host our first ever Rewatchables film festival while we're in Boston. We're screening some of our favorite movies, movies that we have done on this podcast, plus maybe a couple others at the historic Coolidge Corner Theater. We're doing it all weekend from March 28 through March 30, one of my favorite theaters in America. We might even make a few surprise appearances at a couple of these screenings. It's your chance to see some of our favorites as they were meant to be seen on the big screen. Classic mob heist Boston movies we love, Goodfellas, The Town, The Departed. Oh, yeah. We're doing heat. Again, it's gonna kick off Friday, March 28 at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline. Visit the ringer.com/events for showtimes and ticket information. Hopefully, we'll see you there. 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 mls91045seven. The rewatchables is brought to you by the Ringer podcast network where you can find what's it called? The watch? Yes. That's it. Right? TV. The unproduced TV podcast. Yeah. Culture pod with you and Andy Greenwald. You're on the big picture as well. Try to bring your Philly specials sometimes. Yeah. Not a lot of Sixers talk there lately. That's Kyle Brandt. Yeah. We could find you where can we find you? Tell us. Find me. It's the off season NFL. You can find me on the good morning football program as always. I did it this morning for four hours. I'm ready to do more content with you for the NFL media group, and I'm ready. Let's do it. Is it good to get you groggy after four hours of content, or is or are we just getting, like I don't know. It's like you've played your second NFL game in the same day. I'm I'm concerned. The good news is I had a 72 ounce mellow yellow, so I'm ready to rock, though. Let's go. Change my …
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“Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Kyle Brandt dissect the 1990 Tom Cruise NASCAR film Days of Thunder, examining its chaotic production under Don Simpson, Tony Scott's cinematography, the Cruise-Kidman romance origin, and comparing it to Top Gun's formula.”
“creating a stylized version of racing culture that inspired Talladega Nights while frustrating purists like Richard Petty”
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