Apex Mountain on The Rewatchables
22:57 – 25:45… one, my best friend's wedding, and then There's Something About Mary, which I don't know if anyone else could have played that role. That's why when we get to Apex Mountain, I think her Apex Mountain is There's Something About Mary. She's so good in that movie. And I can't think of one actress in the last 30 years who could have pulled off that movie as well and made her as likable and funny and slapstick. And by the end of that run, everyone thought like, oh, this person can do anything. I wish that Cameron Diaz had had Julia Roberts' PR representation. Because I don't think she ever was like beloved by men …
The whole segment, as transcribed
A little bit on Cam Diaz before we start the categories. One of the great runs of any actress, The Mask, she's the one, my best friend's wedding, and then There's Something About Mary, which I don't know if anyone else could have played that role. That's why when we get to Apex Mountain, I think her Apex Mountain is There's Something About Mary. She's so good in that movie. And I can't think of one actress in the last 30 years who could have pulled off that movie as well and made her as likable and funny and slapstick. And by the end of that run, everyone thought like, oh, this person can do anything. I wish that Cameron Diaz had had Julia Roberts' PR representation. Because I don't think she ever was like beloved by men and women. I think men have always liked her. I've definitely come around to her more as I've gotten older. So you think women were a little threatened by her? I think that she just was like cast as like, she's so traditionally beautiful. Like she's such like a model, blonde, tall, skinny. I don't feel like she got the like America's sweetheart treatment ever. But she's like a great, I love her. She's almost a little too polished almost. Or like, I have a different theory. I think she's great. There's Something About Mary is very good, but it was just never my type of movie. It's like a gross out comedy. It's the gross out thing. And she. But that movie is a phenomenon though. It was a phenomenon and she's great in it. And there are a lot of people who love it. But she did go for a certain type of comedy that is just. More popular with men. Exactly. And it's not really my style. And it doesn't mean that she's not good at it. And I don't like her. But it's just. She didn't take the America's sweetheart roles entirely. It's true. She definitely went. Because you shouldn't have to, but. Yeah. Yeah. And I just think she was steered in a different direction. I came to love her via The Holiday, of course, the Nancy Meyers film. And then went back and reevaluated her. And I was like, oh, I really like Camry Diaz. She was really great in Charlie's Angels. Yeah. She was. Yeah. She's a really talented comedic actress who also like. I also like her because unlike someone like other actresses who like are like, I'm done acting. I've moved on to my entrepreneurial career. She's just like, yeah, I'm out. Like, and I'm just like living a nice life by myself. And she hasn't made a movie since 2014. And that's that. Case to be made. She is a better IMDb than Julia Roberts. I think she might. Consistency wise, for sure. Julia Roberts' IMDb is like shockingly bad. It feels like she was a much bigger star than the actual movie she made. Well, she had a really good turn of the century run, which I think has, the recency of that I think has overshadowed or scared the old stuff. Aaron Brockovich is a movie nobody watches or thinks about 20 years old. It's untrue. Come to my house. It's also untrue. Oh yeah. And whenever it's on, whenever it's on, I'll leave it on. Yeah, of course. I accept. It's a Soderbergh house. Really? All right. I like Aaron Brockovich too. So it's become a rom-com now? No, it's just, you'll keep it on because it's good. I don't know. That's fine. I don't know. It's different tastes. That's the magic of film. We're never doing an Aaron Brockovich rewatchables.
57:28 – 65:33… work. Like I know my wife would watch that. I would definitely watch it, but I think I would still prefer it as a movie. I agree. Yeah? Time limits. Okay. Apex Mountain. Rom-coms. Mm-hmm. Apex Mountain? No. No. Essential to the genre. Really important. Top five for me. Just think about the year, the culmination of now this is the first movie that's twisted the rom-com gimmick. Yeah. This was the last place it could go. Was this the apex? Or would you have another year or movie? I'm not saying best rom-com ever. I'm just saying was this the apex of the genre before it went downhill? Maybe. I think you can …
The whole segment, as transcribed
If my best friend's wedding was spread over the course of eight days and basically started with her finding out he was getting married and you did the modern version of it with cell phones, that actually might work. Like I know my wife would watch that. I would definitely watch it, but I think I would still prefer it as a movie. I agree. Yeah? Time limits. Okay. Apex Mountain. Rom-coms. Mm-hmm. Apex Mountain? No. No. Essential to the genre. Really important. Top five for me. Just think about the year, the culmination of now this is the first movie that's twisted the rom-com gimmick. Yeah. This was the last place it could go. Was this the apex? Or would you have another year or movie? I'm not saying best rom-com ever. I'm just saying was this the apex of the genre before it went downhill? Maybe. I think you can make a case. Yeah, I think you can make the case. I'm not convinced though. Because I don't think so. I do really like the twist and the fact that it's playing with the ideas of the rom-com. And I also like that it is playing with the conventions and the fact that they don't get together while still also having a lot of respect for the idea of a rom-com. It's not a movie that's just parroting and trashing this idea. You want to see people together. It kind of gets that impulse and then twists it at the end. So I like it. I think kind of. I think Notting Hill. I was about to say in terms of meta commentary, in terms of the things that you can do with a rom-com, you do still have Notting Hill, which is an extension of, is really Julia Roberts' life. She's a bad person in that movie. Yes, she is. Julia Roberts is not a good person. She's gravitating towards scripts. Do you make that person meaner? I have a take that I just haven't shared with you guys that you're going to hate. Please. I'm excited. I don't like the ending. Give me a rom-com that ends with the girl getting a guy. You don't like this ending. Wow. That's unsatisfying for me. Well, but it does. It ends with Cameron Diaz getting Dormund while winning. And we like her. I just, as a 32-year-old, I like it more. I'm like, yes, bad people shouldn't win. But I don't know. I don't find it so charming that I've invested so much in Julia Roberts and she doesn't get her guy. I'm just not that into it. Bill's so mad at this take. He just wants to move on. Yeah. Rupert Everett? Apex Matt for Rupert? 100%. It's a pretty iconic performance. It goes to show you when a movie, this movie hits some of the elements you need when a movie takes off and people are writing about it a week later, two weeks later. It's got the comeback movie for the star. It's got the second kind of other star you can write about, almost like the LeBron, Dwayne Wade in Miami type thing. And then the breakout person, which was Rupert Everett, who was around. I don't know what his. He then went on to be in the Madonna movie where they have a child together and Madonna falls in love with him. Which is a movie that has not aged well. No. To say the least. When this movie came out, there was like James Bond stuff with him. Remember? Yeah, of course. Could he be the first gay James Bond? That actually would have been interesting. This is his most mainstream performance for sure. Yeah. And most fun. What else? Is there anything else that he did? I mean, he's in all of the period pieces. You know, he was in Madness of King George. He was in The Importance of Being Earnest. He's in that Madonna movie. You know, he's around. But I think that this is the big one. Cameron Diaz. I don't think it's her apex, but it's really good. She's really good in it. Her apex is There's Something About Mary. That was a massive, successful movie that probably should have been nominated for an Oscar and made her a gigantic star. And she started dating Matt Dillon and got into the Us Weekly stream of things. I mean, her dating history is... It's rough. No. I disagree. I think it's impressive. Well, it's rough because it didn't work out. Sure. She didn't end up with anybody. But she's got a lot of hits. Justin Timberlake, A-Rod. JT, Broker Nose, Surfing. Yeah, that was rough. Yeah. I don't know. Early JT. She was like seven to eight years older than her. It was a Sandra Bullock, Ryan Gosling situation. I liked it. Did they date her? Oh, yes. Sandra Bullock and Ryan Gosling? Really? Oh, yeah. God, Sandy. You got a lot of good red carpet pictures of that. There's a lot to go with her. I agree. I fucking love her. Julie Roberts, Apex Mountain. I think you could make that case. I actually, I'm going to make the case right now. I think it was. Great. Let's do it. Because you would say Pretty Woman for Apex Mountain, but that was the movie that blew her up, made her a star. This was the movie that reestablished I am the most bankable A-plus list actress in Hollywood and set up the next five years of her career and led to her winning an Oscar. You could argue the Oscar was the Apex, but I actually think this righted the ship and led to everything else. I think that makes sense. I was going to try making a case for Ocean's Eleven because I think she's astonishing in that movie. She's really good in that movie. And that movie doesn't really work as well without her, but it's not the main role. Would you watch a documentary about how George Clooney was the only actor she ever acted with who they just became friends? Yes. And it was never dangerous for either of them in either way? That's such a testament to George Clooney's power. Yeah. He just loves her. I still feel like they had one night that they don't talk about. Right? Like they're in Ocean's Twelve. There's one night. There's a couple bottles of wine. If they don't want to talk about it, I don't need to talk about it. I respect George. Yeah. Any other Apex Mountains? Chicago? No. That's insulting. Dermot Mulroney for sure. Oh, yeah. Never got better for him. Yeah. Or worse. Who would have been the best person in this movie? Danny Trejo, Steve Buscemi, or Michael K. Williams? If you could fit one of those three people in. Steve Buscemi, for sure. Steve Buscemi, I think. He could have the Paul Giamatti part. Or the wedding caterer. Yeah. A lot of small roles for him to pop up in. Mark Ruffalo, they knew overacting a word? Anything? Hmm. Hmm. Didn't really see it. No. Didn't feel like there was overacting in this. Just underacting from Dermot Mulroney. Just be nice. Just be nice. Maybe this should be a new horn. Be nice. The Dermot Mulroney underacting horn. It's fine. If you look like that, you don't have to try. The frozen dumbass face. Picky Nets. What kind of sports writer was Dermot Mulroney in this movie? Was he like a generalist? Did he have a specialty? I don't know. He's baseball, but then there was the Spurs. What was he? Was he doing features? No. He's a gamer kind of guy. Yeah. It seemed like he was maybe regional focused. Like he spent a lot of time in Texas. All of the references are Texas. Like they're going to San Antonio. They reference College Station. You're making like $39,000 a year. In 1997? Doing what he did. Yeah. And she was willing to give up everything to follow him around. Well, she didn't. I'm guessing they're just hitting up dad for money. Yeah. She's not giving anything up. They're. They're fine. Spending billionaire money. Yeah. There's so many nits to pick. I mean, Amanda, go for it. Okay. Wait, do you. May I? Oh, go ahead. I have some too, but. So the entire timeline of this relationship, which is, they say like a month or two. And now they're getting married. She's 20. She's dropping out of college. This just makes no sense. The parents would have stopped this. The parents would have stopped this. And there's no way they would have thrown them a wedding. A sub nitpick is just billionaires being this nice. Sorry. No. But then the actual timeline of the wedding, starting with Michael calls Julianne the Wednesday night before his wedding, their quote, best friends. And we're getting a five day notice. Five days. It was three days. I feel like if I was really your best friend, you would have told me earlier. Sorry, I can't make it. You would have told me you met somebody. That's what I would have done. Yeah, of course. I agree with this. Also, if you had that packed, you'd be like, if we're not married at 28, we'll make it happen. And you need to tell me as soon as you meet someone so I can move on. Like you got to build in caveats. Come on. This is true.
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