THE REWATCHABLES · July 14, 2025
A 2009 romance / comedy movie directed by Nancy Meyers—and decision no. 64 in the Hanks–Cruise tape.
ON THIS EPISODE
FROM THE CONVERSATION
WHY IT WORKS
WHAT DID NOT WORK
SCENES THEY KEPT COMING BACK TO
The early party sequence and character introductions are praised for efficiently setting up the whole movie.
About 24 minThe dinner and drinking scenes are admired for the cast chemistry and comic rhythm.
About 32 minSeen as funny and memorable, though the hosts joke that Streep plays it almost like she is on acid.
About 56 minThe sex-to-sprinkler transition is singled out as a perfect comic cut.
About 40 minThe final food-and-marriage stakes are funny but also underscore the hosts’ uncertainty about the ending.
About 1:20WHERE THEY DISAGREED
Amanda DobbinsThe chemistry is stronger with Baldwin, but the Martin ending is still narratively correct.
Mina KimesThe Baldwin chemistry is much stronger, which makes the ending harder to buy emotionally.
Bill SimmonsThe final resolution is responsible and works, but Baldwin steals the movie.
Amanda DobbinsYes, even good roast chicken is usually just fine rather than exceptional.
Bill SimmonsDefends it as a great dish when done well, especially in Meyers-style food scenes.
Bill SimmonsThis film’s kitchen may be the best because of its lived-in, expanded layout.
Amanda DobbinsSomething’s Gotta Give has the better kitchen because it is roomier and more conventional.
Mina KimesIt is acceptable if the ex was left for the same person, but not if a totally new partner is involved.
Bill SimmonsLeans toward telling the current spouse and treating the situation as gossip-worthy rather than forbidden.
Amanda DobbinsAgrees the second-wife context matters and the first wife can reclaim territory in this setup.
Argues Meyers is an auteur with a distinct style, major influence, and a track record of hugely rewatchable movies.
About 8 minSays this is one of Streep’s most important and enduring performances, and praises her comedic range here.
About 24 minCalls the film elite and one of his favorite Meyers movies, placing it near the top of his rankings.
Opening minutesSays every Meyers film is rewatchable and ranks this one high because of its emotional specificity.
About 8 minThinks Baldwin is hilarious and may have been written specifically for him.
About 24 minLikes the movie but says Streep and Baldwin have much better chemistry than Streep and Steve Martin, which complicates the ending for her.
About 32 minSpends a long stretch praising Meyers’ kitchens, open plans, wood, neutral colors, and lived-in spaces as part of her signature.
About 8 minLikes it onscreen but says open shelving is unrealistic and hard to maintain in real life.
About 8 minLikes Martin generally but says this role is less compelling than Baldwin’s and maybe miscast.
About 56 minArgues that more films should star older people because the performances and stories feel more believable and interesting.
About 1:12Says it is Meyers’ best movie even while calling this one a favorite and ranking several others closely behind it.
About 8 minSays the film is one of Meyers’ best and a movie she repeatedly returns to as a divorce-kids viewer.
About 8 minThe hosts frame Meyers as a singular filmmaker with a recognizable visual language and a consistent adult-oriented romantic-comedy formula.
About 8 minThe film is discussed as a mature divorce story where exes, second marriages, and old sparks remain emotionally charged but comic.
About 16 minThe house, kitchen, courtyard, and home layout are treated as central pleasures and as part of the movie’s storytelling.
About 8 minMeals, pastries, and shared cooking function as a proxy for desire, family intimacy, and character contrast.
About 48 minThe hosts praise the film for centering people over 50 and for treating adult lives as dramatically interesting.
About 1:12The movie was released in 2009 and the hosts connect its title to Facebook relationship status language.
About 40 minThe house is discussed as being in Thousand Oaks in real life, though the film makes it feel more like Santa Barbara/Montecito.
About 32 minMeryl Streep’s character is a bakery owner whose success seems implausible for the house she lives in.
About 8 minAlec Baldwin’s nude scene reportedly used a body double.
About 1:12One scene kept an accidental line read because the actors’ mistake was funny.
About 1:12The film was shot partly in New York with soundstage interiors and some exterior work in California.
About 1:12Roger Ebert gave the film two and a half stars.
About 32 minThe hosts think the movie may contain an unusually high number of Meryl Streep laughs.
About 1:12 · medium confidenceUsed as the benchmark for Meyers’ best film and to compare kitchens and chemistry.
About 8 minReferenced as another Meyers film and a major box-office title.
About 8 minCited as a previous Meyers title they had covered and cried over.
About 8 minMentioned as especially important to Craig’s generation and as another Meyers entry.
About 8 minDiscussed as a funny but retrograde movie with Mel Gibson.
About 8 minHeld up as one of Streep’s defining performances and one of the most rewatchable movies of the century.
About 24 minReferenced as a career-defining Streep performance and as a possible recasting template.
About 24 minUsed to describe Baldwin’s earlier movie-star phase.
About 24 minMentioned when discussing Michael Douglas as a romantic-comedy crush.
About 1:12Cited as a Harrison Ford romantic-comedy role.
About 1:12Referenced only as part of a Michael Douglas comparison in the older-man discussion.
About 1:12 · medium confidenceCited as another rom-com with a familiar uptight-female trope.
About 40 minReferenced as part of a classic divorced-couple/remarriage comedy lineage.
About 1:12Suggested as a companion double feature because of the same Meryl/era connection.
About 1:20Mentioned as a hard-to-find Nancy Meyers-related title and as a potential double feature.
About 1:20Repeated joking analysis of Meyers’ preferred house elements: open plans, wood, knickknacks, and especially kitchens.
About 8 minThey repeatedly joke that the adult children act like bizarrely cheerful zombies with no real jobs or logic.
About 40 minCroque monsieur, chocolate croissant, roast chicken, and noodle dish tangents recur as a food-geek motif.
About 48 minA recurring mini-debate about whether an ex-husband/ex-wife reunion is morally acceptable depending on the second marriage.
About 1:20They joke that the homes, kitchens, and domestic lives are unrealistic but still emotionally satisfying as genre fantasy.
About 8 min“Nancy Meyers a thousand percent it.”About 8 min
“Let Nancy cook!”About 8 min
“Home sweet home is so fucking funny.”About 24 min
“Meryl Streep not getting a ton of plastic surgery”About 40 min
“The most emotionally sophisticated of all of Meyers' fantasies.”About 32 min
MAKE IT A MOVIE NIGHT
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
Three movies to watch before It's Complicated, and three to watch next.
ON THE MIC
Bill Simmons125 tracked appearances · 56 H / 64 C / 5 ties
Amanda Dobbins4 tracked appearances · 3 H / 1 CCATEGORY CONTEXT
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