Production note Cuba Gooding Jr.’s Oscar speech is discussed as being cut off rapidly by the orchestra.
Production note The movie was based partly on real-agent and real-memo inspirations, including Lee Steinberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg.
Production note Crowe and Cruise reportedly tried to get Billy Wilder to play Dickie Fox.
Production note Janusz Kaminski shot the movie.
Production note Cuba Gooding Jr. was pregnant-regardless? No, Regina King was actually pregnant during filming.
Production note A deleted ending with Nicky at the zoo exists and is described as bad.
Disputed in the episode The film’s speech-to-sign-language elevator moment was reportedly incorrect in the sign-language translation.
Production note Rod Tidwell’s touchdown hit reportedly took 29 takes and several stuntmen.
Bo Jackson Used as a shorthand for the film doing two things at once: sports movie and rom-com.
Magnolia Referenced as part of the hosts’ favorite vulnerable Tom Cruise persona.
The Apartment Cited as a Billy Wilder inspiration point for the film’s tone and structure.
Moneyball Used as a comparable sports-business movie that uses sports as a framework for workplace drama.
Almost Famous Repeatedly compared as Crowe’s other major achievement.
Singles Mentioned as an earlier Crowe film that did not fully land at the box office but shaped his confidence.
Rocky Referenced as the older sports-movie blueprint that Jerry Maguire helped move beyond.
Ballers Used as a contrast for what a Jerry Maguire-style sports-business show should have been.
Primal Fear Mentioned in the Oscar race discussion against Cuba Gooding Jr.
Fargo Mentioned in the Oscar race discussion.
The English Patient Used to illustrate the era’s prestige-heavy Oscar voting.
Say Anything Referenced as a Crowe touchstone and part of his career run.
