THE REWATCHABLES · July 29, 2024
A 1994 crime / thriller movie directed by Quentin Tarantino—and decision no. 18 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 Honey Bunny/Ringo robbery opener and the dual-song credit sequence set the film's tone immediately.
About 2:40The 'royale with cheese' conversation is treated as one of the most imitated dialogue scenes ever.
About 2:40The hitman speech, the burger exchange, and 'check out the big brains on Brett' are all highlighted.
About 2:40The drug-buying scene is admired for its weirdly casual drug-world texture and Eric Stoltz's performance.
About 3:12The date, the $5 milkshake, and the twist dance are treated as iconic movie-magic moments.
About 3:20A centerpiece set piece they call one of the most exhilarating scenes in movie history.
About 3:20Christopher Walken's watch story is treated as one of the most mesmerizing monologues ever filmed.
About 3:28Butch's return, the gimp reveal, and the rescue of Marcellus are framed as peak Tarantino insanity.
About 3:28The garage cleanup and Wolf's time-sensitive arrival are praised for comic tension and precision.
About 3:20Jules' moral awakening and the diner standoff are treated as the film's thematic capstone.
About 3:44WHERE THEY DISAGREED
Bill SimmonsProbably something valuable but intentionally unspecified; maybe a MacGuffin or symbolic object.
Sean FennesseyIt likely functions as a symbolic MacGuffin rather than a literal object.
Chris RyanCould be a soul, gold, or something else, but the point is the mystery.
Bill SimmonsNo; Vincent is basically incompetent and has a catastrophically bad 72 hours.
Sean FennesseyHe is a mixed case: talented in some moments but careless and self-destructive.
Chris RyanHe is amazing as a character but clearly not good at his work.
Bill SimmonsJackson losing Supporting Actor is the biggest outrage.
Sean FennesseyBest Director for Tarantino should also have been a win.
Chris RyanPulp Fiction deserved the most recognition overall, but Forrest Gump is understandable as a film.
Bill SimmonsYes; he wants more actual boxing and less of Fabian.
Sean FennesseyThe movie's shape depends on the quieter domestic sections, even if they drag.
Chris RyanHe'd take a more elaborate boxing set piece, but the existing structure works.
Argues the film may be the single most rewatchable movie ever because its nonlinear design supports random entry points.
About 8 minSays the film reset what movies could be after a dry period and felt like a new era.
About 16 minEmphasizes Tarantino as the end product of obsessive movie watching and home-video culture.
About 16 minTreats Jackson's work as one of the greatest Oscar snubs and an all-time supporting performance.
About 1:12Thinks the dance scene is absurdly cool and one of the movie's defining miracles.
About 40 minPushes back on the prestige aura by insisting the film is fundamentally a comedy.
About 40 minFrames Travolta's return here as the greatest movie-star comeback of the era.
About 1:12Says Tarantino may be the preeminent caster of movies ever because he matches actors to roles and moments perfectly.
About 1:12Multiple characters get a chance to change course; the hosts frame the movie as fundamentally about redemption.
About 1:12The hosts argue the film is about a life formed by watching and loving movies, and about movies as a formative force.
About 16 minThe film blends genres, eras, and references into a new pop language that feels both fresh and familiar.
About 16 minThe briefcase, divine intervention, and character choices are treated as part of the movie's moral architecture.
About 1:12The conversation treats the film as a defining artifact of Gen X and the wider mid-90s cultural moment.
About 24 minThe film had an $8.5 million budget and grossed over $200 million.
About 40 minTarantino wrote much of the script in Amsterdam in handwritten notebooks.
About 32 minRoger Avery contributed story material, including the Butch/Marcellus boxing material.
About 32 minThe film won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, with Clint Eastwood heading the jury.
About 40 minThe 'gimp' costume was supposedly created by accident from a mistaken wig purchase.
About 56 minThe Chevelle Malibu used in the film was stolen and later recovered years later through a police stop.
About 56 minThe black-band marker on Marcellus's neck covered a real scar.
About 56 minTarantino initially wanted a different actor for several roles, including Fishburne for Jules and Virginia Madsen for Mia.
About 48 minThe soundtrack became a cultural fixture and helped popularize mixtape-style soundtracks.
About 56 minUsed as the immediate Tarantino precursor and a key part of the director's rise.
About 8 minReferenced as early criticism and prediction about Tarantino's influence.
About 40 minCited as one of the many references and influences inside Pulp Fiction's style.
About 8 minReferenced as a stylistic ancestor and part of the film's quote-and-remix method.
About 8 minUsed as a parallel indie breakthrough and video-store-era success story.
About 16 minMentioned as a Keitel career booster that helped set up Pulp Fiction's casting ecosystem.
About 40 minCited as an earlier soundtrack-with-dialogue template.
About 56 minMentioned as an influence on the mysterious briefcase MacGuffin.
About 4:16Used when discussing Bruce Willis and action-movie star power.
About 40 minReferenced as a later Tarantino movie that echoes motifs from Pulp Fiction.
About 48 minReferenced in passing during a music discussion and Sam Jackson's soundtrack habits.
About 56 min · medium confidenceBrought up as a diner-themed film that some hosts like but don't see as comparable in impact.
About 4:08 · medium confidenceThe episode repeatedly devolves into quoting favorite lines and trading impressions of the exact delivery.
About 2:40They keep returning to the briefcase mystery from different angles without resolving it.
About 4:16They repeatedly mock characters who have a single responsibility and still fail at it.
About 3:36The hosts keep looping back to their own adolescence, college years, and movie-obsessed youth.
About 8 minSongs and needle drops are discussed as triggers for decades of personal and cultural memory.
About 3:20“Does this pod look like a bitch?”Opening minutes
“This is a tasty burger.”About 2:40
“Let's not start sucking each other's dicks”About 3:20
“Five long years he wore this watch”About 3:28
“I'm trying to be the shepherd.”About 3:44
MAKE IT A MOVIE NIGHT
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
Three movies to watch before Pulp Fiction, and three to watch next.
ON THE MIC
Bill Simmons125 tracked appearances · 56 H / 64 C / 5 ties
Chris Ryan77 tracked appearances · 36 H / 38 C / 3 ties
Sean Fennessey35 tracked appearances · 15 H / 17 C / 3 tiesCATEGORY CONTEXT
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