THE REWATCHABLES · February 27, 2024
A 1998 crime / sports directed by John Dahl, covered in the complete Rewatchables archive.
ON THIS EPISODE
FROM THE CONVERSATION
WHY IT WORKS
WHAT DID NOT WORK
SCENES THEY KEPT COMING BACK TO
The opening KGB encounter is treated as a defining scene, including the cookie tell and the tension of the mob-connected game.
About 24 minMike reads the table instantly, and the hosts admire the rapid card-reading theatrics.
About 32 minThe hosts enjoy Worm and Mike’s banter and the sense that the movie is about to take off.
About 24 minThe scene is seen as important for resetting the plot, though the girlfriend is widely criticized.
About 32 minThe final confrontation is praised as a great payoff, even though the hosts debate the poker logic.
About 1:04The Famke Janssen scene is discussed as highly erotic and implausibly tempting.
About 48 minA funny, grounded table of cops is singled out for its realism and comic energy.
About 40 minThe flashback and Johnny Chan cameo are treated as a key poker-credibility moment.
About 40 minWHERE THEY DISAGREED
Bill SimmonsThinks Damon could maybe have played Worm, but Norton lacked Mike’s sweetness.
Sean FennesseyThinks Norton could have played Mike, but Damon could not fully play Worm.
Bill SimmonsThink the Chris Moneymaker moment was the real catalyst, with Rounders priming audiences.
Sean FennesseySays he personally started checking out poker because of the film.
Van LathanSays Mike should have slept with Petra and that the scene is implausible.
Bill SimmonsSays Koppelman and Levien later admitted it was a major mistake.
Chris RyanQuestions whether Teddy had aces or another strong hand.
Bill SimmonsSpeculates about whether Teddy had two aces or trips.
Van LathanArgues Worm is a deliberate saboteur who ruins Mike’s life on purpose.
Chris RyanPushes back somewhat by reading Joe as the immediate obstacle and Worm as emotional chaos.
Argues the movie is in the conversation for one of the greatest rewatchables ever.
About 8 minSays the film is one of the great hangout movies and makes him want to play poker.
About 16 minSays the movie made him want to play cards and keeps drawing him back.
About 24 minFrames Worm as the real romantic/obsessive force in the movie, not Joe.
About 56 minTreats the Oreo scene and Teddy’s tell as one of the film’s signature sequences.
About 40 minCalls the 'let's play some cards' sequence one of the most energizing non-sports movie moments.
About 32 minArgues the voiceover is crucial, elegant exposition rather than a crutch.
About 56 minStrongly criticizes Joe as unbearable and says the role is a major mistake.
About 48 minSays Malkovich’s performance fully works despite the exaggerated accent.
About 1:04Says the accent now feels perfect even if it seemed odd at first.
About 1:04Likes the rapid-fire reading of players and the whole judges table sequence.
About 32 minSays their pairing is unusually effective and should have led to more collaborations.
About 16 minLikes that the movie’s conflicts are built on real money, not absurdly huge stakes.
About 56 minHighlights the opening sucker line as one of the best of the 1990s.
About 24 minSays its long life on cable and DVDs made it culturally sticky.
About 8 minMike keeps choosing Worm and the poker world over stability, which the panel frames as both the movie’s engine and its tragedy.
About 24 minThe film is treated as a relic of cable, DVDs, and secret poker clubs that once felt accessible and exciting.
About 8 minMike’s ability to read people and his poker IQ are treated as seductive parts of the character.
About 32 minThe movie’s slang and rhythm are treated as a key reason it sticks with viewers.
About 8 minThe relatively modest dollar amounts make the conflict feel grounded and urgent.
About 56 minThe hosts say Miramax pulled the film after three weeks in theaters.
About 32 minThe script was written by Brian Koppelman and David Levien in a basement storage room.
About 1:04The law-school scenes were filmed at Rutgers University.
About 1:04Malkovich reportedly got his Russian accent by listening to a Russian woman speak for hours.
About 1:04Damon and Norton both played in the 1998 WSOP and Damon lost with pocket kings to Doyle Brunson's pocket aces.
About 1:04The phrase 'three stacks of high society' is credited to the writers.
About 40 minThe movie’s narration is praised as useful exposition because the poker world would otherwise need too much explanation.
About 56 minThe film’s budget is cited as $12 million and its gross as $22.9 million.
About 32 minUsed to situate Damon’s career peak.
About 16 minUsed to situate Norton’s career peak.
About 16 minReferenced as one of Norton’s hot-streak films and for his goatee look.
About 16 minReferenced as the movie that made Damon widely visible.
About 16 minUsed as a comparison for a cool, inaccessible movie universe and poker revival timing.
About 8 minCited as the benchmark for great rewatchable films.
About 8 minReferenced as another frequently rewatched movie from the same era.
About 8 minUsed as an example of dialogue that changes how people speak.
About 8 minAnother dialogue/vocabulary comparison.
About 8 minUsed as an example of overdone narration.
About 56 minCited as a classic poker film predecessor.
About 40 minCited as another important poker film predecessor.
About 40 minReferenced as part of the poker-movie lineage.
About 40 minReferenced as a 1990s poker-film predecessor.
About 40 minMentioned to describe Damon’s smarmy-trustworthy persona in other roles.
About 16 minBill jokes about not revealing the next Rewatchables title too early, echoing a Larry David complaint.
Opening minutesVan and Bill riff on whether a roommate joined a movie outing for suspicious reasons.
About 8 minThe hosts repeatedly mock obsessive poker nitpicking online.
About 1:04The hosts joke about Petrosky’s repeated yeshiva stories as a comic bargaining chip.
About 56 minVan pitches a running theory that Worm is secretly the film’s true mastermind villain.
About 56 minThe group improvises modern alternatives for Johnny Chan and other roles.
About 1:04“If you can't spot the sucker”About 24 min
“Don't tease me. Let's play some”About 32 min
“three stacks of high society”About 40 min
“I'm not a wealthy man”About 56 min
“Leave that bitch, Mike”About 1:04
MAKE IT A MOVIE NIGHT
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
Three movies to watch before Rounders, and three to watch next.
ON THE MIC
Bill SimmonsThe Rewatchables
Chris RyanThe Rewatchables
Sean FennesseyThe Rewatchables
Van LathanThe RewatchablesREWATCH FAVS
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