THE REWATCHABLES · October 25, 2022
A 1997 adventure / drama directed by Lee Tamahori, 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 initial cabin setup establishes hierarchy, class, and bear danger while planting tension.
About 8 minAlec Baldwin's prank embarrasses Hopkins and sharpens the affair tension, but it is also a funny, high-stakes humiliation scene.
About 16 minThe birds hitting the windshield and the crash are described as gripping and terrifying.
About 40 minThe bear reveal and the team scrambling to survive is a major suspense highlight.
About 48 minHarold's accidental self-impalement is darkly funny and a plot reset.
About 56 minThe improvised trap and spear kill are treated as the movie's most satisfying action beat.
About 56 minBaldwin's drunken confession scene is singled out as the best dramatic scene.
About 1:20The helicopter rescue is satisfying, if not the episode's primary focus.
About 1:12 · medium confidenceWHERE THEY DISAGREED
Van LathanHe thinks Baldwin would not ultimately have done it.
Bill SimmonsHe thinks Baldwin probably would have done it.
Bill SimmonsHe would rather be attacked by a shark, wanting a quicker death.
Van LathanHe would rather take the bear, despite the mauling risk.
Van LathanNo; he pointed a gun and betrayed Charles, so leave him.
Bill SimmonsHe also leans no and says he would not have helped.
Bill SimmonsNo; a real actress would have helped.
Van LathanNo; she is a weak link, though the role is limited.
Bill SimmonsMuch less likely, because audiences now would root against the billionaire.
Van LathanAgrees and extends the point to modern wealth politics.
Says he loves the movie and thinks it is hugely memorable and quotable.
Opening minutesCalls it one of his favorite movies and says the wilderness/bear setup is inherently dramatic.
Opening minutesArgues the film reflects a time when billionaires were aspirational rather than automatic villains.
About 8 minSays the birthday bear prank is a messed-up humiliation play that could have caused a heart attack.
About 16 minThinks Hopkins is perfect for the role and one of his favorite Hopkins performances.
About 16 minSays Baldwin is a great actor whose cabin monologue is a standout.
About 16 minCalls the cabin confrontation one of the movie's best scenes and says Baldwin's menace is terrific.
About 1:20Treats the bear as the real star and says the bear scenes are the movie's most rewatchable material.
About 48 minSays her performance is the film's weak link.
About 1:12Argues the betrayal angle is what makes the rich-guy setup work.
About 32 minThe movie is framed as a 90s-era story where a billionaire was once aspirational, but also vulnerable to being undercut by class resentment and changing audience politics.
About 8 minThe hosts emphasize the psychological and physical appeal of being trapped in the wild with limited tools and a dangerous bear.
Opening minutesThe affair and attempted betrayal drive the story's emotional engine, and they note how easily audiences root against the cheating rival.
About 24 minHopkins' ability to think, observe, and improvise is presented as the thing that saves him and justifies his wealth in the wilderness.
About 16 minThe episode briefly expands into 90s models, billionaires, and movie-star economics, using the film as a snapshot of its era.
About 24 minThe script originally went through many rejected titles, including Bookworm, Dead Hunt, Precipice, and The Bear and the Brain.
About 1:36Bart the Bear reportedly worked with Hopkins on both Legends of the Fall and The Edge.
About 40 minRoger Ebert reportedly disliked the ending credit placement for Bart the Bear.
About 40 minThe film was shot in Alberta and British Columbia.
About 40 minHopkins had neck issues and hypothermia-related problems during production, causing a shutdown.
About 1:36 · medium confidenceA Brazilian TV reality show was inspired by the movie's survival techniques.
About 1:36 · medium confidenceUsed as an example of man-vs-nature survival storytelling.
Opening minutesUsed as a comparison point for wilderness hierarchy, though the hosts say this movie is different.
About 8 minCited as part of the broader 80s/90s billionaire-as-aspiration era.
About 8 minUsed to discuss Hopkins' star-making career trajectory.
About 16 minVan compares The Edge to The Bounty and its marooned-man-return structure.
About 24 minReferenced as a favorite survival/boat movie adjacent to the discussion.
About 24 min · medium confidenceCited as a mid-90s erotic thriller that featured Bruce Willis nudity.
About 24 minMentioned as Madonna's failed erotic-thriller turn.
About 24 minUsed as a favorite bear movie comparison.
About 40 minReferenced as another bear movie that is intense but not rewatchable for them.
About 40 minUsed as a shocking-turn comparison and an example of a beloved rewatchable death scene.
About 1:04Referenced as perhaps the ultimate rescue/survival film.
About 1:12Used to compare the opening aerial and mountain spectacle.
About 40 minMentioned as a modern show about survival in the wilderness.
About 1:28Jenna Fisher is mentioned as a fan of the movie.
About 1:36A long comic reverence for Bart as an elite animal actor who deserves more credit and maybe award recognition.
About 40 minVan repeatedly distinguishes classic 90s Alec Baldwin from his later-life notoriety and jokes he is defending '20th century Baldwin.'
About 32 minVan jokes that the lone black character is doomed in survival and horror movies, using Harold Perrineau as the example.
About 48 minVan repeatedly references watching Naked and Afraid and how hard wilderness craft is, using it to gauge the movie's plausibility.
About 56 minThe hosts make repeated jokes around cuckolding, rooting for the betrayed husband, and the affair setup.
About 48 min“I'm gonna kill the bear.”Opening minutes
“eat the rich”About 8 min
“Never feel sorry for a man who owns a plane.”About 1:36
“most people lost in the wild die of shame”About 1:36
“I'm gonna kill the motherfucker”Opening minutes
MAKE IT A MOVIE NIGHT
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
Three movies to watch before The Edge, and three to watch next.
ON THE MIC
Bill SimmonsThe Rewatchables
Van LathanThe RewatchablesREWATCH FAVS
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