Rewatch IndexEvery Rewatchables episode
All movies

MOVIE + PODCAST

Basic Instinct

1992Runtime unavailableThrillerMysteryErotic

Movie details, ratings, and The Rewatchables episode for Basic Instinct.

On the mic
Basic Instinct1992
RT CRITICS56
RT AUDIENCE64
METACRITIC43
Directed byPaul VerhoevenMovie director
On the mic
RT critics56%Tomatometer
RT audience64%Popcornmeter
Metacritic43Critic score

MAKE IT A MOVIE NIGHT

Where to watch

UNITED STATES

Checking where Basic Instinct is available…

THE POD'S PICKS

Episode awards

See who or what the hosts picked for each award.

31award categories
EPISODE 445

Basic Instinct: Live from SF

11 picked · 8 without a winner

Who won the movie?

Picked on the show

Sharon Stone

They close by agreeing that Sharon Stone is the movie's biggest winner.

~ 1:28:00

What's aged the best?

Picked on the show

The San Francisco location work

The hosts agree the city footage, setting, and street-level San Francisco atmosphere still hold up best.

~ 1:04:00Runner-up: The cigarette-smoking movie vibe

Apex mountain

Picked on the show

Sharon Stone

The hosts call Sharon Stone's performance the peak of the film's star power in this category run.

~ 1:20:00Runner-up: Joe Eszterhaus
Show every award16 more, in episode order

Most rewatchable

Likely pick

Nightclub scene

CR picks the nightclub sequence as the most rewatchable, with the others offering different scenes as alternatives.

~ 0:56:00Runner-up: Fuck of the century scene

What's the most 1992 thing about this movie?

No winner

No clear winner

The hosts toss out several period markers, including selective sex appeal, old computer terminals, and 90s slang and habits.

~ 1:04:00Runner-up: The green police computer screens

What's aged the worst?

No winner

No clear winner

They point to the police work, the interrogation dynamics, and the first sex scene as the biggest modern-day liabilities without settling on one clear loser.

~ 1:12:00

Ruffalo Hannah Rubinette Partridge overacting award

Picked on the show

Michael Douglas

Michael Douglas wins for his big, yelpy line readings and escalating performance as Nick unravels.

~ 1:20:00

How would Van Lathan get out of this one?

Picked on the show

Nick saying he's deepening his understanding of literature through Catherine's books

Van spins a justification that frames Nick's obsession as intellectual respect for a female author and creator.

~ 1:20:00

Hottest take

No winner

No clear winner

The hosts float several hot takes, but the category never settles on a single definitive winner.

~ 1:20:00Runner-up: San Francisco is the best movie city

Casting what-ifs

Picked on the show

Sharon Stone as Catherine Trammell

They run through the alternate cast history and land on Sharon Stone as the decisive choice for Catherine.

~ 1:20:00Runner-up: Demi Moore

Best That Guy Award

No winner

No clear winner

They debate several recognizable character actors, but never reach a firm consensus on who best fits the 'that guy' label.

~ 1:20:00

Recasting couch director city

Picked on the show

Douglas over Tom Cruise

When asked to choose between Cruise and Douglas, the room goes with Douglas for the role.

~ 1:20:00Runner-up: Tom Cruise

Vincent Chase award

Picked on the show

Catherine Trammell

Catherine wins the 'was this character actually good at her job?' category despite her messy, reckless murders.

~ 1:20:00

Picking nits

No winner

No clear winner

They pile up continuity and logic complaints about evidence handling, the elevator setup, and the murder cleanup without choosing one nitpick winner.

~ 1:28:00

Sequel, prequel, prestige TV

No winner

No clear winner

They consider follow-up possibilities and adjacent versions, but mainly use the category to comment on how other erotic-thriller versions never quite work.

~ 1:28:00Runner-up: Basic Instinct 2

Unanswerable questions

No winner

No clear winner

The conversation drifts into unresolved plot questions like how long the relationship lasts and who really did the killing.

~ 1:28:00

Secret Handshake Club memorabilia you'd want from this movie

Picked on the show

The ice pick

The room prefers iconic props from the movie, with the ice pick and ceiling mirror both drawing strong support.

~ 1:28:00Runner-up: The ceiling mirror

Coach Finstock Mr. Miyagi Award for best, worst life lesson

Picked on the show

Risk it all for the fuck of the century

They settle on the movie's main lesson as Nick's decision to chase the ultimate sex scene at all costs.

~ 1:28:00Runner-up: Wash your sheets

Double feature choice

No winner

No clear winner

The hosts toss out several companion movies, including Jagged Edge, Total Recall, Fatal Attraction, and Body of Evidence, without naming one clear pick.

~ 1:28:00Runner-up: Fatal Attraction
EPISODE 110

Basic Instinct

7 picked · 5 without a winner

Who won the movie?

Picked on the show

Sharon Stone

Everyone explicitly agrees that Sharon Stone won the movie.

~ 1:52:00

Most rewatchable scene

Picked on the show

the fuck of the century

Mallory settles on the sex scene as the one she would most want to rewatch.

~ 0:48:00Runner-up: the nightclub scene into the interrogation sequence

What's aged the best?

Likely pick

Sharon Stone's performance

The room treats Sharon Stone's performance as the clearest thing that still plays best, with a few other nostalgic details also praised.

~ 1:04:00Runner-up: cigarette smoking and pre-tech-boom San Francisco

Apex Mountain

Picked on the show

Sharon Stone's performance

They explicitly name Sharon Stone's performance as the Apex Mountain of the movie.

~ 1:36:00Runner-up: bad cunnilingus in movie history
Show every award8 more, in episode order

What's aged the worst?

No winner

No clear winner

They raise several candidates, including the DNA work, the sexual violence, the LGBT depiction, and the police work, without settling on one worst item.

~ 1:12:00

Casting what ifs

Likely pick

Sharon Stone as Catherine Tramell

The discussion broadens into alternate casting, but it lands back on Stone as the defining and right choice for the role.

~ 1:20:00

Best That Guy

No winner

No clear winner

They argue over several character actors, with Marty Nielsen and Gus both receiving strong support and no final unanimous pick.

~ 1:28:00Runner-up: Gus

Dan Waiters Award for biggest heat check

Picked on the show

Roxy

They explicitly crown Roxy as the character making the biggest heat-check move in the film.

~ 1:28:00

Recasting Couch

No winner

No clear winner

They debate whether another lead like Don Johnson or Pacino would change the movie, but keep returning to Douglas as the essential fit.

~ 1:28:00Runner-up: Don Johnson

Picking nits

No winner

No clear winner

They rattle through continuity and logic problems, including the timeline, cars, and detective work, without choosing one nit as definitive.

~ 1:36:00

Best quote

Likely pick

She got that magna cum laude pussy on her that done fried up your brain

The room gravitates toward Gus's 'magna cum laude pussy' line as the standout quote.

~ 1:36:00Runner-up: Fuck like minks, raise rugrats, and live happily ever after

Unanswerable questions

No winner

No clear winner

They raise a flurry of impossible-to-resolve questions about sex, death, the timeline, and character behavior without a single winner.

~ 1:44:00

About these picks Winners come from the episode transcript. Timestamps may be a little off.

WHAT TO WATCH NEXT

Movies to watch before and after.

Three movies to watch before Basic Instinct, and three to watch next.

Finding six movies…Three to watch first and three to watch next.
Includes a Rewatchables episodePosters from TMDB.

YOUR LIST

Save your progress.

Mark the movie as watched, save the episode for later, or listen on Spotify.

THE PODCAST

The Rewatchables episodes