Rewatchables Reference

• Opening credits – Gere driving the 1979 Mercedes 450SL down PCH with 'Call Me' playing, the Armani fitting scene.
• First Gere/Hutton scene in the hotel – the iconic 'No, just one fuck' exchange.
• Julian's Palm Springs scene where he services a woman while her creepy husband watches.
• 'Gere Gets Dressed' – pure style showcase.
• Naked Gere telling Hutton the orgasm story – 'Took me 3 hours... When it was over, I felt like I'd done something worthwhile.'
• Julian vs. Detective Sunday (the shoe shine scene).
• Leon tells Julian what happened – 'It don't make no difference how much, Julie. The other side will always pay more.'

• Richard Gere's performance and look.
• Lauren Hutton – Bill called her one of his all-time favorite female celebrities.
• The Armani brand – $14,000 in sales in 1975 to $135 million by 1981.
• Gere's car – the 1979 Mercedes-Benz 450SL.
• LA as a character – incredible use of Malibu, PCH, Beverly Hills Hotel, Tower Records, Sunset Plaza Apartments.
• 'Call Me' by Blondie.
• Gere and Elizondo teaming up again in 'Pretty Woman'.

• The Gere/Hutton sex scene – overhead shots, blue sheet, close-ups of knees and ankles. 'People do not have sex this way.'
• The movie not being gay enough – Schrader himself said it 'should have been more gay.'
• The last few scenes before the ending drag – the stretched-out ending with drop-cuts and interrogation.
• The Showtime TV series remake (starring Jon Bernthal) – 'way overthought.'

• Bill Duke as Leon.
• Hector Elizondo as Detective Sunday – 'elite.'
• K Callen as the rich older lady (the alibi witness).

• John Travolta was originally cast and dropped out two weeks before filming.
• Christopher Reeve turned down $1 million. Schrader thought he was 'too all-American.'
• Chevy Chase was rumored to have declined – hosts didn't believe it.
• For Michelle: Julie Christie was initially cast; Mia Farrow tested best; Meryl Streep turned it down; Jessica Lange was floated.
• Stevie Nicks was originally wanted for the lead song before Blondie.

Mr. Ryman going crazy: 'Don't you call me lady! I treated you like a son, you fucking stab me in the heart!'

• Richard Gere – not this movie; consensus is Officer and a Gentleman (1982).
• Lauren Hutton – probably the 1970s when she was the biggest model in the world.
• Gigolos (in movies) – yes, this is Apex Mountain for gigolos in cinema.
• Paul Schrader – 'probably' his biggest hit.
• Blondie – their apex was actually a few months earlier, but this era generally.
• Gravity Boots – yes, peak gravity boots moment in cinema.

Richard Gere – unanimous. A seminal performance that launched him into superstardom. Honorable mentions to Moroder and Armani.

• Lauren Hutton's character lacks emotional depth – we never understand her feelings beyond sexual obsession.
• The balcony murder – Julian charges across the room and knocks Leon over the edge. The maid supposedly 'saw him trying to save Leon' – completely unbelievable.
• Sex toys stored in a filing cabinet in the study.
• Julian drives around with stolen jewels like a 'dumbass' and does one of the worst parking jobs while police are after him.

• Nina Van Pallandt became famous as the mistress of Clifford Irving (Howard Hughes hoax biography). Gere later played Irving in The Hoax, with Julie Delpy playing Van Pallandt.
• Schrader convinced Barry Diller to accept Gere by calling on a weekend and framing it as 'we can say the project collapsed, or move forward with Gere and you can have Travolta for Urban Cowboy.'

'Call Me' by Blondie over the opening credits. Debbie Harry wrote it after seeing the opening footage. #1 for six weeks.

The last couple of scenes before the very final moment. The stretched-out ending feels like Schrader 'wasn't happy with how it was ending so he just threw some shit against the wall.' The final Pickpocket homage is incredible, but the 3-4 scenes before it are weak.

The high aerial shot of Gere driving down PCH in the opening credits.

• Bill: There should have been a mid-1980s sequel – 'American Gigolo: Getting Back in the Game.'
• Mallory: Not enough sex in the movie.
• Sean: Lauren Hutton is a 'huge flaw' in the film. Nina Van Pallandt should have been in Hutton's role.

• For Michelle: Julie Christie (Bill's top pick), Jessica Lange, Glenn Close.
• Modern-day Julian: Miles Teller (Sean), Glenn Powell (Bill – though 'too smirky'), Timothee Chalamet (Sean).

What's the hydration plan and tongue exercise regimen for a three-hour pursuit of the female orgasm?

• Mallory: 'American Gigolo' + 'Pretty Woman' (flipping which position Gere is in).
• Sean and Bill: 'American Gigolo' + 'Hardcore' (Schrader's prior film about the sex underworld).

• Bill: The car (1979 Mercedes 450SL) – 'easiest answer of all time.'
• Mallory: The gravity boots kit.
• Sean: The Armani suits.

• 'It don't matter how much, Julie. The other side will always pay more.'
• 'Take your pleasure when you can.'