Rewatchables Reference

• Chris: The presentation of all the different escape plans – Affleck shooting down bicycles, teachers, etc. 'You're going to have to follow them for 300 miles with a tire pump.'
• Bill: From the moment they're in the airport to the celebration montage – the last-minute tickets, the 'what was the purpose of your trip' interrogation, Scoot McNairy pitching the movie to the angry beard guy in Farsi, and the 'we've cleared Iranian airspace' announcement.
• Also discussed: The charging of the U.S. Embassy (amazing 7-minute scene), Goodman and Arkin's introduction, the scout mission in the bazaar, Affleck prepping everyone for the airport trip.

• Goodman and Arkin casting – 15 out of 10 casting. Arkin got an Oscar nomination for basically playing Alan Arkin.
• Scoot McNairy – Bill's favorite Scoot McNairy movie. His career should have been bigger; he could have had a Tony Soprano-type breakout role.
• Affleck's 70s political thriller vibe – the whole movie feels like it was made in 1981, channeling Parallax View and Three Days of the Condor.
• The inside Hollywood jokes – 'You're worried about the Ayatollah? Try the WGA.'
• The intelligence star scene – the award you win with no ceremony, and you have to give it back. Affleck breaks out the 'Good Will Hunting' wistful smile.
• The Iran location – mixing real news footage with filmed scenes to make it feel like authentic 1979.

• Simplistic portrayal of Iranians – every Iranian character is completely angry and screaming with no nuance.
• Whitewashing controversy – the real Tony Mendez was half Mexican and 5'7"; Affleck is a 6'4" white guy.
• Minimizing Canada's role – Jimmy Carter said 90% of the contribution was Canadian; Ken Taylor gets Luke Longley'd.
• The Spielberg endings – the movie ends about five times. The Taylor Schilling American flag hug, reading to his son in bed. Could have ended with the celebration montage.
• Some music choices slightly off on year – Sultans of Swing timing questioned.

Nothing major – Clooney as Mendez was discussed but they concluded Affleck was better because Clooney is always George Clooney and couldn't play a guy who gets overlooked.

• Winner: Christopher Denham as Mark – one of the 'Argo' Six, later played the fixer on Billions. Bill never knew his name until researching.
• Also discussed: Victor Garber (ruled out – too well known from Alias), Bob Gunton (Shawshank warden), Rory Cochrane (so different from 'Dazed and Confused' you don't recognize him), Zeljko Ivanek (24, Oz), Richard Kind (ruled out – people know him).

Bryan Cranston – 'You tell the director to call the White House. Do your fucking job!' He knew this category existed nine years later and went for it.

• Co-winners: John Goodman and Alan Arkin – they're a team and can't be separated. Both are in the movie less than 15 minutes.
• Also eligible: Kyle Chandler (put on a ton of weight), Titus Welliver, Philip Baker Hall (uncredited 'is this the best bad idea we have?' cameo).

Bill's pitch: Sneak Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, and Cole Hauser into the 'Argo' Six while keeping Scoot McNairy. 'Good Will Hunting' reunion in Tehran.

• Studio Six got 26 scripts delivered after folding, including one from Spielberg.
• 2016 FOIA research found the CIA was involved in the production of both 'Argo' and Zero Dark Thirty.
• Bootleg DVDs were massively popular in Iran – a combo of hate-watching and silent protest.
• Carter only delayed authorization by 30 minutes, well before Mendez left for Iran. The airport chase sequence never happened.
• Jack Kirby, who made the storyboards for the fake movie, was a real pioneer in the comic book industry.
• The Studio Six offices were at Sunset Gower Studios, in Michael Douglas's vacated China Syndrome production offices.

• Ben Affleck – yes. Wins Oscar, becomes sympathetic figure from the snub, about to do a Fincher movie. Comeback from J.Lo/Gigli complete.
• Scoot McNairy – yes.
• Alan Arkin – no, Little Miss Sunshine.
• John Goodman – no.
• Bryan Cranston – yes. Breaking Bad is gaining viewers heading toward its finale, plus establishing himself as a movie actor with 'Argo'.
• Movies/TV about the Iran hostage crisis – yes (has there been any other?).
• The CIA – great comeback after killing 'JFK' and starting Vietnam.

• The real Tony Mendez was 5'7" – Affleck at 6'4" would have been an immediate red flag in Iran.
• Swiss Air questions: Couldn't they have radioed the plane? Didn't they notice the cars chasing them? Wouldn't they have shot at the plane?
• The housekeeper subplot needed either more or less – not enough setup for why she covers for the six, then she crosses to Iraq at the end without enough emotional investment.
• Nightline should have been more prominent – it was the biggest thing on TV during the crisis.

Would have been an amazing 10-episode Netflix show – more time for the political storyline, Carter running for reelection, the Canadian embassy side, like a Homeland season. Embassy takeover would be episode 2 or 3, not the opening.

• Is this movie better with George Clooney as Tony Mendez? No – Affleck's muted performance is perfect.
• Casey Affleck as Mendez? No – didn't seem old enough in 2012.
• Matt Damon as Mendez? No.
• Which of the 'Argo' Six would you be?
• Could you learn a new identity in 30 hours? Bill would have crammed the night before.

• Alan Arkin's gold Rolls Royce – the most 70s thing imaginable.
• The original 'Argo' script or the Jack Kirby storyboards – frame-worthy.
• Scoot McNairy's glasses.

Ben Affleck – directed, starred, won Best Picture. The ultimate Hollywood comeback.