Rewatchables Reference

• The entire final act – from the 300-person cafeteria/commissary reveal through the ending.
• The presidential suite sequence – pickpocketing, finding coke and porn, the cab driver.
• Nicholas returning to his house with fluorescent graffiti and 'White Rabbit' blaring.
• Both Armin Mueller-Stahl scenes – the dressing down and throwing Polaroids.
• Douglas and Sean Penn's birthday lunch where Conrad explains the game.

• Sean Penn's performance – remarkably believable, every scene with him is electric.
• The Bay Area / San Francisco as a setting – Fincher's home base with incredible feel for the city.
• Being a pre-smartphone/pre-Google thriller – one of the last great thrillers impossible to make once search engines exist.
• Fincher's attention to detail and underground/underworld themes connecting to Social Network and 'Fight Club'.

• The movie drags after Nicholas wakes up in Mexico – could have cut some scenes.
• Deborah Kara Unger's career after this movie – this was essentially her peak.
• The Super 8 footage flashbacks of the father's suicide – overused as a visual motif, feels un-Fincher-like.

• Originally to be made in 1992 with director Jonathan Mostow and Kyle MacLachlan and Bridget Fonda as leads.
• Jodie Foster was announced for the Sean Penn part at 1996 Cannes – Fincher was uncomfortable with her being too big a star; she ended up suing for ~$54 million.
• Jeff Bridges declined the Conrad role before Sean Penn was cast.

• James Rebhorn as Jim Feingold – been in a million things including 'Scent of a Woman', 'The Talented Mr. Ripley', 'Se7en', and Homeland.
• Peter Donat as the personal attorney – appeared in 'The Godfather Part II', was runner-up for Tom Hagen before Duvall.

Sean Penn – 'dolls it up' particularly in the car scene: 'They just fuck you and fuck you and fuck you.' Said completely out of love – he's amazing.

• Deborah Kara Unger – definitely yes.
• Pre-Silicon Valley San Francisco movies – strong candidate, one of the last great SF movies before tech took over.
• James Rebhorn – 'Cheeseburger on film Apex Mountain'.

• Is it that easy to drain a multi-millionaire's bank accounts?
• Nicholas reading account numbers aloud on the phone in front of Christine – no real bank would allow this.
• What happens if Douglas doesn't jump off that specific part of the building? Massive CRS liability.
• How long was he roofied? At least 5-6 hours to get to Mexico from San Francisco.

• Diane Lane instead of Deborah Kara Unger – the perfect part for her.
• Denzel Washington for Nicholas – can do the 'not a good guy but you're still interested' thing.

Could work as a 10-episode Netflix show – anthology style where each season is a different person going through the game, or a workplace drama about CRS employees.

• What was the final bill for the game? Hosts estimate ~$5 million total (~$2.5 million each).
• Did The Game cause a real person to jump? – Referenced an Unsolved Mysteries case of someone obsessed with the movie.
• Who paid for Conrad's game originally?

Chris picks Douglas – old-school movie star carrying every scene. Bill and Sean lean toward Sean Penn – if a different actor is in the Conrad part, they're not doing this podcast.

• Spike Jonze is one of the paramedics in the final scene; Richard Masur (from 'Se7en') is the other.
• The Criterion LaserDisc has an alternate ending where Nicholas just walks away – the hosts say it's really bad.
• Deborah Kara Unger was cast after Fincher and Douglas watched her in Cronenberg's Crash.