Rewatchables Reference

• The NHL '93 video game scene – 'the greatest video game scene in the history of movies,' Gretzky's head bleeding, Roenick domination.
• The blackjack scene – doubling down on 11 with $300, 'Who's the big winner? Mikey!'
• The Nikki answering machine scene – Mike calling repeatedly.
• The Heather Graham / Derby swing dance scene.
• The drive to Vegas – 'Vegas baby, Vegas'.
• The late-night diner scene – Trent jumping on the table (ad-libbed).
• The party-to-party sequence – bouncing from place to place in a convoy of cars.

• The careers of Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau.
• 'Vegas baby, Vegas' – helped launch the Vegas cultural renaissance of the 2000s.
• The 'this place is dead anyway' guy (Alex Desert) – both times the place isn't dead at all.
• The Vaughn-Favreau dynamic and how it evolved over 25 years.
• Ron Livingston and Heather Graham caught at perfect times in their careers.
• The whole car convoy / driving party-to-party culture of LA.
• The music / soundtrack.
• Marty and Elayne at the Dresden.

• The Club (car anti-theft device) – doesn't exist anymore.
• Answering machines – don't exist anymore.
• The 'Reservoir Dogs' and 'Goodfellas' homages – people under 30 may not get the references anymore.
• The answering machine talking back to Mike at the beginning – a whimsical/fantasy moment that feels out of place.
• The $300 gambling stakes seem absurdly low now.

• Jason Priestley wanted to play Trent – if he had signed on, they could have raised $1.5 million. The hosts are very glad this didn't happen.
• D.B. Sweeney was suggested by distributors for Trent.
• Favreau originally wanted to direct but eventually gave it up and let Liman direct.

The guys Sue confronts in the parking lot – 'House of Pain' guys (winner by default; nobody really overacted).

• Deena Martin – in this and 'Dazed and Confused'; Bill wonders why more didn't happen for her (Bill's pick).
• Patrick Van Horn (Sue) – never in anything else again.
• Alex Desert – 'this place is dead anyway' guy; also notable in PCU.
• Brooke Langton – also on Melrose Place.

• Heather Graham – less than 10 minutes of screen time, phone call at the end throwing '90 mph Diane Keaton vibes' (winner).
• Alex Desert – 'this place is dead anyway'.
• Marty and Elayne.
• Sue (Patrick Van Horn) – only in about five scenes.
• Brooke Langton.

• The casting was perfect across the board – only question mark is Patrick Van Horn as Sue.
• If recasting Sue, maybe Jon Hamm – he was part of that same LA young actor ecosystem.

• Favreau knew Vince from being in 'Rudy' together; Livingston and Favreau became friends as 'the only guys in LA the other guy knew'.
• Adam Scott lived downstairs from Favreau; they all hung out.
• They did full cast script readings for potential buyers/producers for a year.
• Music licensing cost more than the movie – $500K for Dean Martin alone.
• The party scene was a real party with unsuspecting friends; Adam Scott and Mike White were there.
• Original ending had a helicopter shot they couldn't afford; Liman changed it to Mikey/Trent reunion.

• Jon Favreau: 'We are living in it' – 'Iron Man', The Mandalorian; been Apex for ten years.
• Early/underground Vegas: 'Abso-fucking-lutely' – before Vegas became commercialized.
• Hockey video games: Yes.
• Swing Revival: Yes – 'Swingers' is probably Apex.
• The Derby: Yes.
• The Dresden: Yes.
• Sue (Patrick Van Horn): Definitely.
• Vince Vaughn: No – 'Wedding Crashers' or 'Old School'.
• Doug Liman: No – probably 'The Bourne Identity'.

The Vegas drive time – they leave at night, Trent says they'll get there by midnight; it's a 6-7 hour drive.

• How long did Mikey and Lorraine last? Bill says 6 months.
• Does Double Down Trent make it as an actor? Consensus: No – bartending back in Chicago.
• Why did anyone want to hang out with Mikey? He can't gamble, can't golf, isn't funny, throws friends under the bus.
• What was the most unrealistic part of the Mikey/Lorraine scene? Heather Graham sitting alone at a bar with no guys around.

• 'Please God, no' – strong opposition.
• Key insight: Entourage is basically the logical TV sequel/adaptation of this movie.

• Micro winner: Vince Vaughn – 'he leaps off the screen, operating at a level of wattage ten times the next closest person'.
• Macro winner: Jon Favreau – 'If he doesn't do this movie, he might not have a career.' Now one of the five most important people in Hollywood.