The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Tue, 28 Jan 2025
The Ringer’s Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey get lost in Vienna for the day after rewatching Richard Linklater’s 1995 romance classic, ‘Before Sunrise,’ starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. Watch this episode on our Ringer Movies YouTube channel! Producer: Craig Horlbeck Video Producer: Jack Sanders and Chia Hao Tat Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Chapter 1: What makes 'Before Sunrise' a classic?
That's insane.
Do you come back from that festival? It's like, what happened to Sean?
He died at Sundance. You would have come back and been like, the culture is changing or something.
I mean, this is specifically, I'm sure I've said versions of this on the show before, but this is specifically why I became obsessed with movies. is that this thing was happening in 93, 94, 95. And I was reading all the magazines and being like, how do I get closer to that? How do I... Because if you see Little Odessa or The Addiction, you're like, I don't know. There are movies like this?
You could have never imagined. And this movie is one of those movies too. Party Girl. Our girl.
I saw this and I was like, I just have to... I obviously have to get a Ural pass.
You've got to become an Austrian man. $2.5 million budget made $22.5 million. Everyone in this film jokes that it was the lowest grossing film ever to get a sequel. I don't know if that's factually true.
I'm sure there was some junkie trauma movies that got sequels.
Penitentiary 2 with Lee and Isaac Kennedy happened. I'm just saying. I'm sure there were some sequels. Roger Ebert. Disappointing start to the year for Raj. Three stars. Thought for sure it'd be the three and a half. A little more muted in his praise. Yeah. He wrote, this sort of scenario has happened, I imagine, millions of times.
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Chapter 2: How do the characters reflect Generation X?
If there's any magic in this world, it must be in the attempt of understanding someone. Solid. Do I keep potting with you guys? Great shot Gorter Award for most cinematic shot. What do you got, C.R. ?
I have Selene with her head in Jesse's lap in front of the Archduke Albrecht statue.
I had the wide shot of Jesse sitting on the railing talking to her with that beautiful building behind them. I thought it was really cool. I think the ending's really good too.
I had the going down the cobblestone streets when there's a big dip and they've all been wetted Michael Mann style.
Oh. Yeah.
Yeah.
Kid Cudi Pursuit of Happiness Award for Best Needle Drop, clearly the Cath Bloom song.
Bach Sonata No. 1 coming in at the end. Yeah. There's a couple of classical pieces. Like I said that, I just know all the sonatas. I believe it. I'm a ball knower when it comes to sonatas.
We have a new award. You guys don't know about this one. The Sean Fantasy Award. Oh. You finally got an award named after you. I'm touched. The Sean Fantasy Award for Stealth Homage That Gives Every Movie Nerd a Criteriorgasm. I came up with that word.
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Chapter 3: What are the key themes of love in the movie?
Chapter 4: How does nostalgia shape our view of 'Before Sunrise'?
There's one other movie, Jackie Brown, Bridget Fonda, De Niro. When it was fucking her standing up from behind, I was like, those two are soulmates. I love those two.
What's her character's name?
Oh, my God. That's De Niro's funniest moment ever in a movie.
She's fucking incredible in that.
She's great. I can't wait to do that movie. It's on the list. I can't wait. Listing Booth is great. And the fact that it was one take and that was all the first one, I just love that scene.
Magical.
Amusement parks... This is more good Jesse theories. Rich parents give their kids too much. Poor parents don't give their kids enough. There's nothing in the middle. He's just whipping it all out at this point. All his material. Do you know any happy couples? I like being at amusement parks just in general, a movie or a TV show. Always a win. You get to see good scenery.
A lot of people walk around. The homeless poet. My guy.
This poem is great. Written by a real poet.
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Chapter 5: What impact does the film have on romance today?
It's really hard. Give him the poem. He's got to see the poem. Look up the poem.
I'm looking at it. I mean, you know, it's... Come on.
Skip it. We're all friends here. Daydream delusion. Limousine eyelash. Oh, baby with your pretty face. Drop a tear in my wine glass. Look at those big eyes. See what you mean to me. Sweet cakes and milkshakes. Milkshakes. I am a delusion. Sweet cakes and milkshakes. I drink your milkshake.
Okay, that's all I got. Good job, man. Thanks.
Should we add Tom Brady to this? What is Tom Brady's signature aside from saying KB? Tom Brady would be like, that date went great. Jesse was so poised back there.
Kevin, that's a great date. Seems to be a real connection here, KB. I feel like they're going to maybe connect down the road, KB. That's why it's really important to have a strong offensive line, KB. Right there, he was able to get her off the train, KB, and that was huge. That was huge for what's going to happen to the rest of the state.
You know, we're all just looking for love in this world, KB, and he found it.
Just one Oscar, who gets it? Probably Linklater, right?
For script or for direction?
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