Spoiler wall's up — you've been warned.

Hot Take Movies is officially a thing, and the boys are kicking it off with their Book of 2025 now on the big screen. Rich gives Ryan Gosling high marks for the Stratt scene but draws a line between playing Rylan Grace and playing Ryan Gosling-as-Rylan-Grace. Ryan counters by handing out a 10 for cinematography and refusing to apologize for it. They get into what the movie nailed — Rocky's ship, Carl (not in the book, very much a win), the Grace-Rocky dynamic — and what got shortchanged: the slow-burn amnesia opening that makes the book impossible to put down, reduced to the first 60 seconds. Two one-star reviewers also make an appearance and suggest that science fiction should obey the actual laws of science.

Rich 8.6 / Ryan 9.0 / Overall 8.8 out of 10. The verdict: go see the movie. Go read the book. Both. This weekend.

Episode Type: Hot Take Movies (Riff Series — bonus episode)

Movie: Project Hail Mary (2026)

Based on: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Directed by: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller

Written by: Drew Goddard and Andy Weir

Starring: Ryan Gosling, James Ortiz (Rocky)

IMDb: 8.4 / Rotten Tomatoes: 94%

Score: Rich 8.6 / Ryan 9.0 / Overall 8.8 out of 10

• [00:24] — Intro: Hot Take Movies debut, Riff Series launch
• [00:53] — Why this episode is free (hint: they're all free)
• [01:38] — Project Hail Mary as Book of 2025, Hotties ceremony recap
• [02:10] — Rich's case for teaching PHM in schools
• [04:05] — Spoiler warning + movie meta stats
• [06:40] — Book vs. movie: what each format does better
• [07:18] — Rocky/Grace relationship on screen
• [08:01] — Visualizing Rocky's ship: where the movie wins
• [10:49] — What the book does better: Rylan Grace's internal monologue
• [11:31] — Carl: the character invented for the movie (and why it works)
• [12:41] — The amnesia opening: book vs. movie
• [15:51] — Ryan Gosling vs. Rylan Grace: too pretty for the role?
• [16:51] — The Stratt scene: Gosling nails it
• [19:35] — Ratings: Cinematography, Acting, Writing
• [24:27] — Final scores: Rich 8.6 / Ryan 9.0 / Overall 8.8
• [24:49] — One-star reviews
• [28:24] — Closing: read the book, see the movie, Ray Porter cameo wish

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