Conan O’Brien’s Disastrous First Viewing of Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Inglourious Basterds’

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This weekend, Conan O’Brien is set to emcee the 97th Academy Awards, and it’s clear he’s no novice when it comes to socializing with figures from film and television. Over almost three decades on his talk shows, he chatted with actors, directors, and other Hollywood talents, which frequently meant watching their latest works in advance. Regrettably, a misunderstanding led to an unsatisfactory first viewing of Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” for him.

During a chat with the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! before the 2025 Oscars nominees were announced, O’Brien reminisced about an unexpected visit in 2009 when Tarantino dropped by at short notice to promote his World War II movie starring Brad Pitt. He stated:

My most disappointing cinematic moment was discovering unexpectedly that Quentin Tarantino was making a film. This happened years ago, and I consider him my favorite director… On the day of work, they informed me, ‘Oh, he’s making a movie.’ I responded, ‘But no one told me he would be here! What movie is it?’ It turned out to be Inglorious Basterds, which has since become one of my all-time favorite films. I absolutely adore that movie! They added, ‘He’ll be here in an hour. You need to watch it quickly!’

In a twist of unfortunate circumstances, I found myself in a situation reminiscent of inviting Francis Ford Coppola to my show and proposing a quick watch of ‘The Godfather’ and ‘The Godfather Part II’ just before our conversation. Given how much I admire ‘Inglourious Basterds’, it was disheartening that I couldn’t fully immerse myself in its brilliance during my initial viewing. To put it simply, it left me yearning for a more leisurely and focused revisit.

It was awful. It was like the greatest meal in your life, and I had to eat it at high speed.

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Next month, the 2025 Oscars will air, reminding me of a classic, long-running joke that should definitely be included in Conan O’Brien’s show.

Actress Diane Kruger Reveals She Used a Strong Language During an Audition for Inglourious Basterds, and Director Quentin Tarantino Initially Showed No Interest in Casting Her.

It’s unfair to squeeze “Inglourious Basterds,” which runs for more than two and a half hours, into just an hour. However, it was significant enough for Conan O’Brien to watch it at its full length, and now he appreciates it greatly. Many others share his sentiment too, as “Inglourious Basterds” is among the top-rated films in Quentin Tarantino’s collection.

This coming Sunday at 8 pm Eastern Time/5 pm Pacific Time, catch Conan O’Brien hosting the Oscars live on ABC, and if you have a Hulu subscription, you can stream it live. Moreover, if you subscribe to Max, you can also watch Conan O’Brien’s series called Conan O’Brien Must Go. Regrettably, as of now, the movie Inglourious Basterds is not accessible for streaming on any of the top-tier services.

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2025-02-27 23:07