How Did This Get Made?

Disclosure w/ Nick Kroll & Emily Altman (HDTGM Matinee)

February 10, 2026

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  • The 1994 film *Disclosure*, starring Michael Douglas and Demi Moore, is viewed as a perfect, yet dated, subject for *How Did This Get Made?* due to its focus on early 1990s technology like VR and CD-ROMs, and its exploration of sexual harassment from the perspective of a male protagonist. 
  • The movie is considered a major studio production of its time, featuring top stars and a large budget, yet it is remembered primarily for its controversial sex scene and its reflection of 90s workplace culture, including loose fashion and Dennis Miller's specific brand of humor. 
  • The hosts and guests noted the film's mixed messaging regarding sexual politics, where Michael Douglas's character is simultaneously portrayed as a victim of harassment and a serial philanderer, culminating in a revenge plot that leaves the central conflict unresolved in terms of learning or growth. 
  • Demi Moore delivers a powerful, self-aware speech in *Disclosure* that echoes her role in *A Few Good Men*, arguing that powerful women face unique scrutiny regarding their sexuality and ambition. 
  • The actors in *Disclosure*, particularly Michael Douglas and Demi Moore, exhibited noticeable 'lower lip work,' suggesting a specific, perhaps frozen, acting style prevalent at the time. 
  • Despite the hosts' critical view, audience reviews for *Disclosure* were overwhelmingly positive, with many viewers finding the film a realistic portrayal of workplace sexual harassment dynamics. 

Segments

Introduction and Guest Welcome
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(00:01:23)
  • Key Takeaway: The How Did This Get Made? episode Disclosure w/ Nick Kroll & Emily Altman (HDTGM Matinee) focuses on the 1994 film Disclosure, which tackles the sexual harassment of a straight white male.
  • Summary: The episode features guests Nick Kroll and Emily Altman to analyze the film Disclosure. The movie stars Michael Douglas and Demi Moore and centers on workplace sexual harassment where the male lead is the alleged victim. The hosts immediately highlight the film’s inclusion of early virtual reality (VR) technology.
VR and 90s Tech Critique
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(00:07:14)
  • Key Takeaway: The virtual reality technology featured in Disclosure is depicted as an underwhelming ‘virtual reality filing cabinet’ on CD-ROM, contrasting sharply with contemporary expectations of VR as an escape.
  • Summary: The VR technology in the film is mocked for being a boring virtual hallway where users can only open filing cabinets, failing to deliver on the era’s grand promises of technology offering ‘freedom from the physical body.’ Demi Moore’s dialogue about the internet and VR is cited as hilariously inaccurate in retrospect, predicting connectivity while ignoring the rise of trolling and anonymity.
Production Context and Director Change
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(00:11:06)
  • Key Takeaway: The film was a major Hollywood event, costing $55 million and grossing $83 million, but it underwent a significant directorial change from Milos Forman to Barry Levinson due to creative differences with author Michael Crichton.
  • Summary: The movie was a financial success, grossing $83 million against a $55 million budget. Michael Crichton sold the rights before the novel was published, capitalizing on the post-Anita Hill hearing climate. Milos Forman left the project, suggesting Crichton insisted on specific technological elements, like the virtual file cabinet.
Michael Douglas’s Characterization
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(00:17:47)
  • Key Takeaway: Michael Douglas’s character is established as a prolific womanizer whose primary concern throughout the harassment plot is the potential loss of wealth, not the moral implications of his actions.
  • Summary: The character is repeatedly framed as a ‘playboy’ whose sexual history is emphasized by his wife and others. His reaction to the harassment centers on becoming ’less rich,’ highlighting the film’s focus on male status and wealth protection. Dennis Miller’s character is noted for providing Millerisms that rationalize Douglas’s behavior, such as equating sexual urges with physiological certainty.
The Plot’s Complexity and Gray Areas
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(00:29:26)
  • Key Takeaway: The central plot involves multiple layers of deception, where Demi Moore’s character initially attempts to use sexual harassment as a means to scapegoat Michael Douglas for production delays she secretly caused to facilitate a company merger.
  • Summary: The film’s core conflict is rooted in a corporate merger hinging on the success of CD-ROM drives, for which Douglas was set up as the scapegoat due to manufacturing delays. Demi Moore’s character sabotaged the production line, and her initial harassment attempt was complicated by Douglas’s own infidelity and lies to his wife.
90s Aesthetics and Cultural Artifacts
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(00:25:36)
  • Key Takeaway: The film is a strong time capsule of 1990s aesthetics, characterized by loose, ‘blousy’ clothing, the prevalence of the mullet hairstyle on male leads, and the casual mention of Prozac as a quick fix for stress.
  • Summary: The fashion in the workplace is described as ‘disgusting’ due to excessive, loose fabric on everyone. The setting reflects the Seattle/grunge period without explicitly referencing the music scene. The casual reference to Prozac highlights the era’s nascent public awareness of mental health medication.
The Sexual Harassment Scene Analysis
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(00:47:01)
  • Key Takeaway: The pivotal sexual harassment scene is deemed highly mixed-message because Michael Douglas’s character transitions from resisting to actively participating in the sexual encounter, ultimately ripping Demi Moore’s clothing.
  • Summary: The scene begins with a power dynamic reversal (back rub, locked door) but quickly devolves into a mutual encounter, with Moore using corporate jargon like ‘synergy’ and Douglas asserting dominance by asking if she wants to be ‘fucked.’ This sequence is interpreted as the film attempting to cover its bases by showing Douglas is still a ‘sexual dog’ despite being the alleged victim.
Prophetic Themes and Final Confrontation
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(00:44:03)
  • Key Takeaway: The film is seen as surprisingly prophetic regarding the subsequent cultural backlash against powerful men, particularly through the character of the ferry man who warns Douglas that women now want men’s jobs instead of just sex.
  • Summary: The sentiment expressed by the ominous ferry man—that women are now seeking professional power—is viewed as foreshadowing later cultural shifts, including the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal. Douglas’s final confrontation with Moore is characterized by his need for public humiliation, demonstrating that the film ultimately validates his sense of persecution.
Demi Moore’s Powerful Speech Analysis
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(00:55:06)
  • Key Takeaway: Demi Moore’s monologue directly confronts societal expectations for powerful women to suppress their sexuality and ambition.
  • Summary: Demi Moore delivers a speech asserting that women in power are expected to hide their success and sexuality, mirroring historical constraints. This moment is noted as being very similar to her famous scene in A Few Good Men, which preceded Disclosure by two years. The content of the speech is deemed wrong by one speaker, but her performance in delivering it is praised.
Actor Lip Movements and Performance
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(00:56:44)
  • Key Takeaway: Both Michael Douglas and Demi Moore heavily utilized ’lower lip work’ in their performances, suggesting a shared, unusual acting technique.
  • Summary: The actors are observed focusing significant movement on their lower lips while keeping the upper parts of their faces relatively still. This is humorously compared to an acting instruction to ’never move a muscle in the top part of your face.’ This technique is speculated to be a pre-Botox era quirk.
Ambiguity of Character Morality
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(00:57:59)
  • Key Takeaway: The film successfully creates moral ambiguity, making it difficult for the audience to consistently side with either Michael Douglas or Demi Moore’s character.
  • Summary: The narrative presents both characters in ways that elicit audience sympathy at different points, preventing a clear villain designation for Moore’s character. Her most villainous act, sabotaging the plant, is suggested to potentially be at the behest of Donald Sutherland’s character. The overall impression is that the entire corporate team, including Sutherland and Dylan Baker, are complicit evildoers.
Critique of VR Technology Presentation
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(01:00:46)
  • Key Takeaway: The virtual reality setup in Michael Douglas’s hotel room is mocked for its impractical physical interface, resembling a bouncy exercise mat.
  • Summary: The VR demonstration features Michael Douglas standing on what looks like a personal trampoline or bouncy mat while moving fluidly through virtual corridors. The speakers question the logic of building a virtual environment with edges, comparing it to the moving staircases of Hogwarts.
Dennis Miller’s Out-of-Place Jokes
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(01:02:34)
  • Key Takeaway: Dennis Miller’s comedic contributions are characterized as being slightly ‘off and gross,’ like a drama writer attempting comedy.
  • Summary: Miller’s jokes, such as describing nipples as ‘pencil erasers,’ are highlighted as being jarringly inappropriate for the scene’s tone. The hosts note that everyone in the room accepts these lines without question, despite their oddity.
Reception and Roger Ebert Review
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(01:03:11)
  • Key Takeaway: Initial critical reception, exemplified by Roger Ebert, focused heavily on Demi Moore’s appearance rather than the film’s substance.
  • Summary: Roger Ebert’s review reportedly began by commenting on the Wonder Bra’s effect on Demi Moore’s cleavage before noting the film was ’lost in its delivery.’ Ebert also dismissed the movie as merely a ’launch pad for sex scenes,’ though the hosts note there is only one major sex scene.
Audience Second Opinions Analysis
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(01:05:06)
  • Key Takeaway: A significant portion of the audience rated Disclosure highly (65% five-star reviews), often interpreting it as a realistic depiction of female aggression in corporate America.
  • Summary: Many five-star reviews praised the film for realistically showing how women in high corporate positions can exhibit the same aggressive characteristics as men. One reviewer noted the film’s relevance to workplace sexual harassment issues, while another praised its corporate intrigue elements and flawed product manufacturing interface.
Michael Crichton Screenwriter Credit
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(01:08:52)
  • Key Takeaway: The screenplay for Disclosure was written by Paul Anastasio, who also penned Donny Brasco and Quiz Show.
  • Summary: Although the film is based on a novel by Michael Crichton, the screenplay adaptation was handled by Paul Anastasio. This connection links Disclosure to other critically acclaimed dramas.
Nightmare Sequence Interpretation
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(01:09:14)
  • Key Takeaway: Paul Scheer misinterpreted Michael Douglas’s nightmare about Donald Sutherland as a vampire attack, when it was actually a dream about sexual assault.
  • Summary: In the nightmare, Donald Sutherland approaches Michael Douglas with his tongue extended, which Scheer initially read as a vampire trying to bite his neck. The correct interpretation is that Douglas is dreaming of being sexually assaulted by Sutherland, reflecting his feeling of being ‘sucked dry’ by the company.
Promotion for Big Mouth and Live Shows
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(01:11:36)
  • Key Takeaway: The How Did This Get Made? episode on Disclosure is recommended viewing before the October 4th release of Big Mouth’s new season, which features a Disclosure musical episode.
  • Summary: Nick Kroll is starring in the Disclosure musical segment of the upcoming Big Mouth episode, which is set to drop on October 4th. Kroll is also promoting his ‘Middle-aged Boy Tour’ across the country. June Diane Raphael’s book, Represent a Woman’s Guide to Running for Office and Changing the World, is also promoted.