Films/DVD Asylum

Hey Tinear

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PdL

(A)

Any comments to add to the Squid & Whale thread? (Its about 1/2 down the page.)

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Well, compared to many Hollywood husbands, - tinear 14:04:40 04/12/06 (2)
I'd say Jeff's character is pretty mild. After all, the character supposedly was a very successful author: we tend to treat fellows like this (think Mailer, Salinger, Updike) as Gods; seems unfair to skewer them when they begin to act like one.
Most of the guys here seem unable to remember that he had been aware of his wife's affairs for a long time: would that not unhinge a fellow just a tad, too?
Lastly, though, I find it strange you or the other anti-Jeffies don't recall the scene in which he VERY vulnerably asks her (in a suitably round about way) about her conversation with his father in which the man actually thought she might have been suggesting another try. Laura's comment--- the hatrred in her voice and the purposeful cruelty--- is one of the most hideous social acts I've seen committed to film.
And... it was in full view of the kids, too.
- righting the writing - dave c 14:26:03 04/12/06 (0)
  He's obviously a long way off being much of a success as a writer as he is earning a living teaching and doesn't appear to have any money squirrelled away... when he moves out he rents what looks like a student renter.
- Re: Well, compared to many Hollywood husbands, - PdL 14:23:10 04/12/06 (0)
  I would hardly call myself anti-Bernard. I was trying to point out in my posts, that while Bernard acts like a conceited, smug a-hole, he was really not any more selfish and cruel than LL was. I do recall the scene you mentioned but I thought even more revealing was when Bernard told her that he stay married to her while she was having an affair for (4?) years. I don't know many guys, myself included, that would stick around during that!
  I really enjoyed this movie and I think the depth of the two lead characters was quite unlike anything coming out of Hollywood in the past couple of years. I can see when viewers would want to think of Bernard as a simple prick, but I thought he was a much more complex character than that. To merely dismiss him as an pompous s.o.b. who fucked up his kids by inflicing his intolerance of others on them is a mistake, imho.

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