SPOILERS
Created this thread just so we could be more specific.
So TPR, what did you hate about the ending?
Edited By Leisher on 1366302733
Flight Spoiler Thread
Well, clearly the movie well established that the main character saved many lives when no one else could have. And yes he had problems with drugs and alcohol and yes that's a bad thing. But that doesn't lessen the fact that he was still a hero in that situation and there were a lot of people alive that would have been dead if he had not been there.
Should he have gotten off? Not really, no, I wouldn't expect that. And I expected he would come to realize that he had a problem and needed to change his life, which is a good thing. But when it ended with him talking about how HE was personally responsible for the few who died and he let everyone down and all that I was very annoyed.
It seemed like the movie was building up to "just because you do wrong and have problems doesn't necessarily mean you are a bad person" sort of message to oppose the PC world we live in where everything is black and white and you are either perfect or evil. Then at the end it was the exact opposite: the message of the movie is that if you do even one thing wrong then you are to be hated and reviled and any good you accomplish is meaningless and you should be ashamed of yourself for not being perfect and living up to society's expectations.
Should he have gotten off? Not really, no, I wouldn't expect that. And I expected he would come to realize that he had a problem and needed to change his life, which is a good thing. But when it ended with him talking about how HE was personally responsible for the few who died and he let everyone down and all that I was very annoyed.
It seemed like the movie was building up to "just because you do wrong and have problems doesn't necessarily mean you are a bad person" sort of message to oppose the PC world we live in where everything is black and white and you are either perfect or evil. Then at the end it was the exact opposite: the message of the movie is that if you do even one thing wrong then you are to be hated and reviled and any good you accomplish is meaningless and you should be ashamed of yourself for not being perfect and living up to society's expectations.
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But when it ended with him talking about how HE was personally responsible for the few who died and he let everyone down and all that I was very annoyed.
I watched it last night, and I must have missed that. I heard him talking about his responsibilities to those around him, but I didn't hear him accept responsibility for the people who died in the crash.
Oh wait, you mean writing letters to the familes of the people who died in the crash? I think he was apologizing for his attempts to hide the truth, and not coming forward sooner with the truth. He never mentions the plane crashing being his fault.
That's further proven by the fact that he was getting out of jail in 4 years. That means he was not found to be the reason for the crash. He was impaired, yes, and that resulted in a 12 year prison sentence and the removal of his flying license. However, had he been found at fault, he was going to get life in prison. So the hearings actually absolved him of guilt.
Then at the end it was the exact opposite: the message of the movie is that if you do even one thing wrong then you are to be hated and reviled and any good you accomplish is meaningless and you should be ashamed of yourself for not being perfect and living up to society's expectations.
So yeah, I disagree with your assessment.
His kid had forgiven him, and he obviously got mercy from the court as his 12 year sentence was reduced to...I'm guessing 6 years. (His kid was writing for admission into college, and he was 15 when everything was going down.)
I think the message given was that people DID believe in him, but he kept disappointing them with his alcoholism. It's why he lost Nicole, and then got her back. It's why his son had no interest in him, and then wrote that specific essay about him. It's why...Charles?...his buddy took him in and fought for him even when it was obvious that his problem was way out of control. It's why Margaret lied for him. It's why his co-pilot defended him.
They believed in the man behind the alcoholism.
Anyway, back to the story, the opening scene was ridiculously gratuitous. Loved it. She was blatantly posing for the camera.
I think they needed more dialogue though. They should have showed their love so that his admission at the end would seem more likely.
What was the deal with the co-pilot and his wife? Were they mocking people like that or showing how much stronger their faith makes them? I honestly got confused by that. Weird scene.
My only real complaint about the movie were the coincidences. Nicole was a random encounter, twice. Bullshit. Plus, she was kind of pointless to the story except to show another person he pushed away. Then that door just happens to be unlocked? He's got a fucking guard outside his room, but they don't secure the doors in the room? Ridiculous.
Actually, really thinking about it, I believe there might have been some strong religious undertones in this film. Think about the co-pilot, AA (Step 1 is God), the unlocked door and the wide open window in the unoccupied room, the chance encounters with Nicole and the wise cancer patient, etc.
I think I could make a case that Flight is religious propaganda.
“Activism is a way for useless people to feel important, even if the consequences of their activism are counterproductive for those they claim to be helping and damaging to the fabric of society as a whole.” - Dr Thomas Sowell
He never mentions the plane crashing being his fault.
No, not that. But he did say during his talk to the other inmates at the end that if he weren't drunk no one would have died - he would have saved them all - and therefore they were dead because he personally killed them by drinking. Same difference, IMO.
They believed in the man behind the alcoholism.
I didn't get that, either. Charles did right by him, yes, and showed proper concern. John Goodman's character was a hoot, but too enabling. But everyone else was completely against him as soon as he showed himself to be not perfect. Margaret lied for him but she hated him for it and was about ready to spit on him at the church. His son was the only one to give him a second chance after all was said and done, but even that came with a mess of baggage.
Maybe I'm misremembering the movie. Maybe I should watch it again.
Edited By TPRJones on 1366306709
"ATTENTION: Customers browsing porn must hold magazines with both hands at all times!"
But he did say that if he weren't drunk no one would have died - he would have saved them all - and therefore they were dead because he personally killed them by drinking.
That's right, he did say that. However, I found that to be bravado. Confidence in his own abilities, and believing that he would perform better without being drunk.
Would he have saved everyone? Nobody knows, but he believes he would have, and that's the key.
Also, I think him blaming himself for their deaths (and again, the courts didn't) is a good motivation for him to not drink again.
I didn't get that, either. Charles did right by him, yes, and showed proper concern. John Goodman's character was a hoot, but too enabling. But everyone else was completely against him as soon as he showed himself to be not perfect. Margaret lied for him but she hated him for it and was about ready to spit on him at the church. His son was the only one to give him a second chance after all was said and done, but even that came with a mess of baggage.
No. No. They all believed in him, which is why they did what they did. They all wanted him to get help. Alcoholism is a different flaw from say, being an asshole. If you're an asshole, it doesn't affect your ability to perform a task, it just makes people not like being around you.
Here was a guy who was literally killing himself, and had the potential to harm others. That's why Margaret didn't want to lie. She knew what danger he was putting other people in, but believed in him despite his flaws. Ditto for the co-pilot.
Also, his son wasn't the only one. Nicole was back in his life. Others were too. Didn't you notice all the congratulations cards he had in his cell?
This wasn't a story about people persecuting a man for one flaw despite him being a hero.
This was a story about the man's flaw keeping him from being that hero.
“Activism is a way for useless people to feel important, even if the consequences of their activism are counterproductive for those they claim to be helping and damaging to the fabric of society as a whole.” - Dr Thomas Sowell
If you're an asshole, it doesn't affect your ability to perform a task, it just makes people not like being around you.
If your job involves working in tandem with other people, then it does affect your ability to perform a task.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."