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>1. What was the purpose of Affleck's character going to church and speaking to a priest? Was it to show remorse or guilt, or just to extemporaneously have him spout out what he's thinking? I didn't see any purpose to it.
The spout out what he's thinking, and to look for moral guidance, of course priests, religion, and spirituality are useless when it comes to actual moral guidance.
>2. Couldn't the Jackson character be the slightest bit tempted to take the check? Looks like he could have used the money, asked for a ride to court and talk about insurance while in the car.
Not everybody thinks clearly when they are under stress, like crashing your car. Both Jackson and Affleck had other things on their minds, too.
>3. Where can I find a beautiful wife that will tell me to screw morality, screw my secretary and screw a dead man by taking the money?
Was there one in the movie? I didn't see her. Amanda Horsemouth? Keep her.
>4. Why didn't the affleck character ask for a quick recess, take the other lawyer by the side, explain he'll need some more time instead of looking ridiculous in front of the judge?
He's a boob.
>Where was Sam L's lawyer? Clearly, he was smart enough to have one?
But obviously he didn't. Your question is moot when you look the facts of the movie. Jackson's character saying outload to himself "I've chosen to represent myself..."
>And how can a judge make a snap judgement without both sides there? It doesn't happen in real life.
I dunno.
>5. Didn't Jackson's loan for the house get approved? That's under the assumption that the downpayment was made and the bank has already set aside money for the house - it also assumes that papers have already been signed by both Jackson and the bank. So even if his credit was shot to hell, how can the bank reverse what it's already agreed to in paper? Maybe it would have made more sense if the realter turned him away instead of the bank because it did a credit check before the final agreement and found out that he was busted.
Uh...yeah...how about that mystery credit destroyer man? Dirty clerical deeds done dirt cheap.
>6. Would an law intern REALLY wait all day for an interview, even until after 5pm?
He would in this script...to let Affleck vent and point out how naive the intern is.
>7. The school incident was strange as well. You have a school teacher or administrator that knows the details of Jackson's boys and the family. Then a stranger walks in and says he's gonna attack the boys or take them away. We already knows he's a good father and he attends PTA meetings and school activities wiht them. But they take Affleck's word at face value and arrest Jackson. And Jackson isn't startled that he's being arrested - he just wants to see the boys.. Does that make sense?
Black men are always suspect. Shit, beats me why they listened to Affleck. Jackson was more worried about his boys than he was about wh he was being arrested. Speculation: Shit, as an alcoholic, he may have been arrested many times. There's no reason to assume that him getting (joint?) custody was even a remote possiblity, that may have been why the Judge ruled against him without hearing his side.
>8. Affleck's answer to his morality question and the tangible question of his job's future comes at the end, at the dinner table: he has the original document, which should have been filed in court but instead, the doctored one is. So the original document is incriminating evidence that the firm has plagerized documents. it's his ace in the hole. As long as he has it, he has control of the game. Ok. question: what's to stop a moral deprived law firm from killing Affleck and taking the document to keep the money wheel rolling? And can he really continue to work in a law firm that he can't trust? I'm sure the wife wouldn't mind doing daddy a favor and poison her husband..
Hey, this ain't a John Grisham book. Really, though, dump the bitch and the law firm. That "black mail your unscrupulous boss into doing the right thing" is standard Hollywood bullshit.
>9. Speaking of arrests, why wasn't the Jackson character arrested when he threw a computer monitor across the the room in a bank?
Cuz da nigga can run fast.
>10. So what's the de-nu-mount? (or however the french say it) The moral is: control your anger and don't be a part of the problem - be part of the solution? The Jackson character seems to be punished for trying to do right: had he taken the check, he would have still been late for court, but he would have still had his credit plus some extra cash to perhaps get a real vehicle and still get his woman back (when they talked on the phone, she seems pretty much swayed with his getting the home). But he does right, gets screwed, goes berzerk, screws the other guy, gets arrested (which the arrest record will affect his custody suit in the event the couple breaks up again), and is told by his AA man to just relax. The Affleck character tries to do right (in his way) by handing over a blank check. Had he really tried to do right, he would have been even more late than he had been and probably wouldn't have found his AAA card anyway which wouldn't have helped the Jackson character. And when he received the fax, he could have earnestly tried to get the file back instead of trying to squeeze Jackson's nuts and complicating Affleck's life even more - and affecting his conscience. If Affleck were a better actor, we could have seen a better balance of the two men and actually feel a balanced link between the two. Instead I see a white guy trying to feel good about himself while having a lush job and screwing another guy because he forgot his own folder - and I see antoher guy continually trying to do good and being justifiably angry - and being told in the end that he's a junkie for chaos and that he should calm down. Can anyone feel sorry or compassion for the Affleck character in the end? Can anyone justifiably say that if we were in Jackson's shoes, we wouldn't be just as pissed as he was?
Okay, it's true that in the end, Jacksons character got shitted on more in the movie. But he did remove Affleck's lug nuts, could've fucking died in a car crash. On the other hand Affleck got that fax and decided to screw Jackson's credit. Still, attempted murder is worse than ruining credit.
>By the way, I liked the movie.
I thought it was okay, I liked the descent into evil/revenge/desperation that both me take...but it goes for a safe, resolved Hollywood ending. Life doesn't work that way.
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