MovieChat Forums > Going in Style (1979) Discussion > the 'moral' of this film?

the 'moral' of this film?


So....what is the ultimate "message" of this film---that old people shouldn't rob banks? I love George Burns but this film was very depressing. I couldn't figure out what "moral" the screenwriter was trying to convey. Anybody have a clue? The end of the movie is weird and unsettling. There was no one to "cheer" for or feel good about. Not even George.

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[deleted]

"That money won't solve all your problems"

Pretty much this.

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[deleted]

But they had some fun before the end.... and they'd been bored to death before.

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[deleted]

Not every movie has to have a moral or a happy ending. In fact, I prefer films without either. Finding morals and happy endings in life is our job – not filmmakers. All that I expect of filmmakers is to make me care, and "Going in Style" accomplished that.

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Be more respective of your elders.

I always wondered why they robbed that bank.

My mother later explained that they were old and they figured they had nothing to lose.

I can understand that.

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Clearly it's, "movies don't always have simplistic morals"

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the question well-put by ‘OP’;
by-the-way, as a rule I never like movies that trivialize or glamorize criminal acts, this one a bit different (see below);
Some of those who posted – show that they're unclear about word ‘moral’, because this ambiguous -- (adjective) ethical, as in morals, or (noun) does the movie have a moral, a life-lesson --
Some of comments – right-on, money doesn’t solve everything
-- for example, death can always happen, here one dies right after the deed and materially saw no real difference or improvement in his life
(the other 2 at least ‘had some fun’, in Las Vegas!) --
The ‘saving grace’ here, that partially vindicates the 3 –- and this ties in both with criminals sometimes partially vindicated by extenuating circumstances, and the effect of money i.e new-found wealth --
the “Robin Hood” aspect. after some twists & turns, the total amount (bank heist + Las Vegas winnings, the latter legit and in a way dilutes the guilt!) is given to a family in need – a worthy cause, compared to (what would probably happen in real-life scenario) drugs or frivolous expenses. somehow, ‘everybody wins’ including old Joe who says he kinda likes the place (jail), after all is it really much different than old-age home, where he would have ended up anyway sooner or later?

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Actually I think the moral was "live your life."

They realized they weren't doing that on a park bench.

One could say Willie "lived it" during the robbery, doing something he never would have previously considered himself doing and having done more than he imagined lived the rest of his years in a short span rather than drawn out on a bench.

For Al Vegas seems to have served as his bucket list. For Willie and Al the best part of their lives is they "got away with it" and that is fitting. You need to remember the mindset that was expressed, they were prepared to die simply for the chance to feel alive again.

Joe of course got caught, because he can't have a movie that encourages old people to rob banks with no consequences. But with Joe, it really wasn't about the money. It never was about the money with any of them, the money was symbolic of living their lives on their terms. As soon as they got the money the spent it or gave it away.

Joe ends up in jail, but it doesn't matter to him. He was a prisoner of his own life before the robbery, jail was nothing, especially since in his mind he "beat the system" and did something he was told he was not permitted to do. This means Joe gets to live the remainder of his life on "his terms" even if he is still in jail.

Everyone lives, everyone dies. Doesn't matter how much money or power you have, you will live and die. To live with meaning and in a manner that is acceptable to you is hard enough, it's even harder to die on such terms. For Joe, Willie and Al they traded the possibility of more meaningless years for a briefer existence that was more acceptable to them.

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[deleted]

How about- before you can die- you have to live.

I was blown away by this movie- thought it would be a twee drama/ patronizing comedy. Instead I spent most of the time crying and wandering what would happen next.

The contemplation of what the moral is- was always coming up too- but I didn't mind- there was this weird sense of inevitability- triggered by the characters doing something extraordinary uncommon at the beginning of the film.

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I think that's a great moral.
Willie is so tragic.
The one scene where he recounts spanking his son for something he didn't do, and how they "never had any fun after that."
But the scene that really got to me was seeing Willie on the park bench having a heart attack, while the youngster with the diaper is playing in the park.
No dialogue, just that sad music.
One life ending while another is just beginning.

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Crime doesn't pay. Unless you give it away.



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The moral is, Don't be a moron. Too bad you didn't get it

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While it is true they made sure to show that crime doesn't pay ...that is more an afterthought of the film. The film showed neglect of the elderly. It was a bigger issue then that it is now but Joe ( Burns) planned the robbery expecting to get caught. After three years, there would have been all those social security checks to cash. That is how bad it was for them. At the end, Joe explained to Al's nephew that no-one noticed them except a politician on election year. Bored, barely getting by, and discarded.... look at how happy they were to have a purpose.

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