MovieChat Forums > Midnight Run (1988) Discussion > That look that Denise gives to Jack is s...

That look that Denise gives to Jack is so icey...


it could shatter glass. I've had my ex-wife look at me that way, but I would never want my child to do so - ouch!

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It's funny how things can seem so different to different people... I've never seen Denise's look as icey, never ever. In fact, in that scene, after she shows up, Jack awkwardly hugs her, says he's gonna go but Gail tells him to wait and goes to get the $40 - when he's just standing there and Denise is staring at him - I well up! Every time!
To me, that long, unflinching, weirdly curious stare - that he clearly has a hard time dealing with - is simply her trying to get her head around the fact that here, right in front of her, is her father, a person she hasn't seen since she was five years old, can barely remember (probably) but has always wondered about (again, probably).
I see it as her trying to understand, connect, reach out and find answers - all at the same time, desperately, knowing that she has but a moment.

To me that is a beautiful, heart wrenching scene... So it's interesting to see that it could be interpreted VERY differently.

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Agree. The whole scene at the house really was very well acted.

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Jack fixing the Duke's jacket before he closes the car door

that is beyond moving

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Agree with Ralph, in fact I can't imagine seeing that any other way.

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Couldn't disagree more with the OP on this.

I love the way that scene plays out. They both realise that they've lost years together and the unspoken regret is just wonderful .

I'd like to think Jack got reinvolved in her life after.

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It's a heartbreaking scene. He barely knows what to talk to her about and vice versa. The longing stares between the two say it all.

Those scenes with the ex-wife and daughter could lead to a whole new movie.

Was it a millionaire who said "Imagine no possessions"?

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"I'd like to think Jack got reinvolved in her life after."

That's a nice thought and his friendship and adventures with the Duke may have inspired him to do just that.

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Sorry, have to disagree 100%. Denise is wholeheartedly innocent, in my opinion. No hatred, malice, or disgust that I saw in her eyes. Just a lot of confusion with her emotions at the moment. Poor girl!

Definitely a heart wrenching scene that made my eyes well up, even more, after I had a child and imagining how painful that might have been for me if I had been in the same situation as Jack.

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It wasn't icey at all. It was a little girl looking at her daddy in awe.

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We all interpret things differently, but this is so wrong. Those who said his daughter was feeling surprised and confused are correct.

Now realistically, unless a mother told her daughter lies (vicious ones at that) about her absent father all her life, then I can't imagine any daughter looking at her father for the first time (since she was a toddler anyway) and welcoming him with a look that screamed you’re my worst enemy. Denise would have never given Jack the money if she felt that "icey" towards him.

This is a somewhat uncomfortable - appropriately so - but very wonderful and moving scene all the same.

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