MovieChat Forums > Scrooged (1988) Discussion > Claire Not Understanding

Claire Not Understanding

posted 16 years ago by aquaprincess
26 replies | jump to latest

I thought Claire was being ridiculous when she said that they couldn't go have dinner with the president of the company or whatever he was. She wasn't the one sweating in the dog suit all day how could she possibly understand how Frank was feeling? He was ready to move up and he needed a girl to stand beside him and encourage him in his career. How did she expect for them to ever have a future to get married and have children if he was still playing around at the bottom of his career ladder? I don't know. Those were just my personal thoughts on that situation. She was being unreasonable and wasn't looking ahead. All she saw was I want to hang out with our friends. Although I agree that Frank was being an ass$%$@ about it when she says she's sorry. Maybe if he'd been nicer and explained why it was important things would've been different. Any thoughts from others?

Marvolo? What's that - a washing detergent?

[–] hopelesslyEnchanted 16 years ago

Personally, and not to argue or bring you down, I think Claire is certainly NOT a trophy wife, which is sort of implied by your statement "He was ready to move up and he needed a girl to stand beside him and encourage him in his career." Claire is down to earth, and she finds the important things to be friends and people you care about rather than kissing the butt of some corporate jacka$$ in the hopes that you might further your career. This is why she didn't understand... and plus, it was Christmas Eve. Had it been any other time of the year, she might have understood and rescheduled with their friends, but on Christmas... it's important to be with friends first.
At least that's the way most people would see it. Once again, I don't mean to piss you off or seem like I'm arguing... Just telling it how I see it according to the characters. :)

Give the damn rabbit some Trix.

[–] aquaprincess 16 years ago

Yeah I get what you're saying. I guess I hadn't thought of it that way. My boyfriend said the same thing when I told him this. I guess it's just because I myself am trying to work up a career ladder right now and that's taking up a lot of my own time. But thanks for stating your opinion so politley. Not many people are so polite on message boards and forums anymore. :)

Marvolo? What's that - a washing detergent?

[–] hopelesslyEnchanted 16 years ago

You're welcome :)

Give the damn rabbit some Trix.

[–] TheLoneSoldier 16 years ago

That was a perfectly executed iNet Debate/Conversation...You two deserve pats on the back.

"Starting tonight, I will die!...I'm a man of my Word."

[–] nutsberryfarm 15 years ago

she doesn't seem to get the whole situation. but that is part of her charm!

I was thinking of the immortal words of Socrates, who said, "... I drank what?"

[–] freefall79 16 years ago

i can see both points of view as i am from a family of shift workers, and now am one myself. i have lost count of the times my parents (at least one of them) working on christmas day, or my borthday et al. i didn't complain about iit as i knew they couldn't be there for my borthday as they were working to keep the house over my head. now i'm a shift worker and my neices and nephews understand why i can't be there for somethings but they don't begrudge me. i think that claire was slightly out of order as i think frank's family would have understood

Thunderbirds Aren't Slow

[–] paultbaker 16 years ago

First off, I just want to say it is refreshing to see polite discussion on this sight for a change; kudos to everybody so far.

And secondly, I think kbmc74 has a good point. Remember that the scene ends with Claire suggesting they try separating for a while. I definitely got the impression this was just the end of it all.

"Film is a mosaic of Time."
-A. Tarkovsky

[–] beatjunkie 16 years ago

I think Claire was right. Frank made plans to be with genuine friends, months in advance for Christmas and then threw it out the window to suck up to his jerk boss and advance his own career. That was incredibly selfish thing to do.

The decision was very much the turning point in Frank's life. Claire realized that she no longer wanted to be with someone like that.

[–] the_bigguy_15 15 years ago

I believe that scene is a microcosm of the entire theme of the movie - that personal relationships are more important than work/moving up the ladder.

Yes, she could have cancelled plans with her friends and gone with him to dinner, but that would have gone against her personal beliefs and probably meant that she had to resign herself to a life where she was secondary to Frank's job.

Also, it is really the first time that Frank starts to see that he has chosen the 'wrong' path and should mend his ways.

[–] rizdek 15 years ago

Perhaps she was a bit over reactive, but I always took it as just a literary tool, a setup, to create the idea that Frank always put his work first ahead of friends and family. That did kind of epitomize his life up 'til he redemption.

my god its full of stars

[–] b_schlechter200 15 years ago

The good part is at the end of the movie, where they reconcile.

[–] jonm-1 15 years ago

Yeah, I think it's meant to be the final straw for Claire. It's definitely not the first time Frank pulled something like that on her. That scene features a great bit of acting from Murray. You can see the exact moment when he realizes what day the ghost has brought him back to, but it isn't revealed to the audience for a few more moments. Great stuff.

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[–] awsomistmajor 14 years ago

I think it had more to do with how Frank was being a dick during the conversation instead of Claire being let down by him. Claire most likely would have folded and went with him if he hadn't been a bastard to her.

[–] 15 years ago

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