MovieChat Forums > White Palace (1990) Discussion > She was so dirty, unkempt... (potential ...

She was so dirty, unkempt... (potential SPOILERS)

posted 15 years ago by amanjones
25 replies | jump to latest

I love La Sarandon, but her character was so dirty and unkempt in this, I found it hard to envision her as attractive to anyone, much less a well-heeled (and not to mention polished) yuppie. If I were in his shoes, I would've been reticent to disrobe AND have sex in her filthy domicile. Finding the sandwich under the bed, mid-coitus would have sent me over the edge. I would have left that place in a heartbeat and headed straight for the Mayfair where I would have had my clothes laundered (or burned), my unmentionables fumigated, and rinsed the filth off my body. Disgusting!

[–] diddymuck 11 years ago

damn the untidiness! FULL SPEED AHEAD!

[–] altterrain 11 years ago

Exactly. It wasn't dating your future misses, it was a hook up.

"i'm outta here like a blind chinese dissident"

[–] Robbyngirl 10 years ago

You have to remember the bar scene, they had something in common. They both had lost someone close them by dying. She is forceful of coarse, begging for a ride, etc. But, he is not comfortable in his life, he is living what he think he should and what is expected of him. She is a free sprint, but she has also given up on a lot of thing because the death of her son. She blames herself in a lot of way, because of the choices she made. He likes being with her because he can be a free sprint too and be comfortable to be who he wants to be. But like most people he is stuck in this perception of who he think everyone wants him to be, his mother and friends. You kind of see this at the end when he is talking about when he screams at that party with the redhead, there is no dust in her dust buster! That is all his friends, no dust, meaning no imperfections, everyone is perfect, perfect wife's, house, kids, jobs. They don't know him at all and they only wants to see the perfect life. Nora doesn't care about that, she only wants him to love her and treat her with respect. She sometimes goes about it the wrong way, but it show her issues of lack of trust, hopelessness and her just giving up, till Max.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Luxn 9 years ago

I didn't get that either. It's one thing looking past bad housekeeping, etc, but quite another when the woman seems to delight in being a slob.

To be honest, I was hugely disappointed with the film. I understand that the sex between them was hot but Norah got on my last nerve. She made no effort, had no manners, expected things from him that she was not prepared to give in return, and then ran off. Spader's character was a bit of a snob but she made it almost impossible for him to overlook her behaviour. She delighted in offending people. I get that she was damaged, as was he, but he forced himself out of his comfort zone in order to be with her. She didn't change a damn thing.

And sexually assaulting him at the beginning of the movie (which is exactly what she did), did not endear me to her. If you think her behaviour is ok, then reverse the roles. Would you enjoy a love story based on a 43 year old guy forcing himself on a 27 year old woman who had passed out drunk on his couch?

I just didn't get this movie at all.

[–] lialearnstorock 9 years ago

I just finished reading the book and well, the movie was really "compact" in adapting the book so we got little understanding here and there.

she was practically living in the slum and the way Nora lived only slightly better than the way Max was being raised by his mother (his mother was a hoarder, and at ten years old Max was the one who cleaned up their house and threw out his mother's junks, scrubbing the kitchen's floor, etc, so we know where did Max get his obsession in tidiness). so that's why Max kept coming back to Nora's house in spite of her untidiness, he didn't mind being in a place like that (at least that much until he gave Nora the dustbuster, for at least Nora would care a lil bit of her house).

Nora made some effort in the book, like she started wanting to read more book other than anything related to Marilyn Monroe because she didn't want to be such ignorant. Max was so happy knowing this, so he provided her with Mark Twain's, and Nora liked it. apparently, that later inspired her to get her high school diploma and took English literature in city college when she got to New York.

when Nora was being rude, that was because she felt insecure of how other people judge her. I think that's her defense mechanism.
Max was really conflicted and didn't have the guts to end the relationship. he actually wanted to break it off, yes he loved her but at the same time he also didn't see any future with Nora. but then it was Nora who were brave enough to leave him (after she caught him for the numerous of times that he didn't introduce her to any of his friends), so Max felt like kinda ashamed there for both being a coward and not being able to appreciate her more.

"I am a Knight, and Cersei is a Queen,"

[–] Robbyngirl 9 years ago

I didn't know the was a book, I will have to read it. Thanks

[–] lialearnstorock 9 years ago

yes, there was. I just found out after watching the movie for the second time, it's there on the credit title. haha.
the book's quite nice, it'd enrich your point of view of the characters. but I also think the movie's already nice in its own way, there were some things that just better told in the movie. :)

"I am a Knight, and Cersei is a Queen,"

[–] crypticanomaly73 9 years ago

I find Sarandon unattractive at the best of times so in this film she was a total turn off throughout. The characters messy house, the complaining, hairy armpits, just everything about her is a red flag.

I wouldn't have wanted to even sit in her house let alone have sex in it!

[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]