Don't get me wrong, this was a fantastic film with a finely tuned performence by Pesci. However; I wish they had had it where he reconciled with his son, in the scene where they went to meet his son, as an adult.
shareAre you also upset how they fail to mention the mother at all!! Was it implied that she died I guess?
I'm overworked, underpaid, underloved and overlaid.
I can understand the desire to have that happen in the movie. However, I appreciated the fact that they didn't reconcile Simon and his son. Too many movies wrap everything up in a shiny, happy package and it was refreshing to see a movie that didn't give in to that. Real life is full of happiness and sadness and satisfaction and regrets. I liked the fact that this movie exhibited that full spectrum of experiences.
But that's just my opinion.
I agree. That would have been too neatly tied up. It would have seemed fake.
shareSimon went to see his son so that he would have no regrets. Monty told him to put good things in his obituary, not bad things. In order to have something good he needed to go see his son and stop regretting that he'd never seen him.
shareSimon just wanted to look at his son. He got that. A reconciliation would've been asking for too much. He didn't die alone, like a dog, his "family" was with him when he died. It was a "happy" ending.
shareIt was better, why would his son forgive him for leaving him and his mother so many years ago.
That would be something I think no person could get around.
That's right. The funeral scene would've been senseless. Why would he call Monty and the rest their family if he had a reconciliation with his son?
shareThat there was no reconciliation is a big part of what makes the movie so very powerful, an emotional juggernaut. Therefore I think it was the right decision to present the movie as is.
sharewell the thing was is that he wanted to appologize to his son for doing that. even though let me warn you even though that was many years ago as long as both were still alive it's never too late to take back what happened (in other words it's never too late to correct the mistake u made) u can always correct it by going over to appologize and go back to the past and delete it so this way it's off your mind and pretend like it never happened and just think of it as if u were there with that person u appologized too only if they forgive him in that case i really wished simon's son would forgive him but he just couldn't find a way. i wish he did find a way. but it never crossed his mind. and simon felt very devastated about it. what i saw at the end. i don't think it was about that whole thing with that dying dog. or whatever was mentioned. it was that simon couldn't take it because of the fact his son wouldn't forgive him and he felt so upset over it and his heart weekend out on him because of all the sadness. he was that depressed. that part was really sad. but ur right about the happy ending part that he did die with his family or friends along the side of him. whoever said that. ur right about it. a men to it.
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The majority of you are correct. If Simon and his son had reconciled, that would have been too neat, and unbelievable, and unrealistic, and this film was made to be realistic. Besides, can you really blame the son for his coldness and hostility? He's justified, if you think about it, because his father had abandoned the family years earlier, when the son was a toddler, and never even so much as contacted them. (If you suddenly encountered your father who never even so much as contacted you since leaving when you were a child, wouldn't you be at least bitter too? I don't think one would be able to be all forgiving in an instant, after a lifetime of that.) They DID reconcile. At least Simon did. His son chose not to accept it. That's all that mattered to him, that he see him, so he wouldn't regret that he at least got to see his son. It didn't matter to him that it wasn't reciprocated. This also served as both an example and a warning to Monty, that he was on the same path as Simon's son, and he too would eventually end up bitter if he didn't forgive his own father for doing similiar to him and his mother, so he could thus move on with his life. Besides also, if Simon and his son had reconciled (that is, if his son had accepted Simon's offer of reconciliation), then the funeral scene would have been pointless, as Monty, Everett, Courtney and Jeff would no longer be his "family," and in fact, they wouldn't have been in the first place, as their whole relationship would have been for nothing. Again, the obvious intention was to make this film realistic, and it succeeds at just that. Like another poster indicated above, life isn't always a bed of roses. It is sometimes sweet, and sometimes bitter.
shareit was the most powerful part of the film.
I was thinking of the immortal words of Socrates, who said, "... I drank what?"
He did reconcile with his son. His son simply didn't accept it. But, the fact is that Simon made the effort and put it out there for his son to take.
Just because it wasn't reciprocated doesn't mean it didn't happen at all. You have to remember, Simon's son was very angry and bitter about his father walking out on him. If you'd harbored that kind of ill-will your whole life, you probably wouldn't be able to just let it go in an instant.
I always assumed that the son probably regretted not being a bit more civil to his father in that last moment. Monty told him that Simon just wanted to see him; had he known that Simon was going to pass away soon, maybe he'd have felt differently.
Life isn't always rosy. There are lots of relationships that end badly. This movie doesn't really have a "happy" ending. After all... Simon passes away, Monty doesn't graduate Harvard with honors...
But, the movie ends with inspiration and hope. And we should all feel better after the message we were given. Live life with honor and without regret.
Hear, hear, tony wayne. Hear, hear. Well said.
BTW, this is at least the 3rd one of your posts I have read that I agree with completely.
Winners don't even know they are in a race. They just love to run.
Thanks ren... I appreciate that! :)
I thought a reconciliation would have too shiny. I like that the part with Simon and his son was realistic. Simon tried to reconcile and like others mentioned his goal was just to see his son.
The screenplay for the film was probably written during the 80's. Maybe the screenwriter didn't try and update the time setting or maybe he did and it didn't work.
I think it was a good thing that Simon & his son didn't reconcile. It was to show the parallels between Monty & Simon's son.
Monty & Frank (Simon's kid) were both abandoned by their fathers at a young age. Seeing how Frank reacted when he saw Simon forced Monty to realize that he was on the same path; of being bitter and angry. I think he finally forgave his father for abandoning the family and was able to move on with his life.
Kind of like in "Hearts and Souls" when Alfre Woodard, when the ghost of her character hugged her son one more time, while in Robert Downey Jr's body, before she could move on to Heaven. That was what gave her soul peace.
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