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Why is this movie called 'The Crossing Guard'?

posted 11 years ago by FormerSeattlite
4 replies | jump to latest

This movie left me with a lot of unanswered questions.

Why is this movie called "The Crossing Guard"?

Why does Jack Nicholson stare at the old man crossing guard at the beginning of the film?

Why does Robin Penn dance when David Morse asks her to define "guilt"? I think it was 'guilt', I found this movie hard to hear, but it might be my dvd player) It seemed like she (Robin Wright) was making fun of him (D Morse), and then he walks out.

Why did they show John Savage's character only at the beginning of the movie? (I was more interested in him and what happens to him than in Nicholson's decadent character.)

What was the point of the scene with the 'disabled' woman talking to David Morse on the bus?

What was the point of the scene with Jack Nicholson meeting A. Huston the next morning after the phone call?

Are the 2 little boys running in the cemetery Jack's children? They seemed about 6 years old. Does this mean Jack left Angelica when she was pregnant?

[–] melinda2001 11 years ago

Your other questions don't bother me much but the title has me stumped. I had sort of imagined that the crossing guard was somehow also responsible but then nothing. Any help here?

[–] bootblack987 10 years ago

Freddy has a nightmare and he calls his ex-wife. They meet at a restaurant and he tells her about the dream where there is a crossing guard (who he maybe says in the dream is John Wilkes Booth??) and Freddy is driving but can't stop the car and runs over the children including his daughter.

Freddy stares at the old man crossing guard because he reminds him of his daughter. And possibly also because the crossing guard's job is to protect children and Freddy thinks about how no one was there for his own daughter.

John asks Jojo to define guilt because earlier she said that she thought John's guilt was too much competition. Meaning it was stronger than anything she felt he might feel for her. So she was saying he had to deal with his guilt before they could move forward together. He returns to ask her more about this and wants to understand how she sees guilt so he can move forward with his life and possibly with her as well. Jojo feels this is all to heavy and would burden him more so she suggests something carefree in an attempt to lighten his burden. Her best thought is to suggest dancing (which could lead to closeness which would have been another possible solution in her mind). John walks out because Jojo is right. His guilt is too heavy and he can't accept fun and/or closeness.

John Savage's character was there only to show one side of loss and basically provide a place for us to discover Mary.

The 'disabled' woman on the bus was basically lost (metaphorically) as was John. They were just passing time on the bus to fill up their empty lives. It was an opportunity for John's character to realize that coasting through life might not be the way to go.

The boys running in the cemetery I thought were the offspring of Mary and her new husband Roger.

[–] daddie0 10 years ago

(who he maybe says in the dream is John Wilkes Booth??)

He says it was "John Booth". I too was wondering who that is (whether is it the name of the crossing guard at the beginning, or is it a reference to the assassin) but I just noticed it's actually the name of the character who killed Emily.

Freddy is driving but can't stop the car and runs over the children including his daughter.

I think he says she is crossing with all the other children, but in his nightmare he only hits her...or at least he doesn't mention hitting other children. I think this speaks to the 'randomness' of it all, and his own inability to stop it. His powerlessness is mentioned in his ex-wife's reply, so apparently up to this point in his life he was firmly in control.

Jojo feels this is all to heavy and would burden him more so she suggests something carefree in an attempt to lighten his burden.

I actually thought that her insight about his guilt was very profound and mature, but the truth was that later, when John pushes her to help him deal with it (define it), she realizes she is out of her depth. So her invitation to dance is an immature response to a question that she really can't help with. Seeing this, John realizes that his life experiences are going to destroy her naivete/joy so he (violently) hugs her then tells her to keep dancing.

They were just passing time on the bus to fill up their empty lives.

I agree with this. I also found it interesting that she started the conversation asking questions that she already knew the answers to. This fatalism is the same for Freddy as he knows that no matter what he is going to deal with his daughter's killer.

The boys running in the cemetery I thought were the offspring of Mary and her new husband Roger.

I don't believe this is true. I am pretty sure all three children were Freddy and Mary's kids. The first time Freddy visits Mary's house to tell her that John has been released, the boys call him "Freddy." He makes a comment to Mary that he loves how they call me Freddy now to which she replies, "You stopped being a father to those boys the day Emily was killed!" She also says that the fact that her boys still needed her love is what compelled her to move on. Roger was just there to pick up the pieces after their lives fell apart.

Ironically, this combined with Mary's indictment of Freddy later for being "weak" just shows her inability to cope with his grieving process. I'm not saying he wasn't a total jerk, but her expectations of what he should have done was his undoing in her eyes. She would not allow him to simply be human.

[–] doubl3 9 years ago

I thought maybe the drunk driver was helping Nicholson's character cross through grief, or something.