Is Quince a Pedophile?

Thanks! This is a very possible explanation, and the first interpretation that I really can buy, except my own.

Without realizing there's already a thread on what Quince had said about his fond or love for little girls during the dinner scene, I sat through the flick recently after years of not seeing it.

The following describes more or less what I felt when I watched the scene in question.

When I heard Quince said his line, initially I felt rather bemused. However, I quickly overcame the bemusement and zeroed in on what exactly he had meant when he said those words.

Both Quince and Allison must have been married for quite a number of years prior to the start of the film (supposedly).

One obvious fact about the two of them is that they don't have any children of their own even after being married for so many years.

It's a natural thing for a husband (or wife) who has been married for so long and not having any children, to somewhat pine and hope for a child.

I believe, Quince isn't a pedophile as what has been suggested at the beginning of this thread. That claim is not only far-fetched, but also baseless.

As such, to me, if Quince were really guilty of anything, all that he was guilty of was one of a Freudian slip; implying his desire to his spouse and other close members/acquaintance of the family, that he's hoping to finally have children of his own -- girls preferably.

Case closed.

I'm inclined to agree with maximumcool and others who view Quince's character more innocently than the original poster.

I've seen this film several times; as it happens, it aired again just a few nights ago and I was able to watch it from the start. Ironically, I particularly noticed Quince's "I love little girls!" line in this recent viewing. I was bemused, but I also remember thinking it did NOT, as so many have posted, come "out of the blue." It was actually was spoken with some context.

Since I'm responding to this from work (on a break, though!), I can't access the actual film. I was able to look the script up online, however. Quince's Little Girls line comes during the second dinner Joe has with the family. During that first dinner, which immediately followed his revealing himself to Bill Parrish (Anthony Hopkins' character), Bill is primarily concerned with just navigating his way through the meal with this unexpected guest.

The next day, having had some time to digest (no pun intended) the fact of his soon-to-be demise, Bill Parrish instructs his secretary to tell his family he wants them all to join him for dinner again that night (his secretary is surprised by that fact, as is the family when they get together.) At dinner, Bill makes a few halting attempts to make some kind of profound statement of appreciation to his assembled family, but finds he can't really pull his words together. One of his sentences begins, "Anyway...I remember when you were little girls..." and then he trails off. There is an awkward pause, and that's when Quince pipes up "I love little girls!"

It didn't strike me as creepy or as the least bit pedophilic. I saw it as no more than Quince's clumsy attempt to fill an awkward silence at the table, to help his father-in-law out. And it seemed totally in keeping with the way Jeffrey Tambor plays Quince, as a guy who generally comes out with whatever pops into his head.

Later, when Quince and Joe talk about love, Quince remarks that he was a world-class loser and his wife loves him anyway. He adds that "there's nothing we don't know about each other and it's okay. I mean the deeper, darkest secrets -- they don't matter." Please note: he doesn't say that Allison knows HIS deepest, darkest secrets; rather, that they know each others.

Does anyone feel that Allison is hiding some dangerous, dark thoughts - is SHE the pedophile? (Kidding!) No. I think maximumcool is on the right track when he/she suggests Quince's secret is that he lacks confidence, is insecure. Allison suffers from a similar problem, compounded by the fact that she knows her sister is her father's favorite.

My reading of Bill Parrish's character is that he is the last man on earth who would keep someone on staff who is inept at his job, so I've always bought into it that, on some level, Quince is a good businessman. He may, however, lack the drive or initiative or "killer-instinct" of someone like a Drew, which he may translate to him as "not quite good enough." And I too suspect Quince may see himself as inferior to the Parrishes in general.

If I may draw an analogy for those who are fans of "The Office": I see Quince as bearing a slight resemblence to Michael Scott, in that he's sort of socially inept (though nowhere near as downright offensive as MS can be.) At Joe's first dinner with the family, Quince makes a remark about how the veal is prepared which his wife quickly shushes (presumably because it's not exactly a palatable topic of conversation.) In "The Office", Michael is a social dweeb and a horrible office manager, who nevertheless is shown, at times, to be a really good saleman. The one place where he can read people correctly and behave accordingly is when he's making a sale. Perhaps Quince has a similar ability somewhere.

All in all, Quince seems like a sunny, likeable but very average guy, who harbors insecurities about his worthiness. I think he's a great match for Allison - they both seem to wear their hearts on their sleeve. When Joe is first introduced to them, Allison immediately blurts out "I love that name!" and, later, asserts that it's "So sturdy, so straight!" (Does that make her a crazed psycho killer of guys named Joe? Kidding, again.) Quince backs up her first remark with "Me, too. Hey, buddy!" Somewhere in this thread, someone noted that seemed a little overly-friendly to say to a person you've just met. And so it may...but then, so are Allison's comments overly-friendly. I think that's just the way those two are.

In a later scene, when Allison is upset by her father's lack of interest in her party preparations (due to his preoccupation with Joe) and begins to cry, Quince does a very good job of cheering her up and confirming for her that these things actually do matter to him and, ultimately, to Bill. I think a great part of the significance of that pairing in the film is to demonstrate for Joe how couple's work to help one another and soothe each other's hurts. (Not to mention drawing Bill's attention to the fact that he has TWO daughters and needs to be sure to leave both relationships in good repair before heading to the Great Beyond.)

I also had similar thoughts as you regarding the apparant childlessness of Allison and Drew. When he mentioned "deep, dark secrets" later, I thought fleetingly back to the "I love little girls!" and imagined that one or the other of them is infertile. Even with today's openness about fertility treatments and adoptions, that would still be likely to be a deep hurt, especially for people who are insecure to begin with, and so it might classify as "dark secret" to either or both of them.

Last thing: I was aware of Jeffrey Tambor a decade or more before Dr. Phil came to the fore, so I always find myself thinking the doctor resembles HIM, not the other way 'round! And, as another poster wrote somewhere, I think it's a testament to the script, to Tambor and to the film that they drew such depth in a supporting character, who easily could have been thrown away with one-note only.

Yep - I'm a fan of this film. And I've cautiously recommended it to others, usually with the caveat that is indeed quite slooooow. It can be a little like watching paint dry...into a really fascinating picture.

Some excellent essays here about Quince! Who would have thought?

Quince may see himself as a loser, but he is an honest, good, playful, kind man who may be just a bit naive. I, too, believe that, when he blurted out the "little girls" line, he was just trying to lighten things up at an awkward moment, as he tried to do more than once at the family dinners. He's a simple, good person, who means well. And, more to the point, he is given Joe's heartfelt approval near the end of the film:

QUINCE
Do you like me, Joe?

JOE
Oh yes, you are one of my favorites.

In this film, that's about the highest recommendation you can get.