why did the nerd pcik up the shovel? - Men in Black II (2002) Discussion

I was wondering about that, too! Are you watching this on TBS right now?

Namaste, and good luck.

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In the directors commentary I think he said he was picking up the shovel because they were going to Korea. Get it? Dig to Korea?..lol.. I'm almoat 90% sure thats why. Besides that couple doesn't look like they can afford to fly anywhere..

the devil is a liar...

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[–] TerryThomasPhotos 17 years ago

Not Korea.

Cambodia.

Where "a lobster dinner is $1."

I thought they were going to kill "Mom" and needed the shovel to bury her.

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[–] IvyJones 17 years ago

Yah, Cambodia.. ur right

the devil is a liar...

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[–] 17 years ago

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[–] ETF_in_training 17 years ago

wasnt the actor who played the nerd also the same guy who gets killed in the first one, at the morgue?

"Um, I was promised an AVP script w/ no aliens, predators, or humans. Get ta crackin bitch"

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[–] bill-pyle 17 years ago

Yup, David Cross.

----------------
http://www.billpyle.com | http://www.divineclothingco.com

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[–] Nightshadow6 17 years ago

Agent J: Ok. First, get some contact lenses, cause those joints look like they could pick up cable. Second, take her to Cambodia, get her a lobster dinner. Pay more then a dollar. Third, the second y'all get back from Cambodia, move your bum ass outta your mom's house. Boy, you like forty years old.
Kevin Brown/K: Agent J.
Agent J: Aight! Oh, and there ain't no such thing as aliens or Men in Black.
[J leaves]
Newton: You wanna go to Cambodia?
Hailey: Yeah.
Newton: Hey, Mom?
[Newton picks up a shovel]

So yeah, he's going off to kill the mom. Though I was never sure if it was to claim the house (because technically it wouldn't be his mom's house anymore if she's dead) or just to get her money through insurance or her will or whatnot.

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[–] sackartist340 17 years ago

It's to claim the house.

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[–] 17 years ago

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[–] ak-rox 16 years ago

WTF MAN? After reading the start of your post I thought you were actually going to explain the reason... But no, you just made the same assumption that he is going to kill his mom... J tells him "First, get some contact lenses, cause those joints look like they could pick up cable. Second, take her to Cambodia, get her a lobster dinner". He says take her to Cambodia. He's going to get his mom and then they are going to DIG to Cambodia, hence the shovel. There is NO indication that he is going to kill his mom...

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[–] bmalone135 16 years ago

He's going to take is GIRLFRIEND to Cambodia. Oi

Dumbass

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[–] max_flame 12 years ago

dude! i bet you the writers writing this scene didn't take into consideration the interpretation of the scene on the fact that when he picks up the shovel after saying hey mom it was more obvious than not that he was gonna kill his mom, a funny end line to the scene to cap it off. You seriously all annoyed about the fact that because agent J gave them instructions in a certain order? Serisously it's fairly obvious of the end joke. The character sitting on the couch takes the information differently, thats the joke "move your bum ass out of your mom's place" well then how can a writer make it more funny ? make seem like he's gonna kill her instead.

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[–] SoulSurf50 16 years ago

GOD he picked it up to kill his mother dont you guys pay any attention

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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] Progeny51 16 years ago

He didn't get killed. It's the same character. That's why he recognized them.

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[–] KingofCarrotFlowers 15 years ago

Will Smith told him to move out of his mother's house so he went to kill mom so the house would be his. Seemed pretty obvious to me, as was the Psycho reference.

I'm a Stone Age Romeo got my Space Age Juliet we'll take Guitars to Mars and hit the discotheque

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[–] Progeny51 15 years ago

I didn't say anything that should have made you think it wasn't obvious.

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[–] Nizzemancer-1 14 years ago

Well he didn't die (check the cast, both are named Newton), he just got...puked to the ceiling in the first one, I found it kinda funny too but i guess they gave him a new identity or something after the whole morgue-mess.

Light travels faster than sound,
that's why people seem bright,
until you hear them.

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[–] boluvaeva 16 years ago

yeah, I thought he was going to kill 'mum' by hitting her over the head with the shovel.

I just got that impression by the way he says 'hey mum'

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[–] jwpeel-1 14 years ago

I thought he was too. And the guy is David Cross a comic who thinks "crack babies" are a joke. A real sweetheart. (Sarcasm here. I've had a few run ins with the guy.)

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[–] Truee 16 years ago

I'm sure it was to kill the mom. I believe he even says. " HEY MOM " as he picks it up.

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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] gogerxt 16 years ago

Im amazed you didnt get it
he took the shovel to kill his own mother because jay said "move out of your mother house"

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[–] back2u50 16 years ago

funny how there just happened to be a shovel laying there in the first place...

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[–] sanman25 16 years ago

Oh, for heaven's sake...He's not going to dig to Cambodia. It's a referenced joke to Norman Bates from Psycho (or whatever Psycho sequel showed him whacking his mother over the head with a shovel). The similarities of the Newton character and Norman Bates should be pretty obvious.

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[–] jtalh2003 15 years ago

yep its a reference to Psycho
also i like to think that j only thinks that the guy is living there and dont know the whole facts
maybe the guy is there taking care of is mother and killing her is the only way he can go Cambodia
and thats the reason mib dont plant unnecessary thoughts in peoples heads because people will do unexpected things

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[–] omoxus 14 years ago

Good scence. Classic.

Im the Alpha and the Omoxus. The Omoxus and the Omega

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[–] rwsmith29456 16 years ago

I really believe that he was going to do in the mother so he could take off with the girl and not have to live with her anymore.

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[–] girlnxtdoor2009 15 years ago

it says on this site in the trivia that they are not the same character. both named newton,and both the same actor, but the first character died.

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[–] imprator 15 years ago

I was also thrown by the guy going off to kill his mother.

It seemed the obvious explanation for the scene, but it was wildly out of character with the rest of the movie. A dark and ugly moment in a fun, upbeat bubblegum tale. A little strange.

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[–] girlnxtdoor2009 15 years ago

bubblegum tale?

J and K have to give up a woman that they loved.

And that pizza parlor guy was sliced in half.

I don't know if I'd use the term bubblegum, but I do see your point...that joke is a little off color compared to the rest of the movie.

Funny, regardless.

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[–] wildthing226 14 years ago

I was watching the movie today and saw this scene. I cant believe so many people noticed this. I was going to create a topic about it but here it is! He was definetly going to kill the mother. I had to rewind to the begining of the scene on my TiVo just to make sure Agent J didnt say something else that woould require a shovel. Def going to kill the Mom. I doubt the children watching the movie picked up on it.

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[–] djgjd 14 years ago

Cannot believe anyone has not mentioned this.

If you listen after he says, "Hey Mom!", you can hear a thump.

I always assumed the thump was him whacking his Mother over the head to get the house and her money.

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[–] wildthing226 14 years ago

I dont remember hearing a thump. The scene ended pretty quick, I dont think he made it over to his mother yet. But yeah, def going to kill the mother.

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[–] 14 years ago

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[–] miserycounty 12 years ago

He was definitely going to kill his mom with the shovel. He picks it up then calls out to her. It's exactly David Cross's type of humor and it's one of my favorite parts of the movie.

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[–] !!!deleted!!! (19664510) 12 years ago

Those of you who don't understand why he had the shovel are idiots--clearly, he was planning to kill his mom.

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[–] TuDiosEsMiBastardo 12 years ago

Idiot is an understatement... I didnt' watch psycho, I didn't watch the movie in English the first time and I got the obvious idea that he meant to kill his mother! It is so obvious, only two of my neurons were necessary to make it obvious! I even watched it with a friend once and he was passed out with alcohol and weed and he told me laughing "he gonna kill mom" and it was so obvious that other friends that were also passed with weed and alcohol (I take neither) called him Captain Obvious!

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