MovieChat Forums > You've Got Mail (1998) Discussion > Why did Fox break up with Patricia?

Why did Fox break up with Patricia?


Something that always confused me as I guess it wasn't spelled out clearly. Of course Patricia had her flaws and was a bit superficial, but was it really her "Where are my tic tacs" comment that crossed the line?

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I think it was the straw that broke the back of their relationship. A bit superficial? That was her defining trait. That and being totally self absorbed. It was just ampilfied by the two other people in the elevator. Maybe just call it his epiphany that "I can't spend the rest of my life with this person."

How do the angels get to sleep when the Devil leaves his porch light on?

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he couldn't keep up.



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Mmmm, I dunno. She was on a lot of caffeine but I think he could walk at least as fast as her if he had to. He had longer legs.


How do the angels get to sleep when the Devil leaves his porch light on?

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That was the final straw. He was already drifting from her which is why he is chatting with some other woman online and trying to get to know her.

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he didn't seem like he was quick enough with her drinks too.



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I'm just now seeing this. That was a funny comment.

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It wasn't because of the comment "where are my tic tacs?" It was when she said it. He was about to open up and say what he was going to do with his life if he got out of the elevator. She interrupted him because she wasn't even listening because she cared more about her tic tacs. Is that the kind of person you would want to be with?

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like she was supposed to know what he was going to say right then was of the utmost import??! wow. he's harsh.




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Of course she should have realized what he was going to say would be, if not "of the utmost import", something she should want to hear. The other two people had shared personal thoughts about their lives, their regrets and their hopes/plans for the future 'if they ever get out of here.' Joe started to speak "If I ever get out of here..." and she cut him off. So yes,she should have known, unless she was even more self centered and self absorbed than even he ever realized...and she was!

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bet if he started singing this she would have listened. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxNEiZhpinY




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Well, the other persons stuck with them were talking about important life issues: talking to mother again, marrying the girlfriend, that should've given her some clue. But she didn't even wait to hear what Joe had to say and I imagine that was not the first time.

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Because he realized she was shallow and awful.

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It's really confusing if you see it on the E! channel because the cut the scene off about 1/3 through the elevator.

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Yeah, commercials get in the way of E! airing the whole movie. Oddly enough I've seen that scene so many times that I don't mind them skipping part of it.


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viewer watching that scene and it being cut off.

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I hate it when I'm watching Hocus Pocus on tv and they go to commercial cutting off the "Amuck!" scene. People doing commercials for these films need to watch where the breaks fall.

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Just like Kathleen with Frank, he never seemed really in love with her at the start. Otherwise, he would not have met Kat on the web, for one thing !
Patricia is also depicted all way through as a very energetic, tense and rather selfish person. Over time, it can be pretty hard to bear.
In the elevator scene, he witnesses other people deciding to make important changes about their lives. She's only furious and concerned with herself.
So the thing that goes through Joe's head is...we don't have a meaningful relationship. What if I could not get out of the elevator and remain stuck with this woman I don't love ?
OK, maybe it was also very fitting for the writers so the two leads would become available. But the elevator scene was quite clever !

" You ain't running this place, Bert, WILLIAMS is!" Sgt Harris

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she never said happy thanksgiving back.



Season's Greetings!

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You are so right. He wasn't in love with her. It was a defining moment for all in the elevator.

If we can save humanity, we become the caretakers of the world

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Thanks ! Completely agree :)

" You ain't running this place, Bert, WILLIAMS is!" Sgt Harris

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Frank was definitely in love.... with himself.

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The final straw, I think, was that everyone in the elevator was saying what they would do once they got out, and when Joe tried to say what he would do, she interrupted him with something stupid. She didn't care what he thought.

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He was about to say that he would go to some deserted island, away from the rat race, just chill out on the beach, maybe play some volleyball, do some fishing....

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She was annoying and superficial. And then, there's the fact that Joe had fallen in love with Kathleen. In fact, I wonder if he ever loved Patricia to begin with?

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Because she was too good for him, and too strong-willed.

He couldn't break her down financially and emotionally, so he moved onto his next victim, Meg Ryan.

Joe Fox is a psychopathic narcissist.

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That's actually what I think about trolls who trash movies that MANY other people are fond of.

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