What was everyones take on the ending? my first reaction was that it was supposed to be darkly humorous. Scooby is soo pissed off and humiliated about "american scooby" that instead of reacting to the more important matter-his dead family, he gets pissed off at Toby. Kind of keeping in character with how clueless he is...
Sorry, would you mind editing your post to have a 'Spoiler' warning in it? I know it seems pretty obvious that it's going to give away the ending, but that doesn't matter to some people!
Anyway, I think Scooby was so mad that the documentary was taking over his life and that he had been hurt by it. He had a rivalry with his dad, and one of Todd Solondz's themes is a disfunctional family, and this was what Scooby's family was. It wouldn't have hurt him as much as in another family, though I still think he was hurt by it, as deep down he would have loved his family.
There's my thoughts anyway
~Give us some lyrics, you famous lyricist~
It was a commentary on how desperate people are to get to the top, to become part of the upper class in this society.
Look: Scooby saw his family, and himself, become a joke in that documentary. When he went to the screening, he witnessed how hilarious the audience thought the film was, and he knew that his dreams were really pipe dreams!
Yet he knew the documentary was going to become a hit (the last line in the movie).
'The film's a hit.'
Basically, he was saying: Yeah, you recorded how terrible things are in this household. Either way, the film's a hit, and that's all that's important, because now I have a connection to the film industry, now I'm one step closer to being Conan's side kick, or a talk show host, or a director. Sure, my family's tragedy is going to be a joke. Hey, the film's a hit, I'm going to be a sidekick.
I'm surprised people don't get the message of this film.
I don't think Scooby has that take on things at all. That take being that he's now going to be famous. I believe that when Scooby saw everyone in the screening laughing at him it was like a slap in the face, and he awoke to the realization that he never will be famous, and like you(bluemetalshrimp) said, everything he wanted was a pipe dream.
I think that him saying "the film's a hit" after Toby's obviously fake concern over his family's death was more of a jab at Toby. Scooby was no longer going to play into Toby's game. He simply commented on the film-to-be, and in my mind, that was the last of Toby and Scooby's time together.
In regards to Scooby's feelings for his family, I think that he now cared deeply for his family. What I think did it was the point when his dad was talking to Toby about how good his life has been, and then afterwards there was a shot of Scooby saying that his dad was a joke. I think he finally realized what his dad actually wanted for him, and his feelings for his family changed drastically because of that.
Is Scooby really that smart and perceptive?
How did he know his family was dead? Wouldnt he be asking "what happened?" etc.
I think in keeping with the dark humor/satire, Scooby is so self absorbed/clueless that instead of being concerned about his family,first thing he does is express his anger at being turned into a laughingstock by Toby.(That much,he caught on to)
Yeah I agree with rromanetti. My take was that he was angry at Toby and he was absorbed in that and was completely oblivious to his families death. I dont know, maybe I didnt look into it enough.
shareI could be wrong here, but I had a different take on the ending: While I agree that Scooby was totally clueless or heartless and desensitized, as was the picture Solodnz was painting of American youth in general, there was really no indication anywhere that he was angry with Toby (Giamatti).
In fact, I think that was the irony. I saw it like I was made to THINK that he's expressing shock that everyone was effectually laughing at him during the screening. But, the Scooby character doesn't CARE if he's perceived as a dweeb, if it means he's a *star*. He will sell his dignity away in a split second to "be somebody", just like the girl did in the first segment.
Cut to when Toby anxiously films Scooby (for his precious documentary) and asks him for his emotions at seeing his family's fate. Scooby just responds in regards to his precious new career. "The movie's a hit". He's a star (or so he thinks!) so who cares about things like families and such. Which, as I agree with the director, is so "American" it hurts!
"Scooby just responds in regards to his precious new career. "The movie's a hit"
I havent seen the movie in awhile,but iirc, Scooby is not exactly gleeful when he says its a hit. He says it in a angry and bitter tone. Hes not smiling. I took it to mean he was aware that he had been made into a clown/laughingstock,and that he felt betrayed.
Personaly, this is how I took the ending. Scooby, already the disillusioned teenager he was, had become even more disillusioned and bitter, not just at Toby and his film, but, possibly, at society in general. When Toby approached Scooby about his families death Toby looked as though he was truly concerned for Scooby and how he felt, but because Scooby had witnessed how Toby had exploited his family for laughs he didn't want to continue being taken advantage of. So, instead of playing into Toby's--possible--false sincerity, Scooby decides he doesn't need to be patronized any more, especialy after the death of his family. So instead of going along with it he wants to know why Toby would continue to do something like this if his film was already a 'hit'. The biggest reason I believe that this experiance has left him more disillusioned and bitter than before is because now it appears he doesn't have much else to look forward to. The only thing Scooby even remotely aspired to do was to go into the entertainment industry, but now the industry has already taken advantage of him and will possibily gain from Scooby's follies and his families death. And not only will others gain, but his life will be turned into something for others to laugh at. But keep in mind this only my 'subjective' view, and that is another main theme of the film: the subjectivety of storytelling.
shareI see your point, Fredrico. That point also seems like a likely ending message, but I feel then that the director left some loose ends.
I mean, it's pretty unclear whether the Toby character had a cut-throat bone in his body, which would be mandatory as the role of a devious, exploiting hollywood type.
It seemed that Toby didn't intend for the documentary to be the satire that it was. In fact, he was clueless, to say the least, and most likely didn't expect his audience to laugh at the preview showing. Whether Toby would be equally satisfied that the documentary was an unintended comedy and happy that he made money at the expense of Scooby and family was unclear. The character wasn't smart enough to take advantage of somebody in that Hollywood fashion we've come to recognize so quickly in movies.
<Sigh> So this leads me to the problem. I don't know what point the director is making at the climax with Scooby and Toby in front of the house. Others, like me, have merely theorized around this board. The point wasn't adequately clinched at the end of this film.
Ultimately all Toby cared about was the documentary being a success. He wasnt "smart", thus the struggles to find what he wanted the doc to be about, etc. But he found his niche when the tragedy with the brother occurred and he ran with it. It's clear in his dialouge with the editor that he was more focused on the movie being a hit then anything else, thus he was quite obviously taking advantage of the family. I dont find it unclear at all that he had at least some cut thraot in him. Remember how he pushed for the screening despite it not being done? It was clear in that scene that he only cared about audience reaction (success) than actually saying something meaningful
shareI think Scooby did love his family. If you look at his facial expression when he sees the ambulance it's almost as if he's becoming short of breath. Toby gets to him before we can see Scooby react any further and at this point Scooby has so much anger towards Toby. At the very end Scooby looks at Toby with hatred and talks to him in a monotone voice. At this point I don't think Scooby wants to be made into a joke but wants Toby to feel like scum. Like Scooby figured out Toby's little game and he no longer is going to play along.
shareYou forget that this is nonfiction.
In nonfiction, people have families, and those families are active in those peoples lives, whether that person is open to it or not.
Everyone, no matter who you are, love and will mourn your family, no matter how cruel or misunderstanding they might be to the person you are.
Another thing people have is dignity. In fiction, a girl willingly gives that up for a good story. In nonfiction, Scooby has his dignity stolen from him, willingly or unwillingly (and in my mind I don't think that Giamatti's character meant for his documentary to come out so funny, it was simply how it came out, and he was deciding that if that's what the people liked then that was how he would film it), by Giamatti's character and so by the end, with his family dead and his dignity stolen, he has now become what seems to be a large case of teens becoming adults in our society, people so overly ridden on one dream that escapes from their grasp that they turn their hate and anger on people that are or aren't responsible for their shortcomings.
In this case he is angry at the director, because he is still riding the wave of the documentaries success.
"Your movies a hit." is a stab at the director, its not a self glorifying moment of misdignity, it is a vicious evil feeling that rips from his mouth with the perfect facial expression to go along with it, and it shows feeling in a character that has shown no emotion throughout the entire film.
Its self realization.
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Good points. I do feel those last lines are somewhat pointed, in terms of going beyond the story, aswell. There is a constant self-reflexivity running throughout this film. It constantly questions/comments upon it's own worth as a piece of fiction.
"..once you start writing, it all becomes fiction."
Yes, this was my view as well, Paul_Kersey_Jr.
shareBasically, he was saying: Yeah, you recorded how terrible things are in this household. Either way, the film's a hit, and that's all that's important, because now I have a connection to the film industry, now I'm one step closer to being Conan's side kick, or a talk show host, or a director. Sure, my family's tragedy is going to be a joke. Hey, the film's a hit, I'm going to be a sidekick
When there's no more room in hell, The dead will walk the earth...share
I agreed with that first reaction and I still do. When Scooby says Its a hit, its to show how completely oblivious he is. Whether he is aware or not of what has happened to his family, his reaction shows he is tunnel visioned and that he is reacting as if the filmmaker is apologizing for the film, not the tragedy. The final moment of the film is simply another irony. Even in the face of this overwhelming event, Scooby is still self-involved and clueless about his own reality.
share