Movie's message - the influence of a father

I think the message of the movie centers on the role of a father in life.

Remember that Michael Jr. and his dad, at the start, didn't have a tight relationship. See when Hanks drives in at the start, Michael Jr. doesn't run to the car the way his brother does. See when Michael Jr. goes to tell Hanks that dinner is ready, Hanks gives a really chill "Thank you," with no affection. See how Hanks tells his son not to carry the dice to the wake, but the son does carry the dice anyways. See when Hanks hugs his little son at the dinner table, Michael Jr. stares at them as if to say, "I never had that"

Accordingly, all the details suggested that Michael was heading for a life of crime. See how he is so enamored with the "Lone Ranger" book, focusing especially on the pictures of the bandits. See how he has a fight at school. So how he's not a good student (he hates math). See how he watches Hanks' gun on the bed and hides in the car to see what his dad does at night. Michael Jr. also seems to be very close to Paul Newman - they play dice in the car, they run to hug Paul Newman when they see him at the wake. The suggestion is that, if Michael Jr. never witnessed the crime, he would have ended up being a hitman under Paul Newman, just as Michael Sr. does.

What changed is that he spends 6-weeks with his dad on the road. During this time, they finally bond, quite unlike the chillness that we saw between them in the beginning. Hanks teaches the kid to drive, just as a father does. They make jokes in the diner about the bank robberies and the dividing of the money ("Could I have had more"). Hanks asks his son what were his favorite subjects in school ("Bible Studies"). etc. etc. These father-son activities made them closer. Accordingly, the boy avoids crime for the rest of his life (i.e. - "I never touched a gun ever again") specifically because his dad didn't want that life for him. The closeness that he developed with his dad during that time basically saved his life, changing his course from a criminal to non-criminal.

Consistent with this message is the note that Hanks ended up a criminal because, with no father, he began to see Rooney Sr. as a father-figure. The detail shows how a father, or a father-figure, can shape someone's life.