MovieChat Forums > Book of Love (2004) Discussion > Heather?

Heather?

posted 18 years ago by triiponlove
12 replies | jump to latest

Does anyone know the significance of her character? She has such a small part and pops up throughout the movie, like in the end. I don't even understand why she's in the film.

[–] larry-411 18 years ago

*MAJOR SPOILERS*

Basically, you have to have 4 characters to make the story work. You have Chet, Heather, David, and Elaine. We know that Chet goes after Elaine, and Heather goes after David. In the end, Chet can't be with Elaine. But since he is the protagonist, we can't have the movie end with him being alone. So he ends up with Heather, which is where he "should be."

[–] taje 18 years ago

So he ends up with Heather, which is where he "should be"
I'm not sure if that how it should be, but of course I follow
I guess Heather character was so out and not well developed. I actually doesn't have any problem if she didn't reappear at all

To me it was more of the three main characters and though I still like it, it was too abrupt and lack climax not to mention unsatisfactory feeling I had

Chet's character was weak. Although the nearest I can conclude is, he was just a typical teen who's in search of his true identity. Immature in his choices etc

[–] larry-411 18 years ago

I kind of like the idea of bringing her in at the end. It allows some sort of closure and tying up of loose ends. I do agree that a bit more would have been nice. But I guess that's left to the imagination.

[–] Dambala 18 years ago

"I'm not sure if that how it should be, but of course I follow
I guess Heather character was so out and not well developed. I actually doesn't have any problem if she didn't reappear at all

To me it was more of the three main characters and though I still like it, it was too abrupt and lack climax not to mention unsatisfactory feeling I had

Chet's character was weak. Although the nearest I can conclude is, he was just a typical teen who's in search of his true identity. Immature in his choices etc"

I think that's the point of the movie that the Chet character is weak and so is Elaine and to some extent David (who wanted to act like everythign's fine). It makes the movie human.

ANd I think showing Heather with Chet in Cambodia at the end wasn't necessary either as it defeats the whole purpose of the movie. My guess is that was requested by the producers/distributors of the movie, since movie goers are so used to happy ending.

[–] the_vw_girl 18 years ago

I wouldn't consider that a 'happy ending' only because i didn't like either character (Chet or Heather). I felt they used Heather not mainly for the ending, but to give some suspense to the movie as to whether David was going to fall into the same hole as his wife and sleep with her.

[–] reindeer39 18 years ago

Good analysis, the vw girl. Strange movie, but it was worth watching. I even watched it twice to see if I could get any more out of it the second time, I liked some of the music, thought the acting was great, and yes, partly because I think Simon Baker is cute.

[–] uvl 13 years ago

Dambala said: "ANd I think showing Heather with Chet in Cambodia at the end wasn't necessary either as it defeats the whole purpose of the movie. My guess is that was requested by the producers/distributors of the movie, since movie goers are so used to happy ending."

I'm not sure how you can say that someone stepping on a land-mine is a "happy ending".

[–] CoraJack 12 years ago

Who stepped on a land mine? How did I miss THAT?

I don't think it was a true happy ending at all. I think Elaine and Chet were happy but not David.

I think this movie is a tragedy.

And I think you have to suspend disbelief a LOT to take in the fact that Chet met Heather "by chance" in Cambodia.

However, in tragic stories (as in life) some people have to lose so others have better lives.

Seeing Elaine and Chet happy and David miserable doesn't make for a happy ending for me.

[–] bgmusselman 17 years ago

I guess I had a different take on the Heather character. Whenever David is at school she is hiting on him, and she makes herself available to him. Heather is used to show the difference between David and his wife. He resits the chance to cheat on his spouse, but Elaine does not and hooks up with Chet. So really tHeather is there to tempt David and to show his morals.

And when she appears at the end in Cambodia it is not as random as other posters seem to think. All along she had (or possibly pretended to have) and interest in Cambodia and what went on there during the war. So did Chet, and that was one of the places that he said he wanted ot visit. SO he went there after the whole fallout, and then a while later Heather showed up there too. Traveling to a foreign location and seeing another american(or what have you) is comforting. I found it a bit ironic and kinda funny but i can see how it would happen. And in the end I find it interesting that the two temtpters may actually end up together.

[–] molly_lovebuzz 17 years ago

i think Heather's part in all this is very clear- she is there partly like a human, partly as a subject. a subjec which is always available to David and could get David into temptation. But David doesn't cave in.
Maybe they were trying to show us the thing that happens more rarely that it's opposite- that a man could be faithfull despite his wife not being just that.
So Heather is basically the girl that could be "at hand" in David's misery after finding out his wife cheated. But as i said- he doesn't give in.
So Heather makes David's character seem a lot more moral than his wife's.

[–] larry-411 17 years ago

That's interesting. I always saw a connection between Heather and Chet, so that it never seemed odd to me that they would end up together. But it never occurred to me that by resisting Heather's advances, David is shown to be more "moral" than Elaine in falling for Chet. That is interesting.

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The world moves for love. It kneels before it in awe.

[–] KmR_414 12 years ago

This was a good thread. I was curious about Heather too and initially just figured she was there because David would eventually sleep with her.

Heather does draw that parallel between David and Elaine's morals, as well as provide closure and give a sense that both young teens have become young adults, more 'where they should be' of sorts.