How could...? (SPOILER)

Oh yeah! Good point. That too along w/ why didnt they just rent a motel rm when they got kicked out the shelter! The storyline in this film was just plain stupid all across the board & a waste of time

This film has a bunch of holes in it like that. The problem resides in the writing. As a viewer you have to assume that Frank really did serve in the military because of the attachment he has to his jacket, which has his name embroidered on it along with US Marines. Writing that scene where he has his stepson fill out the application is really just a cop out to get the audience to feel worse for Frank. Also, the dialogue with the school janitor isn't realistic either. The janitor mentions that he ran his name through the "school board" computer and he found out about the felony and that he spent 2 years in "jail". Have you ever heard of a school network that has access to that kind of information? Finally, and most importantly, the ending was a cop out. Does the writer/director expect me to believe that throughout the entire day, the father of the construction company owner was unable to figure out what shelter the family was staying in? Or does the writer expect me to believe that Frank will EVER return to the gym and ultimately find the note? In my opinion, he wrote himself into a corner, and NO ONE provided the proper input during the writing process. This leaves us with a story that has no catharsis, which can work in other stories, but not this one that is so driven by a need for some kind of closure that it begs for a warm and fuzzy ending. Overall, I liked the film, but the above examples go to show why this film was never released mainstream.

I didn't get to watch the entire movie as I caught it just when the lady told him he had to find a job in order to get the place and I fell asleep on it after they went to the fancy restaurant...however, it really isn't that far fetched. How many people in this world don't make it through life holding jobs without being able to know how to read. I know someone who can't do basic math and yet that person has managed to make it through high school and hold a job in the medical field no doubt without these skills. Some people can be really good at faking things and you may never know without them confessing.