Completely Unrealistic (and why must she SMOKE!?)
a ridiculous fantasy.
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MovieChat Forums > Trucker (2008) Discussion > Completely Unrealistic (and why must she...
Gotta ask, what did you find unrealistic?
shareand what's the big deal if she smoked? People smoke.
shareJeez, over half the population smokes, whether you tobacco nazis like it or not. Get over it; it's a fact of life.
The late Richard Jeni: "Earthquakes? No problem! Mudslides? We can deal with it! Cigarette? RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!"
In my state they passed a law banning smoking in public places, including restaurants and bars. (Profits in those establishments have fallen by more than 30% in the past five months.) At the time the law was passed, it was mentioned on the local news that even Hollywood is cutting back on smoking in movies. I noticed that Diane smoked and was thinking that the director kept her smoking in the movie to rebel against that anti-smoking establishment.
shareThat's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life. I started smoking when I was 14, mainly to imitate others I saw smoking that I thought looked cool doing it. These were mainly jerk-offs in movies that were smoking one cigarette after another like it was actually serving a purpose. I don't even think I realized at the time that is the reason I did it, but kids are very impressionable. Hollywood taking cigarettes out of movies is something to be admired, and anyone who thinks they are fighting the man by "rebelling" against it is a first class moron. That is exactly the kind of thing that attracts teenagers. They just want something to rebel against. They want to do the opposite of what authorities tell them to. So yeah, let's rebel against something and make it look really cool by having some beautiful actress chain-smoking and looking like a badass. I was in the early stages of emphysema by the time I was in my mid-twenties, and it still took me five years to kick the habit. I'm not saying it's unrealistic to portray a trucker as a smoker, I'm just saying it's completely unnecessary and does nothing for the film. I mean it's not like it adds to her character or anything.
shareSure it adds to her character; it says she has a compulsive personality and needs a crutch to lean on in order to maintain balance in her life, etc…
A choice is a choice. I'm sorry as hell for your experiences with emphysema, but once you're a teen, then it's you who's responsible for taking up cigarettes, and nobody else… As of now it's a legal habit for people to partake in, so it's only right that movies should be able to depict that, as they see fit… Trucker isn't a movie marketed to kids.
"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"
I agree with you to an extent. I am a big fan of personal accountability, and you are right, my decision to smoke was my own. I had a choice to make, and I made the wrong one. That being said, teenagers aren't exactly known for making responsible choices, for looking at all of the facts and weighing them out, or for seeing the big picture. While some adolescents might be an exception to this rule, the majority are learning by their mistakes. That’s fine for the most part. Hey, it can be the best way to learn for most of us. But why promote something harmful at all? This movie isn’t marketed to a young audience, true, but I mean come on, teenagers watch whatever they please. I had no restrictions on films at that age. As adults and possible role models, shouldn’t it be our responsibility to guide them in the least destructive path? When a young girl sees an actress she admires doing something harmful, it seems cool. If the character is so screwed up, why not have some plain looking woman in the part? I don’t know a lot of adults with that many problems who look like Michelle Monaghan. I have no problem with others smoking cigarettes – I have a problem with it being used in a film to glorify self-destruction. I have the same problem with drug use, by the way. I think the majority of it is used in films inappropriately and is exploitative for the most part. It’s all about money. Young minds are malleable and open to suggestion, and to ignore that is to endorse it.
shareAll characters in drama must be relatable to be effective - and a big part of making them realistic is to show that they have flaws. She isn't a suave and heroic character, to begin with - she's a hothead who's struggling to compartmentalize her life. Very few people will look at her situation and want to be like her, and still less will link any appeal that she does have to smoking. It's actually one of the things to her detriment.
I'm betting Michelle Monaghan was chosen because she's a known quantity - to secure funding and attention. It's also slightly unfair to use her appearance as an issue… She can't help the way she looks, and in any case i thought she did a pretty good job of deglamourizing herself to play the part… If we're not careful we say that only 'ordinary' looking people can play gritty parts - which would not only be unrepresentative, but discriminatory, too.
It's the parents and authority figures' job to guide them down the least destructive path - nobody else's. To make films that are always mindful of the younger people in society is to make bland films that don't properly address any of the problems faced by adults.
"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"
This is where we disagree. You believe that it is only up to the parents and authority figures to guide the younger generation in the right direction. This is extremely idealistic. Parents are not perfect, they are not superheroes. We are all in this together. If we want to improve the health of our country and society in general, we need to all work to improve the next generation. Movies, books, music and television shows are the way myths are told. Just as we enjoy viewing and listening to various forms of entertainment that tell us about our world and the struggles we go through, humans throughout history have learned and enjoyed through written and oral traditions for the same purpose. Stories are told to viewers who learn the world through whichever medium they choose. Fiction is important - it changes us and effects our development throughout our entire lives. We have to watch what messages we are allowing to filter through it. Everything matters. I respect your opinion on all of this, and I think I understand your side of the argument. Thanks for giving me another viewpoint. Cheers!
shareFiction is also used as a mirror, though - to learn by recreating the world as it is, and not just how we would like it to be…
Regardless of our differing views, I have enjoyed the discussion, though. Thanks!
"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"
why must she smoke?
I'm not a smoker or a fan of smoking, but I can see how a lot of truckers could be smokers so it's realistic for her character and doesn't seem gratuitous to me in this film. A little nicotine buzz might make them feel a bit more alert, just like coffee or sometimes pills. Truckers have long, monotonous days of driving the same straight roads, usually alone, so it would probably get boring, and a lot of people in general (whether they realize it or not) seem to start smoking just to have something to play with in their hands. Some smokers say it's "relaxing" (despite being a stimulant) and I think that partly comes from the ceasing of nervous fidgeting they might otherwise do without something in their hands to attend to like a cigarette, or having a ritual to sort of focus on and an excuse to take breaks.
1. that she didn't call the police after being almost rapped
2. that she could be cold enough to abondon her child for 10 years and within a few weeks suddenly fall all in love with him and start wearing skirts and brightly coloured shirts and suddenly want to change her world around for some brat who uses the word bitch and gets high on whip cream bottles
3. that joey lauren adams couldn't have taken the kid with her to the funeral in the first place
4. that she'll f@ck just about anyone but not nathan filion
I was wondering about the funeral thing as well. It would have made more sense than forcing him on someone he had never met. And I completely agree with number four lol. Completely unrealistic!
share1. I hate it when I'm almost rapped... is that what happened at the end of 8 Mile?
2. People can be cold and do far worse things to their children so why can't you believe a mother would abandon her son and then gets a chance (although she sees it as a burden at first) to reconnect and form a relationship. It's called maternal instinct dear, it's something you're born with. Peters rebellion by calling her a bitch and other behavior make her realize he's acting out because he needs a parent and needs to be loved. Which makes her realize that she does love him and THAT'S what brings on the skirts and the shirts and the world changing.
3. JLM's character was going to deal with her mother's death. Kind of a big deal, don't you think? She had a lot more on her mind with her dead Mom and her dying husband; the last thing she needed was to deal with Peter.
4. It's harder to have meaningless sex with someone who actually means something to you. You presumably have to see them again which has the potential to be awkward and/or ruin their relationship, whereas sex which a total stranger is a quick mindless fu<k that she never has to see again.
Is there anything else I can explain for you? I am happy to help.
"I hope your apple pie is freakin worth it!" -D
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sure, you can explain your entire post, because it didn't explain a thing, other than the effects of cognitive dissonance as it relates to the movie going experience.
almost raped is still a crime, and it still makes no sense that she wouldn't call the cops;
maternal instinct, dear, apparently can't explain the previous ten years, dear;
she wouldn't be "dealing" with peter, she would be taking him with her, which, considering what she's done for the kid thus far in his life, wouldn't exactly have been that big of a deal. it still makes no sense that she wouldn't just take him with her;
your grasp of sarcasm is apparently as deep as your sense of logistics.
i'd ask if there was anything else i could help you with, but i think we both know you're beyond help.
Okay about the rapped/raped thing, reread both the posts. Obviously you haven't so I will explain it. I was making fun of your spelling silly goose. I agree almost being raped would suck but you wrote rapped and I found it funny. But then you didn't realize you did that and your response doesn't make sense.
Maternal instinct does not explain the last ten years, nothing really does. But it's because she's forced to spend time with him her maternal instinct kicks in and she realizes that despite not being around for the last ten years she at the very least cares about the kid and is willing to start building a relationship.
I still disagree with you on the funeral thing. We had to bury my boyfriends dad this summer and it was hard enough, I can't imagine having to deal with all that with someone elses kid there. Especially when his mom is around to keep an eye on him. That leaves her all the time she needs to spend with her family without having to take care of Peter. (feed, entertain, make sure he's staying out of trouble). He's obviously not the most well behaved kid all the time and therefore needs looking after.
Nothing is more discouraging than unappreciated sarcasm.
You're funny.
"I hope your apple pie is freakin worth it!" -D
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why must she SMOKE!?
Why the hell not? She had far worse bad habits.
“If they let Jack do it his way the show would be just 12” – snorgtees.com share
Why do people smoke?
Stress? To endure the lonesome and boring drives cross-country? She likes to nicotine rush? What kind of question is that?