I got a different angle on the Ending...

Hi,

Having just watched this movie, as always I came to its Message Board to check out people's input. A lot of very smart people are sharing their perceptive views, and I enjoyed it a lot, bla, bla, bla...

But something caught my attention. I felt that most people are off-mark in their approach to this movie's overall message, thus missing a crucial plot-point.

Well, I'll take my chances here with this topic, though I'm not sure if I'll be able to succeed in explain my angle in a clear reasoning - specially 'cause I'm "Sensitive" but not very "Intelligent" at all, so bear with me... ;)

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I've seen that most people are just repeating the same emotional/analytical angle here, over and over, which is, basically, as follows:

"Lance Clayton (Robin Williams) kind of liberated himself, after come out to those hypocrites who only became nice to him/his son's memory after having read his supposed journal and suicide note."

And it goes on and on, but basically following along these lines.

Now, my questions:

1 - Have you people ever considered that was HIS JOURNAL/SUICIDE NOTE which triggered a Positive Reaction to all those people it touched?

2 - And therefore it DOESN'T MATTER that it was fabricated, whether by Lance, Mark Twain or copied verbatim from the "Bhagavad Gita", as long as it bears some MERIT to it, hence, their overall "Positive Reaction" outcome?

3 - So, that being said, can everybody see that, according to this angle, then NO ONE WAS BEING A HYPOCRITE whatsoever, as they've only REACTED to a Positive input as expressed in those texts?

If you got the point, then it's OK, I guess. What's ahead is just an attempt that I've made to explain my point...

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Firstly, let's see about the "stupid/jerky teen" as that Kyle (Daryl Sabara) character was portrayed...

I mean, let's be honest: Kyle was just another POS mindless teen, a sorry excuse for a Human, truly an insect in the wrong shape at that stage in his pathetic, meaningless life. A guy who were a complete idiot, shallow, a social misfit by choice and a borderline emotionally retarded, who enjoyed himself simply by being completely & democratically obnoxious and repulsive to everyone, from Family to classmates, no exceptions allowed. Adding injury to insult, he was also a mentally deranged, who explicitly enjoyed disgusting practices (Scatology, for instance, which put his closest - and only - friend Andrew, out), including jerking-off to his neighbor, a lady at his Grandma's age bracket. Kyle was as most so-called "victims" ("of themselves", that is) use to be in Life, only to blame it on the world around them, while never questioning if that is not just a "reaction" to their own projected behavior...

That Character Profile was sort of an over-the-top script choice, but the point was clearly taken: he was as dislikable as it gets.

Therefore, nobody would EVER like to get around that crappy character he was, for no reason whatsoever. So, people who simply bullied and/or despised him, from his classmates to the School Principal, were not being gratuitously rude to him - they were just reflecting back that negative behavior HE projected onto them, in the first place.

Until his "Suicide Note/Journals" came to light...

Because, like any unbiased, non-partisan "Mirror" in Life, they CHANGED their "perception" of him according to the changes in the SOURCE projecting onto them: because that's the nature of the deeply moving, evolved, mature text his Dad wrote on his behalf, which resonated with virtually everyone around, and not only in his strict circle but nationwide, hence the invite to be a guest on that "Oprah-like" TV interview.

So, that's in no way people being "hypocrite" towards "him"; that's only people being HONEST of what they "acknowledged" about ANY person who manifested a Superior Soul/Mind/Sensitivity, etc.. They believed in the Message and, by extension, on him, simply because this is how this "make-believe Kyle" was presented to them, period - and truly justifiably so.

Because "the Kyle" who emerged from those pages his Dad wrote is a marvelous Human Being: Compassionate, Sensitive, well-versed in Life, very Mature for his age, etc.. In short: he was perceptive of anything around him on a deeper scale than all of his pals. Therefore, it's only natural that they too start to react to "that Kyle" on a more positive and different light. Because THAT was what was disclosed to them that "he was" behind that "ordinary cover".

That's why "that Kyle" changed lives: many girls posthumously falling in love with him, and even fist-fighting over his memorabilia; an ex-bully coming out of the closet to finally make sense of his own life by revealing some secrets and insecurities, so hurtful that he almost senselessly took his own life to hide; a long-time secret (& promiscuous) lover suddenly turned into a mature Adult, who would assume her relationship, for a change; his School's Principal, who were previously so hostile towards him, now wanting to make amends by having the school's new Library renamed, as a tribute to his memory, etc..

Now, with so much shaking and changing going on around their lives, as a result of such a Positive Message from an unsuspected genius, now tragically dead by suicide while only in his teens, how come anyone could possibly be called "a hypocrite" simply by praise and worship the memory of such a lovable and enlightening kid they supposed to have so heartlessly overlooked?

It's like a 4-Quarter Basketball game: just because Team A was losing badly in the first 3 Quarters, it won't prevent it to be the winner on the Final Quarter. And the crowd in attendance shouldn't be considered as "hypocrites" just because they would end up cheering and saluting their (Team A's) victory. They'd only "change" their "perception" of the game, as the then losing team reacts - and started its coming-from-behind journey to Victory.

Exactly what happened to the "supposed-Kyle" they got to know from his "journals".

So, when his Dad reveals his farce to all of them on the final scenes, it didn't strike me as if they were "being dishonest" in their reactions, at all. I just saw their attitude as expected, coming from people who felt betrayed by that "fake-Kyle" all the time, and naturally they were entitled to show their disappointment.

Of course, when the dust start to settle later on, those more mentally aware and articulated among them would conclude that the Positive aspect of that Message, which touched so deeply their Hearts & Lives, is the important point to retain, regardless of its own nature, whether "real" or "fictionalized". Because if the outcome is meritorious, then that's enough to validate it as it is.

After all, "in the great scheme of things", it really doesn't matter from "where" that fresh, redeeming "Water" came, if it ends up being good enough to quench your "Thirst", isn't it?

Cheers!