I am curious as to what the phrase “you can’t make sixty-five cents into a dollar” in the Miracle Fish movie refers to - is it a common idiom, does it have something to do with the IQ of the person who utters it, or is there some other explanation?
shareI am curious about the meaning of the complete short. I like the way it was done, but I really don't understand what it is supposed to represent...
I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!
It's taken from some some real paranoid schizophenic writings. It's not meant to mean anything to the audience - it's just something the kid sees as a way to communicate.
shareI was thinking it might connect to the theme of poverty introduced earlier when the two bullies were making fun of Joe because all he got for his birthday was the fish. Maybe some of the shooter's problems relate to being poor? I don't know, just a thought.
shareI'm pretty sure the shooter was also bullied as a kid and came back for revenge if you will. So to me the film shows what happens to kids that are ignored/bullied in school. IE In class the kids bully Joe while the teacher selects kids for a play, when he goes to the nurse she is too busy for him, etc. But that's just my opinion and I could be wrong.
shareI'm pretty sure the shooter was also bullied as a kid and came back for revenge if you will. So to me the film shows what happens to kids that are ignored/bullied in school. IE In class the kids bully Joe while the teacher selects kids for a play, when he goes to the nurse she is too busy for him, etc. But that's just my opinion and I could be wrong.
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You're all a bunch of idiots. It's not supposed to mean anything. It's just supposed to be a crazy man's rant.
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Just see brockcardiner's excellent response, b/c that IS what is going on here. Sure the man may be paranoid schizo but let's face the facts that are presented here. He's ranting and raving includes many factors that suggest he had the same upbringing as the child in the film-- i.e., came from a poor home (thus the "they don't understand, you can't turn 65 cents into a dollar" phrase...they could mean anyone but I took it to mean a phrase his mother or father used to explain their poverty somehow), bullied in school (the man constantly referring to "they" against him and how he had no friends growing up), etc.
SPOILERS:
The main difference here is the child views this from the viewpoint of innocence and that innocence is shattered when the man is shot dead in front of him.
END SPOILER ALERT.
Seriously, it doesn't take too many neurons to fire off the obvious points. They were right there at the end for you.
Hey there, I know this is a really old thread, but I was an actor in this short. I was the chubby looking blonde kid who bullied the main character. Originally the film was going to be called '65 cents', but before filming began the name was changed to miracle fish, as this was a more prominent theme of the film. As for the actual meaning, I'm sorry, I dont actually know.
share