Dylan's Dad


Is it me or is Dylan's dad not as supportive as he could be about his son's passion?

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It's like death eatin' a cracker.

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It's not just you.

It was pretty clear that most, if not all the vents had some non-supportive family members; Wilma said her family avoided her because of being a ventriloquist.

I liked the ending credits, where it said that Dylan was now taller than his dad.

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I think there was some subtle reference to Wilma's situation being more than ventriloquism as the reason for the family rejection.

**** POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW **************

I think she used to be a man. Points:
* She looks and sounds like someone transgender (manly voice, manly stature...but that's my personal opinion)
* Her nephew mentions some hard times and some decisions she made (he doesn't say exactly what but gives a look). THEN, when he says this, they show an older shot of her when she was younger, in a dress or something, but looking more manly.
* She talks about how her "ex" also took her son away
* She named herself "Wilma"....like her son...."William".

Granted, I may be looking too much into it, but that conclusion dawned on me partway through. It seemed to be something much bigger than ventriloquism that led to her family ostracizing her. I just think those things indicate that it's not just hatred of hand puppets that caused her family to reject her.

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I thought at first, too. But then they showed a picture of a much younger Wilma still a female. Granted, it could have been still after.. but it made me think that perhaps transgender isn't the case at all.

Though, the Wilma/William Jr. thing is a very good, astute point.

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[deleted]

Yes, he could have been more supportive, but I think Dylan's father got an unfair edit in the film. Is he enthusiastic about Dylan's ventriloquism? No. But he still lets his son do it.

And while one would hope that parents will always be supportive of their children-- especially those pursuing creative fields-- you can understand why Dylan's father might be less than enthusiastic. I believe it was mentioned that Dylan's mother works a second job and the money from that job goes directly into fueling Dylan's hobby-- one which is not exactly lucrative. I think the film tries to portray the subjects of this film in a positive light, but it's a difficult life. We have Terry-- who was struggling and struggling until he got a lucky break that it is unlikely Dylan will get. But then we have people like Wilma who can barely get by and people like Kim who have been working hard but can't make it. Perhaps most depressing for me was Dan-- he is the rare case who finds regular work with his ventriloquism and is clearly respected and known in the community (Terry looks up to him) but he can't keep his marriage together.

None of this is to say that creativity should not be supported and nurtured, especially given that arts programs are at an all-time low in most schools. But you have to understand Dylan's father's reluctance and appreciate the support that is given.

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