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Why is Charlie 'filled with hope' at the end of the movie?

posted 11 years ago by TUCG
1 reply | jump to latest

I don't "get" the ending. At the beginning of the movie, Charlie is bitter and depressed, unsatisfied with his looks, his writing, his clothing, his romantic life (or lack thereof) and his life in general, at one point describing himself af "fat, old, bald, repulsive". Over the course of the film, he gets rejected in various ways, shouted on by McKee, sees his brothers succeed in everything he couldn't, disappointed by Orlean, and in the end, his brother dies, in part because of him. So almost nothing changed, and what did change just got worse. If anything, I would expect him to be even. However, he seems happy and hopeful.

Can someone explain this? It makes no sense to me.

[–] rogerwatersfan3 11 years ago

It's working on two levels. On the level of straight narrative, Charlie is happy because of the insight his brother gave him before he died: "It's who we love that makes us who we are, not who loves us". He uses this new insight to tell his ex that he loves her.

On the second level, this is, in the context of the movie, exactly what Kaufman said he didn't want to do: wrap everything up in a neat little bow. He is doing just that, so that we understand as we watch that he is struggling while writing the script between staying true to his vision, and giving the audience what they want. This is a way of doing both. Because the astute viewer will realize that the ending is a cop out, but intentionally so. In this cop out, he is paradoxically able to say the things he wants to anyway.

It's brilliant, and I'd recommend repeated viewings.