*** Official "THE DEEP END" Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[AdrianJ]

Patrick,
I'd say the reason you didn't like him is because he is really never given much of a personality. He comes off as a sullen teenager that does things just to spite his mother. He is never portrayed in any good light during the movie.
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Adrian Jones

 

[Tom-G]

How did this family afford the house that they were in based on a Navy salary? I guess it could be family money, but it seems like the grandfather was also a Navy man. It was one of the things that could have been explained.

When watching the film, I didn't feel that was something that needed explaining. I feel the same way now, even after I have had time to think about it. The salary for someone in the Navy is not necessarily low. We weren't privy to what the husband's rank was. He could have been well compensated, but it didn't seem like these people were living an exuberant lifestyle.
If you think back, Margaret needed to have her husband present to withdraw any large amounts of money. They very well could have had $50,000 squirreled away in the bank, but Margaret was precluded from withdrawing it at such quick notice because her husband wasn't around to give consent.
This is a fine film. One of the better that I have seen this year.
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As for the bad rap about the characters--hey, I've seen space operas that put their emphasis on human personalities and relationships. They're called "Star Trek" movies. Give me transparent underwater cities and vast hollow senatorial spheres any day. --Roger Ebert on The Phantom Menace
AIM: Aureus91 / DVDs / ICQ: 58566493

 

[AdrianJ]

If you think back, Margaret needed to have her husband present to withdraw any large amounts of money. They very well could have had $50,000 squirreled away in the bank, but Margaret was precluded from withdrawing it at such quick notice because her husband wasn't around to give consent.

Actually, she wasn't trying to withdraw money at the bank, she was trying to get a second mortgage on the house and wasn't allowed since the ownership of the house was in both names.
--adrian

 

[Patrick Sun]

Do people find this film good because it leaves alot to their imagination (w/r/t lifestyle, money, etc)?
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[Michael Reuben]

Do people find this film good because it leaves alot to their imagination (w/r/t lifestyle, money, etc)?

No more so than any other film. When I'm introduced to characters, I don't usually find myself trying to figure out how wealthy they are or where the money comes from unless it's a key plot point. I gather you disagree, but I don't think it was here.
M.

 

[Tom-G]

Actually, she wasn't trying to withdraw money at the bank, she was trying to get a second mortgage on the house and wasn't allowed since the ownership of the house was in both names.

I do remember her trying to obtain a second mortgage, but I also seem to remember Margaret trying to withdraw money from the joint account that she and her husband shared. Maybe it's that "missing-scene-from-Hannibal" thing.
Patrick, I enjoyed the film because the story focused on the lengths that one will go to for the love of someone else. I'm sure Margaret was aware that by moving the body, she could have made herself a suspect (moving the body alone was breaking the law).
Even though her son was homosexual and a typical rebellious teen, she continued to go to extraordinary lengths to protect him and fulfill his potential in music school.
Also, The Deep End was in the tradition of some of the older film noir greats. I have an affinity for film noir.
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As for the bad rap about the characters--hey, I've seen space operas that put their emphasis on human personalities and relationships. They're called "Star Trek" movies. Give me transparent underwater cities and vast hollow senatorial spheres any day. --Roger Ebert on The Phantom Menace
AIM: Aureus91 / DVDs / ICQ: 58566493

 

[Michael Reuben]

Margaret's family is definitely well-to-do.

I was reminded of this discussion while watching the newly released DVD of The Deep End. One of the extras is an episode of "Anatomy of a Scene" from the Sundance Channel, in which the production designer mentions that they had a hard time finding the right location in Lake Tahoe for the Hall residence because, among its other requirements, it couldn't look too expensive. They wanted a home that would look more "middle class" than many of the mansions built near the lake.
Excellent DVD. The movie gets even better on a second viewing. And my apologies for misremembering the scene after Darby and Beau fight in the boathouse; it's a good thing Edwin's memory was better than mine.
M.