MovieChat Forums > Saturday Night Fever (1977) Discussion > Question about Bobby

Question about Bobby

posted 4 years ago by MovieChatUser497 (18943)
10 replies | jump to latest

So something that I've always found interesting is when he's doing all of those crazy stunts on the bridge, once he has Tony's attention he doesn't say "Tony, I'm confused, I don't know what to do, my life is out of control, please help me", instead what he says is "how come you never called me". Could this be an intention of the filmmakers to open up the possibility that Bobby made the whole Pauline story up as a way to get the gang (especially Tony) to notice him and see him as something other than their chauffeur? Again, all that we the audience know about Pauline is what Bobby has told us. I may be looking way too far into this but it's just always puzzled me.

[–] strntz (12256) 3 years ago

Nothing Tony or his posse did in the film would indicate that they didn't believe Bobby knocked up Pauline. No rolling of eyes, no "knowing" glances, etc. - things the writer/director would put into the script if Pauline didn't exist.

[–] HelpMeRhonda (1158) 3 years ago

Interesting theory, but would Bobby really kill himself because his friends didn't give him the attention he wanted?

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

Bobby didn't kill himself. He was spazzing out on drugs and accidentally slipped and fell as he was turning.

[–] HelpMeRhonda (1158) 3 years ago

That's true. But it's almost like he had a death wish. But I think you're right. He didn't mean to.

[–] MovieChatUser497 (18943) 3 years ago

I don’t think he meant to fall, he was acting crazy and slipped.

[–] strntz (12256) 3 years ago

There are ways of killing yourself without really killing yourself.

[–] Who (5146) 3 years ago

Bobby talked about the pressure he was getting from his parents, his priest, his girlfriend, her family. That is a lot of people that would have to be in on Bobby’s lie. You have to accept that his story mostly takes place off camera. He’s a minor character but we know these guys grew up together, probably hung out in each other’s houses, know each other’s families well. They all know Pauline too. So it’s not like Bobby can have a secret life. Bobby was looking to Tony to be on his side and help him find a way not to get married and have a kid he was not ready for. Everyone else in his life was telling him to marry Pauline

Bobby’s purpose in the story is just to give another example of how Tony’s life is on a dead end path to nowhere. Those guys work in paint stores, blow their paychecks away every weekend on fun, and some knock up their Catholic girlfriends and have to marry them.

[–] MovieChatUser497 (18943) 3 years ago

I agree with you, and I said on an earlier thread that Bobby didn’t know which side of the bridge he should be on and because of that he fell. After that Tony knew he had to cross the bridge or he’d end up like Bobby or would be trapped in Bayridge the rest of his life.

[–] Who (5146) 3 years ago

Ooo the bridge symbolism! Great point.

[–] MovieChatUser497 (18943) 3 years ago

Yeah that’s why I don’t like the deleted scene where Tony gets out of the car and points at the bridge, first off all in the context of the film there was no reason for him to do it, secondly it pretty much spells out the point of the movie. Heck even the first shot of the movie is literally a bridge.