As background, this is one of my favorite films, and easily the one I have seen the most times.
There are, however, two things in it that disturb me, and I wonder how the rest of you feel about them:
1. The scenes with Mr. Happer and his therapist: do these scenes add to, or, as I see it, detract from the film?
2. The fighter jets flying overhead. Same question as above.
1. They are supposed to be funny. Whether they are is arguable - the therapist placing the lettering outside the window is. I don't see them as neither adding or detracting.
2. The jets are part of what Furness is. They practice there. They give Mac's line - "Well, they do spoil a very nice area." They don't detract.
You just have to be resigned-
You're crashing by design
I'd say that the first one adds to the quirkiness of the film and adds another dimension to Happer's eccentricity.
I agree with Mickyfinn that the jets are part of what Furness is. I have holidayed for the last 50 years in the Yorkshire Dales, and whilst I prefer it without the jets going over, they are part of its tapestry.
1: I don't think they detract, and I think they do add to the film in the sense that it provides some background for the character of Mr. Happer, specifically his lack of fulfilment despite his extraordinary wealth. This theme is echoed in the main character, Mac, who despite being at least materialistically wealthier than the people of Ferness, grows to find the way of life there more appealing. This development is then again reflected when Mr. Happer shows up and is equally enraptured with Ben's beach.
2 was answered succinctly above.
You've nailed it with your answer. Happer is anxious that he can give his name to something lasting (Comet Happer). He even rues the fact that his grandfather didn't change the name of the company. His interaction with Moritz is an essential component of the film.
shareI thought the therapist was important from a story-telling standpoint, but I thought the execution of the character was "too much". I'm sure it just wasn't the actor (who was pretty good in the role), but just the types of things the character did.
You can't get rid of the character or his purpose, but they could have toned him down quite a bit. The character -- as it was presented -- was a distraction and a detraction, but it didn't need to be.