MovieChat Forums > Parenthood (1989) Discussion > Sniper scene

Sniper scene

posted 10 years ago by mercury4
12 replies | jump to latest

After Gil's son Kevin drops the ball in the baseball game and says, "Why'd you make me play second base," Gil pictures his son losing it and going to the top of a tower as a sniper. I didn't realize until a professor I had brought it up. We were watching Parenthood in the class and when that scene came on he told us that something like that really happened. I looked it up when I got home. This was a real life tragedy. A man named Charles Whitman went to the top of a tower and started picking people off. A lot of people died that day. I can't laugh at that scene anymore.

[–] coney_island_baby 10 years ago

A lot of movies and tv shows make reference to the tower shooting - the simpsons for example has done it more than once. It's just black comedy, calm down!

[–] mercury4 10 years ago

It's just black comedy

I know black comedy. But this was a real life tragedy. I don't know how old you are or if you were alive when Charles Whitman went on a shooting spree, but I'm sure people from that time or people that lived through it, wouldn't find this scene amusing. And nobody should be spoofing this. Not The Simpsons or anything. To me, it's like spoofing Columbine or the Virginia Tech Massacre. The Whitman Rampage happened in 1966. But I read about it and saw the movie they made on it called The Deadly Tower. You should check the movie out. It's online. I also had a chance to speak with a survivor. It was horrific. I read the first victim was a pregnant woman. She was shot in the abdomen and lost her child. Before I knew about Charles Whitman, I found the scene funny. All I'm saying is, I can't laugh at the scene anymore, knowing what I know now and how this real life tragedy happened. That's all I'm saying.

[–] coney_island_baby 10 years ago

Yes, but people laugh at 'real life tragedy' (including columbine and Virginia Tech) all the time, it's just how a lot of people deal with tragedy. Is MASH offensive because it makes light of war? or suicide?

It's great that you're looking into this and it's got you interested, but a 25 year old movie with a scene referencing a forty year old tragedy is not worth getting worked up over.

[–] mercury4 10 years ago

It's great that you're looking into this and it's got you interested, but a 25 year old movie with a scene referencing a forty year old tragedy is not worth getting worked up over.

Again, here is where we have a failure to communicate. Nobody is getting worked up. I've been calm and civil. I'm just telling you my opinion. I don't care how long ago it was. And people laughing about Columbine or Virginia Tech are sick. I don't agree with making light of war or suicide. I didn't get worked up. I told you I couldn't find the scene in Parenthood funny anymore and I said all of the reasons why. If you still don't get it, then I'm sorry you feel that way. And if you couldn't understand my second post about this, then you have missed the point completely. There's no point even talking about this then.

[–] theemaster 10 years ago

I've been calm and civil.

No you've been a humorless ass..

And people laughing about Columbine or Virginia Tech are sick.

I leave you to the sadness of your life.. every 5 minutes there's a tragic shooting somewhere.. and every 5 seconds some kid dies of hunger which we could so obviously prevent couldn't we? 

Must suck to be you..! Leave the movie parenthood alone.. it's a classic 

[–] bruce-129 10 years ago

> referencing a forty year old tragedy is not worth getting worked up over.

For you, let the guy have his own opinion ... what is wrong with you people?

1) UnWatchable 2)Watchable,ButBad 3)Decent,SeeOnce 4)Good,Repeat&Recommend 5)Great,Classic

[–] ec1979 10 years ago

Sort of...."shooting from a clocktower" became an expression, synonymous with someone "losing it". It's an event that was tragic but became embedded in culture in a colloquial way.

[–] bruce-129 10 years ago

Fine with you expressing your opinion, but why does everyone have to tell other people that want to express their opinions to calm down or something like that. Everyone does not have to feel as you do about everything.

1) UnWatchable 2)Watchable,ButBad 3)Decent,SeeOnce 4)Good,Repeat&Recommend 5)Great,Classic

[–] novastar_6 10 years ago

It's no different than today somebody making a joke about somebody 'going postal'.

[–] Jack2979 9 years ago

Exactly. And if you want to take it a step further, why laugh at any scene in a movie that involves a gun? There are situations that happen everyday where people get killed by guns, or knives, or anything. So you shouldn't laugh at anything that involves a weapon of any kind. People choke to death on food too...... Can't laugh at that anymore either. Just stop watching comedies altogether because there is bound to be at least one scene connected to a tragedy. I know I took it far, but if you are going to do it you might as well make the full commitment right?

[–] daughterofolaf 9 years ago

You are right--damn near everything would be off limits for laughing if the OP applies his logic to it. This poster needs to hook up with the person on this board who is disturbed over the toddler being nude. Like I suggested to that poster, people like this need to create a group where they can meet up and be worried together about irrelevant s h ! t in movies that they find disturbing and offensive.

"Why couldn't the monkey arrange this from INSIDE the garbage can?"

[–] stevenackerman69 8 years ago

I have no problem watching it. It's a funny scene where Gil is trying to talk his kid down and it ends with Gil singing the Diarrhea song while being pulled back behind a police car. When I saw that in the theater, I was laughing so hard for about 10 minutes after that with tears coming out of my eyes. That doesn't happen with me often.