he felt guilty about telling Bernard to be patient and that his girl will turn up so he decided to put him out of his misery? That's what I thought at first because I considered him a good guy but then again I didn't realize Bernard was The man with the plan's son till coming onto the boards.
sharethere are other explanations on the board, but my first thought was that he didn't want to live the rest of his life in fear of being whacked.. so he killed bernard to be sure that Man With The Plan would take action.
If someone tries to kill you, you try to kill them back!share
The end of the movie it does say that Jimmy killed TMWTP by killing Bernard.
Bernard was all TMWTP had left of his wife Cynthia, and by Jimmy killing Bernard it left TMWTP alone and with nothing.
exactly- he killed Bernard for revenge. TMWTP took away everything Jimmy lived for (killed his friends, forced him to leave his girlfriend for her safety), so Jimmy took away the one thing TMWTP lived for. It was obvious it was extremely emotionally painful for him to do it. And when we see it, its jolting- because we, the viewers, have seen Jimmy as sort of a "gentleman criminal"- not cruel or thuggish. But I think its Jimmy's way of righting the karmic scales of justice.
share"but then again I didn't realize Bernard was The man with the plan's son till coming onto the boards. "
Do people intentionally not pay attention when watching movies?
I played Bernard in the movie (Michael Nicolosi) ...you hit it right on the head !!! It was also hard for Jimmy because he knew Bernard, since Bernard was a child.... he was TMWTP family friend and mentor .
share^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
prove it
Your subj line is a spoiler :-\
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I thought it was to show the man with the plan that he couldn't just get away with everything, i.e. killing Jimmy's friends, and generally getting what he wanted and that his actions came with a price. As well as, of course, leaving tmwtp with nothing but his 'dead dick'
shareIt was the only way Jimmy could hurt him, pure and simple.
He effectively 'killed' him by destroying the only thing he had remaining of Cynthia, Bernard.
that is the perfect answer ! Right on the money !
shareJimmy wanted to take everything away from TMWTP, like TMWTP did to him. You can tell Jimmy has a hard time killing Bernard in the scene..... when we shot the scene in the car, Andy broke down and cried while he held me.He also broke down in the malt shop when i told him he was noble. Andy didnt know how i was going to approach Bernard the first day of the shoot. First scene, day one, was the Malt Shop... I wanted Bernard to be hated and loved, in the same moment. We rehearsed and Andy started to cry in the scene during the first run through ! Andy loved it! The director took me aside and said he thought Bernard should be emotionless. I was dumbfounded ! How do you play something without emotion, unless its a robot ? Andy heard the director telling me this and he went nuts ! We left the set to talk... Andy screamed at him and told him to never tell an actor a direction like that after he has prepared it for months !!! The director came back and told me to play Bernard the way i thought best.... The result is on film so you can judge whether i was right or not. When the film was screened the director told me that "letting me play Bernard,as i had played him, was one of the best decisions he had made in the movie". We enjoyed some drinks and a good laugh that day. So your right to think that Jimmy was trying to hurt, even kill, TMWTP by killing Bernard. Just like TMWTP did to him by taking the things he loved. But, he knew Bernard from childhood, and Jimmy was good man. The death of Bernard showed how he was angry, lost and in pain. But, it also touched and hurt him to kill Bernard.... He stabbed him in anger then held his lifeless body and cried. It showed that those conflicting emotions are what make us human.....
shareAwwww man! I've always hoped I'd get a REAL actor's insight into crafting an incredible movie and this is it! The gold dust stories behind the lens we never hear! Andy really cried?
To be contined Mick!! I want more! 'Denver' is PERFECT!
Hey micknicolosi, if you really are the actor that's cool. I have been a fan of this movie since I first saw it years ago. I always felt conflicted about Bernard though. Like there was missing footage that ended up on the cutting room floor or something. Was there anything that was cut that would have given your character more depth? Like, was he aware of who his father was? I understand that Bernard's mother was murdered and that's how TMWTP ended up in a wheelchair, was that why Bernard was so conflicted about things? It was like he was emotionally stunted or something.
shareIt is the actor, yep, trust me, and he's the nicest guy ever.
Does it ever state or reference that Cynthia is murdered? Or that's why TMWTP ends up in the wheelchair? You see, good writing makes your brain go crazy joining the dots! Lol! The film is fantastic isn't it?!
I've read Scott Rosenberg's 2nd draft of the script and no, there isn't any more material involving Bernard at that stage. He does say to Jimmy at the Thick N' Rich that his dad used to talk to him about Jimmy all the time. He used to tell Bernard that Jimmy was 'smooth' and Jimmy became a sort of hero to Bernard after that, like a myth.
But short of that, nope, there's nothing more. Bernard could have just simply been born like that.
Well in one of the "flashbacks" it shows TMWTP dancing with Cynthia and Bernard is sitting there watching. He looks like a normal ivy league type in white with a vest.
I swear that someone shot TMWTP and that's why he is in a wheelchair. I just assumed that maybe that's how Cynthia died too.
Yes, someone did shoot him and that's how he ended up in the chair, Franchise says it at the cemetery.
'Ever since the man with the plan got shot, security round there has been insane. It'd be easier to whack the president.'
But no mention anywhere of how Cynthia died. Curious.
I think alot of things are assumed about Bernard..... But Midnight-boy is right on. People misread the opening scene .... Bernard was NOT a child molester !!!!! He jumps into a school yard to play with the kids NOT hurt them and gets accused of trying to "grab itty bitty titty", but to find friendship !!! Of course this is a desperate place to find a friend, but he knows how lonely he is. This is not to say he is a balanced guy !!! Bernard is very weak. His only connection to love was his mother and she is gone. TMWTP was clearly not a loving dad and considered Jimmy more of a son. He wasnt the strong gangster son his dad would have respected. He was born weak and disturbed, but being in this family sure did not help! TMWTP loved Cynthia and Bernard was his connection to those days. The whole movie is kind of his effort to get back to those days when TMWTP danced !!! He was on top of the world !!! Now he is at the bottom !!! The message is, you can not go back !!! You can see in the garden that, even in the good times, Bernard was left outside of his fathers love and fun. He could not live up to dad! Once mom died he is left alone in the world. A "moon calf" as Billy Nunn calls him. But, he is a good heart, he is trying to find someone to love him....jimmy,his girlfriend,his dad, a kid in a school yard....anyone !!! You see his pain and frustration in the alley with the bum. I think he knows in that moment the only offer of friendship he gets is from a drunk in an alley. He is alone, he misses his girlfriend and his Mother, and he explodes in the disturbed way that he deals with things!!! Did you notice that Bernard is always alone in the movie? Alone looking for the love he once felt. He finds out like everyone in the movie....YOU CAN NOT GO BACK !!!!!! Life is lived and then its gone !!! You do your best, from the weak to the strong. The choices you make cannot be taken back....right or wrong.... big or small. The choices may make joy or sorrow, but you must live them then...in the moment, because they will soon be gone. When you look back on your life you will make a judgement on who you are and what you did, but you cannot go back and change it. So, if you are dancing with 2000 hooker in Paris.....turn up the music, be in that moment and LIVE !!!! When its all done we will sit on the deck and laugh at the memories ........ BOAT DRINKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!
shareI replied to your thread below ... i hope i answered your questions. stay in contact !!! BOAT DRINKS
shareAlright Micky! Another astounding break down of the work you did with the character! Kudos!
shareThanks again my friend !!!! I cant wait to talk to you !!!!!! Sorry i have not answered all your questions that you have sent, but sooner or later i will answer everyone buddy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BOAT DRINKS PAL !!!!!!!!
I for one believe you dude, if you were actually gonna be sad enough to pretend to be in the film, you'd have chosen one of the cooler stars! :O) I'm actually quite jealous that you got to play with the legend that is Treat Williams, IMHO he never go the star vehicle that he deserved, although you were pretty good too! :O)
I consider it unfair to enter a battle of wits when my opponent is so inadequately armed.
I did. Actually I once get to think they were close friends or something. Imagine a nice guy who is a friend of yours turning into wacko. I never saw in a film that a guy kills another could be a good-will act: love to the victim (or who used to be; think Jimmy could have been much more cruel, just see the very scene, and that's why I say what's in the first line), love to humanity (more people would have been killed, so Jimmy tried to stop the madness, and he succeeded), then to his girlfriend, love to his mates (his vengeance), and to life (he would have escaped if he could have, I think). Something eludes me right now, but I'll see the movie in some ocassion and I'll remember it. I'd still weep for the goddamn scene, I'm sure.
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