MovieChat Forums > Fear (1996) Discussion > Something new I noticed

Something new I noticed

posted 2 years ago by PackManDan (74)
2 replies | jump to latest

I’ve seen this movie numerous times over the years and this was the first time I picked up on this.

When David meets Nicole’s family for the first time, he offers to help Laura plant some shrubs in the yard. It then cuts to Steve working in his office. Off camera you hear David ask someone “Is there somewhere I can wash up?” And the response back is “I don’t know, I think dirt under the fingernails of a hard working man can be very attractive”. David then playfully responds with “maybe I shouldn’t wash up then” and a female is heard laughing.

I have always heard this line and for some reason I always thought it was David talking to and flirting with Margo, since she walks into the room immediately after and asks Steve if David is in there. But I turned on subtitles and Laura is actually the one who has that brief conversation with David.

This would seem like an innocent line between Laura and David but it also seems inappropriate considering they just met, David is dating Laura’s step-daughter and the line comes off as flirtatious. Keep in mind also, later in the movie they are hanging out at the pool and David grabs Laura and playfully throws her in the water and the fact David tells Steve Laura is “all over my stick”. I wonder if there is truth to any of that and if maybe there was a subplot of Laura and David having sex.

[–] alanparsons (559) 2 years ago

>if maybe there was a subplot of Laura and David having sex

They weren't actually having sex, but I do think Laura was also somewhat attracted to David. He's charming and handsome. The overall theme of the movie is supposed encourage the fear of a dad watching his family be destroyed by an outside male. Having his wife flirt with David a little just plays more into that.

[–] Patman111196 (1775) 2 years ago

I took that conversation as a sign that David likes to make decisions based on the opinions of others and make a good impression of himself in front of others. It was a joke, but Laura's comment probably made him feel good to know that she approved of his help, and was one step to being closer to the family, especially Nicole. As for the confrontation with Steve, I think David was just rubbing it in his face that Laura liked and approved of him, and blaming him for not understanding his point of view.