Have you taken a notice of cows appearing several times through the film? First - photo at party, then - a quick glimpse at a truck filled with cows during funeral, and again similar truck during his ride to his daughter.
shareIt's Nebraska. You know where they make a lot of steak.
Amanda
"She was drunk or he was crazy."
I think it was supposed to by symbolic of Warren's life. Raised the same as all the other cattle. Lived his life like all the other cattle. Maybe got himself a ribbon at a state fair. And now he's being shipped off to the slaughterhouse to be made into hamburger.
shareI think it was supposed to by symbolic of Warren's life. Raised the same as all the other cattle. Lived his life like all the other cattle. Maybe got himself a ribbon at a state fair. And now he's being shipped off to the slaughterhouse to be made into hamburger.
I think both of the responses above make valid points. Payne's films always have a wonderful 'sense of place' as to where the story is set. The cows and the nice treatment of the landscape during Warren's search for himself on his road trip do that.
But the theme of a life of conformity coming to an end is also represented well with the cattle which allow themselves to be herded to their demise in the end at the slaughterhouse.
It's a theme Payne returns to briefly in 'Sideways' during a conversation between Miles and Jack as they leave the golf course and walk to their car in the parking lot. Miles talks of his angst of living a mundane, non-descript life knowing he is headed to the slaughterhouse.
Mr. Treehorn treats objects like women, man.
It's a theme Payne returns to briefly in 'Sideways' during a conversation between Miles and Jack
Interestingly, one of the movies playing at the old movie theater is "Sideways".
Good catch, though he hadn't filmed it yet. Or at least it hadn't been released.
Perhaps Warren's RV was also a time machine!
Mr. Treehorn treats objects like women, man.
And isn't Randall's middle name "Meat" (or similar) as spoken during the wedding ceremony? The numerous cow references were fairly amusing (I hope you like beef stew, the Omaha Steaks kiosk at the airport, prime rib carvery at the wedding, etc.) The truckload of cows driving alongside Warren's motor home seemed to be acknowledging him like "hey dude we know how you feel".
share>And isn't Randall's middle name "Meat" (or similar)
I heard "Mead."
The decision to change the setting from New York (in the book) to Nebraska (in the film) was one I completely agree with, particularly because of the cows. If you've had the misfortune of driving through Nebraska you can't help but notice that every 3rd truck you pass is packed with cows bound for slaughter. If you notice that sort of thing, it casts a dark, hopeless shadow over everything, and I'm sure the director (having grown up in Nebraska himself) wanted to apply that same symbolism to Warren's life. It's a life of quiet futility, dictated by "the man", heading toward a dismal end. Absolutely brilliant. And hats off to the people in this thread for noticing it.
shareIt's a visual reference to Schmidt feeling as if his life had no meaning or impact on anyone. Writer / director Alexander Payne touches on this subject in his follow-up film "Sideways".
Miles: Well, yeah, that's part of it. Woman finds out how I live, that I'm not a published author, that I'm a liar essentially, then yeah, any interest is going to evaporate real quick. If you don't have money at my age, you're not even in the game. You're just a pasture animal waiting for the abattoir.
Jack: Is an abattoir like a... like a... what is that?
Miles: Slaughterhouse.