MovieChat Forums > Vanilla Sky (2001) Discussion > Great story, but now I'm an adult

Great story, but now I'm an adult

posted 9 years ago by bureau203
9 replies | jump to latest

I just watched this movie for the first time in 10 years. I loved it the first time, and I still love it, but... well, I guess I'm older now.

Cruise says his dad "hired" the 7 dwarves to sit on the board. But as most everyone knows now, board members of corporations consist of the biggest shareholders, they are not "hired".

Interestingly, Michael Shannon is a security guard in this.

Also, Penelope Cruz is still drop-dead good-looking in this.

I've seen things that would make you want to write a book on how to puke.

[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] PotassiumMan 9 years ago

I saw this film when it first came out and it made a big impression on me at the time, so much so that I saw it a few times thereafter. I've now re-visited this film for the first time in quite a while. The problem for me is that it doesn't stand up to scrutiny because it offers such a shallow insight into what a spoiled rich kid is missing and also what he supposedly learns in the end. For years, I thought this film had something profound to say but now that I look at it more closely, this just isn't the case. A beautiful film to look at, for sure, but not much underneath the surface. It's also from a pre-recession era and as such it feels even more insulated and fantasy-based than it did back in the day.

As far as corporations go, if I remember correctly, the selection of board members is governed by a corporation's bylaws. That's a rather peculiar main quibble to have with a film like this.

[–] daniel-iden 9 years ago

It's such a great movie.

Board members can actually be professionals that constantly sit on multiple boards without having an actual stake. These are _hired_ for their competence and sometimes their contact networks. So the portrayal of the "7 dwarves" isn't that unrealistic :).

[–] diego8080 9 years ago

I was watching this movie right now and came to the forum just out of this very same feeling ..

[–] MrJackHoliday 9 years ago

But as most everyone knows now, board members of corporations consist of the biggest shareholders, they are not "hired".

Not quite. Board members are nominated and approved by shareholders, so depending on the bylaws, a large shareholder or group could nominate and vote in their own nominee. Members tend to be cozy with the CEO and/or Chairman, unless you were thinking of a foreign jurisdiction. Regardless, a trivial point to get hung up on.

And Penelope Cruz is absolutely gorgeous and charming.

[–] Kubricks-donkey 9 years ago

I think the OP has 'proving they're an adult now' insecurities as the 'flaw' they're refering to isn't a flaw.

It's something that actually happens.

[–] bureau203 9 years ago

"Board members are nominated and approved by shareholders, so depending on the bylaws, a large shareholder or group could nominate and vote in their own nominee."

Yes, but if it's a publicly-traded company, it's very unlikely that one man would be able to appoint the entire board, right? He would have to be essentially the sole shareholder, and if he were, it wouldn't make much sense to be public.

It just made me feel like the writers had kind of a naive idea of what a board of directors was.

I've seen things that would make you want to write a book on how to puke.

[–] GreyHunter 9 years ago

Yes, but if it's a publicly-traded company, it's very unlikely that one man would be able to appoint the entire board, right? He would have to be essentially the sole shareholder, and if he were, it wouldn't make much sense to be public.

That assumption is your problem. There's no evidence that it's publicly-traded. It's implied, in fact, that all holdings were willed by David's father -- 51% to David, 49% to the 7 Dwarves (which divides quite nicely into 7% apiece.) Now why he wouldn't just will it all to David, I couldn't say, though it's clear David wasn't exactly the serious, business-like type when he was younger. He was 31 when he died (per the label on his cryo unit) and we can probably assume that no more than a couple years or so passed between that party at the beginning and his suicide. So he would have been no older than 20 when his parents died. Still young and foolish. Perhaps had his father lived longer, the will would have been amended to give David everything.

As such, the BoD wouldn't be "appointed." They'd hold their positions by right of partial ownership. And even if you don't accept the interpretation of how they got their shares mentioned above, it could also be that David's father sold them their shares as a means of raising capital back in the early days of the company. Either way, there's no clear evidence that the company is publicly traded.

[–] RovingEye 8 years ago

Think of this as a movie that served you well during a time in your life.

This movie will touch people for generations to come, and they may revisit it and see less than previously, but that moment of clarity and feeling you felt when you loved it is what this movie looks to give you.

Remember the good times with this movie.

For me, it helped me through a big breakup, a breakup that came to define much of what subsequently came. It touches a part deep within my soul that no amount of reassessment can ever tarnish.

It's a soulful, beautiful and touching movie, IMHO!