MovieChat Forums > The Squid and the Whale (2005) Discussion > Why did the mom get to keep the nice hou...

Why did the mom get to keep the nice house?


Was she independently wealthy or something? We didn't see any sign of her earning money until she got some things published near the end.

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[deleted]

Ignore the knee-jerk woman-hating fantasy answer above me lol, the real reason is the mother had been more successful than the father for awhile, he wasn't making enough money to carry the mortgage on the nicer home, and was probably mostly living off his payout on the nicer property. She was the one carrying him financially for quite awhile in their marriage, his success as an author was very far behind him. Listen to the commentary track for some more background.

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They acted like she was just starting to get a couple things published near the end of the movie.

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Ridiculous. When a split occurs in most states, you add up the assets (house included), deduct the liabilities, and split what's left.

It's a movie. You're supposed to suspend your disbelief. Either that, or wonder how those guys got all the way out to Mars.

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In most states the man is forced to continue to support his wife as well as give her most of his assets, the only way to keep his house house is to buy her and her boyfriends another one. The only thing unrealistic in the movie is that he was allowed to see his kids

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[deleted]

Because Divorce Laws always favor the woman. Duh.

Schrodinger's cat walks into a bar, and / or doesn't.

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