'Nigel is a brat' vs 'Potter is a bully'

Here's my take on the "Nigel is a brat" vs "Potter is a bully" arguments.

I think the creators of this film wanted to tell the story in a more realistic fashion, rather than "Disneyfy it". And if anyone has seen Disney's Pocahontas, you know what I mean by that phrase. The most interesting thing about this movie is that I found myself rooting for both sides of the food war for different reasons.

Yes, Nigel was a spoiled brat, and yes, Mrs. Potter was a snot to him. People are flawed that way. It was really disappointing to watch all that potential go down the drain. If Nigel had taken Mrs. Potter's instruction when she offered help, he may not have become so successful later on in life, but still would have become a great cook. When Nigel thanks Mrs. Potter, it is because his anger with her was the fuel behind the challenge to become an expert cook. However, is a career worth a broken and dysfunctional home? I say it is not.

Mrs. Potter was not a kid person. She didn't seem to have any children of her own, and so couldn't relate to Nigel at all. So she treated him like an adult: if he is a jerk, she is a jerk back. Being a bit more mature than the boy, she did offer peace to him a few times, but he always threw it back in her face. She was obviously a very insecure woman, and was only threatened by Nigel because she thought his father only loved her for the work she did. Nigel threatened the only thing she had power over. If her relationship with Nigel's father was healthy, she would have had no worries on that account.

This story doesn't really make a satisfying drama. We all want the two to get along eventually, even if they reconcile in the last scene years later, but it would be silly to portray a reconciliation if it never happened. However, an audience loves a happy ending, and this story didn't have one. Obtaining wealth and fame while losing family connections is not a happy ending. So when the film finally did end, I found myself asking, "What was the point of that movie?" Maybe the whole point was that there are two sides to every story. It was just a really discouraging portrayal of that fact. A movie that goes from bad to worse and ends on a sour note isn't what I call a great story. Realistic, perhaps, but not usually something worthy of retelling.