MovieChat Forums > La migliore offerta (2014) Discussion > OK, way, waaay, WAAAY overcomplicated pl...

OK, way, waaay, WAAAY overcomplicated plot!

posted 11 years ago by dom-trussardi
42 replies | jump to latest

I mean, come on...the dude is old, ugly and some hot chick wants him? Ya, no need to rent a house, make up and illness, build a fake automaton, etc hahahahaha. I knew this fat old guy at my last work who got scammed by some whore in Russia or Africa or god knows where for MONTHS. She got over 10,000 from him because he was so desperate. I hate scammers because they prey on the vulnerable, and Virgil was that personified. Virgil would have gone with any hot girl who pretended to love art. Period. Way too overcomplicated and not a surprise at all to me. I knew that the kid and her were in on it about half way through. It was still a good movie, though. I would have had him go hunt them down at the end and have a shootout in the cafe with the clocks. Billy and that whore should have been plastered over the gears.

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] dabidder34 11 years ago

OK, way, waaay, WAAAY overcomplicated plot!

You're american, I presume?

I like Armageddon. A lot.

[–] cheapfrill 9 years ago

And the maturity of a 12 year old.

[–] julielb67 9 years ago

I hope you weren't generalizing "all" Americans with this comment. I'm an American and both my husband I enjoyed this movie very much. It's stayed with me for some time which is why I came to the message board -to see others insights and opinions. I thought it was masterfully done imo. The symbolism alone drawn throughout the plot (fully realized completely after finishing) is something else.

And you just can't lose with Geoffrey Rush. Another amazing performance by him.

[–] mallaverack 9 years ago

Yes. I too enjoyed this movie immensely and I must say that after having viewed the film twice there has been, until perusing message board, some symbolism that escaped me. So many thanks to all here who have contributed to the discussion.

I may be biased as an Australian, but I have never seen Geoffrey Rush in a film or stage production where he was not marvellous.Very well said,'you just can't lose with...' him, in any role.

[–] Splasharina 9 years ago

Groan, here comes the speech patrol. "Hot chick"??!!!?!?! How DARE anyone speak that way of a woman? "Pulchritudinous female" is the proper term.

However, dom-trussardi, don't forget that that jerk Oldman was also trying to scam the spit out of Claire. He was taking the pieces of the automaton out of her house and pretending it was nothing valuable, all the while planning to make a fortune off it. When Robert asked him which he would rather have, the automaton or Claire, he didn't answer; the next scene has him buying a ring for Claire, probably as a sop to his conscience.

[–] totodarlo 11 years ago

Yeah this doesn't strike me as the kind of film suited to a person who refers to women as "Hot chicks"

"Be the change you want to see in the world"

[–] jgarozzo 10 years ago

I agree, the plot was over-complicated.

######## SPOILER ALERT #########

For anyone to steal what is already stolen is easy to do.

######## SPOILER ALERT #########

Billy felt slighted by Virgil. He didn't feel he was well compensated financially. He devises a plan, albeit a complicated one, to steal the collection from Virgil. Billy knew Virgil's weakness and exploited it perfectly.

One question? How did the thieves get the alarm code? Did Virgil give it to Claire?

[–] Bob_Brooker 10 years ago

One question? How did the thieves get the alarm code? Did Virgil give it to Claire?

My take is that Claire did not fully close her eyes when told to and watched him punch in the code.

__________
Last movie watched: Enter the Void (8/10)

[–] Splasharina 9 years ago

Also, Robert could supposedly "do anything," according to the real Claire. Complete genius with mechanical things. Maybe he cracked it.

[–] mel2000 9 years ago

My take is that Claire did not fully close her eyes when told to and watched him punch in the code.

So their exceedingly complex plan depended on Virgil opening his safe with Claire in view of the combo?

[–] Bob_Brooker 9 years ago

It depended on Claire getting the combination from him in some way. Who knows, there might have been a plan B and C if the spying trick hadn't work out.

__________
Last movie watched: Anomalisa (8/10)

[–] mel2000 9 years ago

It was a pretty dumb choice to hang a major plot point onto.

[–] Dyellyc 10 years ago

@dom-trussardi

Go back to watching comic book movies

[–] caree2020 10 years ago

👏

[–] ad1mt 9 years ago

RE: your little pink doodle... what exactly is it? I canot make out that it is!

[–] caree2020 9 years ago

Hands clapping :)

[–] YassenJ 9 years ago

In fact, there was no need to involve any hot girl at all. Donald Sutherland could just get Jim Sturgess and some friend of his break in Virgil's house at night and torture him until he gives them the alarm code.
Well, I guess Donald's plan was not only to steal Virgil's collection, but also to crush his mind, that's why he devised this plan. Still, I don't like the plan at all, it relies on chance too much. For example it wouldn't be unlikely at all if Virgil accidentally saw Claire walking in or out of the house...

[–] ad1mt 9 years ago

they didn't need any of that complicated stuff... billy should have just got a gang together (willis, travolta, jackson, roth & tarrantino would be good), break in & beat the crap out of virgil until he gave away the combination. then waste him so no witness.

[–] gosudar2000 9 years ago

The "old ugly" guy has so much more going for him than this poster could ever hope for. He strike me as stupid for even thinking such things.

Sophisticated women don't like men who call them "hot chicks." We also like someone who can hold a conversation.

I watched this with my SO. First I said that I wanted the man's house. Later he said, "I bet you want his life!" Yeah, I could imagine that.

I doubt if a simple con would have worked. Damsel in distress type? Yeah, it would take something like that.

[–] dom-trussardi 9 years ago

He has "so much more going on then this poster could ever hope for". Ya, no, I hope for more than being an art geek that eats alone. I hope for more than some lonely life where my only value is selling dusty old crap to douchebags. And why are you whining about my use of the term "hot chick"? I mean, I'm a feminist/leftist and even I think you're being overly sensitive. He was lonely and would have jumped on any BEAUTIFUL WOMAN that was presented to him that pretended to like art. Really. The plot was so over the freakin top and everybody knows it. Great acting and directing, fascinating subject matter, etc can't diminish that simple point. The plot was like having a perfect dish with five ingredients in it and then arrogantly throwing in three unneeded ones to feel special.

[–] ToHelenBackAgain 9 years ago

He was lonely and would have jumped on any BEAUTIFUL WOMAN that was presented to him that pretended to like art.

No he wouldn't. Her personality had to be tailored to his specifications. She could only be ordered by someone who knew him extremely well and knew what would inspire feelings in him. She had to be delicate, rare, unable to be possessed by others, like one of his paintings.

The man wasn't a virgin by accident. He wasn't panting after any skirt that passed by. He was extraordinarily successful and could have had many beautiful women, if he liked. He chose not to.

Billy didn't only want the collection. He wanted to destroy his old friend, who had never believed in him, in every way possible.

So he set about creating the only situation that could have that result - for Virgil to fall in love for the first time in his life. And then to lose both that love and all his other loves, in one stroke.

I'm very sorry to see that all this went over your head, because it's a magnificent film.

"Oh, dear. Mr. Dictionary seems to have deserted us again."

[–] mel2000 9 years ago

The man wasn't a virgin by accident. He wasn't panting after any skirt that passed by. He was extraordinarily successful and could have had many beautiful women, if he liked. He chose not to.

I didn't feel that the movie was successful in convincing me that there was something especially attractive about Claire that would separate her from the hundreds of other beautiful and opportunistic women that would have vied for the attention of a wealthy man like Virgil.

I enjoyed the movie but the Claire character was overdone.

[–] RGMedia 9 years ago

Virgil was lost as to how to court a woman, and since he also had a severe phobia of human contact, for him to slowly gain self-confidence with women and to open up to touching a woman, they needed to devise a relationship for him that began from a physical distance, while using the automaton and her mysterious story to intrigue him and pique his interest. Also, by having Claire appear to have agoraphobia, Virgil felt less intimidated, while also sharing a special bond that allowed him to feel more comfortable with sharing his own phobia and fear of the outside world with her.

The more he thought he was helping her overcome her fears, the more he was actually just allowing himself to slowly let go of his, which is why after they first kiss, you no longer see Virgil wearing gloves in public anymore as he did in the entire first half of the film.

It may be true that Virgil could have fallen for another woman that showed him interest, but by also giving Virgil the task of creating the catalog for Claire, and setting him out on the hunt to find the remaining pieces to the automation, each of those bound him to returning to the estate.

Even Claire’s appearance and age were chosen strategically as a reflection of the classic beauty of the young women in the portraits that Virgil collected and obsessed over. That’s why he would stare at his paintings whenever he spoke to her on the phone, before seeing her. They were able to create his ultimate fantasy on many different levels to insure that he would become swept away by her and eventually be lead to his hidden room.

Also, Virgil traveled a lot for his auctions, and so if they just wanted to steal his paintings while he was away, they could have tried that at any time, but for Claire to move in, know the exact location of the room, and have easy access while he was away, gave them a cleaner ability to freely move in and out with the paintings undetected.

[–] kirbynintendo 9 years ago

Also, Virgil traveled a lot for his auctions, and so if they just wanted to steal his paintings while he was away, they could have tried that at any time, but for Claire to move in, know the exact location of the room, and have easy access while he was away, gave them a cleaner ability to freely move in and out with the paintings undetected.

Yeah but unfortunately for that "cleaner ability to freely move in and out," Claire had to sleep with an old fart.