MovieChat Forums > Laggies (2014) Discussion > What on earth were they thinking? < < SP...

What on earth were they thinking? < < SPOILERS > >

posted 10 years ago by bh90212
22 replies | jump to latest

When I watch something that doesn't make sense to me, I have to wonder what the writers were thinking. They do have control over the characters and plot after all. So why would they make such a mess of this movie? The biggest problem was the main character. Were we supposed to be rooting for a girl who...

1. Has a master's degree and is 30 years old and works for her dad as a sign twirler.

2. Lies to her boyfriend about getting a career and some direction in life and instead goes to her parents' house to watch TV.

3. Thinks it's cute to stand on something and pop her head in to make someone laugh because at 30, that's funny.

4. When faced with the choice of buying kids alcohol (and is then responsible for their actions while they're under the influence) decides to load them up.

5. When dealing with an issue that makes her uncomfortable, runs away.

6. Upon running away and having nowhere to go, sneaks in the house and sleeps on the floor with the high schooler she just met.

7. Uses her time away not to reflect and gain perspective and figure out what to do with the rest of her life but instead, gets drunk and sleeps with high school kid's father.

8. Lies to boyfriend ABOUT EVERYTHING and then decides, after cheating on him, to go ahead and get married. (only doesn't go through with it b/c of "the group")

9. Shows no growth, no resolution, no direction, no anything and then returns to 45-year-old's house to continue their one-week relationship.

Not to mention:

10. Accepts to be the godmother of lifelong friend's child and upon learning of the birth, does not even bother to acknowledge it?

There are more but I think this makes my point. Let's put aside the physical age difference. This girl acts like she's 18 not 30. Can we be happy for her that she has no idea who she is, what she wants and where she's going but she has her young friend's hot dad, so yay! We're all happy!

The writers actually have control over where this story goes and this was how they resolved her conflict.

If not for Sam Rockwell (who rocks in this movie) this would have been a train wreck. And for not yet 30, Knightly is looking a bit rough.

[–] Borovnia54 10 years ago

I don't understand your objections for the most part. Keira's character was supposed to be confused about her place in life. She went to grad school & mentioned her internship, where she couldn't relate to her clients. She doesn't know where she should be & wants to be told what to do. She alludes to this when she's in the bar with Sam Rockwell & mentions the calling of religious people, how it comes from the outside, yet they get credit for it.

Her situation makes perfect sense to me, because if you have your parents and/or boyfriend to rely upon in some manner, she wouldn't need to adjust as well as other people in terms of finding a career. There are 30 year old people working jobs beneath their skill and education level every single day, because plan a or b, despite being better paid or noteworthy, weren't right for them until it was too late.

The people I couldn't relate to happened to be her judgmental friends, but I do find an element of their characterization to be realistic. I see it with adults all the time, defining how mature they are based upon having a 'career' rather than a 'job' (which can be a matter of opinion), having children, marriage, or even home ownership.

Basically, when it comes down to it, adolescence was a time in most people's lives where they had everything figured our for them. They had a neat, clearly defined role in their family &/or school. Nothing was weighing them down and if they were fortunate, they had guidance and hope for what was to come. So, it's not surprise that she wanted to get away from her family and friend group with their expectations for her life & drift back to the teen group who didn't mind that she didn't fit in.

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] nastylev 9 years ago

You make interesting and valid points. That said, in the context of this movie they are not quite as black and white as you make them out to be. Nor is life for that matter. It would seem to me that you dislike the main character's whole personality so of course you will disagree with most of the actions she takes.

At the end of the day, it's a movie and anything goes. That said, not even I agree with the ending. She was not supposed to end up with a middle aged divorce lawyer she met a week ago. However, the emotional part of me whole-heartedly accepted the outcome even if it was silly, to use a "clean" word.

"If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid."

[–] scion9 9 years ago

It's not really a "message" film. I've known people like this in real life, and in real life people get into relationships with perfectly fine people when they are young and break them off unceremoniously after years for no real reason other than it not feeling right.

The movie is simply not about a woman who figures out her life, and a plan for the entire future in the course of a week or a 'redemption' story about an immature woman who grows up in the same amount of time. I think that movie formulas have primed audiences to expect exactly that based on nothing but the premise, but I doubt that was ever the intention of the film makers to make this movie according to that formula.