MovieChat Forums > Drinking Buddies (2013) Discussion > White Knighting (Spoiler Warning)

White Knighting (Spoiler Warning)

posted 11 years ago by MinimalistLiving
6 replies | jump to latest

I've got no problem with Jake Johnson's acting abilities, and given the script, he's pretty good here.

What I did have a problem with is that his character Luke, and the 'white knighting' of Olivia Wilde's Kate character. Case in point being the way he pines for her all throughout the film, helps her move, flirts with her at work, after work, and on the weekend getaway and is basically torn apart because she never actually sleeps with him, yet he clearly goes out of his way to be kind towards her, and acts pissy when things don't go his way. Even the massive argument Luke and Kate have at the end about how he doesn't deserve to 'make her feel bad' about sleeping with whoever, and yet he continues to punish himself.

It just seems, as this movie proves, that relationships have gotten way too complicated for their own good, and that in the digital age, people have forgotten how to communicate, and women like to take advantage of nice guys and those same guys allow themselves to be setup for that disappointment or only do things for women because they think they'll get laid. Makes me wonder if people are ever going to wake up and smell the coffee. I don't know.

Anybody get what I'm talking about?

[–] GhostTheDireWolf 11 years ago

I don't think Luke looked at Kate as someone he could be with until she was single and slept with one of the guys from work, it was only then that he started to act pissy when things didn't go the way he wanted them to I mean he was fine with her being with Chris(probably because they'd been together for a while) but I disagree about your point about Kate taking advantage of Luke being a nice guy they both definitely had strong feelings for each other.... I thought it was a great film that could have been based on literally millions of people and I know some people didn't like the ending but I though it was more realistic than a traditional rom com ending

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] MessyP 11 years ago

I think this is a misread of the film. Luke is the bad guy here, and he juggles between 2 women which are semi-compatible with him. Kate is the fun, wild spontaneous type that is pretty much a mirror image of him. Yet when he sees her apartment and gets injured, he realises she's pretty emotionally immature and has got baggage which scares him. Jill is more mature, shes the maternal caring type that wants commitment and is hopelessly devoted to him. When she "cheats" it hangs over her so badly she can't enjoy life anymore. Luke has to decide whether he wants to become an adult and commit to a proper thing with Jill, or stay the boy child with no emotional security with Kate. Not knowing what to do, he guards his "choices" (getting angry with Kate for sleeping around, promising marriage with Jill with no true commitment).

[–] timlin-4 11 years ago

He's the one juggling? If you remember both women made the first move towards a second guy. Luke's problem is that he is a follower, with a lowly job and no initiative, or he'd be banging both of them like nature intended.

[–] GuyOnTheLeft 11 years ago

I agree that the person you responded to misread the film, and you are a lot closer to my read. However, I don't think Luke is actually the "bad guy". He is not good enough to deserve Jill, I will grant you that; but it is Kate who is the really screwed up one out of all of them. The other three are all salvageable, but I think she may be doomed, and that's pretty sad.

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[–] BrunoAntony 8 years ago

Triggered.