MovieChat Forums > Finders Keepers (2015) Discussion > Am I the only one that found John to be ...

Am I the only one that found John to be the less sympathetic individual?

posted 9 years ago by TheHungryAndAngryShow
13 replies | jump to latest

Don't get me wrong, of course I can feel for John since he lost his Dad, and developed a drug problem, but seriously, he comes from a well off family, it's obvious they all bent over backwards for him, and he does not come off nearly as sympathetic as I expected him to. He comes across as having been a spoiled child, rather than the victim he portrays himself to be during much of the course of his problems.

Meanwhile Shannon, the guy who bought the leg comes off as a much more down to earth guy who you can relate to. Who hasn't thought about being famous, having money, making people laugh? Yes, he is also unsympathetic when you see his need for fame to be more important than almost anything else in his life, which goes to show even the best of intentions can make you insane.

By the way, John's sister is the hero of the movie, and I adore his Mom, even as she is stubborn and willful and obviously struggling with her own issues. There was a part of me that wanted John to give Shannon the leg at the end, so that they could both move on from this. But how I want reality to go is not always how it goes.

[–] Gordon-M 9 years ago

EVERYONE in this documentary makes me depressed. The first 10 minutes are really funny, but then it comes off as a wannabe Meets the Friedmans piece. An overrated docu, but an interesting story. At 80 minutes, it's too drawn out, should be half that length. Only in America!

[–] TheHungryAndAngryShow 9 years ago

Well, the family death, rough family dynamics, drug addiction, an unreasonable urge for fame, and other things portrayed here are depressing no matter what. But they were handled amusingly here and I did not feel it was too long. I have not seen Capturing The Friedmans (I think that's the movie you are referencing), so I cannot comment on that.

[–] are_you_strange666 8 years ago

I'm 10 minutes in and I don't see the reason to keep watching. Some dude finds a leg, no murder mystery... just another dude who wanted to keep his leg after surgery. Okay...and??

[–] deanpeters55 9 years ago

I think Shannon came off as a typical mental disabled hillbilly who's mother is probable his sister and niece, thinking he is some smart business mogul but in reality he is just a deadbeat trying to rip people off and failing to have any decency and morals. Luckely USA has monopoly on this sort of horrorfying idiocy.

[–] goo-goo-ga-ga 9 years ago

It's really disrespectful to promote stereotypes of southern U.S. culture.

[–] ziggystar86 9 years ago

Well atleast John did change his life to the better unlike Shannon, have to admire for that.

[–] TheHungryAndAngryShow 9 years ago

I think Shannon learned some hard lessons over time. Personally I would not want to be John or Shannon, neither one of them had a charmed life, though I think John was more active in his own demise. Either way, better them than me!

[–] jpozenel 9 years ago

I'm not sympathetic to either on of these guys, but Shannon I am definitely less sympathetic toward. He doesn't seem like someone I could relate to in any way. He's a delusional loudmouth and a parasite. I've met many like him and they are nothing but self-absorbed losers that love attention from anyone that will give it. It was easy to see that even his wife was becoming fed up with his stupidity. They show her going off to work but I can't remember seeing him holding down a regular job. Dealing in the sale of junk is not a job.

John's idea of a memorial to father that includes his severed leg is of course rather stupid as well. His mother seemed the only really sane person of the bunch. I think some of the resentment toward her in the movie was because when her husband died, they did not receive any immediate monetary gain. She'll be gone soon enough, can't they wait?

[–] jpendleton6 9 years ago

Mother seemed somewhat cold. Of course we don't know everything. Who knows to what extent she supported her children financially or how much of that had to do with her son betraying her so many times, but on the surface and even the way her daughter paints her seems pretty cold. I mean why did it take Judge Mathis getting him in rehab? Didn't he come from a little money? You would think his mother could have afforded a good rehab facility. Like I said, we don't know everything though. Maybe she made similar offers, but they never worked or he turned them down. I'm not knocking her for wanting her stealing son gone. Just things she said. She indicates he burned her many times. Still though, to say you don't love your son is pretty telling. She can hate his disease and be at her wits end with him, but I couldn't imagine a mother no matter what saying they don't love their son.

I don't know, maybe it's some weird psychological thing where she sees her husband in John. She seems to carry ill will towards her late husband and how he treated her and that affects her relationship with her son. I'm probably reading into it a little too much, but there is something there. There's something deeper than just his drug addiction which causes her to treat her children the way she does.

[–] tyboulder 8 years ago

I think you're right on with your assessment of John's mother, based on the information we were given. By the end of the movie I felt more sympathy for John than I did at the beginning. To not be able to live up to your father's expectations, and then fail to live up to your mother's, mixed with all the emotional trauma and guilt from the accident, and the isolation and guilt that his addiction caused (though it did hurt everyone), that is really rough. Like you said, we can't know for sure, but the mom seemed to have a very conditional and severe way of showing "love" and caring. I hope everyone learns to be more understandinand forgiving, and to find the courage to talk about the real sources of pain so that they can recover.

Like another poster said, it felt a little like an episode of Intervention. But this movie is so well done, partly due to those authentic emotional layers and strong characters.

[–] lorirees 9 years ago

I found John to be neutral. I found Shannon to be delusional and in a lot of emotional pain. It didn't bother me that John came from money or had things as a kid. What bothered me the most was Shannon and his relentless need for attention and validation from strangers. I think he is living under a veil of denial and does not see that he is not as talented as he thinks. John was a drug addict. Shannon was a fame addict. Same difference. Shannon could probably benefit from a little humility and
valuing his wife, who is there for him, instead of seeking an unattainable fame. There's nothing wrong with being ordinary. John's need to keep his leg was bizarre but as the film shows, the fight over the leg probably saved his life.

[–] bittenhoney 9 years ago

People who are raised like that don't change when they're adults. He never really matured at all. Not even being in the military could change him. Had he stayed in and kept his nose clean his dad probably would have been proud. I don't think he's a victim, but he is his own worst enemy. As for that other guy.... whew. It was obvious that he was jealous of John's family and all that money. That's the root of it all. And his mom... She has a lot to work through. She seemed really cold about his father's ashes and cutting people out of her life. It was hinted that they didn't have a good marriage, so she's probably still bitter about the years and years of being a doormat. I guess I can understand why she's happy to be free and is willing to cut people out of her life now that she can, but she showed little emotion about it.

[–] OutForAWalkB-tch 8 years ago

I was so angered by how that family vilified the mother. Ultimately it was her choice regarding the father's funeral, and if she says that he didn't want one, then so be it. They could EASILY organize their own memorial service for him but instead chose not to. And she had every right to cut John off when he was a scheming addict. Enabling makes it worse, and I'm sure cutting ties with your own child is no picnic; relationships with addicts are incredibly difficult.

So for me it came down to legalities. And legally the foot should be Shannon's. (Even though I honestly couldn't stand either of them.)

What I've got in my head you can't buy, steal, or borrow. I believe in live and let live.