TOTW 09/07: Did it seem like Jack was responsive to Randall's flirtatiousness?

[serious crayons]

We women usually go to the loo when we're about to leave a place, even if it's just to make sure we don't come out looking like a train wreck!

Why do you care if you look like a train wreck if you're just going to go home and go to bed?

 

[serious crayons]

Don't you start!! ... Without sounding too indelicate ... you never know what's going to happen when you get there!!

Guess your evenings are a little more unpredictable than Lureen's! 

[SFEnnisSF]

It never ceases to amaze me how many different interpretations can be applied to almost any scene in BBM.  And the other thing that amazes me... is the confidence with which most of us perceive certain scenes and meanings.  Coming across very different readings/interpretations of certain scenes can actually come as a surprise or even a shock.  I think this ability to have multiple readings of different scenes (and the movie as a whole, really) is what makes BBM a film and cinematic art (more than just a movie).  Amazing.

One of my favorite things about BBM is that it means different things to different people.  Ask two people what the movie was about and you'll get two different answers.  Ask two people what the movie meant to them and you'll get two different answers.

It was very interesting when everyone in my office watched the DVD.  Everyone's first reaction to it and their thoughts on what it was about was different, and I found that very interesting.  (One person's first reaction was "I've had (gay) friends who've gotten beaten up.."  Another person's reaction was "I bet a lot of folks have a separate lover on the side".  A third person just wanted to know "how did Jack die?")

BBM really is an enigma.  Most all scenes are "open narrative" and "open to your interpretation".  It is up to you to complete the story.  We all have different answers, and they're all correct answers. 

[SFEnnisSF]

With that said, here's how the scene plays out for me.

Randall and Jack exchange "knowing" glances at the table.  (There is no flirting or proposition at the table).

Lureen pisses Jack off with the "husbands don't want to dance with their wives" comment, so he asks LaShawn to dance to get her back.

Out on the bench, Randall does proposition Jack, and we see Jack "comtemplating everything".  The wives interrupt before Jack can answer (saved! for the moment), and Randall has a mean bitter look on his face when they do interrupt.

[ifyoucantfixit]

        I agree with Eric.  I dont usually participate in this type of thread because of two things.  One I agree with Eric, where there is no right or wrong answer.  We each bring our own process to the decision.  Even further, sometimes I find myself of one thought, and the next time a different one.  The mood of the person is a large part of how you interpret it all.  It is as changable as a Wyoming sky.  Bright and hopeful, and dark and ominous.  Each time you seek the way, it shows you another..
Annie is truly right.  Saying each person should finish it themself, in their own mind according to their own mind set.  of course that is a paraphrase.

[serious crayons]

I agree about there being multiple correct interpretations. Including Janice's point that many of my OWN interpretations change over time.

That said, I have learned more in these conversations and debates about meaning than I ever thought possible to learn about a movie. More than I ever learned in any college literature class, that's for sure. I came here (or, originally, to imdb) loving the movie but with very little understanding of its endless depths and subtleties. Through participating in these conversations with people sharing insights, throwing ideas around, bouncing off each other, brainstorming, reaching amazing new discoveries together, I've come to a fuller, richer appreciation for this amazing film. I don't always "agree" with everybody's interpretations -- though I feel there are no right or wrong answers -- but I have learned much from everyone here, whether I share their opinions or not.

Thanks, everybody!   

[Artiste]

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