Minute Detail - IMO The Best Line Delivery in the Movie

[rtprod]

Too many, but here's a few of mine:

"Ain't never enough time.  Never enough."

"I did once." 

"..Thought he meant to get drunk."

"Jack, I swear..."

And two of my all-time favorites:

"That foreman, he- he owes me.  I worked through a blizzard last Christmas.  Remember that?" 

"Well, all right.  As long as I don't have to saang.." 

There's something about the way Ennis stutters when he says "he- he owes me" that literally puts me in a reverie. 

[David]

"thats the most I've spoke all year"    Nice  line, Great smile from Heath

[EnnisDelMar]

The whole confrontation between Ennis and Alma, Michelle is just amazing in that scene (as is Heath). Then the telephone call scene Anne is brilliant.

[rtprod]

Brandon,

What I love most about the kitchen scene is the way that Heath is trembling and growling while she speaks, like a bull about ready to charge.  If we could see his feet, they're probably scraping the floor.

And the brilliance of the telelphone scene lies in what's not in the dialogue -- the reading between the lines, capturing the expressions and listening to the vocal patterns, breathing and inflection.  This scene flies on Hathaway's additional layers of meaning that don't exist in the text.  Great stuff, and what great film acting is all about. 

rt

[MaineWriter]

Every single word is pure poetry but I love the way Jack says, "She got lucky."

I also love (from Ennis), "Looks like my dad was right."

I don't know what it is about those two lines, I listen for them every time.

[wtbgirl]

In re the kitchen scene --- I agree, the physical "acting" by the actors, especially Heath, is as important as the dialogue - Ennis' increasingly almost "primal" movements in the kitchen literally scream "Don't go there Alma" more than saying the actual words ever could.  Same as when he punches the wall after leaving Jack - also just  ... primal.

But the best line delivery for me is the scene where Jack says "Friend ... that's more words than you've spoken in the past two weeks" followed by Ennis' "Hell that's the most I've spoken in a year."  IMO, the people the folks that don't "get" the developing relationship between them on the mountain don't understand the importance of that moment.

[ednbarby]

So many real beauties, but bar none, the one I listen for every time is

"Nobody's business but ours."  The way his voice cracks there is so heartbreaking.

And I know we're not talking non-verbal moments right now, but one of Heath's that's really struck me on the last couple of viewings is when he reads the first post card from Jack, the way he reads it silently the first time, stroking the sides of it with his thumbs as if it's a piece of his soul, and then the way he reads it a second time, mouthing the words.

Back to the topic at hand, if I had to pick one, I guess I especially like the way Heath delivers the line, "You got whiskey, or sumpin'?"  Don't know why, but it just rings particularly true to me.

[ednbarby]

But the best line delivery for me is the scene where Jack says "Friend ... that's more words than you've spoken in the past two weeks" followed by Ennis' "Hell that's the most I've spoken in a year."  IMO, the people the folks that don't "get" the developing relationship between them on the mountain don't understand the importance of that moment.

That's so true - if you don't see both of them falling in love in that scene, Jack by having that pure, unadulterated joy that comes from realizing the one you've been crushing on is opening up - TO YOU, and Ennis - his face opening up, as Victoria so beautifully said, like a flower - the movie is lost on you.

[henrypie]

It's usually nearly impossible for me to come up with a best/favorite statement about anything involving this movie; however, far and away and without doubt the best line delivery, for my money, is Jack's lake speech, culminating in

...and you tell me you'll kill me for needin something I don't hardly never get.


First time, last time, all the times in between, this is when I fell in love with Jake Gyllenhaal.

[Becky]

I love it when Ennis says, "Goin' out to get drunk"(Or something to that effect, I don't have my screenplay with me at the moment.) I just love the way he says drunk like he is saying drung. Then he simultaneously opens a beer! I know all of you guys have chosen big scenes with memorable lines so far, I chose this one cause it is the tiny little details that I love about this film. That is actually one of the main reasons that I love talking to you guys, I can talk about the tiny insignificant things and you will want to talk about them! I love you guys!

[ednbarby]

First time, last time, all the times in between, this is when I fell in love with Jake Gyllenhaal.

Mmmmmm...  That one definitely sealed the deal for me.  And I totally feel you on it.  I especially love that stabbed in the heart look he gives Ennis after he pushes him and right before he makes that speech.  But the first time (and last time, and all the times in between) I fell in love with Jake Gyllenhaal was with that blue-eyed stare of his at Ennis sitting alone on the hill.  That's when the boy became a man in my mind.  

[henrypie]

Mmmm, boy becomes man.

Hmmm, Barb, I can see how his look up the hill at Ennis did that for you; I'd say, maybe, that Jack became a man at that moment, but JAKE became a man (or showed what a hell of a man he was) at the lake.

Man!

[Becky]

Completely agree, well I loved Jake before the film but that scene sealed the deal! I mean  just look at my picture thing.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
But I am right, no one can resist the Twist!

[ednbarby]

Mmmm, boy becomes man.

Hmmm, Barb, I can see how his look up the hill at Ennis did that for you; I'd say, maybe, that Jack became a man at that moment, but JAKE became a man (or showed what a hell of a man he was) at the lake.

Man!

LOL!  Well, I can give you that - to me, Jake became a man in that first scene, and showed what a hell of a man he was at the lake.  But for my money, Jack was always a man, even when he was still just a boy.  Wise well beyond his years and loving well beyond his time.

[henrypie]

Aaaaahhh!

All this man-talk.  I love it.  I would like to say that one of the delicious things about this movie is the way it ignites my man-love.  I mean, I'm a straight woman, and I have man-love all the time.  What I mean is, I love men all the time.  Sadly, perhaps, I'll never know the joy of undiluted man-love because one-half of me and a man will always be a woman.  But I came to terms with that a long time ago and enjoy being a woman and all.  But God, I really love men.

p.s. my husband's been out of the country now for eight days.  I'm holding on by my bitten nails.

[Front-Ranger]

SOrry to interrupt the Jack/Jake love fest but my favorite line, we don't see it performed on screen tho, is when Ennis says "Yea, four years" after Jack says the same thing at the Motel Siesta.

[henrypie]

No apology necessary, FrontRanger.  That was a tangent.  I've had a cold shower and I'm back on topic, more or less.

Four years is a long time.

[ednbarby]

Mmmmm.  That's a good one, too, F-R.  I love the whole motel scene and the soft-spoken post-you-know-whatal tenderness in the way they both talk.  And Ennis stroking Jack's arm all the while and Jack's lips on his ear.  Ahhhhhhh...

Sarah, my dear, we can *totally* tawwwk about this man-love thing.  Check your PMs in a few, 'cause I got something to tell ya just may not be suitable for public consumption.  

[rtprod]

Front-Ranger,

LOLOLOL....!  Funny how so many threads turn into Jake love-fests, isn't it?    

Where are all the Heath love fests?   HEATH! HEATH! HEATH!   

Also loooove Heath's delivery of this line at the motel:

"Me?  I don't know.."

His eye are half-closed as he drags on the cigarette and shakes his head slightly...  Talk about being deep inside the character.

[henrypie]

rtprod: YES! (beats ground with fist) YES!

[serious crayons]

Let's see. In addition to those mentioned above, I'd have to include "I can't stand this no more, Jack."

First (though not necessarily in this order), because I love it whenever one of them says the other's name. Second, because it is so damn sad. Third, because of how this single moment echoes both the alley scene and the "if you can't fix it" line. Fourth, because of the tragic expression on Ennis' face and the way he clutches onto Jack. Fifth, because it is Ennis' way of saying "I love you."

And rtprod, I also love "Me? I don't know," though mostly for his tiny self-conscious smile -- verbally, I always wish he would have elaborated a bit.

I will gladly engage in an Ennis/Heath love fest any time!

[DeeDee]

rtprod: YES! (beats ground with fist) YES!

Thanks, Sarah, now I need a cold shower.

[DeeDee]

It's not a line, but when Ennis visits the Twists, and the father talks about the ranch foreman,  you can see Ennis' nostrils flare very slightly.   Oh man, I love that.

[MaineWriter]

Front-Ranger,

LOLOLOL....!  Funny how so many threads turn into Jake love-fests, isn't it?    

Where are all the Heath love fests?   HEATH! HEATH! HEATH!   

Also loooove Heath's delivery of this line at the motel:

"Me?  I don't know.."

His eye are half-closed as he drags on the cigarette and shakes his head slightly...  Talk about being deep inside the character.

Y'know, for me, I've realized it's not a Heath love fest, it's an Ennis love fest. I see pictures of Heath and say, "Oh, hi," but Ennis, I swoon.
Folks, there are days I seriously think I am losing it...

[EnnisDelMar]

LOL

[rtprod]

henry,

shame on you -- LOL! 

you know me too well.  don't think i haven't thought of the same thing myself...! 

rt

[rtprod]

Leslie,

I'm with you -- Ennis del Mar -- what a man he is.  But a challenge for anyone, if you're up to it. 

Now that I've successfully devolved into a lovesick 13 year-old I guess there's nowhere to go but up... 

rt

[serious crayons]

Y'know, for me, I've realized it's not a Heath love fest, it's an Ennis love fest. I see pictures of Heath and say, "Oh, hi," but Ennis, I swoon.

Me too. I know exactly what you mean.  It is Ennis I really love. (Judging from many of the posts I suspect this is less true of the Jackophiles, perhaps because Jake looks more like Jack.)

But I also worship Heath as an actor. So I can go on and on about him, too.

And LOL rt, I was just thinking how Teen Beat I'm sounding lately! Well, that's the fun of the internet's relative anonymity. I never talk like this in "real" life, believe me.

[MaineWriter]

Well, if you're reading my story, the Ennis I'm writing is turning into a pretty nice guy, sexy too, and he talks.

I just discovered this morning he likes sugar donuts. And wait til you see him in shorts!! LOL

[rtprod]

Leslie,

I guess that would be cut-off denim shorts, with a faded spot in the rear pocket, worn out from a pack of smokes...

As far as shirts go, please still keep him in plaids or white tees, rather than tank tops. 

rt

[MaineWriter]

Actually, it's a pair of khaki shorts and a white tee shirt that says VERSATILE across the front. Jack gave him both, the versatile comes from a sales promotion at Newsome's, but it can be read two ways, I think 

[rightstar]

Well, to get back to the topic now, my favorite and the one where I start crying every time is the "You know it could be like this, just like this, always". one  there's something about the way he varies the inflections between the first part and the second that has a world of longing in it to my ears. And that fact that it couldnt ]be like this, even if Ennis agreed to live with him, in the world they lived in, always makes me cry.. Also, I love the way jack rephrases (course Annie Proulx is responsible for that) so the Never enough time, never enough line gets me too. Tell ya what, the truth is Jake/Jack could read the phone book and I'd probably end up sobbing at this point.....

[ednbarby]

First (though not necessarily in this order), because I love it whenever one of them says the other's name.

Mmmm-yeah.  I love it whenever one of them says the other's name.  That's when you know it's a believable love story, too - when you ache to hear each character do that, and it seems like they do it way too seldom.

Lessee if I can name all of them (and I'm sure all y'all will help me out if I can't):

Your parents just stop at Ennis?
Nice to know you, Ennis Del Mar.
What in hell happened, Ennis?
We gotta stick this out, Jack.
Jack's an old fishin' buddy.
Jack F***in' Twist!
You're a real thinker, there, Jack.
Jack F***in' Twist.
I'm not you, Ennis.
I can't stand this no more, Jack.
I feel awful bad about Jack.  Can't begin to say how bad I feel.
Jack, I swear.

Yep.  Way too seldom.  Never enough time.  Never enough.

[rtprod]

Leslie,

Happy to hear you think of Ennis as versatile in one capacity since he makes up for it with rigidity in so many others. 

All is not lost for him yet, it seems.

rt

[serious crayons]

please still keep him in plaids or white tees, rather than tank tops. 

Gee, I don't know, he looked pretty good in that tank top and pajamas in the bedroom scene ...

Oh! I have to add that my other favorite line is "I'm just sending up a prayer of thanks." That, and "I can't stand this no more, Jack," are as close as Ennis ever comes to verbally expressing ... you know.

[MaineWriter]

I love the prayer of thanks line, and the smile he makes as he looks up at the sky.

[serious crayons]

Mmmm ... me too.

And then the little winking smile he gives Jack after "for you forgettin your harmonica."

Sigh. It's the last purely happy moment in the movie.

[MaineWriter]

Sigh. It's the last purely happy moment in the movie.

So true...because right after that is the Rich & Earl story and for me, it all ends there 

[serious crayons]

"No, I -- I told you it ain't gonna be that way" is probably my LEAST favorite line, not because of its delivery or writing or anything, but because it is the tipping point of the movie. After that, everything just gets progressively sadder and sadder and sadder.

[reannawrites]

I have to add this for sure:
 'Tell you what...Truth is, sometimes I miss you so much, I can hardly stand it.'  I thought he just did it so perfectly...the right pauses, the right breath.

The entire lake scene starting from 'Never enough time, never enough'  Sometimes when I'm sitting around at work or at home or some place I can suddenly hear the lines they way they both say them...They leave such an imprint on the mind. So distinctive and so deeply heartfelt...

Some of the other line deliveries I like:

'One curve in the road in 43 miles and they miss it'

'Never taught me a thing. Never once come to see me ride.'

'She got lucky.'

They way Jack says 'Alright' in a soft voice, after Ennis snaps 'I don't need your money, I ain't in the poorhouse.'  There was just something very vulnerable about it.

Jack to Aguirre 'Nothin' up on Brokeback?'    Jake's face in this scene.....

'I got a boy. Eight months old. Smiles a lot.'

'Red-lined it all the way, couldn't get here fast enough.'

'Old Brokeback got us good, don't it.'

'Long as we can ride it. Ain't no reins on this one.'

I'll stop here before I go through the whole film 

[delalluvia]

Except for two or three sucky lines, the whole movie is nothing but lines delivered well and convincingly.

The two that strike me as the best are both my favorites and I've said so many times before and are the most convincing because the delivery is SOOOOOOOO realistic.  A conversation within a movie that's speaking to you,

Jack:  The Pentecost is...I don't...I don't know what the Pentecost is.  My momma didn't explain it to me.

Jack:  ENNIS! (calling out to a drunk Ennis outside the tent)

Jake pitched his tone perfectly in these two.

The first is said so conversationally, it really sounds like someone would if a very young man was speaking to a close friend about something he's heard of but doesn't really know anything about and is being very honest about it, knowing he won't be made fun of.

And the second just straightened me up.  He says the name with such an intonation that it immediately invoikes a person perfectly at ease and comfortable enough that he knows the other person will respond to his aggravated tone.

Jake just nails that and with only one word and his tone of voice.

Kinda like when you were a kid and you heard your parents yelling for you?  You knew what was coming by the tone of their voice.

[ednbarby]

'Never taught me a thing. Never once come to see me ride.'

Oh, my!  Can't believe I forgot about this one.  I *love* that delivery.  And the way he takes a hard swig of the whiskey right after and does that sort of bitter thing with his mouth - you know it's not the whiskey, but the bitterness in his heart for his father who never gave him the love he so needed.

[slayers_creek_oth]

I'm not sure about the best delivery but one of my favorite lines is...

"I gotta boy.....8 months.....he smiles a lot."

ROFL....that line gets me everytime!

[EnnisDelMar]

Yeah that's a good one, hell all the lines are good IMO..except how the biker says "F*ck you."

[montferrat]

I LOVE how while Heath's talking in that scene, he's also periodically stroking Jake's forearm...

it makes me get gooey every time...

[serious crayons]

Yes, he does that stroking thing whenever Jack says something particularly touching, like "Brokeback got us good." Also I love their casual intimacy in that scene, the way they really seem to listen to each other, the unstated concern in Ennis' "didn't think I'd hear from you again" and "the army didn't get ya?" (And I love the way Jack says, "Nope. Too busted up.") And then I love, sad as it is, the way Ennis' face falls after Jack says "what are we gonna do now?"

[montferrat]

Yeah, Katherine,

The mood changes instantly.

 

[Sheyne]

I mentioned that subtle mood change in the motel scene on the "Ennis: thread.. so powerful.

My fave line delivery is what is given away to the AUDIENCE, not Alma, when Ennis says "that's if he shows" - right after the 'we'll just likely go out an get drung"...

But the "that's if he shows"... I love that cause it expresses his insecurity.. you KNOW he's dying to see Jack but he can't bring himself to get his hopes up in case they get dashed.. and by saying that line out loud, he's trying to rein in the emotions (even though there AIN'T NO reins) 

But we all know what happens next and you see the utter joy through his eyes and just the slightest movement of his lips.  Now THAT, ladies and gents, is ****** good acting..

[vkm91941]

My all time fav is still "Tell you what. The truth is... sometimes I miss you so much I can hardly stand it"  gets me everytime

[rightstar]

My all time fav is still "Tell you what. The truth is... sometimes I miss you so much I can hardly stand it"  gets me everytime

I love that one too, and the first viewing during that pause I thought he was about  to confess about seeing Randall on the side . When he actually came out with the confession about missing Ennis I was knocked over. In fact, the times Jake takes about not being able to stand it--that scene and the argument by the lake--Jake gets so much emotion and yearning into those words that I can hardly stand it.
I reread the story last night and that line is much flatter--Sometimes I miss you so much I could whip babies--but more colloquial. Also in the story, Ennis pulls Jack over and puts his arm around him, something I sorely wish they had done in the movie. It always bothered me that they sit so far apart in that scene, especially knowing that it is the last time we'll see them happy together, other than the flashback.

[Flashframe777]

"That foreman, he- he owes me.  I worked through a blizzard last Christmas.  Remember that?" 

There's something about the way Ennis stutters when he says "he- he owes me" that literally puts me in a reverie. 

I lose it when Ennis shakes his head "no".  It's so sexy.  A little mean, but sexy. 

[serious crayons]

But the "that's if he shows"... I love that cause it expresses his insecurity.. you KNOW he's dying to see Jack but he can't bring himself to get his hopes up in case they get dashed.. and by saying that line out loud, he's trying to rein in the emotions (even though there AIN'T NO reins) 
But we all know what happens next and you see the utter joy through his eyes and just the slightest movement of his lips.  Now THAT, ladies and gents, is ****** good acting..

Well put, Sheyne! Those tiny, subtle but absolutely authentic emotional details are so precious and thrilling.

[DeeDee]

I just love..."you may be a sinner, but I ain't yet had the opportunity"  and Jacks little "hmmm".. yikes, I get all tingley.

[Front-Ranger]

This deserves a new reading!!

[vince55]

"Sometimes I miss you so much, I can hardly stand it"

[loneleeb3]

To me the best part in the whole movie is when Jack is flashing back. Whe he's standing at the fire and Ennis comes up and encircles him with his arm while leaning on his sholder and recounts the song his mamma sang to him then very softly hums in Jacks ear then rides away. Then it Cuts to Ennis driving away. That is the most painful yet beautiful part to me. It shows their love in way that words can do justice. Ecspecialle the look in Jacks eyes then and in the present.

[Kd5000]

"We could have had a good life together, but you didn't want it Ennis. "  I don't have the script in front of me, so perhaps I erred in my remembrance.     

Well Jack doesn't die right away after saying the a.m. line, but the first time I heard it, I knew the film was drawing to a very unhappy ending.  I still think  THAT line sums up the movie pretty well; lost opportunities, what might have been.

For Jack, it's almost like him saying "Oh, happy dagger, this is thy sheath; there rust and let me die."    Well Jake said his character "died" when he realized he couldn't be with Ennis so that where I got the connection with R and J.   

[loneleeb3]

"We could have had a good life together, but you didn't want it Ennis. "  I don't have the script in front of me, so perhaps I erred in my remembrance.     

Well Jack doesn't die right away after saying the a.m. line, but the first time I heard it, I knew the film was drawing to a very unhappy ending.  I still think  THAT line sums up the movie pretty well; lost opportunities, what might have been.

For Jack, it's almost like him saying "Oh, happy dagger, this is thy sheath; there rust and let me die."    Well Jake said his character "died" when he realized he couldn't be with Ennis so that where I got the connection with R and J.   

I wonder if they spoke after that? It's not refrenced anywhere so i assume not.
Lord, could you imagine what Ennis must be feeling while on the phone with that bitch Lureen.
The way he described how he felt leaving that summer they spent on the mountain wouldn't even compare.

[LauraGigs]

Lord, could you imagine what Ennis must be feeling while on the phone with that bitch Lureen.

Bitch Lureen? Ouch. Remember, at this moment, everything was coming together for her (fishing buddies, addresses in his head, never wanting to dance with his wife). Right there she is finding out why, all at once (like when Alma saw the kiss).  But she was still good enough to direct Ennis to Jack's parents, where he could find closure.
People tend to be hard on Lureen for some reason, as if not being primarily a homemaker means she somehow had less of a heart. But she just wanted to be noticed and loved, like anybody else.

[LauraGigs]

Anyway, one of my favorite acting moments (not really a line delivery) is after Jack says, "Redlined it all the way, couldn't get here fast enough. How about you?"   Ennis replies, "me? uh . . . I dunno".   

But just before and as he says that, all these emotions and thoughts wash over Ennis' face.  In the space of about 3.5 seconds. Just an amazing performance.

[loneleeb3]

Sorry! Didn't think of it like that.
SHe just always seemed real cold and like she took Jack for granted.
She never once took up for him! Not to her parents, not to those jerks in the office that day.
Plus those characteristics of Lureens mirror someone in my own life.

[Ellemeno]

Bitch Lureen? Ouch. Remember, at this moment, everything was coming together for her (fishing buddies, addresses in his head, never wanting to dance with his wife). Right there she is finding out why, all at once (like when Alma saw the kiss).  But she was still good enough to direct Ennis to Jack's parents, where he could find closure.
People tend to be hard on Lureen for some reason, as if not being primarily a homemaker means she somehow had less of a heart. But she just wanted to be noticed and loved, like anybody else.

[Insert clapping emoticon here!]

Thanks, Laura!  I agree, hunderd per cent.

[serious crayons]

Thanks, Laura!  I agree, hunderd per cent.

Me, too. In fact, I agree 150 percent with this part:

People tend to be hard on Lureen for some reason, as if not being primarily a homemaker means she somehow had less of a heart.

Not accusing anyone here specifically   but I find it a little disturbing that some people see Lureen's devotion to her work as evidence that she's a less than adequate mother/wife. I hope they wouldn't say that about the working mothers/wives they know now. Maybe the early '60s context, when Lureen's attitude was less common, throws people.

[loneleeb3]

Me, too. In fact, I agree 150 percent with this part:

Not accusing anyone here specifically   but I find it a little disturbing that some people see Lureen's devotion to her work as evidence that she's a less than adequate mother/wife. I hope they wouldn't say that about the working mothers/wives they know now. Maybe the early '60s context, when Lureen's attitude was less common, throws people.

Just to clarify my point! LOL
My reasons for disliking Lureen ahve nothing to do with work ethic or her mothering capabilities.
I always got the feeling that she used Jack and never took up for him. True, Jack used her to crate the image he needed to survive. But I can identify with Jack in that he really seemed to try to do everything right where she was concerned.
She always seemed cold and uncaring. Then at the end when she was talking to Ennis she was almost on the verge of being mean.
Laura brought up a great point that I never thought of, that everything was coming together in that moment. For that I can certainly empithize with her and sympathize for her. But i don't know, I just get a chill when I think about her.
But, thats just me.

[ifyoucantfixit]

     Well as everyone here has said, every situation, and every line is like chocolate.'
something so smooth and desirable that you become addicted...But the one that I  notice a lot that has not been mentioned here...Is  "time to get going cowboy"
they both are so distraught, and show the sorrow, and trying not to cry, its almost something you can feel in your soul...You know from the first time you see
that scene, until the last, it is the doomsday scream.....no matter how many times
you see the movie.

[loneleeb3]

     Well as everyone here has said, every situation, and every line is like chocolate.'
something so smooth and desirable that you become addicted...But the one that I  notice a lot that has not been mentioned here...Is  "time to get going cowboy"
they both are so distraught, and show the sorrow, and trying not to cry, its almost something you can feel in your soul...You know from the first time you see
that scene, until the last, it is the doomsday scream.....no matter how many times
you see the movie.

You are so right. I don't even like to think about that part. Ennis is so distraught e doesn't know what to do.
He just explodes in the only way he knows to channel any emotion. Jack tries to love it away but Ennis can't get a grip. It's like Jack trying to hug a tornado built out of rage, fearand total sadness.
I realy think Ennis is coming to the conclusion that, like his parents, he loses everything he loves. This poin comes up throughout the story.

[Meryl]

Just to clarify my point! LOL
My reasons for disliking Lureen ahve nothing to do with work ethic or her mothering capabilities.
I always got the feeling that she used Jack and never took up for him. True, Jack used her to crate the image he needed to survive. But I can identify with Jack in that he really seemed to try to do everything right where she was concerned.
She always seemed cold and uncaring. Then at the end when she was talking to Ennis she was almost on the verge of being mean.
Laura brought up a great point that I never thought of, that everything was coming together in that moment. For that I can certainly empithize with her and sympathize for her. But i don't know, I just get a chill when I think about her.
But, thats just me.

At least three moments redeem Lureen for me:  that look she exchanges with Jack when L.D. is being a putz and telling him to go get the baby formula; the smile on her face when Jack stands up to L.D. at Thanksgiving (and Jack touching her on the shoulder after he turns off the TV); and the way she is clearly on the verge of tears during the phone call with Ennis.  She loves him.

She also had to have stuck up for him when it came to marrying him against her father's wishes.  And although some people seemed to think she'd married a "pissant," she never divorced him for someone with more ambition/ability.

[LauraGigs]

Yes.  Lureen's obvious pleasure when Jack asserts himself with LD, and displeasure when the guys at the dealership denigrate him both indicate to me that she was on Jack's side.  A supportive spouse.

It wasn't her place to stand up for Jack at the dealership, much as she may have wanted to. The men were customers, and she was just a 'little lady' (hadn't inherited the business yet). For a guy's wife to stick up for him may have diminished his masculinity even more.

And what if she had stood up for Jack at the Thanksgiving stud-duck/alpha-male fight? No woman gets involved in those things ("what, you need a little lady to stick up for ya?")  Again, it would have threatened and diminished Jack's standing as a man. Lureen knew this.

Jack scored when he married Lureen: she gave him the means to earn a good living in his own right. Thus he is able to tell LD, "This is my house".  (Jack would never have gotten away with that otherwise.)

[loneleeb3]

OK,OK!
I was wrong and I stand corrected!
maybe Lureen isn't the ice queen I had first thought!
Lesson learned

[Meryl]

OK,OK!
I was wrong and I stand corrected!
maybe Lureen isn't the ice queen I had first thought!
Lesson learned

Thanks, Lee.  But no worries if you feel differently about Lureen.  The great thing about this movie is how it supports all sorts of different interpretations.  We've certainly proved it over the last year with all the thousands of words we've devoted to it.   

[Ellemeno]

Yay for the little ladies! 

And yay for the gentleman who's willing to see new points of view!