Mixed feelings about Sarah's character.

I see exactly what you are saying and respect it, but I liked the added plot line.

I think it goes to show how much of a mess Eddie is and makes his character more complex.

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It dragged Eddie's character away from the action, the real conflict, and his goals.

byPunisher55 » Sun Apr 1 2012 14:59:43

i am currently with a girl, who is kinda a mess like her, yet I still love her. she helps me with a part of me just being who she is. loving, yet complicated in her own way. The movie character is clearly an alcoholic with many problems, but sees when Eddie truly loves her, she can only want to help him in her own messed up way.

I liked that, throughout the movie, she seems at her happiest when she's taking care of Eddie. She even eludes to this when he suggests she seek treatment and she says, "I'm getting treatment right here." Having a "fella" to buy groceries for and to take care of seems to make her happy. Look at the scenes where she's bright eyed. It's usually when she's trying to be "wifely" to Eddie. When he doesn't let her, she reverts back to the bottle. She even seems a little disappointed when he gets the casts off. Watch her face. Part of her liked that he was depending on her. It gave her purpose. Anyway, I find their relationship one of the things that gets better with each viewing. I notice something new every time. It DOES add depth and elevates the movie to a solid 10/10 status for me.

The relationship is needed for Eddie to hit rock bottom so he can become a real person. Otherwise, he could never beat Fats.

Fats beat him with character. Eddie needed a Sarah to understand the he was missing a vital component in his life: caring about something other than himself. Upto that point all Eddie cared about was himself and pool. In order for his character to progress, something had to be introduced to cause change, so the writer put a woman in there. She was so messed up, Eddie felt superior to her. But in the end, he was humbled by the entire episode and realized how insignificant his pool dreams were. He was able to develop outcome independence-not caring about the ultimate outcome of his game- and used that to beat Fats.
Before, his whole identity was wrapped up in the game. The second time the game was not significant to his psyche, he played a cold, calculating game that Fats could not hold up on.

Sarah's role was to push Eddie's character into a new dimension. This movie was not about pool; it was a morality play as all great stories are.

Sarah (Piper Laurie) didn't make sense. She was drunk and went to the hotel, Burt kissed her so she slept with Burt, then killed herself
Made no sense to me; the whole psychodrama she was doing throughout the film. I guess she was just the ultimate drama queen.

I thought their relationship was a highlight of the film until a little past halfway, when she became maudlin and melodramatic and dragged the movie down. Her emotionally troubled nature could have been portrayed more subtly.