MovieChat Forums > Stir of Echoes (1999) Discussion > Tom was an a**hole

Tom was an a**hole

posted 12 years ago by tinasparklesau
5 replies | jump to latest

I've read quite a few posts here saying Maggie was a bitch, but Tom takes the cake. He was rude, obnoxious, arrogant, flippant, etc with pretty much every character he interacted with. Even the matter of 'freeing' the spirit didn't come across as noble in any way, it was just Tom wanting his own internal craziness to stop.

I enjoyed this movie though, odd way to present your leading man by making him unlikeable. No empathy or sympathy or being able to relate in any way. No cheering for the 'good guy' to solve the mystery and end up heroic. But for some reason it works. Somewhat unconventional but realistic. Unlikeable characters, no happy ending, no sad ending. Interesting. Anyone who's read the book know if Tom was portrayed like this?

[–] koffeenkreame41-1 11 years ago

That's why some compared him to Jack Torrance in The Shining. Tom was more likable than Jack was IMO. I think that Tom was all alone, you had Jake telling him not to give up but Maggie actually knew Neil knew about Tom's "condition" and instead of telling Tom, she keeps it to herself. I think he would've been better and not as pissed if she did tell him. I don't know why she didn't just do that.

"I am the ultimate badass, you do not wanna `*beep*` wit me!"- Hudson in Aliens.

[–] cpoet 10 years ago

I thought she ought to clue him in, too. But then I remembered from the beginning of the movie that the sister criticized Tom for always being so close-minded about everything.

He was getting kind of unbalanced--maybe his wife didn't think it was the right time to give him the news.

[–] Totemkauf 9 years ago

I always end up hating characters like his wife. When there's some big thing going on that they don't understand (usually something supernatural) and they just keep getting in the way or being a general pain for the protagonist.

But he was an a**hole, at least at the start. You got a sort of dichotomy about him in the beginning of the movie , he was kind of a jerk but he seemed like a very protective and caring father. Then after he starts getting visions, it seems like he goes on a character arc that might ultimately change him for the better in the end. I say might because we don't really see it.

[–] GrimeyRickGrimes 9 years ago

The wife was terrible. She was very selfish. She knew he had a condition. She knew he wasn't faking yet she refused to help him. She only cared about herself.

[–] mcgill_j 8 years ago

I always took it as the wife KNOWING her husband wouldn't accept some crazy out there answer..but at the same time she still cared for him and needed some answers.. but in the end, as much as she loved him. She did reach a breaking point with his behavior. However good the final result may have been still was so very singular minded.. it was to the detriment of everyone else.