How nice was Jack? Or, specifically, did he do good? Aside from his intervention, did we see a caring person? He was a scrooge to his employees, casual in his sex life, mocked family (for his one-night-stand, and his own family gathering, as well as his employees'), didn't even want to return Kate's call for fear of entanglements... in short, he was totally self-centered. Even his little action in the store might not really have been "good" (he might have set off the robber); I think it was just typical arrogance of a "master of the universe" type.
We didn't see him crush anyone under his boot, but think about this: Jack did not just abandon family life because he wanted to run a company that built airplanes or printed books or something productive...he was a mergers & acquisitions MAGGOT. Lasseter's company was the type that proposes or helps one company take over another, and in virtually every case, they cut jobs and close plants or stores, and generally make capitalism ever more cutthroat and cruel. (Lassetter himself said they did 6 HOSTILE takeovers last year.) Jack ran a business that produced NOTHING OF VALUE, but inflicted economic pain to get a share of the stock profits. But hey, gotta slash a few jobs and ruin some lives if Jack's going to have a bigger penthouse or a nicer Ferrari, right??
I think Cash was at the store for Jack, not for the clerk. Why pull a gun, except to draw out the customer in the back? It didn't fit the way we saw him operate later, and he had already proven the clerk was racist.
Jack and Kate in the "glimpse" were not actually poorer because they were unfortunate - they were GOOD PEOPLE. The birth of their first daughter was hardly an economic hardship: they were 29 or 30 with careers, not teenagers in high school!! Why did Kate work for a legal aid firm - was she a bad lawyer who couldn't get a better job? No - you work at a place like that because you WANT TO HELP PEOPLE. Just like "Glimpse Jack" wanted to help Big Ed, and probably helped his neighbors and others. They CHOSE values other than money, and as a result they had the love of family and friends. "Real Jack", on the other hand, chose money, and has no friends. He's going to end up like his mentor, Lassetter, whose "loves of his life" are a company and horses - things he OWNS, not people who love him. Sad and empty, no matter how expensive your car might be.
I'm always disappointed that "real Kate" turns out to be as much of a jerk as Jack. Why didn't she care about people, including her parents? And why does a selfish person like Jack think he should still have a chance at a completely different life?
I think it would have been a better ending if, after waking, Jack had driven to New Jersey and found Kate and the kids living there - with a husband that had the same good values she has. She could even say, "I've seen you on the news, Jack, and your company has ruined the lives of some of my legal clients...I don't want anything to do with you."
Then maybe Cash could reappear, and say, "Jack, you asked me why I carry this gun around...I have it because I think you might want to use it now." Then he can hand Jack the gun, walk away, and Jack puts the gun to his head, we hear the gunshot, and the screen goes black...
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njiuma
8 years ago
And why does a selfish person like Jack think he should still have a chance at a completely different life?
- he doesn't think that "he should still have a chance at a completely different life", he is given that second chance because he did a good deed to earn it. it's similar to "It's A Wonderful Life". he's not leaving it to fate when he realizes that he might get it after all (we'll never know if he actually does, she could have just gone to Paris) - it's strongly implied that he will, but he has to try.
...Jack puts the gun to his head, we hear the gunshot, and the screen goes black...
- this is a terrible idea for the story. it's a Christmas family film, not a dark comedy or drama.
"If you love Jesus Christ and are 100% proud of it copy this and make it your signature!"
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rushmoore16
8 years ago
Jack did not just abandon family life because he wanted to run a company that built airplanes or printed books or something productive...he was a mergers & acquisitions MAGGOT.
Jack was an investment banker. Investment bankers don't build airplanes or print books, they provide a service to people trying to finance investments. The hostility in a hostile takeover is generally born at the executive and ownership level, not the employee level. Sure, some lower level employees will lose their job, but is that the fault of the investment banker or the buyer? Probably not. It's probably the fault of the previous owners who bloated the company and in order for it to survive, the new owners need to make some adjustments. Which is better, firing a few people so a thousand people can keep their job, or everyone losing their job when the company goes out of business?
Don't forget that Jack went to London for an internship at Barclays, which is a bank. While there, he would have learned the trade of a banker. So when you call him a maggot, what you really mean is that bankers are maggots. By that, I assume that you have never needed the services of a bank. You've never had a loan, a credit card, a bank account, written a check, etc. So do you think bankers are maggots or are you jealous that someone like Jack makes a lot more money than you? Would it not be more productive for you to try to join him at the country club rather than try to tear him down?
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