I picked this movie up quite casually but found myself drawn into it so,that I didn't want it to end.I saw it again just to get all that was going on what with numerous equally important characters.Even then however,I could not see how Prudie's husband Dean (Marc Blucas) changed so suddenly from a business & sports-obsessed guy to a caring,involved husband.It seemed to come out of left field.Maybe they needed to develop the character more.Any ideas?
shareTo me, he did seem like a caring husband from the beginning but just too oblivious to realize that he was putting his career and love of sports before his wife. Once Prudie made him read Austen, Dean realized he had to take interest in things she liked and put more effort into their relationship.
shareTo me it seemed like Dean never really did anything wrong in the first place. He could have broken the news about the Paris trip a little more gently but it wasn't really his choice to cancel it if you believe what he said and he probably really was just trying to friendly with that one girl. Was there anything else I was supposed to have done wrong? Prudie seemed kind of psycho to me.
shareYeah, I think their problems were rooted in Prudie's insecurities and other hangups. It wasn't Dean's fault that the Paris trip was canceled. There was nothing he could do about that.
It takes two to make a marriage work, and it takes two to make a marriage break down.
What about Prudie's sudden change? Did she ever do anything prior to that day (when she nearly broke her marriage vows) to try and solve their problems? Did she make any efforts before then to break down the barriers that had gone up between Dean and her?
What I'm saying is that I don't think Dean had a sudden change, but I do think Prudie did. She chose Dean and her marriage over a self-destructive fling with a student from the school where she worked. Then she approached her husband, making an effort to try and solve their problems. Although he resisted at first, he wasn't unwilling because it was what he wanted too.
^^^^THIS^^^^
I agree totally. Well put.
I think you nailed it. The truth is a bit obscured by the cardboard nature of Dean's character -- sports, beer, video games, tricked out truck. But the key scene comes when Prudie finally flips out on him for the last time and he says something like "I've never tried to be anything I'm not. This is me." And you know, he was right.
6/10
I think Prudie's husband knew something was up. I noticed him playing with his wedding ring when she returned from almost going to the motel with her student. She was obviously wearing something different than she wore when she left. I found it had to believe that he didn't notice the student in her car when he went to her work to tell her about her mother. Also she acted way off the charts when accusing him of flirting with an old schoolmate. He had to know something was going on. If I were him I would have confronted her instead of how he did react and I think he was considering it. Personally, I would have demanded and explanation before doing whatever next.
shareI didn’t think Dean was deliberately neglecting his wife. She threw up barriers that made it difficult for him to reach her. As someone else pointed out in this thread, it takes two. They both had things to work on. But I don’t think we were supposed to think that Dean didn’t love Prudie or want to make things work with her. He just didn’t know how to start.
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