I thought the ending was needlessly heavy-handed. It would have worked better if it had just been him standing in the airport staring up at the departures board, without the VO going on for another 5 minutes explaining how we were supposed to feel about it.

Absolutely, Jessica. I thought the vo just muddied it. Having it as you suggest, I was reminded of the newbie saying she'd just pick the first flight anywhere (or something along the lines of just having a lark and enjoying it), and there he is at the end, standing at a crossroads, changing the reason he flies. Not to be isolated, but to go somewhere for the sake of enjoying the journey *and* the destination, But where it continued to with the VO, it just felt like he'd reverted to bad habits, but with the extra funk of knowing he's ignoring his epiphany with Sam Elliot and willfully embracing the isolation because there's no pain there.

Oh, Sam Elliott is in it?! Wow, that gives me a whole reason to see it.

(I have an unreasonable Sam Elliott love. I watched "Roadhouse" of few months ago just for Elliott.)

Sam's role is not large at all, Erin.

There's nothing unreasonable about it at all! He is sunshine and a warm, soft breeze.

Sam Elliott is one of the bright lights in "The Big Lebowski" which is a movie with a whole lot of bright lights.

ita, I can totally understand your point about the movie hitting you in a particular way. I think I said last month that I didn't enjoy the movie as much as I thought I would. I think I wanted a hint at an origin story: how did the lead character come to this point?

Typo, he definitely fucked a lot of women multiple times - including that neighbor of his, but none seemed to have the same outlook on life like Chicago woman.

The question I had at the end of the movie is how we are to interpret his remark to his boss that he didn't remember the woman who said she was going to jump off a bridge. Did he really not remember or did he remember but was covering his coworker's butt? I'm not sure which is the more damning (or charitable) interpretation.

He played that so straight that I almost truly believed that it all just blurred together, that they really had fired so many people, had dealt with the emotional trauma of so many dozens or hundreds of people that one woman's angry threat didn't stand out amongst all the other anger and tears and despair. But I still can't quite believe that he'd forget, but can also believe that he already had a policy of Deny Deny Deny for those that did pull that card, because maybe a good percentage do and nothing has ever come of it til now.

But, definitely covering the newbies butt.

I watched that horrible Cage movie Ghostrider just for the Sam Elliott. And I will watch Roadhouse for the Sam scenes.

Ghostrider was a perfect dollar movie. Cheesy lines and hokey fights, but the traveling scene done to Riders of the Purple Sage was worth the price of admission and popcorn.

I watch Roadhouse just because. The movie is so ridiculous that it is sublime. I think I watch it once a year.