Matewan

SPOILER ALERT! The plot will be discussed.

Matewan, like Norma Rae (discussed earlier on this blog), is a well-crafted pro-labor movie. (If you want an anti-union corruption masterpiece, watch On the Waterfront, also analyzed here). This 1987 film from writer/director John Sayles (Eight Men Out) takes place in 1920 in Matewan, West Virginia. It starts in the dark mines with the coal dust smeared on a worker who coughs and has trouble breathing, showing the toll the job inflicts on its workers, as he digs a hole for a dynamite blast. The word gets passed around the men in the mine that the company is reducing their pay. The explosion that follows is a metaphorical one, too, since it reflects the angry and dangerous confrontation between management and labor that ensues.

 There is little gray area in this story, as the union is shown as good and the company is the villain. An aged voice narrates saying that the workers were trying to bring in the union while the Stone Mountain Coal Company and their armed thugs tried to stop any organized labor movement from forming. There then is a shot of the workers exiting the mine, giving the finger to men with rifles who look down on them from above, suggesting how the powerful control the more defenseless members of the workforce. 

The men go home to their impoverished log cabin houses at the end of the day. The narrator says the company didn’t care about the workers and paid only by the ton, and had total control without any negotiation as to how much they assigned as payment. The first song played tells how jobs are handed down from father to son throughout generations, since in areas such as this one, mining basically is the only job available. A civil war is about to take place here again, only this time over a different type of slavery, as the workers start to strike.

The actors nail the dialects in this film and the set design is realistic. Joe Kenehan (Chris Cooper) is the union representative who arrives on the train along with black workers who do not know the company brought them in as “scabs” to break any chance of the strike succeeding. Few Clothes Johnson (James Earl Jones) is one of these African American workers and wonders why the train didn’t stop in town. He gets his answer as local coal workers show up and start to attack the new arrivals. The coal company thus pits worker against worker and stokes racial anger between whites and African Americans. The black workers get back on the train to escape getting beaten further. 

A representative of the company tells the black workers that the tools used for mining are lent to them, and their use will be deducted from their pay, which shows the level of exploitation that exists here. In addition to that cost, sharpening the tools, and the use of “the wash house” to get cleaned come with a charge, along with medical costs, housing, and utilities. They are paid in “script” so they receive no money to be used independently. They must make all their purchases at the company store. Thus, whatever they earn goes right back to the employer. The goal is to make the employees so poor they have no choice but to continue toiling to survive. Johnson raises a legitimate question as to what can stop the company from continually raising the cost of items to be bought. The company man doesn’t answer the question, and quickly sees Johnson as an agitator, asking his name most likely to identify him as a business risk. 

Mrs. Elma Radnor (Mary McDonnell) runs a boarding house where Joe wishes to stay. Her son, Danny (Will Oldham) and his friend, Hillard Elkins (Jace Alexander) show up, and Hillard has a broken nose which he sustained in the fight with the black workers. Joe says he’s seen his share of broken noses and asks for ice to close the blood vessels to stop the bleeding. Joe does not want to divulge his labor affiliation right away because he knows that it can generate hostility. Elma comments on how there is a male propensity toward negligent violence when she says that the men just want to get their “licks” in while the women and children starve. Joe suggests lenience as he says that the violence comes from frustration, implying the burdensome way they are treated causes anger. 

Joe talks at dinner about his past jobs, working on a railway line and at a lumber camp. Danny, who is only fifteen years old, says proudly that before the strike he was a miner despite his age, pointing out the sad fact that there are those even younger suffering in the mines. He notes that the company will never let a union man near the mines, so Joe’s trepidation is warranted. Danny comes off as an intelligent, articulate young man, who also preaches at local churches. Joe admits that he never was a religious type (maybe because he has seen too much injustice and suffering?) Yet, this film has many religious references in it.

Sephus Purcell (Ken Jenkins) takes Joe to see C. E. Lively (Bob Gunton). The meeting takes place at night, covertly, to shield them from the company’s wrath. Lively answers his door with a gun in his hand to show how dangerous being involved in union business is. The two men test Joe on his knowledge of union member history to verify that he is the representative the union sent them. The questions center on men who were treated violently for their union activity, which stresses the danger of trying to fight big business. Workers are inside Lively’s place and they tell of the horrible conditions that exist, and how the company makes them work under dangerous circumstances. Also, the wages decrease the same day that the prices at the store go up, which multiplies their misery.

While the workers voice their grievances, there is an evangelical church service also taking place. The shifting between the two meetings contrasts the practical and religious aspects of life here. The devout Danny, along with Elma, hear the preacher (the director, Sayles) saying that the devilish Beelzebub is among them. He is “the Lord of the Flies” (which sounds like a reference to the insect, but originally meant he was head of “the flyers” because the demons could fly. But the infestation slant makes it more ominous, as William Golding’s novel proves). The preacher says Bolsheviks, socialists and the union are in service to Beelzebub. The look on Danny’s face shows his traditional religious enthusiasm turning into disappointment as the sermon condemns what he believes to be positive forces. 

Back at the meeting, the men complain about the scabs, as the company’s desire to promote racial friction is working. The men there use the “n” word and voice an ethnic slur to refer to the Italians who the coal bosses also bought there. Lively wants to escalate the violence, advocating the use of weapons and explosives. Johnson heard of the meeting and shows up. He says he is no scab, just a miner like them, who works just as hard and wants the same wages. Joe, the man who is not religious, plays the role of secular preacher. He tries to diffuse the infighting by stressing the meaning of being a union member. He says it means that instead of seeing blacks or foreigners as enemies, which is what the company wants, Joe says there are only two sides, those “that work, and them that don’t.” The miners work, and those running the company don’t, and he stresses that they, despite their being different by race and ethnicity, must unite against those that profit from their labor. Joe is a good speaker, and compliments the men there by saying they are brave and would shoot it out if they had to. But, he argues that since the company, the state and the Federal Government are against the union, those entities are looking for any reason to come in with all their force to shut the workers down. He uses a metaphor they all know, which is dynamite, and says that if they light that fuse, their attempts at getting fair working conditions will explode in their faces. He says they have to work methodically to gain support so that all the workers walk off the job to show that no coal will be mined without certain demands being met. As if pointing these men toward a future diverse culture, he says they have “to get used” to a union that includes blacks and those from other cultural backgrounds. 

There is a shift again back to the church. Danny now stands in front of the preacher and the Christian cross as he symbolically puts them behind him, as he uses a parable about workers which ends with “the first will be last and the last will be first.” But he ends by saying that Jesus didn’t know about unions and would have advocated for decent treatment for all to ease suffering on earth. Danny’s sermon uses Jesus’s story to fit the plight of the workers in Matewan since they must suffer first to win subsequent rewards. From that point of view, Joe’s mission is biblical. In the meantime, Joe tries to get the Italian workers on board to join the union. Their leader, Fausto (Joe Grifasi), sees it as a no-win situation for the immigrants, saying if they don’t work, the company will shoot them, and if they do, the union will do the same. Outside, a guard patrols the area with a rifle, highlighting the incendiary atmosphere, the powder keg ready to explode. But, in contrast, a couple of white workers enjoy themselves by playing some music on a fiddle and guitar on one porch, as does a black laborer with his harmonica at another house. They listen to each other’s music and the metaphor of working in harmony is introduced. 

Chief of Police Sid Hatfield (David Strathairn) waits for the returning Joe, suspicious of the man’s late night talks with others. He warns him that Joe is a “dead man” if he brings danger to the people of the town. As we discover, Hatfield is a complex character who is not the company’s man. Speaking of company men, Hickey (Kevin Tighe) and Tom Griggs (Gordon Clapp) arrive on the train. They are agents from the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency who were contracted by Stone Mountain to do the company's dirty work. The bad guys in this film show no sense of decency. Hickey has a pleasant appearance but he is the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing. He talks to Bridey Mae (Nancy Mette), a widow whose husband died in the mines. She spends her time sitting on the train platform, symbolically caught between leaving and staying, possibly having turned into a prostitute, apparently hoping that she will meet a man to rescue her from her life of loss (perhaps her first name shows what she hopes for again). Hickey charms her so he can find out if Joe has arrived. He says she is pretty, and asks Griggs, who looks as cheerful as the Grim Reaper, if he agrees. Griggs couldn’t care less about the inhabitants and says nothing. Hickey shows condescension, and nastiness, when he says that Bridey Mae is the “best looking mountain trash” he’s seen in a while. He then calls the town a “shithole” which reveals how he detests the poverty that people like his clients have created.

Elma is hanging clothes as these people must continually work. She tells Joe how she, and others, lost their husbands in a mine explosion. She says coal dust lingers in the air and a spark can set off an explosion. Deaths can be prevented if the walls of the mines are sprayed, but the company says it costs too much money to spend time performing this action. The film is telling us that to the company monetary cost is more important than the worth of human lives. She is sorrowful as she says now Danny is in those same mines that ended his father’s life. But, she is afraid of Joe’s recruiting her son into organized labor. She says Joe will just move on but the people there have to live with the results of his actions. He argues that he will leave behind a union, which suggests that what he does will work to protect the workers after he is gone. His vision is for the long haul, but he also asks for individual sacrifice. But unlike the company, his goal is for the welfare of the many. 

Hickey and Griggs want to stay at the boarding house, but Elma tells the men that they have only one room. The aggressive Hickey says that someone will have to move out. Griggs follows his partner’s statement by saying that they were sent by the company which owns the building, so what they say goes. Unlike the words that are supposed to guide Spiderman, there is no responsibility that comes with power here, only bullying. Joe mitigates the situation by saying he has to move to the hotel anyway, and Elma, grateful for Joe’s unselfishness, tells the very reluctant Danny to sign the men in. Even though they get their rooms, Griggs says that the company will hear “about this,” implying that any resistance to the will of those in charge invites retribution. Joe understands the reality of the situation, even though he is unhappy about it, as he says to Elma, “sometimes you got’s to bends so’s you don’t break.”  In a way, Joe’s attempts at maintaining peace and his sacrifices are Christlike, even though he doesn’t attend church. 

Johnson teaches one of the inexperienced Italian workers where to place support posts in a mine. The African American worker puts safety first, unlike his employer, and also demonstrates his willingness to work together. Back with his fellow workers, Johnson hears the men complain that they can’t leave because they are indebted to the company upfront and if they don’t work to pay what they owe they will be considered thieves. They realize that this system is a form of enslavement, which they unfortunately know much about.

Hickey and Griggs are evicting a family because the worker is involved in union activity. The mayor, Cabell Testerman (Josh Mostel), says that the men have no jurisdiction off of Stone Mountain land. But, Hickey tells him that the house belongs to the coal company, so that gives them the right. Here is where we see the police chief, Hatfield, showing how he cares about the citizens, regardless of union or business affiliation. He says that Hickey needs a writ of eviction. Hatfield shows his disdain for Hickey’s slimy boss, Felts, by saying he “wouldn’t pee on him if his heart was on fire.” A person has to be pretty repulsive if he isn’t even worth one’s urine. Hatfield says if Hickey or Griggs bother people under his jurisdiction, he’ll arrest the two men. Hickey challenges him by saying with what “army” will Hatfield be able to stop them. Hatfield doesn't back down, and smartly gets his army when he tells all the workers present to get their guns because they are now police deputies. The movie is showing that sometimes strength must be met with strength if protection under the law is to work. Hatfield orders the family’s things be put back, while he rests his hand on his pistol for emphasis. Although Hickey agrees, he persists in challenging the man by saying Hatfield can't win this fight. Joe, impressed, and realizing the law in this town is not a foe, tells Hatfield he’s never seen a law officer stand up to a company’s hired thugs. His statement indicates that most of the time workers would lose the fight for decent wages and working conditions.

Joe’s attempt to prevent the local white workers from confronting the blacks and Italians fails as the vote is unanimous to stop the “scabs.”  Back at Elma’s boarding house, Hickey is bossy with Danny at the dinner table. When the boy refuses to pass him food, Griggs is demeaning after finding out Danny is a preacher, and says the young man just preaches to squirrels. When Danny stands up in anger, Griggs pulls out a gun and threatens the youth. Elma intervenes telling Danny to sit down, but he still refuses to cooperate and runs out of the house. Hickey warns Elma that she can either have things the “easy way” or “the hard way.” So corrupted are these men by the “might makes right” belief, they even are willing to threaten violence over whether or not some peas are passed around the table.

Joe tells Sephus that he hoped to stop the aggression toward the blacks and Italians, but Lively says there was a vote and that’s the end of it. Lively’s interest in inciting violence comes out later. (There is a shot of Lively ironically in front of a religious depiction considering his very non-spiritual intents). Danny arrives stating that the company is trying to sneak in a night shift for the newly arrived workers. The local men go to the mines ready to use force. But, Johnson, with the white workers behind him, and the company men armed with a machine gun in front of him, shows courage and sense by throwing the rented shovel down and telling the company representative that the tool belongs to them. The other blacks and Italians also throw down their shovels. Joe is jubilant, and tells the local workers to welcome their new “brothers’ into the union, saying no coal is moved without a union man moving it. Cooperation in numbers that addresses the needs of all is what the union is advocating.

Since the union did not have many resources, they couldn’t help financially or with manpower or influence to aid those on strike. The workers chip in to help each other, including Elma, who arrives with bags of stolen company food. She insists that even though she is willing to help she tells Joe he can’t win, so much are the odds against these pioneers fighting for their rights. A superstitious local woman, Mrs. Elkins (Jo Henderson) covers her face when looking in the direction of an Italian mother, Rosaria (Maggie Renzi), who has a statue of Mary, the mother of Jesus, with her, another example of the importance of religion in the lives of the residents. Elkins says Rosaria was giving her the “evil eye,” which demonstrates the prejudices that must be overcome for the various working groups to move forward together. Nevertheless, Danny says that he never saw everybody together like this before, and claims the company doesn’t “have a chance.” He brings his evangelical enthusiasm and optimism to the scene due to the promise of cooperation. But, the reality of the situation will emerge showing the difficulty of the fight which will alter his positive feelings.

Hatfield enters the store run by the mayor. Hickey and Griggs are sitting at a counter having drinks, and Hickey makes them an offer they can refuse, trying to bribe them. The mayor says the “the town can’t be bought.” Hickey only sees what is corrupt in people because he sold his soul, if there ever was on, quite a while back. So, he assumes that Hatfield’s stand concerning the evicted man was just a show for more bargaining power. Hatfield shows his morality when he says that he will lock up both men if they try anything to harm the citizens inside the town limits. Griggs reveals again the condescension the outsiders have for the locals when he says the “hillbillies” always have to do things the “hard way” (these guys like that phrase). In a way, he is unwittingly complementing these people for their resolve to do what is right. Hickey smiles and smiles, though he is a villain (apologies to Shakespeare). But then he drops the facade and shows his meanness when he says to the town’s leaders, “Don’t push your luck.” After the two men leave, the mayor asks Hatfield if Hickey and Griggs were bluffing. Hatfield shows the lines of battle have been drawn when he answers, “Nope. Neither am I.”

Joe tries to explain that the union relief fund is stretched thin, and there has to be an evaluation as to which effort gets how much based on need. The workers fear that they won’t get anything if the union decides they can’t win. But Lively says it’s politics, and they have to realize that. He seems to be saying that the men just have to deal with the reality of the situation, but he does not offer comfort to the financially strapped families. Meanwhile, the music metaphor continues as an Italian playing his mandolin joins the two local men who are again using their fiddle and guitar, while the African American plays his harmonica in the background. The story again stresses that unity brings harmony among people. The scene jumps back to Joe trying to calm the anxiety of the workers who question Joe’s argument that the union is a democracy, like the United States, since they feel that the republic has let them down. The alert Johnson hears something and tells everyone to get down as bullets fly through the tent where the meeting is taking place. As Hatfield said, the threat was no bluff.

Nobody was killed, but some were wounded, and Elma places blame on Joe. He doesn’t refute her, most likely because he knows that weighing sacrifice against rewards is not an easy task. She tends to the wound of one of the black men, and reassures him that when a doctor gets there they will treat black people, too. It is a horrible fact that at this time an African American might not receive medical attention because of his race. 

Mrs. Elkins and Rosaria are at it again, arguing over the safety of the meals they are preparing. Joe circulates through the crowd, seeking out any witnesses who may have seen who the shooters were. As he comes across the contentious women, he tries to make Elkins show understanding about how some people have different ways of doing things. To use the music metaphor, he is trying to create harmony out of discordance. Their differences are put on hold when Rosaria hears a train and assumes soldiers are coming to kill them. Elkins wonders where the men are. It turns out they are in a clandestine meeting where Lively undermines the union, saying it isn’t helping. He continues to advocate confrontation and he has an ally in Sephus. Fausto wants to stick with Joe’s plan, and Johnson knows there will be “hell to pay” if the blacks start shooting white men. Sephus asks the blacks and the Italians to leave since the visitors are not on board with the plan to start shooting. 

Hickey and Griggs drive into the workers’ camp which has been set up since the men on strike have been evicted from company housing. They have armed men with them, which Hickey says, with that false, nasty smile, didn’t get sleep last night. He is all but admitting that his men were the ones that fired their guns into the camp. To add pressure onto this boiling situation, Hickey says that the families took company goods with them and have to return them. They can’t buy anything with script since it was invalidated once they were on strike. Hillard, Mrs. Elkins’s son, comes forward and says Hickey has no legal rights. Hickey’s defiance against anything that is legal and just is exhibited when he punches Hillard and kicks him. Joe, trying to bring logic to a gunfight, says if there is no list of goods that belonged to the company, Hickey and Griggs don’t know what belongs to whom. Hickey and Griggs approach Joe, who says that he is unarmed and everyone there will testify that it’s murder if they shoot him. Hickey tries to assault Joe, who pushes back, but Griggs floors him with a jab. They pull out their guns, but “hill” men appear with rifles. Their leader says that the Baldwin-Felts men and their car scared the game they were hunting, so the men should get out. Griggs says they are the law (which is a reprehensible statement given their lack of respect for the legal system or any set of rules). That line doesn’t work here as the “hill” man says the only law is the one of “nature.” At least these people adhere to some type of code. Hickey knows how dangerous these guys are and says to Griggs that they should get out of there. After they leave, the rescuers tell the workers to keep the noise down, and that the pigs belong to them, but they can have the other game. They may be uncivilized and scary, but they are willing to help since, as Mrs. Elkins points out, they, too, have been victimized by the company that has seized much of their land. It is interesting that these “hill” people fought the union in the Civil War and now are helping a different kind of union. The story indicates that the battle against tyranny joins people of all sorts together.

Joe must have heard about the locals planning an attack but when he bangs on the door of Lively’s place, he gets no answer. Lively is inside telling Danny how to light the fuse on a pipe bomb, and he tells the boy to drop it down one of the shafts. It is upsetting to see the man use someone so young to do his dirty work. The scene shifts to the dinner table at Elma’s. Hickey and Griggs look menacing even when they eat. Hickey puts on his fake smile wondering where the other diners are. Elma says they are “particular” with whom they eat and starts to say if the place wasn’t owned by the company she wouldn't be there, either. But, the despicable Griggs interrupts her by saying she would be selling herself as a whore if it weren’t for Stone Mountain. After Hickey asks where Danny is, Elma silently gets up and leaves. In an extremely ironic line, the barbaric Griggs says, “Ain’t you got no table manners?”

Elma sits on the porch and is joined by Joe, as they both wonder where everybody is, and Joe implies something is up because nobody told him anything. Elma starts to sob as she relates how she has been constantly working after her husband died. Joe offers empathy by saying how difficult it is to be on one’s own. But, Elma, who has no union to back up being a woman in her situation, tells him he really doesn't know what it’s like for her. Then the bomb goes off, and Hickey and Griggs run out, saying they are “in business,” like they expected the explosion. They drive through town with several armed men, as Hatfield grins and says the comic understatement, “Might be some shootin.’” 

The local men are in the woods above the mine setting up what they believe is an ambush of the company’s men drawn there by the bomb. But they are the ones ambushed as Hickey, Griggs, and the others approach from a higher spot and start firing at the workers. Sephus is wounded, but hides near a fallen tree trunk as Griggs finds Lively who Sephus, and we, now see has been working for the company to incite the townspeople and give the company the excuse to use force in retaliation. Rosaria now helps Mrs. Elkins treat a leg wound, as they collaborate when attacked by a common enemy. The miners realize that the company thugs knew where they would be waiting, so they suspect a spy. Lively shows up at the tent after Joe has entered, and the traitor acts as if he is concerned about the casualties. Joe angrily reminds them that their violence harms themselves. But the wounded man acts just like the company wants, as he blames the blacks and the Italians for not being there to back them up.

The bleeding Sephus is found by a man and woman in the hills. The other workers look for hurt men and find a dead miner shot by the Baldwin-Felts agents. Lively, trying to sow seeds of discontent, says to Joe that he has his “martyr,” which is unfair as Joe says he tried to prevent the confrontation. Lively also works on dividing the townspeople by intercepting a love letter which Bridey Mae sent to Joe and then telling her that Joe exposed its comments and slandered her to humiliate Bridey Mae. He wants to frame Joe as the culprit when he tells her he believes Joe is a spy for the company. He persuades her to lie to the other miners by saying Joe raped her. Lively shows the workers a fake piece of evidence he says he found in Bridey Mae’s place that links Joe to the Baldwin-Felts agency. 

Danny brings towels to Hickey’s room and handles the man’s pistol. The image suggests how the company’s actions and the violence perpetrated by its agents have corrupted the innocence of the boy. He hears Hickey and Griggs coming and hides in the closet. He overhears Hickey telling Griggs how Joe will be killed based on Lively’s actions. But, he realizes his gun has been moved and finds Danny in the closet. He shows the young man a military decoration awarded him after he bayoneted several Germans in a WWI foxhole. The story lets Danny know that if the boy says anything, Hickey is very capable of killing him and his mother. The scene also shows how someone who was recognized as being a hero in war can also be a murderer in peacetime; thus, violence let loose takes its toll no matter the cause.

Johnson draws the short straw to kill Joe, after which Lively says to the man, “Welcome to the union.” Because of the person making this statement and the action assigned, we have a perversion of the union’s stance for positive cooperation. Johnson sits with Joe telling him that he’s supposed to stand guard over him if the Baldwin-Felts people come to kill him. At dinner time at the boarding house, Hickey and Griggs get drunk and use their leverage over Danny to mock the boy, his religion, and where he lives by saying that they know about hell since they are in West Virginia. They derisively sing a hymn about the “blood of the lamb.” There is a quick segue to an actual church service where the same song is sung and which shows the sincerity of the community’s devotion. But, ironically, among those in attendance are the inebriated, laughing Hickey and Griggs along with workers who have decided on ending Joe’s life. Their presence desecrates the faith of the other church members. The “blood of the lamb” refers to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for others, and thus, those that suffer for the sake of the workers and their families are likened to Christ figures in this tale. 

Sephus, convalescing in a bed at the home of the people who rescued him, tries to get up and tell the truth to the miners. But his wound is severe. Back in camp, we learn that Johnson fought at San Juan Hill. So, he too, is a war hero of sorts, but he contrasts in temperament with Hickey, who has made violence a way of life. Joe admits to being a “Red,” or communist, but jokes about how his type doesn’t use guns but only “little round bombs.” The thrust here is to dismiss stereotypes about people, which Johnson can identify with. He tells Johnson of Mennonites jailed because they were pacifists and refused to serve in the military during the war. They also did not wear any decorative clothing and took the buttons off of their prison uniforms. They were handcuffed above their heads and made to hang so that their hands bled and became useless. Joe says that they carried no weapons into battle and still showed immense bravery. Joe’s story exalts nonviolence above man’s baser, destructive tendencies.

We again have the back and forth between the religious and secular story lines as there is a shift to the church where Danny is preaching about Joseph and his coat of many colors. His story includes the presence of spies and a plot to frame Joseph by making it appear that he was involved with a woman of loose morality. Joseph was unjustly killed. Danny is trying to get his point across, as Jesus did, through a parable. Danny ends his sermon by saying, “Draw your own conclusions.” Lively is there, and he is not drunk, and he and some of the men present get the point. Lively leaves and escapes by swimming across the river. The miners get word to the conflicted Johnson that Joe was framed. He is very relieved that he can let Joe live. Sephus has come back to town and sets fire to Lively’s place. The miners now know of Lively’s duplicity. 

The elderly narrator returns saying how Joe’s innocence made him into a powerful force, most likely because the miners felt guilty about being manipulated into thinking he was a conspirator. Joe and Danny now preach the union gospel around the area. The union men, including the blacks and the Italians, bond together, playing baseball. When Joe has a catch with Danny, the young man asks if Joe ever killed anyone. Joe says he saw the futility of working people killing other workers and he went to prison because he refused to be sent to war by rich men and politicians, which is consistent with his beliefs that the powerful exploit common folk. Mrs. Elkins now brings food to Rosaria to help feed the Italian children, saying they are “all in it together,” which is what Joe has been saying.

Danny and Hillard try to poach some coal for the camp, but they are spotted. Danny hides under a railway car, but Hillard is caught. Hickey beats him and asks him to divulge the names of five union members. Lively is now with the Baldwin-Felts men. Griggs says he will kill Hillard unless he talks. Griggs fires bullets all around the man’s head. He cuts Hillard’s throat superficially, and Hillard gives them names. Griggs kills him by cutting his throat deeper. Lively says the names Hillard gave were of dead men who died on the job. The film shows us here one of those unselfish sacrifices made for the greater good. Danny later walks into the camp with Hatfield carrying Hillard’s body as the boy’s mother, Mrs. Elkins, cries. Joe looks devastated, and the men look at him accusingly, seeing the price that is being paid for Joe’s secular crusade. 

Baldwin-Felts reinforcements arrive telling Hatfield they are there to evict union workers off of Stone Mountain land, and they tell the mayor and Hatfield they won’t tolerate interference. The tobacco-chewing police chief spits, probably showing his disgust for these outsiders. After they move on Hatfield smiles to lessen the impact of his words, which are, “They’ve come to kill me.” His words about death connect to the shift to the graveside ceremony of Hillard. Danny does the eulogy, and he refutes the idea that God plans everything, including the death of the young Hillard. Instead he states a principle of deism by saying that God created everything and then, “we take it from there.” Thus, he places the blame for Hillard’s death on the actions of people. Sephus sarcastically asks Joe if he wants them to be as forgiving as Jesus and “turn the other cheek” to their enemies. Joe is Gandhi-like in saying that the company wants violence, so the point is don’t give in to their wants. But Sephus says that lethal force may be what the workers want now, as they may desire revenge. Sephus sees Joe’s desire for a union of workers that stretches far and wide as dwarfing the needs of what happens in this small community. Joe still asks for a meeting in the morning with the workers to prevent the fighting, A mournful song follows that ominously tells of the “gathering storm.”

The proverbial calm before that storm is depicted as the locals ready for what's to come. Danny, the boy of God. becomes the man of war. He readies his rifle as Joe visits him in a tent. Joe talks of wanting to help, but Danny is bitter. He says the coal company said they were there to help, but then took their land and impoverished them, making them suffer by getting the coal for them. Now Joe comes offering help, and Hillard won’t be able to see that help. Danny says they’ve had all the “help” they can tolerate. Elma quietly sneaks down the stairway of the boarding house and enters the room where the company assassins sleep, but one is awake, standing guard, and gives Elma a sly smile. The implication is that Elma may have had the elimination of the enemy on her mind. A sad but resigned Hatfield readies his gun for the shooting that will inevitably ensue.

Fausto wakes Joe and tells him that the men have gone to town, which means they had no intention of listening to Joe’s attempt to have them put away their guns. It begins to look like a version of the OK Corral as the company killers advance on the town as the mayor and Hatfield stand in the road. As the mayor protests, guns are drawn and as Joe yells, “No!” guns start blazing. The townspeople are hidden around the main street. There are many casualties. The unarmed mayor takes one in the stomach. Sephus shoots Griggs but is also wounded. Elma finishes off Hickey with rifle shots. Despite his earlier militant stance, Danny holds his fire and lets an unarmed company man escape. Hatfield survives and he surveys the battlefield as the mayor says all he wanted to do “was talk.” But here, guns drowned out words. Mrs. Elkins continues to fire shots into the lifeless body of Griggs for having killed her son, Hillard. Elma kneels (a religious genuflection?) and cries in front of the slain body of Joe who was killed in the crossfire. He may have been a stranger, but he sacrificed his life for the people of Matewan, not by fighting, but by trying to prevent the loss of life.

The camera focuses on Danny who stands near his grieving mother. It is his voice as an old man that is the narrator. The voice-over says that there was a trial for Hatfield, but he was acquitted. The mayor died from his wound. But the never-ending effect of revenge continued later as the cowardly Baldwin-Felts men shot and killed the unarmed Hatfield as he walked up the stairs of a courthouse, a symbolic act of contempt for the law that is supposed to protect citizens. The despicable Lively lived to put a final bullet in Hatfield’s head, and there was no trial for these acts which again stresses how the powerful literally get away with murder. The coal mine wars followed, says the elder Danny, and he says he continued Joe’s quest for the one big union that protected all workers, 

As the narration proceeds, we see a younger Danny walking into the mines to continue the work shared by so many other miners. His older voice says that Joe was buried with the men of the town who were killed as he finally was accepted in death by the people of Matewan.

The next film is Apocalypse Now.

Silver Linings Playbook

SPOILER ALERT! The plot will be discussed.

Silver Linings Playbook (2012), directed by David O. Russell, who also wrote the adapted screenplay, is a dramatic comedy that starts with Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) in a psychiatric institution in Baltimore, Maryland in 2008 rehearsing what he’s going to say to his wife Nikki to try and win her back. His voice-over states that he used to live for Sundays when his mother would cook Italian food and the family would watch the Philadelphia Eagles play football. Sunday may be the day of religious worship for Christians, but in his family the praying is done to help the home team win. 

The story contains a theme about the blending of luck and with what people can do concerning their lives. For instance Pat has a psychiatric problem which he can’t change, but has to learn to deal with. As the story progresses, the film shows both Pat and Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence, in an Oscar-winning role) have messed up lives and the question becomes how can they overcome what happened to them and what they did to themselves. On the wall of Pat’s room at the mental hospital is the word “Excelsior,” which means “ever upwards.” It becomes Pat’s motto to improve his life. But there is also a trash bag on his bed, which he later wears while running which he says helps him with sweating. It also seems to imply that he has trashed his life, and he has to find a way out of the dumpster. Pat says, “This is what I learned at the hospital. You have to do everything you can, you have to work your hardest, and if you do, you have a shot at a silver lining” which can insulate you from a cloud of despair. It is an admirable idea, but Pat is so fixated on the positive at the beginning that he doesn't know how to navigate around the negative obstacles of reality.

Pat spits out his medication at the hospital because as he later says they make him feel “foggy,” which is reported by many people with mental conditions, and which causes them to quit taking their daily doses. Pat, in group therapy, says that we have to fight negativity which becomes a “poison,” and he wants to avoid its toxicity.  He works out, almost like a football player, only his training is for life. But his desire to be so positive seems forced because anything that does not seem optimistic sends him into a tailspin. His mother, Dolores (Jacki Weaver), arrives to get him out of the treatment center, which she can do, but the administrator says that she will “assume a lot of liability in the eyes of the court.” So Pat’s situation is a serious one. Despite what the doctor says, Dolores doesn’t want her son getting used to the “routine” at the hospital because she most likely thinks it’s harmful for him to become dependent on that way of life. 

As he and his mother drive away, Pat wants to give fellow patient Danny (Chris Tucker) a ride back to Philadelphia. Danny notes that Pat said of his mother that she is “the mighty oak that holds the house together.” The statement implies that there is a need for someone to provide stability in an otherwise shaky family. Danny fast-talks about his drug and assault problems brought on by anxiety and attention deficit disorders. Danny is obsessed about his hair, comically not even wanting Pat to touch it in the wrong direction when Pat compliments its appearance. Dolores gets a call from the mental facility telling her that Danny wasn’t supposed to leave. Pat grabs the wheel when his mother wants to pull over and they almost get into an accident. The shot shows that Pat is still reckless and not on a steady course as of yet. 

Danny says it’s okay to bring him back to the hospital but even though Dolores is worried about getting into trouble with the courts, he is encouraging, saying she should still take Pat home. Pat wants to stop at the library to find out about Nikki’s English high school syllabus and read the books listed on it. It is a strange request which shows his fixated personality, and he continues to overcompensate in the process of “remaking” himself. 

Back at his house, Pat’s father, Patrizio (Robert De Niro), argues with an acquaintance, Randy (Paul Herman), about the Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys. Their exchange is funny, as Randy says that Dallas is America’s team because what’s more American than “a cowboy.” Pat’s dad says Benjamin Franklin, the Philadelphian, is more American. Randy counters by saying nobody would know about Franklin if he wasn’t depicted on money. When Pat comes in he sees that a portrait of himself no longer hangs on the wall but sits on the floor. The image shows Pat and us that his father may be disappointed in his son. Dad is highly superstitious, as he is upset that his multiple remotes have been rearranged, which can lead to bad luck. This fact points to his obsessive-compulsive disorder and also adds to the fate versus free will theme. 

Dolores didn’t tell her husband that she was bringing Pat home, probably because he would give her a difficult time about it, which he does now, questioning if his son was ready to be released. Pat then turns the questioning around, surprising his dad by knowing about his financial situation. Pat asks how his father is going to open up a restaurant when he lost his job and is now unreliably trying to make money by taking bets as a bookmaker. The gambling angle also ties into the idea of placing faith in luck as opposed to making one’s own way in the world. In answer to his father’s question about what are Pat’s plans for the future, Pat says he will read Nikki's books so he can get his old job back and reconnect with his wife. His father says that Nikki sold her house and moved away, and that “she’s gone.” Pat repeats the word “excelsior” and says he will find a “silver lining,” since he wants to maintain his optimism. But, there is confirmation here that Pat is delusional about where he is searching for his happiness. 

Pat reads Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms. When he finishes it he is outraged at the sad ending because the main character survives the war, lives with the love of his life, they have a baby, and then the woman dies. He throws the book and breaks the bedroom window as the novel falls to the ground. It is four in the morning, but Pat, in his agitated state, complains that Nikki taught a book that is very negative. Pats says he won’t apologize for waking up his parents, because it’s really Hemingway’s fault. His father humorously says Pat should have Hemingway call to say he is sorry. The movie suggests that not dealing with the hardships in life is an attempt to escape from reality. The story argues that both total negativity and extreme optimism can be impediments to a genuine life. 

Pat must go to therapy sessions as part of a deal for him to live at home. In the psychiatrist's office he hears Stevie Wonder’s song “My Cherie Amor,” which we find out was played at his wedding, a strange song for that event, since, as IMDb points out, it is about unrequited love. It does fit the current situation as Nikki does not return Pat’s feelings for her. Pat demands that the recording be turned off. He is belligerent and knocks over magazines looking for the music speaker, but then shows guilt for his uncontrollable actions as he attempts to put the material back in place. Dr. Patel (Anupam Kher) used the song to see if it was still a “trigger” for Pat. Despite Pat arguing that, “I am not the explosion guy,” he obviously still is. He says that his father is the “explosion” person, because Pat Sr. became involved in so many fights at Eagles’ games, he was banned from the stadium. So, we can see that there is a genetic link here. 

Pat says that he only had one angry confrontation, but Dr. Patel says one incident can be life changing. Pat argues justification because he came home from work early following a fight with the principal (which shows his combativeness is part of his behavior) and heard the Stevie Wonder tune playing (probably in his head as he saw clothing on the floor as he approached the bathroom). He found his wife was naked in the shower with a history teacher, Doug Culpepper. Since Pat was a history substitute teacher at the school and Culpepper was “tenured,” as Pat points out, he is actually revealing that he felt emasculated professionally and personally. Pat savagely beat the man after Culpepper suggested that Pat should leave. Some may say that Pat’s behavior was understandable, but assault is not a legal defense in this situation. Dr. Patel asks about his behavior before and after the attack. Pat had called the cops saying that his wife and the history teacher were plotting against him “by embezzling money from the local high school.” He grudgingly admits that accusation was a delusion. He was then diagnosed with bipolar disorder that brings out extreme “mood swings” that come during periods of “stress.” As he states that he really has been trying to deal with his manic-depressive problem his whole life, the camera focuses on his hands. He still wears his wedding ring, which shows he has not been able to accept the truth about his marriage and move on. 

Pat’s mother urges him to take his medications which he continues to resist because he doesn't like the way they make him feel. Those who have bipolar disorder don’t like blunting the energetic creative element which is unfortunately part of the mania aspect of the condition. His father wants him to sit next to him to get rid of the “juju” which is the negative energy that he believes hurts the Eagles. Both father and son wear good luck necklaces, but Pat says he doesn’t believe in bad luck now. His father says if he is Mr. Positive, maybe he can spread that feeling while watching the home team. Besides the remotes being on an end table in a particular position, Pat Sr. also holds onto a handkerchief as a good luck charm, while wearing his Eagles sweater. Pat points out his father’s OCD, and his dad denies his superstitious nature, all evidence to the contrary. The Eagles score a touchdown, and Pat Sr. cheers, saying his son came home because he was “meant to be there” since “everything happens for a reason.” His father has surrendered his autonomy to external determinism. Pat, trying to believe in his own ability to change things, says he didn’t have anything to do with the team’s performance.

Pat jogs past the school where he taught and calls to Nancy Metzger (Patsy Meck), the high school principal, telling her he is ready to go back to work. He is overly exuberant and comes on strong. She is alarmed to see him and tries to back away. He asks if Nikki is still working there but she is unable to divulge that information. He seems oblivious to his unwanted presence. She says it looks like he lost weight and he is so pleased that she noticed that he tries to hug her and she recoils. In order to put him off, she says that things will work out in time for him and “it will be all good.” He doesn’t realize she is appeasing him, and instead takes her comment “as a silver development,” the color of success for him. 

Pat encounters his friend Ronnie (John Ortiz), who says he is glad to see him and would like to have someone to talk to (which indicates that his life is not so good, either). He also says his wife Veronica (Julia Stiles) wants to invite Pat to dinner. Pat doesn’t buy it since he says he knows Veronica hates him. Pat is frank when he speaks, as he says that Nikki said Veronica keeps Ronnie’s “social calendar where she keeps his balls: in her purse.” Ronnie first denies this emasculation reference but after Veronica calls out demanding to know what he’s doing he humorously admits, “OK, it’s a little true.” But Veronica actually did invite Pat, as she calls out of the upstairs house window asking about the dinner while at the same time ordering Ronnie inside. Pat, still obsessing over Nikki, wants to know if Veronica is still in touch with his wife.

Back home, Pat says things are looking good because he believes that Veronica invited him to dinner so he could reconnect with Nikki. His father may have positive feelings on acquiring good luck, but he is skeptical of Pat’s clouded optimism. He warns Pat that Nikki may be with Culpepper still. Pat refuses to hear any negativity. A policeman, Officer Keough (Dash Mihok), appears at the house reminding Pat that he has a restraining order against him and he shouldn’t visit where he used to work. Pat’s mania just sees these restrictions as unnecessary obstacles as he can’t look beyond his obsession to show that he is fine now. He acts as if whatever negative events occurred in the past are inconsequential to what is presently happening.  

Dr. Patel wants Pat to realize he will either be in jail or back at the mental hospital if he keeps behaving the way he has been. Pat says that Nikki is just waiting for him to get back in shape. Pat’s physical fitness is a metaphor for his becoming mentally fit, too. He says when he reaches that goal, everything will be back to the way it was. Patel tries to make him understand that Nikki may not ever come back and that he needs a “strategy” to deal with that possibility. Pat ignores him and just talks about deciding to wear an Eagles jersey despite its informal appearance to Veronica’s dinner party. It’s possible that at least subconsciously for Pat the sports shirt can emanate a sense of victory so he can be seen as a winner for Nikki. 

Pat shows up at Ronnie’s, but his positive confidence crumbles a bit as he has insightful second thoughts about the inappropriateness of the jersey, especially when Ronnie shows up at the door wearing a tie. Ronnie says the jersey is fine, but Veronica points out it isn’t the right look for dinner, verifying Pat’s realistic misgivings. Ronnie spent a lot of money redoing the house to please Veronica and at first acts like there is financial opportunity in flipping real estate. But, he admits in private that he feels “crushed” by the “pressure” because of the job, his new baby, and his family as a whole. So, the film implies that what appears to be an accepted, normal way of life may also lead to mental anguish, and that what seems to be overtly abnormal may not be as odd as it looks. Ronnie says, “you can’t be happy all the time,” which upsets Pat, who is Mr. Mission Happiness. Ronnie says, “You just do your best, you have no choice.” His remark notes where free will and fate seem to meet. It suggests one can only do so much and then the variables of life take over. At the end of this conversation, Ronnie springs the fact that Veronica’s sister. Tiffany, is coming over, and her husband, Tommy, died, which throws those uncontrollable variables right at Pat.

Pat is very awkward when complimenting Tiffany Maxwell (the first name can mean the lamp which is beautiful but fragile, and the last name may suggest that she may be a person that can be of maximum benefit) about how she looks because he says he didn’t do that enough with Nikki and he is now practicing for getting back with his wife. Besides losing her husband she also lost her job. Her life is full of negativity, and it is a discoloration on Ray’s attempt to see the world through those rose-colored glasses. The camera mirrors Pat’s observations of Tiffany as he notices her cleavage. Tiffany’s response to her plight is sarcasm and anger. When Veronica plays a guessing game about what turns out to be a strangely designed fireplace, Tiffany jokes that it's a morgue drawer, which reflects her morbid state of mind. Pat’s abrupt bipolar shifts have him rambling inappropriately as he notes that he isn’t allowed to have a phone, most likely due to his stalker tendencies, but he says if he did carry one he would call Nikki. He repeats her name so often it’s almost like a mantra, which annoys Tiffany. 

Ronnie and Veronica attempt to stress the attributes of Pat and Tiffany, (his knowledge of U. S. Presidents and her dancing ability), maybe to help them be positive or become interested in each other. Tiffany keeps showing her anger by not liking her sister talking about her as if she wasn’t there, but then realizes her overreaction and apologizes, which demonstrates she has multiple sides to her character. But, she and Pat go dark as they compare medications, a dysfunctional area on which to find common ground. Tiffany, most likely not seeing any possibility of a good evening in her sister’s house if psychiatric medications are the highlight of conversation, abruptly says she is tired and wants to go home. But, she may also be interested in Pat and wants to be alone with him. So, she asks him if he is ready to walk her home. Her abrupt shifting of conversation prompts Pat, ironically, to comment that she has poor social skills. She sees the irony and tells him he acts inappropriately the majority of the time. He responds by saying accurately that he is honest (which doesn’t justify his lack of social grace), whereas she is “mean.”

Pat walks her home anyway and she tells him she knows that he is attracted to her by the way he looked at her. She says critically on one hand that she hates his football jersey, but then in a shift that matches Pat’s swings, says he can have sex with her with the lights off. The lack of revealing inner feelings here is evident, and she seems to be using sex as an escape from her anguish. He is taken aback, and asks how old is she? Her response is defensive, and is actually an attack against him, saying that she was “old enough to have a marriage end and not wind up in a mental hospital.” He admits that she is “really pretty,” but he can’t move forward because he has weighed himself down by the delusional anchor that his marriage is still viable. He raises his hand showing his wedding ring, which she also does. When she says she is just as married as he is, which is not at all, he thrusts the sad fact that it’s different because her husband is dead. She breaks down, cries, hugs him, but he seems confused, unable to show empathy because in his own way he is selfishly focused only on himself. She is angry at revealing her hurt and his not being able to comfort her, and she unleashes her anger by slapping him.

Even though that slap was figuratively an attempt to make him snap out of his self-denial about Nikki, Pat’s troubled response is to go home and look at his wedding ring, seeking a refuge against the pain of reality. He wants to desperately dive back into those reassuring historical waters by manically waking up his parents and the neighborhood in a loud quest to find his wedding video. But that looking backwards contradictorily conjures up horrible memories of surprising his wife in the shower with Culpepper and his attacking the man. That violence spills over into the present as Pat knocks his mother down in his hysteria. The aggression in Tiffany's slap escalates now into a fight between Pat and Pat Sr. as the father’s anger problem literally confronts his son’s disability. (Pat Sr. also threatens a young man from the neighborhood for trying to record the incident, but then says he is sorry for his anger, mirroring his son’s behavior, and stressing the familial psychiatric problems). Pat realizes how out of control he is and shouts out, “I’m sorry,” probably for present and past actions. Officer Keough shows up following numerous complaints from the neighbors, and Pat pleads that the officer not report the incident, realizing public knowledge of his actions would hurt his reunion with Nikki. He wants to still believe despite all evidence to the contrary that he is ready to be with her again and that she will accept him as he is now. 

After the outburst of the previous night, Pat starts to take some medication again. As he jogs, he passes by Tiffany’s house. She appears unexpectedly and surprises Pat. He is drawn to her but that attraction also makes him want to repel her because it threatens his daunting quest to win back Nikki. He said he was honest, but maybe only about his assessment of others, and not about himself. She calls him on his “bullshit” and in response to her reminding him of his reality, he calls her a “slut.” He realizes his nastiness, and again apologizes. She admits to having been a slut, but declares that is in the past. However, she is not in denial about herself, as she says, “there will always be a part of me that’s sloppy and dirty, but I like that, with all the other parts of myself.” She questions if he has that ability to see the totality of himself, and “forgive” his faults, and accept responsibility for his shortcomings alongside his attributes.

In his next session with the psychiatrist, Pat wants the doctor to deliver a letter to Nikki, which he obviously can’t do because of the restraining order, another example of Pat’s disconnect with reality. The psychiatrist questions that maybe Pat is critical of Tiffany because a relationship with her threatens his desire to be with Nikki. Pat dismisses the argument, again calling Tiffany a “slut.” The doctor tries to appeal to Pat’s “silver linings” approach and, thus, Pat’s self-interest by suggesting that if he is nice to Tiffany, it will show that he is becoming a kind, upstanding individual. Since Tiffany, Ronnie, and Veronica know Nikki, his exemplary behavior will get back to his wife.

It's Halloween which has people wearing masks, which is what Pat has been doing, pretending that he can be perfect for Nikki. He is even wearing his trash bag costume, as usual, which for him aids his workout so he can appear well balanced, but that conveys the exact opposite to anyone else who sees him. But, Pat now uses what his psychiatrist has said. When Tiffany surprises him again while jogging, she says she just wants to be friends. He asks her to eat dinner with him at the nearby diner, and she agrees to meet him that night. 

Dinner turns out to be Raisin Bran for Pat and tea for Tiffany. Pat is obviously not committing to a meal which would suggest something more substantial both digestively and romantically. As he says, he didn’t want her to think this was “a date.” He goes out of his way to deny any romantic urges he may feel for Tiffany. He asks about her dancing “thing,” but she knows he isn’t really interested so her sarcastic response is, “How’s your restraining order?” He keeps repeating the same litany about how well he is doing and is on his way to getting back with Nikki. He wishes he could just get a letter to her to convince her of his worth. Tiffany pauses, and one can see she is thinking about a plan. She says she could get the note to Nikki, and he is thrilled. She wants to stress what a big favor it is she is doing for him by saying she would be breaking the law by cooperating. She then says she is not on good standing with her family because she lost her job by “having sex with everybody in the office.” She knows how to pique his prurient interest, and he takes the bait by asking how many partners, and if women were involved. He sees that she is not upset about talking about her sexual past. This leads him to actually admit something negative about Nikki who made him feel perverted when he expressed sexual fantasies. Tiffany said that she was very depressed after her husband died which implies she acted out by being promiscuous. She was fired for her disruptive behavior and placed on medications. Pat again connects with her by saying he felt guilty about having to take his drugs, and they both somehow feel like failures because of that. She even seems to want to show she is getting on board with his paranoia when he suggests that Veronica’s dinner party may have been a “test” to see if he could resist Tiffany and thus is worthy of getting Nikki back. When she tries to solidify a connection with him by saying that they are alike, he refutes the notion and is condescending. He says that he hopes Veronica didn’t lump him with Tiffany when talking to Nikki. Tiffany is really pissed off since she realizes he is saying that he thinks she is crazier than he is. He has again failed to be empathetic. She does a Jack Nicholson from Five Easy Pieces and clears the table, and tells him to forget about the letter idea. She then storms out, showing that she is just as capable of making a loud scene as he is, so they really are alike in that way. 

He follows her out and tries to justify his antisocial behavior to her. He says he said what he told her because he didn’t want Nikki to get the impression that he, too, was promiscuous by being compared to Tiffany. She again cuts through his rationalization, pointing out that he liked to hear about her physical encounters. She says he is “afraid to live,” and calls him a “hypocrite,” implying he pretends to have more noble urges than she. She says he is really “a liar” which suggests he is false with others and himself. She tells him she opened up to him and then he judged her. Her behavior shows that she was looking to make a connection, hoping their outsider status would make him more compassionate, but he failed her test. She then shouts out in front of a movie theater that he is harassing her. The crowd starts to manhandle him, and Officer Keough rides up (is this guy always in the vicinity where Pat is?) and threatens him with going back to the mental hospital. “My Cherie Amour” is playing and he admitted to her earlier the bad association the song has for him. When Keough says Pat is sick, she shows her compassion and comes to his aid by saying he didn’t do anything wrong. She then tells Pat he’s okay and that he can’t let the song have that monstrous power over him. She repeats that there is no song, and the soundtrack mutes the singing as Pat relaxes. They both apologize, which they both seem to need to do often because of their uncontrollable outbursts. After the policeman recognizes Tiffany, and knows about her reputation, he makes a play for her. This time Pat comes to her defense, saying she isn’t promiscuous anymore. She walked away from the cop, and Pat catches up to her. He says he didn’t mean what he said in the diner, and she says she knows, and will get his letter to Nikki. 

Pat Sr.’s OCD is in full swing as he gets frantic about one of his missing envelopes, which he uses for his bookie enterprise. Pat took it to put his letter to Nikki in it and he is off to give it to Tiffany. He jogs holding a football like he’s ready to score a touchdown in his love life. Pat’s over-the-top part of his personality is in high gear as he pounds on Tiffany’s door and calls for her. When Tiffany’s parents answer the door they are hostile, most likely due to the many men who have come calling following their daughter’s loose sexual behavior. Another man shows up saying he wants to see Tiffany and informs them they dated. Tiffany is inside and hears Pat being protective of her, as he says she is trying to mend after being hurt and the other man should realize that and be a better person by not exploiting a sensitive, smart, artistic person. However the man does say that she just texted him, so despite the fact that Tiffany said she is no longer using sex as an escape, she is still vulnerable to that form of acting out.

Pat jogs away and Tiffany runs past him. He complains that she wasn’t at her house to accept the letter. Tiffany complains that she does things for others but she hasn’t received anything in return. So, she’ll deliver the letter if he dances with her in a competition, which her late husband never would do. This fact shows a failing in her marriage. Tiffany then asks Pat, probably trying to pierce his delusion, about how he and Nikki are in love (since they are not together). Pat, despite praising the great chemistry in their relationship, then reveals how much the couple wanted to try to change each other. He didn’t like the way she dressed, and how she acted superior to him. Nikki wanted him to lose weight and stop his mood swings, which he says he’s done (all evidence to the contrary concerning the latter). They would fight and not talk for a couple of weeks at a time. She tried to make him more “passionate and compassionate.” He keeps rationalizing, saying that it was “normal” for all of this discord between a couple. (Cooper is great at spewing out his dialogue, showing the manic aspect of the character’s bipolar disorder). Tiffany lets all of this go and just uses Pat’s declaration that he is now his best self by saying that if he is now “amazing” he should think about doing the right thing and help her with the dance contest.

Danny has been released from the mental hospital and shows up on game day at the Solitano house. This scene is very funny as Pat Sr. has an exact spot for Danny to sit holding two remotes a certain way to bring good luck to the Eagles. Pat’s friend Ronnie is there, too, and after saying Pat should avoid Tiffany because she has had a lot of therapy, Pat says he was in therapy, too, so Ronnie shouldn’t judge so harshly. He is again coming to her defense, as well as his own. Ronnie says when he feels that immense “pressure” he talked about, he goes to the garage and listens to Metallica and Megadeth, and (as he starts to weirdly simulate a shaking fit) says he “starts breaking shit.” Not exactly the poster boy for what passes as a “normal” life. He calls it his therapy, so even though he officially does not seek counseling, his outwardly respectable life needs help. Pat tells him that fact, but then retreats from reality again, saying he and Nikki will not have those issues, even after he admitted all the problems he and his wife had to Tiffany.

Jake, Pat’s brother, comes down the stairs, surprising Pat. Jake has not been there for Pat, not showing up at the hospital because he finds those places uncomfortable. So, in a way he tries to escape reality, too. He says that he is there to help their father establish that restaurant to show that Pat Sr. has a legal front to protect his gambling enterprise. Again, the wall of normalcy is what is sought and which people such as Pat and Tiffany openly shatter and are thus considered a threat. The pompous Jake lords his doing well at his firm, getting engaged, and buying a new house over Pat, who has lost his job, wife, and home. But those socially lauded accomplishments have not made him a more understanding, compassionate person. Pat Sr. cuts Jake’s speech short (though not short enough), showing concern for his son. Pat, showing improved calm and unselfishness, says, “I’ve got nothing but love for you, brother,” and hugs Jake. But they all warn him about the restraining order and Tiffany. Pat then shows insight when he announces that he, Danny and Tiffany, the misfits, may “know something that you guys don’t know, OK … Maybe we understand something.” Their perspectives looking from the outside at what is supposed to be the way to live allows them to see the faults prescribed by society. Just then society intervenes as Keough says he has to take the friendly Danny back to the institution because he has to appeal his interpretation about the Mental Hygiene Law. In contrast, Pat Sr., who is not facing admittance to the psychiatric facility, displays his craziness about how taking Danny away will jinx the Eagles' lead in their game. The suggestion is that some people outside the mental ward may be more in need of psychiatric help than those inside (which is the theme of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest).

Pat goes to Nikki’s converted garage that she has turned into a dance rehearsal studio. She also lives upstairs, so even though it is her parents’ address, she has withdrawn from society because of her socially unacceptable ways. Pat still tries to get out of the dance deal, offering to substitute another service. Tiffany doesn’t waiver. He swings back to being self-serving when he is with Tiffany, interrupting her by asking when is she going to deliver the letter he has brought, in which he noted what he is doing for Tiffany in order to ingratiate himself with Nikki. His appearance of an unselfish act is really for selfish reasons. Tiffany knows how to work the situation and says that he should walk toward her slowly without talking, pretending she is Nikki. Under his breath he says, “you’re not Nikki,” which can seem like a sarcastic rejection, but given his hidden attraction for Tiffany and his already stated problems with Nikki, his fighting his feelings for Tiffany can be a compliment. 

She makes him walk to her without looking up until he is within kissing distance and he looks at her. She says what he senses is “a feeling.” He denies it, but it is a lie because in his eyes is passion. She then tells him that she loved her husband but started to lose interest in sex because she didn’t want children, saying she could hardly take care of herself, revealing her insight into her character. Her husband bought some lingerie to spice things up and on his way back from Victoria’s Secret, he generously stopped to help someone change a tire and was hit and killed by a car. She says that caring act generated, “a feeling.” Her painful confession seems to jar him back to his empathetic side and wins his cooperation. 

There is a montage of Pat and Tiffany practicing as the soundtrack plays the duet sung by Boy Dylan and Johnny Cash from Dylan’s Nashville Skyline album, the singing of the pair likened to the dancing of the couple. At the end of a session he sees the bare back of Tiffany in a mirror as she changes. His desire for her shows on his face, but he runs out of the studio, putting distance between his feelings for her so he can return to his plan to win back Nikki. He lies on his bed, probably in anguish about his mixed feelings. 

Pat is still trying to catch up on Nikki’s English class syllabus, and has a copy of the Lord of the Flies with him when he goes to Tiffany’s studio. She throws it outside, repeating in a way what he did with the Hemingway book, but for different reasons. She says he isn’t reading on her time. She shows that she knows the book by summarizing the novel’s disturbing story, pointing out, “humanity is just nasty and there’s no silver lining.” Of course that harshness is totally counter to Pat’s recent “Excelsior” philosophy. But it doesn’t bother Pat, surprisingly, and instead of reacting as he did to the Hemingway book, he praises her synopsis. He may be allowing insightful light to shine in his view on things.

Danny shows up at Tiffany’s place because he was able to successfully argue his way out of his commitment, showing that sometimes one can buck the system. He notes that Pat wrote to him about Tiffany in a letter, which betrays his emphasis of only sending a letter to Nikki, and reveals Pat’s interest in Tiffany. Danny watches the two rehearse and offers helpful tips as he dances with Tiffany. Pat cuts in showing there is some jealousy. 

Pat Sr. wakes his son up to say they have to be together to have the positive feeling Pat has to rub off on the Eagles. It sounds like just more of his superstitious nonsense but he follows with him tearfully admitting he didn’t spend enough time with Pat, spent too much time with Pat’s brother, and couldn’t handle Pat’s psychiatric condition. He believes in the luck stuff, but he is also using it as an excuse for the two of them to have time with each other now that they didn’t have in the past and to get Pat better. Pat Sr.’s pal, Randy, who seems to want to take advantage of Pat Sr.’s superstitious ways by betting against him, says that Pat Sr. is betting his savings on the Eagles’ game with the Giants. Pat’s dad wants his son to go with his brother Jake to the game to enhance the good “vibe.” Pat Sr. says it’s like a family business, and there is a feeling of the family fighting against its dysfunction since Jake wants Pat to go with him and his friends, showing he is not embarrassed by his brother’s behavior. But, Pat has divided loyalties now as he promised to work with Tiffany on Sunday and he admits that his meetings with her make him “disciplined and focused.” 

Pat asks Tiffany if he can spend part of Sunday at the game for his father because his dad says the “juju” on the Eagles is being messed up by Pat spending time with her. She again uses the Nikki leverage, saying she responded to Pat’s letter but he can’t read Nikki’s letter until they nail their big dance “move.” Unfortunately the acrobatic stunt is not coming together, so Nikki lets Pat read Nikki’s letter out loud at his request. She warns that the usually positive Pat will go negative after reading it, so she feels she, in a move unusual for her personality, must encourage him to stay “positive.” The letter is very complimentary about how Pat has worked hard to show how much he wants to get back together. She disagrees with his assessment of her reading list concerning the negativity in the books. She feels that they expose how harsh life can be, which is what Pat has trouble confronting. Nikki still feels that his words aren’t enough, and Pat would have to show her something more to even consider resuming their relationship. Tiffany tells Pat that the dance contest will show “focus, collaboration, discipline,” and his following through would be for Nikki’s sake. He deluded himself into thinking his letter would do the trick with Nikki and swings toward depression, saying he can’t do any more practice that day. But, he does promise to return tomorrow, showing that Tiffany and the dancing still are helping him hold onto his sanity.

On his way to the Eagles game, Pat wants to call Tiffany because he wants to let her know he will be a little late. His father sees her as an impediment to the father-son-Eagles alliance. He says that Pat will be fine if he just stays out of a fight, which means he shouldn’t be like his father. At first the tailgate time seems positive as Pat meets with his pal Ronnie, Jake and his friends (although they make jokes about Pat just getting out of the mental hospital). Fittingly, given the sports setting, Pat gives a pep talk before the game to Ronnie to encourage him to work on his marriage. Pat even meets his psychiatrist who is also a huge Eagles fan. But, again that harshness of life that was noted in Nikki’s letter invades the joyful part as a fight with racist elements breaks out and Pat gets involved in the brawl after Jake gets hit. 

So Pat and his cohorts were not allowed to get into the stadium after the mayhem. When they return home, Pat Sr. loses it, saying how everything is ruined and Pat is “a loser,” which is just the opposite of what he had said earlier to him. He can get as much out of control as his son, so again the genetic factor is in play. Tiffany is livid that Pat did not show up to practice, and she bursts into the Solitano house, yelling at Pat for not honoring his commitment. Pat Sr. says that the Eagles “juju” fell apart ever since Pat started seeing her. Tiffany now shows her ability to win on her opponent's playing field. She has the statistics to back up that every time she and Pat were together either the Eagles or the Phillies baseball team won, and if he had been with her that day, he wouldn’t have gotten in a fight, and maybe the Eagles would have triumphed. She also informs them that the word on the official New York state seal is “Excelsior.” So, she argues, if she’s “reading the signs,” it’s stupid to send a guy to a game where the opposing team’s state slogan is the same word as the guy’s motto. Even Pat Sr. is impressed, and now says he likes Tiffany.

Randy says he feels badly about how he won so much money on the Giants game and offers a bet on the next game for Pat Sr. to win it back. Tiffany, who won’t let anyone get away with a fake line, says Randy isn’t being compassionate, that he has beaten her own father at betting, and gets off on the misery of others. Tiffany offers a different bet against the Dallas Cowboys, Randy’s favorite team, in the last game of the season. Randy is reluctant, and Pat Sr. gets carried away, even offering a ten-point spread for the game. But Randy wants to link the football game to the dance competition, so that Pat Sr. needs to win both contests. Earlier, Pat’s father talked about how Benjamin Franklin was more patriotic than cowboys, and the dance competition is at the Benjamin Franklin Hotel. So for Pat Sr., the “juju” seems right. But Pat and Tiffany must score a five out of ten, along with the Eagles winning, for Pat Sr. not to lose the bookie business and the restaurant. Pat says it’s a crazy bet and walks out saying he won’t participate, while Tiffany repeats she’s the one “reading the signs” and he has to do it.

We now find out that Pat’s mom told Tiffany where Pat was running, so there was a bit of a conspiracy between Dolores, Veronica and Tiffany to get the two involved. And Pat Sr. now agrees with Tiffany that the only way to show Pat that “he can live his life without ruining it” is to lie to him by saying that Nikki will be at the dance competition. Outside Pat looks over Nikki’s letter again because something is nagging at his memory. He sees the words “reading the signs” in the letter. Recalling how Tiffany just used those words, he knows that it was Tiffany, not Nikki, that wrote the letter to him.

Even though Pat knows about Tiffany’s deception about the letter, or maybe because he sees that she is trying to help him, he finishes the dance practice. It is Christmas, a silver lining time in the doldrums of winter, as they get ready to compete. Pat Sr., Dolores, and Jake show up at the competition, as well as Dr. Patel and Danny. Randy is elated because the dancers there look exemplary as they warm up. They also monitor the football game. Pat Sr. is like a coach, just as his son was previously, trying to inspire his players, Pat and Tiffany. So, athletics and art are joined in this story since both seek to reach a goal despite obstacles that stand in the way. 

As they go to check in, Pat and Tiffany hold hands without realizing they automatically joined their fingers together, which shows their moving toward being together. Veronica is also supposed to be there, but when Tiffany goes to find her, the lie becomes a reality, since Nikki is there, too. Tiffany now shows how much she is trying to win over Pat for herself as she is very upset with Veronica for bringing Nikki. Veronica says if Nikki sees how well Pat is doing, she may lift the restraining order, and Ronnie says that Pat told him that one should fight to save a marriage. Tiffany is so upset she goes to the bar for some drinks. A man there buys her a drink and she flirts with him as she starts to fall into her old way of dealing with loss.

Pat Sr. celebrates, as Randy looks unhappy, when they hear that the Eagles have won 44 to 6 in their game against Dallas (which actually happened). As Pat observes the skill of the dancers, he sees Nikki sitting with Veronica and Ronnie. But, significantly, he does not run over to her table to desperately ask for her to come back to him. Instead he goes searching for Tiffany since they are about to dance, which shows his focus has changed. He sees her at the bar, and shows he is upset with her for drinking just as their names are called. She says that she used to think that he was the best thing that happened to her, but now says he is probably the worst, showing how she rose up on hope and now is crashing on disappointment. But, Pat sees past her words and drags her to the dance floor to show them both they are partners. The dancing is “rebellious” like Tiffany, but it also shifts from energetic to slow, like bipolar swings to mirror Pat’s personality. As they dance the camera shows how they focus on each other and there is passion and joy in their dancing. But, that difficult jump move at the end of their routine does not work out very well, which leads to the suspense as to whether they can earn the score needed for Pat Sr.’s win, and for the couple to feel like winners.

They score exactly 5.0, and the announcer expresses that he is sorry about the results. In contrast, Pat, Tiffany, and the others with Pat Sr. cheer wildly, showing that people don't have to finish first to be champions in life if they beat the odds that would deny finding happiness. Tiffany hugs Pat and tells him she is thankful and that he was “amazing.” He leaves her to now confront Nikki. She acknowledges he has lost weight and looked good on the dance floor. He lets her know he is on his medication and is in therapy, and has been reading books on her class list. He then leans in and whispers into her ear. Tiffany observes Pat and starts to walk away as Johnny Mathis sings about getting “Misty,” which fits Tiffany’s emotions. 

Pat is no longer there to win Nikki back. It is sufficient for him to show her that he has reached a good place. He looks for Tiffany and Pat Sr. tells him she left. His father tells Pat that sometimes there are “signs” (Sleepless in Seattle comes to mind here) that must be recognized, and that he can’t miss this opportunity to be with Tiffany because she loves him. Pat Sr. is talking here about something beyond luck or superstition. It is about seizing those rare moments that can put life on the right path for individual fulfillment. 

As in all romance movies, one person at the end must run after the other. Pat catches up with Tiffany. He didn’t need his father to tell him to go after her. He hands her a letter he wrote a week ago confessing he knew she wrote the letter that was supposed to come from Nikki. He says, “The only way you can beat my crazy was by doing something crazy yourself,” as he acknowledges the healing resulting from what seemed the outlandish suggestion of the dance competition. He professes his love for her, and actually felt that love when they met at the dinner party. He apologizes for not allowing himself (not accepting that “sign”?) to acknowledge his feelings sooner, because he was “stuck” (jogging down the wrong path?). She says, without sentimental elaboration, “OK,” and they kiss.

The last scene has Pat Sr. getting his restaurant ready and is making another bet with Randy, who is now the one trying to recover his losses. The remotes are on the coffee table, so maybe Pat Sr. is fighting his OCD, as IMDb suggests. Danny is getting cooking lessons from Dolores, and Jake and Ronnie are playing cards, symbolizing the gambles we all take in life. Tiffany sits on Pat’s lap as they kiss. IMDb notes that they no longer are wearing their wedding rings, as they are now committed to each other. The film ends how it began with Pat doing a voice-over. He acknowledges how life can “break your heart,” and he states what the film is trying to say, that there is “craziness” not only in him, but in “everyone else.” So, empathy, not judgment, should rule. Sundays are now his favorite day again and he feels “lucky.” All you need is love, a famous person once sang.

The next film is Matewan.