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Original poster

to totally over think the ending to Castaway?

38 replies

Bogeyface · 28/12/2013 00:20

OK, so leaving aside the fact the many things that had me yelling at the TV (such as surely you would puncture and drain an abscess before knocking your own tooth out?!) and dont get me started on the crap final bit where he is invited to follow the cute farm girl!

I am left thinking that Tom Hanks will ultimately end up back with his partner.

Yes she is married with a DD but she says that she loves him, that he is the love of her life and that she always knew he was alive but was pushed to "move on". Surely her marriage wont survive that? TH told her she must go back and she agreed but they are still in love when that happens. So I dont see that her marriage will last, and they will eventually get back together. It is the ultimate emotional affair. They were separated but never stopped loving or wanting each other and she moved on out of necessity rather than choice. So when he returned, surely it would be inevitable that they would rekindle their relationship?

OP posts:
Loopylouu · 28/12/2013 00:30

I want to know what was in the bloody box.

Imsosorryalan · 28/12/2013 00:31

I hate the ending. I'd much rather he just got back with his partner. Or at least some sort of commentary at the end that they eventually got together.

I'm sure they did...

Loopylouu · 28/12/2013 00:31

And her husband seemed like a bit of a dick. She should totally get back with Tom.

AgentZigzag · 28/12/2013 00:33

But they'd both changed so much in the time they were apart that it'd make it impossible to get back together.

She had to let him go and grieve for what they had, can you change those feelings once you've been through the process?

His experiences are going to live with him forever, changing the way he sees the world. He must have some sort of PTSD from the isolation?

Na, I can't see it, even if they did get it together they'd be split within 6 months after realising you can't turn back the clock.

OwlinaTree · 28/12/2013 00:36

I think I saw it as he'd moved on really. That when he saw his partner he could see they had both moved on. It was important to him to know she had tried so hard to find him, but that her life was different now.

Hence the ending, he had the choice to follow the girl or not, he is literally at a cross road iirc, given choices after so many years of no choice.

Nombrechanger · 28/12/2013 00:36

I was very frustrated by the ending. I had forgotten it from the first time I watched it.
What a load of codswallop.

You can't just run off with someone when you've got kids.

Pancakeflipper · 28/12/2013 00:37

Nah, he goes off and shags the Bettina woman with the lovely dog.
Then finds Johnny and delivers Wilson.then back to Bettina woman.
Eventfully (15yrs later) he gets together with Kelly. Because she is the love of his life.

AgentZigzag · 28/12/2013 00:37

Apparently there was a deleted scene from the script which said there were 'two bottles of salsa verde' in the box he delivered at the end, with a note from a woman called Bettina begging her husband to come home.

Never have guessed that one.

LuciusMalfoyisSmokingHot · 28/12/2013 00:40

Given he was only gone 4 years, she moved on way to fast for my liking, forced too my arse.

AgentZigzag · 28/12/2013 00:44

Her biological clock was ticking Lucius.

izzydazzling · 28/12/2013 00:45

Aw, there was me thinking you meant the other Castaway film, the one with Oliver Reed and the nudity and stuff Xmas Blush

Original poster
Bogeyface · 28/12/2013 00:45

I was thinking she moved on fast but then when you are traumatised it can be easier to let other people make decisions for you. "Oh I know this GREAT guy...." "ok" "We should move in" "ok" "Lets get married" "OK" etc.

I agree that her DH was a dick.

OP posts:
rpitchfo · 28/12/2013 00:47

worst ending ever...should have watched "watchmen".

willyoulistentome · 28/12/2013 00:49

My DH decided Jack will top himself.
Cheerful.

CalamityKate · 28/12/2013 00:53

It was a solar powered phone in the box.

CalamityKate · 28/12/2013 01:02

.....oh, apparently not.

willyoulistentome · 28/12/2013 01:10

If I discovered there had been a solar powered phone available for 4 years on a desert island I think I WOULD top myself.

Valdeeves · 28/12/2013 01:15

I love the ending - as the other poster said - he's at a crossroads and has to keep moving forward "keep breathing." I think the angel wings symbolise that there is always hope. The simple logic is that he is alone and must keep surviving. The whole film is about resilience.
It's an amazing film - simply because he is just so bloody amazingly versatile. Just love Tom Hanks.

AgentZigzag · 28/12/2013 01:21

I love him too Vald Grin especially in The Terminal.

He'd come to terms with the isolation in Castaway, the one thing guaranteed to put the shitters up anyone and always used in horror films etc.

iwasyoungonce · 28/12/2013 01:29

I don't much like ambiguous endings. I like to know.

I loved this film - BUT - the most unrealistic thing of all is that he didn't open that frigging package. It could have had a box of matches in it! Or yes, a phone or something! You just would have looked.

Chippednailvarnish · 28/12/2013 01:33

I think it contained a stack of FedEx marketing materials, just make sure the viewers know who he was working for...

Chippednailvarnish · 28/12/2013 01:35

I think it contained a stack of FedEx marketing materials, just make sure the viewers know who he was working for...

Chippednailvarnish · 28/12/2013 01:35

I might say

AgentZigzag · 28/12/2013 01:37

Not looking in the box was the last real connection with the life he had iwasyoungonce.

I bet he abandons books halfway through and doesn't even read the last page Grin

toryalane · 28/12/2013 01:44

Arrggh, I've wanted to watch this again for ages. What channel was it on please?