Will Charlotte and John’s marriage last?

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Pitman
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Will Charlotte and John’s marriage last?

#1 Post by Pitman » Tue May 09, 2006 8:24 am

I always wondered why Charlotte married John. They don’t seem like a very good match to me. John doesn’t seem to be Charlotte’s intellectual equal by any means. Signs in the movie that the marriage is troubled:

1)When they meet Kelly, and John puts his arm around Charlotte, she removes it.
2) When John says he’s meeting Kelly for drinks and to talk about phtotography, Charlotte says she will come along. John is not very enthusiastic about it.
3) When Charlotte excuses herself at the table with John and Kelly, John doesn’t even notice that she is 15 feet away speaking to a strange man at the bar, because John is really into Kelly. Which leads to another question:

Did John cheat on Charlotte?

The opportunity was there. He made a connection with Kelly. I think it’s very possible. Obviously questions like these are purely speculative, but it makes the movie more enjoyable to think about. This movie demands our thoughts and attention.

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Re: Will Charlotte and John’s marriage last?

#2 Post by jm » Wed May 10, 2006 8:38 pm

"[quote:02e6ad4269="Pitman"]I always wondered why Charlotte married John. They don’t seem like a very good match to me. John doesn’t seem to be Charlotte’s intellectual equal by any means. Signs in the movie that the marriage is troubled:

1)When they meet Kelly, and John puts his arm around Charlotte, she removes it.
2) When John says he’s meeting Kelly for drinks and to talk about phtotography, Charlotte says she will come along. John is not very enthusiastic about it.
3) When Charlotte excuses herself at the table with John and Kelly, John doesn’t even notice that she is 15 feet away speaking to a strange man at the bar, because John is really into Kelly. Which leads to another question:

Did John cheat on Charlotte?

The opportunity was there. He made a connection with Kelly. I think it’s very possible. Obviously questions like these are purely speculative, but it makes the movie more enjoyable to think about. This movie demands our thoughts and attention.[/quote:02e6ad4269]
No, he doesn't cheat on her, not with Kelly. Kelly is someone he can be at ease with, to show how he isn't at ease with Charlotte. No, they're not intellectual equals...I'm an egghead and my wife isn't, which is sometimes annoying but usually works out fine.

1) Charlotte may feel that it's a consciously done thing, as if he were meeting someone he was into and doing the arm to put her off that scent, where I think he is doing it consciously because he "should" and he would have done it anyway if they hadn't been fighting.
2) John may have suspected she'd be a wet blanket -- which she was.
3) I suppose John doesn't jump up and pop Bob because he's not the crazy trailer trash type. Shouldn't Charlotte be able to talk to other men?

(Good post though, seriously)"
Last edited by jm on Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:59 am, edited 1 time in total.

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#3 Post by burgundy » Mon Sep 11, 2006 9:35 pm

No way their marriage lasts.

Bob tells Charlotte how great his marriage was in the beginning. They had a great time while he was doing the movies.

Any chance that Charlotte and John are experiencing anything like that? Not a chance. She's growing apart from him.

This is another reason why Charlotte pursues Bob -- she's the one to send the peanuts over to his table, she's the one to invite out to meet Charlie Brown and friends and she's the one to say "I'll miss you" and "Stay here with me."

And it's a reason why so many have wondered what was said at the end. Despite the official line of their meeting "one of those beautiful fleeting moments that don't last", the more Charlotte's marriage goes downhill, the more likely it is that she will try to find Bob in the future.
With intensity.

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#4 Post by tsooml » Mon Sep 11, 2006 9:42 pm

"[quote:cb940fa950="burgundy"]No way their marriage lasts.[/quote:cb940fa950]
Well, I gotta reject all that, for whatever my rejection is worth."
Last edited by tsooml on Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:35 am, edited 1 time in total.

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#5 Post by burgundy » Tue Sep 12, 2006 10:28 am

Your rationale?

Sure it could be a bad patch exacerbated by travel and jet lag, but these are two people who don't seem to have too much in common.
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#6 Post by Pitman » Tue Sep 12, 2006 12:08 pm

Nope. Charlotte will get bored of John very fast. I give the marriage one more year.

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#7 Post by tsooml » Wed Sep 13, 2006 12:03 am

"[quote:88195fcc40="Pitman"]Nope. Charlotte will get bored of John very fast. I give the marriage one more year.[/quote:88195fcc40]
Are you married?"
Last edited by tsooml on Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:34 am, edited 1 time in total.

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#8 Post by Suntory » Wed Sep 13, 2006 12:21 am

Pitman wrote:Nope. Charlotte will get bored of John very fast. I give the marriage one more year.
One year from now or one year from when the movie came out?! :lol:

If it was one year from when the movie came out then that means they seperated in 2004 and they are divorced now.

Or is it always one year from the time one views the movie?
Is it a moment frozen in time that is always "now"?!

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#9 Post by burgundy » Wed Sep 13, 2006 10:13 pm

Oh, my head!!! :?
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#10 Post by Pockets » Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:24 pm

I'd like to say that I hope Charlotte divorces John quickly and spends some time (even years) finding herself as a person and becoming a successful writer or even playwright. Years down the road, Bob ibuys the film rights to one of her works and they resume their friendship. Maybe by then Bob has become a better father, but once his kids are in college, he feels more able to be with Charlotte.

I really disliked John in the movie.

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#11 Post by BrassInPocket » Wed Jan 24, 2007 11:06 am

My personal opinion is that Charlotte and John's marriage won't last. She will become more confident in herself (due in no small part to Bob), and will realize that she can do better, either with someone else or on her own.
Although, I do feel that Bob will remain in his loveless marriage, mostly because it's what he is used to and maybe he feels it's too late to do anything about it now. But, I think he takes comfort in the fact that maybe he prevented Charlotte from being in the same situation in the future as he is in now.
All speculation, of course, but that's how I see things.

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#12 Post by Pockets » Wed Jan 24, 2007 3:43 pm

Bob also has his young children to think of. If there had been no kids in the marriage, Bob would have been more likely to leave his wife for Charlotte by the end of the movie, seeing the lack of love or affection from his wife during their movie conversations.

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Re: Will Charlotte and John’s marriage last?

#13 Post by Pockets » Fri Jan 26, 2007 2:55 pm

Pitman wrote:I always wondered why Charlotte married John. They don’t seem like a very good match to me. John doesn’t seem to be Charlotte’s intellectual equal by any means.
Charlotte is shy and maybe John, being an outgoing photographer, approached her (attracted to her beauty) and flattered her, giving her more confidence in herself. Young women are very impressionable to flattery. I think John only loves her for her looks, not her brain. She would also be appealing to him because of her purity and not being the typical party girl hottie/slut. Charlotte isn't confident of her talents as a writer etc... so she takes the easy road and marries someone that loves her for her looks. She will never have to prove or show off her writing talents to John because he's just not interested in that part of her. John was smart to marry someone like Charlotte. She can do better, but on the other hand, John makes enough money to support them both now. So John is a convenience to her.

I would say that my own failed relationships are due to my past partners' not being intellectually stimulating enough for me. My family likes to think and tend to be snobbish towards the blue collar types. Sometimes those that not intellectual seem to be more entertaining with their carefree joy de vivre manner. It's fine for a while, but later their mannerisms seem pointless and empty. Partying every weekend is lame and a waste of life. My current boyfriend is a thinker, and it is very refreshing and stimulating. Ironically, my ex-father is not at all intellectual, so my mom made the same mistake(s) herself.

I have two nieces (11 and 12) and while they are going to be very striking beautiful women when they grow up, the family doesn't tell them how beautiful they are all of the time, but instead we focus on developing their minds and other talents. I didn't have my first boyfriend until almost 21 and I tell the girls that boys are icky when they are young. Haha. Seriously, it's tough being girl growing up now with all the promiscuity around them. When I was in college, there was no asking the parents if I could go to Cancun for spring break. And I had to buy my own first car when I was about 25 and it cost me $500. Anyway, at least the youngest girl thinks myspace is dumb.

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Re: Will Charlotte and John’s marriage last?

#14 Post by Pitman » Tue Jan 30, 2007 9:14 am

Pockets wrote:Ironically, my ex-father is not at all intellectual, so my mom made the same mistake(s) herself.
Just curious. How can someone have an "ex-father"? This either implies he has passed away, which then would more accurately be referred to as "late"; or you have disowned him.

My first car, which I bought the moment I got my licence at 16, was a $400 Ford Capri.

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#15 Post by Pockets » Tue Jan 30, 2007 11:30 pm

Ex-father is a term that I coined myself. He is a blood father that wanted nothing to do with us until about ten years later, when he couldn't have children with his second wife. My step-father had told him that child support wasn't necessary, so that must have made my ex-father ecstatic. My step-father and his family always treated us as if we were his natural issue, and so my filial love and loyalties go to him.

If I had been adopted, as long as I was loved and well-treated, I would never seek out my birth parents. It's just my emotional makeup. I am someone that is impressed by actions.

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#16 Post by Bren » Sun Apr 22, 2007 2:55 pm

Going back to the original topic title - No, it won't.
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#17 Post by Pockets » Sun Apr 22, 2007 3:07 pm

Welcome Bren! I think that most of us hope that Charlotte is smart enough to end a marriage that is so lacking, and since they don't have kids yet, it's okay to wish for a divorce. And while John will be sad, I think that he is surrounded by enough shallow beauties, that he won't be alone for long.

As to Bob, he doesn't have an easy out to his marriage.

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#18 Post by Bren » Sun Apr 22, 2007 3:48 pm

Pockets wrote:Welcome Bren! I think that most of us hope that Charlotte is smart enough to end a marriage that is so lacking, and since they don't have kids yet, it's okay to wish for a divorce. And while John will be sad, I think that he is surrounded by enough shallow beauties, that he won't be alone for long.

As to Bob, he doesn't have an easy out to his marriage.
Hi, and thanks. :)

Yeah, I got the impression that John and Kelly would probably make a good match (owing to their mutual shallow-ness). I suppose the fact that Charlotte is married to such a guy helps the story along, because she clearly doesn't enjoy being with John as much as Bob, and therefore spends quite a bit of time with him.

And yeah as for Bob, he doesn't have a way out. But, he wouldn't go and pursue a relationship with Charlotte because (as is one of the fundamental things about this film) their relationship was based upon their circumstances, and I don't think it'd work out overwise.
Thats what makes LiT great I think, the way it is all confined to the time and place they are, and when they part ways at the end, they'll probably never meet again, but will never, ever, forget their time together.
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