What was so bad about Patrick's mother in Manchester By The Sea?
In the movie Manchester By The Sea, after Joe dies, Joe's brother Lee is assigned to be Patrick's guardian instead of Patrick's mother. Through flashbacks they show that the mother was an alcoholic. However, Lee appears to be a far worse alcoholic and also admits to smoking pot and doing cocaine the night that everything happened. The worst thing we see the mother do is get drunk, pass out naked on the couch, and fail to walk to the dog. Why is she so much worse of a potential parent than Lee?
There was a brief mention of her having been "in an institution," but it wasn't clear if that was just rehab for her alcoholism, or if it was actually a mental institution that would have disqualified her from taking custody. She certainly seems to have gotten her life together by this point (though Joe probably didn't know that). But given that Lee's substance abuse problems cause him to violently lash out at strangers, clients, and family, and that it caused the accidental death of his own children and ended his marriage, she still seem like a better choice.
Best Answer
Patrick's mother was obviously still battling her alcohol problem, hence her little escape into the kitchen, and her husband's concern made it clear when he told Patrick he was going to go see what she was up to in there. He later wrote Patrick the email discouraging future visits, I think, because Patrick's visit made her extremely anxious as she fell all over herself trying to portray a perfect image, causing her to slip in to the kitchen for a quick snort from the bottle.
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Is Manchester by the Sea the saddest movie ever?
Manchester by the Sea, Starring Casey Affleck as a Man of Constant Sorrow, Is a Heartbreaking Masterpiece. Writer-director Kenneth Lonergan's Manchester by the Sea is possibly the saddest movie I've ever seen.What did Randi say to Lee?
Randi says to Lee that \u201cmy heart was broken \u2014 cause it's always gonna be broken, and I know yours is broken, too.\u201d Although they both share the unbearable pain and suffering of having lost their children, Randi differentiates that Lee has it worse: \u201cI don't have to carry it,\u201d as it was not she that left the screen door ...What does Lee mean when he says I cant beat it?
\u201cSo when Lee says 'I can't beat it,' Patrick's instinctual reaction is to embrace him lovingly for the first time in the movie. That was something that Casey and Lucas recognized instinctively.\u201d Sometimes, the most poignant scenes come not from what the characters say, but what they don't.Who is Elise in Manchester by the Sea?
Manchester by the Sea (2016) - Gretchen Mol as Elise Chandler - IMDb.The Patrick Star Show is Painfully Bad
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Answer 2
The mother seems narcissistic in the hospital scene. She goes "home" rather than deal with her husband's diagnosis. It's obvious that she neglects her child, and the incident on the couch is no doubt one of many, since Lee was asked to come and help with her. When Patrick goes to visit her, it seems clear that she has found religion as a substitute for alcohol. She is allowing her husband to control her. He has the power and she knows it, but she will probably never be aware of the email he sent to Patrick which essentially told him he was not welcome in their home.
Answer 3
The mother doesn't feature much in the flashbacks.. and that has some meaning for me. The length of someone featuring was dependent on how much the person was available, or had some connection with Patrick, although Patrick isn't the center of the movie. We see Lee trying to gauge the attention of Patrick and even playfully trying to frighten her of Sharks in the opening scene of the movie. I guess the only scene that gives us some semblance about availability of Elise was the hospital scene in which she gets disturbed by the playful humor of Dr. Betheny. Joe knows Patrick can't have a perfect life, as he has seen his mother drift away but he wants someone as Lee around him, although Lee has had his fair share of events, he is the one who will never give up on Patrick.
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