Steve
FISCHER
What is it, mommy?
- This is a somewhat arbitrary remark I know but we often see this line in films, TV shows, cartoons, etc and always wonder why they ask it and not just do what Clara says i.e. Open the fuc?king thing and see for yourself! That’s the whole point of a wrapped gift!
CLARA
He is smiling.
“Fischer whips around, flashes a goofy grin, right back to
tearing paper. Too quick for a good shot.
Jake groans, gets to his feet. He takes a box from beneath the
Tree and returns to Clara.”
- I like that subtle indicator of tension between the two. Already we get the sense that Jake is the pushy father, always wanting everything to be perfect, idyllic.
CLARA
Can't wait to see what this one is.
- Ok, on the flips side, this is a not-so subtle hint that their relationship is strained.
JAKE
It's bagless, you know? Wind tunnel.
- Ha.
CLARA
Ooooh...
(beat)
I thought you were quitting.
- His job? Buying predictable, boring (if practical) gifts? I’m sure we’ll find out...
Ah, cigarettes, I see.
“the dawning of a beard only a teenager could grow”
- Good description.
JAKE
I just want the boy. That's all.
- Meaning: You can do what you want to my ungrateful bit?h wife, right?
"He angles it at Tyler. Confident. Steely-eyed. He's done this
sort of thing before."
JAKE
Drop your weapon. Do it now.
- Why not shoot him straight away? The law says he’s got the right. Hell of a risk to take, police officer or not.
CLARA
Why on earth are you here, sir?
- Would she address their would-be intruder as “sir”, show him that courtesy? I doubt it frankly.
TYLER
They laid me off. Been about a month
now. I... I didn't wanna ruin
Christmas for my family. I've put them
through so much already... I thought I
could...
- I’m not being facetious here but if you wanted to provide for your family on Christmas why would you wait until Christmas day to go looting? He’s left it late hasn’t he? It’s almost like people who leave shopping until Christmas Eve. Plus, how would Tyler explain his absence during that day of all days to his family?
TYLER
Your boy? Is he..?
Clara presses her lips together, acknowledges.
- Clara is very quick on the uptake here in knowing what Tyler is referring to. Has she been watching him eye the board game and anticipated the query? Maybe this should be specified.
JAKE
What are we havin' a conversation
here? I think it's time we left.
There's gonna be alot of paperwork.
- I’m glad Jake is here to break up this all too comfortable bonding moment between Clara and Tyler. The coincidence of them both having children with similar conditions (autism?) is a bit of a stretch but I’m willing to go with it just to see where you’ll take it.
While I’m enjoying the turn it takes on page 11 and 12 with disgruntled husband and wife unloading their unwanted gifts onto Tyler, it does seem tonally out of step. I mean, its gone full comedy here while up to now it’s been pretty serious.
TYLER
Maybe we should just be off, sir...
- I know you want to portray him as not a bad, just-down-on-his-luck kinda guy but I wish he wasn’t so meek/apologetic and had more of an edge about him. For example, with Jake and Clara offering him all this stuff, he should just keep his mouth shut and hope for the best.
CLARA
You give those to your wife now. And
take care of that boy of yours, okay?
- So is Tyler actually holding all the stuff they’ve proffered him; coffee maker, boxers, soda machine, etc?
JAKE
Don't... say anything. You'd probably
make me wanna put these back on you.
- Agreed. Tyler ought to shut up.
“He clears his throat, takes a knee.”
- What does “takes a knee” mean? To get down on one knee?
Jake opens the car door, pushes Tyler's head down.
JAKE
Sorry. Habit.
- Nice touch, funny too.
So are we to assume that Jake is not only not taking him to jail but is actually going to drive him home? Wow, Christmas really does bring out the best in people
I wonder do we need the contrivance of both Tyler’s son and Fischer having the same condition? The piece would still work fine without it…or maybe Tyler’s kid as a different illness if you really want to generate that sympathy for his plight.
Overall, this has some nice moments and I have to appreciate the hopeful, humanistic tone to it; the belief that people can forgive, change and take stock depending on the circumstance when it’s easier to just go by the book. Do I personally believe it, that Jake would have a change of heart like that? I’m not so sure, which probably says more about me than the script but that’s just my outlook.
I do think Tyler got off too lightly though. He was portrayed as the victim by the end which I have problems with. I mean, he got done for a D.U.I. what’s his excuse there, that’s not cool in anyone’s book regardless of whether he is off the drink now or not. Also, why is he so hard up for cash, what’s the problem, why can’t he provide for his family?
All we find out is that he’s ex-military and has been discharged but not much more. We can assume he is suffering from some sort of PTSD but it’s all a bit vague that it could just as easy be a sob story he’s feeding them. As a result, it’s difficult to really understand his side of things and an even bigger leap of faith for Clara to essentially forgive him on the spot because of the son factor without finding out more about his situation. Surely she would’ve wanted to know some specific details in order to fully empathise with him.
Maybe they could probe him on this, express their incredulity before he produces a bad scar or a military tattoo to prove it. Basically some tangible evidence that he has literally “been through the wars”
Then again, I appreciate that Clara is siding with Tyler more to go against her husband than out of compassion for him.
Fischer presenting the drawing at the end really pushed my warm and fuzzy barometer threshold to the max
but perhaps you earned it, I'm still wrestling with that.
Tonally, as I already says, it oscillates dangerously between serious melodrama and humour but the latter works rather well when it takes precedence. The central scene of Jake and Clara giving away their gifts to a perplexed Tyler, not so much out of charity but rather to spite one another, is well done.
Col.