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>If you're going to make this a movie full of Christian >symbolism, you should be able to identify why you're using it. >Denzel is an atheist at the beginning... so God helps him >sober up? They don't specify. Denzel finds God through the >sobriety which he finds on his own? They don't specify. >There's not even a clear religious moment during his >"breakthrough" or during his epilogue, really. Unless Denzel >mentions finding Christ in the jail, but by that point my eyes >had rolled so hard that maybe I missed it. There just seemed >to be no clear reason for all of the religious symbolism other >than "religious symbolism is deep, man." Which irritated me.
**SPOILERS**
Well, I didn't necessarily look at it like it was there for no reason. You mentioned that "Denzel finds God through sobriety," but, if anything, I think the case Zemeckis is trying to make is the opposite: he finds sobriety through God.
I mean, in Forrest Gump, Lt. Dan was a miserable alcoholic fuck up who battled with with God, finally made peace with him, and lived happily ever after that. Which is basically exactly what's happening here.
I just feel like it goes beyond just using the imagery for no reason. I get the sense that Zemeckis is trying use the movie screen as his pulpit to sermonize about the healing powers of God. I'm not a religious person, so normally this wouldn't appeal to me at all, but I just found Denzel so compelling that he (and, in turn, the movie - since he IS the movie) resonated with me.
As preachy as the ending was, throughout the movie they didn't pull a lot of punches in portraying the powerful and destructive force of alcoholism. I thought the first argument he had with his son was heartbreaking, and an acting tour de force (including his interaction with the reporters outside).
Not a truly great movie, but Denzel definitely deserves accolades for this performance. ----
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