Reading in the Dark: THE BOYS NEXT DOOR (1996)

By having a longer introduction to the characters the viewers are getting a better understanding of who is who. At the start of the film it looks like they are getting ready for a dance or a show.

At the beginning of the film, we see our characters preparing for a celebration or event of some kind, as Zachary pointed out. The opening scene allows the audience to take in the characters and try to assume their personalities little too. This way, we can attach the names to faces to archetypes.

At the beginning the story introduces the characters, so we can understand the problems of the characters, and to know what the charters are dealing with mentally.

The beginning of this movie showcased the real situation without sugarcoating the bad. Such as the neighbor calling them the hated “R” word or showing the characters and how they act. This puts a perspective on what it is like to deal with someone with a mental disability day-to-day.

The opening sequence introduces the audience to characters. They’re preparing for a dance.

The longer introduction at the beginning of the film allows for the audience to get a better understanding of the characters they are about to watch. The audience is allowed to see how the characters act and see some of their personalities come through before the film begins.

the title really does not make sense when you watch the movie. The only reason I think that they named the film this is that maybe everyone in the neighborhood consider these boys to be next door neighbors. It is clear that everyone who lives around that area knows these guys so maybe they like them enough that they call them next door neighbors

I believe that the title may refer to how they should be viewed like any ordinary boys that live next door and should be treated normal just like anyone else

Something noticeable about Norman is that he repeats phrases about donuts and he commonly says, “Hello, my name is Norman Bulansky, welcome to my home.”

I alway think I am so good at recognizing celebrity voices for animations, but I have come to realize I am not as good at this as I thought. Once I find out whose voice plays who in different shows and films, I can hear it but usually not before someone explicitly tells me.

This is Beatrice’s Dad form Divergent as well! He looked so familiar as soon as I saw him, I had to look him up. He looks so young here.

I recognize Michael Jeter from the film “Patch Adams.” In this particular movie Michael is featured as a patient, named Rudy, in the facility alongside Patch. Rudy is even the reason for Patch’s nickname. His roles in “Patch Adams” and “The Boys Next Door” are remarkable as he gives insight on what a person with disabilities can experience.

I noted that he had to have the agriculture books in order by year… Otherwise it just doesn’t make sense. He cares about the little things, and has almost an obsession with certain topics. That’s one thing that I noticed about him.

In the language of archetypes, Sheila may be Norman’s idea of the “Platonic Ideal.” This archetype presents as a character who might be seen from outside as a potential partner but seen from within the story as a sort of trusted friendship.

I think this first scene allows us to appreciate where the characters are at, developmentally. This invites us to better analyze them later. We are able to better appreciate the principal actors this way because we are not distracted by action from the plot.

Although the characters make the actors, the actors also make the characters. The actors present on the screen how they imagine their characters to act like. In this opening scene, the audience is introduced into the actors take on the writers character. The principal actors are showing their insights on the character, while allowing the viewer to connect the character to the actor. The director gets to show off his ability to choose actors that understand the material, and the character presented to them.

The actors that were chosen for this film fit each persona very well. The introduction to the characters helps us have a better understanding of the plot that is later presented to us in the film. The actors portrayed their characters in a way of how they imagined they would act in real life. The director chose these actors based on their ability to present these characters. This helps us have a better understanding of the plot because the actors portrayed their characters personalities in a way to help viewers understand the plot in a better way by showing us the specific personality traits of each character. The opening scene shows us some of the important characteristics of each character being Norman and his doughnuts along with the others.

The purpose of this scene is it allows for a brief introduction of the main character Jack Palmer. It allows us to see into his life story and what is going on before we get deeper into the film.

The scene’s purpose is to introduce Jack to the audience.

This an example of foreshadowing. As Flora stated, this scene ties into the issues with their marital relationship. The notion that Jack and Rena need to spend more time together is furthered throughout the entire film. This is an example of an underlying theme or plot, as the main reason Jack needs to get a new job is that h is not allowing enough time for himself, as well as taking care of his wife. They go to marriage counseling and discuss the need for him to be there for her and discuss his issues. Then, as the plot plays out, Jack finally chooses to switch jobs, and he then collapses into Rena’s arms, as he is finally “with” her again.

I feel as if the comparison is giving the reader a sense of understanding. It is illustrating the idea that all disabilities are not equal, they each have their own struggles at different severities.

Although Jack Palmer just said that the “boys” get nervous around new people, Arnold comes out of the door excited and nervous to tell someone about his trip to the grocery store. I don’t think he cared who, it was just that someone was listening. For just meeting Mrs. Tracy, he seems to be pretty comfortable with talking to her because he knows that she is “Jack’s friend” and she is calming him down. He then holds off on telling her another piece of information, saying, “We’re not gonna tell her before we tell Jack”.

the word “retarded” should never be used to label someone especially in the case of the boys. The boys are still humans and should be treated as much. In fact the fact that the boys can all work and can live in a house for the most part by themselves shows that they are far from retarded.

Anna, it seems as if the further back in history you look, the more that this lack of willingness of change and compassion is prominent. This new trend of compassion and open-mindedness seems to be a new found trait as even going one generation back to our parents generation, there are many examples of oppression towards the LGBTQ community, minorities, etc. Because of this the question could be raised on whether compassion is an evolutionary trait or not.

Over the past two weeks we have been able to read within our weekly work people who have disabilities. Just like in this film we see these at hand. This film is relating back to our work and playing hand in hand with the experiences we have saw in text. It allows us to take note of the disability that is displayed in this film. Like Mr. Hankins said in the captioning that specific word is blurred out. But shouldn’t it be called something else since people with this disability might take offense to it? Or should it be normally said since it is considered a disability? What are your opinions behind this?

When I first watched this I had to go back ad watch again. The woman states, “Burt’s a traditional kind of man, and I just don’t know how he is going to feel about living next door to retarded people”. Jack kind go makes a comment like did you just say that, and she goes on to call herself a rebel. After studying and reading about disabilities and people who live with disabilities, it puts a new meaning on this word. The word should not be used to describe a person. it is hurtful to the person and they may take offense to that. however, what could be put in place of this word to make it “correct” to say about a person?

This scene helps to illuminate exactly what not to do when presented with this situation. For the past two weeks, we have been reading about people with disabilities and how they are and should be treated just like everyone else, with a few exceptions. They are humans and deserve respect, not to be looked down upon just because of something they cannot control. This scene is shows that not everyone knows or cares about how to treat people with disabilities. The disrespect that the woman has clearly shows that she thinks she is better than the “boys” just because if their disabilities. Jack takes the time and the courtesy to walk over there and try to explain to her and she, who moved in after they have been living there, says that it might be a problem. She then calls herself a “rebel” and compares them to the Three Stooges. I feel that she has the has views as her husband, she just doesn’t want to be seen as the bad guy.

Over the past few weeks, our weekly work has been centered around mental disability. A common theme we saw when consuming the text was that those living with mental disabilities are often labeled by their disability, we saw this when Elyn Saks was labeled as dangerous because of her disability. We see this again in the early part of the film when the Neighbor referred to those with disabilities as “retarded”. To further push on this idea when we were to watch a video produced by Shane and Hannah, we saw that although Shane and Hannah may have had a more difficult time with everyday tasks, it did not limit them when setting goals. This is what we got a glimpse of in the beginning, when talking about his friends Jack Palmer lists all of their occupations. Although living with disabilities, all of his friends are working members of society. Categorizing them as anything less is unjust.

When I first watched and listened to this scene I was in shock. The word “retard” is not how you describe someone who may not pick u things as fast you or me. Or may have difficulty with certain things. Those people just do things differently than you and I.

I feel like the movie brought out a brighter inside to people with disabilities because I am not around that environment often. They are people, people who are just trying to live their life just like a normal person. I think i feel not so ‘empathetic,’ but feel more like it would be easier to engage with someone with a disability that made communication more difficult

Good work here, Flora. You’re already making strong connections to the text sets from this one scene with Mrs. Warren. Again, she gets such a small part of the film (almost even time with the young woman from the grocery) and yet she carries so much comment in this short time. It seems to demonstrate the impact of our words and how much they communicate. Draw upon these for your written response. You’ve demonstrated for your peers how they might do this work.

When watching this scene, my mind went to “Defying Definition.” Mrs. Warren knew exactly what she was saying and how hurtful it was, but said it anyway. And instead of apologizing and attempting to make up for her words, she chose to use “I’m really the rebel in the family” as a rebuttal, similar to what Flora added previously. But not only was this line her excuse. Before she even defined the boys, she pulled her husband in the conversation and said “he’s a tradition kind of a man.” She knew what she was doing was wrong and hid behind her husband to mask her own flaws. This is an example of what Hutchinson was addressing in “Defying Definition” and why he felt the need to inform his readers.

I completely agree. I noticed that he got taken advantage of when Arnold said “I asked the guy at. the store.” They just wanted to promote their products and the fact that he could be taken advantage of so easily because he has clear disabilities.

This situation says that Arnold is trusting in what others say and that he likes to see the good in people. The thought didn’t even cross his mind that they were trying to sell him too many and trying to take advantage of him. This shows that the business that he visits knows that he has a disability and that he will buy what they think is necessary. Jacks response helps to foster the independence in Arnold by helping him think in a different way and not letting people take advantage of him.

I think Arnold’s grocery situation says that he is easily taken advantage of, as he bought dozens of boxes of wheaties from the store. The people working there probably know who he is because he is there so often. Jack’s response helps Arnold understand that he was taken advantage of though he believes he was given a deal, and he helps Arnold understand he needs to take some of his purchases back to the grocery store.

In this scene Arnold’s grocery situation goes to show how easily he can be taken advantage of. I feel like the people caught on to his disability and made him think about buying his food in bulk therefor taking advantage of him.

Have they?

When responding to the film, we can simply share what we observe. Look what happens when we begin with “It is implied that…” See? We might specify now in revision, “The director seems to suggest that…” Now, instead of reporting out of the film what we have all seen, you begin to move toward something that might look like a SOCIAL theme.

I can definitely see where a person in the audience may think that Arnold is being made into somewhat of a fool in this short film. It comes across as a bit odd to ask someone if they had taken their medication on that particular day, which in return makes Arnold look belittled.

Our character, Arnold, displays archetypal orphanage, highlighted in this scene. Jack wants him to do the right thing by taking the food back to the store. Arnold, however, does not understand why all the groceries are as problematic at his caretaker is making them seem. All he knows is that he brought home groceries. Because of his condition, he was victimized by “the system,” as Jack refers to it, and all Arnold was looking for was comfort and security. Because of all this, the yelling became a result. Using this reasoning, we can assume how the yelling came into play. Arnold may have been trying to compensate for Jack’s argument by raising his voice, because although he was trying to be helpful, the archetypal orphan in Arnold came out to protect him from reality. Dr. Carol S. Pearson explains this shadow in his article, “The Twelve Archetypes.”

Norman comes back home from work, which is at a donut shop, with a bump in his shirt. It is obvious to Jack and the audience that there is a box of donuts hidden under his shirt. But, Norman think he has Jack fooled. When Jack points it out, Norman acts very surprised, as if he did not know he put it in there.

As we know by now, Norman has a ring of keys that he always has with him and seems like he always wants to protect. When we first meet everyone in their house, Jack threatens to take his keys because Norman brought donuts home from work. Norman immediately started panicking and trying to convince Jack not to take them. In another scene when they’re at the dance, Norman wants to dance with Sheila, but is scared to because she always asks for his keys. I think Norman’s keys are a symbol for how caring Norman is even though people would probably see him and quickly think he was aggressive and mean. I think it is a great way of helping us see a hidden personality trait of Norman.

Norman thinks that keys are important in the donut line because it allows him access to all the doors. Norman, presumably, believes without his keys, he cannot work. If he cannot work, he will probably disappoint himself, and Jack. This seems to be important to him.

Mrs. Tracy overlooks the conversation between “the boys” and Jack, from the staircase. She silently and seriously observes how the roommates interact with each other, gauging each person’s tendencies. Mrs. Tracy only intervened when things got too wild, but she was still present on the stage throughout the scene.

In this scene where Jack is trying to get a hold of all of the boys and find out what is going on, we see Mrs. Tracy standing on the stairs, watching this situation go down. This shows that she just wants to see how Jack handles things and that she trusts that he can resolve this on his own. She doesn’t really know how exactly to interact with all of the boys yet so shes learning from Jack and seeing if it works. Mrs. Tracy inputs herself into the conversation when she sees things are getting out of hand. Maybe Jack is getting a little too comfortable with the boys and letting his temper get the best of him.

Mrs. Tracy called in for an appointment for marriage counseling. “When you’re here, you’re not here” Mrs. Tracy says because he is constantly thinking or doing something for the boys. He is emotionally unavailable for his wife it seems. His energy all goes towards the boys. His focus is always on the boys. Jack is so consumed that he forgot his own birthday.

PCH is a leading direct-to-consumer company offering a unique blend of curated multi-channel, chance to win digital entertainment across a network of web and app-based entertainment properties. The company offers low-stakes daily sweepstakes prizes. There’s no purchase necessary to win, but the odds of winning are small. As we saw in the movie, Arnold is so thrilled and has made a plan about selling the house because he got a winning ticket. So when Jack tells him that he has to have the winning number, he simply replies with that he’s not a gumby. I think Jack told him that because a lot of time it those winning tickets can be scams.

I would like to add to this discussion of the relevance of parties throughout the film. I think the boys see any occasion as a need of celebration. Not to make a general statements, because we do tend to see Barry (especially at Jacks “farewell” party) be a little more realistic, maybe even pessimistic. Its an acknowledge of their achievements and milestones, no matter how big or small.

Throughout the film we notice many allusions made by Arnold revolving music. Whether it be Tchaikovshy or Sedaka, its clear he has a passion for music. I believe these are subtle metaphors to a much bigger message Arnold is trying to portray. While never stated directly in the film, its apparent he may be diagnosed with O.C.D. The “under-appreciation” of these musical artists could be a representation of how he feels under-appreciated. An example of this would be during one of the scenes with Jack and the boys where Arnold in continuing to beat the rug clean, shortly after, Jack loses his temper. Arnold storms off to his room with the rugs, feeling his action were under-appreciated. I believe the mentions of seemingly under-appreciated musicians is a metaphor for the similar feelings felt by Arnold.

Berry says this to his student he is teaching at his golf lessons. This line is interesting to me. The way I took this line is learning from your mistakes, in most cases, can be more beneficial than being taught how to do something. Learning what to do, by doing what not to do.

I thought the exact same thing when we found out about Barry’s schizophrenia. Elyn talked from her own personal experiences and I found that to be so brave. The fact that she had the courage to tell about the hardest times in her life illuminated me in that sense. We can apply this to the movie because we see Barry in his normal day-to-day life just like Elyn told us about hers.

I don’t believe that these two shares similarities with how they go about things. Barry is making up a lie that he made himself believe through golf and Elyn just told us her story how it was.

I feel as if Mrs. Freemus completely embodies the Caregiver archetype. A Caregiver’s goal is to help others. They may also be guilty of manipulation. In the scene just before this one, Jack walks through the golf course with Mrs. Tracy. We learn that Mrs. Freemus is a widow and lives alone. With our character being alone and no one to take care of, it becomes clear why she would agree to take lessons from Barry. Like what Emme said, “He probably identifies himself as a teacher, but with out students, how does he see himself?” Mrs. Freemus chose to take the lessons from Barry as her was to “take care” of him. She wants to do what she can to help boost how he views himself. She could also be assuming the role of the literal caregiver Barry needed as a child, considering the background we have on his father.

And, does it seem like this is the first time the “boys” have ever encountered a problem like this? It says something about the introduction of something different and threatening. What’s really interesting is the different character responses? The idea that turning off the lights in order to blind the “rat.” To trick the rat into believing no one is home. Are the boys reflecting some of the treatment of which they have been on the receiving end?

Jack offers very simple advice in how to get rid of the rat by saying catch it, kill it, and flush it. Jack was very rushed and short in his response because he was on a call with someone else.

In this scene, Jack is with his wife in their apartment. His wife, concerned, scheduled an appointment with a marriage counsellor. She says. “When you’re here, you’re not here. Physically, you’re just a memory.” And when she mentions a birthday “being forgotten,” Jack thought it was hers that he missed, not his. He spends life life being devoted to the “boys” and is so involved in caring for them that he doesn’t even think about himself, so much so that his wife thought they it was ripping away at their marriage.

The choice of Lucien to testify before the state senate is clearly deliberate. Since the senate will be addressing the plan to possibly reduce funding for programs for people with disabilities, it might be pertinent to choose Lucien due to the fact he is visibly more “severely” disabled. It shows the program is proving to need the funding in question to continue to benefit those like Lucien.

This scene illuminates Jack’s intense dedication to the “boys” and how it has affected his marriage with his wife. In the scene, she seems uncomfortable, annoyed, and neglected, even. Jack just thought she had a doctor’s appointment when he got the confirmation call, but it meant far more than just a check-up. Now, Jack must salvage the relationship between his wife while maintaining care for the “boys.”

This scene helps illuminate how much time Jack really spends with and thinks about “the boys”. His wife even explains how when he is physically home, he is mentally somewhere else. Jack’s original response to the call from Dr.Racine’s office was that it was an appointment for his wife because he was only halfway paying attention, as he had two other calls going on at the same time. After asking his wife if she was okay because she had an appointment, she informed him that the appointment was for both of them for marriage counseling. Jack now realizes that he has to balance his time between “the boys” and his own life better.

This scene shows how selfless Jack really is by forgetting his own birthday because of how much he thinks about “the boys.” His original response to the call was concern because he thought something was wrong with his wife. After his wife told him it was for a marriage counselor because he was there but not really, Jack looked betrayed but knows he has to make a balance between his wife and “the boys.”

To add to your point the movie makes us feel like he is always doing something for some else and never thinking about him self by always helping during the day and taking phone calls from them and other people during the night. The start of the movie made me feel he is trying to do more than he should be and needs to dial it back some and focus on his relationship or something that he can do to relax.

Even when Rena mentions a “forgotten birthday”, Jack doesn’t even realize it was his own birthday she was mentioning. Jack gives all his attention and so much more to “the boys next door.” This conversation shows just how selfless Jack really is. He’s not just their “keeper” as Barry’s dad mentioned, he’s their friend. Towards the end of the film when Arnold, Norman, and Lucien boarded the train, Jack collapsed into Rena’s arms and began sobbing. Even while arriving back to Barry’s room, Jack gently took off his shoes and covered Barry with a blanket. After Barry’s episode at the golf course, Jack stayed with him. When Lucien spoke the the court, Jack was there holding his hand. He always listened to Arnold talk about Russia, and Norman go on and on about his keys and or donuts. He doesn’t care about his birthday all he cares about is “the boys next door.” The downside of this is he doesn’t give himself time to himself or his wife which, for example, lead them in having to go to a marriage counselor. He tends to prioritize Arnold, Lucien, Barry, and Norman instead of himself and his wife.

What you have identified is some foreshadowing here. What does the rat represent to the “boys?” What does it mean for Jack?

I agree. In this scene Barry took a sympathetic approach to encourage Arnold to take his groceries back. By stating, “Anyone who can flush a rat, can do just about anything” Barry is giving Arnold the push he need to have the courage to return his groceries.

I agree with this analysis. Small victories and confidence boosters can be extremely helpful, especially when working with people with disabilities. Helping someone rebuild their self-confidence and self-worth can push them to achieve goals they have missed in the past.

I think here, it is important to remember why Lucien needs the tie. He is testifying for the state senate. Their pan is to decrease program funding for people with disabilities. The testimony is for Lucien to share what he thinks. The tie just makes this scene extra special, especially considering Jack is the one talking to him.

This is a way to show how fragile a mind of a disabled person may be to the opinions of others around them. Lucien wants to be grown up with a tie that does not clip on but the scene shows how much the boys need Jack when Lucien asks Jack to tie his tie for him.

It is one of the scenes wherein we get to see Jack in the one:one. It’s a hard place to get to right now in our current school setting and situation. Through the course of the film, we’ll see Jack have this kind of moment with each of the “boys.” One will wait until the very end.