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t1_j1qx6nh wrote

I feel like it would be terribly selfish of Coop if he DIDNT go.

Saving the human race (including your own children) > Staying and dying slowly with your children

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t1_j1r2tdt wrote

Before that he was still a pretty lousy father, consistently showing favoritism for Murph and dismissing Tom for not sharing his same interests. Which over the movie ends up being a source of conflict.

Plus, although the plan did work in the end, it still doesn't account for Coop leaving them behind without any kind of reassurance. Murph got a job at the NASA because she was trying to get her dad home and once again, Tom was dismissed.

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t1_j1r3jeu wrote

He was a terrible father in the moment. By typical standards abandoning your children is an awful thing to do, and his daughter spends her whole youth waging war against it. However later she realizes in fact what a sacrifice it really was and furthers his goals by joining.

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OP t1_j1qypr7 wrote

[deleted]

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t1_j1qzh7r wrote

It is 100% a part of his motivation in the film, it’s shocking to me you could call this one of your favorite movies and miss the subtext so dramatically.

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t1_j1r02yv wrote

It's pretty wild. Like you don't want to just reply "no" to someone who's written a wall of text like this but I mean wtf??? Did OP forget that AS SOON as he heard the mission was a farce he attempted to leave the planet to go home??

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t1_j1r0bbi wrote

No way OP has seen Interstellar as many times as he claims. He even thinks the father in law is Coopers dad

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OP t1_j1r0z07 wrote

[deleted]

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t1_j1r1kz5 wrote

I'm not assuming because of that 1 detail, which btw is a weird thing to have wrong if you've watched it SEVEN times.

Im assuming based on this whole thread

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OP t1_j1r11rn wrote

[deleted]

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t1_j1r1bih wrote

It was either he goes or his child doesnt get to live a future. The trip was supposed to take only a couple of years, the whole incident with the ocean planet kinda fucked up that part of the plan.

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t1_j1r25lg wrote

Why though? What does waiting accomplish other than delaying the inevitable? As a parent you do whatever it takes to save your children and you do it immediately. That's what he did.

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OP t1_j1qzopw wrote

[deleted]

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t1_j1r0i60 wrote

Saving the world [because he’s the only one who can and he won’t doom his children and humanity to certain death on an unlivable world]

That’s not specific or powerful?

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t1_j1r1k04 wrote

You forgot how crop harvests are failing and they will slowly die of famine or conflict. It was an obvious choice but it certainly wasn't easy

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t1_j1qztgh wrote

I dont think we understand your point of this thread.

Was Coop motivated by his own desire to explore the stars? Absolutely.

Did he also have to go to save the world and his children? Absolutely.

So is he a terrible father, because he is motivated by his own pioneering mindset, while saving the human race? Absolutely not.

I mean it's not exactly a subtle topic in the movie, his father in law even says "Dont do the right thing for the wrong reasons", directly addressing this topic.

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t1_j1r1dsw wrote

after a little re-reading I think OP made this thread to tell us how much he loves his future children

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t1_j1r38ki wrote

Its such a weird thread. Its like OP imagined himself having kids one day, and now thinks he knows how a father should act in this specific situation

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OP t1_j1r1bzd wrote

[deleted]

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t1_j1r27j0 wrote

There is no universal standard for how someone should behave in situations like that. Why do you assume what you think is what everyone would think? Your entire thinking is completely binary, not all parents think things the same way and it’s weird that you expect that.

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t1_j1qw443 wrote

Children will make u take sacrifices. If ur not willing to give up ur children they will simply give u up… he left his kid to save the world. He didn’t exactly just leave to do some random thing he wanted.. his intention was to save his family and mankind. Ur thought of him choosing one over the other is simply wrong. That wasn’t his intention and I don’t see how u came to think that was what the film was portraying.

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OP t1_j1qw843 wrote

[deleted]

−43

t1_j1qxqw0 wrote

Not really, you make it seem like the mission would have been successful without Coop anyways

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OP t1_j1qy1me wrote

[deleted]

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t1_j1qynac wrote

They would, but it wouldnt be successful.

And he/they know it (deep down atleast), since someone made a literal gravital anomaly in their house, with coordinates for Nasa. Hard to not feel like it HAS to be you?

An important point you threw off with "blady blady blah" btw lol

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OP t1_j1qz6yn wrote

[deleted]

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t1_j1r10a2 wrote

>He dismissed the gravitational anomaly as unscientific when she told him about it earlier so I don't think that works as an explanation

Do you mean when Murph is telling him about her ghost?

Dont you think his opinion changes slightly, when he gets coordinates from the anomaly and finds NASA?

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t1_j1qzl10 wrote

Aaaaand? This person just gave you an original thought/take that they came up with themselves. You post encouraging answers, and then say something like that? If we wanna play that game, your question OP was addressed many times a long time ago so might as well delete post yeah?

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OP t1_j1qzv8k wrote

[deleted]

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t1_j1r069g wrote

Hmm and you just happen to be getting downvoted to hell for no reason then? Not like you’re being condescending and deflecting literally every one’s answers?

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OP t1_j1r0gvp wrote

[deleted]

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t1_j1r1anu wrote

So you're asking for people's opinions on something and then proceeding to tell them they are wrong. Stop doing that so aggressively (yes it is quite obvious), and you will get less downvotes. As a show of faith, I'll even upvote a few of your things you've said.

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t1_j1qxc1o wrote

I think you’re missing the point. It wasn’t about the type of father he was.. rather the story was written as such to emphasize a longing for.. a connection.. that sometimes is missing when certain priorities in life outweigh what seemingly is already staring you in the face as the primary priority.. which the story’s premise does explore and their relationships are used to convey.

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OP t1_j1qyhi8 wrote

[deleted]

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t1_j1qzbh6 wrote

>Rather the movie sets up an impersonal and generic motivation like saving the world which lacks the emotional power of a father forced to leave his kids for their sake.

Bruh. In what sense is leaving to save the world not leaving his kids for their sake?

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t1_j1r2sxy wrote

If you need everything laid out for you that plainly maybe stick to kids movies..

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t1_j1qy2sw wrote

yes.

but, no.

he realizes he would have preferred to die with her on a hellish earth but he did help her save humanity so i think she understands in the end

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t1_j1r2p6w wrote

in the end, yeah. but from the time he left until the time she realized the gravity well in her bedroom was her father she would have resented the hell out of him. I forget how old she was but that’s like 20 solid years she tormented herself why she wasn’t good enough to have dad stick around, coming from someone who hasn’t spoken to their father in 20 years. it would take a lot to overcome that and as you said she did but she lived a lot of life before then

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t1_j1r00mv wrote

I wouldn’t call him a bad father at all. He sacrificed to save his family and humanity. He’s flawed for sure, but that’s kind of the point of his character. Movies need flawed characters or else they are boring as hell

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t1_j1r0qpn wrote

Why would he try to leave once he learned dr. Mann had lied to him about the gravity solution? Why was he so devastated after losing 20 years to Amelia's mistake? She even admonished him about wanting to get back to his kids after the wave hit them. His kids are the motivating factor and he mentions it several times. So do others. It's like you didn't watch the movie.

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OP t1_j1r1ztp wrote

[deleted]

−6

t1_j1r2wcn wrote

You didn't say that... you asked if he's a bad parent and then seemed to willingly overlook like 50 contextual instances to argue your point. Go watch it again, and sure, let's talk.

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t1_j1rcqgi wrote

I did try to talk to people, but I kept getting attacked or dealt with rudely so I deleted. My OP wasn't aggressive, so I'm puzzled by this behavior. Maybe this is why people say reddit sucks.

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t1_j1r188e wrote

Coop needs to go to save humanity. The thing I found annoying is that his daughter is written as a one-note character who despite being a scientist doesn't understand this and for her entire life is defined by her anger for him. This is a general problem with Nolan's often poorly conceived female characters. And I say that as someone who really likes Interstellar, what is good in that movie is so good that it makes me give it a pass for its flaws, of which I think this is the biggest.

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t1_j1r23z2 wrote

Whaaaat, nah Nolan writes great female characters.... there was ..... uh..... one sec.

watches Prestige, Batman, Inception and Interstallar

. Okay I see your point.

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t1_j1r1v21 wrote

>Firstly, when Coop is presented with the mission to go through a wormhole to another galaxy he doesn't protest on the ground of possibly never seeing his children again.

He does, though.

Coop: "How long would I be gone?"

Brand: "Hard to know. Years."

Coop: "I got kids, Professor."

Brand: "Get out there, and save them."

And the very next scene is Brand putting him at ease by giving his word that he will solve the Gravity Equation by the time Coop returns.

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t1_j1r02gj wrote

He never really had a choice. When the people from the future created the wormhole and the tesseract they built it for him. His choices would always lead to that moment where he sent the data back through the watch. It's a bootstrap paradox.

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t1_j1r3pub wrote

This is probably the most logical analysis. I also think it’s flawed to assume (not you, others in this thread) he didn’t want to stay with murph as she died. It was her choice for him to leave and I feel like honoring that choice was the best thing he could’ve done as a father.

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t1_j1r73ua wrote

That's a fair analysis. I wonder how "They" created the Wormhole...if they had some sort of technological machinery, or if they simply "willed" it into existence.

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t1_j1r1web wrote

ITT - people using fundamental plot points to explain quite clearly, OP refuting based on head cannon and self restricted view of the plot.

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t1_j1r1ohj wrote

Beggars can't be choosers. Coop may literally be the greatest father in Earth's history so the fact that he missed playing catch with his kids a few times is like.... one child's teat in an ocean lol

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t1_j1r2qpr wrote

This take is not very good

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t1_j1r2ezn wrote

The movie establishes he cares for his children and wants to return home multiple times

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t1_j1r2gah wrote

Feel like saving the human species makes the question irrelevant.🤷‍♂️

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t1_j1r2y6v wrote

Yes, he was a terrible father. And probably intentionally framed as such, since the film also explores the "pioneer myth" and some of its implications, like leaving a family behind.

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t1_j1r36fb wrote

To be fair, not every father has those same thoughts that you do. In real life, there are men that abandon their kids for much less than the chance to save the world.

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t1_j1r3ql0 wrote

>this is going to be really long but i don't think i can condense or shorten my thoughts

>Not only as a father, but as the parent of 2 children

I think you could have condensed your thoughts at least a little there i.e. as the father of 2 children

I haven't finished the third paragraph yet, but no coop is not a terrible father. His kids were likely to die slowly and painfully on Earth. Also in the first 20 mins we see him actively working to maximize his children's happiness and education

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t1_j1r4lvg wrote

I dunno why you're getting downvoted, man. I'm guessing everyone who's downvoting you either isn't a parent or is a shitty one.

I totally understand what you mean - the goal of "save all humanity" is extremely impersonal compared to the parental instinct of "protect my offspring," and Coop acts like he just doesn't care about his role as a father. He treats his kids the way you'd treat a friend/acquaintance.

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t1_j1r64do wrote

Yea I have to admit I'm surprised. I expected disagreement and then good discussion, not being attacked personally in essentially every post. My karma went down 100 within 30 minutes so I decided to delete. Maybe I'll post on a different movie reddit.

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t1_j1r4w0d wrote

Deleted the post like a Mupp

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t1_j1r665g wrote

No, I was just surprised. I expected disagreement and then good discussion, not being attacked personally in essentially every post. My karma went down 100 within 30 minutes so I decided to delete.

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t1_j1r5y9e wrote

I think you might be projecting your own parental issues onto Cooper. This is literally a movie about trying to prevent humanity's dying breath. It's clear that Cooper doesn't want to leave, but knows the hard choice is the only way for his kids to survive. The easy decision would be staying with them and doing nothing.

The 'I can't be your ghost right now' thing is just ham-fisted foreshadowing.

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t1_j1r10dv wrote

I think he might be, yeah but it doesn’t take away from the story for me. there can be a few ways to look at it, he did walk away from his children but in an effort to save humanity. but he did it for his children in a way, and for his grandchildren and those who come after. I own this movie so i’d have to watch it again for the nitty-gritty but there also the paradoxes that come into time travel. it has to be him because it is him. he sends himself the coordinates for the lab/base which causes a domino effect that led to him eventually leaving (because he already left) and didn’t he say that the people from millions of years in the future who opened the wormhole chose him?
also he’s a brilliant man who served his country in whatever effort was his past life and now he’s a farmer (don’t get me wrong, farming is amazing and i’d love to sell it all and buy a farm and live a more simple life but i’m also not facing extinction). this could be argued as a sense of duty towards his nation which is hard to overcome; parents leave their kids all the time to go on deployments with promises of coming home.
also, i’m not sure I agree that this is his dream. yes I agree that being a pilot was a big part of his identity and there’s def ‘fish out of water’ context throughout the set up for the movie but none of it comes off as his dream.

also as a side note, there is an argument in there somewhere that Tony is adopted in the MCU. been thinkin about that a lot since my last Endgame rewatch

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t1_j1r3rj3 wrote

hard yes

you saved the world and your daughter is left with the emotional and mental distress of abandonment for life

hero and asshole, two things can be true

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OP t1_j1r0461 wrote

[deleted]

−10

t1_j1r0qla wrote

People are negative to you because you’re a clown who has somehow missed the very thing you’re trying to point out, and then when you are presented with the fact that you’re the one in the wrong and missed the very points you make, you double down on being a clown

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t1_j1r1vtm wrote

Wtf guys, I said the sky was orange, why the hell is everyone calling me dumb, isn't this a place to discuss the sky????

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OP t1_j1r1m24 wrote

[deleted]

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t1_j1r2acz wrote

The “flaw” you’re seeing in the movie isn’t a flaw, it’s you missing plot points and not paying attention

And then when people tell you this, you’re insistent that you’re right and the others are wrong

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t1_j1r0i36 wrote

Nothing to do with posting contrary opinions, just doesnt seem like you watched the movie more than once

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