Review of Norman (2010) by Facebook U — 29 May 2017

SPOILERS: Ah, this was so almost a great film. I love how well paced it was and natural and believable and it was really building well and touching on some very emotional points and all the performances were fantastic and heartfelt and genuine, and as it built towards the end it was so tender and beautiful and then, damn! They bodged the ending! After Norman's dad died he needed time, he HAD to go and grieve.

There had to be space for him to hide and sulk and think, to let the audience think too. But he went straight to the school theatre and confessed that he didn't have cancer and he just seemed like an arsehole, which meant when Em came back to him at the end it seemed wrong cause he just seemed like an arsehole.

What should have happened is that Norman should've went home and locked himself away in his home and grieved. Then, noticing his absence at the speech event, the students would decide to go to his house to show their support and try to get him to come out.

And there, he would just think, 'sod it' cause he's so broken, and he'd open his door and just tell everyone. He'd say "Hey everyone, sorry to disappoint you all, but I don't have cancer.

I lied. I told James I had cancer cause he was bugging me and I didn't think it would get out but it did and then it kinda snowballed and I couldn't stop it, so there we go. But hey, someone who did have cancer was my Dad and now he's dead.

So that's what happened. You can all hate me now." And all the students would be offended and shocked and they'd start to disperse, but there'd be one person left in the crowd, not leaving, and it'd be Em.

And THEN, you'd cut to Norman in the house recording the new answering message and then the doorbell would go and it'd be Em, but there'd need to be more words. He'd have to say something like, "you don't hate me?", and she'd shake her head, and then he'd let her in.

That would've been a much better ending. Haha, I feel better now for writing that. I think I'll just make believe that all that happened off camera, if I ever watch the film again!