At the same time as regard develops between Mack
and Simon, Mack’s wife Claire has an extraordinary
experience that opens her heart too. Their son is about
to leave for college, and as the empty nest looms, a
miracle falls into her life: She hears crying in the bushes
along her daily jogging route and finds an abandoned
baby. She brings it home, falls in love with it, and wants
to keep it.Evelyn and Eric could also relate to Claire’s thinking and
behavior. At the same time, both disliked several aspects of her
character, but for different reasons. Evelyn enjoyed the softness
of Claire’s character but thought she was naïve. She said she
too had had fantasies that she might find a baby in a park.
Evelyn often hates herself for being such a dreamer.
Eric identified with Claire, and he strongly disliked that
she seemed to cling to her son so much. Often he hated himself
because he had problems accepting that his teenage daughter
was growing up and going her own ways.Mack’s best friend Davis is a producer of violent
movies. Early in the movie, he complains because an
editor has left out the “money shot” (a bus driver
graphically shot in the head). Then a mugger shoots
Davis in the leg. He feels real pain and has a strong
awakening, vowing to not make any more violent
movies. After his recovery, however, Davis goes back
to his old ways.Evelyn disliked almost everything about Davis. She could
not relate to this character and thought him selfish, rude, heart-
less, ruthless, and abusive. She doubted that he would stick to
his intention to change following the mugging, and she was
right. She reacted strongly and believed that she is very differ-
ent from Davis.132 E-Motion Picture Magic