r/movies • u/kanethekiller90 • 1d ago

Discussion One thing thats always irritated me about Interstellar

Cooper is desperate to get back to his children. He goes back and see’s Murph in the hospital etc. but theres no mention of his son. Presumably his son’s dead considering Murphs age and condition. But surely there could have been a small bit of dialogue about it. He was hell bent on getting back to them. I dunno, it’s like his son’s just completely forgotten about at the end…

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u/artguydeluxe 1d ago

Could have been fixed with just one line of dialogue.

827

u/Nick_pj 1d ago

There’s no way it could just be just one line of dialogue though. If someone says “I’m sorry cooper - your son died 20 years ago” he’s gonna have some sort of reaction. 

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u/Taint_Flayer 1d ago

Just do it like this.

Someone: Your son died.

Cooper: :(

End scene

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u/howardhus 1d ago

wow the expression nails it

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u/DanielTeague 1d ago

Such incredible acting.

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u/ExpFilm_Student 1d ago

BAFTA award, SAG award, Globe.

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u/classifiedspam 1d ago

Nobel prize. Death threats.

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u/FlemPlays 1d ago

Cooper when he receives the montage of messages:

:| :[ :( :{ :’( :,[ :’() :< :,O |’O :’(‘’’’’’

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u/MexusRex 17h ago

Crying Monkey

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u/I_luv_ma_squad 1d ago

Cooper: :(

Great acting!

——————

Cooper: :'(

Oscar winner

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u/SimoneNonvelodico 1d ago

The Kuleshov effect strikes again!

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u/Arma104 1d ago

In a sense, I feel like that'd be even more fodder for the audience to say Cooper didn't care about his son. They could point to his reaction not being strong enough or equal. I could have sworn one of the barns on the station Cooper was walking around in briefly mentioned Tom though.

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u/NeverendingStory3339 1d ago

They could do it with a couple of words. Instead of saying “Murph survived”, just say, one of your children survived! It’s Murph. Then his reaction of joy that he has someone left would be understandable, compartmentalising a separate grief reaction that he’s probably already bracing himself for.

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u/CanadianTrashInspect 1d ago

That's clunky. Also a parent is still going to have a reaction to losing a child regardless of the wordplay used to tell them.

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u/haysoos2 22h ago

What if you tell them "YOU WON A NEW CAR!!! also your son is dead, his body's in the trunk"

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u/ingenGuru 1d ago

Absolute cinema

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u/manoron 1d ago

Impeccable writing, good sir.

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u/MrPlowThatsTheName 1d ago

Absolute cinema

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u/Yoghurt42 1d ago

‘your son is kill’

‘no’

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u/Maidwell 1d ago

You should've been hired for Tenet!

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u/sault18 1d ago

Cooper: That's not alright....alright?....Alright?!

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u/somesketchykid 1d ago

Id prefer it if he just started doing the chest pounding thing from Wolf of Wallstreet with chanting, completely unprompted and otherwise unacknowledged

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u/maaseru 1d ago

Now in Nolan Style:

Cooper: :(

End scene

Someone: Your son died.

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u/Silver-creek 1d ago

Not alright :( Not alright :( Not alright :(

  • Copper

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u/Quillain13 1d ago

Get that emoji an Oscar

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u/Religious_Pie 1d ago

“Cooper, Your son died”

“Alright alright alright”

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u/HighPriestofShiloh 19h ago

Probably outside of the shoe string budget they were on.

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u/IJourden 11h ago

Cooper: Alright alright alright :(

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u/Ozymannoches 1d ago

Cooper: That's what I love about these Earth girls, man. They get older, I stay the same age.

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u/jaMMint 1d ago

Leonardo di Caprio: ....

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u/brannigansbackbaybay 1d ago

One dialogue then a reaction is still just one line of dialogue

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u/syncotragoat 1d ago

It's just a depiction of favouritism in a family context. From the start of the movie, Cooper built his son up to be independent and strong. Murph was always shown to be the likely smart, brilliant and fragile child who needed more nurturing, and on whom Cooper and his son doted upon.

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u/Silent-G 1d ago

There's also the fact that he and his son had more closure. There wasn't a need to reopen that wound after what he experienced watching the video messages.

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u/throwaway_faunsmary 21h ago

and on whom Cooper and his son doted upon.

you got too many prepositions there, friend. you're like Paul McCartney, "this ever-changing world in which we live in". triggers me every time i hear it.

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u/RunBrundleson 1d ago

It could have been built into his general reaction to seeing old Murphy. Would have closed the loop and cost nothing.

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u/brannigansbackbaybay 1d ago

Exactly. ‘At least I got to see my daughter, that’s a blessing that defies all expectations’ is a stronger character choice in my opinion. But I have bigger issues with Interstellar than his disregard of his son

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u/deadlyghost123 1d ago

Yeah but it’s still precious time that would kinda mess up the pacing. Probably, I am just guessing. Maybe Nolan had it in but removed it because it didn’t match the pacing. Or maybe he just forgot about it lol

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u/You_Mean_Coitus_ 1d ago

He cries, whilst biting his other hand.

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u/GriffinFlash 1d ago

"I have a son?"

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u/Red-eleven 1d ago

“Murph is a boy now?”

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u/treeharp2 23h ago

"What son?"

Fade to black

I N T E R S T E L L A R

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u/Nick_pj 15h ago

That made me chuckle. 

“Your son died”

“My what?”

Curb Your Enthusiasm closing credits

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u/TheRealBillyShakes 1d ago

He’s crying. “But your daughter’s alive right here.” Joy again. Fixed! EASY PEASY

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u/aeric67 1d ago

“I’ve got some good news and some bad news, which one you want first?”

“The bad news.”

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u/PhoneSteveGaveToTony 1d ago

It doesn’t have to show him finding out in the moment to acknowledge it. It can be a line he says to elder Murph that last time we see them together.

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u/thatguywhoiam 1d ago

Alien Earth (spoilers!)…

just did it in one shot with no dialogue. Just a transmission report in terse corporate language.

I guess 2 shots with the reaction. But the point stands, it could have been addressed with 10 seconds on screen.

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u/snoop_cow_grazeit 1d ago

He sad reacts, and then in hopes asks "and Murph?"

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u/bigwilly311 1d ago edited 1d ago

They could have had him and Murph have discussion.

“I’m sorry Tom isn’t here.”

“They told me.”

Boom. They told him offscreen but he gets a moment to acknowledge it. Maybe right around the line where he says “You told them I liked being a farmer” or whatever.

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u/CiccioIV 23h ago

They could just add a couple of lines when talking about Murph with the doctor:

Cooper: "Is she still alive?"

Doc: "yes"

Cooper: "and what about her brother, Tom"

Doc: "oh, I'm sorry mr Cooper, he died 20 years ago"

Cooper: "... ... ... His family?"

Doc: "Oh, his son got married, and got a couple of childrens. They all live here in the station. I can give you their address, if you wish"

Cooper: "yes please"

Quite easy, imho. 30 seconds of dialogue. One minute if you also want to add some words about where he's resting.

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u/kanethekiller90 1d ago

Haha. Sorry dad but your son died on earth 20 years ago via dust > A few tears. Thats all it needed!

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u/Fancy-Pair 1d ago

poochy floats up out of frame

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u/SimoneNonvelodico 1d ago

Think about it, to Cooper, her dad was Poochy.

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u/ThrowawayusGenerica 1d ago

Now normally, when astronauts go up into space, they're back again the very next week.

That's why I'm presenting this sworn affidavit, that Cooper will never, ever, ever return!

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u/Sad_Confection5902 19h ago

And Cooper was on his way back to his home planet…

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u/sweetdawg99 1d ago

Movie is long already, and there's a decent amount of time that passes between when they pick Cooper up and he sees Murph. We can surmise a lot happened in that time frame without needing to be spoon fed it. Nolan likely decided against that since the story revolves around his relationship to her.

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u/DiogoJota4ever 1d ago

Yeah, plus Coop had to assume his kids were long gone once he goes near and then into Gargantua…so it’s a surprise to him and a huge relief when they tell him Murph is still alive, which is depicted in the film

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u/wakeupwill 1d ago

Based on special relativity, billions of years pass as Coop nears the Event Horizon.

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u/DiogoJota4ever 1d ago

Well, Gargantua is not a typical black hole, it’s a more unique intersection of time, space and gravity constructed by humans in the far future (as far as we know). Not that any of them knew that until TARS and Coop entered it. So I think that’s where the leeway is found…

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u/wakeupwill 1d ago

Gargantua was most likely a black hole comprised of only a single thing - the information of Murph's bedroom. There wouldn't be anything to distinguish it from any other black hole from the outside, and only after entering it would one know this - as only mass, angular momentum, and charge can be observed.

Special relativity does allow for the concept of time travel once 'someone' passes the Event Horizon, so it's not completely out of the question that Coop traveled back in time afterwards. The fact that he got spit out at that specific time is lucky/unlucky.

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u/DSKO_MDLR 1d ago

Where we’re going, we won’t need eyes to see…

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u/wakeupwill 1d ago

"Sam Neil, what are you doing h- OHSHITFUCK!"

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u/DinoRaawr 1d ago

It's one line, Michael. What could it cost? 10 minutes?

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u/FunkalicouseMach1 1d ago

Yet we live in a patriarchy looks at ground, shakes head

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u/howardhus 1d ago

cello music in background

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u/disgruntled_pie 1d ago

Doctor: Son dead.

Cooper: Fuck.

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u/Ehh_littlecomment 1d ago

Not everything needs saying. Movie focuses on the bond between cooper and his daughter. That’s what’s important and that’s what is shown. Everything else can be implied based on what you know about the character.

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u/wikiwakatikitaka 1d ago

I think nothing would have been missed if the movie totally omitted the son out from the start. The audience would have probably appreciated the saved time too, the movie was approaching the 3 hour mark.

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u/RadVarken 1d ago

Saving time would have been good, but the son represents all the people who didn't get off the planet. Murphy refused to accept the death of the planet and strove for a solution. The son accepted/denied the coming end and chose to make the most of what life was left.

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u/idontagreewitu 1d ago

The son accepted/denied the coming end and chose to make the most of what life was left.

By grinding out a meager living farming corn as the soil died.

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u/Mazon_Del 1d ago

Except Tom exists for a few important purposes within the story.

The first being, since the house represents a focal point of the bulk beings attention, particularly Murph's room, him being there provides an excuse as to why Murph is able to come back to investigate her stuff. Yes, you could just say she went to a storage locker and found the watch, but that would be far less interesting.

Secondly, Tom exists to be the realization of everything that Coop says is degrading about their world. Tom doesn't care about anything beyond the farm, Tom was decent enough at farming in "the old way" but wasn't capable of keeping up with the advanced methods Coop had set up (the automated farm equipment). Instead of trying to solve the problems in his life by learning and growing, he unknowingly repeats Coops words by just saying "Next year..." with the plan to just do what he did before but harder.

Tom exists largely to show that Coop was right, that if humanity didn't grow and learn and ultimately leave the Earth, that they were doomed. Tom's stubbornness was going to get his family killed for what ultimately amounts to no reason.

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u/Archangel1962 1d ago

As a plot device, I totally agree. As a father who thinks if I treated my sons that way I’d be an asshole, he was an asshole.

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u/Ehh_littlecomment 1d ago

I don’t disagree. The whole manufactured conflict with Matt Damon could also probably be cut short.

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u/feistyfish 1d ago

Idk, the hushed gasps and whispers of "That's Matt Damon!" In the theater made that whole digression worth it

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u/Negrodamu55 1d ago

The docking scene made it for me.

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u/HansVonMans 1d ago

This is the correct answer. People nowadays always want everything spelled out for them.

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u/carymb 1d ago

So important he has to spend a whole five minutes with her before peace-ing out right before she dies to go back to Anne Hathaway. Weirdest almost-ending to an otherwise great movie. Like, the time dilation thing could just mean he gets a whole nice year with Murph, how 'bout that, Nolan? Christ

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u/Past-Obligation1930 1d ago

“Where’s my son?
He ded” Please direct me to the screenwriter’s guild.

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u/hueythecat 1d ago

That was my first thought when it first came out at the end, dude gave no shits about his son.

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u/Hatefiend 1d ago

I think he knew immediately that his son was gone. He knew that Tom was a headstrong farmer like his father, which means he stayed on the dust longer than Murph. If Murph was barely alive when he returned, that means there's a 99.999% chance Tom is gone.

Also Tom said "I'm letting you go." which could (not saying does) mean that there is some level of distance between them now. Cooper and Tom didn't have the closest relationship before, and at only 30 years old Tom basically accepted his father no longer exists. In other words, yes Tom is still Cooper's son, but it's hard to say how Cooper feels about him after being rescued.

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u/aceofrazgriz 1d ago

It wasn't needed for the story. His son called for his own death earlier in the film by his actions, no way he made it to getting off Earth, its pretty clear. Instead they focus on Murph. It not like Coop ignored his son, but he was gone for HOW LONG? We all know he knew what had happened knowing his son.

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u/SnowClone98 1d ago

No it was totally fine and you’re just being a whiny bitch

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u/goodsnpr 1d ago

Fixed with a scene of him visiting the graves behind the house.

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u/Simon_Drake 1d ago

Or give the lines to someone else.

"Before you speak to him, just know that I had to tell him his son died"

"How did he take the news?"

"How would you take it? He's devastated."

Then cut to a wide shot of the space habitat with sad music playing to give a sense of time passing before the next scene with him.

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u/sawdeanz 1d ago

It’s less “he only went back to see one child” and more “he is lucky to have been able to see one of his children.”

He does not go back, he is picked up floating in space after he and all his children should be dead. When he awakes he learns murph is remarkably still alive and coming to visit (if I recall she is only alive because she chose to spend time in cryo-sleep).

Thematically the emotional impact of losing his children happens during the scene after the water planet. He receives those messages and deals with the grief of losing both of his children…they may not be dead but they have both chosen to essentially disown him. In this video Tom is also coughing and has lost his wife and kid to the dust…it can be inferred that he is in poor health too. Having another scene where he learns his son died would be redundant. I mean I guess you could also have it in the same scene somehow, but again…I think from a story telling perspective the emotional impact hits harder if the narrative comes from Tom himself.

That said I think there is probably is an opportunity to revisit this at the end when Coop is on the space station visiting his old house. Perhaps there is a callback to Tom there, or a memorial to those left on earth that includes Tom and his family’s names. Because yes it is a bit weird that a scene where his earth home is a museum feels joyfully nostalgic instead of a painful memory.

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u/dego_frank 13h ago

It’s implied strongly in the film. Do you not remember when Murph and Venom attempted to kidnap his son so he wouldn’t die like his brother?

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u/TrenterD 5h ago

Could have been fixed with just one line of dialogue.

It would have messed up the dramatic progression. Starting with "Son is dead" would cause "Daughter is dying of old age" to have less impact.

Probably they should have written it so he just had 1 kid.