Color of Money ending?

alstl said:
My take was that Vince was more confused than mad. He was happy when he gave the envelope to Eddie and when Eddie turned it down he was caught off guard. I think he expected a pat on the back from Eddie for finally "getting it" but instead Eddie went in a different direction.
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That's how I've always interpreted the ending of that movie. I always thought Vince's anger at the end of the movie was more along the lines of "what's your problem? I finally 'got it', did everything that you have been telling me to do all along, and this is the response I get?"

And the "stings like a b***h" comment was Vince's way of saying, "See? Being the sucker [like you've been telling me to be this whole time] hurts the ole ego, doesn't it?"

It's funny how 10 different people could watch a movie, then give you 10 different opinions on what certain things meant. Books often take much of the "open to interpretation" scenes out of the equation because the authors are able to describe, in detail, what is going on inside a character's head. Actors are limited to physical/facial gestures, and tone of voice, to relay what is going on inside their character's head.
 
Tokyo-dave said:
I don't think that Vince put any hustle on Eddie. If my memory serves right, Vince wasn't exactly the smartest character in the movie, so the reason I think that he was so pissed was that he probably expected Eddie to be proud of him for finally "getting it" and was expecting a pat on the back for finally doing what Eddie had been trying to teach him to do.
Eddie had been trying to teach Vince the whole time to hustle, and when Vince finally pulled the big one off, it was a hustle that involved using Eddie without his knowledge. Keep in mind, that Eddie had just brought his game back to level, and was more happy about playing great pool than playing the hustle, so his pride was a little damaged.
dave
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Nah, :-) I have watched this movie a hundred times at least. Vince was being a jerkoff when he delivered the money and told Eddie that he dumped. He was being sarcastic when he told Eddie that he would "appreciate it". He was showing Eddie the fruits of his labors in the most hurtful way possible because he knew that Eddie really just wanted to play great.

I don't know if you all ever noticed this but check out Vince's reaction when Eddie puts the envelope in Vince's arms in front of the crowd. Vince kind of looks around to see who's checking him out because Eddie just knocked him in front of everyone.

I am sure that a little anger does come from Eddie's reaction, that now he is not "sticking to the plan". But overall it's pretty much that Vince wanted to stick it to Eddie for all the manipulation to get him on the road and while they were on the road.
 
in the end when Eddie walks up to Vince, after forfeiting his match, he gives him the envelope of money for his unknowing role in the side bet on their match. here are two scenarios not in the movie but i think they could be one of those "understood" things about the end........ maybe Eddie new that Vince was gonna bet on him to win his next match and purposely quit so Vince would loose money or maybe he wanted to make it look like he knew Eddie would forfeit and then embarrass him by putting a big chunk of bills "his cut" in his lap in front of everyone. Eddie may have even had a bet against himself as well. kinda the the teacher re-teaching the student a thing or two about things. just a thought......
 
skins said:
in the end when Eddie walks up to Vince, after forfeiting his match, he gives him the envelope of money for his unknowing role in the side bet on their match. here are two scenarios not in the movie but i think they could be one of those "understood" things about the end........ maybe Eddie new that Vince was gonna bet on him to win his next match and purposely quit so Vince would loose money or maybe he wanted to make it look like he knew Eddie would forfeit and then embarrass him by putting a big chunk of bills "his cut" in his lap in front of everyone. Eddie may have even had a bet against himself as well. kinda the the teacher re-teaching the student a thing or two about things. just a thought......
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Vinnie was pizzed. He found out his handmade Balabushka turned out to be a cookie-cutter CNC Joss East.:D
 
Jimmy M. said:
That's how I've always interpreted the ending of that movie. I always thought Vince's anger at the end of the movie was more along the lines of "what's your problem? I finally 'got it', did everything that you have been telling me to do all along, and this is the response I get?"

And the "stings like a b***h" comment was Vince's way of saying, "See? Being the sucker [like you've been telling me to be this whole time] hurts the ole ego, doesn't it?"

It's funny how 10 different people could watch a movie, then give you 10 different opinions on what certain things meant. Books often take much of the "open to interpretation" scenes out of the equation because the authors are able to describe, in detail, what is going on inside a character's head. Actors are limited to physical/facial gestures, and tone of voice, to relay what is going on inside their character's head.
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Yes.. That is exactly what I got out of the ending too...

Eddie was at a really low point, and was simply asking for a shot at recovering his pride. When he beat Vince in the tourney, he felt like a true winner again, like he did when he saw Minnesota Fats for the first time in Ames. Vince took that away from him by saying that it was a dump. In Eddie's mind, the dump totally invalidated all the positive feelings he was starting to have about his game.

He was simply begging for a chance to get his manhood back. Vince was still being the obtuse kid who didn't know enough about human nature to understand why Eddie was not pleased with his dumping performance.

At this point in the movie, Vince is smart enough to play people for a fool where money comes into the picture, but he's still a wet-behind-the-ears punk who doesn't really "get it" when it comes to human nature.

Russ
 
skins said:
in the end when Eddie walks up to Vince, after forfeiting his match, he gives him the envelope of money for his unknowing role in the side bet on their match. here are two scenarios not in the movie but i think they could be one of those "understood" things about the end........ maybe Eddie new that Vince was gonna bet on him to win his next match and purposely quit so Vince would loose money or maybe he wanted to make it look like he knew Eddie would forfeit and then embarrass him by putting a big chunk of bills "his cut" in his lap in front of everyone. Eddie may have even had a bet against himself as well. kinda the the teacher re-teaching the student a thing or two about things. just a thought......
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Nope. Observe Eddie's face just before he forfeits.. (I'm working from memory here..) He looks like he wants to play, then a look comes over his face like, "This is where I decide what type of man I am... This is where I show what I am made of..", and then breaks down his cue, and gives the money back to Vince.

If he was aiming to "get back" at Vince, he would have acted completely different. He might have looked Vince straight in the eyes from across the room as he broke down his stick.

Besides, what was there to "get back" at Vince about? Vince played it exactly as Eddie had trained him to do. Go cross country, get some seasoning, get to Atlantic city, or wherever it was, and then manipulate the odds to win big side bets. Eddie really had nothing whatsoever.to be angry with Vince about.

Russ
 
Eddie really had nothing whatsoever.to be angry with Vince about

other than the fact that Vince wouldn't listen to Eddie
 
finals

Russ Chewning said:
Nope. Observe Eddie's face just before he forfeits.. (I'm working from memory here..) He looks like he wants to play, then a look comes over his face like, "This is where I decide what type of man I am... This is where I show what I am made of..", and then breaks down his cue, and gives the money back to Vince.

If he was aiming to "get back" at Vince, he would have acted completely different. He might have looked Vince straight in the eyes from across the room as he broke down his stick.

Besides, what was there to "get back" at Vince about? Vince played it exactly as Eddie had trained him to do. Go cross country, get some seasoning, get to Atlantic city, or wherever it was, and then manipulate the odds to win big side bets. Eddie really had nothing whatsoever.to be angry with Vince about.

Russ
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also when he forfeits the match, you hear the other player say he just threw away 40 grand and also "come on eddie, i don't wanna win like this"
 
Eddie was pissed because he thought he had actually came back and beat Vince (who he considered to be one of the best). "To be the best you have to beat the best" (wasn't that line in the hustler?) in Eddie's mind he had done just that. WHAMO!! Here is a smack in the face Eddie, I dumped (you didn't actually beat me). That cold hard fact that he still isn't the best just hit him in the head like a freaking freight train and that is why he was so upset, that is why he wanted to play him again (FOR REAL), hense his closing remarks "Because I am BACK BABY!"
 
Just wanted to take a second to say thanks for all the resposes. I have come to the conclusion that Eddie thought he beat Vince for real and when he found out Vince dumped, he felt like he had no right to continue playing hence the forfeit. I origionally though he had messed up a side bet for Vince but after rethinking I believe that to be wrong. Thanks guys!!!
 
Yes...

John Barton said:
Nah, :-) I have watched this movie a hundred times at least. Vince was being a jerkoff when he delivered the money and told Eddie that he dumped. He was being sarcastic when he told Eddie that he would "appreciate it". He was showing Eddie the fruits of his labors in the most hurtful way possible because he knew that Eddie really just wanted to play great.

I don't know if you all ever noticed this but check out Vince's reaction when Eddie puts the envelope in Vince's arms in front of the crowd. Vince kind of looks around to see who's checking him out because Eddie just knocked him in front of everyone.

I am sure that a little anger does come from Eddie's reaction, that now he is not "sticking to the plan". But overall it's pretty much that Vince wanted to stick it to Eddie for all the manipulation to get him on the road and while they were on the road.
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Once Eddie dumped him and Carmen, Vince realized that the only reason that Eddie had ever taken them on the road was to get back into the game himself, and all that Vince ever cared about was being the best, that's why it was so hard for him to lay down.

He was mad at Eddie for making him to lay down all those times and became madder still when he found out that Eddie wasn't doing it for Vince but for himself. Then when he realized that Eddie might actually BE better than him, he became even more agitated and upset at possibly not being the best.
 
The thing I get from the ending is, that Eddie was feeling great, and had his girl there for moral support too. Cuz right after the match he goes through the crowd and gets a standing ovation, and then steps outside to let out his emotions.

You can also see how Eddie feels pumped about his next match, and even asks Vince about the guy he is going to be playing, and then Vince drops the bomb on Eddie's world and tells him he dumped. So now Eddie, is maybe having doubts about his true skills? IDK

And then as Eddie is starting to play his match against Kennedy, he has second thoughts about finishing the tourney so he forfiets. And then throws Vince's whole plan in his lap by giving back the money.

As for the whole part where Vince yells " you used me " IDK what that was getting at.
 
Sorry to revive a thread that ended three months ago, but the ending of CoM puzzled me too. It's Vince's "you used me" line, and Eddie's agreement, that I don't get.

The scene when Eddie dives in the pool and emerges from the water was a classic literary rebirth. That's when he completed his transition from hustler back to player. Since Eddie was clear about his wanting a cut of the money while coaching Vincent, he wasn't using him. Maybe the idea was that Eddie wasn't being honest with himself about his intentions for the trip, and thus by extension used Vincent. If that's what Vincent was getting at, he gained about 30 IQ points since Eddie left him and Carmen. It wasn't that cerebral of a movie, so I think the unclear ending is a flaw in the movie.
 
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Your all wrong!Vince was pissed because Carmen told him how Eddie tried to do her in the shower! :p
 
You'll notice just before Eddie forfeits he looks down at the ball and sees his reflection and just one table over Joey Gold is playing someone. Eddie sees Joey and has a premonition. He sees Joey making millions of dollars manufacturing high quality cues and just at that point he breaks his cue down never to play again instead he starts making gourmet popcorn and it becomes a great hit. He finally finds the success that had eluded him.
The End
 
It was all about Character

It was all about character.

The beginning of the movie even has scenes about it...Eddie thinks he has it but in reality he was nothing more than Bert in the first movie...(At the beginning of the movie he did not realize that though)

Midway through the movie he was seeing Vince playing pool and he got the itch to start hustling again......He still did not realize he had lost his character yet...and then when he got hustled..."Do you think I need to lose some weight"..........he hit his low point in life...It all started crashing down on him where he was in life and what he had given up when he put the beat down on Fats.

He then proceeded to practice because he wanted to "play pool" again like he did in the Hustler....

He though he was on the road back and then Vince put the dump on him...

He then realized that all this time he had no character and if he were to continue with the next match he would only be "involved" in a characterless hustle...so he forfieted...

I got the impression that he felt sorry for what he did to Vince...In the beginning of the Movie Vince only wanted to play the best pool he could....(the scenes where he was offering to pay if he lost but not collect if he won)...he just wanted the guys "best game"...By the end of the movie Eddie "Berted" him into being a hustler...

In the "Hustler" movie...playing great pool was pretty much all Eddie cared about...He just was after Fats best game .....He wanted to be the best player...there was a scene in the first movie were they are on a picnic and he is talking about "playing pool right"....

In the end he found his "old" character......He wanted to match up with Vince to get his best game...he did not care about the "hustle" any more......He just wanted to be the best player...

He found is character and his true desire again...and while beaking made the comment........."I'm Back!!"
 
"you used me!" "you used us!" He felt used. I think part of the reason there are so many opinions about this particular topic, is because it isnt exactly clear. I think when eddie left them in the pool hall, he genuinely felt he had nothing left to show vince. I dont think it was part of some master plot. Atleast at that point. But overall, he saw vince's talent and used it to get himself back into the game. But it was a two way street, and you would think vince would get that. Like eddie said to vince after screaming at him for using them, "yeah but your with the big boys now." And thats when vince kind of came off of it. So they played for the envelope, which in no way eddie could have won. So vince arrived and eddie was back, everybody won.
 
Hell, the whole movie made little sense anyway! This was an "ego piece" where Newman got to play the Bert Gordon role, a part he always savored.

He (and Richard Price) rewrote Walter Tevis' book just so Newman could do the sleezy backer role. He wasn't near as good as George C. Scott was and yet he won an Oscar for it. Hollywood! Go figure.

With George C. Scott as Bert Gordon, you believed him. He WAS a bad guy, with no morals whatsoever! This part made Scott and launched his career, which was brilliant from beginning to end. Whereas when Newman took the part, he was acting, and it showed. I can't even remember his character's name. Can you?
 
Johnnyt said:
I go along with this synopsis. Johnnyt
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yessir - this is much closer to the point.

First problem: the op 'misread' the ending,
Vince wasn't mad at Eddie - he was upset for the
reasons mentioned.

And he certainly knew all along that Eddie was in it
for the money - the rather minor
manipulation was done as much by the girlfriend as
Eddie, and besides, Vince was doing EXACTLY what he
wanted to do in life, and was now excelling at it -
how mad would that make you?

At the end of the day, the Eddie/Vince story
is the old saw of father<figure>/son seperation,
with consideration of Master/Mentor with the
pupil surpassing the teacher.

Mostly it revisits the overarching theme of The Hustler.
In the H, Fats is the world's best money player.
He is supplanted by Eddie. TCOM Vince is the new
world's best money player, having surpassed Keith McCready:)
So, it is much about the passing of the tourch.

Far be it from me to hijack a thread - but I have always
thought a much more intriguing question is that of Eddie's final line:
I'M back!
Is he really, how realistic is that opinion?
Probably a thought for another thread.

Dale
 
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