Changing Lanes (2002) Rated "R" with Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson
All is well in New York City. Gaven Banek is working for his father-in-law in what has turned out to be a multi-billion dollar charity that is on the brink of fraud. Doyle Gipson is an alcoholic father of two, and on the verge of a messy divorce and separation from his kids. A hectic highway lane change is cause for a somewhat minor collision. Doyle wants to do things "the right way" by getting/giving insurance information, but Gaven is in too much of a hurry and writes Doyle a blank check for his situation, leaving him stranded on the highway. Gaven arrives a few minutes late at court only to realize that he left his most important file with Doyle whom he had just abandoned. Doyle makes sure it won't be easy for Gaven to recover the file quickly. A long succession of sabotage between the two takes place that threatens to completely destroy the entire livelihood of both men.
The main relationship described in this film is the relationship between Gaven Banek and Doyle Gipson. They were not even supposed to meet each other until they were involved in an accident on the highway. The relationship starts out as friendly, quickly turns hostile, and towards the end gradually becomes friendly again.
A second relationship is the relationship between Gaven Banek and his wife, and father-in-law who happens to be his boss. While Gaven is a lawyer and married into this firm, he was aware of the possibilities of fraud. His conscience begins talking to him halfway through the movie, but his wife and boss urge him not to listen to it. Their relationship is very shaky at best towards the end of the movie. A final main relationship is the relationship between Doyle Gipson and his wife and kids. Gipson, an alcoholic, is constantly aware that his actions are hurting his relationship with his family, but he cannot seem to stop. In a last ditch effort to save his marriage and the kids from having to move across the country, he tries to buy a house and make nice to his wife. Gipson's genuine care is mistaken for alcoholic rage however, because Gaven is busy trying to destroy his life. In the end, Gipson repairs his relationship with his family and all is well again.
The relationships in this film typically move in opposite directions compared to others. When Gaven and Doyle's relationship comes apart, so do their relationships with their respective families and coworkers. When they eventually come back together to be friends again, Gaven's relationship with his wife and boss sours as he becomes more of a moral person. For the main part of the film, Doyle's relationship with his family is in the coming apart stage, and then it appears as though it starts over at the coming together stage to become a better family with time. It was easy to see the different stages listed in the diagram here, with the relationships in the film.
It was also evident that most of the communication patterns were directly related to how the relationships were formed and maintained. As communication effectiveness decreased, so did their relationship. Miscommunications and misinterpretations often sour relationships at a fast rate as evident in the film. Therefore, with improved communication between everyone involved in the movie, the relationships would have been improved much more than how they ended up.
Meta-communication is very helpful in repairing relationships and seeing "where they are" and "where they are going." Doyle and Gaven finally, towards the end of the film, start talking about their communication and the actions that they have been doing to each other (mostly negative). This was the turning point in their relationship and their moral turn-arounds.
I can relate most to Doyle Gipson in the film and the way he handled every situation that came his way. The reason I say that is because I tend to always want to do things the right way, but I can become frustrated with things that have nothing to do with what I'm trying to do, become easily distracted, depressed, and angry at myself and other people for no reason at all. It usually takes a figurative "slap in the face" to get myself to pull it together, buckle down, and realize that I need to do better in handling a certain situation.
All is well in New York City. Gaven Banek is working for his father-in-law in what has turned out to be a multi-billion dollar charity that is on the brink of fraud. Doyle Gipson is an alcoholic father of two, and on the verge of a messy divorce and separation from his kids. A hectic highway lane change is cause for a somewhat minor collision. Doyle wants to do things "the right way" by getting/giving insurance information, but Gaven is in too much of a hurry and writes Doyle a blank check for his situation, leaving him stranded on the highway. Gaven arrives a few minutes late at court only to realize that he left his most important file with Doyle whom he had just abandoned. Doyle makes sure it won't be easy for Gaven to recover the file quickly. A long succession of sabotage between the two takes place that threatens to completely destroy the entire livelihood of both men.
The main relationship described in this film is the relationship between Gaven Banek and Doyle Gipson. They were not even supposed to meet each other until they were involved in an accident on the highway. The relationship starts out as friendly, quickly turns hostile, and towards the end gradually becomes friendly again.
A second relationship is the relationship between Gaven Banek and his wife, and father-in-law who happens to be his boss. While Gaven is a lawyer and married into this firm, he was aware of the possibilities of fraud. His conscience begins talking to him halfway through the movie, but his wife and boss urge him not to listen to it. Their relationship is very shaky at best towards the end of the movie. A final main relationship is the relationship between Doyle Gipson and his wife and kids. Gipson, an alcoholic, is constantly aware that his actions are hurting his relationship with his family, but he cannot seem to stop. In a last ditch effort to save his marriage and the kids from having to move across the country, he tries to buy a house and make nice to his wife. Gipson's genuine care is mistaken for alcoholic rage however, because Gaven is busy trying to destroy his life. In the end, Gipson repairs his relationship with his family and all is well again.
The relationships in this film typically move in opposite directions compared to others. When Gaven and Doyle's relationship comes apart, so do their relationships with their respective families and coworkers. When they eventually come back together to be friends again, Gaven's relationship with his wife and boss sours as he becomes more of a moral person. For the main part of the film, Doyle's relationship with his family is in the coming apart stage, and then it appears as though it starts over at the coming together stage to become a better family with time. It was easy to see the different stages listed in the diagram here, with the relationships in the film.
It was also evident that most of the communication patterns were directly related to how the relationships were formed and maintained. As communication effectiveness decreased, so did their relationship. Miscommunications and misinterpretations often sour relationships at a fast rate as evident in the film. Therefore, with improved communication between everyone involved in the movie, the relationships would have been improved much more than how they ended up.
Meta-communication is very helpful in repairing relationships and seeing "where they are" and "where they are going." Doyle and Gaven finally, towards the end of the film, start talking about their communication and the actions that they have been doing to each other (mostly negative). This was the turning point in their relationship and their moral turn-arounds.
I can relate most to Doyle Gipson in the film and the way he handled every situation that came his way. The reason I say that is because I tend to always want to do things the right way, but I can become frustrated with things that have nothing to do with what I'm trying to do, become easily distracted, depressed, and angry at myself and other people for no reason at all. It usually takes a figurative "slap in the face" to get myself to pull it together, buckle down, and realize that I need to do better in handling a certain situation.
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