Changing Lanes is a morality play that forces us to think through the lengths to which we will go, and the ethics we will trash, to get what we think we need. The movie pits a lawyer with everything against a recovering alcoholic with nothing when the two get into a fender-bender on the highway as both men are on their way to different court proceedings. The lawyer loses an important--crucial--file to submit to the court, and the recovering alcoholic misses his proceedings altogether, and is subsequently put on the edge of losing his children. The two then go back and forth in trying to hurt the other for various reasons. As Gavin Banek tells a priest, "Sometimes God likes to put two guys in a paper bag and let 'em rip..."The movie presents viewers with some interesting and debatable ethical situations. Are we willing to do what it takes to win? Is family worth breaking the law? Is the law a mere game that can be circumvented and danced through? What do we do to seek vengeance? What lengths will we go to in order to avenge ourselves? What is Justice and how should we seek it for others?
Read Psalm 94:1...What would happen if we wait for vengeance, rather than seek it ourselves, according to the Bible?
Is the unscrupulous boss (and father-in-law) of Gavin justified in saying, "At the end of the day I think I do more good than harm...what other standard have I got to go by?" What is justification, according to both our culture and the Bible?
In the end, the lawyer "changes lanes" and decides to do what he needs to do to help Doyle Gipson struggling to keep his family...what does it take for people--for us--to change lanes? Do people change? Can they mature, and grow, especially in the span of one Good Friday?
What is the significance of traffic and automobiles in the movie?
What is the significance of religion and Good Friday in the movie?
What is Gavin's ethical system, and how does it change, throughout the movie? What is Gavin's wife's ethical system? Why is she willing to allow Gavin to live like her father lives?
Verses to use in discussion:
Leviticus 19:15, 18; Deuteronomy 16:20; Psalm 33:5; Psalm 106:3; Psalm 140:12; Romans 12:19; Matthew 5:38-39; Ezekiel 25:17; Micah 6:8; Zechariah 7:9; Matthew 12:18; Acts 17:30-32
Gavin's boss and wife are blinded and lost in a false reality. The boss believes that his work, including robbing a sick man of his own company, is justified and does more good than harm even though he takes part of the money from the trust for his own benefit. Gavin's wife has become so accustomed to a lavish lifestyle that she cannot imagine losing everything, even if it is the morally wrong choice. Most people today do not abide by the Bible's standard of justification. They believe that simply acting rightly or obeying the law qualifies as being just. However, it often seems to be reliant on what that particular person believes is fair treatment. The Bible's definition of justice is not so easily manipulated and is exacted perfectly only by God.
ReplyDeleteIn the end, it took humility for Gavin to help Doyle. When a person is convicted, or feels mercy or grace, they are then able to "change lanes" and show compassion on others. It may not be likely for a person to go through such a significant change as Gavin did in the span of one day, but that does not mean that it is impossible.
Good Friday plays a large role in the sequence of events in the movie because it is a day of penance. Jesus voluntarily died on the cross in order to pay for our sins. We as sinners repent for our sins and are atoned. At first, Gavin subjects himself to vengeance and anger, but by the end of the movie he has apologized and let go of his sin in order to help Doyle.
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ReplyDeleteGavin's father-in-law and wife are delusional and their concept of justice is distorted. They believe that if they do more good deeds than bad, then at the end of the day, all they have done can be justified. However, this theory works if you believe in only your egotistic self and not a higher deity such as God, with His own set of laws.
ReplyDeleteGavin, a self-conscious corrupt lawyer at first, later becomes someone with humility, sympathy, and a new defined sense of justice. All it took was a Good Friday and a man named Doyle. To "change lanes" is not easy; it takes commitment, a sense of compassion, and a significant event where the person finally realizes that their life and their actions do not only impact them but everyone around them. Changing lanes might not happen in the span of a day, it might take a year or a whole lifetime, but people can change.
Life zooms past us like the cars in the film. Accidents happen. Life happens. It is all how we react that gives life meaning.
Gavin finally opens his eyes and sees what he is doing to a recovered alcoholic who is losing his children. He takes the first step, apologizes, and helps Doyle. He took responsibility and atoned for his sins and that is what Good Friday is about (mostly).
This movie, Changing Lanes, reminded me of a modern take on the very Machiavellian based deontological ethics. The ends justify the means is seen as a wartime phrase but is clearly the tagline of this movie.
ReplyDeleteAre we willing to do what it takes to win? To win what, may I ask. If it is a game, or an argument then people out to get the last word in are simply petty. But are we willing to do whatever it takes to win against evil? We may be willing to do whatever it takes but should we? Sin never justifies a greater sin. So is moral in God's eyes? No, but is it sometimes necessary? Perhaps.
Is family worth breaking the law? The law is not upheld without everyone (for the most part) agreeing to abide by it. So is it justified to break it even for the sake of protecting loved ones? I think in this question, every situation is different. It takes decisive judgment to make this call based on the particular instance.
Is the law a mere game that can be circumvented and danced through?
The law to some people maybe seen this way. And for those who hold this viewpoint, the law will eventually catch up to them. If you see life as a series of events to go through my cheating the system and screwing other people over, then that is eventually what will happen to you. It isn't Karma. It is God's judgment.
What do we do to seek vengeance? Revenge is the undertone to the life principle "don't let other people take advantage of you". We are taught as children to stand our ground and if someone does us wrong, to assert ourselves. We find passive aggressive or flat out direct ways to let people know they have done us wrong and that they no longer have favor in our eyes.
ReplyDeleteWhat lengths will we go to in order to avenge ourselves? People cut ties, burn bridges, cheat, steal, and even kill to make someone hurt more than they pained us.
What is Justice and how should we seek it for others?
Justice isn't hurting someone else to get some sick satisfaction in watching them suffer even if they deserved it. We all are deserving of punishment because we all sin. Sinners shouldn't seek to condemn sinners outside of the law. The law does not seek petty revenge; it seeks to protect and serve the common people in a community. We should seek Justice for others by pursuing a solution with a forgiving and loving heart.
What would happen if we wait for vengeance, rather than seek it ourselves, according to the Bible?
Eventually, rather in this life or the one to come, God will avenge the people who have been wronged and waited for his judgement. If we truly believe God's words, then we will display it by patiently waiting for His wrath and trust that it will be sufficient, just, and superior to anything we could inflict on someone.
What is justification, according to both our culture and the Bible? Justification is the act of making something right. Whether that is actually being done is questionable, but the term justification means making something right.
Gavin's father-in-law is not justified in saying, "At the end of the day I think I do more good than harm...what other standard have I got to go by?". Clearly the Bible is not on his radar as a standard to go by, but if he said this to me, I would take that opportunity to share the Gospel with him. But his demeanor tells me that he sees himself as his own God and therefore he is the one who justifies all of his actions as good or bad.
ReplyDeleteWhat does it take for people--for us--to change lanes? The sad reality is that tragedy wakes people up more than blessings. When good things happen, we tend to credit ourselves for being so clever and smart and maybe thank God for "our many blessings" but deep down accredit ourselves. When bad things happen we almost always turn to God, but usually it is to point an angry finger or shake a fist at Him for "cursing us". Gavin even does this when he talks to the priest and blames God for figuratively putting "two guys in a paper bag and let 'em rip...". He essentially is blaming God for initiating this feud his own impatience got him into.
Do people change? People have the ability to improve how they behave, but I believe that people don't change. We don't go from sinful to holy. So we can't transform from adulterous to loyal, rude to courteous, angry to loving. We may have moments or instances where we are not the former but eventually, due to our fallen nature, we always slip back to the latter.
Can they mature, and grow, especially in the span of one Good Friday? I believe people can mature, which is a part of change. People can defiantly become more mature or wise from the events of a crazy day such as in this movie. But will the lessons they learn stick for the rest of their lives? Probably not.
What is the significance of traffic and automobiles in the movie?
ReplyDeleteIn the final scene, Doyle sees his divorced wife and children across the busy street. The camera utilizes the flashing cars to interfere with our view of the father's vision with his family. This film technique conveys the idea that while in the surface the viewer realizes the wife has returned to her husband with his children, there are still obstacles in their path The fact that the movie ends without the two ever reconciling or embracing suggests that there will always be conflict between the two.
What is the significance of religion and Good Friday in the movie?
Religion is showcased as Gavin's bargaining chip with Doyle at the beginning of the movie. He appeals to Doyle's better nature by insisting their second intersection was nothing short of a divine miracle being that it is on a holy day outside of a church. This appeal doesn't get Gavin very far with Doyle. But Gavin later that day finds himself inside during the crowded service when he is at his lowest point. Gavin is in search of answers and comfort but soon storms out of the sanctuary to fix his problems by his own means. Good Friday is the day set aside to remember Christ's sacrifice for us on the cross. It is a day to reflect that all of the injustices of the world, whether done by us or inflicted on us, went on Jesus' shoulders. We no longer have to pay for your mistakes because Christ did it for us. It is ironic that Gavin and Doyle's run in happened on Good Friday because while they were trying to make the each other pay for the wrongs they did, Good Friday is about Christ erasing our debts.
What is Gavin's ethical system, and how does it change, throughout the movie? Gavin is interested in keeping his own nose clean and doing what is best for himself. But as the day rolls on, Gavin makes hasty decisions that he would normally not do because he is in a very tight predicament that not only affects him but his family, reputation, employment, and job partners. Once the pressure is on and it is more than just Gavin's quality of life on the line, he is willing to hurt Doyle to fix his errors.
What is Gavin's wife's ethical system? Why is she willing to allow Gavin to live like her father lives? Gavin's wife at first appears to be a forgiving gentle wife for calmly telling her husband her knowledge of his affair. But then the viewer's perspective of her is altered as she reveals that she knows about his dilemma with the missing file and that she wants him to forage it like her father (Gavin's boss)insisted. This leads the viewers to question if Gavin's wife has this deceitful strand to protect her family and father's business or because she is numb to deceit and not even her husband's infidelity or family's scandalous business is enough to phase her conscious completely. At the end of the day, she can sleep peacefully because lies and cover ups have always been a part of her life if we judge the type of father she has had to raise her. She is willing to let Gavin become her father because that, as twisted of a life it is, is the life she is most comfortable with because it is all she has ever known.
ReplyDeleteJustice is consequences fitting the wrong doing so that the offender never repeats the action. Psalm 94:1 says to let the God take care of justice and revenge. When a person goes after vigilante style justice, it is immoral and easily gets out of hand. In the end what that boss says makes sense, everything balanced out and left a few good deeds over the bad. By our culture, getting what you want with minimum collateral damage is fine. By the bible, the alternative standard are the Ten Commandments. The important thing is that no human can save themselves even if they never do a bad thing their entire life, it is only through Jesus that that can happen. People change lanes when the one they are in is too slow or when they want something in return. Occasionaly yes, they change because the other lane is the right choice but in most cases the former occurs and when that happens the person didn't actually change, they are still as selfish as they were in the first lane but now they re benefiting from it. Gavin started thinking nothing was wrong in the firm and when corruption showed up he gradually began to reject it. His wife on the other hand, wanted Gavin to keep up the charade so she could continue on with her country club perfect life. She decided the ends justified the means and was happier dealing with corruption while rich than being a good person in the middle class.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Psalm 94:1, God will bring true justice, so revenge isn't the right path to take. Gavin's father-in-law is living in fool's paradise when he says that "at the end of the day, I think I do more good than harm...what other standard have I got to go by?" He thinks that he's "good enough" since he isn't doing the most atrocious actions that anyone can imagine. This parallels with how some Christians think with regards to their morality. "To God, I'm good enough, especially since I'm better than other people", they say. In our culture today, justification involves making accuses to make as though your actions are acceptable. According to the Bible, justification is when we are recognized as righteous by God once we receive Jesus' righteousness. It takes a moment of epiphany for people to change their ways. Certainly, one can mature over time, but, it may take longer for some people, depending on the person.
ReplyDeleteIn the movie, it seemed as through the automobiles represented us, and the traffic represented our morality, since the two clash when they are together. The end of the story parallels with Good Friday, the day that Jesus atoned for our sins on the cross. After Gavin realized that his actions towards Doyle were wrong, he helped Doyle out. Gavin is only concerned with his own personal gain from his actions, but, as the story goes on, he recognizes that his actions are immoral. Gavin's wife is only concerned about her comfortable lifestyle, so she is blind to any corruption in Gavin's business.
If we wait for vengeance versus seeking it for ourselves, the Bible tells us that God will. God is bring justice to the person so we don't have too. According to the world, justification is the action of showing something to be right or reasonable. According to theology, justification is the action of declaring or making righteous in the sight of God. I think for us to change we have to want too. We have to want to do what is right and if we don't we will never change. Sometimes it takes going through something to realize that. People can definitely grow or change its not always as fast as he did in this movie but they still can. The traffic represents trails and that it won't always be easy in life. Gavin doesn't care much about what he is doing and how he is hurting people at the beginning of the movie but the lady he is working with is trying to get him to realize. His wife is strong in her believing that it doesnt matter who you hurt as long as you win in the end.
ReplyDeleteIN this movie the characters have very a very loose definition and way of looking at what is right and wrong. Gavins boss is stealing money from an old man and he believes he is doing more good than bad. Gavin does not want to apologize or help Doyle throughout the whole movie. He will not swallow his pride and give up. Gavins wife is one of the worst in the movie. She gets so use to living rich and having money that she doesn't really care what is right and wrong as long as they get to keep their money and wealth. Gavin had to "Change lanes" throughout the movie which means his whole view on right and wrong and all of that had to change. Gavin couldn't care less about hurting people and he didn't even think about what he could've been doing to Doyle throughout the movie. In the end Gavin changes and tries to help Doyle which is good. All he needed was one crazy day to change perspectives.
ReplyDeleteI think it depends what the consequences of losing will be determines how willing a person to do what it takes to win. This is the same answer to if it is worth it to break the law for your family. It depends on what the stakes are. If it was for the case of the father about lose his children, then it might be worth it to break some minor laws. If there is no higher moral reasoning to break the laws then they shouldn't just be viewed as hindrances to personal desires.
ReplyDeleteTo seek vengeance we try to inflict equal or greater pain on those who have harmed us. Justice is when a criminal or wrong-doer avenged in a fair manner for their crimes and that everything is done to make things right for the one who was wronged. We should seek justice for others by attempting to remedy the wrong even if the wrong doer a cannot be apprehended.
According to Psalm 94:1 if we don't take action on our oppressors, then God will take vengance for the innocent who were wronged.
Is the unscrupulous boss (and father-in-law) of Gavin justified in saying, "At the end of the day I think I do more good than harm...what other standard have I got to go by?" What is justification, according to both our culture and the Bible?
In the end, the lawyer "changes lanes" and decides to do what he needs to do to help Doyle Gipson struggling to keep his family...what does it take for people--for us--to change lanes? Do people change? Can they mature, and grow, especially in the span of one Good Friday?
What is the significance of traffic and automobiles in the movie?
What is the significance of religion and Good Friday in the movie?
What is Gavin's ethical system, and how does it change, throughout the movie? What is Gavin's wife's ethical system? Why is she willing to allow Gavin to live like her father lives?
Verses to use in discussion:
Leviticus 19:15, 18; Deuteronomy 16:20; Psalm 33:5; Psalm 106:3; Psalm 140:12; Romans 12:19; Matthew 5:38-39; Ezekiel 25:17; Micah 6:8; Zechariah 7:9; Matthew 12:18; Acts 17:30-32
In this movie the significance of traffic and automobiles ties together with the title of the movie - what happens when you stay in your own lane in a particular situation. From a car's perspective, if you don't stay in your own lane you are going to cause an accident. You are either in the right or in the wrong. For people, you have to know what you are going to do. You can't hit someone and decide to keep going unless you are prepared to own up to the consequences. You have to fight through the problems and see what you can get out of it. People can change, mature, and grow, but it takes time. People have to want to make a change. If you feel what you are doing is always right, you don't want to change. You have to realize you are wrong. People want to take action, to take revenge against people to try and prove a point. If you confront the problem, then you don't feel like someone owes you something. You can clear the air, be straightforward.
ReplyDeleteIn the movie the father in law is blinded by money and success at any cost. Even as far as robbing a old man. The car wreck was Symbolic because it was the start of more actions to come. If he would have stayed in his own lane the wreck wouldn't have happened, but also it served as a saving grace for both the men. Good Friday represent the truth and also the turning point in the movie. With out the wreck I don't think the lawyer would ever change and would have done wrong that day, but he change.
ReplyDeleteThe law is definitely not something that we should take lightly. It is not something that we can just dance through and manipulate to fit what our wants are. However, if it came to family, I would break the law because family and love is more important than rules made by man. When it comes to God's Law, that is a different story. We will go to all sorts of lengths to gain revenge but in Psalm 94:1 it tells us that our God is one of vengeance and it implies that we should leave it up to him because it is not in our hands.
ReplyDeleteIn the end, I do believe that the lawyer does change and mature. He grows and understands that what he did to Gipson was incredibly destructive and he learned from talking with him.
Gavin, Gavin's wife, and Gavin's father all had distorted ethical systems and Gavin's changed due to one day. I think that Gavin's wife allows Gavin to live like his father due because she doesn't want to lose the income that Gavin is bringing into their household.
Psalm 94:1 implies that vengeance is not up to us, but up to God himself. If we are patient and wait for Him, He will avenge us. Gavin shows his ethical system is based merely on the phrase "All is fair in love and war" by doing whatever it takes to make sure nothing bad happens to him. Gavin's wife just helps him cover his own tracks just like she has done for her father. Gavin's father in law is not justified in what he says because his ethical system is based on "the ends justify the means." We should not strive to do more good than harm. We should not make it a race between good and evil and hopefully good wins at the end of the day. We should make it our mission to do nothing but good and not harm anyone. Although Gavin is a terrible person at the beginning of the movie, he changes into a compassionate person by helping Doyle out.
ReplyDeleteIn this movie the peoples ideas on justice are definitely deformed. Justification in our society is the approval of others while the justification to God is whether it follows the Bible or not. People can change but it definitely takes time, its not and quick process. Both the traffic and the religious help display the change that occurs. Traffic being negative and religious being positive.
ReplyDeletePeople live what they believe is write or at least ok. For example the father is a piece of crap. He takes money from a company that is ment to help people for his own selfish gain. The alcohol wants to get his life together the problem is that the lawyer prevents that from happening. With nothing to lose he just goes after lawyer. The lawyer wants things to be done real quick even if its shadily done. His finance has serious problems and should see someone over it. That some childhood trauma she is dealing with.
ReplyDelete