Mystic River*
by Dennis LeHane
Show Scene 2, “Driven Away”
- How well do you feel you got to know the characters in the book versus the movie?
- In the book did it seem like either Jimmy or Sean really liked Dave? Was that different than in the movie?
- Why did Dave get in the car? Why didn’t Jimmy or Sean?
How well were the characters cast in the movie? Did the movie capture the essence of the characters vs. the way LeHane wrote them? Would you have cast the roles differently? - How did the neighborhood define the characters (were the characters defined by the neighborhood)?
Show Scene 10, “Is My Daughter in There”
- Did you like Jimmy?
- Was the plot or were the characters more important in this story? Was there any difference with respect to the book or the movie?
- How would Dave’s life have been different if he did not get into the car?
- When Dave returned from the kidnapping, why was he considered “damaged goods” rather than a child who needed help and support? Why didn’t anyone try to help him?
Show Scene 22, “Like Vampires”
- Did Dave’s wife do the right thing in helping him the night he came home covered in blood?
- Why didn’t Dave tell his wife who he really killed the night Annie was murdered?
- Why did Dave’s wife respond the way she did to Dave’s rant about the vampires and the names of his kidnappers? What might have happened if she’d reacted differently?
(Show Scene 26, “What Celeste Thinks”)
- What was your reaction to the way Jimmy’s wife responded when Jimmy told her that he had killed the wrong person?
- How did the response of Dave’s wife compare to the response of Jimmy’s wife?
- Would you classify this book/ movie as a tragedy? Who was the most tragic figure?
- Which scene, either from the book or the movie, moved you most, and why?
Show Scene 35, “Passing Parade”
- Compare the ending of the novel to the ending of the movie. What were the differences? Did the ending of the movie do the book justice?
- What did Sean’s gunshot hand gesture to Jimmy mean?
*Questions written by Mount Prospect Public Library Staff
Published 2001
