The main two characters in this film, Ernie (Nathan Lane) and Lars (Lee Evans) are almost always together. However, there are a few scenes where they separate and I find those to be important pieces to this film.
Lars goes to the factory to make string to sell and cover the mortgage on their house. In this scene, the string factory takes over and literally takes the clothes off his back one piece of string at a time. He appears to be powerless to stop this involuntary stripping.
That scene is a metaphor for Lars’s life. The string factory has controlled his whole life. He has always worked there and cannot stand to see it sold or closed. Even though the factory is not making any money and is stripping him of his clothes, money, and marriage, he wants to keep it open no matter what. Family and loyalty are more important to him than even financial stability.
Then we have Ernie. He goes to meet the “business representative for Zeppco International”. While waiting “under the big clock”, he sees a pair of pretty ladies, gets distracted, loses his hat in the wind, and gets hit by a bus. This is a curious scene because no dialog goes on and almost every event is unexpected.
Although these brothers are so different, the “String Cheese factory” brings them together in the end, with the mouse, too. They combine the love of string and ambition with food to make a cohesive product so the chef, Ernie, and the string enthusiast, Lars, could build an industry together.
When analyzing the scenes in this movie, you can see the characters’ life choices reflected. While these scenes seem random, they actually fit into the plot perfectly!
Tropes and idioms from this film!
Common Sense Media for this film, just in case parents are worried about their kids watching this movie.
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