The Summer of Shyamalan: The Sixth Sense (1999)

Patrick and Taylor see dead people.

Patrick: This summer will bring us not one but two films from a director called Shyamalan. In a few weeks, we will get the directorial debut from Ishana Night Shyamalan, The Watchers, and August will bring us Trap, the latest film from her father, M. Night - a director whose films I keep returning to despite only barely liking a few of them. Trap also features another of his daughters, Saleka. It sounds to me like it's The Summer of Shyamalan! We will be celebrating all summer long, covering the new releases and revisiting the classics. Taylor, are you excited?

Taylor: How could I not be!

Patrick: We begin with the film that wasn't M. Night's directorial debut, even though everyone thinks it was and it might as well be - The Sixth Sense. This was a first-time watch for both of us!

Taylor: It's sort of unbelievable that both of us made it 25 years without seeing this movie, and it's perhaps even more unbelievable that it was never spoiled for me (okay, that's not totally true, someone spoiled it for me one time years ago but I knew so little about the movie that it meant nothing to me and I instantly forgot.)

Patrick: Well, and I...kinda...sorta...spoiled it for you about ten seconds into the movie. I thought you knew! We can go ahead and dive right into the spoileriest of spoilers here, the most famous twist of them all and the thing that defines this movie, its legacy, and M. Night's career. Bruce Willis was dead the whole time! I turned to you and said, "I suppose we're supposed to notice the fact that no one talks to him except for the boy." Oops!

Taylor: Haters will say I heard you, but the truth is I wasn't really listening and didn't pay much mind to you saying that (the one time it's paid off I suppose...). It re-entered my mind later, but only after I had come to my own conclusions about hints dropped. Patrick always says I figure out every movie and spoil it for myself, and to be honest, that reputation has put a lot of pressure on me to deliver even though it's no fun once you guess. I did guess this one with about 30 minutes left though because... well, frankly, it felt...obvious.

Patrick: Right! I've avoided this movie for years because I felt like I couldn't have a full experience. If I couldn't see it on opening day in 1999 and be shocked along with everyone else, then what's the point? Well, now I don't really understand how nobody saw that coming! There are like a billion hints along the way! Haley Joel Osment actually says something along the lines of (purposeful misquote), "The only people I talk to are people who are dead and don't know as they continue to live their old lives." Uh...duh! Bruce Willis was dead the whole time!

Taylor: It would be one thing if, for some reason, we never saw him getting shot to begin with (it's a revelation and then explained in a flashback, I don't know...), but it's ALL right there! The only evidence pointing to him being alive is that he has no visible wound (why wasn't the bullethole bleeding the whole time? Mischa Barton is always poisoned in her ghost world!), but it very much felt like a strategic deterrent and was ignoring it's own movie laws for the sake of a gasp.

Patrick: I think it has shackled M. Night to this gimmick for his entire career. Even if his movies don't have a twist, you expect it from him. With that hindsight, I think it's one of the least interesting parts of the movie. In fact, here I go, I think the movie's opening scene is its best. We all know I love a good home invasion film, but I'll take a home invasion prologue if it's all that I can get. Donnie Wahlberg is unrecognizable!

Taylor: Unrecognizable and absolutely horrifying, while still being heartbreaking! A performance that is one for the ages (the ages in question being a very funny shoutout in Game Night.)

Patrick: And, as is our style, let's continue to avoid the leading performances to shout out the supporting players. Tell me more about how much you love Olivia Williams.

Taylor: Olivia Williams is everything to me. She's totally captivating. Ethereal. One of the premiere holders of je ne sais quoi. She almost sells Bruce Willis being alive in her execution at the restaurant. If there are no Olivia Williams fans, I am dead. DEAD!

Patrick: And Toni Collette!

Taylor: Who is also everything to me, always. What a performance here!

Patrick: Okay fine, we will talk about Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment.

Taylor: Haley was precious and very effective. His tears and agony almost make your eyes water yourself. You really feel that this kid is being deeply tormented by this and you just want to hold him and take it all away. Child performances like this always amaze me. Bruce was good! He's always good! But because I expect him at a certain level of proficiency in his craft, nothing particularly wowed me. The supporting performances WOWED me.

Patrick: I don't think many people can be both the wise-cracking smartass lead of an actioner and stare longingly into Olivia Williams' eyes like that. He's got range! I would've loved some older, thoughtful, memories-behind-those-eyes Bruce performances. And Haley Joel Osment almost made me forget how bad The Country Bears was!

Taylor: Wow, I can honestly say I have not thought about The Country Bears in probably over a decade.

Patrick: Our next film in The Summer of Shymalan is The Watchers. What are you expecting?

Taylor: I love a good thriller, but I don't love Dakota Fanning. Expectations are therefore middling. We will see!

Patrick: Yes, we will. See you then, folks!

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