S.O.B. (1981) Plot Summary Explained

Felix's suicide attempts stem from his catastrophic career collapse after his latest film becomes a disastrous flop. As a formerly successful Hollywood producer-director, he cannot cope with the humiliation and loss of status. Each attempt represents a different moment of desperation, progressing from carbon monoxide poisoning in his car to gas from the oven, then hanging, and finally attempting to take a police officer's gun, each foiled by increasingly absurd circumstances.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes establish Felix's identity as entirely tied to his professional success, making his psychological breakdown inevitable once that success is destroyed.

• felix farmer suicide attempts career collapse hollywood failure

Felix attempts carbon monoxide poisoning by sitting in his car with the engine running, but the vehicle accidentally shifts into gear. The car races through his garage, crashes off a sand dune, and plunges into the Pacific Ocean. Instead of dying, Felix ends up submerged in the ocean, an ironic failure that sets up the pattern of his failed suicide attempts.

Foreshadowing: The car's malfunction hints at fate consistently thwarting Felix's death wishes throughout the film.

• carbon monoxide suicide car accident pacific ocean

During his hanging attempt, Felix ties a rope to a rafter in his upstairs room. However, the floor beneath him gives way due to rot or structural weakness, causing him to crash through and land directly on Polly Reed, a venomous gossip columnist who happened to be in the house below. The incident adds to the chaotic absurdity of his failed suicide attempts.

Foreshadowing: The weakened floor serves as a literal manifestation of Felix's unstable mental state and crumbling life.

• hanging attempt floor collapse polly reed gossip columnist

When Felix grabs a police officer's gun in his final suicide attempt, he is stopped by a charming young woman in revealing attire. This encounter triggers a moment of clarity: Felix realizes his films have been missing 'Free Love!' This revelation becomes the catalyst for his plan to transform his failed musical into a soft-core pornographic film.

Foreshadowing: Felix's career has focused on wholesome family entertainment, making his sudden embrace of 'Free Love' a complete repudiation of his previous work.

• free love revelation police gun felix inspiration

After his revelation about 'Free Love,' Felix believes adding explicit content will make his film a success where the wholesome version failed. He also needs to justify having his wife Sally star topless, arguing it will save both their careers. His desperation to redeem his reputation and recoup his investment drives him to this radical transformation.

Foreshadowing: The revelation comes directly from his interaction with the attractive woman who interrupts his suicide attempt, establishing the thematic connection between sexuality and his creative breakthrough.

• pornographic musical felix sally topless career redemption

Studio head David Blackman uses California's community property laws to manipulate Sally. Since she is Felix's wife, the law considers their assets shared. Blackman argues that Sally's signature is required for distribution and final-cut rights, leading her to sign over control of the film without fully understanding the implications. Once she signs, the studio plots to reclaim the project from Felix.

Foreshadowing: The studio's initial willingness to sell Felix the film masks their ulterior motive to retain control through legal manipulation.

• sally miles community property rights studio manipulation david blackman

Felix attempts to retrieve the movie negatives from a bank vault, but he only has a water pistol, likely because he either couldn't obtain a real weapon or mistakenly believed it would work. The police mistake it for a real firearm, leading to a tragic confrontation that results in Felix's death.

Foreshadowing: This desperate, ill-conceived plan demonstrates Felix's complete mental deterioration as he resorts to armed robbery to salvage his failing project.

• water pistol bank vault felix death police shooting

After Felix is killed, his friends Tim Culley, Ben Coogan, and Dr. Finegarten decide to give him a burial at sea. They steal his body from the funeral home and replace it with the corpse of an underrated actor who had died of a heart attack earlier in the film. This bizarre switch allows Felix to receive his Viking send-off while giving the lesser-known actor the Hollywood recognition he never achieved in life.

Foreshadowing: The friends have been established as willing participants in Felix's excesses, making their extreme act of loyalty consistent with their characters.

• burial at sea body swap funeral home tim culley ben coogan

Felix's friends replace his body with that of an unknown actor who died of a heart attack, enabling the living actor to receive the elaborate Viking funeral at sea. Meanwhile, the deceased actor's body is cremated in Felix's place. This ironic twist gives the underrated actor the Hollywood recognition and star treatment he never received while alive, while Felix gets his dramatic send-off.

Foreshadowing: The film has consistently satirized Hollywood's obsession with fame and recognition, making this posthumous irony thematically appropriate.

• viking funeral hollywood recognition underrated actor posthumous fame

Sally agrees to participate because Felix persistently persuades her that it will revive both their careers and salvage their financial investment. He frames it as a daring artistic choice rather than exploitation. Additionally, Sally may feel pressured financially and emotionally, as Felix has already spent nearly all their savings buying back the footage. Her consent is ultimately secured through Felix's convincing arguments about redemption.

Foreshadowing: Sally's characterization as a wholesome movie star makes her eventual agreement a significant character compromise that drives the film's central conflict.

• sally miles julie andrews topless role consent felix persuasion