KNOCKAROUND GUYS

A blog for Knockaround Guys, particularly the Matty Demaret/Taylor Reese pairing. 

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Almost every fan fiction I find related to Taylor getting a girl, involves he and Matty falling out. Haha. As if the writers think "well, Taylor can't have a girlfriend with Matty in the picture..."

Love it.

[mattytaylorknockaroundguys]

The Body Language Of Love (Matty/Taylor)

body alignment (torso and/or feet turned toward you)

smiling

self-touching (men tend to touch their faces when speaking to someone they’re attracted to)

rapid eye blinking

blushing in the cheeks

gazing downward (a sign of submission, typically seen in women more than in men)

head tossing (again, usually a sign from women)

mirroring each other’s physical gestures

nervously yawning

shrugging the shoulders

1.) BODY ALIGNMENT (TORSO AND/OR FEET TURNED TOWARD YOU)

2.) SMILING

3.) SELF-TOUCHING (MEN TEND TO TOUCH THEIR FACES WHEN SPEAKING TO SOMEONE THEY’RE ATTRACTED TO)

4.) RAPID EYE BLINKING

5.) BLUSHING IN THE CHEEKS

6.) GAZING DOWNWARD (A SIGN OF SUBMISSION)

7.) HEAD TOSSING

8.) MIRRORING EACH OTHER’S PHYSICAL GESTURES 

This is proof of an attraction but their relationship is so much more than that. There’s love and a closeness there as well. It doesn’t matter how masculine or manly these guys are, love is love.

Wouldn’t it be great if we all had a relationship like this?

Very close.

Taylor risking his life for Matty.

Taylor watching Matty (you can see the obvious care on Taylor’s face). You wouldn’t expect such delicate feelings coming from a street fighter and legitimate tough guy.

Taylor’s caring expression again.

Togetherness.

The others run off while Taylor helps Matty into the jeep. They are showing an obvious difference in the relationships here. Taylor and Matty have something stronger than the others. Even Marbles and Scarpa who are related.

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Taylor's an angel with a shotgun. Or technically 2 loaded pistols.

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I DEMAND TO SEE THE SCENES NOT ADDED INTO THE MOVIE

LOOKIT DIS

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Taylor’s just facing Matty entirely. Matty’s shoe is between his boots and there’s this sense of protection going on there. That’s typical of Taylor, his entire existence seems to be based on protecting and being there for Matty. 

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Matty and Taylor: Personal space? What’s that?

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Matty and Taylor aren’t afraid of getting too close.

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Even the best fall down sometimes (Matty getting up after falling. It is literal as well as metaphorical. He also fell here in the sense that because of his decision to get into the mobster business, his friends died, etc.)

Even the wrong words seem to rhyme (At the time, when Teddy told Matty “you are what we are”, a mobster, Matty agreed with it. These are the “wrong words” that seemed to make sense to him and fit into place. But he later realizes that he was wrong.)

Out of the doubt that fills your mind (Taylor talking to Matty, he knows Matty has his doubts.)

You finally find You and I collide (What with all of this going on, it’s during this time also that we find Matty and Taylor bonding in ways they’d never bonded. Laughing together, showing selflessness towards one another, and ultimately leading to Taylor risking his life for Matty’s.)

So to me, these lyrics fit the situation and what came out of their relationship because of all of it.

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That’s why I need you to hear

I’ve found a reason for me

To change who I used to be

A reason to start over new

And the reason is you

And the reason is you

And the reason is you

And the reason is you

Basically Taylor was always there telling Matty he didn’t need to be a part of the mob business and that he was right in the first place, being a regular citizen. He and Taylor start over new once Matty delivers the bag to his pop and is done with all of it. Little tid bit of the song suits the situation well.

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Show me what it’s like to be the last one standing (Taylor risks his life for Matty and then Matty is the last man standing)

And teach me wrong from right (Taylor giving Matty advice, teaching him wrong from right)

And I’ll show you what I can be (Matty showing Taylor who he really can be, look at that smile)

And say it for me, say it to me (Taylor telling Matty not to stay in the mob business)

And I’ll leave this life behind me (Matty leaving his father’s restaurant after telling him he’s out of the mob and done trying to live that life)

Say it if it’s worth savin’ me (Same as above)

I didn’t do the whole song cause a lot of it doesn’t really fit or at the least I don’t have enough footage to work with.

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I’ll be there for you, these five words I swear to you

When you breathe, I want to be the air for you

I’ll be there for you

I’d live and I’d die for you

I’d steal the sun from the sky for you

Words can’t say what love can do

I’ll be there for you

[mattytaylorknockaroundguys]

Behind the scenes from Knockaround Guys.

I found it interesting how Barry pretends to get f*cked by Diesel. He uses Andy Davoli but he says “Yeah, Vinnie, oh yeah, Vinnie!” and Andy says “Yeah, I’m Diesel”. Vin is filming.

Someone off camera then starts quoting a scene from the movie. Where Brucker says: “500 what, douche bag?”

And then instead, they changed Taylor’s quote to: “500 little bullets banged in the ass.”

So were they actually referring to Vin Diesel, or were they calling him Vin, but referring to Taylor? Without context it’s hard to tell what’s going on but one must wonder if this was a re-enactment of Matty and Taylor screwing.

***

Then the next behind-the-scenes scene, Barry says “we’re gay!” Again, no context, but I wonder if he was referring to Matty and Taylor.

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They don’t show us Taylor when Matty looks at him like this ‘cause it’s zoomed up on Matty. So I wanted to show here the look that Matty gave him.

Looking at the wound on his shoulder, where he just got shot, saving Matty:

Looking at Taylor’s face:

Looking at Taylor’s… never mind:

Looking away, thoughtfully:

Thoughtful:

Thoughtful:

You can see he looks at Taylor’s shoulder, where he got shot saving Matty, first. Then he looks up at Taylor’s face. Then back down and away with a thoughtful expression. For me the look meant that Matty was just realizing that Taylor risked his life for him and is grateful. And he seems to come to some sort of realization.

Since the beginning of the movie, we see Matty just wants to belong. He wants to feel he fits in, he wants to feel accepted. He wants his father’s love. And here, you see the way he looks at Taylor, and then afterwards he tells his pop he’s out. There were literally no words in this scene. The whole scene was Matty looking at Taylor and then looking away thoughtfully. They were telling us something but without words. It was a statement made through expressions and glances.

It felt to me like Matty came to the realization that he didn’t need his dad anymore; he has Taylor.

And honestly just after this scene, with the looks, Matty tells his pop he’s done with it. He gives up his car and drives off with Taylor is his van.

It’s all subtle but to me it’s basically saying “he’s got Taylor, he doesn’t need his pop anymore. He finally feels like he belongs to someone. Taylor’s the one who was always there for him.”

In a sense, it’s almost a love story between Matty and Taylor. It’s just extremely subtle and you’d have to be very familiar with the characters and facial expressions to pick up on it.

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RISKING YOUR LIFE

Risking your life for another person isn’t a little thing. It’s not just risking your own life.

It means you are risking leaving everyone in your life behind. It means you are risking leaving your friends, family, pets behind.

You are making a conscious decision to risk leaving everyone and everything in your life, just so that ONE person can live.

It means that despite the fact that you wouldn’t be able to see them ever again if you died while saving them, you do it anyways because the thought of them dying and not being able to live out the rest of their lives hurts you more.

It’s not about how you feel when you’re around them; it’s purely based on a love for who that person is.

Taylor risked his life to save Matty, willing to give up his entire existence, willing to leave his mother, to save him.

You could say, yeah well maybe he didn’t think he was at risk of dying.

And I’d have to say, yeah he did, and actually, according to the director’s commentary, he WAS going to die, but they changed their minds, FOR MATTY’S SAKE. (You can actually see Taylor lying on the floor of the terminal, dead, in one of the scenes. Before they changed their mind.) So he was fully aware when he did it. And he did it anyways.

This is even more romantic than Titanic. I mean, it’s one thing to let the love of your life stay on a floating board while you freeze to death in the water. But it’s an entirely different thing to deliberately throw yourself in front of danger to save them.

Ultimately both are examples of a person thinking “I’m gonna die but this is worth it”, though one is more direct.

[mattytaylorknockaroundguys]

MATTY/TAYLOR (KNOCKAROUND GUYS) ALL THAT YOU ARE

A music video I made for Matty/Taylor. It’s from Matty to Taylor.

You’d have to have seen the movie to get it.

There was some difficulty finding the right clips for the lyrics especially considering this is a song about how people feel, it’s not exactly a visual thing. Though you can see how the characters feel based on their expressions and closeness at times.

At first glance this song may appear not to fit so I’d like to explain how it does.

*And I feel all the faint morning light Filled with hope ‘cause you’re here in my life*

The morning after the incident in Montana, Matty and Taylor return to New York. Taylor almost died risking his life for Matty. Taylor gives Matty hope because he’s the only one in his life who cares for him unconditionally.

*And we’ve gone from the edge of our souls Made it back to a place we call home*

Matty and Taylor both almost died while in Montana. And now they’ve returned to their home; New York.

*You see me through I was alone in the dark And the fear was my truth*

Taylor’s always there for Matty and comforts him when everything is falling to pieces.

*Yeah all the things that you are Beautifully broken, alive in my heart*

Taylor is broken, just as Matty is. It comes with being raised by mobsters. Taylor has anger issues and has no problem hurting or killing people. He’s good at the job of being a mafia soldier. And yet despite this fact, Taylor uses that ability to fight to protect Matty which is where the “beautifully” comes in.  

*And know, that you are everything*

Taylor is literally the one positive thing in Matty’s life after all that goes down. There are no positive feelings associated with his father, Teddy, Marbles or Scarpa. Taylor’s all he’s got.

*Let your heart sing and tonight We’ll light up the stars All that you are*

“Let your heart sing” for me is like saying “open yourself up”. Matty and Taylor open up to each other in a way they open up with no other. They always have these deep and sentimental conversations. It is through Taylor that we are shown Matty’s most vulnerable side. And through Matty we are shown Taylor’s. “Lighting up the stars” I feel is metaphorical for basically bringing light into someone’s life, which is exactly what they do for one another. Taylor makes Matty laugh and is always caring for him and protecting him and accepts him for exactly who he is.

*I feel wrong, I’m so human and flawed I’ll break down even though I’m still strong*

Matty feels flawed for having been so eager for his father’s acceptance and for trying to get into the whole mobster thing. He breaks down at points, loses his cool, despite the fact that he’s tough as nails.

*And time will make fools of us all Build us up and then laughs when we fall*

After all the time feeling as if he doesn’t belong, Matty decided to get into the mafia thing. Time made a fool of him, so to speak. And everything that happened built up to Matty getting beaten, his friends dying, etc. Time doesn’t literally laugh when you fall but the lyrics basically mean that life can be some what of a cruel joke.

*You pull me through When I’m alone in the dark And the fear is my truth Yeah all the things that you are Beautifully broken, alive in my heart And know, that you are everything Let your heart sing and tonight You’ll light up the stars All that you are*

Same as above.

*You’re the sound of redemption*

The scene where Matty and Taylor are on the bench comes to mind with these lyrics. Taylor tries to convince Matty that he doesn’t need to be a part of the mobster life.

*The faith that I’ve lost*

This reminds me of the scene where they’re sitting on the roof of the shack. Taylor explains to Matty that “there’s no one that wouldn’t hurt you if it helped them” and Matty replies with “Yeah, well I know that now”. So he’s lost faith in humanity. Especially after finding out that people are greedy liars - Teddy betrayed him, his dad never accepted him, society never accepted him and the cops were going to kill him just so they could keep the money. Though at the end of the movie, Taylor risks his life to save Matty, so you can see that he would certainly have faith in Taylor.

*The answers I’m seeking no matter the cost*

Taylor gives Matty all the advice he would ever need. That’s his main role in the movie is being there for Matty and pointing things out to him. Whether he wants to hear it or not.

*You opened the window Now I can see*

Taylor makes everything clear for Matty. By pointing things out to him.

*And you taught me forgiveness By giving your love back to me*

Matty and Taylor have a relationship that goes both ways. They are similar people deep down and it’s why during certain scenes we see them walking the same exact way or making the same movements. There’s this oneness that is being deliberately portrayed. We know Matty is a sweet and caring and kind individual and, where Matty is concerned, and only Matty is concerned, Taylor is the same way.

*Yeah all the things that you are Beautifully broken, alive in my heart And know, that you are everything Let your heart sing and tonight

Yeah all the things that you are Beautifully broken, alive in my heart And know that you are everything Let your heart sing and tonight Let your heart sing and tonight You’ll light up the stars All that you are

Oh I feel all the faint morning light Still there’s hope ‘Cause you’re here in my life*

[mattytaylorknockaroundguys]

I love how in Knockaround Guys, Marbles and Scarpa are related and even they don’t have as strong a relationship as Matty and Taylor.

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Taylor’s Always Lookin’ At Matty Without Him Knowing

and we end with...

!!!MATTY LOOKING AT TAYLOR WITHOUT TAYLOR KNOWING!!!

!!!THE SECRET GLANCES ARE RECIPROCATED!!!