Question: What is the purpose or the story behind the little stuffed dog that appears in so many scenes? It's on the table when the guys are playing poker, it appears in the bowling scene too.
Question: I might be mistaken, but I think I saw the bullies at Arlene's house at the end. Were they there, and if so, why?
Chosen answer: The one who stabbed him was not. The others were there because they did not mean for Trevor to get stabbed and killed so now they feel guilty. They were showing Arlene they were sorry.
They were sorry for killing him.
Only one of the bullies killed him. The others were bullying, but didn't think the other would kill him. However, they still had remorse and were showing that remorse to the mother.
The one who stabbed him was probably arrested offscreen.
Question: Why does Tony hear horses galloping every time his bad luck strikes again?
Answer: It's the sound of his bad luck coming.
Question: In the scene where Elliot signs the contract, there is a magnificent red fountain pen on top of the papers. Does anybody know what the pen is, or if it is even a real commercial pen?
Answer: It definitely is a Montegrappa Oriental Zodiac pen, this brand has been making pens in Italy since 1912. I am not sure which of the three red pens in that collection (Oriental Zodiac) is the one seen in the movie, but given its association with the devil, my guess will be it is the Ox fountain pen.
Question: When Willy Jack picks up the girl on the side of the road (after leaving Novalee at Wal-Mart), why doesn't he want her to put the last of her bags in the backseat?
Answer: I assume he wanted the backseat empty to do dirty business with her.
Answer: I think he motions for her to put them in the backseat simply because nothing else will fit in the trunk. I'm sure that it's safe to assume that he and Novalee had placed all their belongings in there already, so there wasn't much room left.
Answer: There were stolen items in the trunk. The officer rattled off a list of items "same exact items stolen" from a store. He probably didn't want her to find it.
Actually those "stolen items" were stolen by the girl he picked up, she wanted to go "anywhere but here" because she had robbed the store (hence why she had all that loose cash).
Answer: Honestly, I thought it was because he assumed it was dirty laundry since it was in a trash bag. No one wants smelly clothes in the backseat smelling up the car.
Question: Why is no credit given to Jack Lemmon?
Answer: There are many reasons that known actors appear in movies and are uncredited. Cameo appearances often go un-credited. Actors sometimes do a cameo if they are friends with the director or the other stars. It can add an unexpected surprise for the audience. There are also contract and payment issues if an actor receives billing in the credit. Jack Lemmon, who was the narrator for the story, may have preferred not being credited. He was certainly a big enough star that if he wanted to be listed in the credits, he would have received proper billing.
Question: Jack does not meet the Black mugger/angel again after returning to his former life. He wakes up in his apartment the same date he fell asleep, on Christmas. Were Jack's experiences all a dream?
Question: Pam, Greg, and Kevin appear to be in their late twenties or early thirties, but Pam says that the movie "Top Gun" was very popular when she was dating Kevin. "Top Gun" was released in 1986; more than ten years before this movie is taking place. Because Pam was engaged to Kevin at one point (she also describes their relationship as "more physical than anything else"), they must have been legal adults when they were together. Why would the movie "Top Gun" have been "very popular" while they were dating?
Answer: Who says they had to have been legal adults to date when Top Gun was popular? They could very well have been teenagers and got engaged shortly afterwards. If Teri Polo and Owen Wilson are playing characters that were born the same years as the actors themselves they would have been 17 and 18 respectively when Top Gun was released. If they are playing characters a few years older than they actually are, which is entirely plausible, what Pam says makes perfect sense.
I would like to add that a movie doesn't stop being "very popular" soon after the release. In 2000, when I was in middle/junior high school, we actively talked about movies that had been released three or more years before (Forrest Gump, Scream, Cruel Intentions, etc.). A movie from 1986 could easily be popular among a dating/engaged couple and their friends in, say, 1990.
Question: Why do Nicky, Adrian and Chasias always stand on things that are hot? examples include: Nicky sitting on a barbecuer at the apartment, Adrian (as the priest) standing on a perfectly good pepperoni pizza (shame on him) and so on, so why do they stand on hot things?
Answer: They all grew up in Hell, so Earth is freezing cold to them.
Question: When Maddie leaves Abe's bedroom (after they shared a quick kiss), he rushes back out and calls her. Why does he call her back? If he wanted to say something to her, why not say it when she was in the room?
Answer: Because he apparently had to work the courage up to say whatever it is he wanted to say. He was conflicted in his feelings for Maddie. He's a priest and isn't supposed to 'want' her the way he does. Catholic priests take a vow of chastity and he was trying to deal with his feelings as a man and his vows as a priest.
Answer: Presumably it's a favorite mascot of the group. There's likely no backstory per se, it's just something the filmmakers did to add to sense that these people have been together for a very long time.