Despite the film coming out 22 years ago, people are still beating their fists against the table trying to ponder why Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) didn’t climb onto the floating door to save himself at the end of Titanic. Theories have come about (including a Mythbusters episode) and dismissals about there not being enough room (yeah, right!) have circulated. Even DiCaprio himself has refused to talk about it.
But now, Celine Dion has weighed in with her own two cents. In a recent interview on The Tonight Show, Dion was quizzed by Jimmy Fallon as to why she thinks Titanic had to end that way. Amidst laughs from the audience, the singer points to the picture Fallon’s shown and indicates that Rose is “not quite there” (i.e. close to death).
She then goes on to joke that Jack “doesn’t need an invitation” to climb onto the door, but more importantly, him being submerged in the icy ocean probably meant that he lacked the strength to lift himself out of the water to safety. It’s not a question of whether he wants to or not, as she believes that he’s physically incapable of doing so. Case closed, as far as Celine Dion’s concerned.
Could Rose have made room for Jack on that infamous door at the end of Titanic? @CelineDion reveals her opinion! More with @CelineDion on #FallonTonight pic.twitter.com/qyDWve1Jlz
— The Tonight Show (@FallonTonight) November 16, 2019
If you think about it, this actually makes sense. With his body practically frozen and his energy dropping every second, how likely is it for him to climb onto the floating door, even if it meant he could cuddle with Kate Winslet? In any case, it’s quite telling of the film’s strength that this controversial plot hole is still being talked about today.
Then again, earlier this year Titanic was overtaken by Avengers: Endgame in terms of box office records, so for all we know, it’s just the box office battle that’s still keeping Cameron’s epic romance alive.
