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The Number 23

169 statements
32 feature instances
15 referencing feature instances

The Number 23	type	TVTItem
The Number 23	label	The Number 23
The Number 23	page	TheNumber23
The Number 23	comment	The Number 23 is a 2007 American psychological thriller film directed by Joel Schumacher, starring Jim Carrey, Virginia Madsen, Danny Huston and Logan Lerman.The plot revolves around Walter Sparrow (Carrey) and his obsession with the "23 enigma", an esoteric belief that all incidents and events are directly connected to the number 23, some permutation of the number 23, or a number related to 23.This is the second film to pair Schumacher and Carrey, the first being Batman Forever. This is also Carrey's first suspense thriller, and while it was derided by critics for being confusing and unengaging, it was a box office hit.
The Number 23	fetched	2024-03-02T10:15:36Z
The Number 23	parsed	2024-03-02T10:15:36Z
The Number 23	processingComment	Dropped link to Sybil: Not a Feature - ITEM
The Number 23	isPartOf	DBTropes
The Number 23 / int_28bbbe24	type	Hereditary Curse
The Number 23 / int_28bbbe24	comment	Hereditary Curse: Walter's own parents both died when he was young, with his father committing suicide rather than face his problems (possibly due to the influence of the number 23). Walter seems fated to do the same at the end, attempting to take his own life by walking into traffic. However, he stops himself when he sees his son watching him, breaking the curse.
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The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_28bbbe24
The Number 23 / int_2969dda7	type	Nightmare Fetishist
The Number 23 / int_2969dda7	comment	Nightmare Fetishist: Both Laura Tollins and the fictional Fabrizia have a fetish for violence and like to roleplay with knives in the bedroom. Fabrizia even has Fingerling take her to an apartment where a woman killed herself so they can have sex.
The Number 23 / int_2969dda7	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Number 23 / int_2f329e3c	type	Tomato in the Mirror
The Number 23 / int_2f329e3c	comment	Tomato in the Mirror: Walter Sparrow is Topsy Kretts.
The Number 23 / int_2f329e3c	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_2f329e3c
The Number 23 / int_2f75473	type	Number of the Beast
The Number 23 / int_2f75473	comment	Number of the Beast: Issac French explains that the number 23 is considered evil because 2 divided by 3 results in .666...6666 etc. (which would actually be shortened to .667, if we're going to three decimal places).
The Number 23 / int_2f75473	featureApplicability	1.0
The Number 23 / int_2f75473	featureConfidence	1.0
The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_2f75473
The Number 23 / int_2fd62e54	type	The Killer in Me
The Number 23 / int_2fd62e54	comment	The Killer in Me: The murderer of Laura Tollins, who wrote a fictionalized account of his crime in "The Number 23", turns out to be Walter himself.
The Number 23 / int_2fd62e54	featureApplicability	1.0
The Number 23 / int_2fd62e54	featureConfidence	1.0
The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_2fd62e54
The Number 23 / int_40cc0c7e	type	Bittersweet Ending
The Number 23 / int_40cc0c7e	comment	Bittersweet Ending: Sure, the murder mystery was solved, and the man wrongfully imprisoned for it was set free. But Walter turns himself in to the police, and is awaiting sentencing for criminal homicide.
The Number 23 / int_40cc0c7e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Number 23 / int_40cc0c7e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_40cc0c7e
The Number 23 / int_4e7c4536	type	Wham Line
The Number 23 / int_4e7c4536	comment	Wham Line: "You wrote [the book], Walter. You did."
The Number 23 / int_4e7c4536	featureApplicability	1.0
The Number 23 / int_4e7c4536	featureConfidence	1.0
The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_4e7c4536
The Number 23 / int_5e032315	type	One-Book Author
The Number 23 / int_5e032315	comment	One-Book Author: Both in and out-of-universe: in-universe, Topsy Kretts/Walter has written only this book; out-of-universe, the movie's failure resulted in it being Fernley Phillips' only writing credit to date.
The Number 23 / int_5e032315	featureApplicability	1.0
The Number 23 / int_5e032315	featureConfidence	1.0
The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_5e032315
The Number 23 / int_62434fe2	type	Sanity Slippage
The Number 23 / int_62434fe2	comment	Sanity Slippage: The number itself is implied to cause this, as "victims" become obsessed with the numerical patterns in their own lives and the world around them.
The Number 23 / int_62434fe2	featureApplicability	1.0
The Number 23 / int_62434fe2	featureConfidence	1.0
The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_62434fe2
The Number 23 / int_634a2ff9	type	Sue Donym
The Number 23 / int_634a2ff9	comment	Sue Donym: The titular book is written by "Topsy Kretts".
The Number 23 / int_634a2ff9	featureApplicability	1.0
The Number 23 / int_634a2ff9	featureConfidence	1.0
The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_634a2ff9
The Number 23 / int_6941e30b	type	Room Full of Crazy
The Number 23 / int_6941e30b	comment	Room Full of Crazy: The hotel room where Walter wrote the last chapter of the book—literally. It has a fictional counterpart in the Suicide Blonde's apartment, where she scrawled out all of her life's connections to the number 23. Also, Walter's old room at the mental hospital.
The Number 23 / int_6941e30b	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Number 23 / int_6b2b3b59	type	The Reveal
The Number 23 / int_6b2b3b59	comment	The Reveal: The author who wrote the book "The Number 23" is Walter himself.
The Number 23 / int_6b2b3b59	featureApplicability	1.0
The Number 23 / int_6b2b3b59	featureConfidence	1.0
The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_6b2b3b59
The Number 23 / int_6bda9a30	type	Meaningful Name
The Number 23 / int_6bda9a30	comment	Meaningful Name: Several examples: Walter's name begins with the 23rd letter of the alphabet. The dispatcher who sends Walter on his last call (where he meets Ned for the first time) is named Sybil, after the oracles of Classical mythology. The name is also associated with a character who was famously mentally ill, had a Dark and Troubled Past, and suffered from bouts of amnesia — possibly foreshadowing a number of reveals about Walter himself (he has a dark past, was once mentally ill, and spent time in a mental hospital, but has lost nearly all memory of it). Ned, the black-and-white bulldog who watches over Laura Tollin's grave, was so-named because of his habit of "guarding" the dead.note (Ned is an Old English name meaning "Guardian" or "Protector".) Also, N=14+E=5+D=4=23. The hospital where Walter was rehabilitated after his suicide attempt, and granted a new lease on life, is the Nathaniel Institute, from the biblical name meaning "Gift of God". The doctor from the mental hospital who helped rehabilitate Walter (and later went mad himself) is named "Sirius Leary", which means "Dog, Beware" (or, when reversed, "Beware Dog") — an obvious reference to Ned, who both physically attacks Walter and directs him to his past crimes. Walter's wife is named Agatha, which means "Good". Despite a few false leads, she's ultimately the most morally upright character in the movie (and also convinces Walter of his own goodness).
The Number 23 / int_6bda9a30	featureApplicability	1.0
The Number 23 / int_6bda9a30	featureConfidence	1.0
The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_6bda9a30
The Number 23 / int_6d332aea	type	Driven to Suicide
The Number 23 / int_6d332aea	comment	Driven to Suicide: The Suicide Blonde, Widow Dobkins, Walter's Father, and Walter himself on two separate occasions (one bungled, the other interrupted).
The Number 23 / int_6d332aea	featureApplicability	1.0
The Number 23 / int_6d332aea	featureConfidence	1.0
The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_6d332aea
The Number 23 / int_7374ab13	type	Once More, with Clarity
The Number 23 / int_7374ab13	comment	Once More, with Clarity: A good deal of the third act of the film is spent on replaying the events of Topsy Kretts' book as envisioned by Walter... except this time using Walter's real experiences pre-amnesia. The young Fingerling seeing Mrs. Dobkins' corpse in the bed and the subsequent suicide of her killer is repeated with the young Walter seeing his mother's corpse and the subsequent suicide of his father. Fingerling's entire relationship with Fabrizia, his jealousy over Dr. Miles Phoenix, and his killing Fabrizia and framing Phoenix for it is repeated with Walter's relationship with Laura Tollins, his jealousy over Kyle Flinch, and his killing Laura and framing Flinch for it. The Suicide Blonde ranting over the number 23 to Fingerling and her subsequent suicide by jumping from her room is repeated with Walter ranting over the number 23 to himself and his subsequent (failed) suicide by jumping from his room.
The Number 23 / int_7374ab13	featureApplicability	1.0
The Number 23 / int_7374ab13	featureConfidence	1.0
The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_7374ab13
The Number 23 / int_79a60aec	type	For Want of a Nail
The Number 23 / int_79a60aec	comment	For Want Of A Nail: Walter laments this at the beginning of the film: if he hadn't agreed to take Agatha's cake to the holiday office party without her, the dispatcher Sybil wouldn't have drunkenly thrown herself at him; if he hadn't turned down Sybil's advances so harshly, she wouldn't have been angry at him the next day and sent him on another call just as his shift ended; if he hadn't been sent on that last call, he wouldn't have been bitten by Ned, and he wouldn't have been late to meet Agatha; if he hadn't been late to meet his wife, she wouldn't have had time to browse in the used bookstore...where she found a copy of The Number 23.
The Number 23 / int_79a60aec	featureApplicability	1.0
The Number 23 / int_79a60aec	featureConfidence	1.0
The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_79a60aec
The Number 23 / int_8404a0f3	type	Amnesiac Dissonance
The Number 23 / int_8404a0f3	comment	Amnesiac Dissonance: Learning about his dark past brings Walter close to committing suicide.
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The Number 23 / int_8404a0f3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_8404a0f3
The Number 23 / int_8ed5c6e4	type	Asshole Victim
The Number 23 / int_8ed5c6e4	comment	Asshole Victim: Laura Tollins was this, for driving Walter into a homicidal rage after claiming she never loved him and mocking his father's suicide. At least, if that's what really happened?
The Number 23 / int_8ed5c6e4	featureApplicability	1.0
The Number 23 / int_8ed5c6e4	featureConfidence	1.0
The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_8ed5c6e4
The Number 23 / int_9203bf6	type	Arc Number
The Number 23 / int_9203bf6	comment	Arc Number: The number 23, obviously.
The Number 23 / int_9203bf6	featureApplicability	1.0
The Number 23 / int_9203bf6	featureConfidence	1.0
The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_9203bf6
The Number 23 / int_9fbe86a9	type	Writing About Your Crime
The Number 23 / int_9fbe86a9	comment	Writing About Your Crime: "Topsy Kretts" is really Walter himself, and the suicide blonde actually represents a girl he murdered.
The Number 23 / int_9fbe86a9	featureApplicability	1.0
The Number 23 / int_9fbe86a9	featureConfidence	1.0
The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_9fbe86a9
The Number 23 / int_a0c7f4e9	type	Abandoned Hospital
The Number 23 / int_a0c7f4e9	comment	Abandoned Hospital: The Nathaniel Institute.
The Number 23 / int_a0c7f4e9	featureApplicability	1.0
The Number 23 / int_a0c7f4e9	featureConfidence	1.0
The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_a0c7f4e9
The Number 23 / int_bec0417c	type	Happily Married
The Number 23 / int_bec0417c	comment	Happily Married: Unlike Walter's own parents, Walter and his wife, Agatha, are very much in love with (and faithful to) each other.
The Number 23 / int_bec0417c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Number 23 / int_bec0417c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_bec0417c
The Number 23 / int_ccffaa84	type	Kill Me Now, or Forever Stay Your Hand
The Number 23 / int_ccffaa84	comment	Kill Me Now, or Forever Stay Your Hand: Agatha does this to Walter when he is convinced he will kill her in his next paroxysm.
The Number 23 / int_ccffaa84	featureApplicability	1.0
The Number 23 / int_ccffaa84	featureConfidence	1.0
The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_ccffaa84
The Number 23 / int_dbca2c99	type	Red Herring
The Number 23 / int_dbca2c99	comment	Red Herring: The film's third act has this in the form of a false Reveal before the actual reveal. Walter suspects that Agatha is the book's writer and the film then replays flashbacks that seem to point out to her. Of course, for the true reveal, see The Reveal below.
The Number 23 / int_dbca2c99	featureApplicability	1.0
The Number 23 / int_dbca2c99	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Number 23 / int_dcf83f95	type	Number Obsession
The Number 23 / int_dcf83f95	comment	Number Obsession: Walter Sparrow finds himself obsessed and fixated on the "23 enigma", a belief that all incidents and events are directly connected to the number 23, some permutation of the number 23, or a number related to 23. The in-universe explanation for the number's importance is that 2 divided by 3 is .666... i.e. the Number of the Beast.
The Number 23 / int_dcf83f95	featureApplicability	1.0
The Number 23 / int_dcf83f95	featureConfidence	1.0
The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_dcf83f95
The Number 23 / int_dd608502	type	HellHound
The Number 23 / int_dd608502	comment	Hell Hound: Ned's a fairly ordinary dog, but he still fits the "guardian" flavor of this trope to a tee.
The Number 23 / int_dd608502	featureApplicability	1.0
The Number 23 / int_dd608502	featureConfidence	1.0
The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_dd608502
The Number 23 / int_dde43ab	type	Tattooed Crook
The Number 23 / int_dde43ab	comment	Tattooed Crook: Fingerling.
The Number 23 / int_dde43ab	featureApplicability	1.0
The Number 23 / int_dde43ab	featureConfidence	1.0
The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_dde43ab
The Number 23 / int_df7b8f5	type	Sharpshooter Fallacy
The Number 23 / int_df7b8f5	comment	Sharpshooter Fallacy: The entire concept of everything adding up to the number 23 (and being so significant) runs on this, but is justified in that Walter is suffering from a terrible obsession, so logic and reason don't really enter the story for the sake of preserving the drama. The intro demonstrates this; all of the examples are clearly done by working backwards from what it takes to get them to 23, and they're all following completely different rules to get there.
The Number 23 / int_df7b8f5	featureApplicability	1.0
The Number 23 / int_df7b8f5	featureConfidence	1.0
The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_df7b8f5
The Number 23 / int_e9269f72	type	It Was Here, I Swear!
The Number 23 / int_e9269f72	comment	It Was Here, I Swear!: The skull Walter digs up is gone by the time he returns with the police.
The Number 23 / int_e9269f72	featureApplicability	1.0
The Number 23 / int_e9269f72	featureConfidence	1.0
The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_e9269f72
The Number 23 / int_ebb3c390	type	Crash-Into Hello
The Number 23 / int_ebb3c390	comment	Crash-Into Hello: Walter and Agatha first meet when he bumps into her in the street and she drops her cake.
The Number 23 / int_ebb3c390	featureApplicability	1.0
The Number 23 / int_ebb3c390	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Number 23 / int_f516f938	type	Never Found the Body
The Number 23 / int_f516f938	comment	Never Found the Body: Laura Tollins. Subverted in the movie's final act.
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The Number 23 / int_name	type	ItemName
The Number 23 / int_name	comment
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The Number 23	hasFeature	The Number 23 / int_name
The Number 23 / int_name	itemName	The Number 23

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

The Number 23	hasFeature	Apophenia Plot / int_47996b21
The Number 23	hasFeature	Crash-Into Hello / int_47996b21
The Number 23	hasFeature	It Was Here, I Swear! / int_47996b21
The Number 23	hasFeature	Meaningful Release Date / int_47996b21
The Number 23	hasFeature	Meet Cute / int_47996b21
The Number 23	hasFeature	Number Obsession / int_47996b21
The Number 23	hasFeature	"Number of Objects" Title / int_47996b21
The Number 23	hasFeature	Number of the Beast / int_47996b21
The Number 23	hasFeature	Onscreen Chapter Titles / int_47996b21
The Number 23	hasFeature	Referential Mania / int_47996b21
The Number 23	hasFeature	Sharpshooter Fallacy / int_47996b21
The Number 23	hasFeature	The Killer in Me / int_47996b21
The Number 23	hasFeature	Title by Number / int_47996b21
The Number 23	hasFeature	23 / int_47996b21
The Number 23	hasFeature	Writing About Your Crime / int_47996b21

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