Are Opposite and Doppelganger Mutually Exclusive?

Emily and I went to see Farenheit 911 today, but it was sold-out. So we saw Terminal instead. As we were leaving the movie theater I said, "That was the opposite Castaway." My logic being that in Terminal, Tom Hanks was playing a prototypical wild and crazy Eastern European guy stuck in the epicenter of American society, trying to leave the airport. But in Castaway, Tom Hanks was playing a prototyical reserved, play-it-safe American guy stuck in the most remote outreach from American sociey, trying to find an airplane to save him.

In addition, the Tom Hanks charachter in Terminal befriends many different Americans who work at the airport. In Castaway his charachter befriends a volleyball.

So I would consider these movies as two opposite sides of the same coin.

But Emily said, "That was just like Castaway, except for in an airport." And she has a point. A certain crucial narrative element unfolds in a parallel fashion in both movies (I can't say too much, in case someone hasn't seen either movie yet, but plans to). So, if I interpret this correctly, she is saying the two movies are the same side of two different coins.

Are we both right?

This reminds of an old conversation Emily and I had before we were even dating. A small group of us had gone out and painted the town a twentysomething shade of red. As Emily and another friend (mad props to Kari) were dropping me off at my house I realized I had just become absurdly tired. So as I was saying goodbye I told them, "I'm going inside and either I'm going to kick sleep's ass, or sleep is going to kick my ass!!" Then there was this five second pause of mutual confusion, so I added, "I'm doing whichever one means I'm going to sleep a lot!"

And now, six years later, I'm still not sure which one means "I'll sleep a lot."

Maybe both expressions can co-exist, the same way "I could care less," and "I couldn't care less" mean the same thing. And maybe my take on Terminal as Castaway's polar opposite can co-exist with Emily's take that Terminal is actually Castaway's doppelganger.

I have some more observations to make about the moviegoing experience in general, but I'm going to save them for tomorrow, because it's getting late and I'm going to the bedroom to either kick sleep's ass, or to have sleep kick my ass!!