It's a question as old as time — or at least dating back to 1997, anyway. Can two people really fit on the door from Titanic? It's a hotly contested issue among fans, but the answer is actually settled: Jack and Rose could both fit on the Titanic door. The science has spoken, and it has determined once and for all that you were justified in sending James Cameron all of your criticisms about the end of the movie. Jack didn't have to die! He could have survived if only Rose had been willing to give up some of her luxurious leg room, but in the end she wasn't able to betray her high class upbringing after all.
The debate raged for years among fans, but it finally came to a head in 2012. Director James Cameron responded to internet criticism of the scene, doubling down in his belief that Jack would have sunk the door had he tried to climb onto it alongside Rose, claiming the issue was a matter of buoyancy and not size-related. He also believed at the time that an upcoming Mythbusters episode on the subject would vindicate him once and for all. Well, that Mythbusters episode did indeed take place later in 2012, but it didn't feature the result that Cameron was hoping for.
In the episode, the show's hosts, Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, recreated the scene in question and proved that, while difficult, the door was capable of holding the two of them afloat. They then found even greater success by tying a life jacket (like the one Rose was wearing in the film) underneath the door, greatly increasing the vessel's buoyancy. With this new contraption, the pair of problem solvers claimed that both Rose and Jack would have no trouble surviving until their rescuers arrived.
Despite the episode's findings, Cameron still refuses to admit defeat. Earlier this year, the filmmaker criticized the now five-year-old episode, telling The Daily Beast that the Mythbusters guys' plan was impractical and Jack likely would have died while trying to tie the life jacket under the door — if he even was capable of attempting to try to do such a thing in the freezing temperatures. "They’re fun guys and I loved doing that show with them," Cameron said of Hyneman and Savage. "But they’re full of sh—t."
While Cameron and others can debate the practicality and likelihood of Jack's survival, the science suggests that he could have fit on the door with Rose just fine. So it's time for fans to start debating something else about the movie, like why did anyone put up with Billy Zane's character for more than two minutes? I'd like to see the science behind that.
