During the credits it lists 2 actor for both of Cobb's Kids.
James (20 Months) James (3 Years old)
Phillipa (3 Years old) (5 years old)

We heard them when they were older on the phone Cobb even asks "Is this James?" Because he doesn't recognize his voice. They aged so when Cobb goes Home he isn't in reality he is in a dream, that started the moment he "woke up on the plane". How did he get there? It was implied that Saito shot him and himself. But we never saw it. Meaning Cobb has in the middle of the dream when he woke up.

DARING D !

That was my first assumption, then I realized that the actors playing the older James and Phillipa are only the ones Dom speaks with on the telephone.

Daring D wrote:During the credits it lists 2 actor for both of Cobb's Kids.
James (20 Months) James (3 Years old)
Phillipa (3 Years old) (5 years old)

We heard them when they were older on the phone Cobb even asks "Is this James?" Because he doesn't recognize his voice. They aged so when Cobb goes Home he isn't in reality he is in a dream, that started the moment he "woke up on the plane". How did he get there? It was implied that Saito shot him and himself. But we never saw it. Meaning Cobb has in the middle of the dream when he woke up.

The wording of your post has me a little confused as to what you mean. Are you saying that because his kids aged, he isn't in reality?

It doesn't reveal anything really, you're just interpreting it differently. It's the magical thing about this film.

I disagree. I think it proves the otherwise. In every "dream", the children are younger because that is the way Dom last saw them. less than 2 years for a change seems the perfect time that Dom has been gone. The phone age does assume that James has grown and learned to speak well 20 months to 3 years is that perfect time for verbal growth. It is not enough in the last scene to say which ages is which for the children, but James seems to be at least 3 years old in the face in my opinion... Philippa could easily be 5... If you pay attention to the beach memories, their ages seem to be younger, smaller, different mannerisms, etc.
Similarly, the clothes in the end scene ARE in fact different, but similar enough to create emotional consistency (the mark of a good director) otherwise it would fall flat and not quite as triumphant so to speak.

bmneu wrote:I disagree. I think it proves the otherwise. In every "dream", the children are younger because that is the way Dom last saw them. less than 2 years for a change seems the perfect time that Dom has been gone. The phone age does assume that James has grown and learned to speak well 20 months to 3 years is that perfect time for verbal growth. It is not enough in the last scene to say which ages is which for the children, but James seems to be at least 3 years old in the face in my opinion... Philippa could easily be 5... If you pay attention to the beach memories, their ages seem to be younger, smaller, different mannerisms, etc.
Similarly, the clothes in the end scene ARE in fact different, but similar enough to create emotional consistency (the mark of a good director) otherwise it would fall flat and not quite as triumphant so to speak.

Plus the clothes serve as a feint like a number of other hints that were dropped in the film. He wanted people to think they hadn't changed clothes and assume it was still a dream. Just like many on this board assumed when they saw it.

bmneu wrote:I disagree. I think it proves the otherwise. In every "dream", the children are younger because that is the way Dom last saw them. less than 2 years for a change seems the perfect time that Dom has been gone. The phone age does assume that James has grown and learned to speak well 20 months to 3 years is that perfect time for verbal growth. It is not enough in the last scene to say which ages is which for the children, but James seems to be at least 3 years old in the face in my opinion... Philippa could easily be 5... If you pay attention to the beach memories, their ages seem to be younger, smaller, different mannerisms, etc.
Similarly, the clothes in the end scene ARE in fact different, but similar enough to create emotional consistency (the mark of a good director) otherwise it would fall flat and not quite as triumphant so to speak.

Oh so the clothes really are different. I thought it was just me. I have only seen the movie once but I was pretty sure the clothes are different even though they were similar, so when people are saying they hadn't changed clothes I was confused.
Good point about the emotional consistency!

I need to see the movie at least once more.

While I'm in the it was 100% reality camp (the end obviously) the dual casting could pertain strictly for the phone call, so it kinda compromises that as a point in the pro's for why it is reality, don't you guys think?

Actually in the movie I noticed that the kids playing on the beach in Cobb's memories looked somewhat younger than the ones playing in the backyard so those that could be the two sets of kids.