Manchester by the Sea : Matthew Broderick's role - deliberate slam at Christians?

On the surface he does seem to be a dislikeable character. But actually, he's looking out for his wife. Did you see how nervous and jittery she got when Patrick came to visit ? Sitting down at the table with her son, whom she hadn't seen in years, overwhelmed her, and she had to get up, excuse herself, and leave. She was a very fragile person. Her husband recognized this, and saw how emotionally distraught she became when Patrick was there. That was why he afterwards sent the rather cold-sounding email, telling Patrick to go through him when arranging any future visits. He didn't want his wife to go off the deep end. He was looking at things from his own perspective of keeping his wife sober. He wasn't thinking about Patrick's welfare, and that's why he seemed so cold.

He was probably a recovering alcoholic himself, and their strict observance of the religious rituals was what got him and his wife through the day, and kept them both on an even keel. But although that kind of religion worked for them, it wouldn't have worked for Patrick. The guy realized that, and so he sent the email to discourage Patrick from trying to bond with his mother. On the surface, it seems awfully cold. But it was probably the best thing for everyone in the long run. All we can hope for is that Patrick stayed in touch with his mother by email, and by occasional visits. But she just wouldn't have been able to handle a willful teenage son. She had all she could do to handle herself.