Whenever I watch this movie, I'm struck by the dynamics between Frodo's struggle to remain 'true' and Gollum's inner struggle. I'm with your mom, I think up until the moment he perceives Frodo as betraying him, there was a glimmer of hope that he could be saved.
The friendships in this film are amazing. The loyalty and love they have for each other fills me with warmth. Whether it's Legolas giving Aragorn his necklace back or Aragorn promising not to "tell the elf", their strong bonds are shown in such subtle yet powerful ways.
I'm with you on Eowyn, but what I'm really not a big fan of is how they made is that it almost seems that Aragorn is interested when his heart is with Arwen. But, again, like you, I do like her interactions wiht Theoden. Her concern and love and loyalty are genuine.
*sorry it took so long to respond. I was tired yesterday after dealing with the wank at qaf_coffeeclub :)