Endings: Happy and Otherwise

[MystiCarly]

Hello. It seems that nowadays a Happy Ending is very "uncool". I personally like "happy endings"....but whatever. (But then again, I liked the ending to Fight Club -- a lot)

So, I pose the following questions: (please do not include The Sixth Sense or Usual Suspects in any of your answers)

What makes a good ending?

What makes a good "happy" ending?

What are some of your favorite "happy" endings?

What are some of your favorite "Not-happy" endings?

Thank you :)

[BADOWION]

Favorite Happy Endings: It's a Wonderful Life and The Shawshank Redemption.

Favorite Non-Happy Endings: 8 Seconds



A happy ending should make you happy. (You're welcome.)

[gdover]

Whenever you see a beautiful woman that is with child, they have that radiant glow that beams...

When I walk out of a movie at the end, I want that pregnant glow after watching the protagonists and antagonists duel it out on the screen.

I like a positive spin for my hero at the conclusion... I want to feel like waving the flag...

Favorite ending...Officer and A Gentleman

I don't like an ending where everyone's guts are laying on the ground as the camera fades to black.

I know what your thinking...I'm naive...yeah, I know.

gdover

[PteranoDon]

A good ending ends the movie without a lot of explanation or wrap up. It ends it by saying "this was the path chosen and here we end our tale." Whether it's surprising or obvious, happy or sad, the ending needs to say that the period of ambiguity (that is, the events of the movie)is over.

A good happy ending affirms that human are miraculous beings and the purpose of life is happiness itself.

A good un-happy ending exhibits the fragility of life and how powerless man is to affect events.

Favorite happy endings:
Princess Caraboo
My Best Friend's Wedding
The Brave Little Toaster
A Bug's Life/ Galaxy Quest
Toy Story
Toy Story II
The Wizard of Oz
Hello Dolly
Dreams of Things to Come
The Secret Garden
A Little Princess (any version, though I like the Shirley Temple one best)
The Railway Children

Favorite Un-happy endings
Jules and Jim
The Third Man
Citizen Kane
Touch of Evil
The Great Gatsby
Boys Don't Cry

(lots of others, too, just picked a few off the top of my head.)

[verbalgirl]

Some of my favorite endings , happy, unhappy, and ambiguous --

Reservoir Dogs
The Spanish Prisoner
Donnie Brasco
All About Eve
The American President
Citizen Kane
Vertigo
The X-Files Movie
Star Trek 6
American Beauty


vg

[TinaRM]

Unhappy endings just depress me! I can't stand them. I always want the good guy to win...I know it's not real life - but then thats why I like to watch some of this stuff - it takes away from real life (I said some - not all).

One of my all-time favorite movies is/was Pretty Woman. Cinderella type stories have always been good for me. But at the end of that movie (***SPOILER**) Edward finally comes to his senses and runs to Vivian. He climbs the fire escape (tho scared of heights) and says something to the effect of "...what happens when the prince comes to rescue the princess..." Vivian answers "She rescues him right back."

That one line made me curl my lip and say, "Huh?"

I also loved the ending of Shawshank Redemption.

I've taken 2 Tylenol PM's and I'm close to pass-out point.

Night!

Tina