And this movie might have been an all-time great. The movie was pitch perfect, until the chick flick kiss in the rain ending. it didn't fit at all with the film's tone leading up to that point. I think if the movie ended when James punches Frigo in the balls, it would have been absolutely iconic. A bittersweet ending, that so many more could relate to.
shareIf the movie would have ended there, then James wouldn't have gotten to settle in with Em. Then it would have seemed incomplete.
"Vile weed!" Newman, Seinfeld
I liked the ending, but now that I think about the idea of ending with James walking away and Joel laughing hysterically, maybe the OP is right...
shareIt's the small victory ending. It's not the ending we want, but the movie would have given us something we didn't know we wanted. And you would have walked away happy.
As for resolution/unfinished business, how many people in your life do you get full closure with? Most times they simply walk away, and you don't see them again. It's realism, the same type of realism that made the movie great in the first place.
You're absolutely right. I liked this movie, but the ending, although it made me feel good, weakened the personal connection I felt with it (i.e. James was no longer "one of us"). I think this made the movie less memorable in my mind... although the experience of watching it was undeniably awesome.
shareRight. The movie is actually constructed as a classical comedy, very like "A Midsummer Night's Dream (and, no, I am not comparing this very good movie to Shakespeare). Young people coming of age leave adult society to enter a forest (in this case, an amusement park) where they work out, after some false starts, their sexual coming of age and prepare to re-enter society. Comedies in this sense always have happy endings, and the romance is consummated.
shareYou suck for coming up with such a great ending to a movie that I thought already ended perfectly!! lol just kidding you don't suck, but that ending you made up really is awesome. I still think the original ending is good but like u kind of said, sometimes a hopeful ending is much better than a happy ending. Cause
We can become cops, or criminals. But when you're facing a loaded gun, what's the difference?
agreed :D
shareI somewhat agree with you. I think the best ending would have been to roll credits when he was entering NYC on the bus. It would have left all the possibilities open for our imagination.
shareAgreed.
- Just watched this on BBC2 a moment ago, and it's the first time since it was released on DVD. And with a gap of a good few years since I last watched it, my thought remains the same then as I did a moment ago.
I think to end on the 'punch scene' would have perfect and as you note perhaps rolls the credits in NYC.
Yes. I agree. It would have been the "Good Will Hunting" ending and would have been better.
shareOk, I have only seen this film once, and that was a long time back... so I never really thought about the ending. Till I read your post, that is.
What you say makes sense. I liked the original ending a lot, maybe because I was too engrossed in everything and was badly rooting for James to get his happy ending. Which is why this ending works nicely.
If we end it at your suggestion, then we do get a seemingly-unresolved ending... but one that makes just as much, if not more, thematic sense.
As someone suggested below, how about if we end it with James punching Frigo, Joel laughing hysterically and then he & James walking away, with Joel asking James what he was going to do next... James saying that maybe he'll go to NYC. And some more babble after that as the camera pans out, focuses on the park as the screen turns to black and credits roll. Well, what do you think?
If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world
I think I read in one of the interviews with Greg Mottola that they movie originally had a different ending right around where you mention wanting to end it due to the budget. I think after it was all done (a few months after filming wrapped) they had extra money and went to NYC with Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart and specifically filmed the ending.
shareMy thoughts EXACTLY. I wish the movie had just been about a summer filled with fun, love, new people, complications, and regrets. Haven't we all had times or relationships in our life that we loved but that also make us squirm because we screwed up? The ending ruined all of that by tying up the loose ends. It could have been a movie about an experience, like Dazed and Confused, instead of a movie about a relationship, like we've seen time and time again. I give the movie a 7/10, but if they'd cut the ending it would be a 9 or 10.
shareI agree with ptown, but I think the best ending would be an open ended one where he saw Em and smiled and then its up to the imagination.
Kind of like 500 Days of Summer, powerful, happy, and leaves it up to the viewer ended. Quality indy flick though, hope to see more like it.
I would have preferred an ending where the two do not get back together, leaving it as a film about his summer and what he learns and regrets. That is how most relationships/experiences end anyways. Of course, that ending would have upset mainstream audience members because most complain when a film doesn't have closure.
shareI liked the ending, even though it was a chickflick ending. I just felt it had to end this way. Either way, maybe apart from the ending, great movie and Kristen Stewart is a star in the making.
http://www.moviehippo.net";
Maybe, except your idea means Unsatisfied by The Replacements would not be in the movie, which would be a grave, grave mistake.
Well, except for the little bit of the intro that plays during that scene.
Actually, just ending with that scene and Unsatisfied might be great, as the song would perfectly match the tone of the ending. But, that scene with James taking a bus to New York is so great.
the cliffsss of insaniteeeeee!share
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To be honest, I was expecting to see the end credits after this scene. They could have left the rest to our imagination. But the end was ok. And pretty "hot"...Omg..sorry...I was way too honest...LOL
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