MovieChat Forums > Hello, My Name Is Doris (2016) Discussion > Was The Ending A Cop-out? (SPOILERS SPO...

Was The Ending A Cop-out? (SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS)

posted 9 years ago by feminist-12508
18 replies | jump to latest

Normally I'm fine with happy endings and I like the occasional ambiguous ending, but I wondered if anyone else found the ending a little unrealistic. I mean, the most realistic ending would have been for the elevator door to close. The End. To have him run after her is hopeful, sweet, but wildly unrealistic. Of course, just because he runs after her doesn't mean they're going to live happily ever after or even have a physical or romantic relationship. Maybe he'll say "It can't end this way" and they'll be "just friends." Ewwww. Maybe they'll have sex but realize the age difference is too great a barrier.

I liked Doris, the character, I liked the whole movie. And I was surprised to find myself rooting, as that elevator door closed, for him to *not* run after her. I wanted her to have realized her life was in a rut, make changes, throw the chair/ball at the mean boss, apologize sincerely to John for damaging his relationship, then move on. Without John. I'm not saying she has to take up with a 70-year-old, but - if she's with anyone at all - maybe it could be a guy closer to her own age.

Full disclosure, I'm in my 50s and work in a fairly large place. The friendliest, cutest, most engaging guy here and one of the people who is nicest to me is twenty. Seriously, twenty. It's heart-breaking. 😢

[–] Scott-101 8 years ago

I think she desperately needed validation. I was assuming that Max's character could at least apologize and wish her well because it wasn't that much her fault, he led her on.

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[–] Scott-101 8 years ago

[–] Keelai 8 years ago

A couple of things bothered me about the movie. I hated the ending. At first, because it was ambiguous. Then I listened to the director who said the second time he runs after her is real, but she remains unaware of his attempt because it's unimportant because she has become a more sane person. I believe she deserved to get the guy in the end especially since he apparently liked her too.

I also don't understand how having her brother and his wife talk her into selling her home is a good thing. How is moving to the "city" aka Manhattan cheaper than living on Staten Island? How is she planning to pay expensive rent for her new shoebox-sized apartment with no job?

No job, no boyfriend, no home. This "comedy" was depressing.

[–] MeganDrake 8 years ago

A couple of things bothered me about the movie. I hated the ending. At first, because it was ambiguous. Then I listened to the director who said the second time he runs after her is real, but she remains unaware of his attempt because it's unimportant because she has become a more sane person. I believe she deserved to get the guy in the end especially since he apparently liked her too.

I also don't understand how having her brother and his wife talk her into selling her home is a good thing. How is moving to the "city" aka Manhattan cheaper than living on Staten Island? How is she planning to pay expensive rent for her new shoebox-sized apartment with no job?

No job, no boyfriend, no home. This "comedy" was depressing.

Well, she probably could afford to retire; I don't think she needed to work.

I do agree that I wished she had got the guy. Funny how most people disagreed; had it been the other way around and was an older man/younger woman, I bet most would say they wish they'd got together. There's still that older woman/younger man stigma.

Thanks for mentioning what the director said. I also felt at the end he wanted to get together with Doris. :) But I could see where she would have been reluctant out of fear of later rejection. Maybe she should continue to listen to that self-help guy....

[–] tylerlkeller 8 years ago

I think the closest comparison one could make is to Inception, which actually has a very similar ending to Doris. In the last shot of Inception, we see Cobb walk away from the top as it spins on the table, and the movie ends with the top still spinning. But the point isn't whether or not the top is spinning (if he's in a dream or not), it's that he's chosen to let go of his guilt and move on. Likewise, in Doris, the point isn't whether or not John tries to talk to her or what indeed he does say, it's that Doris is smiling as the elevator door closes. She's let go of him and of her past and is moving on with her life.

[–] Darthfrodo58 8 years ago

I think that it is kind of a cop out at the end. The director is trying to play both sides against the middle. If they end up together then people who see her as a scary stalker go 'Ewwww' if they don't then people who were pulling for her the whole movie go 'Awwww....that's terrible'. By leaving it ambiguous, both sides can imagine what they want to, but it's a chicken's way out.

Whispered the sound...............of silence