London Boulevard and the human need for a "happy ending".

abouttobebanned · 08-11-2011 09:38AM #1

WARNING: SPOILERS. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN LONDON BOULEVARD

What's your feeling on films that don't wrap things up nicely for the viewer? Those films that don't give in to the "hollywood ending".

For example, the writer of London Boulevard, starring Colin Farrell and Kiera Knightly also wrote The Departed. A film that didn't end without Matt Damon's character getting some rough justice. Is it for this reason then, that the "young footballer" character in LB, did not get the justice that the audience no doubt wanted him to get. I for one was left feeling very unsatisfied that this little ****er didn't die painfully before my eyes. But, should the filmmakers be applauded for not wrapping the film up in a neat and tidy bow.

Do you genuinely prefer a sense of reality, or are you a sucker for the hollywood ending?

Miguel_Sanchez · 08-11-2011 01:23PM

Maybe put spoiler tags on that and that way people who don't want the end ruined can still comment on the thread?

old hippy · 08-11-2011 01:28PM

I prefer realistic, or at least ambiguous endings. Or open ended ones.

I don't always care to be preached at or patronised by film.

kenon · 08-11-2011 01:38PM

I don't mind the odd "unhappy ending" but they do leave me feeling unsatisfied and slightly annoyed.

"Trust" directed by David Schwimmer is another recent film that leaves you feeling annoyed but obviously they were trying to leave you with a message.

old hippy · 08-11-2011 01:54PM

kenon wrote: »

I don't mind the odd "unhappy ending" but they do leave me feeling unsatisfied and slightly annoyed.

"Trust" directed by David Schwimmer is another recent film that leaves you feeling annoyed but obviously they were trying to leave you with a message.

Don't watch Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, whatever you do

Galvasean · 08-11-2011 02:52PM

Some of my favourite films of the best few years avoid the 'and they all lived happily ever after' endings. I' name them but for fear of potentially spoiling them for others.

p to the e · 08-11-2011 04:04PM

There's been a few films that i initially thought had terrible endings but then after about a week I realised I was still thinking about the film and what went on in the last few minutes. Two examples would be Donnie Darko and No Country for Old Men.

I won't give anything away but the endings of both of these films are not exactly 'the norm' and my first reaction was to just dismiss them entirely but realised that i was still trying to make sense of it after a long time. I mean isn't that what film is supposed to be about? About provoking a reaction, a thought or an opinion?

There are hundreds of easily forgettable films with run of the mill endings and maybe a film just needs that something different to make it stand out form the crowd. However this can also backfire where the ending just confuses the crap out of everyone and the story is made a mess of.

For the record i thought London Boulevard was muck!

Dodge · 08-11-2011 04:38PM

Galvasean wrote: »

Some of my favourite films of the best few years avoid the 'and they all lived happily ever after' endings. I' name them but for fear of potentially spoiling them for others.

To be fair its only really romantic comedies/blockbuster action types that this applies to.

Most films will have some sort of definitive ending though, be it a death to a main charachter or whatever

To answer the OP, yeah I think its human nature to want 'closure' on a film. Whether you like/fell compelled by the charachters and story in a film is really down to the film makers

As an aside, my friend despised the ending of American Psycho as it was left completely open ended. He raged about it for weeks...

08-11-2011 05:59PM

The biggest problem with London Boulevard isn't that the ending is unsatisfactory but rather that it steals left right and center from Carlito's Way. The ending in particular felt like a complete rip off.

Diddy Kong · 09-11-2011 08:10AM

I know the feeling, I couldn't help think of Layer Cake for the ending. Still an enjoyable ending. I think the majority of the masses want to see the guy get the girl and everything to be all rosey.

MrStuffins · 09-11-2011 08:14AM

Diddy Kong wrote: »

I know the feeling, I couldn't help think of Layer Cake for the ending. Still an enjoyable ending. I think the majority of the masses want to see the guy get the girl and everything to be all rosey.

I love the ending of this movie. A superb movie all the way up to the climax and then you it hits you like a punch in the face.

Another ending I loved was The Mist. If you've seen it you'll know what I mean. If you haven't then i'll say nothing more.

Mickeroo · 09-11-2011 09:42AM

I can't say I prefer one type of ending over the other, it all depends on the film and the story that led up to it.

For a recent example take

Warrior

, the ending was somewhat predictable in a way but it was still extremely powerful and I don't think I'd want to see it changed, especially since that film makes you care about the characters so much, now arguably it might have been an even more powerful ending if the main character roles were reversed but I'm happy with the way it is.

Or

Million Dollar Baby

, that had a miserable ending, and I didn't see it coming, but in many ways I don't think it worked for the film, I wanted a happy ending dammit and I think its a film that would have benefited from one. The ending seems disjointed from the rest of the film imho.

Galvasean · 09-11-2011 01:53PM

"I'm sure something will come along and save us...

*cue Milhouse falling into the blender*

Surely something will come along and at least save the Simpson children?"

London Boulevard and the human need for a "happy ending".

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