# Best Endings - Movie Division **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 17, 2011, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-endings-movie-division/575062 "2011-03-17T20:27:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-endings-movie-division/575062/41 "2011-03-19T13:14:39Z")
“Das Boot”. Granted you are in the uncomfortable position of rooting for the German Navy but these guys survive depth charges, sunk on the bottom only to successfully get into port yet be strafed by Allied planes, several members killed and the boat sunk. It’s been parodied to death but I remember plenty of people raving about the ending of “Planet of the Apes” when it came out. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-endings-movie-division/575062/42 "2011-03-19T13:27:14Z")
> [@diggerwam](#): > > Gone Baby Gone. Ben Affleck’s 1st director job. Breaks my heart that the mother didn’t know the kids toys name. You knew she was a miserable person. I know. When the little girl corrects him about the name, it’s like a punch in the stomach. Affleck should really just be a director. He’s done a good job with that. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-endings-movie-division/575062/43 "2011-03-19T17:17:55Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > James Taylor is last seen driving off, punching through the gears, and then the film breaks in the projector and burns and melts off the screen. The best ending for a movie that started nowhere and in the end characters realized they had nowhere to go. When I saw Pleasantville, near the end, when they use the remote control to go back to the real world, the same thing happened. And I thought what a brilliant ending! But then the credits failed to appear and the manager came out. The film had actually melted LOL. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-endings-movie-division/575062/44 "2011-03-19T17:26:34Z")
I like how “Once” ends. They don’t end up like you’d expect, but somehow, it’s okay. Same with “Lost in Translation”. I think it’s hard to have a boy meets girl story that’s not formulaic, but still satisfies you. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-endings-movie-division/575062/45 "2011-03-19T19:06:44Z")
**No Way Out**. A lot of his actions now make sense. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-endings-movie-division/575062/46 "2011-03-19T19:37:18Z")
> [@Dr.Rieux](#): > > **No Way Out**. A lot of his actions now make sense. Oh yeah, great ending. Of course, it’s hard for me to watch the film again already knowing that ending… ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-endings-movie-division/575062/47 "2011-03-19T20:29:44Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > It’s been parodied to death but I remember plenty of people raving about the ending of “Planet of the Apes” when it came out. Not to attack you, but in the science fiction community Planet of the Apes was regarded as an embarrassment, and the ending the most cringe worthy part. The entire city of New York is vanished except for a large statue lying on the beach? And what were they doing in New York? And what was the SOL doing off its island? And didn’t Heston maybe suspect he was on Earth because the language was English, and there were horses and (dumb) humans and rifles? So if people were raving (in a positive way) it was just the slackjaw crowd. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-endings-movie-division/575062/48 "2011-03-19T20:49:43Z")
> [@MovieCriticNextDoor](#): > > Again, not necessarily a great film, but one movie that I think did an excellent job of pulling people in at the end was _Quarantine_. That ending would have been a lot better if it hadn’t been spoiled in the trailer and on the freakin’ DVD box. > [@RikWriter](#): > > That’s a great one. > I came in to mention Frailty, with Matthew McConnaghy and Bill Paxton. > > When the end reveals that McConnaghy is actually NOT a delusional psychopath but actually IS killing monsters in human form My film snob girlfriend at the time scoffed at that ending and thought it was dumb that demons were real. We broke up four months later, but that was the beginning of the end. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-endings-movie-division/575062/49 "2011-03-19T21:08:33Z")
Dittos for Big Night Once My Favorite Year Shawshank …and then there’s Big Fish O Brother Where Art Thou (multiple good endings) …and it gets some grief, but I liked the Hollywood ending of Blazing Saddles Also the Prisoners of Love finale of The Producers. Get Shorty also goes Hollywood in pleasant fashion Hudsucker Proxy ends (I think) on a good joke, but I don’t remember the exact ending sequence. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-endings-movie-division/575062/50 "2011-03-20T02:57:38Z")
The ending of _The African Queen_ is better than the book. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Lethal\_Babydoll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3be4f8/32.png) [@Lethal\_Babydoll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lethal_Babydoll)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-endings-movie-division/575062/51 "2011-03-20T20:40:23Z")
**The Deer Hunter.** The friends sing an impromptu \*God Bless America \*and toast Nick. I’ll never forget that. it moves me just thinking about it. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-endings-movie-division/575062/52 "2011-03-21T02:00:08Z")
Annie Hall. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-endings-movie-division/575062/53 "2011-03-21T03:12:35Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > It got mentioned twice in the other thread, but the ending to _The Mist_ really belongs in here. The ending to that movie was like getting kicked in the solar plexus. Fucking brilliant. Especially if you’ve read the short story, or even better, listened to it. Where you experienced a sliiiiiiightly different ending… The dad drives on through the night, hope still alive because he catches some voice on the radio. So I was utterly unprepared when I rented the movie and watched it with my young son. Who now claims I’ve screwed him up forever (oh, well, I’d already promised to pitch in on his therapy in the decades to come anyhow). ---
**Author:** ![Canyon\_Surfer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Canyon\_Surfer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canyon_Surfer)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-endings-movie-division/575062/54 "2011-03-21T04:30:02Z")
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry for an ending that kinda takes you by surprise. The Glenn Miller Story for a weepy ending ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-endings-movie-division/575062/55 "2011-03-21T04:32:39Z")
I loved the ending to the Empire of the Sun, with Christian Bale’s parents not recognising him till he sings in a voice which is still young and innocent even though he himself isn’t. Also from the same time period: the ending to Hope and Glory, because every kid’s dreamed of their school being harmlessly bombed. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-endings-movie-division/575062/56 "2011-03-21T04:50:25Z")
I’ll put a plug in for David Lynch’s **the Straight Story** : Alvy Straight (Richard Farnsworth) travels cross country on a John Deere lawnmower in order to see his terminally ill brother before he dies. When Alvy finally reaches his brother’s house, his brother (played by Harry Dean Stanton) is at first incredulous that he’d make such a journey. Then he quietly dissolves into tears; his loneliness & isolation quietly revealing itself. Also, the ending to [Breakfast at Tiffany’s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOIZ3RSU1MM). I guess I’m a sucker for a big sappy ending. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-endings-movie-division/575062/57 "2011-03-21T04:50:36Z")
I remember “Imagine” playing over the final scenes of “The Killing Fields”. very moving ending. Loved the ending of the first “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie. Perfect. I am in denial for the 2 follow-ups. C ourse I’m one of those weirdos who thought the very first Star Wars movie was enough for me & I liked that ending with Han & Luke getting the medals and the applause. that wrapped up the story for me. ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-endings-movie-division/575062/58 "2011-03-21T20:34:19Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > It got mentioned twice in the other thread, but the ending to _The Mist_ really belongs in here. The ending to that movie was like getting kicked in the solar plexus. Fucking brilliant. Oh, yeah! I remember walking out of the movie thinking, “that was a perfect horror picture ending.” J. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-endings-movie-division/575062/59 "2011-03-21T21:02:57Z")
Don Draper - If you liked the movie ending to “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, you won’t like the ending to the novel it was loosely based on at all. ---
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-endings-movie-division/575062/60 "2011-08-30T18:50:37Z")
> [@expectopatronum](#): > > toy story 3 Yes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-endings-movie-division/575062.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-endings-movie-division/575062.md?page=4)