# Dismalest movie ending (SPOILERS!) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [September 10, 2024, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismalest-movie-ending-spoilers/1007047 "2024-09-10T06:00:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismalest-movie-ending-spoilers/1007047/141 "2024-10-10T00:03:03Z")
Which is the same ending as the Israeli film _Lemon Popsicle_, on which _The Last American Virgin_ is based. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismalest-movie-ending-spoilers/1007047/142 "2024-10-10T03:46:37Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > But he saved Jill from falling into the hands of the antiterrorist police,… As I remember the original cut, as Sam is arrested and detained, there are gunshots. Then there’s a scene from his P.O.V. that was taken out of the American release. First he’s presented with convenient financing options to pay for his interrogation. Then he meets with Mr. Helpmann who tells him that Jill is dead. Sam starts to say that he did it (logging in and changing the records in Mr. Helpmann’s office), but stops himself. Then Helpmann says something like “seems to have happened twice.” So, yes, she’s not in the hands of the antiterrorist police, she’s dead. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismalest-movie-ending-spoilers/1007047/143 "2024-10-10T11:37:42Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > _Very Bad Things_ The ending of this is completely in context of the movie, and if you’ve stuck with it past about 20 minutes in, its just the continuation of bleakness started at that point. The movie title describes it all. Bleak upon bleak and then finishing with bleak. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismalest-movie-ending-spoilers/1007047/144 "2024-10-10T11:45:34Z")
[The Grey Zone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grey_Zone). And not just the ending. The whole movie is dismal. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismalest-movie-ending-spoilers/1007047/145 "2024-10-10T13:04:41Z")
**Kids** (1995) Harmony Korine does nihilism like few others and I find it terrifying. The film has characters you recognize from your childhood, but then to notice they aren’t even human is best summarized as, to paraphrase _American Psycho_, “they simply are not there”. It’s dismal because they are products of their environment. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismalest-movie-ending-spoilers/1007047/146 "2024-10-10T13:09:27Z")
> [@Smid](#): > > > [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > > > _Very Bad Things_ > > The ending of this is completely in context of the movie, and if you’ve stuck with it past about 20 minutes in, its just the continuation of bleakness started at that point. The movie title describes it all. Bleak upon bleak and then finishing with bleak. I’ve heard it suggested that the whole film is a loose reworking of _Macbeth_, with Cameron Diaz in the Lady Macbeth role. (My personal crazy fan theory: the scene near the end where Kyle almost kills Charles is a nod to the [Binding of Isaac](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binding_of_Isaac).) ---
**Author:** ![Scoobysnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Scoobysnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoobysnax)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismalest-movie-ending-spoilers/1007047/147 "2024-10-10T15:48:25Z")
A Simple Plan (1998). It is a movie about two brothers, played by Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton, trying to hide millions of dollars that they find in a plane crash. After everything goes sideways, Billy Bob’s character convinces his brother to kill him and place the blame on someone else. After Bill kills his brother he finds out that the money has been marked by the FBI and is totally worthless. Bill Paxton burns the money and goes back to working at a rural feed mill. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismalest-movie-ending-spoilers/1007047/148 "2024-10-10T18:42:23Z")
Another movie based on a book by the same author (Scott B. Smith) is **The Ruins** , about a group pf students vacationing in the Yucatan and get trapped in an ancient pyramid by locals who won’t let them leave, because the ruins are inhabited by a carnivorous, swift-moving plant. As in _A Simple Plan_ something awful happens at the very start (I mean, besides being trapped with a killer plant), and all attempts to set things right again only make it worse. I have to admit that I really hate plots like this, so these aren’t my favorite movies. I thin of **The Ruins** as a documentary about my Forsythia, especially after I have to trim it back. > **[The Ruins (film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ruins_(film))** > > The Ruins is a 2008 natural horror film directed by Carter Smith in his feature film directorial debut, and written by Scott B. Smith, based on his 2006 novel of the same name. The film stars Jonathan Tucker, Jena Malone, Shawn Ashmore, Laura Ramsey, and Joe Anderson. The story follows a pair of couples on vacation in Mexico who join a tourist to visit a remote Mayan ruin, that unfortunately is inhabited by a carnivorous vine growth. Stuart Cornfeld, Jeremy Kramer, and Chris Bender produce, wi... ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismalest-movie-ending-spoilers/1007047/149 "2024-10-10T18:57:16Z")
I really liked the book, I don’t recall the movie so much. Poor guys, they tried so hard to keep that money… ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismalest-movie-ending-spoilers/1007047/150 "2024-10-10T19:50:02Z")
> [@Scoobysnax](#): > > …he finds out that the money has been marked by the FBI and is totally worthless. What is the legal situation in a case like that? If I find something of value, and no one else claims it in some amount of time, it becomes mine, right? The money was probably marked because it was part of some criminal enterprise, but the two brother who found it weren’t the criminals. Would they have a legitimate claim to the money without having to keep it secret, or at least a reward for having found it? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismalest-movie-ending-spoilers/1007047/151 "2024-10-10T19:59:22Z")
**Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge** for obvious reasons. **Charly** the 1966 movie adaptation of _Flowers for Algernon_, but perhaps that’s more sad than dismal, since Charly has no memory of recent events. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismalest-movie-ending-spoilers/1007047/152 "2024-10-10T20:00:24Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > What is the legal situation in a case like that? Yeah, it is not worthless anyway. Just dont spend it in large amounts and not near home. Wear a baseball cap and a covid mask, you can buy groceries, hardware, etc, all you want. And the worse that will happen is that the FBI will question you, confiscate the cast and let you go. ---
**Author:** ![Scoobysnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Scoobysnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoobysnax)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismalest-movie-ending-spoilers/1007047/153 "2024-10-10T20:25:05Z")
It has been 25 years since I saw the movie, so I went and checked the [plot summary on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Simple_Plan_(film)). Basically the money was provided by the FBI to pay the ransom for a kidnapped heiress. > Hank is cleared of any wrongdoing by real FBI agents, who reveal that the serial numbers of one in ten of the ransom bills had been recorded, and the Agency will just wait until any marked money is spent to track down the culprit. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2024, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismalest-movie-ending-spoilers/1007047/154 "2024-10-15T19:07:43Z")
Why limit yourself? Pick a movie that embodies despair from end to end: _ **The Road.** _ ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2024, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismalest-movie-ending-spoilers/1007047/155 "2024-10-15T20:55:01Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I have to admit that I really hate plots like [the Ruins], so these aren’t my favorite movies. I read the plot summary. Interesting - the “evil” Mayans are actually the good guys, saving the world from this evil plant. And the girl escaping at the end possibly may spread the plant around the world. Of course, what the Mayans need was to get out of the stone age and apply a little technology. Flamethrowers, Agent Orange, Roundup, and no more carnivorous vine. Or they could always nuke it from orbit. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2024, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismalest-movie-ending-spoilers/1007047/156 "2024-10-15T21:17:20Z")
Yeah, but the dog at the end…happy ending. 🐕 + 👦 = 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2024, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismalest-movie-ending-spoilers/1007047/157 "2024-10-17T01:48:43Z")
Because the ending of the Road is very specifically not dismal. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2024, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismalest-movie-ending-spoilers/1007047/158 "2024-10-17T02:20:52Z")
Maybe I’m Mandelating again, but I’d thought that the backstory of “The Road”, in the novel if not the movie, was that something had killed every last organism that had chloroplasts, annihilating the base of the food chain and guaranteeing the slow miserable end of all animal life on Earth. Or is that from some other work? ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2024, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismalest-movie-ending-spoilers/1007047/159 "2024-10-17T02:31:20Z")
Two films based on novels by the mysterious [B. Traven](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._Traven): _Ship of Death_ (1959) – German/Mexican co-production has lost men on a doomed ship exploited and abused before suffering a predictably bleak fate in the vastness of the sea. _Macario_ (1960) – A poor Mexican woodcutter just wants to eat a turkey all by himself, so his wife steals one for him. After declining to share it with the Devil and God, the woodcutter agrees to let Death have half, receiving miracle cure water in return which makes him rich. But (of course) it’s a raw deal and the Inquisition is soon after his dumb ass. He dies leaving his half of the bird uneaten. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2024, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismalest-movie-ending-spoilers/1007047/160 "2024-10-17T02:35:51Z")
Ummm…, I’m not gonna disillusion you…carry on! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismalest-movie-ending-spoilers/1007047.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismalest-movie-ending-spoilers/1007047.md?page=9)