Yes, it’s getting confusing. Still, in the implied context of the OP, I can’t think of a non-“redemptive” movie that has ever qualified as a blockbuster. And again, outside of that context, the OP doesn’t make much sense. To me at least; there are thousands and thousands of non-redemptive movies out there, as evidenced by A) your own list, and B) Sundance.
Further clarification, re: “happy ending” and “redemptive.” In the context of this thread, I’m intentionally conflating the two. I don’t mean “happy ending” in the traditional sense–happy for all the characters involved–but a happy ending in that it satisfies the audience’s expectations; chiefly, its expectation of a redemptive story. *Texas Chainsaw Massacre *ends with the blond chick being rescued and the monster fading into the distance. Of course in the extended context–there were sequels, after all–the monster “got away with it.” But in the context of that moment when the credits roll, the movie had a “happy ending.” The convention is pretty universal, even in horror movies. A favorite exception is The Haunting, when Nell is basically absorbed by the house. (Or am I misremembering it? Maybe I’m mixing it up with the book.)
Rosemary’s Baby’s ending is brilliantly subversive, although again: dark comedy. Definitely not a “happy ending,” but it’s played like one. Huh. Larious. Ditto The Stepford Wives; another brilliant anti-Disney ending; framed ironically here because the Diz character, nicknamed for his past work with Disney, triumphs. Evilly.
I don’t know if it qualifies, but “The Proposition” comes to mind. When I was watching it, I couldn’t help thinking that the movie had no good guys in it at all.
I wonder what Apocalypse Now would be considered as. The protagonist fulfills his goal (unless I’m remembering wrong), but the journey and the way it happens are certainly much darker than is expected. Maybe it hinges on whether the main character is better off at the end of the movie than at the beginning, and I don’t remember if he is.
I read the OP as asking more about if a light comedy could end that way… of course there are dozens of dark comedies (Trainspotting) and tragedies (Macbeth, to grab one at random) that don’t have a redemptive ending, but could Prada end that way? Could any light comedy? Of course if the hero isn’t likeable, or if the movie is curiously amoral, it wouldn’t be called a “light comedy.” Genre is all about fulfilling expectations. I think I’ve seen a few movies where the hero’s ruthlessness is shown to fit into the grand scheme of things, though. I can’t think of any examples offhand.
Incidentally, I found the ending of Prada to be pretty ironic, given that the way the story “really” ends is, the lovely heroine backstabs her boss with a roman a clefe that makes her a million bucks. That ending might work as a light comedy, too, because although she proved ruthless and ambitious, we think the bitch had it comin’.
Unfortunately, Meryl Streep made that boss sympathetic, even if she was mean and conniving, so maybe that ending would not have fit in the spirit of a light comedy.
Do you mean Clint Eastwood’s Oscar winner from the early 90s? Because, if so, I’d say it doesn’t quite qualify. Yes, Eastwood’s character reverts to his gunslinger ways, but I don’t think we’re meant to see it as a victory; we’re meant to see it as a defeat.
The seventies Australian movie Stone comes to mind - you think it’s going to meander along and be a typical blokey movie about men coming of age, etc etc, and the ending is just … unexpected (I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, but it shocked me in a way I dont think I’ve ever been shocked by a movie before).
The comeuppance was received by the people “John Doe” murdered. In his view, each of his victims represented one of the seven deadly sins and thus deserved to die.
The Brothers McManus go from being hardworking, honest men to violent vigilantes who go so far as to shoot a mob boss dead in the middle of a courtroom, on the way even dragging down an FBI agent and several NYPD detectives with them. The movie leaves it open to interpretation whether they were acting under a mission from God or if they were just collectively insane.
The Doom Generation:
By the end of the movie, an impressive number of people have been killed in an improbable series of events, the girlfriend raped, the boyfriend castrated and murdered, and the killers/rapists stabbed to death. The movie ends with the girlfriend, and the guy who caused all of their problems, driving off into the distance, eating a bag of doritos.
And of course, as was mentioned before, dark comedies usually apply. We all know how Dr. Strangelove ended.
Hasn’t anyone seen Swimming With Sharks? It’s basically The Devil Wears Prada (based on what I’ve seen of the previews for DWP) ten years earlier in the film industry with male leads (Kevin Spacey and Frank Whaley).
Producer Spacey dumps on his assistant Whaley the entire movie, until finally Whaley decides to get even. No moral redemption at all.
He takes Spacey hostage and proceeds to torture him all night. At midnight, Whaley’s producer girlfriend walks in (to Spacey’s apartment). When Whaley realizes the one person he trusted has been fucking him over like everybody else, he shoots her, then coerces a deal with Spacey to pin everything on her and make him his partner.
What about Thank you for smoking? While there was some element of moral redemption it was mainly a nod to recognizing the dangers of smoking, not necessily an improvement of any of the characters. Then again, the movie was satire and hence into the realm of dark comedy.
Dude. Movies are entertainment. It’s real life that sucks. If I thought making movies that sucked as much as real life would somehow make real life suck less, I’d be with you all the way. Von Trier would be a moviemaking god. But the guy clearly hates his characters and puts them through hell for the fun of it, and then expects us to join him on his little sadism rides.
Saying we somehow have a responsibility to like the trash von Trier churns out is like saying we have a responsibility to like cotton candy. We don’t, dude.
