# Quality Movies In Which \*Nobody\* Dies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 3, 2004, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quality-movies-in-which-nobody-dies/243340 "2004-05-03T20:48:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quality-movies-in-which-nobody-dies/243340/1 "2004-05-03T20:48:32Z")
So, let’s pretend we’re going to rent a movie for a very, very sheltered young person. We want ('eh, let’s give him a name…ummm…Sheldon will do)…we want Sheldon to stay the course of not seeing anything that might expose him to the reality that people die. But, we want him to see a really, really good movie. What’s our best choice? What is the best movie out there in which _nobody_ dies? I just looked through the [Top 250](http://us.imdb.com/top_250_films) on the IMDB, and damn, this is not easy! ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quality-movies-in-which-nobody-dies/243340/2 "2004-05-03T20:56:25Z")
Nobody dies in High Fidelity that I recall, so there’s the bar for now. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quality-movies-in-which-nobody-dies/243340/3 "2004-05-03T21:02:06Z")
“Night of the Living Dead” or “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” C’mon…the kid has to learn sometime. Better to rip the bandage off quick than to try to remove it slowly. 😃 How about “The Producers” or “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum?” ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quality-movies-in-which-nobody-dies/243340/4 "2004-05-03T21:03:41Z")
**Slacker** ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quality-movies-in-which-nobody-dies/243340/5 "2004-05-03T21:04:26Z")
> [@Hal Briston](#): > > So, let’s pretend we’re going to rent a movie for a very, very sheltered young person. We want ('eh, let’s give him a name…ummm…Sheldon will do)…we want Sheldon to stay the course of not seeing anything that might expose him to the reality that people die. But, we want him to see a really, really good movie. What’s our best choice? What is the best movie out there in which _nobody_ dies? > > I just looked through the [Top 250](http://us.imdb.com/top_250_films) on the IMDB, and damn, this is not easy! First of all, that is a fantastic name. Secondly, what are you trying to do? Raise the next Buddha? ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quality-movies-in-which-nobody-dies/243340/6 "2004-05-03T21:14:04Z")
**That Thing You Do** ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quality-movies-in-which-nobody-dies/243340/7 "2004-05-03T21:19:30Z")
**Annie Hall** ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quality-movies-in-which-nobody-dies/243340/8 "2004-05-03T21:21:38Z")
> [@Evil Death](#): > > Nobody dies in High Fidelity that I recall, so there’s the bar for now. John Cusack’s character gets back together with his girlfriend after he attends her father’s funeral. So death is a definite plot point. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quality-movies-in-which-nobody-dies/243340/9 "2004-05-03T21:24:23Z")
> [@BobT](#): > > John Cusack’s character gets back together with his girlfriend after he attends her father’s funeral. So death is a definite plot point. Yeah, I was going to say _Whale Rider_ but then remembered the kid is orphaned at the start of the film… Hm… This is going to be tougher than I thought… ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quality-movies-in-which-nobody-dies/243340/10 "2004-05-03T21:24:39Z")
> [@](#): > > Nobody dies in _High Fidelity_ that I recall, so there’s the bar for now. That’s not entirely correct; the father of John Cusack’s fiance` died. Granted, it occurred off-screen and we never saw the character but I don’t know how strict your rule is. How about _Toy Story_? ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quality-movies-in-which-nobody-dies/243340/11 "2004-05-03T21:25:53Z")
Does anybody die in _Shine_? Oo! I know, I know! _Children of a Lesser God_! No one dies in that. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quality-movies-in-which-nobody-dies/243340/12 "2004-05-03T21:29:17Z")
Preston Sturges comedies: _The Lady Eve, Hail the Conquering Hero, The Palm Beach Story, The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek, Christmas in July_ The romances of Eric Rohmer: _Chloe in the Afternoon, The Aviator’s Wife, An Autumn Tale, A Summer’s Tale, My Night at Maud’s, Rendez-vous in Paris, Pauline at the Beach, Claire’s Knee_ 30s musicals: Fred & Ginger (_Top Hat, Shall We Dance, Swing Time_), Busby Berkeley (\*Footlight Parade, Gold Diggers of 1933), _Love Me Tonight_. Stanley Donen musicals: _On the Town, Singin’ in the Rain, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Pajama Game_ Howard Hawks comedies: _Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday, Monkey Business, Man’s Favorite Sport?, Twentieth Century_ Most Buster Keaton (_Seven Chances, Sherlock, Jr., Steamboat Bill, Jr._), Harold Lloyd (_The Freshman, Safety Last, The Kid Brother_) and Marx Bros. (_A Night at the Opera, A Day at the Races, Horse Feathers, Monkey Business_) comedies, and some Plus quite a few the films of Yasujiro Ozu (_An Autumn Afternoon, Late Spring, I Was Born But…_) \*The Italian Straw Hat Trouble in Paradise It’s a Gift Meet Me in St. Louis All About Eve A Streetcar Named Desire All That Heaven Allows French Cancan Smiles of a Summer Night Sweet Smell of Success L’Eclisse The Graduate Playtime Two-Lane Blacktop The Bitter Tears of Petra van Kant Kings of the Road Close Encounters of the Third Kind Local Hero This Is Spinal Tap Pee Wee’s Big Adventure A Room with a View Bull Durham Passion Fish The Piano La Belle Noiseuse Smoke Topsy Turvy 25th Hour \* Plus a ton of documentaries… ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quality-movies-in-which-nobody-dies/243340/13 "2004-05-03T21:33:28Z")
Let’s see. There’s - no, someone dies there. How about - nope - or maybe - no on that one. I’m pretty sure no one died in _Singin’ in the Rain._ Oh, hell. Just show the kid the traumatizing triple feature of _Bambi, Old Yeller_ and _The Lion King_ and get it over with. ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quality-movies-in-which-nobody-dies/243340/14 "2004-05-03T21:34:10Z")
I believe that _The Others_ counts… ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quality-movies-in-which-nobody-dies/243340/15 "2004-05-03T21:35:27Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > _big long list_ Pfeh, show off! ---
**Author:** ![xvxdarkknightxvx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/34f0e0/32.png) [@xvxdarkknightxvx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xvxdarkknightxvx)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quality-movies-in-which-nobody-dies/243340/16 "2004-05-03T21:40:43Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > How about _Toy Story_? Andy starts off the movie with no father. Whether he lost his father to divorce or death is unclear, but he’s definitely missing. Hmmm…no one dies in **Hackers** , but there are Angelina Jolie’s boobies. **A Bug’s Life** is also good. I believe the grasshoppers merely decide to leave rather than dying. Another good Pixar movie is **Monster’s Inc**. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quality-movies-in-which-nobody-dies/243340/17 "2004-05-03T21:54:34Z")
_Addicted to Love_, the Meg Ryan/Matthew Broderick comedy? Failing that, try _Grave of the Fireflies_ or _Barefoot Gen_. A couple of animated family movies from Japan. Trust me. \>;D ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quality-movies-in-which-nobody-dies/243340/18 "2004-05-03T21:56:45Z")
_A Beautiful Mind_ murdered math questions. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quality-movies-in-which-nobody-dies/243340/19 "2004-05-03T22:00:23Z")
A Christmas Story (unless you count the duck). Back to the Future (but only if you watch it all the way to the end). The Truman Show (sorta). I definitely consider these quality, but YMMV… ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quality-movies-in-which-nobody-dies/243340/20 "2004-05-03T22:04:26Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > Does anybody die in _Shine_? The last scene has David and Gillian at David’s father’s grave; he expresses his regrets. I think the mom in **Toy Story** was a divorcee. A widow would have been far less cheerful about moving house. I was gonna suggest **Clueless** , even though a male probably wouldn’t be interested (except if he’s old enough to ogle), but then I remembered that Cher’s mom died in a liposuction accident. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quality-movies-in-which-nobody-dies/243340.md?page=2)