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Unhappy Ending, Where Art Thou?

Newsweek critic laments Hollywood's love for the upbeat

By Caroline Zimmerman,  Newser User

Posted Apr 20, 2008 7:37 PM CDT
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(Newser) – Happy endings don't ensure box-office sales, but Hollywood still snubs sad or complex finales—even if they better fit the film, David Ansen writes in Newsweek. Filmgoers don't need movies to end on a smile: Take Titanic or The Third Man. But this year's summer fare, like Iron Man and Get Smart, is no doubt back-loaded with upbeat, sequel-sparking endings.

Ansen looks at a variety of curtain-closers: the happy, the sad, the gag-line, the last shot, the plot twist, and the brain tease. "Frankly, my dear, we don't give a damn if the ending is happy or sad, as long as it's right," he writes. He wonders if "it is too much to hope" that this summer's films don't climax with phony, romantic finales. "That would be a very happy ending indeed."

Actor Tobey Maguire arrives for the New York premiere of Spiderman 3 in this file photo.
Actor Tobey Maguire arrives for the New York premiere of "Spiderman 3" in this file photo.   (Associated Press)
U.S. actors Kirsten Dunst, left and James Franco pose with an American passport next to a poster during a photo-call to promote the new Spiderman 3 movie.
U.S. actors Kirsten Dunst, left and James Franco pose with an American passport next to a poster during a photo-call to promote the new Spiderman 3 movie.   (Associated Press)
Katherine Heigl smiles at a Hindi-Jewish wedding in 27 Dresses.
Katherine Heigl smiles at a Hindi-Jewish wedding in "27 Dresses."
This undated photo released by Paramount Pictures shows Harrison Ford (left) as Indiana Jones, co-starring with Shia LaBeouf in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
This undated photo released by Paramount Pictures shows Harrison Ford (left) as Indiana Jones, co-starring with Shia LaBeouf in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."   (Associated Press)
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