Discuss: Are You Tired of the Happy Comedic Ending?
Filed under: Comedy, Fandom, Fan Rant
Comedies are, by definition, doomed to a certain, set existence. Quoting Oxford's Concise Dictionary of Literary Terms: "Its ending will usually be happy for the leading characters. In another sense, the term was applied in the Middle Ages to narrative poems that end happily." This was compounded by the advent of New Comedy, which "abandoned topical satire in favour of fictional plots based on contemporary life: these portrayed the tribulations of young lovers caught up among stock characters such as the miserly father and the boastful soldier." So here we sit, doomed to repeat ourselves over and over because some dudes from way back when made laughs of a certain path. There will be an outbreak of shenanigans, some goofy stock characters along the way, and then the almost inevitable happy ending with cheek-pinching smiles, swelling music, and feel-good moments. A lot of the time, it works. We giggle, the credits roll, and we leave the theater feeling happy and refreshed.
But just as often, I find myself dreading the second half and that inevitable tonal shift. The film will begin to swell into a picture-perfect happy ending, characters softening and getting just what they need for the desired conclusion, whether that be saccharine sweetness, uncharacteristic responsibility, or Meet the Parents type chaos. The personalities and paths of the characters become second-fiddle to the need to wrap up the story. Rather than simply enjoying the world that's been set up, soon we must watch it wrap into a pretty bow.
I won't even take the easy shots, and instead focus on the films I still like or love: I sometimes feel like switching Sideways off early to just enjoy the banter and snark without the romantic turmoil and emotional softening; I would prefer a Knocked Up with less personality adjustment and Superbad without the boys getting the girls; and I fast-forward through T.S.'s romantic declarations so I can see Brodie get revenge in Mallrats. I'd prefer more bunk beds and less Catalina Mixers in Step Brothers, and generally less deus ex machina twists unless it's literally a chest of deus a la Dodgeball.
At least the better comedies have a destination in mind, like Sideways, even if I prefer the beginning to the end. But the worst, their ending isn't really an ending -- it's some weird cut-and-paste puzzle.
Must we always have a perfectly wrapped up conclusion, stressing the change rather than the journey? Sometimes it's done well, but just as often it seems disparate, and this is probably why I adore films like A Serious Man and Dazed and Confused -- they're absolutely happy just being what they are, and the funny doesn't suffer because of it. (And speaking of the second film, Richard Linklater proved that there are better ways to handle romantic endings with Before Sunset. Can you imagine it with an embrace and epic music? I shudder to think...)
Do you find yourselves ever dreading those twists and changes of tone? Seeing the snark replaced with softness? The character who made you laugh replaced with someone else? The strange plot twists thrown in to try to wrap things up? Everything becoming perfect?
(And oh, how futile is all of this when sequels come into play? I'm looking at you, Sex and the City franchise!)
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-18-2009 @ 5:44PM
Tim Irwin said...
Interesting article. I often have very similar feelings when most comedies near their inevitable conclusion. I despise the contrived plot twists that have to happen for the movie to end "properly." As a result, I tend to seek out more unusual fair as much as possible.
Long live the snark!
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11-18-2009 @ 5:49PM
Jacob Klinger said...
I have to /agree with everything you've stated. The "tonal shift" you mentioned is so apparent nowadays - but then again, we are living in the age of Copy.Paste.Remake.
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11-18-2009 @ 6:05PM
Rich said...
The problem is the general public doesn't want a non happy ending. Why? Cause we live it, why would we want to see it in the movies all the time.
Dodgeball is a perfect example of this. The original version of the movie ended when Pete gets tagged in the face by White. Forward to pre-screenings. People hated it and wanted Pete to beat White. So they go back and film that totally ridiculous ending. But it gave people what they wanted, the good guy wins and gets the girl ( and maybe her gf o.O)
Personally, save the unhappy ending for the dramas and leave the happy endings for the comedies.
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11-18-2009 @ 6:06PM
Mike said...
Despite most of the examples in this article, I still think what you're referring to applies more to bad comedies than comedies in general. By now, we all know story structure, whether we're conscious that we know it or not. So we know the story must hit upon certain plot points at approximate times.
And that's really the challenge in trying to create something good or different. The filmmakers have to do their best to disguise those plot points or play upon our preconceptions. That's why twists are so satisfying when they're done right; we don't see them coming and yet they make perfect sense. We kick ourselves for not figuring it out, because usually we can.
So I don't think the problem with comedies is so much the structure as it is the execution. A lot of times they seem to neglect the funny in the final Act, instead opting for some more "important" life lesson. There are ways for characters to grow and overcome their flaws without turning your story into a melodrama.
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11-18-2009 @ 6:51PM
Dick Movie said...
Careful what you wish for...
SPOILER ALERT!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6teBiUa9DU&feature=fvw
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11-18-2009 @ 8:28PM
Evan said...
That's what I loved so much about 500 Days of Summer. In a sense it still had a happy ending, but it wasn't the one the audience was rooting for or expecting.
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11-18-2009 @ 8:51PM
NP said...
I like the way Election ends. It's kind of happy, but the character(s) went through some sh*t to get there, and the story doesn't require any manipulation--the characters just keep moving along the paths on which they've been traveling from the beginning. I've always thought Election is Alexander Payne's best movie. I was not a fan of Sideways, and while I liked his other films, Election is still the best executed to me.
I like the way Smiley Face ends. Especially because you think they're about to pull one of the oldest tricks in the book on you, but then they pull that rug out from under you as well.
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11-18-2009 @ 9:00PM
will said...
I agree that many comedies have happy endings that stretch their credibility, but I have to disagree when it comes to Superbad and Sideways. I think that both of those movies have perfect endings that are totally consistent with what comes before. The ending that I truly cannot stand is the last ten minutes of Billy Wilder's The Apartment. It actually has a few points where it could've ended perfectly, but it tacked on an incredibly out-of-character happy ending.
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11-19-2009 @ 12:03AM
Eric S. said...
Great article! The absolute worst offender I've seen has to be The Hangover. Why did Bradley Cooper's character change at all??? There was absolutely no motivation! Hopefully we find out that it was all a facade in the sequel.
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11-19-2009 @ 12:46PM
Holly said...
I totally agree, and I think it's a mixture of "ah, f*** it I'm tired of writing" and honestly thinking that their audience is stupid. But you know what really bugs me about those endings? When the filmakers are so desperate to wrap EVERYTHING up, not just the main plot, that they randomly do a meet cute between the sidekicks that makes no freaking sense! Come on, we're really not that stupid!
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11-19-2009 @ 2:24AM
LordPaul said...
Actually, I thought that the best film for not doing that that I've seen recently was Funny People (which I thought was really good, despite the average reviews it got)
It was a funny yet bittersweet film and the last 30 or so minutes were definitely not a schmaltzy resolution of happiness, just more an acceptance of a situation.
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11-19-2009 @ 9:29AM
Eric H said...
That's right, there is the very good comedy without the happy ending, and most people didn't like it. I loved it, but thats another show.
11-20-2009 @ 1:14PM
Dee said...
I agree with the article, that most comedies strain to end the story happily, often by making their characters do things that are out of character or by having a deux ex machina type ending in which something happens out of the blue to 'fix' the situation. One interesting experiment that I found was The Break-Up, starring Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Anniston. That movie was loathed b/c of its UN-happy ending. Mind you, I think there are legit reasons to dislike that movie, but I don't think its ending was one of them. I was a very interesting experience in audience expectations regarding comedies. The studios make them end happily b/c audiences will balk if they don't. I find this to be annoying and limiting to the genre as a whole.
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11-19-2009 @ 7:32PM
Felicia said...
Don't you think though that there are often tragic endings also that movies don't earn? A lot of movies that end tragically or happily would have been more realistic with an ambivalent ending. I think the sad it added because the writers don't know how to end it or want it to go out with a bang so people can cry or laugh and then get on with their lives.
Given the choice between a tacked on happy ending or a tacked on tragic one, I'll pick number 1 every time. Rich is right; life is plenty tragic enough.
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11-19-2009 @ 7:32PM
Monika said...
That is true. I imagine that a lot of dramatic, tragic endings come from a build up of emotions, so while it might seem overly dramatic, it goes down a lot easier.