22 Movie Endings That Would Be Better If They Weren’t So Happy

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ didn’t need that last shot of Bruce

For the most part, when we watch a movie, we know we’re not getting a perfect snapshot of real life. Think about your average day: The alarm clock pulls you out of your nest of frizz and drool, you push buttons for eight hours, then you come home, fail to pour yourself a glass of wine without spilling it, and watch TV while picking your nose and scratching your butt, probably a lot more than necessary. Hardly cinematic.

That means even the most realistic movies have to turn up the dial at least a little, and a big part of that is the happy ending. With few exceptions, everything always seems to work out in the end because if you watched a ragtag band of misfits struggle for two hours only to fail, you’d be hopelessly depressed. Sometimes, though, a mixed or even gloomy ending could have enhanced a movie, ascribing it a deeper meaning or just giving a bunch of assholes what they deserve.

You can tell Reddit has thought about this a lot, because when user xvrwltr asked r/AskReddit, “What movie would be better if it didn’t have a happy ending?,” thousands of Redditors had ideas for bleaking shit up.

My Fair Lady

First Blood

Avatar

Men in Black 3

Wonder Woman

The Dark Knight Rises

Interstellar

The Game

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

The Devil Wears Prada

The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Leap Year

Something Borrowed

A.I. Artificial Intelligence

Hancock

Passengers

Law Abiding Citizen

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

My Sister’s Keeper

The Iron Giant

War of the Worlds

Back to the Future Part III

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