Friday, February 04, 2005

I was trying to summon up the energy to watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in spite of something like 40 Google hits on "Eternal Sunshine" and "downer ending". Couldn't do it. I'm sure it 's a great movie. I don't have the energy for a downer ending after this week.

Maybe someone can watch it for me, and report.

Another thing I like about TV is there are no downer endings. Well, there are no endings, really. There's always another show, and at the end of the season, there's next season. You might lose a character from time to time, but never the lead character.

It's reassuring. I'm an optimist. I rebel at tragedies. TV is melodrama.

I think we'll just watch this week's recorded ep of The O.C. and then this week's Gilmore Girls.

8:43 PM

3 Comments:

now alex, it's only a downer ending if you're a a stupid person. I actually find it kind of hopeful. DMc

By  Anonymous, at 11:24 PM  

As a movie watcher (vs writer) I don't care so much about the way a movie ends. Well... let me try this again: when a movie is great, it's not the ending that I remember when I think about it later.

I really enjoyed Eternal Sunshine. It's smart, inventive, touching and it's completely nuts. And I can't even remember how it ends. Watch it! It's worth it.

By  Martine, at 12:12 AM  

If an ending is only considered a downer if one of the leads leaves, then Eternal Sunshine is not a downer movie. (Well it's been a while since I watched the movie, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't a downer in that sense.)

I think there've been some downer endings of that sort on TV, though. Eight Simple Rules killed off John Ritter's character; for instance, and it's a comedy; ditto for the exit of Valerie Harper from the Hogan's Family, years ago. A lot of TV shows I've watched over the years have had downer story endings of a broader sort...for instance, on The Practice, after a while it seemed as though every innocent defendant was convicted, while every guilty murderer went free so they could kill again. That became depressingly predictable. Each season of 24 works as an individual story, and the death of Jack's wife at the end of the first season was decidely depressing.

By  Peter, at 12:13 AM  

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