10 Happy Movies With Surprisingly Dark Endings

Endings are a very tricky thing to nail. Many people love a good happy ending. It satisfyingly concludes the storylines while reaffirming the inherent goodness of humanity. It leaves viewers feeling warm and comforted, as does a lot of great art. Others prefer a bleaker, more upsetting ending, as it goes against general Hollywood convention while perhaps depicting a more “realistic” outcome. Some viewers want to feel comforted by their films, others want to be challenged.

And some filmmakers like to throw viewers a curveball and imbue their happy movies with surprisingly dark endings. Maybe a character dies, maybe people break up, or maybe the goal is not attained, even though the rest of the movie seems to be headed towards a traditional happy ending. Whatever the case, it’s certainly not rare to see an otherwise fun or lighthearted movie with a surprisingly bleak conclusion.

10 La La Land (2016)

Arguably Ryan Gosling’s best movie, La La Land is a touching and affectionate ode to the glory days of the Hollywood musical. Aspiring actress Mia and struggling jazz musician Sebastian meet and fall in love by sharing their passions with each other. They each have their own individual dreams – Mia wishes to become a successful actress, and Sebastian wants to open his own jazz club.

The bittersweet ending has them achieving their personal dreams, but at the cost of their happy relationship. They share one last, longing glimpse at each other, basking in the good times they once shared. It’s not rare for a romantic movie to end on bleak and unhappy terms, but the melancholic ending of La La Land hits especially hard owing to the rest of the movie’s bright, colorful, and literally musical storyline.

9 Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1977)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind is pure Steven Spielberg. While far from a lighthearted comedy, Close Encounters contains all the fun tropes that make Spielberg’s films so much fun to watch, including a heightened sense of adventure and some silly interactions between characters.

However, the film becomes darker and darker as it goes on. Roy falls deeper and deeper into his obsession, which eventually results in the collapse of his family. In the end, he decides to venture into space with the aliens, leaving behind his grieving and now fatherless children on Earth. It leaves viewers with a feeling of emptiness, and some may even question Roy’s selfish decision. Therefore, the somewhat bleak and questionable ending is in stark contrast to the rest of the “fun” Spielberg story.

8 Chasing Amy (1997)

Chasing Amy is arguably Kevin Smith’s most tender work, filled with heartfelt moments and a mature storyline. Ben Affleck stars as Holden McNeil, a comic book artist who falls in love with a lesbian. The ending is a sad one, and no main character gets what they want.

Holden and Alyssa break up, and the professional partnership between Holden and Banky collapses owing to the events of the movie. Kevin Smith fans perhaps weren’t expecting such an unhappy and miserable ending from the comedic filmmaker. With it, Smith turned Chasing Amy into a tragedy of sorts and proved himself a filmmaker with more mature ambitions.

7 The Big Lebowski (1998)

The Coen brothers are eccentric filmmakers, and their films often find a unique mixture between crime, drama, and comedy, filled with both gut-busting laughs and horrific violence. The Big Lebowski is arguably their funniest work, led by an uproarious Jeff Bridges as The Dude.

While the movie is filled with memorable bits of dialogue, it ends in surprisingly dark fashion with Donny’s death and the resulting scattering of his ashes. While the scene in question is still filled with dark comedy (like the ashes blowing back against The Dude), it’s far more dispiriting than anything else seen in the movie, and it proves that even the goofiest of Coen brother comedies aren’t immune from the demoralizing subject of death.

6 Marley & Me (2008)

A dying dog is guaranteed to have viewers reaching for the tissues. Cinema is filled with many notable companion dogs, and Marley from Marley & Me is a great one, indeed. Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston star as a couple who adopt a young Labrador retriever, who they name Marley.

But, like most movies of this ilk, it ends in unfortunately realistic tragedy. Marley suffers from an intestinal disorder and is put down with John by his side, ending the movie on a somber, if realistic, note.

5 Titanic (1997)

Everyone knew going into Titanic that the movie would have a tragic ending. The first half of the film is quite happy, though. Viewers are utterly absorbed into the gorgeous period details, and they watch in adoration as Jack and Rose quickly fall in love. It’s charming and fun enough to make viewers forget about the unfortunate reality that is inherently linked to the story.

As everyone knows, the ship strikes an iceberg and sinks, sending thousands of people to their deaths – including Jack, who freezes to death while bobbing in the water beside Rose. It’s a tragic reality that thousands faced on that historic night, and it effectively shatters the dream-like utopia of the movie’s first half.

4 My Girl (1991)

A coming-of-age comedy starring a young Macaulay Culkin (released one year after the first Home Alone made him a star), My Girl concerns a childhood friendship between two young children, Vada and Thomas.

Unfortunately, Thomas ends up passing away from an allergic reaction after disrupting a beehive, and Vada enters into a horrible state of grief and depression. While the grief ends up strengthening Vada and mending various bridges, it still ends the movie on a sour and lukewarm note. What was a cute and charming coming-of-age comedy/drama ends on the nightmarish note of a child’s death, and while the hard lessons learned are wretchedly necessary, many people find it exceedingly difficult to watch even a fictional child’s untimely passing.

3 True Grit (2010)

The Coens’ True Grit is a surprisingly funny and touching affair, filled with some charming character interactions, a beautiful father-daughter-esque relationship between Rooster and Mattie, and a slew of great quotes. It’s a fun adventure movie filled with charismatic and likable characters.

That is, until the final ten minutes or so. True Grit manages to beautifully capture that forlorn feeling of passing time and missed experiences.  Everyone goes their separate ways, and Rooster dies before he and Mattie can reunite. That unique experience of time and death – of letting life and friendships slip through fingers – is a lamentable reality that the film harrowingly conveys.

2 One Day (2011)

The 2011 romantic drama One Day contains one of the weirdest and most unpredictable endings ever seen in a romantic film. Most of the film concerns the personal relationship between Anne Hathaway’s Emma and Jim Sturgess’s Dexter.

After finally getting married, Emma is struck by a random truck while riding her bicycle and dies. This leaves Dexter inconsolable, and the movie ends with him reflecting on their long time together. It’s a horrifically downbeat ending, proving the utter randomness of life and death. No matter how much one pines over another, and no matter how much a couple may love each other, tragedy can strike at literally any minute. It’s not a lesson that many viewers want to experience in their otherwise romantic films.

1 The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

One of Wes Anderson’s more colorful and eccentric films, The Grand Budapest Hotel has long been lauded for its impeccable filmmaking craft. While most of the praise centered around the film’s production, particular praise must also be given to the brave writing.

The otherwise fun and off-kilter movie ends in a weirdly downbeat fashion with Gustave being shot dead by the military and both Agatha and her infant son dying of the flu, leaving Zero alone and grieving their passing. It serves as a nightmare-like coda to the film, effectively contrasting the bitter reality of death and loss with the otherwise bright, colorful, and surreal experiences of the rest of the movie.

About The Author

Nathan Sharp
(852 Articles Published)

Nathan Sharp is a writer from outside Toronto, Ontario. He has a love of movies and television, having enjoyed them for more than twenty years. His preferences include drama, action, and horror, with the former being a particular point of interest and fascination.

He also has a love of video games, particularly those of Rockstar.

Whether it be about film, television, or video games, Nathan loves a good discussion and has written hundreds of articles for Screen Rant.

More From Nathan Sharp