A great comedy holds an audience's attention with well-timed gags and continuous giggles throughout the movie's run time. Directors of funny films know how to garner the best from writers, editors, and talent to produce a final product that remains timeless. But even the best comedies sometimes miss the mark by the credits.
Apparently, the ending isn't as important to fans of comedies as it is for other genres, but that doesn't mean the movie is safe from criticism. Some filmmakers take the easy way out, ignore essential plot points, or give an unearned climax. However, even the most popular and acclaimed comedy projects still deserve their terrible conclusions highlighted.
10 Rat Race Skips Over The Finish Line
Inspired by the 1963 film It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Rat Race centers around an ensemble cast, including Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding Jr., Jon Lovitz, Seth Green, John Cleese, and Dave Thomas. The movie follows six teams on a 563-mile race from Las Vegas to New Mexico for a chance to win $2 million.
Greed and hilarity ensue amongst the participants as they obstruct one another from the valuable prize. Although the characters learn a valuable lesson in charity and teamwork, the conclusion is unearned and doesn't fit the overall theme that makes it so funny.
9 Chasing Amy Didn't Go Anywhere
Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse is nothing without the 1997 romantic comedy Chasing Amy. The award-winning independent film follows Ben Affleck's character, a comic book artist named Holden McNeil, as he tries to win the heart of a bisexual woman played by Joey Lauren Adams.
Silent Bob tells him a story about his similar regrets in losing a girl named Amy, and Holden changes his opinion about dating a bisexual woman. He proposes a threesome with Amy, which pushes her away and leads to a depressing and uneventful finale.
8 Shallow Hal Forgets It's A Comedy
The Farrelly Brothers recruited Jack Black as the star of the 2001 romantic comedy Shallow Hal alongside Gwyneth Paltrow. In the film, Hal halts his shallow nature after Tony Robbins hypnotizes him, leading him to see every woman's inner beauty manifested in their physical form.
Bobby and Peter Farrelly are known for movies with slapstick humor and illogical conclusions, but Shallow Hal's problem has nothing to do with logic. Although it's an important lesson, the fantastical nature of the movie focuses on the emotional aspects and abandons the comedy before the credits roll.
7 Happy Gilmore Obstructs The Conclusion
Adam Sandler followed up the offbeat Billy Madison with another hilarious classic in Happy Gilmore, which is a film about a hockey player turned golf phenomenon. Happy must learn the game of golf in record time to save his grandma's house and free her from a cringeworthy orderly. He makes record-breaking drives, but his putting abilities are atrocious.
Happy's coach, Chubbs Peterson, fixes his short game by training him at a miniature golf course. During the film's climax, a fan crashes a car into a tower, disrupting the green and obstructing the hole. However, instead of the golf league pausing play, they require Happy to maneuver around the wreckage.
6 The Hangover Stupidly Sobers Up
Todd Phillips earned worldwide critical acclaim for The Hangover, which is a film about a Las Vegas bachelor party gone wrong. After losing the groom during a night of debauchery, Phil, Stu, and Alan must retrace their drunken steps to find their best friend Doug before his fast-approaching nuptials.
The movie's first problem is that no self-respecting bride would allow the groom to hold a bachelor party in Las Vegas two days before the wedding. But the end of the movie demonstrates the main characters' ineptitude. The boys find Doug roasting on the roof, even though they noticed the impaled mattress he tossed off it earlier.
5 Big Ended With A Moral Conundrum
Tom Hanks tested his acting range with Big when he played high school kid Josh Baskin who wishes to be a grown-up. The coming-of-age tale hit its mark in terms of what a teenager would do in an adult body, plus what they'd do with the money earned as a high-level business executive. Josh's co-workers don't realize he's a literal kid at heart, which makes his success more wholesome.
However, the movie's conclusion came with some questionable decisions. Josh builds a relationship with a female colleague, and when it comes time to wish for his old life back, he transforms in front of the woman he slept with. Even though it contributed to the greatness of Tom Hanks, the film ignores the moral dilemma of returning to his underage self.
4 Office Space Ignores A Significant Plot Point
Beavis and Butt-Head creator, Mike Judge, won audiences over with his cult classic Office Space. Peter Gibbons works a dead-end office job at Initech. His girlfriend convinces him to see a hypnotherapist, who unfortunately has a fatal heart attack after he's hypnotized during their session.
This leaves Peter stuck in a hypnotic state without a care in the world. As a result, he conspires with his co-workers to embezzle the company. Peter decides to fess up to the crime, but the building is burned down by his stapler-loving co-worker Milton. Office Space never addresses the parameters of the hypnotic state or how it releases Peter by the end.
3 Mrs. Doubtfire Is Guilty Of An Unearned Ending
Mrs. Doubtfire follows actor Daniel Hillard after he quits his job and goes behind his wife's back to throw their kids a birthday party, leading to a messy divorce. No other performance demonstrates the range of the late Robin Williams than this Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning heartfelt comedy.
Williams recruits his make-up artist brother to design a disguise so he can become an old nanny and continue to see his kids. Daniel's wife, Miranda, ends up discovering the charade, and the jig is up. However, Daniel is rewarded for his deception with a new television show, no jail time, and a forgiving ex-wife who gives him visitation rights.
2 The Big Lebowski's Depressing Ending Will Not Stand, Man
There is immense difficulty in selecting the best Coen Brothers film, but The Big Lebowski should be on everyone's shortlist. The Dude is one of the most iconic characters in film history. His relaxed behavior, hilarious buds, and overall outlook on life are incredibly contagious and engaging.
The ensemble comedy would have ended with a bang were it not for the death of his friend, Donny. The film made light of the sad situation with a gag while The Dude and Walter spread their late bowling teammate's ashes. Donny didn't deserve a solemn death, and the movie's mood suffers for it.
1 Stripes Marches Past A Logical Conclusion
The additions of John Candy, Judge Reinhold, and John Larroquette make Stripes one of the funniest ensemble comedies of the 1980s. And no actors could play John Winger and his best friend Russell better than Bill Murray and Harold Ramis. The carefree and lackadaisical attitudes of John and Russell are pure comedy gold.
Their hi-jinks throughout boot camp and the loss of Sgt. Hulka culminated with the unit of misfits spending all night practicing for graduation, which is where the movie should have ended. However, they then steal a top-secret RV, leading to their unit's capture behind enemy lines. Instead of a court-martial and time locked up in the brig, the Army celebrates them as heroes.