A movie can only ever be as good as its ending. It’s what audiences walk out of the theater with, the moment (or moments) that will be freshest in their minds and have a monumental effect on how they feel about the overall experience. A bad ending can ruin even a phenomenal film; but a great ending? One so legendary that it ends up going down in history as one of the best in the history of cinema? That’s what cinephiles’ dreams are made of.
Several of the most beloved and iconic films of all time have had some of the best endings in movie history. Whether it’s a comedic ending meant to get a laugh out of you, a tear-jerker bound to have you diving for the tissue box, or a mind-blowing moment that recontextualizes the entire narrative, a truly great ending can contribute tremendously to making the movie in question be remembered as one of the best ever.
Needless to say, there will be spoilers ahead for the ending of each entry.
Steven Spielberg‘s first-ever nomination for the Best Picture Academy Awards came in 1983, for what’s now remembered as one of the most quintessential Hollywood classics of the 1980s: <em>E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial</em>, a family gem inspired by an imaginary friend that Spielberg created after his parents’ divorce. By the time he made this, Spielberg was already well-established as the king of Hollywood blockbusters, but E.T. proved that he still had enough gas left in the tank to keep revolutionizing the art form.
E.T. is one of those feel-good movies that should ease anyone’s existential dread, and much of that feel-good tone comes from the movie’s touching ending. Following their escape through the forest on flying bicycles, Elliot and the other children bid an emotional farewell to E.T., who promises to be in their memories forever before flying back home on his UFO. Aside from being perhaps the best-scored ending in film history, all thanks to John Williams‘ magical “Escape / Chase / Saying Goodbye” track, the finale is pure, unadulterated, beautifully emotional movie magic.
9
‘Some Like It Hot’ (1959)
Image via United Artists
Billy Wilder was a filmmaker who was constantly ahead of his time, always finding clever ways to dance around the Hays Code during Hollywood’s Golden Age. He made Some Like It Hot right as that period of the American film industry’s history was coming to a close, and frankly? It might just be his single most ahead-of-its-time film, treating themes of gender dynamics with surprising nuance and progressiveness considering the time that it was made.
All of that comes to a rousing close in the film’s third act, where the two genres that the movie has spent the last two hours juggling—romantic comedy and gangster comedy—come to a clash. Osgood helps Joe, Sugar, and Jerry escape the mob on his boat, thinking that he’s rescuing his beloved Daphne. But after Jerry rips off his wig and reveals that he’s actually a man, Osgood’s iconic response is “well, nobody’s perfect.” Osgood, one of cinema’s biggest bisexual icons, is only one of the myriad of reasons why this is one of the best classic comedy masterpieces.
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‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ (1946)
Image via Liberty Films
Another Golden-Age Hollywood filmmaker who was constantly ahead of his time was Frank Capra, as he demonstrated in the first film he made after serving in the U.S. Army during World War II: <em>It's a Wonderful Life</em>, now widely remembered as the biggest and greatest Christmas movie classic of all time. It also features one of the best crowd-pleasing endings of all time, which is no small reason why it has proven so timeless.
Christmas only plays a relatively small part in It’s a Wonderful Life. As a whole, it’s a beautifully touching story of family, male mental health, and anti-suicide messaging, and the ending brings all of that to a marvelous close. After having been shown what his town would have looked like if he had never existed, George Bailey returns home to hug his family, as the rest of the town comes in to donate money to them and celebrate Christmas. Incredibly sweet without being saccharine, the ending of this classic masterpiece is enough to warm even the coldest hearts.
7
‘The Empire Strikes Back’ (1980)
