This one's for Gary: Name the saddest movie endings in the '80s
We tend to only remember the happier movies of the '80s, but never forget that our favorite decade had flicks full of despair, ruin and heartbreak.
The ones that always get me, though, are the movies that are generally happy most of the way through, but have that heart-crushing ending. Yeah, I'm talking about poor Gary again in The Last American Virgin.
After doing everything he could to help the love of his life Karen, he finds her in the arms of Rick again. It sets up the saddest movie ending I've ever seen: Gary driving off, crying, as Just Once plays gently in the background. And it teaches us all a valuable life lesson: The more you love, the more it aches when it's over.
Oh, and this too: Never sell your stereo to fund a trip to Planned Parenthood for your friend's girlfriend, no matter how cute she is.
Click here to watch the entire ending of the movie. After you stop sobbing, help me out with this week's big list. Help name the saddest movie endings in the '80s. Here are some possible candidates:
LAST AMERICAN VIRGIN: Seriously, if anyone can top the agony here, I'll send them my DVD copy of the movie.
THE FLY: Watching Jeff Goldblum hold the shotgun up to his head with his fly hand so Geena Davis can put him out of his misery. Creepy and sad. [Trailer]
BRAZIL: Sure it has like 30 endings, half of which are gut-wrenching.
FIELD OF DREAMS: Don't click on this or you'll never stop crying. (Okay it's only the trailer, but it doesn't take much.)
MASK: Remember when Cher was a great actress? Yep, only in the '80s. [Video]
Go ahead and add your favorites.
Relive the music, movies and culture of the greatest decade ever with Times online editor Steve Spears. A teen during the decade, Steve is obsessed with everything from Duran Duran to Journey, John Hughes to John Cusack, and parachute pants to Reaganomics.
E-mail Steve Spears:
@Spears..Good call on "The World According to Garp." Saw that movie when I was 13 or 14 and didn't know what to make of it, other than it seemed like an odd and depressing movie. Definitely not what I expected having seen Robin Williams only in the role of Mork or as a comedian up to that point.
Posted by: TD | June 23, 2009 at 05:01 PM
ordinary people
beacher (fer sure)
Posted by: cinnyd | June 23, 2009 at 04:05 PM
Ordinary People - a heartwrenching movie
Posted by: l | June 23, 2009 at 03:37 PM
I honestly don't remember the ending of Big Chill. What happens that's so sad?
Another possibility: "The World According to Garp." Robin Williams is shot trying to protect his mom and is flown away in a helicopter.
Posted by: Spears | June 23, 2009 at 11:33 AM
Bridges of Madison County
Beaches
Posted by: CB | June 23, 2009 at 11:19 AM
Terms of Endearment!
Posted by: Susan | June 23, 2009 at 10:49 AM
"The Big Chill" anybody? Anybody? Bueller? Bueller?
Posted by: Troy | June 23, 2009 at 10:37 AM
I'm also willing to entertain saddest movie endings of ALL TIME. My vote right now goes to LOVE STORY, with Ryan O'Neal saying "Love means never having to say you're sorry" to his dad after his wife dies then walking away in the snow.
Best final lines to a movie ever, I maintain. Watch the final 10 minutes again here ... if you dare.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUcPTMx2JiA
Posted by: Spears | June 23, 2009 at 10:36 AM
Great oldies remakes: "Back Street" with Susan Hayard & John Gavin & "Imitation of Life" with Lana Turner & Sandra Dee and award nominee, Susan Kohner!
Posted by: Ellie | June 23, 2009 at 10:16 AM
Mask - This needs more votes. Who didn't cry when Cher can't wake Stoltz up. Plus, LAV's Gary, Lawrence Monoson, played Ben in the movie.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles was sad for a few moments when you found out his wife was dead.
Less than Zero - How could we forget this tragic but predictable ending?
Rocky 3 - Did anyone tear up when Micky dies?
Hamburger Hill - Finally get to the top just to get shot at by your own guys.
Posted by: Wise Traveler | June 23, 2009 at 01:58 AM
Terms of endearment
Posted by: Mark | June 23, 2009 at 01:23 AM
People talk about Steel Magnolias being sad, and it is a little said toward the end, but you get the upbeat ending, including the Easter Bunny riding off to the birth of his child on the back of a motorcycle.
Posted by: Walter Cox | June 22, 2009 at 10:20 PM
Diane Franklin in "Better Off Dead" was one of my serious 80's crushes, so I have an especially hard time with Last American Virgin.
Posted by: TheLoneIguana | June 22, 2009 at 09:14 PM
Taps is good for both the ending and then because, in 2003, a crazy Tom Cruise really did kill Timothy Hutton as an emotional Sean Penn looked on.
Wait? What? That didn't happen? Well it could have.
Posted by: Jonathan | June 22, 2009 at 06:07 PM
Definately the saddest of all for me is that scene where Sally Field screams "I can run all the way to Texas and back, but my daughter can't - she never could!" in the cemetary at the end of Steel Magnolias, but also agree with others, the actual scene where Debra Winger dies as she looks over at her mother sitting there in the chair in Terms of Endearment and that really sad music is playing during it...I could see that scene 10,000 times and cry every time at that part.
Posted by: Mel | June 22, 2009 at 04:23 PM
How about The Killing Fields? I can't listen to Imagine without thinking about this movie, and cry everytime.
Posted by: Melissa | June 22, 2009 at 02:57 PM
all this costner hatred, wow. kevin is my fav actor of all time. sure, he's made a few clunkers, but who hasn't. he's also made some movie classics(untouchables, bull durham, field of dreams, dances with wolves, no way out, open range, i could go on), but people like to slag on him. i think it's all comes from jealousy. he does the movies he wants, and still is a big star. some people don't like that. for the record, his so called bad movies are still better than most of the drek that's pumped out today.
Posted by: CHAD | June 22, 2009 at 01:41 PM
This one is easy. Brian's Song. I challenge you to find any man that saw that movie and did not cry!!
Posted by: Randall | June 22, 2009 at 01:21 PM
This one is easy. Brian's Song. I challenge you to find any man that saw that movie and did not cry!!
Posted by: Randall | June 22, 2009 at 01:21 PM
How could I forget Beaches?!
My friend and I went to a movie to cheer ourselves up and we went to see Beaches!
We cried like babies during that movie.
Posted by: Cathy | June 22, 2009 at 12:37 PM
I just got it! "This one's for Gary" is what Isreal Kamakawiwo'ole proclaims before he breaks into his rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Very clever Spearsy.
Posted by: Kevy Metal | June 22, 2009 at 12:20 PM
It's it bad enough that Costner was released from the Bulls in the end? Plus, living in North Carolina has to be a sort of death on some level anyway.
Posted by: Spears | June 22, 2009 at 12:03 PM
Bull Durham was the saddest for me because Costner wasn't killed off.
Posted by: Banglijk | June 22, 2009 at 11:47 AM
I'm amazed at all the "Taps" votes. Who knew that ending would be a top 5 ... maybe a top 2 ... contender for the list!
Posted by: Spears | June 22, 2009 at 11:41 AM
Silkwood--a sad ending made even more sad by it being true.
Posted by: SBK | June 22, 2009 at 11:39 AM
Can't add anything new, but definitely Taps, Stand by Me, and Dead Poet's Society
Posted by: Kenneth | June 22, 2009 at 11:25 AM
Field of Dreams was sad because of Ray's relationship with his dad - not even in the trailer...
Last Am Virgin was on cable last week and I forgot how sad the ending was, I had remembered the funny parts but that ending hits you like a bat to the head.
Posted by: hamptune | June 22, 2009 at 11:23 AM
'Taps' is a good one for the list. Timothy Hutton tries to stop an insane Tom Cruise, and winds up dead. Sean Penn's reaction is gut wrenching.
Posted by: Bassnote | June 22, 2009 at 10:57 AM
Pick any of the American Ninja movies-- tend to bring tears to my eyes due to the incredible acting.
Posted by: Lee | June 22, 2009 at 10:33 AM
Dead Poet's Society... I never saw it coming.
E.T.... my mom had to cover my mouth in the movie theater because I was crying so loudly.
Posted by: Julie in NC | June 22, 2009 at 10:21 AM
The Color Purple - the ending was not necessarily sad, but I cried buckets when Celie finally sees her sister again (and meets her grown children).
And, of course, Terms of Endearment. When Debra Winger says goodbye to her children - it just breaks my heart (sniff, sniff).
Posted by: Red | June 22, 2009 at 10:19 AM
"My Life" is 1993, so not eligible (though it's definitely depressing times 10). However, Michael Keaton's "Clean and Sober" is from 1988 and would make the list somewhere.
Posted by: Spears | June 22, 2009 at 09:53 AM
My Life with Michael Keaton
Posted by: billy | June 22, 2009 at 09:44 AM
Combat Shock
Posted by: Tino | June 22, 2009 at 09:29 AM
My friend Janette just texted with two more great suggestions: "Taps" and "Red Dawn."
Posted by: Spears | June 22, 2009 at 09:14 AM
Poltergeist had a sad ending. No more tv!
Posted by: Jen with one n | June 22, 2009 at 08:41 AM
Beaches - big time tear-jerker.
Posted by: Mary | June 22, 2009 at 08:36 AM
The Mission (Robert deNiro, Jeremy Irons as missionaries!?!) has a horribly gut-wrenching ending, watching the slaughter of children and women while the Jesuits fight a losing battle to save them from the Portuguese.
Posted by: jon in bradenton | June 22, 2009 at 07:55 AM
The ending of Steel Magnolias (1989) always messes me up. I'm good 'till Sally Fields starts screaming "WHY WHY WHY???". I always lose it at that part.
Posted by: Six | June 22, 2009 at 06:31 AM
The Wrath of Kahn! Is that Moishe Kahn or Abe Kahn? ;P
Posted by: Six | June 22, 2009 at 06:24 AM
Oh, "Glory" and "Platoon" - great picks. For some reason, I didn't have war movies in mind when I wrote those, but every genre is indeed applicable.
Posted by: Spears | June 22, 2009 at 05:24 AM
I thought Wall Street's ending was pretty sad. Charlie Sheen's character is going to be marching off to jail.
Posted by: Bassnote | June 22, 2009 at 01:05 AM
Man this is gonna be tough. How in the world am I even gonna come close to finding an ending that would even come close to Last American Virgin?
Posted by: The Man Known Only as.......Rowan | June 22, 2009 at 12:43 AM
Saddest movie endings of the 80s:
Beaches
Steel Magnolias
Terms of Enderment
La Bamba
Heartburn
ET
These are the only ones I could think of. I know there are many more.
Posted by: Nicole | June 22, 2009 at 12:33 AM
Good choice Steve about Last American Virgin. That ending is heartbreaking. All the support that Gary gave to Karen and she goes back to Rick. Huge low blow.
I also think it is a great choice because it doesn't involve death like some of the other movies mentioned. Death is an easy thing to be sad for.
Posted by: Eric S | June 21, 2009 at 11:41 PM
Oops, that should be "Khan," not "Kahn."
Posted by: TD | June 21, 2009 at 11:00 PM
Surprised you didn't include Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn, with Spock's death. Other movies I think have sad endings or ended on a down note:
Red Dawn (with Jed holding Matt on the park bench)
Dead Poet's Society
Platoon
Glory (mass grave scene)
At Close Range
Stand By Me
The Outsiders (death of Dallas and Johnny's letter)
Posted by: TD | June 21, 2009 at 10:58 PM