Comedy moviesare generally designed to lift the spirits of those who watch them. The world can be a difficult place to live in sometimes, with the comfort of a funny movie often being something that can help a movie fan unwind and let off some steam. Just the same way action movies provide excitement to viewers and horror movies offer up entertaining scares; comedies are all about letting people laugh.
However, it would also be boring if all comedies were always one-note in what they offered to viewers. Filmmakers have realized this, and as such, there are plenty ofcomedies out there that are also surprisingly sad. Despite being humorous movies that will likely prove entertaining and funny to viewers, they also happen to have surprisingly downbeat endings.
The following article will contain spoilers for the movies discussed.
10’Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb' (1964)
Even thoughDr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bombis probablyStanley Kubrick’sfunniest movie, it also might be his bleakest. After all, it deals with a Cold War stand-off that spirals dramatically out of control and puts the entire world in danger of being completely destroyed…but in a funny, satirical way.
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Still, even with all the comedy — and legendary comedic actorPeter Sellersplaying three different characters — the film ultimately ends in tragedy. Thanks to the incompetence of the characters, the world ends up getting destroyed in a series of nuclear attacks, with the final montage of nuclear bombs going offunderscored byVera Lynn’s"We’ll Meet Again"making for a surprisingly haunting and memorable ending.
9’An American Werewolf in London' (1981)
Horror movie monsters are often tragic beings, and so even a comedic horror movie likeAn American Werewolf in Londonends badly for the titular beast. The movie follows two students who are holidaying in Britain, only to get attacked by a werewolf, which ends up causing one of them (David, played byDavid Naughton) to turn into one of the creatures himself.
It’s a comedic movie for sure, but it also doesn’t skimp on the horror and is particularly notable for how disturbing its big transformation sequence is (and the fact the effects used still hold up well). Ultimately, David ends up being killed after a rampage through London while in his werewolf form, with the movie ending rather abruptly after it happens.
8’Brazil’ (1985)
A dystopian science-fiction movie that also happens to be one of thebest cult films of the 1980s,Brazilis a wild ride that’s equal parts funny and disturbing. It’s a movie that captures the energy of aFranz Kafkastory without being a direct adaptation, as it depicts one man (Jonathan Pryce) getting wrapped up in a strange and perplexing conspiracy that feels both nightmarish and completely out of his control.
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The end scenes of the film are particularly jarring, as the protagonist seems to be stuck in a series of scenarios that get more and more outlandish until he finally manages to escape them all with the woman he loves. Except that’s not what happens outside thecritically despised/studio-mandated “happy” ending. The real ending is exceptionally bleak because the main character is locked within his dreamworld and is last seen imprisoned with no chance of escape.
Stanley Kramerwas adirector best known for his socially conscious dramas, which makes the slapstick comedy ofIt’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Worldstand out. The film follows a group of people who learn of a tremendous fortune buried many miles away, which starts a madcap dash between the lot of them to find the stash of cash first.
Even though it’s Kramer’s silliest, funniest film, it ends up having one of his most downbeat endings, funnily enough. At the end of the film, everyone’s greed ensures no one gets to keep the fortune, and most end up getting charged for the various criminal activities committed throughout the film, with the final message quite clearly being that excessive greed can be one’s downfall.
6’Barton Fink' (1991)
Barton Finkstrikes a very strange tone for much of its runtime, which is to be expected when it comes to a pair of filmmakers likeThe Coen Brothers. It’s a movie that follows Barton Fink (John Turturro), a playwright who goes to Hollywood to write a movie, only to struggle with writer’s block and numerous eccentric characters who complicate his life considerably.
It’s certainly a dark comedy and one that aims to satirize the film industry and does this by having its protagonist get chewed up and spat out by the business. Barton Fink ends the movie in a much worse place than he started, and also finds out that one of his apparent friends is actually a crazed murderer who takes the life of his love interest, making this movie a downer even by dark comedy standards.
5’The Big Short' (2015)
Anyone who can remember the dire effects of the housing market collapse will know thatThe Big Shortcan’t help but be a movie that ends badly. The film explores — in a somewhat comedic manner — how the Global Financial Crisis ended up happening by focusing on several characters who saw it coming and played a role in it happening.
There’s an element of dread that comes with watching a movie like this that’s based on true events. Even if some benefited from short-selling stocks, the world as a whole suffered, with people losing their homes and unemployment levels rising, worsening the quality of life for the vast majority of the global population.
4’Don’t Look Up' (2021)
Six years after directingThe Big Short,Adam McKaymade another comedy with a downbeat ending in 2021’sDon’t Look Up. It’s not one directly inspired by actual events. Instead, it aims to satirize real-world people and behaviors through its story about an incoming world-ending disaster that much of the population refuses to take seriously as an actual threat.
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Those insisting that the film’s comet was genuinely dangerous end up being proven right, and in the final moments of the film, it collides with Earth and wipes out all its life. It ends this darkly comedic modern-day satire on a remarkably somber note. It ultimately warns that a similar fate could befall the world in real life should everyone remain so seemingly divided about… well, everything.
3’Clerks III' (2022)
TheClerkstrilogy is one that usually makes for a pretty fun viewing experience. The films follow two clerks — Dante (Brian O’Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson) — as they work a series of emotionally-taxing jobs involving customer service and retail work. Along the way, there’s plenty of vulgar banter, eccentric side characters, and painfully relatable moments (for viewers who work similar jobs) to keep things entertaining.
The final film in the trilogy,Clerks III, gets surprisingly depressing, though. It ends with the trilogy’s main character, Dante, dying from a heart attack. There’s a vague sense that life will go on for Randal, but the film doesn’t offer him much hope or believable happiness without his best friend, making for an oddly depressing end to the nearly 30-year-long series.
2’The Big Lebowski' (1998)
One of the goofiest and most consistently funny movies from the Coen Brothers,The Big Lebowskiis an absolute classic. It follows The Dude (Jeff Bridges), a perpetually laidback man who ends up in a bizarre film noir-style plot that derails his life in numerous ways, most proving comedic (at least to the audience).
At the end of it all, The Dude doesn’t exactly come out on top: he loses a friend, doesn’t end up solving any real mysteries, and also never gets his rug back. At least “The Dude abides,” meaning life will go on for him, regardless of his misfortune. Viewers can at least take comfort in that.
1’The Banshees of Inisherin' (2022)
The Banshees of Inisherinhas some comedic relief and enough to be considered a dramedy. However, this story of two friends having an explosive fallout on an isolated island in the 1920s probably ends up being more serious than funny, especially as the film goes on and enters its very grim second half.
The conflict ends up spiraling out of control and negatively impacts just about every character in the film. Ultimately, the two main characters don’t resolve their conflict, one’s pet donkey dies, and the other’s house gets burned down. It’s also implied that things will not get any better for anyone after the end credits roll.
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