| THE END |
 1978 - USADirector: Burt Reynolds
- Reviewed by Jennifer
In the opening scene of the film, Sonny Lawson (Burt Reynolds), learns that he only has a few months to live. As he paces the doctor's office, feeling sorry for himself, and worrying how it will be at the very end, the doctor (played hilariously by Norman Fell) listens absent-mindedly and struggles with his nasal spray. Sonny then goes to confession, but the priest is an absurdly young Robbie Benson, and has a nervous habit of removing his collar and flicking it against his teeth. Even as he faces the worst news of his life, it seems that poor Sonny gets no respect. Sonny wastes no time in preparing for his demise, and begins to visit the most important people in his life. First on the list is his girlfriend (Sally Field), a cute but flaky cat lady with an absolutely squalid house. He then drops in on his ex-wife (Joanne Woodward), whose feelings toward him aren't exactly warm and fuzzy. He sees his daughter (the adorably spunky Kristy McNichol), his parents, and his best friend, and then it seems there's nothing to do but pack it in. Why wait for an agonizing death when he could end it all right now? In his mind the months he was given to live have quickly diminished to one more day. After scrawling a quick suicide note, Sonny settles down with a bottle of milk and several bottles of sleeping pills stolen from his parent's medicine cabinet. From the very first sip, it's obvious that this plan will not be as easy to execute as he imagined. Not only is the milk disgustingly sour, he doesn't die even after the pills are swallowed. Instead he wakes up in a mental hospital with Marlon (Dom DeLuise) staring down at him. I had been wholeheartedly enjoying the movie up to this point, but when Dom arrived on the scene, I started smiling so hard my eyes watered and my face hurt. There's a reason I've adored this man since I was old enough to watch TV, and I still wish he were my uncle, just so I could laugh with him, eat at his dinner table, and steal a bear hug every so often. As Marlon, he exhibits a brilliant combination of innocence, vulnerability, and warmth, but with an edge. Committed for strangling his revolting father, Marlon suffers a variety of mental disorders, and seems to have more than a few personalities. He knows that Sonny is disappointed by his failed suicide attempt, so it actually seems kind of sweet when he starts trying to kill him. There are no sharp objects in the hospital room, so Marlon thoughtfully shows Sonny how he could try crushing his head by lowering the automatic bed strategically onto his skull. When that fails, shenanigans ensue throughout several more ill-fated suicide attempts. But when Sonny realizes that he's not ready to die, it seems Marlon just can't stop being helpful. "Hold still," he calls cheerfully, as he fires a gun at Sonny. The final scene is even more perfect than I remembered: as Sonny drags himself to shore, narrowly escaping death by drowning, Marlon scampers up and hugs him. They roll in the sand like Deborah Kerr and Burt Lancaster in From Here to Eternity. Marlon then produces a knife and exclaims, "Surprise!" So begins the beloved chase down the beach, and I was laughing like I was four when Marlon calls out "Wait for my knife!" I have no memory of that line, but it's so bizarrely funny, I had tears streaming down my face by the time the credits finished. It's a rare day when you can laugh about dying, but somehow The End lets you do just that. |
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If you had asked me at age four, "What's the funniest thing you've seen in your whole life?" I would have answered without hesitation, "Dom DeLuise chasing Burt Reynolds down the beach with a knife in The End." If you were to ask me the same question today, I would give you exactly the same answer. I hadn't seen The End in years, and I wasn't sure if I would love it as much as I did as a child, but to be perfectly honest, I think I loved it even more.
