With the talents of Burt Reynolds and Dom Deluise, most people would expect The End to be hysterically funny, as it has often been referred to as an under-rated "Black Comedy." The problem is "The End" is only funny in spots. Other times it tries to be a serious drama. The plot basically has Burt Reynolds, a real-estate executive, diagnosed with a terminal blood disease. He is told that he has less than a year to live, that the range could be as short as three months. Desperate, Burt decides to contemplate ways to commit suicide. After a failed attempt, he lands in a psycho-ward, where a patient (Dom Deluise) tries to help him achieve his death wish. At the film's conclusion, Burt decides that life is worth living after all, but his deranged inmate and friend is still trying to kill him in a memorable ocean-side scene as the credits roll.
Another issue is that Burt's character, Sonny, never fully develops into someone really likable or funny, which is a shame, because Reynolds really tries to make the character work. While there are some chuckles from one-liners, a lot of the times, Sonny's moods are very "bipolar", often in the same scene. One minute he says something funny, and thirty seconds later he's moping around feeling sorry for himself.
Dom Deluise also tries very hard to be comical, but again, he is only funny in spurts. The best scene in the movie is with Burt and he on the "tower" trying to carry out Burt's death wish! I think that is the funniest part of the movie. However, most of the time, both protagonists seem forced in their dialog. Burt's fake "crying" is so obvious when he is depressed in this movie, that "Sonny" often becomes more annoying than comical.
I agree with another user who said that "The End" tries to be more than it is. However, the premise of the movie is uncertain where it wants to take the viewer. The first half is more serious than funny, and the second half is more funny than serious, but the movie just doesn't "come together" very well. I put the film just slightly above average at a six for the great "Tower Scene" and the song, "Another Fine Mess", which is good. However, this movie is not as good as it could have been.
Another issue is that Burt's character, Sonny, never fully develops into someone really likable or funny, which is a shame, because Reynolds really tries to make the character work. While there are some chuckles from one-liners, a lot of the times, Sonny's moods are very "bipolar", often in the same scene. One minute he says something funny, and thirty seconds later he's moping around feeling sorry for himself.
Dom Deluise also tries very hard to be comical, but again, he is only funny in spurts. The best scene in the movie is with Burt and he on the "tower" trying to carry out Burt's death wish! I think that is the funniest part of the movie. However, most of the time, both protagonists seem forced in their dialog. Burt's fake "crying" is so obvious when he is depressed in this movie, that "Sonny" often becomes more annoying than comical.
I agree with another user who said that "The End" tries to be more than it is. However, the premise of the movie is uncertain where it wants to take the viewer. The first half is more serious than funny, and the second half is more funny than serious, but the movie just doesn't "come together" very well. I put the film just slightly above average at a six for the great "Tower Scene" and the song, "Another Fine Mess", which is good. However, this movie is not as good as it could have been.