MovieChat Forums > Liar's Moon Discussion > Good movie, unravels at end

Good movie, unravels at end


I enjoyed the movie immensely. It was atmospheric and beautifully filmed, but unfortunately it falls apart at the end due to its very UNREALISTIC ending. The ending simply isn't credible. I suspect the director added the unbelievable scenes at the end in order to inject more 'drama' and 'suspense' into the film. Here is what I mean: The pregnant girl, after being informed by a bona fide doctor that she must submit to an abortion - which was illegal in La in those days - regardless of cause - refuses to submit to the procedure without talking to her husband first. Distraught, she goes out looking for him, but instead of waiting at home for him to return from work, she turns for help to a hooker living in the same boarding house in order to procure an 'illegal' abortion from an unsanitary backwoods abortionist - without waiting to consult with her husband. If she had returned to the doctor, or even just called his office- which is far more credible -he would have informed her that there was a big mistake and all was well. Thus, the director opted to pursue an unrealistic story line. That was disappointing, because there was no need to procure an immediate abortion at all - especially from a backwoods quack who had to be well paid for her 'services.' Another unbelievable scene follows when the husband races off in search of the hooker, whom he finds working in a swanky, but tawdry bordello. In this scene, she tells him that his wife is procuring an abortion from a backwoods abortionist - but does not tell him WHERE the woman is located - he races off just the same and finds her. This is incredible. There really was no way he could have known about this woman. It isn't even credible that he and his wife would have had a prior conversation about her! Aside from that, the movie is still worth seeing, but the director could have opted for a better story line at the end.

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I can't remember if the doctor actually told her she needed an abortion. What he did tell her was that she needed to be put under his care and that they would have to have the marriage annulled and would not be able to stay married. I believe he may have told her that her parents were coming to get her. What the prostitute friend told her was that she knew of someone that could tie her tubes (not just an abortion). That is what she wanted because she wanted to keep quiet about what she had learned and stay married to her husband. The husband knew where the prostitute worked because she was their neighbor and the people in their house told him they left together. He found her and she told him where she had left his wife. He tried to get there before anything happened, but was too late and the lady told him to take her to the hospital. The movie has a lot of twists and turns but you have to put yourself in her shoes, her mind is probably going a mile a minute and she can't even believe the story but loves her husband so much she would risk it all for him and do whatever it takes to stay with him.

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well of course I love the alternate ending - where everything turns out in the young lover's favor; I watched this when it first came out - my mother and I watched the "feel good ending" and we had a friend who watched "the very sad ending"; well we didn't know they had alternate endings at the time - so one day my mother and friend had lunch and started talking about this movie "Liar's Moon" - well her friend had tears in her eyes bc she was so upset about the ending, well my mother questioned her about the movie, she said I think we watched 2 diff movies - but of course it was the sad alternate ending her friend watched, my mother told her that it was the same movie but that we watched the happy ending.. man it really threw a lot of ppl for a loop and confused a lot of ppl as well. I never watched the "sad ending" and I will never watch it. I will always have the happy ending etched in my head. My mom's friend finally (somehow) saw the version we did which made her so much more happy --- I adore Matt Dillon, what a gorgeous, amazing talented actor he is, he reminds me of a young Marlon Brando, still til this day. I've watched all of his movies - just like I watched all of Kiefer Sutherland's movies (even the early ones from his career); he's another underrated actor, gorgeous and talented as well.. These are my two fave actors. Sorry went off topic. But the alternate endings confused the hell out of a lot of people. I would love to watch the "good" ending - if I could find it somehow online. If anybody knows where I could see the "good" ending online please let me know. Thanks in advance.

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The one with the happier ending is here:

http://www.ovguide.com/liar's-moon-9202a8c04000641f8000000006b19eba

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Agreed. This film does fall apart a bit in the last third.

I'm a totally bitchin' bio writer from Mars!

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While the film does get silly at the end, for the most part it was pleasing and supremely well-acted -- Dillon and his girl were very believable. So, ultimately, I can't say I felt disappointed by this.


What do you think the teacher's gonna look like this year?

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I liked the beginning, began to get tedious toward the middle, and really fell apart at the end.

I was so disappointed because I really thought I'd enjoy this movie.

There are so many things that don't make sense in this movie:

What did his mother hope to achieve by telling that lie?

Why did Dr. Mullen call Dr. Black back in Texas? What was the need and how did he even know who to call? Yes, I suppose she could have told him, but why when they were supposed to be hiding out?

Why didn't the father tell Ginny the truth (or at least what he thought was the truth) before things went too far?

Why did the idiot detective try to drive them off the road? He could have killed them.

Really wanted to like this and it did start out well, but utter confusion in the end.

Poorly Lived and Poorly Died, Poorly Buried and No One Cried

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Agreed, the ending was terrible. No way anybody wouldn't ask their parents about what the Doctor was claiming especially knowing that her father was against her being with Jack. It's a real downer.

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