MovieChat Forums > If Only (2004) Discussion > Ending **SPOILERS**

Ending SPOILERS

posted 18 years ago by dvlishbrunett367
15 replies | jump to latest

I don't know about anyone else, but I didn't like the ending of this movie at all.

IF YOU DIDN'T LIKE THE ENDING OF THIS MOVIE, POST WHAT YOU THINK IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN.

I think the ending should have been:

Lottie walks in after the crash (just like original ending) and says "I'm so sorry." The camera moves over to see Ian sitting there crying with cuts and bruises. Then the camera moves to the emergency room where they are helping Sam and she's unconcious. *beeeeeep*... her heart stops. Ian walks over to the window and stares at her and starts crying. Her heart starts back up and she's alive. Afterwards, it shows her on stage singing "Take My Heart Back" and Ian is in the audience looking at her.

[–] lhswmmr13 18 years ago

nope yeah it was that he had to die even after all that had happened but if they had both lived then the movie would have been perfect and in life things arent perfect.. in the movie he knew either "sam" was going to die or he was going to die and he loved sam to much to let her die so he died for her

[–] a_bientot_105-467-230804 10 years ago

What I don't understand is that he didn't seem to love her THAT much the first time around, he wouldn't even meet her family or he even forgot an important day for Sam, then suddenly he loved her the next day and decides to save her. I know people might say he only realized that after he saw her die, but still it was too big a change of feelings and I just couldn't buy it. Sam being the character that she is, (supposedly liked by everyone, taught Ian to love etc.) didn't help at all either.

[–] Mystikal_Spirit 16 years ago

if they'd both lived it wouldn't have been as sad as it was

[–] sestra151 16 years ago

Why did it have to be sad? He had to learn a lesson, sure, but by giving up his life? I wanted the ending I posted elsewhere here, he saves them both and learns to truly appreciate her, and she learns to live her dreams, WITH him by her side. I liked what the previous poster said.

[–] Mystikal_Spirit 16 years ago

i don't think it would've been memorable at all if he'd have stayed alive. It would've just been another love story and there are tons of them around already. It would've become boring if he'd lived

[–] WarningSign 16 years ago

yeah i hated the end and loved it because it wouldn't have been as moving if he hadn't died and it would have made me happier if he'd lived.

[–] novemaria 16 years ago

Yes! I agree - that would have been the perfect ending! =)

That would have made the entire movie perfect - worth all the sad stuff.

But the ending... made it not really worth all the sad stuff.

I think I would have actually preferred if he had survived and she died happy, but then again, they both had a happy day, right? Ahh, I dunno - if there had to be death, they should have both died, so neither would have to live without the other.

But I really like your ending dvlishbrunett367. That would have been so 'House.' I personally would have liked it more if they time changed to 11:00 and they just drove on together - no accident.

[–] blueseas 16 years ago

I cried a lot during the ending, but if you look at the sequence of events, that is the only "likely" ending. From the first day to the second, all of the events happened in a similar way, but with different people in the events or a different order. For example, instead of Samantha's student Oliver saying that he wished he was only a few years old, it was a janitor named Oliver in Lottie's place that used a similar line. The event was the same but the people in the event were different.

Ian realized that no matter what he did, the events would happen in some way or another so at the end of that night, someone had to die but "who" was questionable. So he made the ultimate sacrifice and decision that it would be him. I wish it didn't have to be that way, but that's the only good ending to this movie.

[–] Larssn 16 years ago

Well, I basically really disliked the movie. Actually one of the worst films Ive seen of the kind. But that's not the point here.

My take of the ending would have been Ian waking up *boom* being told Samantha is dead.
The entire film after the re-awakening bit with him trying to be the perfect boyfriend would than have been his regrets. All the guilt and the thoughts of what he should have done.

This gloomy ending would have, imo, been far more moving.

[–] sharkattack1978 11 years ago

Why? It ended a good way, the movie was all about second chances and what you would do if you had a second chance. He knew that that was going to happen. nothing was gonna change that. He wanted to protect her for it happening again, he knew it was going to happen. Whether he knew the accident would kill him instead, i don't know but all he cared about the second time was protecting Sam. Unfortunately it was at the cost of his own life. It was more realistic cause fate does not give second chances, Fate was determined to take one or the other, Ian gave his life for Sam because he realized how much he loved her.

SharkattackUK

Shoot me again, I ain't dead yet!

[–] wackojacko61 11 years ago

I think a lot of you missed one salient point. When Ian hopped in the taxi the next day the taxi driver told him "You better hurry up, you don't have much time."
This tells us all that he was pegged to die instead of Sam. He didn't say".....she doesn't have much time." which would have implied Sam would die again.

In that context, the ending to me wasn't that much of a shocker. It certainly had me wondering why they took the taxi at all. If as the premonition and subsequent events inferred, it had to happen anyway, why not test that theory by walking home or getting home some other way?

[–] zeusstudios 16 years ago

when he entered the car knowing that he couldn't change the end result, may be he knew he was going to die or at least be there one final time if at all he doesn't
but she surviving??? that's ... ummm....weird

[–] always_keep_fighting 15 years ago

It was sad that Ian died, but I think it was necessary for the story. My only problem with the end of the movie is that we go from seeing Sam in the hospital crying with Lottie, then the next scene, with a "6 Months Later" caption, is of her packing up to go home, and singing "Take My Heart Back" in a bar. I would have preferred seeing more of her life after Ian's death, and being able to griee with her. I know they show her going up to the cabin, but that's not much. I just felt that the ending was way too rushed.

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[–] aroeh 11 years ago

Three days has a better ending that movie was soooo much better

[–] fjmsoftware 9 years ago

Yep, that was about the only thing wrong with the ending: we don't get quite enough of a grieving phase. That's exactly why it made sense and it was important to have him die in her place in the accident: to show how death is as much a part of life as pain is a part of love or silence a part of music - the indispensable other side of the coin.