MovieChat Forums > TiMER (2010) Discussion > Ending was completely unacceptable.

Ending was completely unacceptable.

posted 14 years ago by sunfarer
61 replies | jump to latest

Now listen, it should have ended with oona finally daring to love openly and freely without this albatross of a timer around her screwed up head. It should have ended with her kissing mikey saying YES, let me take a chance and LOVE !!! Something I have always wanted desperately but was always too afraid to actually do anything about because I was misled by this misplaced importance on this stupid gadget...BUT NOW I SEE THE LIGHT, my lovely beautiful man, my gift from the universe to bring me joy and fulfillment !!!

Steph and Dan should have also gotten together. It was perfect. Each finally finding someone who they could get along with and care for. It was a wonderful and balanced relationship. GOOD BANTER. One looking for an actual meaningful relationship after being frustrated, cursed, jaded, and unfulfilled for so long; and the other coming back to life post death of a beloved one after waiting for three long lonely years...
Nothing could have been a more perfect setup. NOTHING.

THIS ENDING WOULD HAVE MADE SENSE. This is the path that the characters were growing towards throughout the whole movie...

YET the timer faction must have won that last discussion at the final script-meeting. SO we end up with an ending that just FALLS DOWN and says, "ALL HAIL THE TIMER". *beep* HUMAN EMOTION and how life really works. Let's all be machines. Let's not live till the timer chimes. AND when those dulcet tones hit you, DROP everyone and everything that you have built and enjoy in your whole life and go with some stranger who is your soulmate. Is that how life works ? REALLY ???

Well, congrats; YOU completely *beep* up the movie. Thanks. Thank you very much. Gracias. Danke. F*&% YOU, you miserable moron(s) !!!
:-)

The movie with its ending is completely unbelievable. NO CREDIBILITY. After everything you did to lead us up to the promised land, it ends up just a mirage.
It is not even a plot twist because that would have to be a possibility.
THIS we can NOT believe.

IF anyone has a doubt about what I am saying, watch the movie AGAIN and see for yourself how each and every frame of the movie can only eventually lead to the one conclusion I mentioned above.
Bastards. There was such promise in this movie.

******************

A concern: no one ever followed up with mom after oona found out (after meeting her father) that her mother was a liar !
Was this an oversight or is there a sequel coming ?

*******************

A LOT of women are too afraid to live and enjoy the present and thus *beep* up their own happiness by worrying about the future; they kill the present and any relationship that could have blossomed into a lifelong sharing.

This movie could have been a shining example of how to do love right. Had the chance to perhaps lead so many women to a wonderful self-realization, but someone BLEW IT !

ALAS, so close, yet so far...

I think whoever screwed up the ending should be shunned for a week. *beep* I am actually really angry about this. I am now just venting and I apologize for that but I just watched it and it was so beautiful and now it totally sucks that it's no longer anything I can recommend.

The whole movie through I was so excited about recommending it to all these wonderful women I know who constantly self sabotage their love-lives, so they could watch this and LEARN; BUT now, NOTHING, I HAVE NOTHING.

I feel so cheated. YOU SUCK. Whoever you are that screwed up this ending, I forgive you BUT do not like you at all and I think there is something wrong with you to have jacked up a beautiful thing due to who knows what.

If the film creators ever read this, please reply and tell me WHY YOU DID THIS !!!

-</rant>-

[–] Jalea 14 years ago

I actually like the plot twist. It was totally unexpected. I was looking forward to Oona getting with Mikey, thus letting go of her inhibitions. It was a great idea for her to get the device removed, because it was a way of letting go. It was ironic for the timer to go off before she had it removed. Isn't that how life is though, just when you are about to give up, things happen. Dan was a handsome man, who felt he had already met his one in his wife, who passed away. His friendship with Steph (which look promising) gave him hope that there was another one. However, had Steph kept her timer, she would have found out that he wasn't her one anyway. When Dan and Oona saw each other at the party, even before the timer went off, it was clear they were instantly attracted to each other. The timer gave them the opportunity to explore that, because if Dan did not have the timer, he would be hesitant to pursue Steph's sister, even though he had not gotten serious with Steph -- yet.

Dan and Oona are attracted to each other and make a good match. Steph is getting over it, because Steph is the healthiest person in the movie when it comes to being honest with yourself. As quirky as her character is, she was the voice of reason. Mikey is attracted and a great guy, but, he was no match for Oona, in the long run, they would have nothing to talk about. A relationship has to be more than sex. You can tell the difference immediately in the brief conversation Oona has with Dan, that they are intellectually matched and they also found each other physically attracted. About the mom not being Oona's dad's one.

The mom's made up story just illustrates how she is still hurt about what happened. If I were Oona, I would also keep that information to myself (a mature choice) because confronting her mother would just cause unnecessary pain. The new revelation was mainly for Oona, who thought her mother really did not love her dad. Now Oona does not have to feel hurt about that anymore, so in that sense, the matter was settled.

I agree they did punk out with a corny and predictable ending.

[–] tjprins 13 years ago

Okay a lot of people are talking about the movie from both sides of the argument (While hitting some great points I might add), but I think we need to bring a little bit of clarity to the table. Being the fricken genius that I am, I'm going to present my argument.

I believe that BOTH sides are wrong, and heres why: Both endings don't fit perfectly. The idea was fresh and original (somewhat), but the execution was mediocre. The ending suggested above (Where she falls for Mikey) doesn't work because it satisfies the original desire of the viewer. We feel all fuzzy inside, but we are still left with a sci-fi digital fairy tale. On the other side of the argument, we have a poorly constructed plot twist that basically catches us slightly by surprise, but leaves us disappointed.

Let's start with the first ending (The one suggested above). I agree with the Original Poster's argument because so many f&%king women search for a "Soulmate", and end up wasting their life and countless years of their youth on an old fairy tale, that statistically wont come true. Even though Oona is 30, a lot of women decide to "Save themselves" for "The One" before they even can legally buy cigarettes. As I do believe settling down eventually could be a positive force in the universe and bring one happiness, I don't believe this is relevant until you are much more mature. The fact that Oona wont even date people (Despite her inner sexual desires) deeply disturbs me. Seriously people take a f&$king chance will ya? Have a little fun with life, its too short to waste time. (Now if Oona simply didn't want to date anyone because she wasn't interested in relationships at the time, thats a different story) But it is clear that she has desires in her life that she is neglecting (Not to mention that she's fighting thousands of years worth of inherited evolutionary traits designed to keep our species alive because a stupid f%#king skin-wrist watch told her so). The OP's suggested ending would be more rational, showing that Oona chooses to decide her own fate, and make her own decisions (Which real adults have to do). Life isn't controlled by ANYTHING, and believing that a timer knows all is bullsh$t. And what if someone killed your soulmate before you met them, what about that??

Anyways as much as I like this ending, it can't work. It has already been pointed out that Oona and Mikey's relationship is purely sexual and their daily lives and lifestyles are completely different, which is pointed out in the movie. Also this ending cannot work because it would remove all suspense from the film. There would be no guess work, no twist, no surprises, and would create an overall DULL film. One of those films you watch and just go "OOoo thats nice". A GREAT movie always keeps you guessing, (like the ending in inception).

Now to the movie's actual ending. This ending can't work for several reasons. One, it leaves most of the viewers pissed off because the girl didn't get with the guy they wanted. My girlfriend gets PISSED when she watches dramas on tv and the girl doesn't get with the guy that she was hoping for (which is usually the guy the audience is hoping for. On most cases though after a few twists, eventually the girl gets with the guy everyone was hoping for, but some twists are thrown to prevent your brain from liquifying). Aren't girls that watch dramas kind of their target audience? So why would they want to let them down?

Another more obvious reason this ending can't work, is its irrationality: The timer itself! Who says a timer can know all? The future is NEVER predictable because of one key element and right that all humans have since birth: free will. Simple as that. What if I had a timer and had 5 years to go, and within that time I kept getting screwed over by women, and decided to never get emotionally involved with women again? And suppose after the 5 years are up I meet my "Soulmate". What prevents me from just being rude as sh%t to the girl, and leaving the country after we go on a date? NOTHING. (After all, I haven't fallen in love with her yet) And the fact that the movie supports this ideal (And nothing can overcome it and prove it wrong), means it is grade A bullsh$t. Not to mention the 2% of the population that weren't satisfied with the results of the product (I was hoping that was going to foreshadow a decent ending, since 98% of the population seems as dull as a bread knife in the real world anyhow).

So in essence I agree with both sides of the argument, and state that neither ending is suitable for this movie to be declared safe for the average human to watch. The overall idea of the film seems interesting and is effective in luring an audience. But the execution and performance on behalf of the writers, is nothing more than a piece of garbage. Heck even stephanie meyer can dream up a better love story.

==

Never argue with an idiot, they'll only drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

[–] DisturbedPixie 12 years ago

I don't see a point in arguing with the TiMER.

At the beginning of the movie, you are told that it basically works. People do meet their "soulmate" the day they are supposed to, and that's a guarantee. If that's how it works, how can you argue with the fate these people come to? It's obviously a fantasy more than anything else, at least to someone like me who doesn't believe in fate, but many people in this world do believe in fate and following the path god made for them. If this idea bothers you and you wanted a movie that proved that the gadget was bullsh!t, then this movie was totally not for you.
You can't call it bull when you see so many people meet their fate the way the TiMER guaranteed it. Oona purposefully didn't go out on her birthday until the forced birthday party because she wanted to skip out on fate because she felt guilty about following this path. She wanted it to fail after she hurt her sister, but it can't. I assume no matter what you tried to do, fate would have prevailed-- because that's how this fantasy world works.

I think the overall point of the movie was that while the TiMER works, it turns things upside down for so many, users and non-users. Mikey represents us, us people who hate a fate being chosen for us, and having no control, but you can't fight a fate that is factual.

Let's say Oona and Mikey stayed together, still knowing that Oona's soulmate was dating her sister-- That would have been led to soo much drama. That would pretty much guarantee everyone would further get hurt, and feel jealous and insecure. That would have been a terrible choice for the 4 of them after what they knew.

I can definately see why people wouldn't like the ending, honestly, I shouted out "what?!" at the ending because it wasn't pleasing to me, but the alternate ending the Op suggests doesn't work, and is boring. Not sure how they should end it, but overall I enjoyed seeing the journey and world these people live in. I would have liked for them to touch on the people who fight their fate, but I don't think Oona needs to be that person, her sister was sorta already that person for taking out her TiMER and so was her father's wife. Thoise people wanted to take a chance and daring to find their own path, and that's great for them because their TiMEr hurt them so much. Oona should have gone on the blind date with Dan at the beginning, and if she stayed on track with what she always did, she would have had that moment in the TiMER store that she always wanted. BUT that's boring too, so I think the movie made it's point about how fate is a b!tch.

Besides, Oona had her "first Love" that she always wanted, and while they aren't our "fate", they help build us into the person we are in the end, and I'm glad she had that. Many people benefit from that, and there is nothing wrong with letting it go. I think many people who wanted her to end up with Mikey, are trying to insinuate we should stop there and look no further, when really, what is doomed is doomed. Look at Mikey, he was fun and all, and a good guy, but he didn't share Oona intellect and beliefs, and that is important. They don't work. It's fun and sweet but it wont pan out. Haven't most of us had a Mikey in our lives? I don't hate them for not being what works for me, and I'm not mad about it, it's an adventure, and It makes life more interesting. It's okay to let people go.

I would assume though that the OP wishes someone never let them go, and this movie hurts them because it supports the idea that it's okay to cast someone a side who doesn't fit into their lives. If that hurts, remember, this is a Fantasy. You make your choices, and you have a right to follow any path that doesn't hurt others. But the divorce rate is 50% for a reason. People need to explore what's right for them, and the TiMER just proves what these people already know. Oona and Dan KNOW they are what is right for each other, and without a TiMER they would still have ended up secretly longing for each other for the rest of their lives if they never tried to make it work. That would have been a depressing ending, seeing people refuse to do what is right for them.

[–] modelajb 10 years ago

I have to say, I didn't really find the ending to be much of a twist at all. It's exactly what I expected to happen. I was hoping I was wrong, though because I thought it was a lousy ending for the sister. She clearly didn't open herself up enough to really connect with any guys, so I hated the thought of her finally making that connection with Dan, only for him to end up being meant for her sister, of all people.

I really cringed when Dan told Steph that the upside was that she would remain in his life in some capacity. It just seems that reminding her he'd always be around but unobtainable was a bit of a slap in the face. Oh and I also cringed Oona begging Steph to stick around and talk. Why would she want to torture herself by watching her sister make googly eyes with the guy she liked? In the same vein, I thought it was unnecessary to have Mikey there to witness the spectacle of Oona finding her one. Seemed it was only done for dramatic purposes because I just didn't see how it added to the story otherwise.

[–] bludgeoner86 14 years ago

The ending was a bit of a bummer but I thought it ended on a happy note that gave the impression that everyone made the right decision. You could tell that Oona and Dan got along. Hey who knew that true love was just an hour later in the day than it normally was?

[–] commonwealth1996 14 years ago

"After everything you did to lead us up to the promised land, it ends up just a mirage. "

No offense, but that's what's called a twist.

[–] boredomOvercomes 14 years ago

No, a twist would be what the OP was suggesting. THAT would have been a true twist. What we were given in this movie was very untrue to life and if the characters DID truly grow like the OP suggested, in the direction that the entire movie was driving them towards, they would have chosen to love freely, to follow their heart rather than follow the dictates of a friggin machine.

Right on, OP. You totally understood the folly of this movie, and if the producers had you consulting them, it'd have made for a much more satisfying, and ultimately more successful, film.

[–] diyanahrozli 11 years ago

A good twist is suppose to leave you saying 'what ?!' , applaud and watch the movie again. It's suppose to make you rethink what you have thought throughout the movie.

A good twist would be 'The Usual Suspects'. Or somebody said 'Inception' (but I think 'Inception' is more of a we-are-letting-you-decide cliffhangers)

THIS is not called a good twist or even a twist at all. THIS makes you want to throw your hands in the air and say 'WHAT THE BLOODY *beep*' and hurl your TV/computer into a wall.

Loriginals #17

[–] mindspider-1 13 years ago

What you're asking for is the typical romantic comedy ending. Everyone's story is wrapped up in a happy ending; the uptight orthodontist breaks free of the timer hanging over her life, throws inhibitions to the wind and allows herself to fall in love with the irresponsible pretty-boy drummer. I was totally expecting her to go with Mikey at the end, because that's what always happens.

Honestly, I think the ending they chose was way more interesting, unexpected, and true to life. Like Mikey himself pointed out, while he doesn't believe that people should get timers to begin with, he still acknowledges that they work. And realistically, he was not a good match for Oona. They likely would have had fun for a few more months, and eventually fallen apart because they have nothing in common except for sex.

I think the ending was poignant. It made you sad that things didn't work out the way you had hoped, but sometimes that's how things have to go. It's refreshing to see a romantic comedy where two likable characters break-up, and stay broken up.

[–] modelajb 10 years ago

Reminds me of the movie Prime.

[–] Iceandfire0231 13 years ago

i respectfully disagree. while i felt bad for mikey and wanted them to end up together in the end, i still thought this ending made sense. they set the ending up when she went to go see here dad. her parents tried and struggled to make it work and it didn't make a difference. and even oona admitted she didn't even know if she was in love with mikey or not.

[–] debbbbi 13 years ago

A different ending would have thrown away all the point of the movie: the timer. As soon as Oona finds out who her true love is thanks to the timer, there is no way she would not follow that specific path, cause she completely believes in timers.

[–] tributarystu 13 years ago

Although the situation was somewhat foreseeable, I did enjoy the fact that the film was uncompromising and avoided a standard rom-com demise.

[–] rivethead808 13 years ago

Exactly! The director cant just go and discredit his entire movie! Right when Dan said "you should be late to the track more often" I said "END!". As much as in my heart I want her to say screw this and run back to Mikey (btw, I hated that they called him Mikey because it just emphasized his youth) and I *didnt* want it end that way, I DID want it to end that way as it was really the only way it could end and "save face" as the concept of the movie.

I have my nitpicks, but I give the film 9/10. The humour and everything else was just pitch perfect!

http://www.listology.com/ubik/list/favorite-films-every-year-1900-pres ent

[–] RollandsOwn 10 years ago

Up until the ending, I thought the whole point of the story was that she would learn to not rely on a timer to tell her what to do with her life. But in the end, she learns nothing and she leaves the guy she wants to be with because the timer tells her to. What a waste.

[–] modelajb 10 years ago

The one thing I think I see differently from others is how the timers worked. I don't think they really had any control over people. I think all they did was confirm what was already in a person's heart. Even without the timers, I think people would have still been fated to end up with the same partners. The one thing the timers did affect is how people lived their lives up until meeting "the one." People were no longer interested in dating around and getting to know various people because they felt like it was ultimately a waste of time. They also eliminated the need for people to learn who they are and determine what they want and need in a mate. They took the guesswork out of finding love, but I'm not sure it's really a good thing to miss out on the whole part of life that involves meeting people and getting to know yourself.

[–] Uvtha 13 years ago

I liked the ending. It struck me as closer to how things end up in real life, in other words not like a fairy tale. She fell out of love with Mikey, she didn't stop being with him because of the other dude, but because she didn't see a future in the relationship. That was the whole point of her getting it removed and going to Mikey, to say I don't believe in what this device says.

And if you notice she didn't go chasing after Dan after she left Mikey. They just ran into each other.

I thought it was a good end, the end that people want would be the cliche end. It's nice to see someone go against the romcom grain, because life just isn't like that.

[–] erinnstreeter 13 years ago

I completely understand why you feel the way you do; I'm sharing that let-down with you. But I think if you look at all of the characters (and I'm including the timer, which was sort of a character), I think the point isn't that the timer is right or wrong. The timer is a construct which reflect the flaws of its maker: humans.

We see both examples of people who are in love "because of" the timer and people who aren't in love despite having a timer. Are Soledad and Jesse instantly in love? Or are they swayed by the timer to believe they should be? Even the attraction portrayed by Emma Caulfield and Desmond Harrington as Oona and Dan - at the end of the movie, that's all it is, it's not a guarantee, it's just two people who are desperate to not be alone trusting the matchmaking qualities of a device.

My feelings of let-down center around things like:

- Oona's father believes that his relationship with Marion was doomed and decides to "prove" this with a timer instead of making a decision to either end the relationship or dedicate himself to improving it. He decided to look for an easy answer which told him to go or stay. And in the process, I surmise that he broke Marion's heart, which is why she's believes the timer knows best. Nick's dedication to the blank timer means he may always deny himself the love which his partner (did that character have a name?) is willing the give him.

- Oona's mother, Marion, is too unimaginative to empower her daughters to be individuals who use their skills and talents to succeed in life. Instead, she does nothing to help Steph accomplish anything (probably assuming that Steph will get by until Mr. Right finally shows up and supplies everything), and she makes Oona feel like her accomplishments are meaningless without her Mr. Right. And Jesse? She treats him like he's furniture once his timer goes off - she's secure in his place, so therefore he should be, too - and the mistakes she makes by assuming Steph is doing alright are repeated with Jesse. She humors Luz, completely uncomprehending the dilemmas posed by Soledad's zeroed-out timer because she's caught-up in the selfishness of her life of privilege and the sense of security she's found through the timer (a sense which Luz doesn't really seem to share).

For me, the whole point of the movie is that there are no guarantees. There is no magic bullet or pill that will make everything okay. The only thing that's honest and true are people who are honest and true. The best part of the movie, for me, was when Mikey (John Patrick Amedori) said his heart was broken and he was just trying to be a man about it. THAT was honest. I like to imagine that character would go on to have meaningful relationships with people, rejecting the idea that his fate was out of his hands - that's what the character was all about. However, there's always the possibility that he ends up like Nick.

Like it or not, the take-away point from this flick is the questions it raises, the loose ends that are never tied up and the post-movie dinner conversation everyone probably had after seeing this in the theater.

[–] Violet_Loves_Iliona 12 years ago

- Oona's mother, Marion, is too unimaginative to empower her daughters to be individuals who use their skills and talents to succeed in life. Instead, she does nothing to help Steph accomplish anything (probably assuming that Steph will get by until Mr. Right finally shows up and supplies everything), and she makes Oona feel like her accomplishments are meaningless without her Mr. Right.

I don't know if you saw this on DVD or not, but in the special features section there is are a couple of deleted scenes which focus on Steph's attitude towards telemarketers, with one deleted scene revealing her "one" to be a down-on-his-luck telemarketer who Staph gives a hard time and who calls her on it, telling her how crappy his life is and that "on top of everything, my timer reset to zero last week". Steph is shocked, and asks him when it was set to go off, and he said "thirteen years", which is when hers was going to go off until she had it removed, causing his to reset.

So... if the mother is assuming that Steph's husband will take care of her financially, then it appears that she may be disappointed, because Steph's "the one" is as much of a stuff-up as Steph - or indeed, maybe more!

Violet

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