MovieChat Forums > Terri (2012) Discussion > Pretty unsatisfying ending

Pretty unsatisfying ending

posted 13 years ago by thewoodelfes
14 replies | jump to latest

To be honest this movie wasn't bad, but nothing STUCK with me afterwards. It just felt like this was a "good day for Terri" rather than Terri's story. Basically i'm saying that there should have been MORE. I on;y felt that the Mr. Fitzgerald character was fully finished. Why no scene with Olivia? why no bigger resolution?

I got that it showed a bit of hope at the end, but I also think that it's better to reolve most of the characters and leave a bit of mystery than just leave a massive open ending where nothing has been resolved at all.

[–] magic8ball2112 13 years ago

Terri's relationship w/ his 2 dsyfunctional friends was nowhere as satisfying as that with his principal. Perhaps b/c we, as people, dislike 'loose threads' in stories. Personally, the "A" story between Terri & the principal was the most fulfilled, going from being a slight blurb on his principal's radar to Terri realizing that the best lessons in his life, so far, are learned from this goofy guy who happens to be the principal.

Story "B", between Terri & his uncle, is best left hanging some b/c that's a long term arc, as is usual for family caregiver stories.

Story "C", though, between Terri & the other 2 kids wasn't, to me, as fleshed out. One minute there's this kid in the principal office's seats next to him, literally pulling clumps of hair off of his head. The next minute the kid, with whom he really hadn't had much interaction, is now showing up at Terri's w/ a "Terri's best friend" aura about him. And the girl? Similar story: one minute they're strangers, then casual friends. Next she's raring to have Terri plow her!

[–] TheSummer2012 13 years ago

magic8ball2112 - excellent analysis. Thought the same thing. This was essentially a story about Terry and the principal.

[–] JayCeezy 13 years ago

It took me a few days, but I now really like the ending. Life is like that, sometimes you don't have some crazy denoument with a perfect 10 girl, people get stoned and then embarrassed by it, people have fights with their wife and get past it, people die lonely and alone and sometimes (if you are a good-hearted person) you go to a funeral you don't really want to go to, you have to get up and go to school/work the next day.

I don't know what you were looking for, but I was glad that Terri didn't become friends with Dirty Zach who finally respected him, and walk down the hallway with hottie Heather making out the whole time, or finally get a smile from his first-period teacher who really decided to take an interest, or find some miracle medication that would make his Uncle James lucid and fun, and discover that his missing parents were kazillionaires that left him money to eat more than beans on toast and hire a housecleaner so he wouldn't have to clean the ring around the tub. All those movies suck anyway, that's why I was interested to see this movie in the first place. Terri didn't suck, it was a nice story and didn't try to be anything more. Cheers.

[–] liscarkat-2 12 years ago

We started off with a depressed fat kid in pajamas, and ended with a depressed fat kid in pajamas. No progress, no growth, no development, no point. But, it's an independent film so we must endeavor to attribute to it meaning and depth and profundity, even if those qualities are more in our minds than in the movie (oops, I mean film).

[–] JayCeezy 12 years ago

Your post is proof that sarcasm is not a substitute for intelligence.

[–] Anabanana21 11 years ago

Thats life though. We always want resolution in movies. To see a depressed fat kid turn his life around and be happy, successful blah blah blah. In real life that doesn't always happen. Sometimes people have a miserable life and then die before things get better for them. Its depressing sure but its reality. I like how real this movie was.

<3Every great dream begins with a dreamer<3

[–] sarabandit 12 years ago

I have to agree with some of the others above...I was expecting more. I probably set the expectations too high when I saw this listed on Ebert's top 20 of the year. I have seen MANY better movies this year...and no, Transformers wasn't one of them (actually didn't watch it), I usually like "indie" films. I just didn't get much out of this...a poor, fat pj-wearing kid is depressed and we witness this for a few days. Gee whiz. If John C. Reilly wasn't in this, I would have turned it off after 30 minutes probably...as it was, I was really itching for it to end WAY before it did. I would definitely not want to watch it again.
This movie left me feeling nothing / thinking nothing. If it had been entertaining I wouldn't care...but it WASN'T. 5/10

Sell crazy someplace else, we're all stocked up here.

[–] asiroka 12 years ago

I think we did watch him grow, he stood up for heather over and over he made a friend with hair pulling kid, he had that crazy night, and became a real friend to the principle, i mean yeah he started sweet and ended sweet but good, I think his relationships show him discovering the people side of the world rather then nobody. I don't know I really liked it, it was kinda slow but other then that I have no issues

[–] tanster-1 12 years ago

Was an okay movie. Let down ending.

[–] elasalle 12 years ago

I think the real issue is the relationship wasnt wrapped as we have all been conditioned from hollywood and tv sitcoms..and its hard to get beyond that.Having said that what i think we all need is another look into his life in a few years....Terri isnt perfect he has issues but the smile at the end is the actual change..subtle and maybe you missed it but it said to me.."I'm gonna be okay"

[–] xWilliamMunnyx 12 years ago

In my eyes we did have a progression, but rather a real true to life one rather than a hollywood one.

At the start of the movie Terri is alone and struggling, he has a heavy weight on his shoulders and its getting more difficult. Hes a 15 year old kid and he feels alone with his struggles.

At the end you have a kid who is starting to see that life is a struggle for everyone. The girl you idolise is as much in need of love and attention as you are, the Principal who youre clinging to for a real friendship has his own issues hes trying to deal with, hes as fallible as you are. And the craxy kid from school isnt just crazy, he too is just trying to get through the best he can.

Terri's smile at the end told me that he'd realised this, he was no longer alone in the world, and although his life will continue to be a struggle, its just one struggle umongst many.

I saw the ending as quite uplifted, but in a real true to life sense...rather than a hollywood one.

"It's a hell of a thing, killin' a man. Take away all he's got, and all he's ever gonna have."

[–] rmiikku 11 years ago

This movie was excellent. Fat kids with *beep* lifes don't suddenly get better. Fat kids dont end up with hottest girls, thats basically a law. That's how our life's are in reality, we don't get any better and there is no hope. Someone might get extremely lucky but thats like one in the billion, for rest of us there is nothing good coming ever.

[–] kd4ml 10 years ago

I liked the film, though it moved slowly at times. As a retired teacher, I've seen these kids before. It was real drama: no psychopath, no bloodshed, no car chases or explosions. Every character had their strengths and weaknesses. It was a little like "Stand By Me" meets "Stand and Deliver" (without the great music). I give it 8/10.

[–] 11 years ago

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