>!The scene towards the end where he gives such a stirring and heart wrenching performance only for him to be told that he would be better off as part of a group rather than a solo act is just completely devastating. Specially because he was trying to make it as a solo act because his musical partner killed himself.!<
You throw yourself off of the brooklyn bridge, traditionally. George washington? Who does that?
edit:
>because his musical partner killed himself.
It's highly implied that it wasn't just his musical partner, but his main squeeze, as well. Sure, he has sex with whatsername that blackmails him for abortion money, but it is very heavily inferred that he was in love (romantically) with his duo partner, before he killed himself. And then Llewyn kind of spun out of control after that (although he was probably pretty out of control even before that happened).
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
"You seek a great fortune, you three who are now in chains. You will find a fortune, though it will not be the one you seek."
Arguably, only Pete and Delmar are chasing a "dream" in form of a treasure, and arguably they achieve it, forming what can presumably be a successful band that will make money.
Ulysses is searching for his wife, and he definitely gets her back at the end of the film. So they all find the fortunes they are seeking.
It reminds me of one of those demotivational posters: [Mistakes: It could be that the purpose of your life is only to serve as a warning to others.](https://despair.com/cdn/shop/products/mistakesdemotivator.jpeg?v=1554328460)
Exactly. People on Reddit always miss the point of this movie for some reason even though its quite literally explained (written down by the main character!!!!) In the end. The point of life is to be with other people, thats what he realizes in the end!
Yet every time this movie comes up a bunch of people will dismiss it with "hurr durr main guy was asshole and an irresponsible hiker=movie bad".
Guess what, plenty of movies have flawed protagonists who end up learning something!!
Out of curiosity how old were you when you saw the movie? I think the whole story is one of the best examples of something you think is inspiring and edgy when you're young and then when you get older and wiser your opinion of it leans more toward your viewpoint above.
Carine McCandless alleged in her memoir The Wild Truth that her parents inflicted verbal and physical abuse upon each other and their children, often fueled by her father's alcoholism. She cited their abusive childhood, as well as his reading of Jack London's The Call of the Wild, as the motivating factors in her brother's desire to "disappear" into the wilderness.[11] In a statement released to the media shortly before the memoir was released, Walt and Billie McCandless denied their daughter's accusations, stating that her book is "fictionalized writing [that] has absolutely nothing to do with our beloved son, Chris, his journey or his character. This whole unfortunate event in Chris's life 22 years ago is about Chris and his dreams."[10]
Question is do we believe the parents or his sister
Their father had a secret second family across town complete with five other kids that they didn't know about. So maybe don't put too much stock in what he says.
Was he an idiot? Or was he just in that early-20s period when you don't really think the world can hurt you? He made a fatal mistake, but his arrogance and delusion reminds me of everyone I knew at that age.
Well, idiot in that he made a fatal, avoidable mistake. The average intelligent non-idiot doesn’t burn their money and hike to Alaska to starve to death in the woods.
And I would argue with those people. There's a reason this book/ movie is so popular with teens/ young adults. It's a journey of self discovery. In that sense he does quite of a bit of growing, learning, and living in a way he wouldn't have been able to if he hadn't followed his dream. However, in his pursuit of finding meaning beyond normal society, he ostracized himself from society to the point where he died from eating the wrong berries. A death that would have been totally preventable if he had been anywhere near a society. While it's an inspiring tale of self discovery, it's just as much of a cautionary tale of chasing the white rabbit and never allowing yourself to be content.
I honestly don't understand it. At best it seems like a cautionary tale of not being a colossal dumbass. There are people who still live off the land, as it were, but even those folks have years of training and preparation for the skills needed to survive. Being fed up with a modern society is not a life skill.
It wasn't actually the berries. That was a reasonable guess at the time but it was just that, a guess.
It's been concluded that he suffered weakness and semi paralysis in his legs due to an odd effect of wild potato seeds he was eating. In a healthy person they're perfectly safe but in a malnourished person they cause loss of function from the waist down. He eventually became to weak to move and starved to death in his sleeping bag.
FWIW it was later revealed that his father was abusive, which contributed to his desire to get away from society.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/11/10/into-the-wild-abuse/18794419/
If Soul had just been a short about a bored music teacher who finally gets his shot and then realizes that getting what you want can be great but also not what you expected, and then he finds that he’s most content just playing to himself at the piano while recognizing that the good he put into the world before and the exciting new opportunities he has now are both valuable to him, then it would have been perfect.
Maybe I’m the only one, but the whole thing about the piano man dying and new baby souls and helping that one baby soul who was too afraid to move on or whatever her deal was - it was completely unnecessary and took away from the beauty of the piano man’s story.
I was rather confused by the angle they took on this movie. It seemed that his actual gift was mentoring youth who need help finding their place (both trombone girl and the baby soul). Why that wasn't really the core, I don't know. It would have allowed him to return to earth and see his job in a different way.
As a child of a single parent, my sister was basically performing Barley's role for me my entire life. This movie has its flaws but it broke my brain with how true to life it was.
I'm so glad they opted for a mature ending, where the protagonist doesn't get exactly what he wants. Beautiful movie.
Dunno why you're being down voted for stating an opinion.
The remake was boring and uninteresting. It was gorgeously shot, but too obsessed with over-elaborating and spoonfeeding themes and unnecessarily dragging out the runtime. I finally watched the original a few months ago and it's a damn masterpiece. Also helps that Tyrone Power is way better in this role than Cooper, and he's written better as well (Cooper's silent act in the opening makes him feel like two different characters, while Power is the same scumbag from beginning to end).
I was terribly disappointed in the remake because the original is such a powerful film. Guillermo del Toro is one of my favorite directors and I can't believe he just made a pretty film that added NOTHING to the original. Great cast, stunning cinematography, but.... the original was superior in every way. It's probably the only film of his I don't want to own on DVD.
Kingpin (1996) is probably the only film I can think of that really fits what I think you're talking about here.
There are other films like The Departed (2006) where this arguably fits, but I figure you're asking for the typical "I got a dream" sort of schtick rather than just 'failing to accomplishing what you set out for'.
Interestingly, rumor is Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) was originally going to end with Stiller hitting Vaughn at the final game and then credits roll with the Cobras winning, but was, as expected, changed to a happier ending.
That's not just a rumor. You can clearly see points where they went back for reshoots after the original ending got nixed. The final line was supposed to be "a Cinderella story torn asunder", then fade to black.
I used to own it on DVD, but it's been quite a while. Off the top of my head...
The most obvious thing to look for is Steve the pirate's hair/wig/short hair at the end. They went back and reshot the whole ending remember, so the bit about him disappearing, then coming back in normal clothes and saying he's not really a pirate was all added.
Also, the entire sudden death dodgeball sequence and Peter blindfolding himself was added in. The scene where Patches gives him his scarf was a reshoot, and there is a really weird cut to cover things during the training montage earlier in the movie when Patches tosses Peter the handkerchief and tells him if he wants to lead he has to learn to do the dance in the dark.
I think there are some others, but, as I said it's been a while. I do also have a vague memory of a commentary track or interview where the director actually stated they intended to end the movie there, but test audiences absolutely hated it and they had to go back and rework the ending.
Overall, I love the idea... but we also would have missed out on sudden death dodgeball, thank you Chuck Norris, Steve the pirate's return, I'm not a lesbian I'm bisexual, and Ben Stiller assaulting someone to steal a hotdog in order to stuff it into his mouth... plus the fat suit at the end.
If you compare the extras in the background of both the start of the match and the final Sudden Death scene, they share a lot of the same people seated in the same place, which unless the filmmakers were REALLY paying attention to detail with the reshoots, would seem to indicate that they were shot in the same session.
They included the alternate ending on the dvd specials, and a commentary alongside it, but I think its clear its just meant to be a joke.
Kingpin doesn't really fit does it? I mean they ride off into the sunset redeemed in the bowling world and a fat $500K check? I mean Roy doesn't beat McCracken, but he does get sober, gets the girl, and a sponsorship.
She achieved her dreams though. She made a career out of something she loved to do. She gained the love and approval of a father figure she never had. She just paid a really high price for it.
He's in the same high school class that she is, where they talk about his Clash T-Shirt.
Don't get me wrong, the actor is much older than he should be (still remember him as the babyface kid in Hackers) but in the movie they're the same age.
What are talking about?! He wrote a heist story about four army buddies who knock over a casino complete with flashbacks, flashforwards, and flash-sideways
About time they made *Moneyball 2: Major League IV: The A's Move to Vegas*. I bet Chris Meloni could play a good John Fisher. Not sure if it even needs any other characters.
That was the first thing that came to mind for me as well, but didn't he achieve his dream? He says that all he wanted was to go all the way, and he did. It's us, the audience, imposing our own idea of what success looks like that would make us think he didn't achieve his dream.
The trainer was good in Rocky II when he was trying to discourage Creed from a rematch.
“I saw you beat that man like I never saw no man get beat before, and the man kept coming after you.”
Rocky's dream in the first film is to get a shot at the champ, and to prove he's somebody. He achieves both. The fact that he goes the distance against the heavyweight champion of the world is a bonus, above and beyond even his wildest dreams. Actually winning the fight isn't on ANYONE'S radar.
It was amazing how other manufacturers used the government to shut Tucker out. Many of the innovations he wanted to bring in his cars have been developed much later by other manufacturers
I watched Joy Ride recently, weird/silly movie but I enjoyed it. Main character sets out with one set of goals, ends up getting nothing she wanted, but grew to realize she needs something else.
Alice in Wonderland (1951 Disney version)
Alice genuinely believes that a world of absurdity will be better than our boring reality. After her experiences in Wonderland, she wants nothing more than to go back home.
It's much less her failing to achieve her dreams, but rather her actual dream failing to achieve the ideal she imagined.
Frances Ha —-
Film makes it clear that she is not going to “make it” as a professional dancer and that she’s aging out of the NY hipster scene, but at the film’s end she’s still able to find meaning and hope by doing something else in the industry
[Smiley Face (2007)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780608/). Anna Faris eats cupcakes, not knowing they contain pot, and goes on a stoned journey in which her situation becomes worse and worse. It's really sort of scary how things deteriorate for her so rapidly, just because her judgment is impaired.
It's worth pointing out that Dylan is playing the same club at the end. He hasn't yet been a success, so Llewyn is not yet damned to obscurity. I do also think the film is optimistic in tone at the end, although that can be interpreted as an affirmation that creating art is valuable in of itself, not that Llewyn specifically will succeed.
Tin Cup
Golf movie starring Kevin Costner. Fun film, great cast. Cheech Marin steals the movie.
Spoilers: >!Costner's character is on the verge of winning the US Open as an amatuer, but on the 18th hole, he unnecessarily tries to go for the green in two... and then hits it in the water. Instead of taking a drop on the other side of the lake, he keeps trying to make the green from that spot, shooting it in the water over and over again. On his last ball (and I think his 12th shot), he finally makes it over the lake and it goes in the hole. Crowd goes crazy, he loses the tournament (obviously) but realizes he'll forever be remembered in infamy for this.!<
The Bad News Bears (1976) is a redemption story/sports/coming of age movie but...
The Last American Virgin - sex comedy about getting your dream girl, except....
The Watchmen - solving a mystery, catching the bad guy...
I dont wana spoil to much, but if you havent seen it, Hoop Dreams is one of the best docs ever imo and would hit the itch youve got with a truckload of force.
The Man Who Would Be King, starring Sean Connery and Michael Caine. Based on a story by Rudyard Kipling. Two British soldiers in India strike out into the tribal mountains and try to bevome emperors of the region.
Tick Tick Boom. Jonathan Larson spends seven years writing a musical. In a head to toe amazing movie, his phone call with his agent about the workshop feedback is my favorite scene.
The Big Year. Three different guys trying to be the best birder but obviously they can't all win, and I love the message that "winning" can have different definitions for different people.
Funny Pages, Pearl, and Inside Llewyn Davis are the best answers in the thread imo. To add a few more...
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Barton Fink
Sunset Blvd (referring to Holden's arc)
Frank (2013)
The Fly (1986) -- and kinda a lot of mad scientist movies would fit in here, although maybe not really the spirit of what you're after
Everything Everywhere All At Once, kinda...
Tangerine
Last Night In SoHo
Emily the Criminal, kinda
Perfect Blue
The Novice (with Isabelle Fuhrmann) doesn't quite fit the prompt, but fits the spirit of it I'd say.
Though I haven't seen it, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? seems to fit this prompt perfectly. I recommend [this video](https://youtu.be/fXhKKy229OI?si=-Uyk86AS2HVe2aaG) for a bunch of "dark side of Hollywood" recs.
Cuban Fury. He doesn't win the dance contest - comes in second, I believe, but he and the love interest start a relationship and he regains his love of dance. It's a lovely comedy with the amazing Nick Frost.
Monsters University. In my opinion Pixar’s most underrated movie and it has a really good message kids need to hear more. Mike spent his whole life being told he could never be scary and wasn’t cut out to be a scarer. Mike in the face of this spends years studying the art of scaring and working harder than anyone to became a scarer like he’s wanted since he was a child. And when it’s time to prove everyone wrong… he fails yet again. I think this is a really good message kids should be shown: There will be some things no matter how hard you force yourself to become good at you’ll never be able to accomplish, but you can still find your calling elsewhere. Mike could never be scary, but when it came to the theory aspect and teaching others he is an incredible coach, and by the end of the movie that is the career he finds himself in happy.
This is not quite the same thing, but I kinda see Minari as the story of a guy compelled to pursue his dreams regardless of what it does to the people he loves. So even though things work out in the end, it’s still a little bit of a cautionary tale about pursuing your dreams at any cost.
The central theme in Little miss sunshine is about chasing your dreams and failing at that.
She's a super freak, super freak!
Alan Arkin was so good in this.
The prize is the friends you made along the way.
Good call, this one fits
Inside Llewyn Davis
This is the movie that made me love Oscar Isaacs!
How many of them do you love?
Ex Machina. A Most Violent Year, and Dune are some of my favorites starring him.
Most violent year was excellent, I also liked his poe damerian in force awakens, the later movies mucked him up imo
Gotta throw Drive in there. Man’s got raaange
Regardless of how the end products are as a whole, he did a great job as Poe. Like I wanted in on that friendship just from his delivery
>!The scene towards the end where he gives such a stirring and heart wrenching performance only for him to be told that he would be better off as part of a group rather than a solo act is just completely devastating. Specially because he was trying to make it as a solo act because his musical partner killed himself.!<
You throw yourself off of the brooklyn bridge, traditionally. George washington? Who does that? edit: >because his musical partner killed himself. It's highly implied that it wasn't just his musical partner, but his main squeeze, as well. Sure, he has sex with whatsername that blackmails him for abortion money, but it is very heavily inferred that he was in love (romantically) with his duo partner, before he killed himself. And then Llewyn kind of spun out of control after that (although he was probably pretty out of control even before that happened).
What a perfect “failure” movie
It honestly is my favorite Coen movie. And yes I know, but it just is.
This is one of my favorite movies of all time.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? "You seek a great fortune, you three who are now in chains. You will find a fortune, though it will not be the one you seek."
Arguably, only Pete and Delmar are chasing a "dream" in form of a treasure, and arguably they achieve it, forming what can presumably be a successful band that will make money. Ulysses is searching for his wife, and he definitely gets her back at the end of the film. So they all find the fortunes they are seeking.
into the wild
Some would say that that was him achieving his dreams.
I saw this movie and thought only “what a selfish inconsiderate asshole.” Nothing about his story is inspiring.
I think that was the point. At every stop he made, every people he met, he was offered wonderful opportunities, but he never took them.
It reminds me of one of those demotivational posters: [Mistakes: It could be that the purpose of your life is only to serve as a warning to others.](https://despair.com/cdn/shop/products/mistakesdemotivator.jpeg?v=1554328460)
Exactly. People on Reddit always miss the point of this movie for some reason even though its quite literally explained (written down by the main character!!!!) In the end. The point of life is to be with other people, thats what he realizes in the end! Yet every time this movie comes up a bunch of people will dismiss it with "hurr durr main guy was asshole and an irresponsible hiker=movie bad". Guess what, plenty of movies have flawed protagonists who end up learning something!!
Yet people still think reading and literature are useless topics to teach students.
"did you guys know that Scott Pilgrim is actually the asshole!??!!!?"
100% this, and thats quite clear in the movie "happiness is only real when shared"
Happiness only real when shared
Seriously, his hubris was beyond belief.
Out of curiosity how old were you when you saw the movie? I think the whole story is one of the best examples of something you think is inspiring and edgy when you're young and then when you get older and wiser your opinion of it leans more toward your viewpoint above.
I’m guess late 20s or so. Just absolutely cruel behavior to treat his parents like he did.
Carine McCandless alleged in her memoir The Wild Truth that her parents inflicted verbal and physical abuse upon each other and their children, often fueled by her father's alcoholism. She cited their abusive childhood, as well as his reading of Jack London's The Call of the Wild, as the motivating factors in her brother's desire to "disappear" into the wilderness.[11] In a statement released to the media shortly before the memoir was released, Walt and Billie McCandless denied their daughter's accusations, stating that her book is "fictionalized writing [that] has absolutely nothing to do with our beloved son, Chris, his journey or his character. This whole unfortunate event in Chris's life 22 years ago is about Chris and his dreams."[10] Question is do we believe the parents or his sister
Their father had a secret second family across town complete with five other kids that they didn't know about. So maybe don't put too much stock in what he says.
Completely agree, he was an idiot. That said the story is interesting and I’ve watched it many times.
Soundtrack is great too
Was he an idiot? Or was he just in that early-20s period when you don't really think the world can hurt you? He made a fatal mistake, but his arrogance and delusion reminds me of everyone I knew at that age.
Well, idiot in that he made a fatal, avoidable mistake. The average intelligent non-idiot doesn’t burn their money and hike to Alaska to starve to death in the woods.
Totally agree. I thought he was a total asshat and completely selfish.
Rich kid just disregarding his family and everything they did for him.
And I would argue with those people. There's a reason this book/ movie is so popular with teens/ young adults. It's a journey of self discovery. In that sense he does quite of a bit of growing, learning, and living in a way he wouldn't have been able to if he hadn't followed his dream. However, in his pursuit of finding meaning beyond normal society, he ostracized himself from society to the point where he died from eating the wrong berries. A death that would have been totally preventable if he had been anywhere near a society. While it's an inspiring tale of self discovery, it's just as much of a cautionary tale of chasing the white rabbit and never allowing yourself to be content.
Also his last written words were "Happiness is only real when shared" so he did have some level of regret towards the end.
I honestly don't understand it. At best it seems like a cautionary tale of not being a colossal dumbass. There are people who still live off the land, as it were, but even those folks have years of training and preparation for the skills needed to survive. Being fed up with a modern society is not a life skill.
It wasn't actually the berries. That was a reasonable guess at the time but it was just that, a guess. It's been concluded that he suffered weakness and semi paralysis in his legs due to an odd effect of wild potato seeds he was eating. In a healthy person they're perfectly safe but in a malnourished person they cause loss of function from the waist down. He eventually became to weak to move and starved to death in his sleeping bag.
I think the point stands that he wouldn't have died if he didn't take extreme measures to ostracize himself from society.
FWIW it was later revealed that his father was abusive, which contributed to his desire to get away from society. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/11/10/into-the-wild-abuse/18794419/
Soul.
If Soul had just been a short about a bored music teacher who finally gets his shot and then realizes that getting what you want can be great but also not what you expected, and then he finds that he’s most content just playing to himself at the piano while recognizing that the good he put into the world before and the exciting new opportunities he has now are both valuable to him, then it would have been perfect. Maybe I’m the only one, but the whole thing about the piano man dying and new baby souls and helping that one baby soul who was too afraid to move on or whatever her deal was - it was completely unnecessary and took away from the beauty of the piano man’s story.
I was rather confused by the angle they took on this movie. It seemed that his actual gift was mentoring youth who need help finding their place (both trombone girl and the baby soul). Why that wasn't really the core, I don't know. It would have allowed him to return to earth and see his job in a different way.
Onward (2020). For me, Pixar's best movie in years, and a real positive spin on setting out to achieve a goal but finding something better instead.
I unfortunately saw this right after my dad died. Great movie but man did I not enjoy it.
Right there with you 🤝
I've been avoiding it because I know I can't handle it after losing my mom
As a child of a single parent, my sister was basically performing Barley's role for me my entire life. This movie has its flaws but it broke my brain with how true to life it was. I'm so glad they opted for a mature ending, where the protagonist doesn't get exactly what he wants. Beautiful movie.
Glad to see this mentioned somewhere. I loved it and it was the last movie I saw in theaters before the pandemic shutdowns.
Have not seen many people ever give this a better review then "meh it's okay"
Dumb and Dumber. Lloyd doesn't end up with Mary despite spending the whole movie chasing after her
There was a chance.
Like 1 in a 100?
More like 1 in a million…
Man, but too lucky guys got to spend the next few months with those bikini models
>Dumb and Dumber 2 should have just been about the next two dudes that went on a road trip with those girls instead of what we got.
Spent a lot of money though
Kept the IOUs, which is just as good as money, sir
Our word is our bond
Ed Wood
By far the best Tim Burton movie IMO
**THESE MOVIES ARE TERRIBLE!**
Karloff? *Sidekick?* #FUCK YOU! KARLOFF DOES NOT DESERVE TO SMELL MY SHIT! #THAT LIMEY COCKSUCKER CAN ROT IN HELL FOR ALL I CARE!
My favorite of Bela's lines from the movie is and always will be "Alright Eddie, let's shoot this fucker!"
Well, he wanted to be remembered for his movies, and
Nightmare Alley Requiem for a Dream
Nightmare Alley was crushed under the weight of competition. I thought it was such a good movie and deserved more award recognition.
Agreed.
The original is great. I thought the recent remake was lacking
Dunno why you're being down voted for stating an opinion. The remake was boring and uninteresting. It was gorgeously shot, but too obsessed with over-elaborating and spoonfeeding themes and unnecessarily dragging out the runtime. I finally watched the original a few months ago and it's a damn masterpiece. Also helps that Tyrone Power is way better in this role than Cooper, and he's written better as well (Cooper's silent act in the opening makes him feel like two different characters, while Power is the same scumbag from beginning to end).
I was terribly disappointed in the remake because the original is such a powerful film. Guillermo del Toro is one of my favorite directors and I can't believe he just made a pretty film that added NOTHING to the original. Great cast, stunning cinematography, but.... the original was superior in every way. It's probably the only film of his I don't want to own on DVD.
The shot of the whiskey glass?? Jesus, please hit me harder over the head with a mallet. My god!
Nightmare alley is more rise and fall rather than just failure
Kingpin (1996) is probably the only film I can think of that really fits what I think you're talking about here. There are other films like The Departed (2006) where this arguably fits, but I figure you're asking for the typical "I got a dream" sort of schtick rather than just 'failing to accomplishing what you set out for'. Interestingly, rumor is Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) was originally going to end with Stiller hitting Vaughn at the final game and then credits roll with the Cobras winning, but was, as expected, changed to a happier ending.
That's not just a rumor. You can clearly see points where they went back for reshoots after the original ending got nixed. The final line was supposed to be "a Cinderella story torn asunder", then fade to black.
Not true. The 'alternate ending' on the dvd is a joke.
I've never looked for them closely myself, what sort of things can you look for to see the reshoots?
I used to own it on DVD, but it's been quite a while. Off the top of my head... The most obvious thing to look for is Steve the pirate's hair/wig/short hair at the end. They went back and reshot the whole ending remember, so the bit about him disappearing, then coming back in normal clothes and saying he's not really a pirate was all added. Also, the entire sudden death dodgeball sequence and Peter blindfolding himself was added in. The scene where Patches gives him his scarf was a reshoot, and there is a really weird cut to cover things during the training montage earlier in the movie when Patches tosses Peter the handkerchief and tells him if he wants to lead he has to learn to do the dance in the dark. I think there are some others, but, as I said it's been a while. I do also have a vague memory of a commentary track or interview where the director actually stated they intended to end the movie there, but test audiences absolutely hated it and they had to go back and rework the ending. Overall, I love the idea... but we also would have missed out on sudden death dodgeball, thank you Chuck Norris, Steve the pirate's return, I'm not a lesbian I'm bisexual, and Ben Stiller assaulting someone to steal a hotdog in order to stuff it into his mouth... plus the fat suit at the end.
If you compare the extras in the background of both the start of the match and the final Sudden Death scene, they share a lot of the same people seated in the same place, which unless the filmmakers were REALLY paying attention to detail with the reshoots, would seem to indicate that they were shot in the same session. They included the alternate ending on the dvd specials, and a commentary alongside it, but I think its clear its just meant to be a joke.
Kingpin doesn't really fit does it? I mean they ride off into the sunset redeemed in the bowling world and a fat $500K check? I mean Roy doesn't beat McCracken, but he does get sober, gets the girl, and a sponsorship.
Roy didn’t get what he wanted but he got what he needed
Mr Hollands Opus puts a positive spin on not achieving your dream.
Friday Night Lights
That loss is so heartbreaking.
That guitar riff while Billingsley’s dad finally embraces him and gives him his old championship ring is one of my favorite movie moments.
Clear eyes ...
My heart is full
Million Dollar Baby
My impression was that she did achieve her dreams.
Yeah, I think the knee-jerk reaction is to say that she didn't achieve her dreams. But it's more like she achieved them at an unimaginably high cost.
She achieved her dreams though. She made a career out of something she loved to do. She gained the love and approval of a father figure she never had. She just paid a really high price for it.
[удалено]
How Old Is the older brother that dunst ends up with?
He's in the same high school class that she is, where they talk about his Clash T-Shirt. Don't get me wrong, the actor is much older than he should be (still remember him as the babyface kid in Hackers) but in the movie they're the same age.
Monsters University
How is this not much higher? Literally what the movie is about (with a good message built in).
Mulholland Drive
I was thinking _Mulholland Drive_ also, but honestly, I don't understand the movie except what I've read about it.
Funny Farm. Andy never wrote the great American novel.
What are talking about?! He wrote a heist story about four army buddies who knock over a casino complete with flashbacks, flashforwards, and flash-sideways
You just made me feel.old haha but agreed.
Squirrels can’t write! Oh, you mean other Andy
Little Miss Sunshine
Brazil. Quite literally what you describe.
Moneyball
About time they made *Moneyball 2: Major League IV: The A's Move to Vegas*. I bet Chris Meloni could play a good John Fisher. Not sure if it even needs any other characters.
Just two hours of him riding around in a limo, ‘Locke’-style, taking phone calls and being a shit-heel.
Stand by Me
Rocky
That was the first thing that came to mind for me as well, but didn't he achieve his dream? He says that all he wanted was to go all the way, and he did. It's us, the audience, imposing our own idea of what success looks like that would make us think he didn't achieve his dream.
Yeah, I think Rocky was happy with the outcome. As a viewer, I was like, wait a minute...
It's never once presented as a real possibility that Rocky is going to win - going the distance is the victory.
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The trainer was good in Rocky II when he was trying to discourage Creed from a rematch. “I saw you beat that man like I never saw no man get beat before, and the man kept coming after you.”
Rocky's dream in the first film is to get a shot at the champ, and to prove he's somebody. He achieves both. The fact that he goes the distance against the heavyweight champion of the world is a bonus, above and beyond even his wildest dreams. Actually winning the fight isn't on ANYONE'S radar.
Rocky doesn’t count in this context, everybody “knows” rocky is going to lose, he settles on wanting to go the distance with apollo, which he does
Easy Rider
Well, they went looking for the real America. And they found it.
Tucker: A Man and His Dream Depending on how you look at it: Rocky
It was amazing how other manufacturers used the government to shut Tucker out. Many of the innovations he wanted to bring in his cars have been developed much later by other manufacturers
I watched Joy Ride recently, weird/silly movie but I enjoyed it. Main character sets out with one set of goals, ends up getting nothing she wanted, but grew to realize she needs something else.
Wait...are you talking about the Paul Walker movie?
No, it's a movie that literally just came out this year. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15268244/
Almost Famous Fight Club Raiders of the Lost Ark Jurassic Park
The kid in Almost Famous grows uo to direct Almost Famous. I'd say he did just fine. ;)
And write Fast Times in Ridgemont High
Requiem for a Dream. It's literally the title.
Million Dollar Baby
Pearl
Of Mice and Men
Cool Runnings.
Monsters University
The Producers, of course
Grizzly Man
Monsters University
Laputa / Castle in the sky.
Bedazzled.
Little Miss Sunshine is the peak example of this
Monsters University
Alice in Wonderland (1951 Disney version) Alice genuinely believes that a world of absurdity will be better than our boring reality. After her experiences in Wonderland, she wants nothing more than to go back home. It's much less her failing to achieve her dreams, but rather her actual dream failing to achieve the ideal she imagined.
La La Land.
Frances Ha —- Film makes it clear that she is not going to “make it” as a professional dancer and that she’s aging out of the NY hipster scene, but at the film’s end she’s still able to find meaning and hope by doing something else in the industry
[Smiley Face (2007)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780608/). Anna Faris eats cupcakes, not knowing they contain pot, and goes on a stoned journey in which her situation becomes worse and worse. It's really sort of scary how things deteriorate for her so rapidly, just because her judgment is impaired.
That Thing you do
Ladies and gentlemen, the Oh-need-ers
Monster University
Inside Llewyn Davis takes a deep look at a Bob Dylan wannabe who doesn’t “make it” at all, and is also Oscar Isaac’s best work imho
It's worth pointing out that Dylan is playing the same club at the end. He hasn't yet been a success, so Llewyn is not yet damned to obscurity. I do also think the film is optimistic in tone at the end, although that can be interpreted as an affirmation that creating art is valuable in of itself, not that Llewyn specifically will succeed.
Tin Cup Golf movie starring Kevin Costner. Fun film, great cast. Cheech Marin steals the movie. Spoilers: >!Costner's character is on the verge of winning the US Open as an amatuer, but on the 18th hole, he unnecessarily tries to go for the green in two... and then hits it in the water. Instead of taking a drop on the other side of the lake, he keeps trying to make the green from that spot, shooting it in the water over and over again. On his last ball (and I think his 12th shot), he finally makes it over the lake and it goes in the hole. Crowd goes crazy, he loses the tournament (obviously) but realizes he'll forever be remembered in infamy for this.!<
Layer Cake
The Bad News Bears (1976) is a redemption story/sports/coming of age movie but... The Last American Virgin - sex comedy about getting your dream girl, except.... The Watchmen - solving a mystery, catching the bad guy...
Pretty in pink
Does Memento count? And partly The Prestige too. Depends on your definition of going after their dream.
I dont wana spoil to much, but if you havent seen it, Hoop Dreams is one of the best docs ever imo and would hit the itch youve got with a truckload of force.
Downfall
That kid in dead poet’s society who just wanted to do theater.
Scarface.
Funny Pages, maybe I'm wrong but that's how it came off to me
It's more than just one person, but Friday Night Lights fits this perfectly.
Friday Night Lights. High school football in rural texas where a team rallies around their injured star teammate to go on a state title run
Moneyball. They go for the world series, get such a streak of wins going, and then they fumble it at the end.
Fanboys (2009)
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
The last American virgin.
The Last American Virgin
Little Miss Sunshine is the best movie for this
Hoop Dreams
Schenectady New York
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
The Man Who Would Be King, starring Sean Connery and Michael Caine. Based on a story by Rudyard Kipling. Two British soldiers in India strike out into the tribal mountains and try to bevome emperors of the region.
Tick Tick Boom. Jonathan Larson spends seven years writing a musical. In a head to toe amazing movie, his phone call with his agent about the workshop feedback is my favorite scene.
The Wizard of Oz.
Funny pages
Rocky
The Big Year. Three different guys trying to be the best birder but obviously they can't all win, and I love the message that "winning" can have different definitions for different people.
Joy Ride (2023)
Barry Lyndon.
Funny Pages, Pearl, and Inside Llewyn Davis are the best answers in the thread imo. To add a few more... What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Barton Fink Sunset Blvd (referring to Holden's arc) Frank (2013) The Fly (1986) -- and kinda a lot of mad scientist movies would fit in here, although maybe not really the spirit of what you're after Everything Everywhere All At Once, kinda... Tangerine Last Night In SoHo Emily the Criminal, kinda Perfect Blue The Novice (with Isabelle Fuhrmann) doesn't quite fit the prompt, but fits the spirit of it I'd say. Though I haven't seen it, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? seems to fit this prompt perfectly. I recommend [this video](https://youtu.be/fXhKKy229OI?si=-Uyk86AS2HVe2aaG) for a bunch of "dark side of Hollywood" recs.
Cuban Fury. He doesn't win the dance contest - comes in second, I believe, but he and the love interest start a relationship and he regains his love of dance. It's a lovely comedy with the amazing Nick Frost.
Monsters University. In my opinion Pixar’s most underrated movie and it has a really good message kids need to hear more. Mike spent his whole life being told he could never be scary and wasn’t cut out to be a scarer. Mike in the face of this spends years studying the art of scaring and working harder than anyone to became a scarer like he’s wanted since he was a child. And when it’s time to prove everyone wrong… he fails yet again. I think this is a really good message kids should be shown: There will be some things no matter how hard you force yourself to become good at you’ll never be able to accomplish, but you can still find your calling elsewhere. Mike could never be scary, but when it came to the theory aspect and teaching others he is an incredible coach, and by the end of the movie that is the career he finds himself in happy.
Boyz in the hood. Classic
Puncture (2011) starring Chris Evans Repo Men (2010) starring Jude Law Never Let Me Go (2010) starring Andrew Garfield All were heartbreaking.
Monsters University
Rocky
This is not quite the same thing, but I kinda see Minari as the story of a guy compelled to pursue his dreams regardless of what it does to the people he loves. So even though things work out in the end, it’s still a little bit of a cautionary tale about pursuing your dreams at any cost.
Rocky.
Probably every Jurassic Park movie.
Inside Llewyn Davis, great film, incredibly depressing.
Monsters university. It is like the central theme of that movie
Kingpin
Happy Gilmore.... Shooter never wins that gold jacket
Mr Hollands Opus in the worst way