Narrative technique · used in 1 film

Ironic Hollywood Ending

Giving a story the clean, happy ending its genre expects while the film makes clear how hollow that ending is. The convenience itself becomes the joke and the criticism.

Examples

Where you can see it

  1. The Player (1992) poster

    The Player

    Robert Altman · 1992

    Griffin gets away with murder and ends up running the studio. The film's own last turn is happy and tidy, which is exactly what it has been mocking. You get the satisfaction and the sour taste at once.

    Where to see it: The final phone call: the man who sent the postcards pitches Griffin a story about an executive who kills a writer and gets away with it. Griffin agrees to buy it if the ending is happy, and the writer says the title is The Player.

Questions

Quick answers

What is ironic hollywood ending in film?
Giving a story the clean, happy ending its genre expects while the film makes clear how hollow that ending is. The convenience itself becomes the joke and the criticism.
Which films use ironic hollywood ending?
The Player (1992).
What kind of technique is ironic hollywood ending?
It is a narrative technique. Related narrative techniques include Hollywood Self-Indictment, Symbolic Object, Observational Restraint.

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