The End [Blu-ray]

Classic Burt Reynolds movie!

I first saw "The End" in the theater when it was first released in the spring of 1978. I was 22 at the time. Well I'm 65 now and I got it on DVD and I appreciate it even more. Burt Reynolds directs for the second time. "Gator" from 1976 was his first. I didn't see that one.He stars as "Sonny" Lawson, a real estate agent who in the beginning of the movie finds out that he has only six months to live. The terrific cast has Sally Field as his girlfriend,(they were going together at the time.) Joanne Woodward as his ex-wife. Pat O'Brien'(no relation,) and Myrna Loy as his parents. Norman Fell as his doctor. Carl Reiner as his shrink. David Steinberg as his lawyer and Dom DeLuise as Sonny's new buddy who get the most laughs in the movie. The screenplay was written by Jerry Belson who wrote many episodes of "The Odd Couple" with Tony Randall and Jack Klugman in the '70's, the funny comedy "Fun with Dick and Jane" with George Segal and Jane Fonda from 1977 and many others. The great Glen Campbell and Paul Williams did the music. This is a black comedy that is not for all tastes. One of the taglines for a poster read...."Think of Death as a Pie in the Face from GOD"

A comedy about suicide? Yes. Throughout this movie Burt Reynolds plays a guy who is dying of some terrible illness, but he is so self-centered he wants to kill himself to avoid the suffering (more so the anticipation of death which is driving him crazy), and yet is such a coward that he can't go through with it unless its absolutely fool proof. The movie deals with a lot of themes like living for pleasure (the main character is a philanderer), mental illness, the absurdity of life and the absurdity of trying to avoid pain at all costs even to the point of destroying oneself.The movie left me feeling pretty empty inside. There were some moments of genuine humor (like when Reynold's character finds out a balcony is not high enough to allow a successful suicide jump), and some points of thought-provoking commentary (Reynold's is forced to swim in the ocean to survive and starts bargaining with God, realizing that he's really not followed the Ten Commandments... he can barely remember them, and his attempts to provide a good front are failing), but it really feels like a series of suicide jokes with not much else behind them.The main character really is a pathetic character, and I suppose it provides a nice contrast with the image of Burt Reynolds as some kind of ultimate symbol of the alpha male sex symbol of that period. Sally Field plays his somewhat dim-witted mistress and Don Deluise plays a mental patient side kick who gets the job done playing the Costello to Reynold's Abbott. There is also a priest character played by Barry Miller (a one-noter played for laughs... he's a young guy who hasn't figure out life yet and he's supposed to give people on the edge life-saving advice). I had memories of seeing parts of this movie (with some obvious tv-edits) as a kid and it doesn't hold up.

classic funny

Great

I saw this movie initially as a teenager and found it absolutely HILARIOUS. The comic chemistry between Dom Deluise and Burt Reynolds is PURE GOLD, years before they appeared together in the madcap Cannonball Run.Burt Reynolds finds himself in an insane asylum after he attempts to commit suicide to avoid a long, painful, death due to a terminal illness. There he meets Dom Deluise, a jovial, friendly, psychopathic killer and the two strike up an unlikely friendship.OK, so the film is a little dated, and it's definitely one that you need to be in the mood for, but it still has its moments. It's a fun little film, although for the expense of a Blue Ray, one would expect more features. It's been out of pressing for some time, and I was glad to be able to find it, but the regular DVD prices are rather exhorbitant due to their rarity.

Very much worth watching, great movie!

Blast from the past! Dom DeLuise is hilarious, Bert Reynolds is touching, comedic, and truthful in his role. Cameos from some great actors, Pat O'Brien, Myrna Loy, Norman Fell, and others. If you want to laugh and enjoy a film that deals with someone who wants to commit suicide, get this one!

What I did not know, and you should have told me, was that because the dvd came from the USA I cannot play it on my dvd player. Total waste of money.

Very happy

A black comedy directed by Burt Reynolds starring himself as Wendell a man who discovers that he’s terminally ill. He’s afraid of what awaits and soon he meets Marlon a homicidal madman(Don Deluise) then devises a plan to end it all by having marlon kill him. But not just kill him, he as to do it in a quick and creative way. Unfortunately betweens Marlon’s constant screwing up and Wendell’s desire to actually keep living one attempt after another goes awry.No special Features.

I was disappointed in this film. Hadn't seen it for about 20yrs and was really looking forward to it. However my memories of 20yrs ago and seeing it again were not the same. The film although worth watching and has some really funny moments has not stood the test of time like other Renyolds classics such as The Bandit series. Still a good film but not one of his best.

I bought as a Christmas gift for my dad and there’s no sound that works on the dvd- I know it’s not the player because other blue-ray disks work in the player, very disappointed as he was really looking forward to watching it.